Gate, Cwmbran

This is a restaurant, where drinking alcohol, including draught and bottled beer, is only allowed when food is being consumed.

In an extraordinary reversal of the trend which has seen many pubs converted into restaurants, the Gate, on the outskirts of Cwmbran, bucked the trend. It was once a traditional two-room village inn owned by the old Rhymney Brewery before being taken over by Whitbread and eventually being extended to become a dining pub as part of the Beefeater chain. It later became an up-market Asian restaurant before re-emerging as a village pub and restaurant. The interior has a smart well-presented appearance with low beams (tall folk look out!) in a pleasant bar that is broadly divided into two sections with a fireplace between them; sofa seating adds additional comfort while the log fire provides a warming focal point in cold weather. The spacious restaurant offers pleasant surroundings with shades of green decor where diners may enjoy freshly prepared food selected from a menu of tempting dishes among which are a range of steaks the pub claims to be among the best in Wales, cooked on what is described as a "Jasper" grill. The pub sign in the form of a hanging gate states "This gate hangs high and hinders none, refresh and pay and travel on".