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Walnut Tree and Porth Tocyn among Welsh AA award winners

The Celtic Collection and a student-run Cardiff restaurant also receive national awards.

Ellie Williams ·

Porth Tocyn Hotel patio and accommodation, photographed on 13 August 2014. Archive photo: David Medcalf, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons.

Porth Tocyn Hotel patio and accommodation, photographed on 13 August 2014. Archive photo: David Medcalf, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons.

Original photographCC BY-SA 2.0

The Walnut Tree Inn near Abergavenny has been named the AA’s Restaurant of the Year for Wales, while Porth Tocyn Hotel in Abersoch won the Welsh hotel award. The honours appear in the organisation’s 2026 winners list, published on 22 September.

Recognition beyond the country awards

Newport-based The Celtic Collection received AA Group of the Year. The Classroom at Cardiff & Vale College took College Restaurant of the Year, recognising a training restaurant alongside established hospitality businesses. The Jackdaw in Conwy won the Welsh wine award.

New ratings for Welsh venues

Lofft in Cardiff and The Gunroom Restaurant in Caernarfon were listed among the new three-Rosette restaurants. Penmaenuchaf in Dolgellau received four Red Stars. These ratings are separate from the Restaurant and Hotel of the Year categories.

The Walnut Tree’s award is specifically for Wales: the AA named separate restaurant winners for England, London and Scotland. The honours reflect the AA’s assessment, rather than a Cover Wales restaurant review or a claim that every diner will prefer the same venue.

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