Butterflies Bar & Kitchen named best restaurant in Wales

Butterflies Bar & Kitchen, on Queen Street, was crowned the Best Restaurant in Wales yesterday, March 17 at the Best of Welsh Business Awards.

The awards 'recognise every footprint made by Welsh businesses, no matter how.'

In response to wining the restaurant thanked their customers and their 'wonderful team.'

On Facebook Butterflies Bar & Kitchen said: "Massive thank you to our wonderful team! Each week you all smash it out of the park.

"Who’d have thought a small restaurant with no parking on a side street in Blaenavon would win best restaurant in the whole of Wales? Not just once, but twice in the last couple of years.

Outside Butterflies Bar & Kitchen (Image: Google Street View)

"Thank you, thank you, thank you.

"Lots of love, Dayne, Curtis and our truly wonderful team."

Head chef Dayne Watkins and his husband Curtis have owned the gastropub since 2015.

Head chef of Butterflies Bar & Kitchen Dayne Watkins (Image: UGC)

This is not the first award the gastropub has been crowned with, last year the restaurant was crowned the Best Family Restaurant in Wales at the prestigious Welsh Restaurant Awards.

Mr Watkins who has worked at the hidden gem of a pub since he was 15 put their success down to Butterflies having a ‘wonderful cosy and homely feel.’

Mr Watkins said: “I took the business over in 2015 and this year we purchased the freehold from the previous owners. I know many of our customers on a personal basis and we owe everything to them for the success of our business.

Butterflies Bar & Kitchen at the Best of Welsh Business Awards (Image: Butterflies Bar & Kitchen)

“We have a long waiting list for tables, and we welcome over 700 customers a week from South Wales and beyond.”

They have previously won ‘Best Restaurant in South Wales’ at the Welsh Restaurant Awards in 2022 and ‘Best Family Run Business in Wales’ at the Best of Welsh Business Awards earlier this year.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant has served an average of 750 customers a week and there is hope among the staff that this award will encourage more customers to try out what Butterflies has to offer.