The Swan Inn Little Haven

Quite nice pub, with an unsurprising but pleasant menu (think local seafood, beef, ice cream, etc). Think c. £12−15 for a main. Very pleasant view from the little used terrace. Staff are a bit offish, surprisingly for this part of the world, but The Swan also suffers a bit from the common local afflictions of slowish service and a mania for booking (here’s a clue– if you turn tables faster, you get more use out of them and they needn’t be unused for an hour before they’re needed).

A great find. Sat near the waters edge, a steep walk/​cycle/​drive is needed to get down to it. All worthwhile as the food is amazing. A bit more expensive than some people will like but it was so worth it.

Welsh pub of the year? The only reason I can fathom that The Swan was awarded this accolade was that the competition organisers forgot to tell any other pubs there was an award in the first place.
It’s not terrible by any means, but if you’re going to plaster ‘Pub Of The Year’ (hereafter referred to as POTY) over everything, it makes you think you’re in for something special, and you’re annoyed when it’s anything short of amazing.
The décor in the restaurant was a bit ‘Changing Rooms’. I imagine Lawrence Llewellyn-​Bowen had a jolly old time painting the plum-​coloured feature wall, complimented by the light fitting that looks like an enormous crushed up ball of tinfoil. Unless you’re sitting in one of two tables next to the windows, good luck seeing that ‘amazing view’.
We both ordered the same cocktail of smoked salmon, crab and crayfish tails — when it arrived, although well presented, it was lacking any crab whatsoever, with no explanation from the waitress. We didn’t complain, since it looked like we got double the amount of smoked salmon, which was good quality and tasty, so, meh. It’s just that I’d expect the POTY to at least inform you of this before it’s served to you, to check if that’s ok.
Grey mullet on sweet potato mash was well cooked, but the mash was slightly too buttery, and the radishes added little other than a cursory crunchy texture. The shark steak was odd, with a sort of jelly-​like, buttery texture, but the chips that accompanied it were light and crispy. Sticky toffee pudding was fine. I asked for a scoop of ice cream with mine (I would always serve STP with it) but the presentation wasn’t what you’d expect from the POTY. I’m a fatso bum and ate it before I remembered to take a picture, so you’ll have to believe me on this one.
Staff were courteous and friendly, and our bill came to £65 for 3 courses each and one beer. We had ordered a glass of wine and a beer in the bar downstairs whilst we waited for our table, but they weren’t included on the bill. I took this as a sign that they were complimentary, since they didn’t have our table ready, but I wasn’t hanging around to find out…
NOTES:
Sunday lunch looked decent value at £20 for three courses. A la carte was a bit more expensive, at about £30 for three courses. A couple of the specials had sold out by 7.30pm.
If you do go, be clear about where you’d like to sit — there was a bit of confusion over our table booking for Sunday night. There’s the restaurant upstairs and the pub downstairs. Clarify, because the staff might not.

We went to the Swan Inn on Sunday expecting something very special after reading their website — what a very big disappointment! We were shown straight to our table — but thats when customer service went straight out of the window. We waited over 20 minutes for someone to take our order and then almost an hour before our order came! Unbelievable! No apologies nothing! When the food eventually came it was nothing special — meant to be a rib of beef we aren’t so sure! Very small yorkshire, one piece of meat (small) and two roasters, served with a small dish of savoy/​brocolli and cauliflower cheese. Hardly any gravy, but what there was of it was very tasty. The desserts were nothing special — the brownie was meant to have a chocolate tia marie sauce it tasted of cooking chocolate! The coffee was served (eventually) and the waitress asked if we wanted milk! If we had wanted black coffee we would have asked for it — most restaurants give you a mint with your coffee but not the Swan!
For two mains, one dessert, two coffees and a couple of drinks — almost £40.00 so all in all a bit of a waste of money I think. We wouldn’t go there again.

Visited The Swan for lunch while on a short trip to Little Haven this week. Very impressed with the food. I had soup (spinach and potato) which was very tasty and came with two large chunks of bread. My boyfriend wasn’t very hungry so ordered the open cheese and pickle sandwich — two thick slices of bread with huge portions of cheddar, Brie and a blue cheese, plus salad, tomato chutney and a beetroot relish. Portions were big, service friendly if a little slow, sitting by the fire looking out over the bay was lovely!

EXCELLENT! Deserved to be the AA Pub Winner 2010. One of the very best meals we have had in a long time, exceptionally priced for the quality of the food cooked by the Chef.
The Rare Breed Pork was delicious, which came with lovely creamy mash, vegetables & a jus, my husband tried & agreed, pork being the least of his favourite meats. He went for Codling which was whole (huge, over the rim of the large oval plate), vegetables, chips with a garlic sauce which I tried & agreed was also delicious. I am afraid some was left but not for the want of trying to eat all! The Staff were friendly making a nice atmosphere for enjoying your meal. The view of the beach is an added bonus. We will definitely be visiting each time we go down to visit relatives in the future.

Am a little surprised by the negative comments given, as when we visited we had one of the best meals we’d had in a long time. The staff were very friendly and efficient. We did not book, but then again it was a Wednesday night. We ordered drinks at the bar, and then were given the menu’s to look at before we were shown to the restaurant upstairs. We had a fab table, overlooking the bay. I was expecting a small amount of food, so we ordered additional greens and potatoes. However, when our food arrived there was just the right amount of potatoes and veg, so we did not really need them. My girlfriend had the welsh lamb, which she said was just perfect. I had pollack, which was cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. I would thoroughly recommend The Swan Inn. The food is great, the staff are friendly, the service is not rushed and the view is perfect. I would point out that if you want a quick meal, then this is probably not the place. The food is ready when it is ready, and I feel that this is a sign that it has not just been re-​heated in the microwave !

Recently visited The Swan in Little Haven for a family lunch. Regret to say that we were all initially aggrieved by very slow service and then wholly disappointed by the poor quality food; honestly, I’ve had better fare at chain pubs such as Vintage Inn. Simply not good enough to justify the prices. They seem to be making much of their gastropub credentials and positive reviews from the press, but I can only imagine that standards must have slipped since these plaudits were gained. I derive no satisfaction from criticising a new venture (the Swan was closed for several years after the departure of the previous incumbents), but really there’s something awry here. I hope that they’ll be able to address these issues, because the Swan is an institution in Little Haven that deserves to thrive for the benefit of the whole village.

Went to the Swan on a friend’s recommendation but was disappointed. Arrived before food was being served so decided to head down to the beach for a walk before returning. The lady at the bar assured us that we would be fine to turn up at 6pm to eat. When we returned the same member of staff let us order a round of drinks before informing us that the restaurant was fully booked and that there might be a food shortage anyway.
Wouldn’t have been so discontented if the staff had’ve been friendlier and informed us of this when we first arrived. Generally bad service and won’t be returning in a hurry.

interesting food but could be pricey but a great place and view