Corn Mill

Excellent on all counts, with personable young staff, super food all day, good beers, and a fascinating riverside building

In a restored mill, this is an admirable all-rounder for which we consistently get enthusiastic reports for food, drink and service. The position is really special too - the mill juts over the River Dee which rushes over its rocky bed; you look across the river to the steam trains puffing away at the nearby station and maybe a horse-drawn barge on the Llangollen Canal. An area with decking and teak tables and chairs is perfect for taking in the view. Quite a bit of the mill machinery remains - most obviously the great waterwheel, still turning - but the place has been interestingly refitted with pale pine flooring on stout beams, a striking open stairway with gleaming timber and tensioned steel rails, and mainly stripped stone walls. A lively bustling chatty feel greets you, with quick service from plenty of pleasant young staff, good-sized dining tables, big rugs, nicely chosen pictures (many to do with water) and lots of pot plants. One of the two serving bars, away from the water, has a much more local feel, with pews on dark slate flagstones, daily papers, and regulars on the bar stools. They have a great range of drinks, with five real ales from brewers such as Conwy, Facers, Phoenix, Plassey and Weetwood, around 50 sensibly priced malt whiskies and a decent wine choice. The pub can get busy, so it might be worth booking if you're planning to eat.

Good food - served all day - from a daily changing menu includes sandwiches, ploughman's, soup, lighter dishes like wild mushrooms on toast or smoked haddock chowder, and main courses such as braised shoulder of lamb, good fishcakes, local trout with braised fennel, or butternut squash risotto; puddings like mango and coconut cheesecake or barabrith bread and butter pudding; welsh and english cheeseboard.