Aberystwyth — Ceredigion — West Wales
Modern Welsh tasting menus celebrating the wild larder of Ceredigion
The hills above Aberystwyth have fed these valleys for ten thousand years. Our job is simply to get out of the way.
Osian Rhys — Head Chef, SY23
SY23 takes its name from the Aberystwyth postcode — a deliberate act of belonging. This is a restaurant rooted in place: in the peat-dark uplands of the Cambrian Mountains, the salt-lashed Cardigan Bay coastline, and the ancient oakwood valleys that thread between them.
We offer a single tasting menu, changed with each new season and often with each new week, built entirely from ingredients sourced within a fifty-mile radius. Our relationships with farmers, fishermen, foragers, and cheesemakers are not marketing copy; they are the restaurant.
Aberystwyth's postcode is not glamorous. It does not evoke Burgundy vineyards or Michelin-starred districts. SY23 is the code stamped on agricultural invoices, fishing permits, and the envelopes of hill farmers who have worked this land through generations of hardship and quiet satisfaction.
We chose it because fine dining in Wales too often looks away from Wales. We look directly at it. SY23 is Ceredigion's postcode and it is ours. The dining room, the kitchen, the menu — all of it belongs to this specific corner of the world.
Every ingredient has a postcode of its own. We know the name of the person who grew it, fished it, or foraged it — and we believe you should too. Our weekly ingredient map details exactly where each element of the menu comes from and why it matters.
We do not serve strawberries in January, no matter how much a guest might wish it. The menu is an honest portrait of what Ceredigion offers right now, in this particular week of this particular year. That constraint is not a limitation — it is the whole point.
SY23 is not a restaurant that shouts. We do not have a signature dish. We do not plate for social media. What we have is a kitchen that works with genuine seriousness and a dining room that believes the best service is the kind you stop noticing.
Draenogbysg y Môr
Aberystwyth Harbour — 0.3 miles
Line-caught daily from Cardigan Bay by a small fleet of day-boats. Exceptional flavour from cold Atlantic waters. Never more than twelve hours from sea to kitchen.
Oen Cambria
Ponterwyd, Ceredigion — 14 miles
Grazed on the rough mountain pasture above Nant-y-Moch reservoir. The elevation and the ancient grasses give the meat a depth that lowland lamb cannot match.
Craf y Geifr
Nanteos Estate Woodland — 3 miles
Harvested weekly through spring from the damp oak woodland south of the town. Leaves for purées and oils; flowers for garnish; seeds pickled for winter stores.
Caws Cenarth
Fferm Glyneithinog — 28 miles
A brie-style Welsh cheese with a gentle bloomy rind. Served at the height of its ripeness, precisely timed from delivery. Occasionally warmed and paired with meadowsweet honey.
Our Head Sommelier, Lowri Mair, builds each pairing around the menu as it evolves through the season. The list is not fixed; it breathes alongside the kitchen.
We look for wines made by people who think about their land the way we think about ours — with patience and without apology.Include Wine Pairing
A non-alcoholic pairing is available at £38 per person, built from house-fermented sodas, pressed Welsh apple juice, and botanical infusions prepared in the kitchen each morning.
Loire Valley — Chenin Blanc
Beeswax, quince, and a mineral precision that cuts cleanly. Aged on lees for eighteen months.
Paired with the lobster course
Burgenland, Austria — Grüner Veltliner
Biodynamic estate. Lemon thyme, white pepper, and a salinity that mirrors the sea bass beautifully.
Paired with the fish course
Loire Valley — Cabernet Franc
Graphite, dark cherry, and a structure that needs the fat of the lamb to reveal itself fully.
Paired with the lamb course
Lebanon — Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the great eccentric wines. Dried roses, leather, and a complexity that rewards slow drinking alongside the cheese.
Paired with the cheese course
Welshpool, Wales — Bacchus
Our closest producer. Elder blossom, gooseberry, and a bright acidity that opens the meal with appropriate ceremony.
Welcome glass — aperitif
California — Orange Muscat
Marmalade, orange blossom, and an honeyed sweetness that stays light. The dessert wine that does not overwhelm.
Paired with dessert
Dinner at SY23 is not a transaction. From arrival to departure, every element of the evening is considered. We seat at two sittings to ensure neither feels rushed.
18:30
Welcome to the lounge. A glass of the evening's aperitif and a selection of snacks from the kitchen while you settle.
19:00
Your table is laid for the evening. Menu cards and a brief tour of provenance. No rush, no hurry.
19:30
First courses arrive at an unhurried pace. Each dish introduced briefly, without theatre.
21:30
The final courses. A chance to linger. The kitchen is happy to discuss anything you have tasted this evening.
22:30
Petit fours for the road. The kitchen team is often happy to say goodbye in person.
Capacity
Twenty-four coversSY23 seats twenty-four guests. That is a deliberate decision. It is the number of people we can serve without compromising the quality of what reaches the table or the attention each guest receives.
The room itself is understated: Welsh slate, white linen, and a single candle on each table. The artwork is by local painters. The light is always low. We believe that a dining room should encourage conversation, not compete with it.
We do not play background music before ten o'clock in the evening. The restaurant has a particular quality of quiet that our guests return for as much as the food.