The Links

Verdict: Worth the Drive to Tenby Golf Club

Getting a table at The Links is not the ordeal it would be at a city fine-dining room, that relative accessibility is part of the value proposition. Booking difficulty is moderate; you will want to plan ahead, particularly on weekends when the golf club's room guests compete with walk-in interest; but this is not a restaurant that requires a three-month calendar watch. The more pressing question is whether the drive to Tenby's coastline is worth it.

Portrait: Cooking Anchored in the Welsh Larder

The Links sits inside Tenby Golf Club, which immediately sets an expectation of relaxed, unpretentious dining rather than white-tablecloth formality. That expectation is accurate, it is not a compromise. The kitchen, led by an experienced local chef, has built a menu around Welsh produce with the kind of regional conviction that distinguishes a restaurant genuinely embedded in its area from one that simply prints the word "local" on its menu. The approach is Modern Cuisine in format but emphatically Welsh in ingredient sourcing, the Michelin recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms that the execution carries weight beyond the casual setting.

The Michelin Plate designation, awarded to restaurants where inspectors find good cooking that does not yet meet star criteria, is a meaningful signal for a restaurant in this tier and location. It places The Links in a category of cooking that is worth seeking out deliberately, not just stopping at out of convenience. For food-focused travellers exploring the south Wales coast, it is the clearest reason to put Tenby on the itinerary rather than simply passing through on the way to somewhere else. If you are already visiting Pembrokeshire, skipping The Links in favour of a gastropub would be a misjudgement.

Scent of freshly baked ale bread is reportedly the meal's opening note, arriving at the table with whipped marmite butter. This is the kind of detail that tells you where a kitchen's priorities lie: the bread course is made daily and signals a commitment to the meal's arc from the first moment. It also anchors the experience firmly in Welsh food culture, where fermented, savoury flavours and hearty baking traditions are genuine touchstones rather than affectations. The progression from that opening through to the main courses follows the logic of a kitchen confident in its larder rather than one chasing trend cycles.

££££ price point (assessed as £££ in the venue data) places The Links at the mid-upper end of what you would expect in a Welsh coastal town, but well below the £££££ territory of destination restaurants in rural England or Scotland. For context, a meal at Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth, Wales's most decorated dining destination, operates at a significantly higher price point and requires considerably more planning. The Links delivers Michelin-recognised cooking at a fraction of that commitment, both financial and logistical. If you want to understand what Wales's larder can produce without committing to a full tasting menu experience, this is where to start.

Golf club setting also means there are rooms on site if you are planning a longer stay on the south Wales coast, which changes the calculus for visitors travelling from London or the Midlands. A coastal weekend built around The Links, the neighbouring beach, Pembrokeshire's walking trails is a coherent itinerary. The beach adjacency is not just a scenic note: the combination of coastal air, a pre-dinner walk, a kitchen drawing on Welsh seafood and produce is the full version of what this restaurant offers. Arriving without that context means leaving some of the value on the table.

For food-focused travellers used to benchmarking against regional British destinations, the relevant comparison is not the starred rooms of the Home Counties but the better-value Michelin Plate and Bib Gourmand tier across rural Britain. In that company, The Links holds its position well. Venues like hide and fox in Saltwood or Hand and Flowers in Marlow operate with similar Michelin recognition at higher price points in more competitive markets. The Links offers comparable ambition with a lower barrier to entry and a setting that is genuinely its own.

Practical Details

How to Book

Booking difficulty is moderate. Weekend tables, particularly Saturday dinner, will require advance planning, aim for at least one to two weeks ahead during peak season on the Pembrokeshire coast. Weekday bookings are more accessible. Accommodation is available at the golf club for those making a longer trip, which may affect table availability for non-residents on busy nights. No phone or online booking details are listed in Pearl's current data; check directly with Tenby Golf Club for current reservation channels.

Explore More in Tenby

• Our full Tenby restaurants guide
• Our full Tenby hotels guide
• Our full Tenby bars guide
• Our full Tenby wineries guide
• Our full Tenby experiences guide

Pearl Picks: If You're Travelling Further

• Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth, Wales's two-star benchmark, for when budget and planning time are not constraints
• hide and fox in Saltwood, comparable Michelin-recognised cooking in a rural English setting
• Hand and Flowers in Marlow, two-star pub restaurant for those who want the unpretentious format taken further
• Moor Hall in Aughton, northern England's benchmark for produce-led fine dining with rooms
• Gidleigh Park in Chagford, south-west England's country house alternative for a longer destination trip
• L'Enclume in Cartmel, the British benchmark for local-larder tasting menus if you want to see how far the format goes

FAQ

Is The Links worth the price?

• At £££ with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions, The Links represents good value in context. You are paying for Michelin-recognised cooking in a relaxed golf club setting, not for fine-dining theatre. Against comparable Welsh options, the price-to-quality ratio is favourable. Against starred destination restaurants elsewhere in Britain, it is considerably cheaper for a similar level of culinary seriousness.

Is the tasting menu worth it at The Links?

• The venue's Michelin Plate status and the daily-made ale bread signal a kitchen that thinks carefully about the arc of a meal. Whether a formal tasting menu is offered is not confirmed in Pearl's current data, but the kitchen's produce-led approach and progression from opening bread course through to mains suggests a meal structured around that kind of thinking. If a tasting format is available, it is the way to engage fully with what the kitchen does. Confirm current menu formats when booking.

What should I order at The Links?

• The ale bread with whipped marmite butter is the one confirmed standout from Michelin's own notes on the restaurant, start there. Beyond that, the kitchen's strength is in Welsh larder sourcing, so dishes featuring local seafood or regional produce are the most reliable choices. Specific menu items are not listed in Pearl's current data; ask the kitchen what is made fresh that day.

Is The Links good for solo dining?

• The relaxed golf club setting makes solo dining more comfortable here than in a formal fine-dining room. At £££ per head, it is a reasonable solo spend on the Pembrokeshire coast. The counter or window tables, if available, would be the natural choice for a solo visitor. If solo dining in a coastal Welsh town is the plan, The Links is the strongest option Pearl currently has data on in Tenby.

What should I wear to The Links?

• No dress code is specified in Pearl's data, the golf club setting suggests smart-casual is appropriate. You are unlikely to feel underdressed in clean, presentable clothes. Overly formal dress (suits, cocktail) would be out of place given the setting. Think country casual rather than city fine-dining.

What are alternatives to The Links in Tenby?

• Within Tenby specifically, Pearl's current data does not surface a direct competitor at the same Michelin-recognised level. For a step up in ambition and price, Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth is Wales's clear leader for serious destination dining. For broadly comparable Michelin Plate-tier cooking in rural Britain, hide and fox in Saltwood works if you are travelling in the south-east. For the full Tenby picture, see our Tenby restaurants guide.