Food and Drink in Hereford

Welcome to week three of our Golden Ticket Blogs, and this week it is a subject we are incredibly passionate about – Food and Drink. We are not only passionate, we also think we do it quite well and our famous for both! This week we highlight just a few of our great independents but we are fortunate to have many, so you won’t go hungry.

Hereford is famous for beef, which may give an explanation as to why we have so many amazing burger places here. The Beefy Boys are a group of ex HCA students who started by cooking burgers and barbequeing  in their back gardens for friends. Fast forward a few years and these local lads represented the UK in the World Food Championships in Las Vegas, winning 2^nd place for their epic Butty Bach Burger. It is safe to say their restaurant is one of the most popular places to eat in the city, where you won’t just be able to get your American dirty burger fix, but awesome beer and cocktails too. Veggies and vegans need not fear as they have a great selection for everyone. These guys are proof that a creative education can take you just about anywhere, they’ve successfully used their skills, applied some out of the box thinking and created one of the county’s coolest businesses and brands.

En Sushi is Hereford’s first sushi restaurant, serving up an experience unlike anything else in the city, a real taste of Japanese and Korean fusion cuisine. Using the freshest ingredients to serve you specially handcrafted dishes, each prepared with love! And trust us — you’ll want to save room for dessert!

Did I already mention burgers are popular in Hereford? Another local restaurant you will have to try out is The Burger Shop. With british burgers and seasonal ingredients, every couple of months they change their specials to reflect the seasons. After recently having a huge refurb, The Burger Shop is a popular place to hang out in Hereford, you will find HCA staff and ex-students work exhibited on the walls and just recently, a member of staff created a huge mural for their latest venture, The Yard – bring you music, beer and cocktails.

The Bastion Street Feast is a new social dining experience for Hereford. Featuring a selection of delicious street food traders from all over the country, which change event by event. You will be wanting to visit every week to give yourself the chance to try everything on offer from local pizza, traditional greek, slow smoked meats, loaded churros and everything in between. With acoustic music during the day, and DJ sets at night it’s a great place for a chilled out meal and late night cocktail.

If pasta is your thing, we’ve also got two independent Italian restaurants. Ponte Vecchio is more traditional in its style with a rustic dining room and creative menu. Whilst Cotto (above) has the cosy warmth of a bigger city venue but a more traditional approach in their menu. Both boast real Italian heritage and a proper knowledge of Italian ingredients and food – why not give them a try.

Hereford isn’t just famous for beef, we are also known for our craft ales and cider! You won’t find many pubs in Hereford that don’t have a huge selection of Hereford cider on offer, Westons, Gwatkins, Robinsons, Dunkertons, Colcombe House, the list goes on, and on! If craft ale is more your thing you not going to be disappointed by what’s on offer in Hereford either, award winning Wye Valley Brewery is a short car ride out of town, and you are going to want to go and visit their “green” brewery for a guided tour.

Just in case you are worried all we have to offer is cider, ale and beer – we also have some fantastic distilleries in Hereford so if a gin & tonic is your thing you might want to check out Black Mountain Botanicals, Penrhos Spirits and Haven Distillery.

Of course we do have the high street names in food and drink too, from McDonalds to Nandos, Wetherspoons and Yates but we highly recommended extending your palate just a little and exploring some of the great local food and drink businesses Hereford has to offer. Don’t forget we also have country pubs and a short walk, cycle or car ride takes you to some hidden gems like The Secret Garden, Bunch of Carrots and even The Moon!