How a $675-per-meal Michelin-star restaurant earned the lowest score on food safety inspections
They’re cleaning up their act.A restaurant that has been awarded one of the culinary industry’s highest honors is fighting its way back from a one-star hygiene rating.In 2022, Ynyshir Restaurant near Machynlleth became the first restaurant in Wales to receive a two-Michelin-star rating.
Ynyshir is famed for its 30-course tasting menu that highlights Japanese-inspired raw dishes and an in-house DJ and averages nearly $675 per person.The Michelin Guide describes Ynyshir as “a truly unique experience”, adding: “The evening starts early, which gives chef-owner Gareth Ward five hours to take diners on a playful culinary journey around the globe.”The guide notes that Ward, a guest judge on MasterChef, “has a particular reverence for Japanese cuisine, with sashimi and A5 Wagyu beef likely to appear on the surprise menu of around 30 vibrant servings, all using outstanding produce prepared with superb craft.”While the restaurant has held on to that coveted double Michelin star every year since 2022, it came under fire in 2025 for failing to meet standards in a routine food inspection.Though the restaurant’s hygienic food handling was rated as “generally satisfactory,” the Food Standards Agency (FSA) decreed that food safety management at Ynyshir required “major improvement.” The FSA scored Ynyshir at 1 out of a possible 5 in its star rating.The cleanliness and condition of the facilities were also called into question, with inspectors citing dirty floors, inadequate hand-washing facilities in some areas, and broken equipment.Specifically, the inspection found that “significant hazards” were not properly identified and subsequently ordered the restaurant to stop serving raw lobster in October 2025.However, Ward told the BBC last fall that Ynyshir is working “at the highest standard in the world” and FSA inspectors did not understand the restaurant’s “specialized procedures,” specifically their approach to raw ingredients.
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