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.
“I’m buying sashimi-grade fish from Japan, and they’re questioning, ‘Well, we don’t know the water, so how do we know it’s sashimi grade?’,” he lamented.
“Well, it is sashimi grade; this stuff’s eaten raw all over the world, and just because our rules don’t fit their rules, they’re questioning it.”
However, it seems Ward and his team have addressed the FSA’s concerns. Upon reinspection in February, the restaurant was awarded a five-star rating.
The agency shared, “This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of the food hygiene inspection process and the positive results that can be achieved through constructive engagement between regulatory officers and food businesses to improve standards.”
The FSA added that they notified Ynyshir of its revised rating and published the updated score on the agency website, where it has been available for public viewing since March 2026.
Last winter, food critic Giles Coren publicly defended Ynyshir amid the hygiene controversy, arguing that Michelin-starred restaurants should not be bound by normal health and safety rules and the guidelines should “probably be modernized”.
“It is not little kitchens and pots boiling away, mimsy little things being placed on plates. He is cooking with fire… he stands there in his leather apron, and it’s roaring like fireworks,” Coren said.
Fans of the restaurant have also been vocal about its merits.
“Hard to believe I’ll eat anywhere as good again. Incredible experience. Every course was exceptional. I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t get a third star,” said one Reddit commenter.
For the brave and bougie wishing to visit the restaurant for themselves, Ynyshir permits small helicopters to land and stay overnight on their grounds.
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