If you’re a fan of MasterChef: the Professionals, you’ll probably already know the chef behind Queen of Cups, a wonderful Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and freehouse in Glastonbury. Ayesha Kalaji wowed the judges with her food – and her personality – when she appeared on the show.

The food – seasonally changing Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes inspired by Ayesha’s Jordanian heritage and Welsh upbringing, and using local produce – will wow you too.

Inventive, colourful and exciting, eating here is never boring. Tuck into dishes like fennel and coriander-cured sardines with pickled rhubarb, labneh and sumac; confit duck leg with wild garlic and sorrel gremolata and sour pomegranate jus; steak with sticky date and caramelised onions. Falafels, with laverbread, are always on the menu.

The restaurant, located in a 17th century coaching inn, is very laidback and relaxed – no starched linen tablecloths here – with quirky private dining for 8-12 upstairs and a pretty courtyard garden at the back.

Since opening in the summer of 2021, they were awarded a prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2023 and 2024, and the accolades keep rolling in. You’re looking at Best Newcomer at the Trencherman’s Awards 2024, finalist in CODE Hospitality’s Women of the Year 2024, and finalist for Best Newcomer in the Estrella Damm Top 100 Gastropubs in 2023.

Open Thurs to Monday for lunch and dinner. Come for wine, beer, cocktails, bar snacks and pastries (courgette, feta and chilli focaccia, anyone?) every Tuesday from 3-9.30pm. Dinner on Weds from 5-11pm. Glastonbury’s blues musicians play Backdoor Blues Jam, with guest ales, on Sundays 5-7pm.

In case you’re wondering about the name, ‘Queen of Cups’ is a tarot card symbolising feminine energy, emotional connection and compassion, which pretty much sums up the ethos and heart of this restaurant.