The man behind a restaurant named the best Italian restaurant in Wales posted a passionate message on his diner’s Instagram page celebrating his achievement.
Mirko Usai, who moved from Cagliari in Sardinia nine years ago before opening Rustica in late March 2025, posted after his restaurant in Church Street, Monmouth, was named Best Restaurant in Wales at the UK Italian Awards 2026
He wrote: “Arrivo dalla merda. E oggi sono qui. Best Restaurant in Wales 2026. Niente mi è stato regalato. Ogni cosa me la sono presa con sacrificio, fame, rabbia, lavoro e verità.”
This translates as: “I come from s***. And today I am here. Best Restaurant in Wales 2026. Nothing was given to me. I achieved everything with sacrifice, hunger, anger, work and truth.”
He continued in Italian: “There is no luck behind this award. There are hard years, falls, humiliations, and the desire to never give up.
“I dedicate it to my father, my daughter and my staff, who believed in me. This for me is not a point of arrival. It’s just proof that if you resist, if you fight, and if you keep going even when no one believes in you, you can get where you want to go. And I’m not done yet.”
It was not the only Welsh restaurant honoured at the UK Italian Awards, which has been running since 2012. In the Best Caffe category, Belotti’s Delicatessen & Coffee House in Cardigan was highly commended.
Scaramantica Pizzeria (Cardiff) was also highly commended in the Best Front of House category. The Cardiff diner also doubled up with a highly commended in the Best Pizzeria category.
In the best Italian Restaurant in Wales category, Belotti’s was again highly commended alongside Il Gusto in Abergavenny and The Gate restaurant in Llanfrechfa. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
Dining and Cooking