Nice little restaurant in the beautiful old county hall courthouse next to the castle. The food was simple and Welsh themed as expected and the staff were very friendly. Fair prices and a great place to pop into for lunch if you’re visiting the castle.
CHOCCY BARR206 days ago
What can I say ! It started well, I was tempted by what seemed a nice menu, the soup was wonderful, but then it went downhill, first the sea bass was removed from the menu, and then nothing seemed to come out of the kitchen for almost 40 minutes. The place was less than half full, but people were waiting, and waiting. Got the impression someone was winging it in the kitchen that day and the staff were nervously telling people "almost ready " every 5 minutes. I am not in the habit of giving bad reviews, but it was a huge disappointment.
Bob Avis206 days ago
From the outside it looks a bit intimidating and grand but it's really very friendly. My wife had the gluten free smashed avocado bagel while I had Welsh Rarebit wife a large mixed salad. Absolutely brilliant.
Dimitri Kissoff206 days ago
I don’t know where to start, maybe at the beginning. Lovely old building (ex Courthouse - there’s a clue in the name) next to the prison yard where executions used to take place. All I can say is I’m glad what we ate was not our last meal, though the Welsh rarebit with smoked haddock might have been prison food. And I’m being kind… The menu (very concise in Welsh and English) was very ambitious and if executed well (that word again) would be lovely. Only it wasn’t. We had coffees. Nice, not bitter - though £1 extra per cup for oat milk ought to be a hanging offence, so if the coffee wasn’t bitter, I was on discovering this unannounced upselling. The entrance by the way was confusing and quite unwelcoming…not sure where to go, but nice room once inside. Grand piano and palms with high ceiling, bar at one end. Expensive bent wood seating. Welsh Rarebit with Smoked Haddock seemed inviting (the photo of the rarebit on Google looked good) but the cheese would have been on the haddock instead of toast so we asked for the usual cheese on toast with the fish on the side. After a conflab out of sight it was agreed this would be possible. Two were then ordered with an Eggs Benedict. Now then…after a while and another coffee the food arrived - you can see the photos. The Rarebit was spread thinner than marmite on the thinnest bread I’ve seen recently with a piece of white fish next to it. When I say small I mean small. Take a look. We expected the usual smoked haddock - a slightly yellow fillet and a substantial piece of toasted bread covered in a cheesy sauce. The Eggs Benedict was quite good, runny eggs with a nice piece of real ham, though the sauce was unusually tart and the muffin strangely lacking in size and toastyness. And that was that. Oh…the bill. I didn’t see it but I was informed it was very expensive for what we had. Service was by one young person who had to do everything, and when coffee was being prepared conversation had to stop as the room took on the auditory ambiance of Euston station in the steam train era. We were glad to get out. What a shame! The site is historic, under the castle walls. The room renovated to a high standard. The menu intelligent and interesting. But something has gone drastically wrong. A basic lack of following through a good idea, and staff having to cope with unattainable goals. Somewhere like the Old Courthouse needs a mature manager to welcome people and oversee the pass, to check the food offering would stand up in court. Please don’t give up. Spend some time protecting your investment…
Andrew Griffiths267 days ago
Sitting at the bar with my second prosecco having a wonderfully chilled and elegant afternoon in Caernarfon. The building is sympathetically restored and full of really interesting history. The Welsh rarebit is to die for and there seem to be some interesting live music events coming up. Definitely a place to stop off at once and twice if you're visiting the castle just across the road!
M-Y267 days ago
Amazing service and delicious food. We really enjoyed our dinner. Beautiful location. Good vegetarian options. Also had great kids menu. Reasonable prices for the quality. (Responding to other reviews - We didn’t find service too slow, but there were only a couple other tables.)
Rick Boase298 days ago
We stopped in, as much to get out of the rain as eat. It was very good. I ordered the ham, smoked cheese, and apple bagel with avocado added. Very tasty. Also a side of shrimp and sauce was also good.
It came with a slaw salad and spinach leaf salad.
Most of the comments I read, indicate cost and time. Although we were there for lunch, the service was very quick.
As for the cost, for the part three months, we have traveled through our Europe and are now traveling England. The price was very reasonable for an elegant suit down lunch. If those folks griping about prices want cheap there is a McDonald's down the road.
I liked this venue.
Jonathan Haddock359 days ago
Lovely renovated building, good menu choices including vegetarian. Great service and a nice atmosphere. Good value including drinks and definitely worth a visit in Caernarfon. The restaurant is attached to a theatre and combining the two is a great idea for an evening out.
The menu (very concise in Welsh and English) was very ambitious and if executed well (that word again) would be lovely. Only it wasn’t.
We had coffees. Nice, not bitter - though £1 extra per cup for oat milk ought to be a hanging offence, so if the coffee wasn’t bitter, I was on discovering this unannounced upselling.
The entrance by the way was confusing and quite unwelcoming…not sure where to go, but nice room once inside. Grand piano and palms with high ceiling, bar at one end. Expensive bent wood seating.
Welsh Rarebit with Smoked Haddock seemed inviting (the photo of the rarebit on Google looked good) but the cheese would have been on the haddock instead of toast so we asked for the usual cheese on toast with the fish on the side. After a conflab out of sight it was agreed this would be possible. Two were then ordered with an Eggs Benedict.
Now then…after a while and another coffee the food arrived - you can see the photos. The Rarebit was spread thinner than marmite on the thinnest bread I’ve seen recently with a piece of white fish next to it. When I say small I mean small. Take a look. We expected the usual smoked haddock - a slightly yellow fillet and a substantial piece of toasted bread covered in a cheesy sauce.
The Eggs Benedict was quite good, runny eggs with a nice piece of real ham, though the sauce was unusually tart and the muffin strangely lacking in size and toastyness.
And that was that. Oh…the bill. I didn’t see it but I was informed it was very expensive for what we had.
Service was by one young person who had to do everything, and when coffee was being prepared conversation had to stop as the room took on the auditory ambiance of Euston station in the steam train era.
We were glad to get out.
What a shame! The site is historic, under the castle walls. The room renovated to a high standard. The menu intelligent and interesting. But something has gone drastically wrong. A basic lack of following through a good idea, and staff having to cope with unattainable goals.
Somewhere like the Old Courthouse needs a mature manager to welcome people and oversee the pass, to check the food offering would stand up in court.
Please don’t give up. Spend some time protecting your investment…
(Responding to other reviews - We didn’t find service too slow, but there were only a couple other tables.)
It came with a slaw salad and spinach leaf salad.
Most of the comments I read, indicate cost and time. Although we were there for lunch, the service was very quick.
As for the cost, for the part three months, we have traveled through our Europe and are now traveling England. The price was very reasonable for an elegant suit down lunch. If those folks griping about prices want cheap there is a McDonald's down the road.
I liked this venue.