Bryn Williams Porth Eirias — Restaurant in Wales

A Shockingly Poor Experience for Anyone with Allergies or Who Appreciates Good Service

My recent visit to Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias was incredibly disappointing. I booked a reservation through OpenTable, where I noted my severe celiac disease and dairy allergy. This isn't a preference; it's a serious medical condition that can make me very ill. I always ensure restaurants are aware of this well in advance. Upon our arrival, the staff claimed they were unaware of my dietary restrictions despite my booking notes. While I can appreciate that technology can sometimes fail, the way the situation was handled from that point on was completely unacceptable. Instead of accommodating my needs, I was offered a separate dish while my husband was told he could eat the afternoon tea for two that had already been prepared.

The entire experience was made worse by the staff's attitude. The service was frosty from the start, but it became shocking when we received the bill. We were charged for both afternoon teas plus my separate meal. When I questioned this, explaining that my husband hadn't eaten two meals and that I couldn't eat the one I was being charged for, the response was unbelievable. The staff member insisted that they were doing us a "favour" and, even worse, implied that I was lying about adding my dietary notes to the booking.

I've dined at restaurants all over the world, from small local cafes to Michelin-starred establishments, and I have never been treated with such a lack of respect or empathy. The entire situation was handled with a complete lack of professionalism. For anyone with serious allergies, or for anyone who simply appreciates good service, I would strongly caution you against...

Food was good but service and choice of beers was poor

For our xmas event i was pleased to hear we'd be visiting Bryn's at Porth Eirias. The restaurant was full but pre-booked hence I guess this wasn't a surprise to the staff. We were on a pre selected menu which had a good choice and the food didn't disappoint. The portions could have been slightly bigger but taste is king and it was good. The issue we found was that the time between courses was long and some in our group had finished their courses before others had been served. Similar was true of getting drinks, due to the waiting it took us 3h to get through our three courses in which we were only asked twice if we were ok for drinks. Once at the start and then once just before our mains. TBH that wasn't a bad thing as their choice of beers were quite poor. It was good to see that they has welsh beers but they were quite plain and to have Wrexham export as the standard beer shows their more into the name than the taste. If Wrexham hasn't been taken over by hollywood you'd never choose that lager on taste. Also, the other options seemed to be ticking boxes like gluten free, etc.. If they want local beers they'd be much better served if they asked truly local breweries like Wild horse and Black cloak to provide them with more flavoursome options.

I may go back to sample the food again but I hope they sort out their management / training and drinks selection...

I popped in with a group for lunch. The location is fantastic once inside, the entrance area is very busy with groups for the beach with kayaks, canoes etc. We were seated, 7 around a table that could only really hold six max and the waitress was attentive. Food service was quick and we ordered soft drinks, no lemonade as they were awaiting a delivery. The glasses in which the soft drinks were served looked like they had been through the dishwasher a million times with numerous scratches and reminded me of some pubs I worked in many years ago. I had fish fingers, fries and crushed peas with a tartare sauce. Fries were served in a receptacle which had more chips in it than I had fries, fries looked bought in and were no different to McDonalds. The fishfingers were Ok, they were fish pieces but nothing special and if I am honest the crushed peas were the highlight, they were tasty. We arranged with the staff to go to the terrace for coffee as others were due to join us, they reserved a table for us. As I got up to move i was challenged by one of the chefs who seemed to think I was about to leave without paying, rather embarrassing! On the terrace I had a pot of tea served in a scratched and stained red tea pot. The location and reputation promised so much but ultimately was disappointing. I wish them luck but need to up their game, so much potential but...