Caffi Siabod — Restaurant in Wales

Dietary Needs/ALLERGY BEWARE. they sadly haven't a clue/don't take the care.

After 6 hour round trip up Snowdon and back we were very hungry. Saw this Café at the side of the road. Claimed to have a vegan breakfast. So felt confident they could Accommodate. SO WRONG.

We ordered two vegan breakfasts (she did swap the hash browns for chips) and two Chai lattes with OAT MILK.(Which I asked if they could be vegan.. told yes with oat milk)

The cafe is cute with plenty of space and comfy chairs. The drinks arrived. FIRST SIP I could tell straight away it was COW MILK. I went to the counter and asked if it was and the guy making drinks confirmed... That the owner... Ayesha had made a mistake. And put cow milk. He didn't even apologise but made a new one.

I sat in my chair and did all I could not to burst into tears I felt Violated.. having been vegan for 8 years for ethical reasons... I was heartbroken I'd been given a non vegan product.

The second cup arrives.. What was served was disgusting and tasteless and I had to add lots of sugar just to make it drinkable.... (I should've just got a refund as it wasn't cheap) Once again not customer service no apologies... Just put infront of me and walked away.

Then the "vegan" breakfast shows up. Which in the picture you can see was served with toast with.... BUTTER!!!! an animal product.

The friend I was with challenged this.... 'Why would you even put butter on a plate for a VEGAN breakfast' we were once again told this was an oversight... Another mistake.

Upon leaving we were chased by the owner who wanted to apologise she was nice.... Claimed they owned 10 businesses locally... I personally believed they should then KNOW BETTER... She asked if it was an allergy.... To dairy. I said no and she said 'oh ok then'. ....well no it wasn't ok. It's an ethical choice.... And moral stance... Veganism is a protected belief system by UK law.

I mentioned how the chai latte is Not good. She told me that because she used a Chai teabag... Instead of the mix as the mix has milk in it. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I told her she should've been honest and checked with the customer first as id have got a refund and ordered a tea instead.

I'm not sure how they have 10 successful businesses as they totally lack care and attention. Turns out with stayed at her air BnB the night before.... Above her restaurant ABBASSI'S in Betws-y-coed. Where we were warned it was above a busy restaurant.... But we pointed out the staff shouting and crashing pot for over an hour after closing and slamming the front door was less than ideal. We suggested providing free ear plugs.... She didn't like this idea as said people might be put off by them.. we pointed out the guests would be grateful. Luckily we brought some.

So as a whole I just wouldn't trust this place if you have any dietary needs or allergies as they...

So I feel pulled and pushed to make this review, so as a white revert muslim myself for religious and health reasons we don’t eat pork, I saw this cafeteria as I was going towards bêtes y coed. I needed coffee! I walked in and the smell of bacon and sausages was really overwhelming!! given we are in an English country we go by the laws and customs of the land, though somethings we can consciously avoid without it affecting us or others and given I wasn’t in my Islamic clothes I get it, I didn’t greet them with ‏السلام عليكم as I didn’t want to be given confused looks. but then to see a whole family serving up a non-Halah menu With only the alternative a vegan or veggie options it gets boring after awhile! Seeing the family kind of took me by surprise and took Me a-back it’s not often you find a revert family in the middle of nowhere working and living in a little village . When said have you got anything that doesn’t contain pork? They said they Welsh rearbit toastie or the veggie option. I didn’t see a really halal option. Nor When said I don’t eat pork, did they respond with that They will make my breakfast either separately in a non Pork contaminated area or that it’s not going to be cooked in the same pots as the meat or pork. Now I did have my Islamic necklaces on to identify myself , only people who read Arabic and know the Hamza will know , it was obvious tbf. Anyway I got the Welsh rarebit cheese toastie & scrambled eggs were fine, but the toastie had too much mustard which was a shame. now I understand everyone has to make a living and they are serving their community and hikers in a very remote area which why I didn’t know what to do when writing this review, but I thought I might get some confrontation nor did I want to critique them when they was busy or, if I was to mention it whilst they was busy nor did I want to embarrass her in front of her customers, Or explain my own self since I wasn’t wearing my Islamic clothes and I was wearing my hiking gear I don’t look like the typical Hijabi But everyone is on their own path and journey. They are a nice beautiful family owned business and seemed liked they could do enough to assist and cater to you. Feeding a small nation and their neighbours is considered as sadaqah (charity) emphasizes the importance of compassion, charity, and maintaining relationships with others. It would be nice to have a halal version of an English breakfast with turkey bacon and chicken or lamb sausages. Now this is no way a bad review just a healthy reflection maybe for a bit more diversity...

Updated review - new owners as of 09/24!

It's a bit bare bones and rough at Caffi Siabod atm- concrete floors, old chipped tables and a pretty basic menu.

The reputation of the place (particularly as the new owner opted to keep the name) carries a lot of expectation. The kitchen seems swamped with maybe 10/15 people wandering in for light bites and coffees now whereas the old gang could literally juggle 4 or 5 times that many people. I feel the new crew have a lot to learn about what made this place so popular as bluntly, it's totally lost the vibe it used to have- there's not even a drop of the old Siabod vintage left. The new owners are very friendly and engaging so hopefully they'll pick up on what the outdoorsy community genuinely need and value from a location like this and use that to build their own reputation and business.

The food (breakfast at least) is 'standard'. It's not bad, it's not good, it's 'standard'- think Travel Lodge buffet breakfast quality and you're about there. Unfortunately though, it's priced to match the Zip-World Monopoly Board Empire and is very overpriced. Soft drinks are basic cans bought wholesale and are ridiculously (restaurant, not cafe) priced which is a shame as it easily bumps the cost of breakfast for two well over the £30 mark. Not what I wanted to pay for cold, anaemic toast and butter that's too cold and hard to spread over it! There are other places to go if you want a better breakfast for a good bit less money, but the draw of Caffi Siabod is that it's conveniently placed in the region and opens early(ish)

Apparently the intention is to also open a shop here? This place might have a rough few months but hopefully it'll find it's feet again and become a thriving cozy hub like it once was. Fingers crossed it doesn't become another soulless,...