The Dinorben Arms — Restaurant in Wales

Nestled in the scenic hills of Bodfari, North Wales, the Dinorben Arms offers a delightful blend of rustic charm and modern flair. As a Christmas treat, my family and I booked a table for seven, none of us having visited before, and it proved to be a fantastic choice.

First Impressions: The ample parking, including plenty of disabled spaces, made arriving stress-free. As we approached the entrance, the rustic aesthetic with a contemporary twist set the tone, and the enticing aroma from the kitchen immediately sparked excited conversation about our meal. Upon entering, the bar area exuded a warm and lively buzz, with diners enjoying both food and drink. It was clear this is a popular spot, even before we’d tasted anything.

The Dining Experience: We were warmly shown to our festively decorated table, complete with Christmas crackers and a cozy candle, which added a lovely seasonal touch. The menu offered a tempting variety of options. For starters, we chose dishes like pâté, halloumi fries, and garlic bread—all generously portioned and absolutely delicious, setting high expectations for the main course.

For mains, we opted for classic roast dinners featuring Welsh beef and Roast porchetta. Each dish was prepared to perfection: the beef was tender and flavorful, the homemade Yorkshire puddings were light and golden, and every element of the meal was clearly crafted with care. The attentive staff ensured our table was promptly cleared between courses, adding to the seamless experience.

Desserts: Despite feeling full, the dessert menu was too tempting to resist. The triple chocolate brownie was the standout choice, a rich and indulgent end to an already exceptional meal.

Overall Verdict: The Dinorben Arms is a gem of a restaurant. The combination of delicious food, attentive service, and vibrant atmosphere makes it an ideal destination for a special occasion or a casual meal out. It’s safe to say it’s now a firm family favorite, and we can’t wait to return.

Highly...

Such a shame, this place used to be good but after our last visit it will certainly be our last, the service was awful and really let it down.

So to start we had to find someone to ask where are reserved table was, we were waiting for someone to approach us to give a menu and take our drinks order but that didn’t happen so we ordered some drinks at the bar and told them where we were, still no menus arrived and 10 minutes later we were finally approached but asked what we would like to order? Urm a menu would be a start, we should of left then.

In total we were served by 4 different waiters as it really is grab who you can, plates took ages to be taken and the starters and mains took half an hour each to arrive, when they were bought out we were asked if we would like a drink but they never arrived, twice!? The duck was over cooked, and the brownie was far to stodgy and only came with a “scoop” of ice cream approximately 2cm wide to accompany it, no way near enough.

We made it clear we weren’t happy with the service as when he gave us meal tokens at the end we told him to keep them as we wouldn’t be back, nothing was offered to be taken off the price of the menu so I told him to take the desert off as it was only tried and a beer that came when we had finished?

We would of understood if it was busy but it wasn’t, most were only there to drink (including a member of staff necking a pint behind the bar!) and they got them themselves at the bar, there was also plenty of staff, I would hate to see the service if it was busy! Very overpriced pub food and we won’t be back, would of had similar food, better service at a third of the price...

I’ve previously been to the Dinorben Arms where I was disappointed with the food, but I thought I would give it another try. Perhaps I ordered the wrong dish last time. We visited on a Sunday. The menu is extremely limited and the only real thing available to me was the roast chicken.When it arrived. I was very disappointed. Potatoes were hard and chewy chicken was placed on a horrible bed of cold green cabbage with red cabbage next to it with a whole peeled carrot placed on top.There was a tiny slither of completely tasteless stuffing. I had already asked for no carrot purée. With all the vegetables that are available, it seems strange that you would have two cabbages a whole carrot and puréed carrot!!! It was awful and we ended up leaving half of it because what was on it didn’t even taste nice. Very disappointing again On a plus note the pub is decorated lovely and it has a good atmosphere and the staff were very welcoming and attentive I would return for a drink, but I would never have any food there again. If you’re Looking for pub classics like Hunters chicken, steaks and gammon, curries , dont come here on a Sunday. They may have them in the week but the food is very very limited and most of the dishes are served with mash and all this awful bland puréed veg, the sort of food you might expect in an old persons home Iv had much better Sunday lunch in a carvery for a third...