The Nags Head — Restaurant in Wales

Please read the review of our experience below and the reply from the proprietor - make up your own mind!

Good Morning, Just to say we were a fairly disappointed with our Sunday lunch yesterday. We booked online in advance to meet my wife's father for Sunday lunch at the Nags Head, we had stopped off for a snack and a drink a couple of weeks earlier and thought it was a lovely venue so that is why we booked for yesterday. When ordering food we were asked if we would like cauliflower cheese with our food, obviously we agreed later only to be told that "apologies cauliflower cheese was no longer available" ! When the roast lunches arrived I cannot express how disappointed we were to observe there was one roast potato, one parsnip, a teaspoon of mash etc, we were then a little more pleased as a cauliflower cheese arrived, 2 minute later removed as we were informed "that it was not for us" , the roast beef was dry and the chicken breast had large bones in it - disappointed we decided to not order dessert and as it was so noisy (big family gathering next to us with lots of crying babies & shouting children - obviously not your fault but so loud we couldn't talk) we moved outside to finish a couple of drinks. we were really disappointed and after talking to some of our friends though it best to pass this info back for your comments We are not complainers and just hope to make you aware of our experience

Mark, Claire & Dad

Response received

Hi Mark,

Having now had time to investigate your feedback further, I would like to apologise on behalf of the Nags Head team for these issues.

Firstly, I would like to say that this is very unusual, with the majority of feedback always being positive, especially from last Sunday where we served 175 people and in the region of 150 roast lunches. However, we did experience a couple of issues, as a result of numerous late bookings and last minute walkins (which makes staffing and food prep challenging), hence the reason why we ran out of cauliflower cheese. We also had an inexperienced waitress taking your food order on this occasion, and she was embarrassingly not made aware soon enough by the kitchen that we had run out of cauliflower cheese.

Secondly, the roast beef is cooked slowly in our Rational Combi ovens overnight, and should not have been dry, the chicken we serve on a Sunday is a good quality Chicken Supreme breast, which contains the breast bone. Once again you should have been informed about the chicken on ordering by the waitress, and I will update our menu to reflect that detail.

Finally, it's a shame you didn't inform us of the table location issue (noisy party), we could have tried to move you to a quieter table, although that would have been a challenge as we were fully booked inside for most of the service.

As a gesture of goodwill and hopefully to make up for your disappointment, I would like to post you a Nags Head voucher for use on another occasion, and would require your home address to do so please.

Part of my reply below

I have noted that you did not comment on the one roast potatoe, one parsnip and a teaspoon of mash, are we to take it that this is the norm ? If so despite your kind offer of a voucher I’ll think...

Welcome to The Nags Head

Have you heard about the Aberycych Rat? He's huge, stuffed and safe behind glass, and not the only character at The Nags Head, public house in Aberycych only 10 miles from Cardigan.

Not all the public houses in Cardigan and Teifi Valley have become gastro pubs.

The Nags Head Public House at Abercych has been watering the good folk of Cardigan and Teifi Valley and all those who passed their way since the 16th century.

Home of the infamous Abercych Rat who sits stuffed and smiling in a glass cabinet on top of the upright piano. He's just part of the great atmosphere in this family pub. Beer bottles from down the ages cover the shelves, an old coracle is suspended from the ceiling of the pub.

Enjoy a taste of Cardigan and Teifi Valley.

As in days gone by, you can expect a good feed at this traditional Welsh inn. You get hearty, interesting meals using the finest local ingredients from around the Cardigan and Teifi Valley region.

Pembrokeshire hot & spicy sausage and potato pie, homemade steak and ale pie, lamb shank with mint & onion gravy, roast half chicken and steaks from the grill are just an example of dishes that should get your mouth watering.

With children's meals and imaginative vegetarian food such as hazelnut rice and herb roast, you can bring the whole family down to the Nags Head Public House, just 10 miles from Cardigan.

Enjoy those summer nights in the beer garden.

Chill out in the pub beer garden in the Summer enjoying freshly caught Cardigan Bay lobster and crab or locally caught Sewin (sea trout).

At the heart of any public house is the bar. In pride of place at the bar at the Nags Head Public House is Emrys Ale on tap. A specialty local brew alongside guest ales, with a different one featured each week.

The restaurant has been recently re-furbished but if you prefer to hang out with Ratty you can still eat in the bar area.

Bring the children, bring your friends and relax in the riverside beer garden.

The splendid riverside location with beer garden and children's playground makes it a perfect spot for Sunday lunch or an evening meal. Not only does it have a riverside beer garden, it is also sited at the entrance to the enchanted valley in the famous Welsh folk tales of Mabinogion.

It is the only public house, bar or inn in the world to carry a traditional Biblical inscription in Welsh on its sign,

"be cunning as a serpent, but peaceful as a dove."

The Nags Head Public House is featured in the Good Beer Guide, the Good Pub Guide and Alastair Sawday's Special Places...

Issues with shower running hot/cold, when raised manager didn't give any assurances of resolving the issue, spoke to owner next day and he effectively accused me of lying about it.

Breakfast; mushrooms so salty they were inedible, beans uncooked, bacon/sausage looked anemic.

Asked to cancel after the 1st night of a 2 night stay. The owner offered only to refund the 2nd night, not taking into account the shower issues or the inedible breakfast. He has since refused to communicate with booking.com about the refund and currently I have been charged in full.

The room is very basic and sparse, no table/desk, they did have two random stools of different height. The bed was comfy but overall pretty lacking.

The manager was really unhelpful during the issues. There's a list of things when you get there which outline how you can make their life easier for them. Please note they don't turn your room during your stay.

EDIT: the owner is lying in his response. No solution was offered for the shower and it was the next day as I was waiting to leave (rather than stay a 2nd night) they came offering to look, they didn't offer to call a plumber and gave no reassurances it would be resolved. Owner offered 50% discount for the half the stay but has since refused to speaks to booking.com and refused any discount. I don't have money to waste, but the unpleasant experience is probably worse. The vitriol by the owner is surprising when really I should be getting an apology.

The rooms aren't comfortable, the whole place is pretty basic. The table they put me in downstairs for a meal was right in the corner squeezed in, I felt very uncomfortable (even though there were plenty of other tables with more room). The managers are pretty bad but the owner is very unpleasant to deal with, he was pretty aggressive when we spoke on the day to attempt to come to an agreement. It's a shame he has to resort to lies to cover up this terrible experience. He should put more effort into making it a decent place to stay rather than start some petty argument is reviews. It's pretty pathetic what he's saying and half of it doesn't even make sense.

Stay away - do...