The Victoria Inn — Restaurant in Wales

My family and I recently visited this pub for a typical Tuesday evening meal. We booked a table over the phone for 7:00 and expected all to be just fine. When we arrived at the Victoria Inn we decided to have a few drinks in the garden, as the sun was still there in places. We proceeded to spend almost twenty minutes queueing for drinks, along with many other people who were waiting to order food. This would have been just about bearable if the service had been good, but we were given the wrong flavour of crisps, and served a gin and tonic without lemon.

By this time it was around 7:00 and we decided to go inside and order our food with our table number, because we feared the wait may be significant. However, the staff were unable to find our table, and were extremely unhelpful in trying to sort out the issue. We were forced to settle for a very small table in the bar instead.

We then had to queue up for a second time to order our food, from a rather sparse menu. It was around 7:20 by the time we had ordered and the pub was beginning to clear out. Around 8:00 the table in front of us went to find out where there food has got to, as they had been waiting over an hour. Several other tables began saying the same. We were then told that an hours wait was perfectly acceptable for the food, and it would be coming soon.

It wasn’t until 8:25 that we were finally served our food, which was actually of a fair standard. All in all the evening was a real let down, as the pub was in a great location and the food wasn’t bad at all. I put this down to lack of experience among the staff, lack of staff, and lack of organisation. We will...

Have visited the Victoria Inn numerous times, never again.

We booked a table for 5 in person on 19/08 for 3pm on 20/08. When we arrived at 2:50pm, we were seated in the restaurant area and given food menus. We then went to order drinks at the bar and at that point we were told by the same lady who had seated us that the kitchen closed at 3pm. We explained we hadn’t been informed of this when booking in person the previous day, or when we'd been sat down with menus. She said she’d check with the kitchen if we could quickly order, which they wouldn't allow.

A male member of staff then interrupted the conversation and after explaining again to him, he aggressively insisted we couldn't possibly have booked with a member of staff the previous day whilst shouting expletives at us. I pointed out, that my story was correct and there was no need for his abusive language. Once again he used many four letter expletives, to state that he did not have to listen to my lies. Another customer at the bar overheard and said, “I’m not staying here if that’s how you talk to your customers.”

We left the premises appalled at such an offensive interaction with this employee. Whilst the customer is not always right, there is no place in the hospitality sector for such behaviour or offensive language, especially off the back of something that was clearly a mistake on their behalf.

As locals, we won’t be returning and strongly advise others to think twice before...

Absolutely love this pub – it’s been a staple every time we come to Llanbedr. Like a trusty old mate who never lets you down (except maybe that one time after too many ciders, but we don’t talk about that).

We’ve been coming here for years and it’s always had that warm, familiar feel – like slipping on your favourite hoodie after a long day. Nice to see it’s had a bit of a spruce-up too; the refurb’s subtle but tasteful, keeping the character without turning it into one of those gastro pubs where everything’s served on a slate and the chips come in a miniature shopping trolley.

The food? Genuinely cracking. Generous portions, well cooked, and not a single sad lettuce leaf in sight. Would definitely recommend dropping in for lunch or dinner – especially after a long walk or a day of herding kids and camping gear.

Now, onto the elephant in the snug… the new manager. Let’s just say they’re not quite as warm and welcoming as the gravy. Bit brash, bit standoffish – like they’re running a military operation rather than a pub. Maybe they’re still finding their feet, or maybe they think customer service is just a suggestion – who knows. Not a dealbreaker, but doesn’t exactly add to the ‘local and lovely’ vibe.

Still, the Victoria Inn remains one of our firm favourites. Good food, good beer, good atmosphere – and if the manager ever softens up, it might just become perfect. Until then, we’ll keep coming back… just maybe...