Our hopes were high as we had passed by Stables a few times while in the area and, in spite of…read morebeing cautioned by locals to "try another place," we gave it a try. The outdoor dining area is well done, though pretty chilly on the afternoon we visited. The bar area was nothing special and was barely occupied by guests during our meal. I went with the Penne Paste which was just "OK"...nothing special to the taste and arrived promptly but barely warm. My dining partner's Herb Roasted Chicken was good but again, just warm. By the way, the Stables 200ml diet coke @ 2.99 is clearly gouging and well above other local restaurants. Once the food was dropped we never saw another staff member...no surprise. We and the three tables around us agreed the place is surviving on location and little else. Service, food quality and the local reputation were sub-par. Too bad but there are other nearby options who are interested in providing a good guest experience. Spend your money elsewhere.

The Stables is a part of the Royal Oak complex in Betws-y-Coed. There is plenty of outdoor seating…read moreavailable in the yard but there is also a nicely decorated interior - it's all beams, wood and brass. The bar offers a good selection of drinks and there is also a varied food menu which includes a wide selection of dishes ranging from mixed grills to pizza to currys. There's something for everyone. I opted for a medium spiced Chicken Tikka with rice (but could have had chips or half and half). Naan bread was available as a extra. Despite the bar being fairly busy the food arrived within ten minutes. Betws attracts lots of climbers and ramblers and clearly the portions are designed for people looking to refuel. Not only was the quality excellent, containing lots of chunks of chicken, but I got more than enough of it. If you're after a good feed, a nice drink and fast and efficient service then this is the place to go.

Really enjoyed our dinner & the server at the bar was very attentive. The garlic ciabatta was…read morefantastic. The flavor on the steak & ale pie was very good but the crust was a little tough in parts. The dark & stormy was the best I've had in a long time.

I don't understand listing on your website that you serve food until 9 if you don't want to…read moreactually serve food until 9. Went in at 8:24 and was told the kitchen had just closed. So we left. they did however chase us out the door to let us know that if we wanted to go buy food elsewhere and bring it in, they would be happy to take our money for the easy drink service. So frustrating. If you want to stop serving food at 8, I totally get that sentiment, but update your stupid website so people don't drive out of their way only to find out that you're just too lazy to follow your own hours that you lay out on your website.

Superb tapas, great drinks menu, excellent service. Locally and responsibly sourced products, most…read moredishes have a Welsh influence, great flavours and good selection. They also do burgers and some other dishes if you don't like tapas. Thanks!

We came to Wales for a couple of weeks, hoping to find some great Welsh food. Until we found Olif,…read morewe'd had British pub food, some great Indian meals, and too many mediocre dinners. Olif is what we were looking for. Olif features some of the best food from Wales and Spain, mostly as the name says, as small plates to share. From the Spanish side we had the hummus, Seville Gordal olives and Padrona peppers. Yum. On the Welsh side we tried mussels from the Menai Straits (wow - with a sauce from cream, onions, etc. - best mussels ever), Boozy fish (the best fish and chips on the trip), Angelsey eggs (potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, ... baked in small dish - amazing). For drinks they offer curu (beer), curu seider (cider), and spirits (several gins and whiskeys) all from Welsh producers, as well as wine and other items from other countries. Each night they offer a few desserts. They're also excellent (we tried two on different nights but I've forgotten the details). The first dinner was so good we made a dinner reservation for another evening. They had a well-curated set of Welsh music playing in the background which I very much enjoyed. Some of the music was Mim Twm Llai, Rheinallt H. Rowlands, Cerys Matthews, Gwenno Saunders, Huw M, Euros Childs and Gorky's Zygotic Mynki. I tracked some of it down and am listening to it as I write this review. I listen to music from many countries but until Olif had never heard any music from Wales. Good listening! Olif has a limited number of tables - make a reservation to avoid disappointment. On our first night there we were the last people for dinner, and we watched a number of other people turned away. While enjoying dinner we discovered they also are a B&B and have five rooms (all with an ensuite bathroom if I recall correctly). On, one more thing. They offer a smaller tapas menu until 4pm and change to the dinner menu after that. If you get there at quarter til you can enjoy items from both menus. Great food and great people! Of all the restaurants we tried in Wales over our two weeks, this was the most delightful of all. Highly recommended.

Recently discovered this gem on a trip to Snowdonia. Wonderful pub food, serving local meats and…read moreingredients. We ate here twice, easily the best food in the local vicinity and the atmosphere is especially suited to cold wintry nights. We had the homemade Steak & Ale pie and Slow braised Lamb Hock, both were divine. This is not fine dining but British classics using excellent local ingredients and executed wonderfully. I imagine this is the kind of fare that the local folk and the farming community have been getting for centuries but virtually impossible to find for us city slickers The perfect reward after conquering Snowdon!

We stayed at the Ty Gwyn hotel in Betws-y-coed, Cymru (Wales) in the early part of October, 2012…read more My sister found it and booked us a couple of rooms for two nights. The hotel is a B&B as well as a very popular restaurant. Betws-y-coed is a gateway to Snowdonia, the national park which is a must visit if you're in the area. If you stay some place else, you must try to get a reservation to the restaurant. And getting a reservation on a Friday and a Saturday looked like a hard thing to do. The food is excellent, well served. The breakfasts are amazing. The ambience in the somewhat cramped environment is charming. The hotel itself is very well run. The staff, and in particular Rob (?) and the owners son whose name we forgot to get, were all very professional and friendly. They do have wifi but it does not extend into the rooms unfortunately. Which means we had to go and sit in the tiny lobby to get a good signal. But it is there and it is free. The rooms are small and most come with en suite bathrooms. Some rooms look like they have the bathroom across the hall but are dedicated to a single room. Everything was clean and well taken care off though not new. The lamps are low. I'm not tall and it was easy to brush my head against the chandelier. Mattress was comfortable, room was warm, the shower had good pressure, tea and coffee provided. The outer walls to this hotel are thick. The walls between rooms are thin so noise travels easily. My wife could hear the guy next door snoring. I easily rose to the challenge and out-snored him according to her. One of the main drawbacks to the hotel is that it is right on the street. And a busy one at that during the day. And by right on the street I mean you have to watch traffic carefully as you walk next to the hotel. Traffic noise does seep in but traffic dies down at night to pick up again in the morning. It wasn't a problem for me. If you're sensitive, then a room on the back of the hotel might be better. I liked my view of the river from our window. It's a little walk across a bridge to get to the town but it's not a big deal. Definitely go to the restaurant for an evening meal. You won't be sorry. I really enjoyed staying here and recommend it to anyone.

I've recently eaten at the Spinnaker for the first time, I usually go to the Hen Siop next to the…read morebridge but on this occasion it was more convenient to stay in the vicinity of Station Approach. To be fair it was quite decent. The food was served very quickly, the chips were a decent size and fresh and the pie was bog standard chippy fayre but acceptable. I think this is one of those places that benefits from being busy which means you're more likely than not to get freshly prepared food, assuming that you visit during the tourist season at least.

It can't really be a review if one hasn't eaten there…read more Having eaten there myself I can say it's a great little cafe, the staff are so friendly and welcoming and the food although yes it's mostly fish and chip type stuff is well cooked and very tasty. They also serve ice creams from a kiosk which is a definite plus in the summer months. it's always really busy in the summer season, it's reasonably priced and they seem to have plenty of returning customers. I believe the giant cockrel is considered to be art!!

If I could give it no stars I would. Upon arriving I was told that my room wouldn't be ready until…read more3. I waited thinking it's only an hour wait. We grabbed a drink at their bar area located towards the back. I ordered a San Miguel. My beer had some foam that felt like it was whipped cream. My friend and I then sat in the front seating area and there was a small child screaming their lungs out. We were then subjected to people smoking on the stoop in front of where we were sitting. I was starting to feel the Grunginess that someone else mentioned. Once we were able to check in to the room. I took the elevator up to the floor and felt uneasy. The elevator felt like it was going to give out. I went around some corners and found my room. The walls seemed thin since I could hear everything around me. The room was small and the bathroom was smaller. The bed felt like I was laying on a thin sheet of plywood. After a long flight this was not something I wanted to experience let alone tolerate. I packed my bags and searched for something better. Staff here seems rude and disrespectful. When I asked questions about the accommodations I was dismissed. It seemed more of a hostel/motel vibe. Something where you don't have expectations of your accommodation. Either way it was not for me. Be warned if you book here and are expecting comfort and quality, you will not get that here. Waste of money and time.

I walked into this hotel for a pre-booked 2 day stay, and walked straight out again. To say it was…read moregrubby, would be generous. The pics on the hotel's website are utterly misrepresentative. The hotel still took the full cost of our booking without notice or authorization. Currently being contested by our bank. As another reviewer has stated, 'dishonest'. The signage outside Glan Aber Hotel has three stars on it. I have since contacted the AA and VisitEngland/Scotland/Wales (the only two bodies officially authorised to grade hotels in the UK). Glan Aber Hotel is not on the VisitWales website, and neither has the AA granted the hotel a three star rating. Glan Aber appear to have awarded themselves with three stars! Make of that what you will.

Basic eatery in this relentless tourist Mecca. Right on the main road. No street parking. Use the…read morebig car park area down past the train station. Dining room is basic, no frills. Service people during my visit were pleasant. Food lunch prices are reasonable enough. Big bowl of 4 chicken thighs with noodles and vegetables costs £8.95. We did wait 25 minutes for the food arrival from the time of order. Quite slow as the place was only 20% full of patrons. Yeoman cooking and ordinary plate presentation. Looks homemade. Sauce on my chicken / noodles was oddly sweet and minimally spicy. I think the cook was going for an Asian influence flavor. Not entirely successful. Oh well, it was lunch not a momentous event. Men's toilet stall was smaller than those in airliners. How is that even possible? Plumber must have been a very little person to install a toilet and hand wash sink in there. I'm sure that there must be better places to eat in Betws-y-Coed. I'll probably never return to the town to investigate and report, so best of luck to you.

Quick glance: + delicious, beautifully presented food…read more+ locally sourced ingredients + Welsh cuisine with a twist + romantic atmosphere (dark and roomy) - booking recommended The restaurant and its menu have been created by chefs Paul and Chris Adams (brothers) who have worked in Michellin restaurants previously. The atmosphere and presentation shows the attention to detail, and the ingredients are locally sourced where available. While not the cheapest menu around Betws-y-Coed, the food quality is excellent and the restaurant offers Welsh food with a modern twist which is really fun and enjoyable. The restaurant is roomy and has romantic atompshere perfect for couples. It is also conveniently located in the centre of Betws-y-Coed. Overall, I recommend this restaurant for a meal if you are in the area. The food is fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented.