Alfred's Bar & Grill in Rhondda Cynon Taf

Don't really know where to start with this, if I could give a 0 star review I would. Management was terrible myself and my family where not served for an hour and a half after we arrived, when the waitress eventually arrived we still had not been given a menu for drinks or food then we waited again for another 10 minutes for that to arrive. We ordered our food then we where told there was no stock for our orders then they gave us still hard/frozen chips. All in all an absolute shambles run by very poor management.

Really good food and such friendly staff! It was also reasonably priced. We will definitely be returning.

Enjoyed our evening here, but did think the cost of the wine was a little steep.

The waitress was miserable but the food was good

Lovely Sunday lunch as usual. Can't fault it. Love everything about it

If you care about hygiene or how staff are treated don’t go here

Can't fault the food and service, we had a few drinks down stairs first and it was grubby and had a funny smell and had Sticky tables

Not good last time Waitress tipped a pint over me :-( The manager came and said we won't charge you for that :-) Left very wet before the food came :-(

Awful manager who failed abysmally to deal with the accidental spilling of a whole pint of beer over my partner by a waitress. He was soaked through. Appreciate accidents happen but its how they are handled that matters. Other customers were also appauled and commenting on the very poor service. Some customer service skills training in order.

First time going there. Stunning restaurant/facility. Food was absolutely amazing. There was a large party of us, and the only wrinkle in the evening was the fact that the lemonade in the pump run out, so instead of lemonades we were getting soda water effectively. There was no way the staff could've known but for the best part of 30 minutes we kept sending drinks back and getting the same returned. As soon as they realised, they replaced all affected drinks though. It was a genuine mistake that they couldn't have helped. Would I go here again? Absolutely.

Some of the dishes were overcooked, new members of staff who spilt coffee over the saucer. Smiled and left . Not received the full order. HOWEVER the desserts were delicious.

Lovely food nice place to eat good prices very impressed

Our food was very average. They forgot one of our main meals, which once notified took half hour to come out of the kitchen. (didn't charge us for this) but we were all long finished our meal by then. Parts of drink orders were also forgotten. The music was as loud as a disco, so we struggled to hold a conversation. The manager was very pleasant as were some staff. But we definitely won't be back. Sorry

Didn't eat. Nice place for a break and a beer.

Hadn’t booked but called in earlier today. Food was fine. Plenty of choice on the lunch menu, £18.95 for 2 courses which included a small glass of wine. Price is comparable with other restaurants we’ve lunched at. I had Caprese to start and it was excellent followed by the steak and ale pie. I’d read some poor reviews of the pie but mine was really good, tender beef in a tasty gravy with a nice pastry. My wife enjoyed both her courses of pan fried sea bass and a desert of New York Cheesecake. There’s a choice of house wine sold by the Carafe, we had the Rioja and couldn’t fault it. Staff were friendly and there’s some comfortable seating downstairs for a post meal drink. Will definitely return.

Espresso machine, but zero understanding of how to make espresso

In Ponty for the Eisteddfod and went to Alfred's by chance. Very pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and service 👌.

We came in for food after the eisteddfod. People next to me had to share tables with complete strangers. The food tasted great and the staff was lovely despite working non-stop but service was slow and the manager kept shouting across the restaurant at the waitresses. First time I’ve visited and would like to go back when less busy. The staff looked like they were under considerable pressure from the manager and severely understaffed.

my husband had chicken strips ,literally 2 tidy ones and one that didn't qualify as anything. 7 quid! my friend had a bowl of onion rings and cheesy garlic bread and couldn't finish them .

We arrived early and staff were very attentive but as the place got busier they were less so and in the end we waited for a long while for the dessert menu and the bill. However, the food was excellent.

Arbennig! Rhagorol! Excellent! Wonderful menu and food was fantastic. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Fish and seafood dishes so fresh

Post Eisteddfod meal. Very good food. Fresh fish, good choice. No problem with a large party paying individually.

Downstairs in the bar is great for a few drinks and snacks. Try the minute steak sliders! Definitely worth a go! Upstairs is a step up (excuse the pun) it's a lovely Bistro/Restaurant with a great selection of fresh fish and meats. The decor is lovely, pretty classy for Ponty! Wine list looked decent but only if you're buying by the bottle. The house reds (by the glass) are nothing to write home about. The staff are friendly and attentive.

Came here for a meal recently, i was extremely impressed with the high standard of service, food was delicious and topped off the night with a great singer and lovely atmosphere. Will be returning!!

Some staff rude , over priced , would not go again ..many better places to go.

Absolutely will not visit again. First used the disabled access lift for me and my baby/pram, got out at the top to find a whole dumping ground of boxes, high chairs, napkins, anything that could be dumped in the way was there, I had to move things in order to create a path to get through, which isn’t ideal for anyone who is a solo wheelchair user, health and safety was out the window. The conservatory was boiling with no blinds and air con that didn’t work, when we asked if we could open a window we just got a rude ‘no’. I ended up having to strip my baby off into her vest because it was so sweaty and warm and stood out on the fire escape for air as did other guests in the room. I ordered a fillet steak cooked rare, when it arrived it was medium to well-done, tough to cut through so I asked for a new one as I did ask for it rare. Staff were abrupt and full of attitude to tell me I’d have to wait however long it takes, which wasn’t an issue I said that was fine. Only to have the rudest manager come tell me it was rare and that ‘if you wanted it cooked very rare you should have asked for blue, I’ll make you another but I’ll charge you’ with that I took it back as I was already stressed dealing with a small baby who was warm and tired by this point. But in reality the steak was cooked right through. We were a large party and another family member ordered medium, to which his was ‘very rare’, along with other members also having incorrect cooked steaks and issues with their meals. My father also bought a round of drinks in which he was shortchanged, when he asked for the rest of his change he had it handed back to him with attitude. I went to get a high chair for my baby and they were stacked and filthy, not one of them had been cleaned, covered in sauce and chips or sticky. I ended up using Milton wipes to clean the whole thing myself before I allowed her to sit in it. Overall not a nice experience, rude staff and management. Wouldn’t be going there again.

Thoroughly enjoyed our family meal to celebrate our mother's 90th birthday 🎂

I like Alfred, service sometimes can be a bit slow.. especially if you are eating and wish to order another drink..not quite on the ball to comers needs

Very quiet on Sunday afternoon. Efficient bar staff.

Enjoyed a beautiful evening meal with my husband. We had King Prawns, scallops, and steak. Quality food, ighly recommend a visit. Looking forward to our next visit.

Used to really enjoy this place but our recent visit was awful. Got placed on a table in a room next to a giant gang of screaming an shouting people. Waitress staff couldn't fit between my chair and another customers chair. Loads of empty tables in the conservatory. When asked could we move as we couldn't even talk to each other. Young waitress said no they are booked. After ordering drinks they then allowed us to move to a better table. Service here then was very slow. The food wasn't as good as it normally is in particular the duck 2 ways was tasteless and dry. After our mains the waitress team didn't wait on us without being called. The cocktails arrived warm. We had a long wait between mains an dessert due to no staff to take our plates away or give us menus. The converstory remained quite quiet so the tables defiantly wasnt all booked out like we was first told. We had to ask 3 times for the bill while one waitress thought it was better to put forks an glasses on tables at 10pm than to get the bill for us to leave. My heavily pregnant friend was tired an wanted to get home. The worst part of the evening was the big gang of 20 maybe more people who was shouting and cheering. 40 minutes of speeches clapping it was like being in a whether spoons not a nice resturant. I appreciate big bookings will happen but not once was they told to be respectful to other diners it totally killed the night for us when we couldn't speak to each other.

I got bummed which was nice but the rolls didnt have butter on them

Very poor . Fishcakes a lot smaller . Very little beef in pie , pastry not cooked enough ( doughy ) , steak very fatty and not cooked to order did complain but waiter said it was medium rare it certainly wasn’t , very fatty and was £2 extra . Chicken fillet in katsu curry ,! more like chip shop curry . Service very slow no one asked if meals were ok , no sauces offered. And as a final insult tried adding deposit instead of deducting it .. Won’t be visiting for a very long time . Total waste of money

Lively bar with comfortable seating great food and great service the waitress was attentive and very friendly enjoyed myself immensely

Absolutely first class 2 course Sunday lunch. High quality food and service.

Great place for food and drinks 🍸 😋 will back definitely 👌

Been here many times food is lovely staff are very polite can't fault it

Visited yesterday as a large party of 18. The service was very slow which can be expected on a busy evening for large parties. The food wasn’t great with 4 of the party having to send their steaks back. My husband had a fish dish which was very expensive for what was delivered. I had pasta which was fine. When mains were served a lot of the sides were missing for quite a length of time, leaving the meat to go cold. There was only two choices of non-alcoholic beverages and they only had one bottle of 1 left as they had sold out of everything else. Desserts were delicious which was a highlight. The service was good overall but worked out as a very expensive meal for average food.

This is the place! Gosh what a find...food/beer/ambience! We'll be back.

Always visit this place whenever I'm in ponty very classy

Went for a meal for my partners birthday. Both had garlic King prawns to start which was nice. For main I had a fillet steak with mushroom sauce. I asked for a medium steak and when it arrived it was blue and cold in the middle, sent it back and when it came back it was still very rare and couldn't eat it. When waitress brought the food to the table after it being returned ahe threw the plate on the table and wslkef off. We also had to chase our drinks as we ordered them when we ordered all our meals bit didn't come out until the mains were out. Both had creme brule for dessert which also not that tasty. We would not return to this restaurant

Lovely big place staff are nice food was nice an well presented atmosphere was great

Food excellent place was lovely totally understaffed the waiters and waitresses worked flat out but the wait was way too long. Absolutely nothing to do with the staff they were lovely courteous and friendly they didn’t stop for a moment

Popped in for a bar snack and drink great experience so much so has the cheese board. Couldn't finish it to full..great vfm 👏

A lovely evening out with friends. Great choice of dishes, friendly staff.

Beautiful food and amazing staff

Food was ok but pricey for what you get. Service was very very slow had to ask twice for our large groups orders to be taken, which toke around 30 mins after our arrival and our booking time. Had to request water for the table rather than been asked.

Food was plentiful hot and tasty. Couldn't enjoy it as weshould because the room was just too hot. No ventilation no air con. Shame

First time at this restaurant today to celebrate a birthday, 19 of us on the table. Prompt service and food delivered at the same time. Food was excellent and prices were good. Can highly recommend this place. Great staff to

We visited yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The atmosphere was nice and the staff were so efficient and friendly. The food was beautiful. We had the lunch menu a 2 coarse meal with a glass of wine. It was delicious and affordable and well worth the journey and will certainly be going again. 👌.

Had Easter Sunday dinner. Very busy...excellent service ... very enjoyable day. Why 4 stars...I’m fussy, lovely meal spoiled by adding some sort of herbs that had a perfume smell and taste, believed to be the carrots but not sure, either way something is/was added that took away from an excellent meal. There was extra gravy and extra sticky toffee sauce supplied without delay on request ... so I would recommend, maybe trying each dish of vegetables prior to placing on the plate ... if like me you do not like herbs.

Vegans - don't bother. Lovely ambience, easy parking, good service, seems to be good food for meat eaters, however atrocious options for vegans.

We went as a couple to Alfreds on Saturday night, as we haven't been for a while. Food outstanding as ever!! Service excellent, especially from Laila who was our waitress. She was very personable and very good at her job. Always lovely to have such personal service so Laila should be recognised for this thank you!! Will be back soon

Lovely ambience, easy parking, good service, seems to be good food for meat eaters, however atrocious options for vegans.

Best Sunday lunch around! Abundance of gorgeous veg piping hot plenty of meat and nice atmosphere. Would recommend prawn cocktail and beef.

Dionne is a credit to your company ! 👏 visited for a spot of dinner and drinks with friends food and drinks 10/10. Thankyou dionne for looking after us what a girl !

Called on a Friday evening. Could park near the back door. Were warmly welcomed and attended to. Good choice on the menu, with great fish dishes too. The food was absolutely delicious - the hake for him and pasta & funghi for her. Service throughout was good and quantities were generous. We’ll definitely return soon.

We didn't have food on this occasion. However I have never had a meal I don't like in all the years I have been eating there.

Had an amazing post Mother's Day meal. The food was excellent, as was the service.

We were booked in at 2pm today (mothers day) were asked to sit downstairs until table was ready and given a beeper that would tell us when our table was ready. At 2-25pm my daughter went up to ask what was going on, she was told our table was getting sorted, she went up at 2-45 to check again and another upset family were sat because tgey refused to go downsrairs, so we all went up by the host stand and at 2-55pm were sat at a table that was getting laid as we were sitting.I had to go and ask at host stand at 3-15pm if anyone was going to come take our order ( we were really hungry at this point)my husband went downstairs to get drinks as no one was available to ask to get them. When we got asked for menu choices eventually we asked for water for the table which came quite quickly but with no glasses to drink from, i had to go to host stand a while later to ask for glasses. Food was mostly nice but my husbands starter of calamari was soft in texture so not enjoyable. I had to go to host stand again to ask if someone would come take our dessert order. Very disappointed as yet again we as a family have been very disappointed with an occasion being spoilt, xmas was the first. Did speak to manager and had a reduction of 2 drinks off bill and had a feasible explanation to the delay of being seated. My suggestion would be to have 2 waiting staff split into sections that get drinks /orders and deliver them as there seemed to be a lot of different staff everywhere and not organised very well.

Lush sunday dinner.. book to avoid disappointment.. clean.. friendly restaurant. Great food, great service, reasonable price

We were booked in at 2pm today (mothers day) were asked to sit downstairs until table was ready and given a beeper that would tell us when our table was ready. At 2-25pm my daughter went up to ask what was going on, she was told our table was getting sorted, she went up at 2-45 to check again and another upset family were sat because tgey refused to go downsrairs, so we all went up by the host stand and at 2-55pm were sat at a table that was getting laid as we were sitting.I had to go and ask at host stand at 3-15pm if anyone was going to come take our order ( we were really hungry at this point)my husband went downstairs to get drinks as no one was available to ask to get them. When we got asked for menu choices eventually we asked for water for the table which came quite quickly but with no glasses to drink from, i had to go to host stand a while later to ask for glasses. Food was mostly nice but my husbands starter of calamari was soft in texture so not enjoyable. I had to go to host stand again to ask if someone would come take our dessert order. Very disappointed as yet again we as a family have been very disappointed with an occasion being spoilt, xmas was the first. Did speak to manager and had a reduction of 2 drinks off bill and had a feasible explanation to the delay of being seated. My suggestion would be to have 2 waiting staff split into sections that get drinks /orders and deliver them as there seemed to be a lot of different staff everywhere and not organised very well.

Really nice place. Went with a group of us from work and even though there were a lot of us then service was excellent.

Nice fresh food. The burger was lovely and chips were perfectly crisp and fresh... lovely fire in the centre down stairs on those cold days/evenings and great for a quick pint if you're just passing through. Right in the middle of town too 👍👌

We were celebrating a friends 60th birthday, food was fab, service was fab & we just had a lovely time & a lot of laughs 😃

As with everyone else here I've experienced good food and lackluster service. I ordered a coffee at the bar this weekend. It took 30 minutes. Meanwhile the staff were serving pints to big groups immediately. I guess they have their priorities, right?

Table booked for 17.30, drinks ordered as we were seated, also requested water for the table, Waited 15/20 minutes and our meal order was taken, had to ask where our drink order was, food delivered and was delicious. When it came to paying the bill it appeared that every drink that we had ordered, we had in fact be charged twice, therefore adding an additional £100 plus to the bill, when we challenged this we were asked if the order had been taken via a tablet, it was in fact taken in writing. Staff are inexperienced and we witnessed many dropped and smashed glasses

This was my second visit to this restaurant. Really enjoyed the first visit so took the family the second visit. The first visit was mid week the second visit on Saturday. Sadly the Saturday visit didn’t no live up to my expectations. It was very noisy. There was a disco downstairs and you could hardly hear yourself think. The service was extremely poor. We never got to order dessert as they never came and took the order. We had to keep asking for the bill. There was plenty of staff however they didn’t seem to stick to one section they were all over the place there was just no organisation at all very poor management of the staff. The food was good it was the noise, service and one very drunk person let the place down. 😩

Great venue, only problem is when it’s busy the servers get a bit flustered which is understandable

Went in Thursday nice and quiet.Staff ok not a lot of smiling faces serving but polite and capable

Have been going to Alfreds regularly since it opened. Today was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” The girl that was in charge was so miserable, no welcoming smile, no warm welcome just plain dower. The waiter a young lad couldn’t do enough for us, he worked off his feet. Food was good as normal. Feel very disappointed. Won’t be back for a while.

Haley and Libby were super hosts - amazing venue and restraint - their fresh fish offer is incredible!

Myself and my wife have been going to Alfred’s since it opened. Many years now. We have had birthdays, Christmas lunches, anniversaries and christenings and most Saturdays on lunch time for years. Today was the last time for us. Disappointed by front of house management there was no welcome, no smile and not very accommodating. There was no engagement in conversation. Rude to honest and not the first time. Food was good and one waiter working his socks off was helpful and trying his best. There were other people there felt the same. Not a great experience. Bring back the old staff.

Nice food and service was good. Asked for a spare chair for my grandsons car seat and said they were fully booked even though there were plenty of spare seats

Booked this restaurant for our works Christmas party and we had a fantastic night and we were looked after very well. I haven't been to this restaurant for well over 10 years and have to say it didn't disappoint at all. The food was served very quickly and as it was a large party no one waited for their food and there was plenty to go around. I will be back here most definately.

I have been a regular here for 20 years and have had many lunches and dinners with friends and family. Today I was having lunch with two friends. Never have I experienced such abysmal service from a relatively new front of house woman called Libby. She’s been there since April, so some 10 months. We’d had mild words before when, as a party of 8 for lunch soon after she first started, we asked if the Katsu chicken could be served on its own rather than on a bed of chips. Back came the answer immediately, “No, that’s how it comes.” There was no suggestion that she might ask the chef to plate it separately. But we let it go. In hindsight that was a mistake. Today, however, her attitude was quite shocking, peremptory, authoritarian and totally inappropriate. At 2.15, while we were still eating she came to tell us we had to vacate our table as it was booked for someone else at 2.30. We asked why we’d not been advised of this when booking. Her answer, “It’s always been the rule. Your table is for 2 hours. It’s on the website,” Bearing in mind I was there the previous day with 2 other friends, eat there at least once a week, and was booked for Sunday lunch, I objected. This has never, ever been an issue. Again, no apology, no attempt to provide an alternative solution. I I have now cancelled my booking for Sunday lunch and for dinner next Friday. I will not be returning. Jan Gethin

I fail to understand why a place that charges sky high drink prices has such lousy, clueless bar service

I have been visiting Alfred’s for years and never had a complaint until feb 16 th . Took family for a meal for my mums birthday there were five of us . My sister ordered a steak well done which had to be sent back to be cooked as it was rare and two of us had a fillet steak that was very small . I understand that fillet steaks are not usually large but these were very small . Very dissapointed on this visit

Food was lovely, plenty of options and cooked well. Service was rubbish, was shown to our table and handed menus, we weren’t asked if we had been before so we were unsure if we were to order at the bar or if a server would come to the table. After 10 minutes of waiting I had to go and find a server to ask. Ordered our drinks which hadn’t actually been sent through to the bar. Our starters then came out before our drinks arrived at the table. Main course - brought the wrong cut of steak, ordered a sirloin and got brought fillet, it was a lovely cut of meat but not what was ordered. Servers were too concerned with dancing to the very loud music than taking care of the guests. Music from downstairs was very loud so was very difficult to have a conversation with the person sat next to you. Again though, can’t fault the food, it was very good. A real shame about the service!

Nice place. Enjoyed a few drinks here. Place looked great and had a nice atmosphere. Didn't try the food but I'm sure it would be decent

Food good, but slow service and very noisy

Plenty of choice on the menu, even for a vegetarian like me! A really good fish and meat selection too. The food was really lovely and presented very well. The staff were not too overly attentive, they were knowledgeable and pleasant. Be prepared for city pricing. The only downside was the background music as it was very loud and spoiled our conversation a little. On the whole, our party of six enjoyed our evening meal and we will return.

Nice place, was very busy when we visited on a Saturday afternoon. Food was lovely though.

Great place food and staff fab atmosphere

Lovely staff, food was delicious, nice wine, very enjoyable!

Had a great family meal here lovely food very reasonable on the Winter lunch menu, excellent service. Definitely recommend.

Just had a lovely meal The food was amazing, unfortunately the service awful. I was made to feel very embarrassed for asking if they had a takeaway box. Our waitress made it clear she didn't want to be anywhere near our table. At the end of our evening she disappeared but was then gesturing with other staff members at our table making me and my table feel awful. I do not recommend eating here due to the poor service.

Perfectly cooked steak, chunky chips and a pint, great meal, excellent service , look forward to visiting again 👌

Bad day at Alfred's today. Whilst I waited for a friend, I ordered a Hot Chocolate which took 10 minutes to make . My friend arrived, ordered a glass of lager and got a pint. We ordered 2 portions of dirty fries. .One portion came to the table, the waiter argued I only ordered 1 meal which was incorrect. The second meal came after more than 20 minutes. The worst part, the place wasn't busy. Won't be back.

Always a pleasure to return to Alfred's, with its lovely warm and friendly staff, varied menu, delicious food and very reasonable prices!

Excellent evening but the steak was overdone (asked for medium well and it was well done and chewy at best).Excellent service but expensive food relative to other good restaurants.

Good food and friendly service.

Obviously very busy because of the time of year.Not 5 stars because service was slightly muddled but all staff were working extremely hard .

Worst ever . The manager is rude the staff untrained. Food meh . Booked for a table of 6 months ago and were sat on a table made up for 4 . And had to stand waiting whislt staff went and found chairs small enough for the table.

Food was first class. Venison Loin was probably one of the best meals I have had. Highly recommended

Christmas lunch - compared to last 4 years I have visited I must say the standard of service has dropped - food still lovely but was told at bar that drinks were table service only and then took over 30 min to come to take order!! New manager (I assume) was really quite rude to one of the waitresses in front of customers ! Not what I would have expected from a fine dining establishment - as I said food still lovely but service has dropped 😰

Had a special birthday on the December 1st. Very busy with Xmas parties and were expecting slow bar and food service but the girls were all super efficient with our orders (12 of us) and were very professional in the way they handled ours and the adjacent tables out in the conservatory. The food was excellent, starters, main and the desserts were the real deal! Will be booking for my wife’s special birthday.

What an absolute joke of a place to have a Christmas meal The service was non existent - I hope you are not planning to have Christmas lunch here. No one came to check if we were ok no one came to clear our table until we had to stand and wave for 12 minutes, one then asked if we wanted a dessert. The staff were around but their training was non existing about customer care, they only wanted to do stuff that was NOT customer facing, like clear tables, move cutlery about and wander back and forth, I will not be returning I realise it’s a Christmas, so therefore I would have thought the owners would have ramped UP the service , not down to the bilges

Total lack of atmosphere, even at Christmas time. Staff seemed overwhelmed and understaffed. Booked in advance for four people, and then two weeks in advance, called them to say it will now be three people, but they still try to charge me the deposit for four when I paid the bill. I also found the woman who was front of restaurant, miserable, looking, no eye contact, and just felt I was like a number!

Great place to eat, great staff and service.