Old Wives' Tales in Gwynedd

What an absolute find this place is! Its located just off the Main Street, stumbled across it and then looked online. It has outstanding reviews and with good reason. One of the main things being the owner , who is the chef, welcomes you in person, is the host, the waiter and the cook! Therés also only one sitting per evening so yoúre there for the evening and you feel very much part of his home. It has the feel of joining someone in their house and the food was very good. We went as a family of 4 with teenage children and they were well catered for. Yes the menu is small but that´s because there are no staff and the meals are cooked fresh. Really enjoyable atmosphere and more importantly very tasty food. Highly recommend

This is a stunning restaurant very welcoming they do not rush you ,they do not pester you, honestly this place deserves a 7 star best food I have ever had and took us in when another booking got cancelled at another restaurant down the road.

Old Wives Tales is just what Bala is crying out for. Its quirky, warm decor is inviting and homely. The couple who run this lovely Portuguese restaurant do everything themselves - they cook, serve, host and still find time to chat to their customers-honestly I don't know where they get the energy. They clearly love what they do and the food is cooked with love. The food is cooked to order - with the exception of the stews-which meant I could ask for any of the dishes without prawns. The menu is small, but we both liked that. Good food, cooked well. We loved it so much, we returned a few days later. We were treated as friends and if we're ever back in Bala, we will definitely come back. Thank you to our wonderful hosts.

A genuinely brilliant little restaurant run by one man (the wonderfully hospitable Rui). The ambience is warm and welcoming, the service is friendly, the wine is excellent and the food is outstanding. We saw the positive reviews prior to visiting so had high expectations which were still exceeded by this little gem of a place. An absolute must-visit when in Bala.

This is a really good restaurant and we both give it 5 stars for both cooking and overall experience. The food was beautifully cooked and Monika and her husband Rui, excellent hosts. They are both lovely people and their restaurant a must visit if you are in the area.

The most beautiful melt in your mount Lamb and beef we have tasted. The food was exquisite, the environment was quirky and we were serenaded by the lovely Rue. The Sangria tasted amazing too. Can’t advise enough that this is the best place to eat in Bala.

Amazing experience from start to finish. Food was beautiful and service was top. Some quality live music as well. Thank you

The most amazing place! Incredible! I can’t believe how delicious the Portuguese food was, it was such a cool eclectic place. Amazing wine by the jug and incredible live performances by the talented singer song writer owner. I can’t recommend it more highly.

Delightful venue, friendly and hospitable owners, very tasty and delicious food, very reasonable prices on the deal we had for 3 main courses as extra sides (chips, rice etc) not charged extra

Delightful hidden gem in the heart of Bala. Food was exceptionally good and owners could not do enough to ensure an enjoyable experience. Will definitely be returning with friends as well as to try out one of the music nights with fixed menu.

We were staying in the area and Old Wives Tales was recommended to us so we booked up. And what a great recommendation. We were greeted warmly by Monika and Rui as if we were old friends and given a choice of where to sit. The menu and options were explained and we chose some typical Azorean dishes which were beautiful along with coconut rice and the best homecooked chips you could imagine. The house wine was great too. Rui later entertained us by swapping his chef’s hat for a guitar with Monika accompanying on a saucepan in the kitchen - I kid you not. It’s quirky and different but uniquely wonderful. And all reasonably priced. Eat here.

We called into Old Wives Tales Portuguese restaurant just off the high street in Bala North Wales for our evening meal. We hadn't booked but the restaurant was quiet at the time but did start to fill up soon after we arrived. The couple who own the restaurant were friendly and talked us through the menu and any special offers that were on. They went out of their way to welcome us. We had not experienced Portuguese food before but it was amazing. The restaurant is a very interesting place with a quirky and decorative theme. There is sometimes live music but not on the evening that we visited. The food was delicious and very plentiful, the welcome and service was excellent and we will definitely visit again when we are next in Bala.

Such a lovely evening for our first (but hopefully not last!) visit to Old Wives Tales. It was a quiet night (we were the only people in!) but Rui cooked and served us the most delicious food! Really special - perhaps the nicest food we’ve had out for a long time. Thoroughly recommend the restaurant to anyone wanting home-cooked, but very, very special food.

Very nice atmosphere with live music and excellent food Monica and Rui are friendly and accommodating A very good night out

If I could give 10 stars, I would give a 10 star review. One of the best places iv ever been out too. The food was out of this world and so we're the hosts. They went above and beyond to make our night magical. They made our anniversary incredible. We will 10000% be returning soon.

What can we say! Amazing food, Amazing hosts, amazing atmosphere and to top it off live music! What a fantastic little restaurant!

Dinner… OMG… replete with Portuguese food … Rui and Monika at the “Old Wives Tales” in Bala were such amazing hosts…I had the slow cooked Beef in red wine and Lamb in white wine ( Monika’s suggestion to have both😀) and my wife had the pork with apple and mustard and white wine… the MOST amazing flavours with a glorious jug of Sangria Followed no less by Port… and warm Portuguese tarts and almond and white chocolate mousse Truely magnificent evening with such lovely hosts

We visit Bala fairly regularly as we volunteer at the railway but this was our first visit to Old Wives Tales. We had made a booking via Facebook messenger and although we arrived a little early we were shown to our table. Monica explained how the menu worked. We ordered starters - prawns for me and chorizo for him. For mains we had a lamb and a chicken dish which we shared - these came with coconut rice and chips. As Rui started singing and playing his guitar once he had finished cooking we ordered a dessert to share and a coffee so we could linger. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Old Wives Tales and will definitely visit again. Great service and a homely ambience along with fabulous food.

I don't normally give reviews but this is an absolute gem of a place and would become my 'go to' restaurant if we lived locally. The atmosphere is homely, it is very child-friendly and the owners are very accommodating. What makes it stand out, however, is the food which is both authentic and delicious!

Excellent hospitality, personal service and great food. Our starters were black pudding with charred pinapple (a surprisingly good combination) and lovely tumeric prawns with a fresh and beautifully light dressed mixed salad. Main courses were a fabulous seafood risotto with plentiful chicken, chorizo, seafood; and a wonderfully tender lamb dish with honey, pecan nuts and prawns. A litre jug of house wine was £23. We enjoyed the house deserts. The bill came to £92 plus tip. Very highly recommended.

Recommend very strongly. A warm welcome, authentic Portuguese cooking, generous helpings, excellent Douro red wine, attentive service. This isn't the cheapest place to eat but the quality makes it great value for money. We paid c £50 a head for a big platter of breads,...

Great food and very welcoming couple. Homely feel to the surroundings and the food. Even had live music even though it wasn’t planned for that night.

Absolutely the best food ever. Beautiful place, great hosts and amazing food. Sadly not dog friendly but you can't have it all. Definitely recomend and will definitely be back.

Ate here early on Thursday evening and were pleasantly surprised by the welcoming service and the quality of the food - and the abundance. Owners are obviously very passionate about their restaurant and gave us first class attention. If we are ever in the area...

great food great service both people very helpful drove from oswestry specially to try was well worth it will be going again cath and paul

Old Wives’ Tales is a really special place - it feels special as soon as you walk in. The owners are really welcoming, the decor is quirky and homely, and the food makes you feel like you’re on holiday. We had beef and lamb, coconut...

Me and my partner had an amazing meal here this evening! It was so SO tasty and the customer service was lovely! We got recommended this place by our campsite so gave it a go and they went above and beyond! We were craving a...

Cannot recommend this enough! We were made to feel SO welcome and the food was absolutely delicious! My husband had the Black Sheep dish and I had Pork and Apple with honey and mustard. Both were served with herby chips AND coconut rice which were...

We loved eating at Old Wives' Tales when it was in Corwen, and we were delighted to rediscover the new location in Bala. We stumbled across it when checking out the Pont y Bala parkrun route. The food is wonderful, distinctive and really good value....

We went for food and couldn’t fault it at all, customer service amazing, starters and mains were brilliant but the deserts they were out of this world will definitely be going back again!!

Had a lovely meal here, we were absolutely stuffed and found the prices very reasonable for the amount of food we got. I’ve never been to a Portuguese restaurant before so it was an unexpected treat to be able to try it while on holiday...

We booked a table for 6 family. On arrival we were advised that with only one chef we could only pick 3 items between 6 which would provide enough food for the 6 of us. With one vegetarian ane one gluten free was not easy...

Excellent food with several vegan and vegetarian options. Really friendly and accommodating, I would thoroughly recommend a visit if you're staying in Bala.

Superb food, we had a selection of pork, shellfish, vegan and vegetarian dishes, all were excellently homemade. All were served with rice and chips. The service was second to none. I'd thoroughly recommend.

Amazing food with plentiful portions, super friendly, great ambience. Can't recommend this restaurant highly enough

We had family over from New Zealand and it was also my wife's birthday. We had never been to the Old Wives Tales Restaurant before, so we thought we would give it a go based on the reviews, to have our celebration dinner. What can...

Found this place by accident. Admittedly didn't expect this type of restaurant here, very happily surprised. We were 3 adults and one toddler. They were so welcoming to our toddler. Talking to her, making us feel comfortable when she wanted to explore and willing to...

We were lucky enough to visit this wonderful restaurant where the food simply blew us away. Run by a lovely couple, Rui and Monika are two of the most welcoming people you’ll ever meet and Rui’s ability to infuse traditional Portuguese cuisine from the Azores...

Great little find. Tucked away down a side street in Bala. Beautiful restaurant well worth paying a little extra as the food is truly wonderful. Nice family run restraunt can't complain about any aspect of our visit.

Simply stunning ....the food is really 5 star and the service is awesome, you feel like your part of the family. They simply can't do enough for you. If you come to Bala and don't eat here then you are missing out on a treat....

Very friendly hosts, amazing food and very attentive owners who were constantly asking if everything was perfect (which it was). Very varied menu with very generous portions, all of which was explained at the beginning of service. All the tasty food was washed down with...

If you're looking for something out of the ordinary then I would definitely recommend it. Nothing was too much trouble. We were offered a mixture of different items from the menu as we couldn't make our minds up, everything was so tasty. An absolutely delightful...

Brilliant food, excellent hospitality, great atmosphere! Would definitely recommend! We’ll be back!

My partner booked for my birthday as had seen the reviews, and our Air B&B hosts also recommended. The reviews live up to the hype Rui and Monika were both lovely. Rui cooks the meals fresh so can adapt to your needs. The food was...

We visit Bala very irregularly and this wasn't here last time. We are big fans of Portuguese food and their portion sizes so decided to try it. The restaurant itself is very nicely decorated, it's quirky and they regularly have live music You could celebrate...

Found this place from the 5 * reviews on trip advisor. So we’ll deserved. Rang ahead to see if they could fit us in last minute, to which when we arrived the table was set, the host greeted us with the menu and a welcoming...

I cant praise this restaurant enough The host was amazing ,The food is out of this World ,We were there for my daughter, s birthday and the whole experience was just perfect I would recommend to anyone visiting Bala 101% Just PERFECT

Old Wives Tale exceeded our expectations. We received a very warm welcome from Ruy & Monica. The traditional Portuguese / Azorean food was delicious and plentiful. We wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

Went to this lovely gem of a restaurant yesterday evening after it being recommended by our B&B hosts - and we weren’t disappointed. The owners are absolutely delightful and couldn’t do enough for us. The food was fantastic too!! My other half on leaving said,...

I was part of a party of 12 who visited this restaurant. Neither my husband or me have ever experienced this style of catering before. But it was lovely. The food was well cooked and there was variety, so you're bound to like something! We...

We booked this restaurant to meet our friends and we’re expecting lovely things as previous reviews are great but it really wasn’t great and the rudeness of the owner was almost, but not quite, laughable. No music was advertised and I wasn’t told that music...

We chose this restaurant for a birthday dinner and we weren't disappointed! In Old Wives' Tales you will find a unique set of portuguese dishes, rich in flavour and generous in size. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very homely with a dash of misticism....

Wow brilliant food, service and to top it off live music 🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶 definitely be here again! Julie Robbie

Bumped into the owner outside the restaurant after being told we would not get a table without booking. By miracle the owner had a cancellation and we was invited to return at 7. Only way to describe this place is like being welcomed into the...

Fabulous food. To be fair it was beyond fabulous...twice in one week. First with family and child and then as romantic twosome. The food is authentic and beautiful.

Lovely food in a setting that felt very homely and welcoming. Small but really interesting menu. Lovely service. Would definitely come again.

Great food ay a very good price. Definitely have food at the Old Wives Tales again. The owner and his wife are lovely and everything was perfect.

Lovely atmosphere, wonderful dining area. The service could not have been more attentive and personal. Wonderfully flavoursome food all cooked to order, including some great if unusual combinations (Black pudding and pineapple starter). Great wine but a limited choice. Reasonable prices. Highly recommended.

Delicious food. Authentic Portugese dishes . Fantastic service from this husband and wife team . Even live music to finish ghe evening that my husbsnd joibed in with .

So this will be the 20th 5-star review for chef Rui Brasil, who has gone from strength to strength since moving from modest premises in Corwen to more splendid accommodation in Bala. Previous reviews have more than covered the variety of flavoursome food - the...

Well all I can say is do not miss out on this restaurant. This is a foodies paradise, service faultless, music by Rui was fun and uplifting, shots and wine were devine. The food dishes we had were a mixture of lamb, beef, seafood risotto...

Wow wow wow! Food and atmosphere was amazing! The welcome is heartfelt and Rui is so happy to tell you all about the gorgeous food he’s about to cook for you….and nothing is too much trouble. I urge you to go. You will not be...

First visit since they moved to Bala. Same fabulous food and atmosphere. Such a warm reception too. Just the best of everything!

Took the DH for his birthday and booked in advance as they don’t take walk ins. Warm welcome and a table ready with good bread, olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and pickled cucumbers. All delicious! A choice of red or white Portugueses wine or Portuguese...

What an amazing find, we had an amazing night here, great food, large portions great service good value for money. Will definately visit again. Thanks very much for a great experience.

A super meal last nightwhich was freshly cooked and excellent quality. The restaurant is spacious and airy - vital in current situation -, attractive and has a great sense of pride. Our meal was a tasty starter of breads, olives, artichoke andnsundried tomatoes. Our mains...

Delicious food and excellent hospitality. Great for gluten free and they can easily adapt the menu for other needs as it’s all cooked fresh. We’ll definitely be going back again.

Rui and Monica were super-friendly and helpful hosts. The food was all cooked in-house by Rui who came and chatted to us about the dishes and Portuguese cooking. The restaurant has a lovely, individual atmosphere. The three of us had an enjoyable dinner and would...

Just having a weekend in Bala and old wives tale Portuguese restaurant was recommended to us. We managed to get in as a cancellation and we was lucky staff make sure you have everything you need. Bread and olives straight away and drinks and then...

Food was fantastic. No pressure from service but there to pop in and see if you need anything which we absolutely didn’t as they had catered for everything. Will definitely come again. Highly recommend.

Spare of the moment booking. So glad we made that choice! Fabulous couple, incredible food and amazing musical accompaniment. if you live in, near or ever visit Bala come here you’ll not be disappointed!

Wonderful welcome from the lovely husband and wife team. Old Wives Tales has moved from Corwen and is an exciting addition to Bala. The food is all cooked fresh to order, apart from the slow cooked pot roast, and is delicious. There was a plate...

I strongly recommend this restaurant. I went with my husband and 10 year old. They were very welcoming. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Everything was freshly prepared so they could easily cater for dietary requirements / preferences. The food was delicious (‘best ever’...

Great food, great music and very welcoming hosts in a lovely setting. We've booked for the music night in a couple of weeks. No burgers, such a relief

Visited for a friends birthday. A warm welcome, a friendly atmosphere and delicious food. Helpings were generous and when we could not finish it all they offered to pack it up for us to take home. Price was very reasonable. Hope to go again very...

Unbelievable food, just what Bala needs. Huge portions and the quality was fabulous. Catered for all tastes, vegan and pescatarians. The hostess and host were great, plus the added bonus of the host/chef even sang on his guitar end of the night. It will be...

Home made Portuguese food, massive portions great for sharing a few options! Rui came out and explained all the meals. There are great vegetarian options, which Rui explains. Best chips in North Wales as well. Coconut rice was lovely, it comes with the meal. The...

What a fabulous new restaurant for Bala. The warmest of welcomes, a room filled with the most eclectic of collections, comfortable sized tables and delightful jumble of china. Rui will explain the menu, a selection of cooked-to-order Portuguese treats made with the best local ingredients,...

What a fantastic night we had at "Old wives tales" in Bala . The location is superb with parking less than a minutes walk away. The food and atmosphere were complimented by excellent live music. I cannot rate this place highly enough!! If you visit...