Plas Tan y Bwlch in Gwynedd

Beautiful old building in a lovely rural setting

Nice walk in an autumn morning. You hear the cars from the route underneath everywhere in the garden, bit disturbing. Tea room was not open

Like staying in a castle, but it’s not expensive. Beautiful grounds, nice staff, close to the mountains

Stopped off here as the break on the Ffestiniog Railway. Lovely cup of tea and cake. Nice friendly staff. Beautiful views too.

This café is in a beautiful setting with the trains puffing into the station as we sat outside. We had two cappuccinos which were very nice but the cups were only half filled. Please take this on board.

As locals we often go to this café but after today that may not be true! Standing at the counter I could see the young lady was busy writing the new menu on the chalk board so I waited and waited some more; there was no response to my comments and as I saw another young lady approaching I waited for her to serve me instead but she started putting cakes into the display unit. I spoke to her and she too ignored me, then, having finished her job she turned around looked me straight in the eye and walked back into the kitchen. These two girls really need lessons in customer service, it was appalling! I walked out and doubt we will go back; which is a shame as we often take our family on the train or just to the café as the coffee is good and they have a great play area for children. There are lots of other places to go that are equally as good / better where the customers really do come first and their custom is valued. If you are not getting the train then head down the road to the Oakley Arms where you will get a welcome and good food. Not a happy local. So tourists be aware!!

My first visit to the Dwyryd tea rooms at Plas Tan y Bwlch and well worth the visit. The car park is on the lower slope of the estate and you walk through the gardens to reach the tea room. The gardens are in the middle of a restoration project so I will be returning to see how they are developing. Car parking is restricted but free. The tea room was quiet with ample seating both inside and outside with superb views of the surrounding area. We had fresh sandwiches and tea [proper tea, not tea bags] and it was all excellent.

The Dwyryd Tea Room has clearly worked hard to improve itself over the last year and this now shins through. Located in the terrace conservatory at Plas Tan y Bwlch it has stunning views over the Vale of Ffestiniog to the mountains and forests beyond. In the spring the view is of the river meandering it's way through the valley below frames by spectacular rhododendron, some of which are almost 200 years old. The Tea Room is the perfect addition to Plas Tan y Bwlch, the 19th century house built by the Oakeley Family, over looking the village of Maentwrog and which is now home to the Snowdonia National Park study centre. Visitors can walk in the beautiful gardens, the woodlands and around the house itself, before stopping in for cake and a cuppa in the Tea Room. The food is lovely, the staff are welcoming and the facilities are clean and tidy. Most importantly to me, the staff made my kids feel welcomed too, happily talking to them about their day. The Tea Rooms are situated about 2miles from Tan y Bwlch station, on the Ffestiniog Railway line, however it is directly below Plas Halt (the request stop on the same line) and a short walk down through the woods to the house. Alternatively you can park in itself visitor car park and walk up to the house which is about 400-600 meters depending on your route through the gardens. We really enjoyed ourselves on our April 2017 visit and we hope to return again in the summer, when we hope to be able to book Sunday lunch in the main dinning room as well.

This cafe has the most beautiful views and could be a delight to visit if it weren't for the awful service. Have been there several times now and it seems that staff are chosen for their lack of courteousness and inability to smile. You are made to feel that you are a nuisance, turning up and asking for refreshment. Please note that this review is for the cafe at Plas Tan y Bwlch, and not the cafe at the steam railway station. The menu is limited to sandwiches, and as a veggie, it was a nice to surprise to find that they had humous sandwiches. They came with some crisps and salad and were nice, although the humous was rather thinly spread!!! This could be a wonderful place to stop and enjoy, but be prepared for the staff attitude to take away some of that pleasure. Conversely, the staff inside the centre are helpful and friendly, and the range of courses is superb, to go along with the location.

We stumbled across this tea room whilst almost at the end of a wonderful walk with our dog in the forest opposite. As it was a lovely sunny day we enjoyed the outdoor seating looking out at the Tan y Bwlch station for Blaenau Ffestiniog railway. I had the last piece of sponge which was topped with rhubarb and red cherry....absolutely delicious! My husband had the chocolate caramel shortcake and both of us had coffee. It was a very pleasant setting and was a lovely treat to finish our walk. The toilets were clean and the lady serving us was very friendly. There is also a little nature trail nearby which in fact led us to our car. We returned the next morning as it was close to where we were staying and this time parked at the station. The staff were different on the Saturday and weren't quite so friendly and welcoming as the day before. We sat inside as it had been raining and we chose the carrot cake and scone. Both were still quite nice but not quite the same as the sponge. We also took some welsh cakes and bara brith as a take away which again tasted nice but not quite as good as some places. The toilets were yet again very clean however. Overall, it is worth a stop but your experience may vary depending on who's working and the cakes on offer that day

We walked steeply down from Tan y Bwlch station on the Ffestiniog Railway via lakes and woods and were ready for lunch. Signage to the tearoom was non existent but we found it. The person in charge had a couldn't-care-less attitude as soon as arrived. No smile or greeting. "What do you want?" she said. "What sandwiches do you have?", I asked. She pointed to a menu board. My wife read them out aloud, When she got to tuna and sweetcorn. we were informed there was no sweetcorn. We ordered ham. "Don't you want egg mayonaise?" she asked! We ate on the terrace overlooking the estuary with nice views to the Rhinog mountains. The sandwiches were ok and came with crisps and salad garnish. However, my wife's ham sandwich had a strange blue plastic bit inside. When we took it back there was no apology at all. "It must be a bit of my glove" she said. The toilets were not very well signed and were very basic.