Ponderosa Cafe in Denbighshire

We have been visited here for over 20 years in all weathers and love the place. However today they excelled themselves when I checked the drinks machines but sadly no decaffeinated drinks so I asked a young guy on the till and he straight away said no problem tea or coffee. Amazing and so grateful as for medical reasons. 20 mph is not the fault of the owners and if you approach from A5104 they are very few. By the way all the young staff we’ve come into contact are so friendly and hardworking.

First time here really nice layout and friendly staff the views are amazing and goes on for miles and miles. The food is lovely varies on food hot or cold

Great place and people, however the reduction of speed and the introduction of tax cameras has added 30 minutes onto my journey, I am afraid that I will have to find a closer cafe.

Haven't stayed yet although we plan to. Beautiful location beautiful place great people and food. - must see for any biker.

Only had the breakfast which was superb! Bacon, sausage, egg , beans, mushrooms, black pudding, hash browns and toast with a hot drink. All the food was hot and delicious!

Always a great place to stop and have something to eat

Great location at the top of the Horseshoe Pass, great service and good sized portions for the price!

Low cost, great quality food. Helpful and friendly staff. Amazing location.

Lovely location, friendly service. Opening times can change due to weather. Great walk to Moel y Gamelin, which can be tough in adverse weather with a young child and an injured husband in tow.

I ordered a tea and a pasty from here and it was fantastic, before going for a hike up the hillside.

Always pop by when driving through Llangollen for a hot chocolate, and food is lovely too. And if you're lucky, you can feed the sheep

There was a big queue even if you just want a cup of tea. Am sure this could e better thought out, there's plenty of room. Saying that the food was great and I'll be back soon 👌

The cafe is set in a beautiful location with lovely views across the Horseshoe Pass. Unfortunately the cafe sadly fails to match them. We called in yesterday afternoon( 06/01/24) hoping for a snack and a nice hot drink. We went in and found the place all but deserted and one member of staff very unenthusiastcally mopping the floor. There were no menus anywhere to look at and as we sat there wondering what to do, the lights were switched off, clearly indicating that they were not serving and that it was closing time. It wasn't quite 15:35hrs. Apparently they're meant to stay open until 4pm. On top of that, we went to use the toilet facilities. The ladies' were horrible. They were poorly maintained with missing locks and no toilet paper in a few of the cubicles and the hand dryer blew cold air. Not what you want on a cold day. The whole place had an air of misery, despondency and I have to say, neglect. Finally as we were leaving at 15:42hrs the staff locked the door behind us, fifteen minutes earlier than they were supposed to. It must have been incredibly frustrating for the couple who were heading across the car park to go in. Personally I think they had a lucky escape!

Amazing views, decent food and foe a good price. It is a lovely place to visit and the staff are nice. Although the little packets of salt were damp, so maybe find a better place to store them. It was definitely worth a visit. The curry and chips were lovely

Been to ponda for family lunch .usually on motorbikes today in car .food as usual was good service attentive. Area clean

Great roadside restaurant brilliant food and great staff especially Bevin? Food was freshly cooked and served hot well organised and quality local produce, friendly atmosphere and biker friendly five star price £7.50 for full Welsh breakfast

Great place to stop off and meet other bikers. Food is pretty decent 👍

Lovely and hot. Tasty breakfast.

A great place to visit in the sun or the snow

What better place to eat a Christmas Dinner, than with your head in the clouds served by very friendly staff. The Christmas dinner was plentiful and worth every penny, We are booking a family Christmas lunch

Great value for money lovely location

Great place to stop at the top of the horse shoe pass when your terrified wife loses the plot because she doesn't like going up mountains.

Great spot, girls working there are great and friendly. Food didn't look very appealing to me, bit there was a lot of folk eating there who seemed to be regulars. We had sausage baps, sauces were tasty but the bread roll weren't great and had a cheap smell.

Always great food. Swift service and polite helpful staff.

This is a great location to visit and to spend a day in North Wales. The cafe food was a good price and very good . It is dog, motorbike and walker friendly it had lots of young staff who were very attentive and friendly and worked hard to engage customers.

Great place to pause your journey at, fantastic scenery views, lots of parking, good food and service, plenty of choice, reasonable prices, we was disappointed that the gift shop was closed, we have previously brought some really nice things from there

This age-old cafe has been a favourite watering hole for locals, tourists and bikers year In, year out. The food is worthy of any restaurant, the price amazing and service exemplary. Dont miss out!

Great place to stop for a coffee &/or a meal. We had fish & chips (eating in) 👍😊. Great views & drive up & over the Horseshoe Pass. Update: Once again we visited here on our journey home from Wales but this time we went for breakfast. We had the double egg on toast which was very nice and reasonably priced but must admit when we arrived I was disappointed to see this was the only thing on the menu for vegetarians, it would have been nice to see a vegetarian cooked breakfast & vegetarian sausage baps. Still looking forward to returning & hoping the breakfast menu has been extended. 😃 Update: Here we are again another visit 😊, we had the Vegetable Lasagna served with Chips, Carrots and Peas - lovely meal and served nice and hot. Will definitely return.

Outstanding views of Ancient Mountains, busy free car park up to 3 hours. Lovely Self service food and drinks. Weekends Attract Bikers great atmosphere.

Lovely staff, super views in good weather!! Breakfast was delicious, well worth it. If you've never been....GOOO!! It really is a 'Cafe in the Clouds'.

Proper pontins vibe.. Food could be better but I go there for that food haha

Great cafe, dog friendly, plenty of parking

Nice simple straightforward food, quick service and friendly staff. Ample parking however the car park is on hill side so be aware if you take a bike, cambered parking

Fantatic location in the mountains. Cafeteria clean. Great food, friendly, efficient staff.

Fantastic day loads nice people. sexy ,bikes,and cars with great veggy breakfast. Great biker cafe. Great atmosphere. Thanks for keeping it going

The apogee of the great Horse Shoe Pass cycle climb, you have to climb it on human power to appreciate its 60's service station vibe. Obviously a bit noisy with all those motorcycles but whatever your reason for being there, it's a major punctuation point of any day out.

Wow what a location to have a café, worth a visit if just for the view's...

Driven past many times, but the first time we have stopped. Best beef ale pie, chips, and baked beans I have had for a while. Mistake to climb hill outside afterwards with full belly

Stunning scenery and great location, food is excellent and a fair price. A must for any petrol head.

It is great to enjoy a meal in the middle of the National park somewhere between Ruthin and Trevor and a half way of the picturesque road. Food is good enough for cafe, service is good and what is important you have your order straight away to save time for exploring the neighbourhood. If hungry it is a great idea to stop here.

The ultimate place for bikers to meet, eat, drink and chat. Lots of parking spaces and a great cafe with a good selection of food and beverages

It's a lovely place to have a cafe Wonderful view s

Just a quick coffee stop off. Staff friendly and efficient. Very clean. Views beautiful. Excellent dealing with coach parties arriving. Prices are good.

Although this long standing favourite definitely needs some TLC and upgrade on its decor it's very clean and bright with fabulous views. But the other main attraction is the quality and very affordable price of its food which is very comforting in its 1970's style and that really is a fabulous welcome in these times. It's both a destination for lunch and a great place to stop off at on your journey . Long may this place never change

We had a quick snack here, absolutely loads of parking (although 2 hr restriction) the views and area are stunning. Food was good and hot and not bad price for location. Toilets available and can be used by people not purchasing from the cafe for a donation. Good seating areas inside and out

A beautiful setting and good coffee, I would highly recommend a visit.

It's a compulsory brew stop for bikers. Very busy in good weather at peak times. In my opinion it closes too early.

Excellent food Very clean Good quality Good price Lovely surroundings Friendly staff Shame the shop has gone Plenty of parking Pet friendly

We go to the ponderosa cafe .most week ends when we are at work .and go when we are on holiday . We love the food .the staff are very good .the countryside is great .we go there on our motorbike .and when it's raining in the car .what's not to like . See you soon .Alan. and Helen. Eddie the cat. he stays at home ..

Great view. Free parking across the road has now been reduced by large boulders.

Great location but what a dump of a cafe...looks like a prison canteen that hasn't been cleaned in years.

Stopped for coffees excellent location despite the awful weather.

Whilst no gourmet restaurant, having the feel of fast food joint, the range of food was fair and prices were reasonable and perfectly edible. Perfectly good for a quick lunch whilst visiting Horseshoe Pass.

Great food at great. Prices with excellent service and at the top of the iconic Horse Shoe Pass.

Stopped for a bite to eat in this iconic bikers caff. The setting and roads to it are great it must be something else when the carpark is filled with bikes. It caters for the majority well but appears to be very little options if you are vegetarian or vegan. Luckily, we weren't that hungry when we stopped by.

September 2023: Damp cloudy day for our car group visit, but plenty of parking and fast service for breakfast 👍

Cafe right on the top of hill, great views and great breakfast. Lots of cakes and good coffee too so not to be missed.

Eccentric roadside mountain top café/restaurant. I loved it.

Value. Cheap. Value. Clean. Value. Surprising good quality. The kind of food you might expect at a truck stop, but actually more likely to be being served to a biker. (All of whom look like lawyers & accountants trying out an expensive machine). It will almost certainly require a detour, probably up the Horseshoe Pass from Llangollen. Even with the 40mph limit, it is worth it. We often travel North Staffs to Anglesey on the scenic route (A5), and aim to set off with enough extra time to stop here for a bite. Not the easiest menu to choose something healthy. But on holiday it just tastes right.

Great views from here. Well worth a visit.

Food was okay shame the shop has shut all ways good to see the bike's

Great place to visit, especially on a motorcycle. Great service and good old home cooked food available. Would recommend 100%

Called in on the way to Llandudno. Very Busy café but very clean and good service and food

Top of the horseshoe pass, gets quite busy. The views of the surrounding hill/mountains are breathtaking

First time up to the cafe, 2 hour ride but worth it. Great atmosphere, staff are great. Met some friendly people. Fantastic location and views.

Great place to stop, lovely views. Very popular with motorcyclist.

Unique café in Wales! It's always worth a visit!

Expensive food lovely toilets and great parking with stunning views

Always visit when in Llangollen. Food great service quick.

Love this place, haven't been for several years well worth the visit. Fabulous steak pie dinner, good service and reasonable price

A nice place up the hill to have nice hot drinks and cake.

Great place to sit in your car and eat fresh made fish and chips, what a fantastic view

Got to be the cafe with the best views in Britain.

Good food great staff and lovely views. Well done 👍🐐

Great location and good value food

A proper cafe / restaurant with the best view ever

Went for lunch as a group of 4 bikers,been many times over the years.This particularly Sunday was serviced by a very rude young lady,think she didn't want be there,such ashame,the other staff was really lovely as always.(Bank Holiday Weekend)hopefully she cheers up soon.

A nice clean place, staff friendly, food hot and delicious.

We came into the cafe today and the staff was very rude to us, don't think we will be going there again, which is a shame as the views are amazing

Great food, great prices, great location.

Friendly staff, good food and Ice cream. Very scenic location.

Breakfast was ok but not the best quality. Lovely place to stop plenty of parking i expect it gets very busy on dry days

Great food, great services and loads and loads of Bikes 😁

Nice place, good breakfast, nice view!

Brilliant stop off cafe in north Wales. Good food and not stupidly expensive like your usual motorway services.

Another fantastic day out good food nice scenery, the horseshoe pass was amazing.

Good old transport cafe! Very much had a school dinner vibe going on! But excellent food! I only had the 1 gluten free option which was chicken curry and chips… apparently the rice was GF which confused me… but they had a laminated dietary list card which covered the main food, and ice creams! All the staff were helpful and friendly! The location is beautiful, amazing views of the hills… but mostly when you are outside! I guess you can get good views from the window seats… but we didn’t get anywhere near them!

Always a pleasure popping in to grab a drink or a bite to eat. There is a good selection of hot and cold food on offer and the staff are always welcoming and efficient. There is plenty of sitting space, even at the busiest of times, with tables both inside and out. A generous size carpark seems to offer ample spaces for free.

Didn't stay so can't rate rooms but cafe is great as is the service, coffee is fine, cake was yum 😋 Love going there with buddies on the bike or in the car with the better half. Great riding road but watch for gravel traps in road from runoff in the rain.

This was a very welcome stop on the way to Wem, in Shropshire. There was self-service in the café. The cappuccinos, carrot cake and sausage roll were all great. The toilets were very clean. Bikers were warned away from ruining the beauty of the hills. It's sad to think that some people would even think about destroying such a beautiful, natural resource.

Great ride /drive out. Amazing views .

Iconic roadside cafe at the top of the Horseshoe pass. Nice traditional roadside cafe food. Brilliant location.

Lovely views of the area. Always like the ride up there being a biker. Good food and good portions 👍👍

Super spot at top of the Horse Shoe Pass, great views, lots of bikers and nice cars. Reasonably priced cafe meals a bit canteen like bit clean and tidy. They do proper plate steak pie.

Great place for food before or after taking in the spectacular views

Great food and views. Great biker cafe but all welcome

Food is ok nice place to stop very expensive though

Nice meal lovely views out of window

Lovely drive from any direction, great view from cafe , shame gift shop has gone , good reasonable food in the cafe

Stopped for a quick bite to eat. It was a sunny Thursday lunch time and the place was very busy. Service was quick and the staff were very polite. Food was great.