The Black Boy Inn in Gwynedd

Food was alright, terrible service. Bar staff looked like they were at a funeral, and someone killed their cat the day before.

Lovely pub and restaurant nice warm and cosy Lovely staff a great place to eat and drink good atmosphere

A fabulous traditional bar that oozes atmosphere and history. Bar is so cosy and even on wet, dark Sunday night, was packed with mix of locals and visitors. Ordered filled Yorkshire pudding and was disappointed but was very late, so think missed the best.

Great choice of drinks and friendly staff, highly recommended.

Excellent menu and food. We had steak and ale pies, lasagne and pork belly and all were top notch. Prices look steep for a pub but the portions are huge and it’s really, really good. Nice selection of beers too.

I like the old building and the food is nice but the parking isn’t great

Terrific meal ,good service and well priced ,definitely worth a visit 😀

We were served by the wonderful and friendly Ryan. The food was excellent and we had a very good time. Highly recommended.

Went for an evening meal. Parking nearby was not easy as the only parking that the Inn provides is for residents. However once inside the Inn is warm and welcoming. It was very busy but we received good service and our food was delivered quickly (Despite the warning on the menu of a 40 - 75 minute wait) The menu suggested a convoluted way of ordering by scanning a QR code, Logging into their WiFi, setting up an account, paying in advance etc however we just gave our order to the waitress and paid at the end like we do in other restaurants, and they were fine with this. The food was pretty good and very large portions. We weren't sure what "Scrappy Chips" were but it turns out its the chips you normally find at the end of a bag that you don't bother eating. That aside we enjoyed the meal, found the prices reasonable and the staff friendly.

Was ok nothing special, service was slow.

Booked online to guarantee a table for the Sunday carvery. Choice of beef, Turkey or lamb and the rest of the plate topped up with vegetables, potatoes and gravy.

If first thing that hits you when you walk into a pub is heat from real fire, then you know you have arrived somewhere you won't be leaving soon... Great pub, Great selection of beers, cask and draught, food was nice to so if you are anywhere near, call in!

Large portions and good service. The food was really good and the nachos and burgers was delicious! Would recommend this food place in Caernarfon.

Great chicken burger! Really friendly waiter 😊

After writing a bad review I wish to give an update , Zoe received my email and has acted on it very quickly. They called and apologised for disturbed sleep and offered me a two day stay with breakfast in their room with shower , I can only give a big shout out to the staff for offering me another chance to enjoy there hospitality thank you.

Arrived at the restaurant having visited several times before. Always a pleasure to go there and food had been previously excellent although a little expensive. Always worth spending our treasured moments there such a Birthday treats. Our most recent trip however was very poor. The service was good but the app to order meant that a server did not take our orders. This does not feel like a special outing. The food was diabolical. Starters of Nachos described as being in a salsa which translated means sauce came with chopped tomatoes and no sauce in sight. Guacamole was a joke, no seasoning, no garlic. Bland and for£8 a little taste should be included. I ordered swordfish which was not available, neither was sea bream so I had to opt for Tuna which promised to be seared on the griddle. Wow! The Tuna was desicated, overcooked and leather like. It was cooked to an unrecognisable consistency, I’m afraid that it made me feel quite sick. It had no taste, resembled meat and as a pescatarian this did not appeal at all. Half was left. I could hardly eat it and don’t think I will touch Tuna again. Tinned Tuna has more taste quite honestly and definitely better consistency. The salad was doused in a very unpleasant dressing, potatoes and egg had no taste. I’m not a good cook but I did feel like I needed to offer advise on how these foods should be prepared and cooked The experience was altogether nasty and for an extortionate price, the visit left an unpleasant taste. We will not be returning at anytime until they charge the prices that befit the food. This would mean charging less than McDonalds which I must say, appeals to me more than returning. Drinks were tiny and expensive.

A large, and traditional pub, with lodgings, should you want to stay over. A great selection of beer and ales. We went for dinner. The food was absolutely brilliant, served quickly too! Sometimes you can wait upwards of 40 minutes due to its popularity. Theres a lot to choose from, with specials too. I highly recommend the Mixed Grill. Highly recommended all round!

Food was tasty, staff were sound, only dined here, but I'll be back

Food not great. Service worse (looking at you, Elyn). Very disappointing experience.

We needed a place to eat after returning from our day trip on the Highland Railway. We came across the Black Bouy and were pleased to find it was dog friendly. The place is old and has great character. There is a restaurant at the rear and the staff were friendly and helpful. The food was good, and healthy portions left us stuffed. Nice local beer too, and set close by the castle and old walls. Legend has it that it also featured the first bi-lingual jukebox in Wales.

Staff was so helpful. The food was excellent. The accommodation exceeded my expectations.

Didnt use hotel facilities just stopped by for drinks.. friendly staff lovely place to sit and enjoy a drink

We visited The Black Boy Inn today, and for the prices we paid, we expected a lot more. We ordered two steak and ale pies that were supposed to come with vegetables. However, we only received about two small pieces of carrot each, three peas (and that’s not an exaggeration), and a piece of broccoli the size of a thumb. It seems the prices are aimed at international customers. Due to the high prices and lack of value, we will not be visiting again.

We went there for a Sunday Roast last summer and it was just great so when we returned from Ireland with the ferry in Holyhead, we knew we had to do a little detour and come here again. We arrived there just after 12 and the restaurant was full, so we were seated in the bar, but we were happy we got a table and the ambience was lovely, a real old pub. We had a Sunday Roast again and it was just delicious and the portions were enormous. I had a Guinness to go with my meal and it tasted exactly like in Ireland. We can highly recommend this pub. If we ever are in the region, we will definitely come here again.

We had the chicken curry and the steak pie and both meals were really tasty, definitely glad we went here! The building is really interesting inside, there was a great selection of beers available, and the staff all seemed nice. We even got to try out a bit of Welsh!

Super pub with amazing food! We had the Sunday roast, which was fantastic, small play area for children. Would highly recommend

We always drop in at the The Black Boy Inn on our yearly holiday in Caernarfon - it used to be a highlight of the trip. Unfortunately from the declining food and abysmal service, this will likely be our last. Pre Covid the restaurant had beautiful food and excellent service, with an ambience which added to the dining experience which you didn't mind paying slightly more for. During Covid changes were, understandably, made. However these changes still seem to be in place which really reduces the experience but the price is just as high as before. The food was okay, but not worth the cost. Service was difficult with staff who didn't know the menu, or the wines, at all. I've honestly had better service at a Toby Carvery. It's such a shame to see this once lovely historical restaurant decline into a glorified wetherspoons.

Had the lunch menu and it was nice enough, certainly worth the money. Nice location on the back streets.

Best mixed grill ever, lovely location, everyone in our party enjoyed lunch too.

Great food fantastic staff and rooms

POOR FOOD/ RUDE BARMAID. the food- The steak and ale pie can best be described as a poor chip-shop pie and the Battered Haddock was over cooked. The scrappy chips says it all. The service at the bar can best be described as a NO LOOK SERVE, there was minimal interaction with all customers. Not one staff member asked how the food was because they know they would get alot of bad reaction. We were looking forward to the visit but it was a poor experience all round.

Cannot comment on the rooms, as only went there for dinner. Food was great, even at busy times, but service was lacking. Food came quick but had to wait over 20 minutes for our drink order. Good location in the town and parking for residents available too.

Mix grill was nice and massive. Location was great. Breakfast was beautiful. Will definitely return.

Food was delicious, I had the vegan coleslaw and jacket potato with beans. Very big portion but had no idea if the crisps were gluten free or not. More choices for vegans and gluten free would be helpful. Callus was amazing, tried his best to accommodate and very smiley chap.

Had a beer and a meal here. All the staff were really friendly and helpful. The food was really nice.

The pub has amazing internal design. Lots of history and just nice to be inside. Makes you feel comfortable and cozy. We ordered the food and drinks from the bar code link on the table. It was quick. Unfortunately we did not enjoy our cod with chips. It was either lacking spices or was just not fit our expectations. I also had two beers and one of them clearly tasted with soap inside.

Didn't stay here. So can't rate the rooms. Food was lovely and fresh and the staff were very friendly and welcoming.

Had a very nice dinner staff very helpful good selection of beers

Lovely friendly staff, sadly food was not so good.

Excellent service. Meal was amazing and atmosphere was exceptional

The steak pie was very good, I'd give a solid 8.5/10. The prawn spaghetti that my spouse ordered on the other hand was according to her, a very solid 1/10.

We spent 3 nights here. I found the staff to be lovely. The breakfast servers excellent (I was the lady chose off-piste with avocado) and reception very sweet (re: lost hairbrush doh!) All extremely hard working. Bar music excellent. Thanks V much.

The setting is very welcoming but the food is terrible. The Welsh Pie was pretty good but the double burger was absolutely inedible... fake meat!

We had a meal here, and food and service were great charming rustic bar/ hotel.

I’d read a previous review about the service here but dismissed it as a one off. Sadly on a visit today the service was as terrible, being ignored at the bar twice and then when finally being served not even a glimmer of courtesy. Lasagna was tasty and was the Welsh pie but the chips were barely cooked. Also do not trust the menu posted on google as the prices have definitely gone up since that was posted.

Come here a few times now, lovely food and drink and decent app ordering 👌

We called in for lunch as we've often heard radio advertising. The venue is charming and staff were friendly but we were very disappointed by the food.

Fantastic experience here in this authentic Welsh Inn. Very friendly and efficent staff and beautiful rooms where attention to detail is to commended. I couldn't recommend more.

A lovely pub with some great history and a lovely atmosphere.

EXTREMELY OLD PUB WITH CLEAN, OUTSIDE GROUNDS NICE IN GOOD WEATHER. CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA. GOOD SERVICE, LET DOWN BY DEEP FRIED FREEZER FOOD.

Lovely pub,great beer and enjoyable food.

Brilliant location and lovely wee play park for the kids while I enjoyed a pint but bar staff were not very attentive or welcoming sadly.

Great Sunday Roast eaten in a lovely beer garden in centre of the town near castle

For the time it took to arrive we expected fresh delicious food. I was served worst fish and chips I've ever eaten! Way overpriced for TASTELESS soggybatter, lamb was absolutely tiny for nearly £25. Dont bother, no one even come to ask how the food was. 0 stars

Great food and service. Beautiful place in a cute town, really good location as well!

Very good and nice hotel restaurant

Disgusting attitude from the waitress with a blonde bob. Blanked a question regarding the food note I'd placed on the order I was initially ignored and then after a second attempt was told "well what do I do with this".. Pretty sure despite what I would consider was quite a polite request to have a medium-rare steak as the "app" we were encouraging to use didn't provide this option (rare or medium) the whole item was ignored. Amongst other incompetence, our group of 10 that are staying at their hotel I appreciate the decor and atmosphere of this establishment.

Really nice place, good food and good selection of beers.

We are an evening meal here and was informed that there could be a 40 minute wait for food as it was all cooked fresh. However it turned up in about 15 minutes and was piping hot. Mac and cheese was very nice but the special Welsh pie was nothing special unfortunately. Very bland meats not sure what they were and very soggy mash on top. A little pricey for the area and the quality of the food.

Great weekend break. Weather fab, Black Boy Inn fab, and Caernarfon great place.

Had a nice lunch with a wonderful IPA here.

We came to Caernarfon to look around. I really liked the Inn atmosphere and decorations, service is good. Food was normal, the same dish later on I ate in Cornwall and it was top notch!!!! I would not come back I think. But I gave 4 stars because it is nice place even if for my taste food was not good enough:)

Had an amazing meal at The Black Boy Inn, the food was delicious, portions sizes were excellent, the staff and service was excellent couldn’t fault a thing, would thoroughly recommend.

Lovely place and great location. The staff were very friendly and the drink & food was great also.

Very cozy, food was good and the staff was very nice and accommodating. We can definitely recommend it!

Very generous portions (so although prices slightly on the high side, overall good value) and you can sit in the pub or the restaurant area. Friendly staff and the food was tasty. Also one of the only places serving food on a Mon and Tue night. My only comment is there wasn't much choice for vegetarians/vegans, but the veggie lasagne was delicious

very pretty and traditional inn that i only having breakfast here. tried small welsh breakfast but i don't know what different with uk one. however, still worth to try as the dining room was really pretty and old vibe. Staff also nice although seem quite busy

We were visiting Caernarfon and wondering the streets to find somewhere to eat. Came across the Black Boy Inn. What a great choice it proved too be . Very pleasant and helpful staff . Good variety of dishes to choose from. I had the chicken kebabs with peppers, tzatziki with warm pitta bread and chips. My husband had the moules mariniere ( the best he’s ever had) . This followed by a dessert of local ice creams . Excellent quality food and large portions. Highly recommend.

Friday night with work colleagues. Lovely evening by the fire with food and wine. Natter, chill and a great local. Diolch yn fawr unwaith eto!

What an absolutely letdown the restaurant was! My partner and our two sons (10 & 12) stopped in for an evening meal while on holiday in the area. It felt like I had to give my whole life story including taking a selfie to get on the wifi and sign up for the app to order on. We ordered a medium Yorkshire pudding with sausage and mash, ploughman’s, chicken and leek pie and a buttermilk chicken burger. The Yorkshire pudding was over cooked and my son couldn’t cut through it. The chicken burger was really dry inside and mayo didn’t taste nice. Chicken in the pie was chewy and the chips were like day old ones that had all the potato taken out of them. The cheese on the ploughman’s had very little flavour, even the blue cheese. We spent £87 and all 4 of us left at least half our meals. At no point did anyone ask us if we were enjoying our meals. When my partner did get up to complain, she was led to see the manager/owner who was really dismissive and walked off half way through my partner explaining what was wrong. At which point he made clear we wouldn’t be getting a refund and that they would have a meeting the following day to discuss our complaint. Today we received an email trying to gas light us by saying that they had served over 500 meals and no one else had complained about the chips and the rest of the compliant was ignored. They have offered a £30 gift voucher but since our experience and not still being in the area, this is completely useless. We definitely won’t be going back and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone we know.

My wife and I stayed in the Black Boy in for two nights during a visit to Caernarfon. The Inn is located just inside the ancient city walls. After offloading our luggage, we were able to park for free at a car part next to the castle, a couple of hundred yards walk from the Inn. All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious, clean and comfortable. We also enjoyed a dinner in the restaurant. The breakfast was also excellent with lots of choice. The only complaint was that residents were not given the ability to book the restaurant after 18:30, so had to compete with non-residents. Hence, on the Saturday, we ate elsewhere.

Very disappoining. Nothing special at all. I assume the ordering by app was a relic of the pandemin which made life easy for them to run the service on minimum staff but we found it very impersonal. We actually didn't realise for 40 mins that you had to order by the app as, other than showing us to our table, the waiter said nothing. It was only that we saw thw small print in the menu. We expected to be dining in the main restaurant area with the medieval docor, but it was closed at 17.45 and we were shown to the other dining area, which I can only describe as a newer looking fast food canteen type area with a few splashing of the main decor. I had fish and chips. As this is a seaside restaurant I expected this to be like other seaside restaurants, very tasty. It was dry and tasteless (assume overcooked). In fact I can say this is the worst by the sea fish I have experienced. My friends were also of the opinion that the meal was, at best, average and the whole experience was impersonal. You dine out for the personal service which is part of the ambience, but this was a cold impersonal experience. We actually stayed at the Inn for the night and expected the brilliant service and meal we have before the pandemic. It felt like a typical corporate money first making machine. Our expectations were much higher but was very disappointed The best part was the excellent pint of Guiness in the bar before the meal.

Had lunch here today one of the best meals we’ve eaten out. Friendly polite staff there our seats were by the fire which was a blessing since it was cold outside.

Fantastic pub with great atmosphere…food is amazing. Family group had the burger, chicken & leek pie, 2 veggie lasagna…which I have to say was the best I’ve ever had fab portion size will definitely be having that again, everyone very happy with their meals ordered.

We spotted this inn and restaurant after visiting the castle and walking around town. It was so appealing we decided to walk back for dinner. The Inn dates from 1522 and it is very atmospheric with creaking wood floors and the like. Our food was excellent, service perfect, and drinks good. We would return again.

Fantastic little find! On our road trip, we came across this little beauty! Absolutely fantastic and friendly team here, made us feel welcome from the get go and great chat. Food and drinks great too and fairly priced. Will definitely return if we are in the area in the future.

Lovely pub with interesting decor & tradition/ olde world feel. Generally a bit pricey but meal portions were very generous & of good quality. We enjoyed our evening & will definitely visit again.

Probably one of the best pub experiences ever! This little gem of a pub is found within the ancient city walls. Roaring fires, warm welcome, excellent food, amazing accomodation.

Thank-you for making our annual family holiday exceptional. Thank-you Andrea for giving us all a friendly welcome, always makes us giggle, Thank-you Ruth for organising a special restaurant meal for us, the service and food was brilliant, Looking forward to staying next year.

Nice little pub with cosy atmosphere but the food was disappointing. Had the chicken curry, chicken was over cooked and chewy, rice had just come out of the microwave and the chips were luke warm. I've had better curries in Wetherspoons to be honest 😔

This is a review for the restaurant only. The food was not it. The stars are for the decor of the place and convenient location, next to a playground as well. Staff are nice enough -FYI you can’t order from the table.

great pub for a family meal or a drink with friends! Food was great and staff was lovely and it even had a nice, warm fire and background music

Stayed in Caernarfon to watch the Rugby. What a lovely place to stay. Will definitely be back. Food is amazing, staff amazing.

A lovely old pub, nice surroundings, friendly and helpful staff. Food was great and arrived quickly. I can imagine the place gets really busy in summer as it such a nice pub in a good location. Would go again.

My friend couldn't wait to show off the Black boy Inn. She had visited the venue a couple of times and had high praise, indeed. Unfortunately on this occasion, she was sorely let down. Four of us all ordered the fish and chips, via the...

We stayed at the Black Boy last night and what a great place it was. The room was lovely, evening meal was delicious and breakfast was to die for. Will definitely be back.

Booked a 3 night stay at The Black Boy Tuesday 2nd January to Friday 5th. I have to say our stay was comfortable and very pleasant. The hotel is very well presented and the staff are great in every aspect. Cannot comment on the restaurant...

Lovely friendly atmosphere and Food was delicious. Son (15) said it was the best fish he had ever had. Our first time visiting and won’t be our last.

We were in Black Boy for our works Christmas party on Friday, and we were a group of 40. The organisation was brilliant. From the day we phoned to book awith Andrea to the end of the night, all the staff were welcoming, friendly and...

What more can I say what a place to stay if I could take this place and staff anywhere in the world I would , nothing is too much great rooms , food is to die for especially the lasagna, keep doing what you do...

Brilliant inn with very friendly and helpful staff. The room I stayed in was well furnished and very comfortable. Breakfast was outstanding - great customer service and good quality food. Diolch yn fawr!

Stayed for one night with my husband on the 25/11/2023, WOW room was spotless ,bed was so comfortable, bath was a grateful addition .Had a table booked in the restaurant for 6pm that evening, was seated by a lovely lady called Ruth ,who then waited...

Was very good, food was amazing. Massive portions (humungus). And excellent service from Ruth. Food came extremely fast when on a busy Friday night.

Came for the carvery. They sat us at a reserved table. No one to be seen staff wise . Whnt to the bar to order my carvery- -to be told there not doing a carvery. Still who works ere. Theres a lot of noise ....

The pub is just a few minutes walk from the castle. We sat in the smaller bar at the front but all the rooms were equally cosy. Service was quick and friendly, and the food was good.

I came here with my family for dinner this evening and it was not to be faulted. Although the pub was incredibly busy, we were served quickly. My leek and potato soup was lovely and my hot chocolate afterwards delicious. One of my favourite cosy...

Myself and my partner recently spent 4 days at the Black Boy, from the moment of check in our stay was faultless, I must mention Jude who managed our check in, she was brilliant and always made sure we had what we needed in the room , we stayed in room 24 it was exceptional but be aware it's on the top floor with very low beams but being 16th C what do you expect. The breakfast was faultless, a large choice with something for everyone, the Full cooked breakfast was superb, as was the service, from the male waiter, sorry I can't remember his name . we are in the restaurant and again the food was to a very high standard, the fish chowder was exceptional.

Lovely meal, cooked just right and to perfection. Kind, amazing staff, ordering food wasn’t to slow, fast and easy through the bar of app. Seating was all quiet until many people came hoarding through for tables. Despite all positives, it took a moment to find...

After 20 years of staying away in various hotels, tonight's shambles is in a league of its own. Grossly over priced for Pub food, service which is about the worst, and rudeness which they score very well on. From initial ordering to the food being delivered to the table was pathetic. Food arrives no cutlery or sauces offered, not even salt and pepper. 6 members of staff walked past a number of times, including someone who looked like a manager. No one noticed the burger was untouched for about 80 minutes. When it was bedtime I walked it into the kitchen myself. Offered a refund, which I obviously took and had to listen to them communicating in their own language. To be fair the food looked ok, but didn't taste it. To end on a positive, the Punk IPA was good. Goodnight

We visited as a family of 14 for our annual family weekend to Wales. Pre booked a table for the restaurant. On arrival when asked about our table the waitress was rude and unfriendly suggesting we just find a table. After clarifying we had booked a table as we were a large booking she showed us your table… again in an unfriendly manner We ordered drinks and food and no issues with the process. However when the waitress started serving the mains she referred to 3 Welsh pies… one of our order was named in Welsh… describing a chicken and leek pie.. so when asked if the 3 Welsh pies was indeed the chicken and leek pie the waitress again in a very rude tone said ‘No, a Welsh pie’. All I wanted to do was to clarify if it was the chicken and leek pie. Tables weren’t cleared, the food over priced for no table service (you had to order at the bar or via an app) Won’t be going again and certainly wouldn’t recommend