The Furnace at Bodnant in Conwy

Nice enough atmosphere, pleasant staff, but the food quality leaves much to be desired. I ordered one of the eggs Benedict dishes with smoked salmon and avocado. It was mostly alright, but the avocado was absolutely disgusting. Overripe, brown, and rancid, I had to leave the avocado to be thrown away as I just couldn’t eat it. I love avocados, and hate food waste, so this was a rather upsetting experience. When speaking to the staff at the counter to complain, the response I got was “It’s hard to tell when avocados are good; they’re unripe one day and overripe the next”. If the kitchen staff can’t spot a bad avocado when plating a dish, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to work in hospitality! Incredibly disappointing.

I was given a voucher for afternoon tea for two. I emailed to book a table and when we got there we were greated straight away and shown to our table. We were pleasantly surprised at the quantity and quality of the food. The sandwiches were freshly prepared as we were asked what we would like on them. We couldn't eat it all and before we could request a 'dogie bag' we were asked if we would like the remainder to take away. Staff were friendly and service was quick. A lovely setting. Only comments would be that the table seemed a bit sticky and the courtyard toilets weren't very tidy. The ladies was out of order and the disabled toilet could have done with a clean.

Initially told that food was going to be 30 minutes (which is fine as it was busy) but after 45 minutes and people who were behind me getting food before us I decided to ask. I was told that our food would be AT LEAST another 15 minutes!! Now considering that the food other people were having looked amazing and that it should take some time to make, all I ordered was a tuna melt toastie, sausage roll and a portion of chips. How can those 3 simple foods take over an hour to make? Left the premises and asked for a refund!!

Very slow service and food was not up to standard I would have expected. Ordered a cheese and pickle sandwich and a hot beef roll and waited over an hour for food to arrive. Chased up order and was told will be out soon a few more orders before yours. When food did arrive the sandwich was slightly crispy as if it had been sitting for a while and had to pick the crusts off as they were so hard they were inedible. The hot beef roll was nice according to my husband and the chips and salad were okay. Having read the reviews I don’t think this was a one off and wouldn’t rush back which is a shame as a beautiful venue

Very slow service. Took ages to even take the order in the first place. Meals ALL came wrong. Their reply was that "she'd tried her best" well that's OK then 🙄. Very expensive too. Avoid

We visited on the Monday during a week long trip to North Wales. We sat in the beautiful courtyard. We both ordered the hot pork roll and tea. The wait was quite long, but the waiter did apologise. When it arrived, we were both pleasantly surprised at how full the rolls were! I cannot fault anything on my plate. The chips were cooked to perfection, the side salad was tasty, and the rolls were so tasty. We went back on the Thursday. This time I had a toastie and my husband had Welsh Rarebit. The service was a lot quicker this time. We were both really pleased with our meals, the coleslaw was gorgeous! If I'm back in North Wales again, I will definitely visit again

Have just arrived home after treating a friend to 'afternoon tea' at the Furnace, Bodnant Welsh Foods, Nr Eglwysbach in Conwy. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! Had never been there before and will certainly never return or recommend this cafe to anyone. Everything on the plate apart from 2 scones was brown in colour i.e. slices of 'dry' bara brith, small squares of chocolate brownies and small trianges of chocolate cake with dark icing on top. The sandwich triangles were not much better, plain grated cheese and a cheese & onion mixture. The sandwiches were left behind and the cake selection boxed up. DO NOT waste your hard earned money at this establishment. The experience deserved no stars whatsoever.

The cafe appeared lovely and the staff were very friendly.My daughter and I and my baby grandson decided to call in and have breakfast.We ordered the Furnace Farm breakfast ie Bacon,sausage,egg,mushroom,black pudding,has brown,tomato,beans and toast. When it arrived it looked alright.The bacon was fine however the rest of it was swimming in oil… when I cut into the sausage and mushroom it had grease inside.It was inedible as if it had all been thrown into a frying pan overladen with oil.I ate the bacon and toast but left everything else as did my daughter. The visit was a treat for my daughter who is on maternity leave with her baby.The Farmhouse Farm Breakfast cost me £20 in total.We thought we’d have late breakfast to save having lunch later.As soon as we got home we made sandwiches as we were still hungry.I’m only off once a week and was looking forward to nice food and quality time with my family.We should have complained and asked for a refund but had to leave promptly as my grandson was teething and needed a nappy change .I would be reluctant to visit again due to our disappointing experience….

We've been coming here for several years and seen a gradual decline in service. After today we won't rush back: Food ordering is now at the counter and we waited 2 minutes before the guy behind the counter even acknowledged our presence. We ordered 2 Welsh Rarebits at £9 each and when they arrived we were shocked to see only one thin slice of bread with a rarebit topping and there was no coleslaw to go with the very meagre salad garnish. We enjoyed what we had but were disgusted at the portion size. The waitress was very nice and brought one portion of coleslaw out to us but it was too late as my husband had finished and mine had gone cold waiting for it. Sorry Furnace - you've lost us.

We visited The Furnace cafe this morning and I'm afraid its a total shambles, the ordering at the table needs to be scrapped, we waited 20 mins to order to which most of the order was incorrect, then a further 30 mins for the food to arrive. We also noticed other customers orders not correct. The table service needs to be replaced with normal order at the counter and pay, we won't be returning any time soon I'm afraid! Not recommended.

Husband sat for five minutes waiting for service. I arrived to join him still no table service. So had to go and ask for menu, told them which table I was at for order. Woman came over after a further ten minutes and took our order. When incomplete order came(one cake) no drinks or husbands cake. Waited thinking someone would be there shortly. This did not happen and others who had come in after us was getting there orders. Went and spoke to staff member and said our order incomplete, and what we had ordered what had at table was not what ordered. No apology, they said nothing. Went back to sit at seat another ten minutes passed. After waiting for nearly an hour for order to be completed had enough with bad service, so left in disgust never to return or recommend anyone to go there too.

Food was not great. Toasties bog standard thin sliced bread and very dry with barely any cheese. Mushrooms on rarebit raw. Over dosed on the mayo for the tasteless coleslaw. Salad accompaniment was mainly made up of stalks already going brown.Hot roll of day tiny. Chips were best part. Disappointing and overpriced. Our local burger van has higher food hygiene rating. Really poor value in a soulless setting. Needs to improve if this is show casing Welsh food

Arrived through the door and had to stand for a while whilst staff knew we were there but it was more important that the waitress cleared a couple of tables first and left customers not feeling welcomed. The tables could have waited and we could have been greeted and seated as there was no shortage of empty tables. The tables were sticky, they could do with a good soapy wash down and buffed up with a dry cloth at the end of each day The menus were dirty and sticky. The floor needed a good wash and the glass panels could do with a good clean also. If an establishment wants returning customers you make sure it is clean and well presented to make good impressions and make customers feel welcomed and not ignored. Don’t think they get many customers returning.

Lovely spot for lunch. Airy glass seating area, there are also lots of tables outside. Service was friendly and efficient. Really good choice of menu. Club Sandwiches were a good size, really tasty and reasonably priced. Dog friendly! We will visit again.

We called into the furnace early afternoon. Having waited a while at the “please wait to be seated” sign, I walked down the restaurant to try to get the attention of a staff member. I asked for a table for two, was handed two dirty menus, and told to sit where we want. Despite the restaurant being almost empty, most tables had not been cleared and were piled with dirty plates and leftover food. When we found a clear table, the floor was filthy with dropped food. And all the tables around us were in a similar state. There was no way we were going to wait and eat in such filthy conditions. The staff we could see were making no attempt either to serve us or to clean up. No wonder it was empty.

Don't bother, no wonder it was almost empty. We ordered 2 club sandwiches, which were bland and tasteless, and missing 2 ingredients. The salad was old and browning at the edges and when the young waiter asked the chef, he just shrugged his shoulders and went back in the kitchen. Such a shame.

When we arrived we were stood at the counter waiting to be seated for a good few minutes.The staff were well aware we were stood there but it took another member of staff to point out she “was on her break” and that she wasn’t going to come and seat us.This exchange was in full earshot of all the diners and was a little embarrassing.Eventually somebody came out and saw to us.We were seated at a sticky table which hadn’t been cleaned properly.We ordered our food but was incomplete when it arrived.The missing item never arrived but instead we received an apology from the young member of staff.The restaurant was not busy whatsoever.I’d say around 5-6 tables were being waited on by approximately 3 staff members. The shop next door is great and have been there on a few occasions during our stay in wales and because of that we expected the The Furnace to be of the same standard.

First things first, I am very tolerant when it comes to service. I am not one of those people who will penalise an establishment in a review just because a member of staff “didn't smile.” Actually, smiling is overrated, and expecting someone to smile at you simply because they’re providing a service is somewhat entitled, I think. Yesterday, it was not the lack of smile that was the problem but the fact that the oldest member of staff’s smile turned into a disgusted moue when I arrived. I wasn’t dressed to impress and this was an impromptu visit but then again, it’s not like this is the Ritz either. It was one of “Is it me, or...?” moments. Because you don’t want to assume it ks personal. Maybe she is having a bad day or something but I couldn’t help but notice she was obsequious and smiley to everyone else but she saved that angry curl of the lip just for me. Is it my clothes? The fact that evveryone was super white and Welsh and I am an olive-skinned outsider? Even though we had already been politely and promptly served our drinks by someone else, she stopped ny our table and made conversation with my partner and his daughter. The waitress had her back turned to me all the time, except when I asked a question: she turned to me, disgusted and angry. And she kept looking at me like that the whole time we were there. My partner normally does mot notice these things but this time he did and joked about it. We laughed it off at the time but when we got home, the penny dropped. We very rarely have the chance or the time to go out and it is a bit much to have the experience ruined on the one time we do. Now, I am pretty sure she is a magnificent waitress in a non-diverse setting like North Wales but on the rare occasion aomeone different walks in, she will be brutal. Maybe a little nudge and diversity training would do the trick? She comes across as a valuable asset but her prejudices het in the way. The other members of staff were nice and the bara brith and drinks were good, too.

We had a gift of a voucher for afternoon tea with prosecco. I had booked a table a week earlier. I thought we'd be in the restaurant not the cafe, with people looking at us. They reserved a table for us which was dirty and sticky had to ask for it to be cleaned. Waited a good half hour. When food came presentation was poor. My husband had a variety of sandwich fillings, some of which were not very nice coronation chicken!! They hadn't cut the crusts off! Cake was dry. I had to ask for gluton free they provided rolls fillings ok and I had some cake. Could have been presented nicer with a little fruit added, strawberries/grapes. A very disappointing experience which was meant to be something special to celebrate a big birthday. Prosecco was lovely and we had a good pot of tea.

As we live relatively near the furnace tearooms we call in occasionally, this time we were passing so decided to go in for a quick coffee. We asked for two americano coffee with pouring cream and the waitress took the order but returned soon after telling us that they didn’t have pouring cream! The order was then changed to lattes, which duly arrived in the smallest cups I’d seen, which considering the price of the drinks was a bit cheeky. We also ordered a bacon sandwich and scrambled eggs on toast which, while not looking like culinary art, did taste quite nice. THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT, HOWEVER, was that the tables were unbelievably sticky to the touch, we tried a few and all had a sticky feel to them, as though the varnish hadn’t cured properly, when the waitress retrieved on menu off the table is partially stuck to the surface.it made it very difficult to relax as one couldn’t rest hand or arm on the surface without it sticking .

So, it was a beautiful sunny May day, set between two Bank Holiday weekends. There were loads of visitors around the area. We'd been to Bodnant Gardens and were looking for somewhere for a cup of tea and a sandwich. It was 3.30pm. Arrived at the Furnace. Car park was quiet. Went to the building itself and were immediately met by a member of staff brushing the floor. "Only drinks and cake now" she said. There were no other customers. We wandered over towards a counter where four or five sad, dry looking cakes sat. "We've also got scones, but they're around the back", she added. Anyway I ordered two teas and a couple of slices of cake. We went to sit in the sunshine. The tea and cake arrived quite promptly. Tea was weak. One teabag in a pot for two. Cake was as anticipated, dry. So that set us back £12. Not overpriced I don't suppose, but a bit much for weak tea and dry cake in a soulless place. The staff we encountered were polite, but they appeared to have had their soul sucked from them by this place. It looked as though they couldn't wait to get rid of us, lock up, and get out of there. Sign on the door said that they were closing at 4pm. What a dreadful place. Setting is lovely and building is beautiful. But as a cafe/restaurant, hopeless, and such a wasted opportunity.

Excellent speedy service, good quality food but management need to sort out the website. It gives opening times of 9am in two places and 9.30 in another. The breakfast menu is badly out of date. Prices have increased substantially. The waiting staff need to have the support of management in providing an accurate website. They should not have to apologise for these deficiencies.

Text: Drove for 3 hours so was quite hungry. Lady gave us a menu and told us to take a seat so we went and sat down, then nothing happened ,,,,,so,,,,,,,,I went down to reception thinking maybe we order our food there and was met...

constructive criticism - having eaten breakfast here more than once i find it continually annoying that when ordering full breakfast with toast, the toast is lumped onto the same plate as everything else - on a side plate or toast rack would be much better....

Had a great experience here, very clean, great service, lovely staff and wonderful food. The scenery and decoration was well put together, the waitresses were very helpful and willing and it was an overall great experience. I will be visiting again!

We are staying on the Bodnant Estate for the week, so thought we'd try out the cafe, we'd also booked The Hayloft for this evening, but decided to cancel after such a bad experience at Lunch time. It was not busy, so sat outside, the...

It’s difficult to write an accurate review when I was unable to order food, let alone eat it. The website caption “We are passionate about food” is probably correct, but it should be followed by “we are equally as passionate about giving the worst customer...

We visited here for the first time as we want to visit the farm shop so stopped for lunch with our 7 year old. Lovely menu and choice, food arrived promptly which was nice for our son who was hungry. Food was delicious Including the...

Found by chance, following the sign for Welsh Food. The breakfast menu was varied with alternatives to a Welsh breakfast, porridge, fruit and yoghurt, toasted tea cake etc. I think it’s located in a converted cow byer, it’s narrow but plenty of room. Service was...

The cafe is now run by different people and is so much better than it was. Table service with friendly staff, good, well prepared food . Excellent Welsh rarebit and good coffee.

Went out our way as we read great things. But unfortunately we had to wait a long time. When food eventually came the pizza was not as described, no red onion or olives. Instead there was raw what onion, and dripping in oil from far...

We called here intending to just have drinks but decided to try the Welsh Rarebit as we’d never tried it before. We were not disappointed, it was truly delicious, a good portion of rarebit, a lovely fresh salad and coleslaw. We were served very quickly...

Disgusting been before thought I’d try it one last time after the disaster previous luncheons .Simple put disgusting hard and undercooked lunch terribly inefficiently staffed absolutely nothing there to get excited about .Poor quality poor service poor menu along with being told they are in short supply so most of what was on the menu they did not have .Extremely expensive the whole place is a shambles total .Positive decor is not bad won’t be back total waist of a day .

Good choice, good food served by friendly staff - what's not too like? We had breakfast as part of the B&B package - so much better than sitting n a typical B&B

Service wasn’t great, left waiting to be seated without acknowledgement, rude response from a waitress when asked a question. Food was speedy but not very nice all round. Won’t return and wouldn’t recommend which is a shame as the location is lovely and has the...

excellent location with great views across the river. Very clean room with all facilities and great refreshments. Very soft beds. All staff welcoming, helpful and attentive. The food at breakfast was excellent and I can recommend the Full Furnace breakfast. Wi-Fi in the room was...

Lovely courtyard restaurant. Surprisingly reasonable lunch for Five people. Well cooked and presented. Dog friendly. Efficient staff. Worth popping into the farm shop before you leave.

Drop in for a coffee today. Went inside as no tables outside. Was told by waitress 30 min wait for food. We said we only want 2 coffees. Ok, she said, 10mins. 35 min later, after seeing a group outside getting there drinks who had...

We arrived here at 1.35 and our order for a grilled chicken salad and a goats cheese salad with two cold drinks was taken 15 minutes later. The drinks were served 10 minutes later along with the card machine to pay the bill which we declined. The food arrived 30 minutes later. The chicken was quite dry and the salad consisted mainly of lettuce with about a teaspoon of Caesar dressing on it. The goats cheese salad was marginally better. Not impressed. I think they ask you to pay with your drinks so that you will not get fed up and leave because of the very slow service.

Popped in for a bite to eat at lunch time. After sitting down and waiting 20 mins, the waitress finally came over to take our order (having taken orders from other tables who had entered after us). The limited menu is pretty uninspiring. Of course, when I asked for a pizza from the menu, it transpired they were unavailable. We got our coats and left. Wouldn’t recommend, would never go back.

We stopped off to visit the farm shop and chose to stay for breakfast/ brunch. The service was prompt and friendly. The food arrived in no time And was delicious and filling. We were lucky to enjoy our meal outside in the autumn sunshine. Totally socially distanced.

excellent home made food , had the homemade soup and sandwich , with bread from bakery. sat outside in the sun, very sheltered area. found Covid restrictions very satisfactory and safe. you waited outside and if seating outside. found table and they delivered menu to you, after selection. ordered at counter and paid by card. then everything was brought out to you . if seating inside then your details were taken for track and trace, they did have details on table outside to scan on your phone.

Visit regularly whenever I am back in Wales to visit my parents.Friendly, welcoming service, covid regulations explained on arrival. Service very efficient. I had a delicious goats cheese salad and my Husband had a Coronation Chicken sandwich. Both dishes were delicious. We will definitely return!

Decided after spending the day at vibrant gardens on 16th August we would eat at the farm shop. What a mistake. Simple food. Ordered Welsh rarebit. Delivered burnt and wasn't even embarrassed that it was presented that way. Cut the burnt toast and the cheese just ran off the the it was that runny. Emailed and Facebook my disappointment and not received a reply. Just shows how much they care about there service. A local that won't be back

Went for a family lunch. Little amount of food took along time to be delivered to the table. One drink was forgotten. Chips not freshly cooked. Salad consisted of lettuce and onion. Luckily we only paid half price for the meal.

Stopped for lunch, not much choice on menu manly stodgy food, went for ham egg chips peas. eggs were like rubber peas lukewarm, overpriced, when complained about overcooked eggs, staff just replied teething troubles with new chef, not interested, shame nice location food awful

We had a light lunch here and we were pleased with the food, the price is reasonable. We had soup and sandwiches followed by chocolate brownie and ice cream, both delicious. The best feature was the very pleasant and friendly staff.We have never had any poor experiences in the years we have visited, both when under the old and current owners. We will certainly be back.

Had lunch. out and sandwiches. Used my serviette to wipe away long blond hair on table. Sent soup back it was only just about warm. Not much better coming back. Coffee arrived. Both cups barely half full and not hot. Three sips all gone. Sandwiches very good. Explained when paying. Not much response

Sad to say, this was our first - and definitely last - visit here. We ordered sandwiches. I immediately noticed the substantial amount of white fat on what was clearly pre-cooked (cold) bacon in my companion's sandwiches. It turned out to be RAW bacon. She sent it back and received a half-hearted apology.Those sandwiches should never have been sent out like that - it was unforgivable. It was enough to put you off bacon for life.A sincere apology from management would have made a huge difference. We didn't visit the farm shop as a result of this experience.

Visited The furnace late this afternoon, they were about to close in half an hour but were more than happy to accommodate us. The cream tea was delicious, freshly made scone and bara brith, with a lovely cuppa and shotbread. And to top it off the customer service was great. Can't wait to visit again. Thank you

Highly recommended! Lovely afternoon tea very well presented and good value. Tea and coffee refills - nice staff and relaxing atmosphere. Lovely fresh fruit with the cakes . Only one minor comment - the sandwiches were lovely - really tasty fillings but the bread used is too thick for afternoon tea and the crusts should be removed. The salad garnish was really good. A lovely way to spend an afternoon .

Waited a long time for food to arrive then one serving was not supplied then it arrived only to be the wrong order so had to wait again, no apology from the management but still presented the full bill, disgusting attitude and they should be ashamed to bring such service to what was previously a first class place.

Stopped here for a cuppa and a look at the farm shop.Both hubbie and I went for a hot chocolatier , impressed with the novelty way of presenting said drink. Chuck of solid chocolate on the end of a wooden type spoon, in which you put into the glass of hot milk and stir.Lovely drink.Went next door to the farm shop and yes there was lots of produce including the recent opening of a wine cellar.Be careful, some items were a bit cheaper than in supermarkets, but honestly the majority worked out more expensive, which I suppose makes sense for a farm shop, but if they want to draw in more people and look after the locals then they need to do something about enticing people to spend money.

Visited the cafe on Sunday as a family of 6. We had a superb Afternoon Tea! Staff were welcoming and helpful. Will be definitely visiting here again soon.

I visited Bodnant cafe and had a cream tea it was a complete rip off! Since the new owner has taken over the scones are tiny it’s a joke certainly not value for money in any way and no drink included in the price which is the norm with a cream tea.The service was awful not all the staff but most of them rude and unfriendly, we waited at least half an hour and in the end had to go and see what was happening.The shop isn’t any better too very overpriced for what you get what a shame it could work so well but not at those prices.The previous owner might have left but at least you had a decent sized tea not a tiny little scone and a drink added on I hope that this is constructive and taken on board! I

After some very poor experiences with previous visits under the old ownership we decided to see if things were better now.

We discovered this place by accident when looking for somewhere to stop for lunch on the way to Snowdonia. Good choice on the menu, reasonable prices, delicious food and friendly service. There is also a farm shop with good value meat packs but we were not self-catering on this occasion so could not take advantage. We shall certainly call in here again on out next trip to the area.

This attraction and cafe is very new and clean and outwardly worth visiting. However, they need to get their service act together in the Furnace.

A lovely place to have a meal. It's relaxed, the staff are young and very courteous, the food is delicious and if the weather is good enough, the courtyard outside is a very pleasant spot to eat and have a drink.We didn't realise it would be open after we'd visited the food centre, but a member of staff invited us to sit and relax and have a drink before the restaurant opened for the evening. Check opening times.

The cafe wasn’t even half full when we ordered a coffee,soup and a sandwich for me and a sandwich for my husband. 30 minutes after ordering we were still waiting for the food although the coffee had arrived within 10minutes. I asked at the counter whether there was a long wait for food and one of the young servers offered to find out for me. He came back quickly - yes our order was next. So 40 minutes after I placed the order it eventually arrived. Quite average food but come on people get your act together and provide a better service! Goodness knows what the wait would have been if they had been even slightly busier.

This was a wonderful present booked for us. The afternoon tea was fabulous. Great food so much to eat. All high quality and the staff were fantastic could not do enough to help you enjoy your visit. Would not hesitate to visit again.

8 people. 1 hr & half wait for 8 drinks. All food came at random times. One didn’t turn up. Shocking

We saw the Welsh Food Centre sign as we drove along the highway, so we turned around and drove in. We had coffee and tea, plus brunch (eggs benedict and scrambled eggs & whole wheat toast). We ordered at the counter and they brought everything out to us. Seemed as though most of the folks there were local. The do serve light dinner on Friday and Saturday nights and a full Sunday lunch. Check out the Farm Store---It is special.

What an improvement the new owners have made since our previous visit 12 months ago when the service was dire and the food worse!

good selection of local produce. Milkshake flapjack and cappuccinos excellent surroundings and views. pleasant staff,

Thought we'd give it a trial since we hadn't been since it reopened. We were planning a coffee and cake stop, but the specials menu looked promising, and since we had missed lunch we ordered at 3pm. No problem with that. They serve from breakfast right through til tea.

Popped by here before doing some shopping at the Furnace Farm Bodnant Food Farm Shop. Lovely soup and a sandwich. Great strawberry milkshake! The food was good quality and inexpensive. The service was outstanding with friendly approachable staff. We will be returning.

Called in to the Food Centre, which was ok but not overwhelming and decided to have lunch. Nice light cafe, clean and not too busy. The male member of staff was both very friendly and very efficient. We just wanted a light lunch so we ordered a coronation chicken and a chicken,bacon & pesto. Both very nice and served with a salad garnish and crisps, nice bread and plenty of good fillings. Also had a tea and a victorian lemonade.