The Gatehouse in Carmarthenshire

We called in for lunch. Should have gone by the first impression of the outside which was untidy. Drinks (coffee and tea) were satisfactory. Our food order of toasted sandwiches and a portion of chips came out after 45 minutes. The bread was plain sliced bread. Brown or whole meal was not available. The chips were very brown and overcooked and tasted stale. We asked for ketchup and mayonnaise. We were given an empty ketchup bottle and small portion of mayo, which was all they had. Napkins provided were taken from a blue hand towel roll provided in one sheet. The toilets had no hot water, no towels and no toilet paper. They clearly had not been cleaned for sometime. On the way out we noticed a food hygiene rating of 2. Clearly a lot of improvement required which is a pity as it is in an excellent location for the castle and should be doing well.

Our lattes and cake were great. Young staff were polite and did their jobs very well. Decor a little quirky, but to be fair not unusual.

Dreadful - absolutely dreadful. Quite a quirky place and the staff were young and pleasant but clueless . Food was inedible. Both meals were swimming in fat. In fairness we weren't charged but there again that was the correct decision!! It's a shame because it could be a nice place but the toilets were shabby and had obviously not been properly serviced - they were clean(ish) but the bin would hardly have filled to maximum with tissues etc. by 1pm when there was hardly anyone in the place - and now you know why. Avoid this place at all costs.

We were visiting the castle and decided to go here for food. We took one look at the dining area outside and gave it a miss. I didn’t fancy sitting in amongst blue bags and black bags of rubbish. Seemed to be a lot of staff lounging on the chairs too.

What an awful experience, much improvement necessary. We had a 'meal' here today, despite being the only 3 people in the restaurant we waited over 50 minutes for our food. I wouldn't mind if the food coming out after such a long wait was good quality but it was shameful. Just before our food came out I was given a stout beer that was out of date and cutlery which had dried food still on it. clearly they do not check their dates on their beer and do not clean their cutlery it was a huge red flag early on. I ordered the 'beer battered cod and chips' when the dish came out it wasn't beer battered cod but greasy Iceland own make breadcrumb cheap fish which had next to no fish inside and was more breadcrumb than fish it wasn't chips either as described on the menu but cheap and nasty greasy wedges that were black and soggy, the 'mushy peas' were garden peas and were also stone cold all of which was bland and tasteless. The two ladies I was with also had dirty cutlery and their food was just as bad with stone cold peas, and very bland food. Throught the awful long wait of 50 minutes for terrible tasteless food the music kept increasing in volume.. we thought they were having a rave in the kitchen while we wanted a nice quiet meal. Moreover their day dot system is completely wrong. We were given a bottle of mayo which had 1st of May on it... which means it needs to be thrown out on 1st of may! if the health inspector was to walk in they would shut them down for bad practice. Its run by a lot of youngsters who clearly dont spend their down time in work to check dates, polish cutlery and to check the quality of their food, won't be returning!

Absolute shambles. Went with the family for lunch. Was pretty quiet. Ordered some simple things (fish fingers & chips, toasted sandwich). Kids meals arrived after 50 minutes. My meal ten minutes later. Then when I finished, my wife’s toastie arrived. Probably 70 minutes from ordering to getting all the food. No communication. Other people were equally as unhappy. More of a shame as the food was decent enough. Second time I’ve been, the first visit was terrible also. Whoever owns this place seems to have left the teenagers run it. Completely clueless (summed up with the one staffer enjoying her cookie while the customers were getting more agitated). Won’t be back.

Popped in for a coffee with our dog and he was most welcome. Staff loved him and didn’t mind him sat on the chair. It makes such a difference as he’s with us all the time.

We called in here for coffee after a cold and damp wander around Kidwelly Castle but were tempted to go for a late breakfast too. This was a good choice. We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast which was served by friendly, helpful staff. We'll definitely be back.

We had food in the Gatehouse today and it was fab! The portion size and quality is amazing! We had lovely service and the place looks so cozy and been done out beautifully! There’s plenty of choices on the menu. I highly recommend you visit! We walked up to Kidwelly castle from there so you can make a day of it! We will be returning!

Went into the Gatehouse looking for a quick lunch. The place was moderately busy. It took about 10 minutes to take our order. After 35+ minutes and a request for an update on service, we finally got our coffees and told food would be a further 15 minutes. Other customers were also waiting for their food. The food itself was very tasty and hot. The waitress was very apologetic but nothing from management. A couple of free coffees would have been good customer relations.

Although we booked a table for 5 in advance, they hadent reserved a table for us. service was terribly slow. No christmas menu even though we were told there would be one, so had to choose from the lunch menu, which was limited. When the food finally arrived after an hours wait it was cold and parts were over cooked (chips especially dark). We complained and it was taken away but came back just as cold. Most of the party didn’t eat anything. We complained again but the manager didn’t have the decency to see us and left the poor waitress to sort us out. Giving no charge to those who didn’t eat. Terrible service and food. Give the Gatehouse a miss unless you want cold overcooked food.

Adjoining the old castle town gatehouse ruins near Kidwelly castle, this little gem of a cafe is open most of the time! from early until late evening. The owners and staff are really friendly and welcoming. I have visited this cafe several times with my partner, kids and friends as they have so much to offer for such a small little venue They serve breakfsats, lunch and dinners plus cake, coffe and also have a small bar serving alcoholic drinks and really good cocktails so worth visiting at any time of day We are vegan and they do a good vegan breakfast and other vegan options too throughout the day :) the decor is really nice and cosy, and they have a small outside area too lit with garland lights for when the weather is good where you can catch the sunsets in the Summer :) a great little asset for Kidwelly :)

Beautiful place ! Was really looking forward to using regularly. But ordered takeaway sandwiches - £6plus - had a picnic in the castle only to open the box and find 2 slices of white bread straight from a bag. All that effort on decor and so little attention to food.

Amazing little cafe near the Kidwelly castle , the attention to detail of premises and the coffee and cakes were exceptional Only been running 6 months , well worth a visit to support this new business

A great experience, the British cooked breakfast was on of the best I’ve ever had. Made from top quality ingredients, cooked perfectly,band served with a smile. The whole menu looked great with options to suit everyone.