The Oak - Y Dderwen in Gwynedd

I visited family last weekend and have to say the changes the the royal are amazing since my last visit. The owners and staff were very friendly and accommodating to bruce (my german shepherd ). The bar person brought a bowl of water and treats over for my dog while I watched the football on the big screen. I visited that evening without my dog and the atmosphere was brilliant, the staff again very engaging no matter how busy they were the made time to smile and have a brief chat.

I paid a visit to the oak , visiting friends and what a brilliant night i had , amazing staff and the locals are really friendly and welcoming , looking forward to going again soon

Porthmadog had no vacancies for food, very poor. So we travelled just up to Penrhydeudraeth where we went in The Oak in the vain hope they were doing food on a Monday. as it happened they don't normally but the chef was in having a quiet drink and agreed to open up for us. A fantastic gesture and very heartening after the disappointment of Porthmadog eateries. We had a lovely selection of Home cooked ham, egg and chips. Whitebait and chips and the most delicious Steak and ale pie, very tender meat and lots of it. Very good meal and nice ale too. A friendly bar man and yes the pub is a little rough and ready but who cares the food was delicious. Thank you very much you save us.

A usual pub. Happened to see it and a public car park close by so stopped for a quick refreshment. Friendly bar man, and a quiet outside seating area where we could sit with our dog. Very few other customers so a nice quiet drink.

I went with my family. My son ordered a vindaloo and I ordered a pphaal ( not on the menu but which they said said they’d do. Mine came like a madras when it should have been hotter than a vindaloo and my son’s barely had any heat to it. When we complained they just didn’t want to know and claimed that the hotness was correct!

Live music on at the oak brought me back great atmosphere in a proper pub good beer and good company what more could you ask for

Visited saturday night, great vibes and a good crowd. The pub was busy and a band was playing called, The Mongiars (Môn being the Welsh word for Anglesey) the lead singer’s wig was amazing!! As an outsider I received a warm welcome from the friendly landlords Huw and Ruby who actually got engaged that night! So if you’re reading this, congratulations to you both again and I will be back very soon!

Y Dderwen has become a great pub since a change of ownership. Great fun with the locals and busy every night of the week and good prices! However I am unsure if the singing on thursdays is supposed to be serious or a comedy act. Lol.

Well kept real ales at affordable prices. The ales are from Marstons, and change regularly. Darts and pool table.

The one & only time we visited this pub was for the Sunday Roast Dinner. It was quite plain to see that locals ordering food after us were being served before us. In the end we just got up & left.

Me and Gles just lyf the royal ye. We laic goin dder on the weekend to have a few beers and play darts. The toilets ar ddy besd, iw ifyn get free bog roll tw sort awt your drips. At the end of the day iw cant smoke in ddy pubs enimor but you go for y biffda outside like efri one els ye. Go to ddy roial for a laff, and pley music on the jiwc box.

Nice clean and tidy public house which is often quite busy serving local regulars, but still finds time to welcome visiting guests. The draught beers are 'Banks', both 'Bitter', and the quite uncommon nowadays - 'Mild Ale'. What a treat! Customers always ready for a friendly chat, and are pleased to explain the huge industrial heritage of the district - including the once vast Cookes Explosive Works and Stores, now sadly closed together with many of their quarry customers. Bar staff very pleasant and obliging. Well worth a visit when passing on the main A470 North-South Wales main road.

This pub is a nice local but just lately we've walked in and there has been such a strong smell of eau de dope that we've walked straight out. Such a shame as it's potentially a great local pub.i

Has improved since last visit. Only pub left in Penrhyn. For sale at present. If bought out of Burtonwood's hands it could have potential, as a tied house not much. Stella Artois had run dry. No food available. No outside space.

nice lively pub new landlords really doing well to keep the pub open its a great benefit to the village nice little back room for a quiet drink or the main room for the younger drinker

We visited the oaks at penrhyndeudraeth on 14th march 2015 unfortunately they no longer do food of any description, it is now a run down pub frequented by the younger generation who are only hell bent on getting trashed on drugs and booze

Me, my two brothers and my boyfriend (All aged 24-28) were visiting our Grandparents who haved lived in Penrhyn our whole lives. As there's not a lot to do around there on a Tues/Wed night we just popped down for a drink or two...famous last words as always.The first night we got chatting to the bartender Nessa who was lovely! We were obviously the only non-locals in there but she came straight over and asked if there's anything we'd like on the TV. She came and joined us for 10 minutes at the end of her shift before kicking us out.We went back the next night...and by the end of the night we had made friends with the whole pub! The landlady is great, really genuine and caring and the locals seem to love her. She took the time so really chat to us. It really was like our local away from home. Of course a lot of the regulars had known our dad growing up and/or my grandpa so there were a lot of conversation starters, but we were hanging out with everyone from the age of 18-80 and felt really welcome and comfortable.We also got to know one of the guys from the Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant next door...he was great fun! We didn't go in there because we were leaving the next day but we will go there next time!We didn't eat in The Oak and were there mid week so no live music or anything that night - but still had an absolutely awesome night - very unexpected for such a quiet little village! So would love to go there at the weekend. Overall great pub!

I visited The Oak for Sunday lunch after church. The meal was reasonably priced and very good - a proper lunch of beef and pork with Rosemary Potatoes and veg and Yorkshire pud - and they had the footy on the telly, and good beer.

The Oak is a lovely pub with a great atmosphere. The food is great, with an eclectic menu. If you like a really friendly pub (the landlady, Carren, is lovely!), with a real fire, good food, great events (both one-offs, and regular), then the Oak is for you!

I visited The Oak last night with a group of friends and had a wonderful time. Great food and great entertainment. The mixed grill was outstanding

This is a great place to be, the staff is there for you and the food is like no other. The best Italian cuisine in north Wales. Be sure to stop here, you will not feel sorry for a second. Trust me.

The Oak has the best pizza and food in the local area. A good atmosphere with friendly staff who make everyone feel welcome. Good value for money and Guaranteed to have a good time. What else would you ask for?

Diolch am y croeso ...!!! Wonderful atmosphere - had a fantastic night with lovely people - defiantly will be back ...!!!

When we stumbled into Penrhyndeudraeth (Pen-Ren-Dew-Drayth, or close enough.) after a lengthy drive from East Anglia, we found ourselves extremely hungry and needing a little "liquid" refreshment as well. The Royal Oak, or "Oak" as it's known, was perfect. Unlike other pubs nearby, The Oak's kitchen stays open as long as Mika (the Italian trained Chef!) is around. (We found that other pubs in this village refused to even find a salad for us to order if they were outside of their arbitrarily designated serving time.) In any case, they have specials, a great sandwich menu, and a load of Italian menu items. Most of their menu is from locally sourced ingredients and organic where available. You can taste the quality and the care that is taken in preparation. This isn't just a favourite of two Americans abroad, (although we did eat at least one meal daily there the entire week we stayed in Penrhyndeudraeth.) we saw five or six Dutch families, some Swiss, three other groups of Americans, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, and a bevy of Welsh on holiday. Don't be scared off by the speaking of Welsh. This part of Wales holds on to their language, but they easily transition to English and don't mind helping out if you want to know how something is pronounced. The local crowd is lively and colourful, and know that this pub is very dog-friendly. (If you bring yours, make sure they're on a lead!) They have several different events during the week, including Bingo and Trivia on Mondays, Tuesdays are Poker nights, Wednesdays is Killer Pool, Fridays is open mic night and sometimes there is live music (certain Saturdays.) The interior is very comfortable, the work of local artists decks the walls, the space even has free wifi, a jukebox, a pool table, a TV, and such a friendly staff that you feel like part of the local community. (One of the locals, Tracey, even sells her lovely handmade soaps. They're simply fantastic.)I can't think of a better way to thank Carren and Mika, as well as the servers than to shout it from the rooftops (or Mount Snowdon?) for everyone to visit The Oak as soon and as often as possible.