The Old Courthouse in Gwynedd

Thank you, Moira, for making us welcome. It was a memorable evening. We came across the Old Courthouse next to the castle just by chance and it was the highlight of our holiday. We had a very delicious three-course dinner expertly prepared with high quality and mostly locally sourced ingredients. I recommend the carrot and ginger soup. My partner's steak was perfect and it was served with freshly made hollandaise sauce. What made the evening so special was the impromptu piece that you played on the grand piano. An unforgettable experience that we treasure.

Lovely quiet, relaxed atmosphere in a beautifully restored Grade 1 listed building overlooking the castle. Expert service by the two staff who went above and beyond - excellent knowledge of the menu and adjustments that could be made for dietary concerns. The food was well presented and very tasty. Big bonus was dairy free salted caramel ice cream - all plant based. Thank you for a lovely experience.

Recently on a short break, we stumbled on this venue, being a Thursday we chose not to dine that evening as only one table was occupied and very little atmosphere. We booked for the Friday assuming it would be busier and have a little more atmosphere, we were wrong as there was just one couple dining. I ordered linguine and my friend ordered 2 starters as a main, scallops and chicken wings. The food was placed in front of us and the waitress walked away. The scallops had no caviar so we pointed this out to the waitress who called someone else and skulked away. We were told the chef had no caviar so had given 1 extra scallop instead. Surely, if the waitress did not know of the lack of ingredients when we ordered, the chef should have told her when he received the order and given us the opportunity to change or accept the change. We were not informed of the change at any time or given the opportunity to change the dish. There was no apology and it was as if they were doing a favour giving 1 extra scallop instead. We had no choice but to eat what we had been given and be thankful. Will not return due to the lack of customer service given

Une bonne adresse standard à des prix abordables et d’une qualité irréprochable. La carte est courte et variée, celle des boissons est également bien pensée . La salle est sans grand intérêt mais le bâtiment, un ancien tribunal - est juste au pied du château et le soir l’atmosphère est agréable car le château est éclairé et la vue mer magnifique. Le service est plaisant.

I had the artichoke salad, Seafood Linguine and Crème Brûlée which was all delicious. The other half said their beef tartar starter was very good but the pork belly they had was a bit dry and roast potatoes not great. Lovely service though, nice gentle jazz music and the room is lovely. It was very quiet when we went which had an impact on the atmosphere.

Bwyd anhygoel, gofod hardd, gwin blasus a gwasanaeth gwych - ein hail ymweliad a byddwn yn ôl eto yn fuan. Diolch i Moira a'ch cogydd bendigedig!

Fabulous bistro restaurant in a historic setting with friendly owner, delicious food, and calm atmosphere. Not open on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Superb food Dw i’n mwynhau’r blodfresych a’r Malbec. Mae’r ystafell fwyta’n hardd. Mae’r gwaesanaeth yn dda iawn. Diolch!

Lokal sehr schön, Service grauenhaft. Mehrfach bestellt, nichts gekommen, selber geholt, dann kam eine meiner Getränkebestellungen, obwohl die Dame dabei war als ich es selber holte. Essen gut, nur Mikroportion. Der Hauptgang war in der Grösse eines Muffins, alle dachten es käme jetzt der Hauptgang, leider war das der Hauptgang. Wir gingen dann alle in ein Restaurant etwas essen.

Lovely food, we went as part of a hen weekend and the staff were lovely and accommodating. Food was amazing and so tasty! Can't wait to visit again

Lovely spot for dinner in a converted former court house. We went on a Thursday evening so it was quiet. Food was delicious and the service was very good. Somewhere to dress up a bit if you want. We really enjoyed it.

Excellent, fresh fare, perfectly prepared

What a super evening at this wonderful bistro. The setting of the old courthouse was a spectacular backdrop for a lovely ambience along with the live music on the piano. . The service was great…. The ladies who looked after us were just so nice and attentive…thank you. We have had a delicious meal of linguine and the chicken, finishing off with the brownie and crème brûlée….. gorgeous!!

We had 4 fish and chips for dinner this evening. Fish was small, overcooked and not pleasant. 1 portion was so dry it was just a batter casing. The restaurant did replace it but the apology was pretty feeble. It did turn up hot and the fish was better. But not much. We also had a portion of sea bass which was also dry. Overall it is an attractive venue. The staff were very pleasant but service was slow and food overpriced and not very good.

Caernarfon is a wonderful place to visit and I highly recommend making time to have a meal at The Old Courthouse. The food was divine and the service was impeccable.

A very special evening was had by our party of 8. Moira and her team were exceptional. Nothing was a problem. Excellent service, great food and what a setting. Well done guys and thankyou.

Absolutely outstanding; I haven’t experienced service of that standard in a very long time. Highly recommended.

Wow! What a spectacular restaurant. Don’t be confused by the foyer of the Old Courthouse, once you open the door to the dining area, you are in for a wonderful surprise. The evening I was there was most enjoyable as the owner entertained us by playing the piano. A varied menu with a good choice of wines.

Wow beautiful fine dining food, with excellent service and great place 👍🏻

If you are visitting Caernarfon, please book in to this lovely restaurant. We were lucky to sit at a table for two in the window overlooking the castle walls. The food was so fresh and beautifully cooked and the person who served us was very attentive. Such a lovely evening - Thank you to the staff at The Bench for a wonderful evening.

We were looking for something a bit special in Caernarfon and we found it.👌3 courses presented and cooked perfectly, very tasty seafood.Beautiful surroundings and Moira was a perfect host. Highly Recommended.✨✨✨

What a great night out. Great meal, great atmosphere, great food, and of course great attentive staff. We’ll certainly be back.

The service was friendly and well timed. The food was tasty and well executed. Great building and relaxed atmosphere. Maybe just needs a more obvious and welcoming restaurant entrance. Might have seemed closed off to the general public from the outside.

A fine dining experience, welcoming, catering to all tastes, in a unique setting. Spacious and gracious with tasteful musical ambience.

Food was delicious. Service prompt and friendly. Background music easy listening and not too loud so perfect for chatting in comfortable surroundings with friends. Great ambiance. Loved it. Would recommend

Delightful food and fantastic live music. It's really special to have a place like this in Caernarfon, where you can enjoy the talent of West End performers!

Fantastic, the staff,food, location, the reasons to stay and holiday in GB

A little gem in the heart of Caernarfon right by the Castle. Great food. Good wines. Friendly and courteous service. The Courthouse Room is a delightful space with views of the Castle. A definite must if you are dining in Caernarfon.

Really delighted with our dinner at The Old Courthouse. Great quality food, superbly cooked with great tastes in all elements. This was simply the best restaurant food we've eaten for a long while.

Had dinner with a friend here in July. They managed to fit us in as a walkin despite being very busy. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and the food was excellent. The restaurant is really atmospheric, aided by what was a packed house of very happy diners when we were there

We had a fantastic meal and lovely evening at this beautiful location. My partner had sirloin steak and salad, cooked to perfection. My meal was a starter of belly pork and a main of sea bream on asparagus. Definitely coming back!

Had dinner here tonight and received fantastic service from very welcoming and friendly staff. We had the Cod and the Sea Bream which were cooked to perfection. We would recommend to anyone who likes good quality food in a relaxed atmosphere.

Excellent restaurant aux pieds du château. Nous avons pris de la selle d’agneau qui était cuite selon nos souhaits. Service agréable.

Absolutely bloody brillant a foodies delights 😊. We visited the Old Court House on a Sunday evening and had an amazing meal, cocktails and wine. The service was excellent and the food of highest quality, well done chef 👨‍🍳 👌 👍 👏 Would definitely recommend booking a table and enjoying a relaxed and fine dining experience. Keep up ujr good work.

A wonderful evening with lovely food and delightful service in a spectacular historic building. The food was beautifully cooked with options for all the group; meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans and we were very pleased to see the number of gluten free dishes on the menu. Caernarfon has so much to offer and The Old Courthouse certainly delivered.

This place has real potential and is a lovely setting with good service but the food was not as good as it should be, the mushroom soup portion was pitiful it was Luke warm and barely 5 spoonfuls, it only covered the base of the bowl, a shame as it was a lovely flavour. The lamb at 26.50 was fatty, the chicken was a good flavour but the figs were mushy and not caramelised. Not enough check backs to see if the food was suitable and all courses weren’t hot enough. It could be great, but at £120 for 2 we expect better.

We visited for the guided tour of the Old Courthouse today and it was fantastic! We received a warm welcome, and our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. It's an absolutely stunning building, and a huge amount of effort and love has clearly been poured into renovating it. We got to look inside the old cells, see The Hanging Tower, learn about the history and architecture of the building, and find out more about the work involved in renovating it. The transformation of the courthouse into a musical theatre venue is especially beautiful, and it was great to find out about the variety of events being held there - we will definitely be back. The tour was finished off with tea and cake in the very elegant Bistro (where the bar is the original Magistrates' bench). Thoroughly enjoyed and at £10 each - including tea and cake - it was excellent value. Thank you!

Cadre superbe et prix raisonnable font de cet endroit un lieu très sympathique pour dîner . Repas à la hauteur du cadre , cela change du fish and ships des pubs lesquels à la longue sont lassants.

A very special place for carefully prepared food. The service was first class too. Highly recommended if you want a touch of something out of the ordinary.

Great fun in a fabulous location

Delicious food served in an interesting, historic building. We both had chicken breast served with olive tapenade and figs; a lovely combination cooked to perfection. Service was friendly and attentive. A shame there weren't more diners, surprising considering how much nicer the food was compared to the average pub at not very much more cost. We had noticed there's live music sometimes so tried to see if it was scheduled since we didn't really want it, but the website didn't help.

Fantastic service and tasty food. Would definitely recommend. Easy to find gluten free options on the menu (which was nearly everything).

Came here to try out their new summer menu. The food was freshly prepared, well-seasoned and cooked to perfection - a really delicious meal, with a good selection of wines and cocktails. We will return soon and would highly recommend going there at any time. Lovely building and interior too.

Great food and staff, probably the best restaurant in town. Couldn't ask for a better meal or service.

Overpriced for quality of food/flavour. I’ve been many places at similar price points which represent better flavour/value. Wouldn’t return.

I have Coeliac Disease and a Gluten Free meal without any cross contamination is essential. I enquired before I booked and was guaranteed that there would be no problem. I’m pleased to say there was no problem. The restaurant, the food and the staff were excellent. Slightly pricy, but when you’re confident with what you’re eating, it’s not a problem. We will be back.

Excellent service with the staff quite prepared to go that extra mile. Food was fantastic - quite possibly the best steak in Caernarfon

Lovely food - and quite possibly the best steak in Caernarfon. Staff friendly and helpful and willing to go the extra mile for you. All set in a rather lovely room

We needed somewhere in Caernarfon to have dinner and as it was a Friday evening we decided to book in advance. We knew that this was a multi-use venue, but we assumed that the bistro would be separate from the theatre. When we arrived, we...

Lovely, place. Airy, bright and welcoming. Attentive staff and superb food. Loved so much that we booked for a second seating two days later. Thoroughly recommended. 5 *

We used this venue for a meeting recently and have to say that it was great. Moira couldn't do enough to help the day go smoothly, the refreshments were top notch and the lunch was beautiful. The attention to detail made such a difference and really helped us have a fantastic day. That's without the stunning setting of the theater and the marvelous location with the castle just on the doorstep. We had no problem parking in the public car park and the location was easy to find... just head for the castle! Thanks again to Moira and the kitchen team for making our event such a pleasure.

Pretentions of grandeur. Too expensive for the quality of food in my opinion. Staff were friendly, but it wasn't busy so service was a bit quick, we felt a bit rushed. The atmosphere was distictly lacking and the restaurant was very cacophonous. . Definitely not somewhere to linger in a warm environment. All in all, a bit disappointing. Wine was good though Overall - disappointing - sorry

Fantastic location, quality food.

Whilst it was a quiet night we had a fabulous meal. Both lamb and steak cooked perfectly, great flavours and fantastically presented. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Would highly recommend.

All courses, starters, main and dessert were delicious. I had the lamb for main, and really enjoyed it. (I would definitely recommend the lamb) I would visit again and the staff were friendly.

avoid. poor service , wierdly priced ( 7,5 for single scoop of lemon ice cream ? ) .

Sehr nette Bedienung, Vorspeisen (Suppe bzw. Salat) waren geschmackvoll und gut. Hauptspeise war das Lamm. Es war perfekt gekocht, sehr...

I contacted the Old Courthouse to get a cream tea to take out. Fantastic service from first phone call to collecting the cream tea (which was absolutely delicious). Cannot recommend them highly enough (and thank you to them for the cream tea!).

Delicious food.Very good coffee. Perfect rest after the castle tour Amazing place

Went for Christmas menu meal. Lovely building, warmer than expected. Considering only the lady there, the service was good. Food lovely. Would definitely go again. Thanks

I regularly eat here and never disappoints, lovely host, set in a beautifully renovated historical building opposite the castle, a must!

Enjoyed an excellent meal last night at the Old Courthouse. The decor, sympathetically renovated with great care and attention to detail, was stunning. An excellent saxophonist played in the background which made the evening that extra bit special. The food was exceptional - I'm vegetarian...

My wife and I enjoyed a very pleasant evening. The food was delicious, service was excellent. We will definitely be visiting again soon.

I came to the Courthouse a few weeks ago, for a special grand dinner as part of a conference. This was my first visit to the Courthouse as a restaurant. My previous visits were as a Poll tax non-payer, and also as a witness in...

We spent the weekend in Caernarfon and looked for somewhere that catered for gluten free. The Old Courthouse did not disappoint. We were served by Moira who was very attentive and explained the dishes so I felt confident, something that doesn’t happen too often. The...

Lovely renovated building, good menu choices including vegetarian. Great service and a nice atmosphere. Good value including drinks and definitely worth a visit in Caernarfon. The restaurant is attached to a theatre and combining the two is a great idea for an evening out.

We decided to spend a few days away with the family for our wedding anniversary so booked here for dinner. The place is stunning, we had a lovely greeting from Moira, there were 8 of us 5 adults and 3 little ones. Menu was good...

We visited twice, the first time having a very generous and delicious afternoon tea. It looked great as well as tasting great. This was in the delightfully atmospheric dining room. Our second visit was for a live music event in the main auditorium. As well...

Visited today 14/10 with my partner and found the Court House to be wonderful. The bar person was very friendly and helpful and served a delicious Baileys coffee which I highly recommend! The crumpet with Snowdonia cheese was gorgeous! The building is very beautiful and the bar itself is very clean, bright and welcoming. It has an eclectic taste with a mix of modern, victorian, regency and mid century so very welcoming to everyone. I recommend a visit.

What a Gem!!! Incredible food, incredible decor and incredible staff, The food here is seriously good, the Lamb Pie is without a doubt the best Pie I have ever had, We had 2 courses and only didnt have a third as we were too full, the staff here were brilliant.. they seemed a little understaffed as there was only 2 members sprinting round meeting the needs of the diners, what I will say though is when they were serving you it didnt feel rushed and they spent time at your table which was nice. If you are in town, absolutely go for an evening meal here.

Beautiful building a bit stark inside and plain tables lacks atmosphere. Limited menu only 2 veggie choices. Nice food but expensive and a bit basic. Veg charged separately so makes prices high. I think better prices and more choice would be an improvement

Lovely place, so much history. Staff were great. Went for afternoon tea would highly recommend

Actually being a present dinner for my parents in-law this was not the nice ending of a very fine holiday us four had in mind. Always being open minded about food and service this was quite an experience. It began when we entered and said...

Lunch last Thursday was an absolute treat. Delightful surroundings opposite the Castle, matched with excellent food and first class staff. Welsh Rarebit done to utter perfection. We plan to return to the Castle next year and there is no question about where we will dine.

Everything about this place is lovely. A wonderful building, friendly efficient service, great food and a superb location. The china and glassware are beautiful. Very highly recommended. Haven't tried the afternoon teas yet but they look fabulous.

What a great little find setting beautiful facing the castle staff switched on and very attentive candles lit on tables food good and very affordable back ground music great as requested by myself but happy to play what you request as long as it's not club Athems from ibiza😁will definitely be back thank you 😘❤️

Two of us had starter, mains, desert and coffee along with a few drinks . The food was A1 , hot , cooked like we wanted , the service was quick and each course was severed with a smile . The venue is fantastic the background music was playing and played by the lady in charge at a level where we could speak and be heard . We had a lovely time and we will be back. Thanks to all.

Had a beautiful meal here b/h . Would recommend, a little more expensive than some but worth it. The service was excellent and the creme brulee the best ever!

Had our coffee and scones here many times afternoon tea is really good. We travel for our visits and always look forward to our next trip to Caernarfon and the Old Courthouse . Looking forward to our evening meal with friends at the Old Courthouse

Needing a bite to eat or just a drink, call into the Old courthouse in caernarfon, opposite the castle. It is spacious and elegant, offering something a little different. We loved it

Lovely lunch of filled ciabatta. Tried a bit of carrot cake which was delish. Lovely surroundings inside. Nice for lunch.

We stopped in, as much to get out of the rain as eat. It was very good. I ordered the ham, smoked cheese, and apple bagel with avocado added. Very tasty. Also a side of shrimp and sauce was also good. It came with a slaw salad and spinach leaf salad. Most of the comments I read, indicate cost and time. Although we were there for lunch, the service was very quick. As for the cost, for the part three months, we have traveled through our Europe and are now traveling England. The price was very reasonable for an elegant suit down lunch. If those folks griping about prices want cheap there is a McDonald's down the road. I liked this venue.

Great night out with friends. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Thank you Moyà and Jack. I would recommend this venue.

Amazing service and delicious food. We really enjoyed our dinner. Beautiful location. Good vegetarian options. Also had great kids menu. Reasonable prices for the quality. (Responding to other reviews - We didn’t find service too slow, but there were only a couple other tables.)

Really disappointing. Was so looking forward to this meal with our group of 9 in this beautiful building. Food took an unacceptable amount of time to arrive (an hour just for starters). Waiting staff seemed chaotic and unprofessional. Won’t be returning

Not the best dry burger.... The only yum thing was the chips. Our group of 9 waited for an hour and a half for food. Waiting staff forgot we had a gluten free with us. Was there 2 years ago and it was a totally different experience (it was lovely then). Very dissatisfied and will not come back till under new management.

Burnt food, the burger was incredibly dry and almost inedible… and that’s after 9 hours of hiking when starving hungry. Took over an hour for food to arrive, (the place was hardly full) with 10 minute gaps between each member of our groups plates. Manager blamed us for being 5 minutes late to our booking for why the food took so long to arrive (?).

Had a wonderful Welsh rarebit lunch here and then spent the afternoon drinking prosecco at the bar. Fantastic, light and airy atmosphere in a building packed with fascinating history and a brilliantly relaxing way to spend an afternoon in Caernarfon. Great views of the castle...

Sitting at the bar with my second prosecco having a wonderfully chilled and elegant afternoon in Caernarfon. The building is sympathetically restored and full of really interesting history. The Welsh rarebit is to die for and there seem to be some interesting live music events coming up. Definitely a place to stop off at once and twice if you're visiting the castle just across the road!

My other half and I hadn't had a very good day, coupled with the fact that we were struggling to find anywhere that served gluten-free food. However, what started as an awful day ended on a high note. Moira (I hope I've spelt your name correctly!) was an absolute star! She came to the rescue and was extremely helpful and accommodating. We had the toasted charred red pepper, warmed goat’s cheese ciabatta from the Tearoom menu, along with some lovely cakes that she recommended. The food was excellent and so was the service. Thanks again for coming to the rescue - and special thanks to Moira for going above and beyond, it was very much appreciated.

Visited today for a Welsh tea which was fabulous. The building itself has been beautifully and sympathetically renovated by the owner Moira Hartley a musician - amazingly without any help from the Welsh government or any grants or financial assistance whatsoever. In view of its...

Great service and lovely food, wonderful place for a date nite

The venue is an imposing building next to the castle walls and the tea room within is light spacious and airy. We were attended to promptly and politely by the lady behind the bar. We ordered coffees and Welsh rarebit for brunch and it was...

We as a family were greeted by the door and showed to our table to celebrate our twin's 30th birthday. The owner put our balloons and birthday cake on display, and we were made to feel very welcomed especially our granddaughters of 4 and 2...

Excellent... Great service, view and ambience... Lovely view.... Nice lunch... perfect sourdough ! Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it ...

We ate lunch in the bistro. The building is beautiful and the views of the castle are amazing. However, the food was on the whole poor. The brisket ciabatta was predominantly fat and the avocado on sourdough was a bad avocado (very brown and evidently...

I don’t know where to start, maybe at the beginning. Lovely old building (ex Courthouse - there’s a clue in the name) next to the prison yard where executions used to take place. All I can say is I’m glad what we ate was not our last meal, though the Welsh rarebit with smoked haddock might have been prison food. And I’m being kind… The menu (very concise in Welsh and English) was very ambitious and if executed well (that word again) would be lovely. Only it wasn’t. We had coffees. Nice, not bitter - though £1 extra per cup for oat milk ought to be a hanging offence, so if the coffee wasn’t bitter, I was on discovering this unannounced upselling. The entrance by the way was confusing and quite unwelcoming…not sure where to go, but nice room once inside. Grand piano and palms with high ceiling, bar at one end. Expensive bent wood seating. Welsh Rarebit with Smoked Haddock seemed inviting (the photo of the rarebit on Google looked good) but the cheese would have been on the haddock instead of toast so we asked for the usual cheese on toast with the fish on the side. After a conflab out of sight it was agreed this would be possible. Two were then ordered with an Eggs Benedict. Now then…after a while and another coffee the food arrived - you can see the photos. The Rarebit was spread thinner than marmite on the thinnest bread I’ve seen recently with a piece of white fish next to it. When I say small I mean small. Take a look. We expected the usual smoked haddock - a slightly yellow fillet and a substantial piece of toasted bread covered in a cheesy sauce. The Eggs Benedict was quite good, runny eggs with a nice piece of real ham, though the sauce was unusually tart and the muffin strangely lacking in size and toastyness. And that was that. Oh…the bill. I didn’t see it but I was informed it was very expensive for what we had. Service was by one young person who had to do everything, and when coffee was being prepared conversation had to stop as the room took on the auditory ambiance of Euston station in the steam train era. We were glad to get out. What a shame! The site is historic, under the castle walls. The room renovated to a high standard. The menu intelligent and interesting. But something has gone drastically wrong. A basic lack of following through a good idea, and staff having to cope with unattainable goals. Somewhere like the Old Courthouse needs a mature manager to welcome people and oversee the pass, to check the food offering would stand up in court. Please don’t give up. Spend some time protecting your investment…

This was my second visit, and ir was very disappointing. I had ordered the steak,and it was seriously under-cooked, despite being quite specific when ordering. The cheesecake was excellent, and should merit a repeat visit in its own right, but sadly the lack of care...

It feels classy. Nice minimalistic almost austere decor, elegant black suited staff and an attractive and visible bar. But the menu is unambitious and the staff could be a tad more professional, ever willing but just lacking the final sharpness. Fingers crossed you stay good...

Nice ambience , restricted menu