The Strand in Powys

We ordered 6 packs of welsh cakes which i had to hand out to friends when i got back to Farnborough in Hampshire, everyone has said how delicious they were and i have already got more orders coming in, i just want to say a big thank you to all the staff at the Strand for being courteous and great at their jobs and for making us a great product, "i will be back"

We stopped in here on our way from Swansea to Holyhead and had a great meal. Besides my wife’s, the lasagna was the best I ever had. You order up front and they bring you the food.

Lovely freshly cooked homemade food with fantastic personal service. Light and airy restaurant where the staff really care and take pride in what they are doing. We took some beautiful warm Welsh cakes away - and they didn’t last long! Delicious!

we use this restaurant on a very regular basis , usually at least twice a week . The service is always quick and very good . the food is freshly prepared and excellent value for money . and the staff helpful and polite

.stopped here on way to north wales will be stopping there on the way back too.Breakfast was hot ,freshly cooked and very nice,at £7 it was very reasonably priced too.

Courteous and prompt service. Very helpful staff. Good choice of menu at reasonable prices. Enjoyable experience.

Fabulous breakie the best weve had in a very long time. Very friendly staff and dog friendly cant rate it enough. Just great !!!

Highly recommend! Tucked away off main street, but well worth finding. Friendly, prompt service. Excellent food at a very fair price. Much enjoyed the Welsh beef stew followed by fruit crumble. Would happily eat here again if in the area.

5 star for food....no star for service if you are not local...were not sure layout when ask question they were rude.impatient...would not visit again..

With many cafes and restaurants struggling to make it through the Pandemic and then a huge hike in the cost of living it's very reassuring to see somethings have stayed the same. As we've said before in a review on the 1st Nov 2022 we really enjoy our visits to Builth Wells from Newtown, several times a year if possible. The icing on the cake (literally) is our visit to the Strand. Yesterday was no exception. The food and service was excellent as usual. There is a lovely comforting ambience about the Strand, like your favourite armchair at home. Homely and reassuring. And to be greeted, as are all, by the young lady (who's name we know not) at the front of the house (counter section) as you walk in, in such a lovely friendly and professional manner is too often unusual these days. Too often these people are taken for granted. Her employer and parents must be very proud of her. Good food, good value and caring, interested staff. What's not to like!

We travel to Builth Wells from Newtown four or five times a year. We like the small independent shops in the town and the walk down past the river. Our first call is always The Strand. Depending on the time of day we either try a cooked breakfast or lunch. Today, 1st Nov 2022 we arrived just before midday. As is always the case when we have visited, the food was very good, and the service was excellent. Not only did we partake in lunch but also took away some lovely home-made sweets to be consumed at home later. The young lady who served us and appeared to be in charge was excellent. From previous visits we know she has been there quite some time as she is almost always there. She is always, FRIENDLY, and very CAPABLE and along with the rest of the team are a credit to the establishment. If ever I was to own a similar establishment, I would offer her the managers post without hesitation. Whatever she's paid, bless her, it is not enough!

We called in here for breakfast after seeing good reviews on line. We placed our orders and were invited to sit anywhere. It was about 9.30am. Our drinks came first, a huge cappuccino for my husband and a lovely, strong pot of tea for myself. Both very nice. We didn't have to wait long for our food. A veggie breakfast for my husband and a strand breakfast for me. Both looked plentiful, hot and were obviously freshly cooked. I'm very glad to report that both plates of food tasted delish! I can highly recommend The Strand for a hearty cooked breakfast. It definitely set us up for our day out at The Elan Valley reservoir. The girls who took our order were friendly, polite and professional. You won't be disappointed.

Looking around for a spot of lunch on the Main Street we noticed a sign saying home made cakes this way, so glad we did cosy, friendly and well priced. The best bit well the food is delicious…would highly recommend.

We popped in here on our way home and had lunch, it was very nice and the staff were very friendly. Plenty of choice too

Can honestly say the best breakfast we’ve ever had. Clean place with friendly staff. Thick rashers of tasty bacon & all ingredients of a high quality

I pop into this cafe for breakfast every couple of months. This time I noticed two new girls working there. The new girls were cheerful and polite, and very attentive. Never had a bad meal there, so would definitely recommend this lovely cafe.

Builth Wells is in the middle of Wales. It's not very busy but reflects a slower pace of life. The Strand is a great place to eat. It's near the main car park which is near the river. The food was excellent. Really well made and clearly not mass catering. A ham and mushroom omelette for lunch had ham off the bone and loads of mushroom. We had Wimberry pie as a dessert. You can't often find these and it was delicious. We'll worth a return visit.

Mmm mmm mmm. Very yummy food. Quick service and value for money. What more do you need? Would definitely visit again. Thumbs up from us.

We decided to try The Strand on passing as we liked the look of the menu and were very glad we did. My friend had the vegetable curry which had a great flavour and was clearly homemade. I had the Welsh lamb burger which was yummy. Staff were friendly and helpful. We would recommend this as a place to visit if you are ever in Builth Wells.

Visited as a party of four and all enjoyed our meals. The breakfasts were substantial and delicious and the service was excellent! The staff were really attentive and welcoming. Will visit again on our way through.

A fantastic find - friendly, welcoming and with an extensive menu of delicious homemade meals, snacks and cakes. Good value for money too!

Lovely welcome, very covid 19 organised, lovely bacon sandwich and warm scone with cream and jam, very good value

Had a nice lunch here whilst on a bike tour. Good portions and good amount of places to sit, including street seating. Would come back.

First time visit to the town and after seeing People que outside but sold it for us. Great food and choice, friendly staff and very clean. Value for money too. Highly recommended.

Stopped for coffee and a slice of bara brith, it tasted amazing and served by a delightful young lady who was so polite and served it across the road in a tea garden, A very pleasant 30 minutes.

Had far too many the night before and was in need of recuperation. The Strand offered the cure, a hearty full Monty that hit the spot. Friendly staff and prompt service. Only minor critique would be the not so great sausages but everything else was good, especially the bacon. Certainly hit the spot, woyld return. Good value.

Well worth finding in a side street. Good menu. Very well presented. Good value. Nice friendly staff

Stopped here for a quick bit to eat on our way down to South Wales.My wife had Mushroom omelette and and I had an all day breakfast.Couldnt fault anything, lovely food and very friendly staff,will definitely call in again.

The best breakfast in Builth, Well it's so good we can not bring ourselves to try any where else, and so friendly, well done

'Full Welsh' may be more pertinent as I'm sure the bacon, eggs and sausages were locally sourced. One of the best brunches Ive had this year! They found us a small section where we could sit with our dog which we didn't mind at all. My wife and children all had jacket potatoes with cheese and beans however the next time we travel to South Wales we will call here again and Im fairly sure the breakfasts will be ordered in triplicate

Called in for breakfast and it was very enjoyable. I had the large breakfast and it was spot on. The bacon was the highlight, thick and very tasty. The mushrooms were perfectly cooked and I even indulged in the fried bread. The sausages were OK. I have had better but I have also had a great deal worse. An option of black pudding would have been nice. The price was very reasonable. I will certainly come back here when in the area

Polite friendly staff. The food was absolutely lovely. We had beef stew and chilli followed by crumble and tart. Was very reasonably priced and would definitely go back.

Visited on the way back from holiday in Devon to North Wales so a very long drive and we were tired and hungry. So glad we found this place. Service was quick and all staff were friendly. I was very happy when I found curly fries on the menu. Food was served quickly and was of a very high standard. Very good quality. We will be visiting again next time we pass I'm sure.

This is a friendly and comfortable cafe which has tasty food and reasonable prices. The staff were very welcoming and helpful.

Went in for lunch had the mini breakfast which was just enough and was very nice, my friend had a omelette which also was very nice. The other dishes being served also looked very nice. The pots of tea were good. The prices very reasonable, service was quick and the staff very friendly.

Good service. Reasonable price. Excellent home cooked food. Cake to take away was a master stroke. The homemade Chicken Curry was an absolute WINNER!

We were looking for somewhere to take my elderly mum for a very late lunch/early supper on a very wet day. Arrived at the Strand just as they were due to stop serving hot meals, but were welcomed in. Our meals were freshly cooked and arrived promptly and were good value. Very good choice on menu. At no time did we feel rushed and they were happy to serve us ice cream and coffee despite it being very near closing time. Would recommend highly.

Looked forward to our annual visit and was not disappointed. Breakfast was first class, quality ingredients,well presented and served by friendly staff.

Called into The Strand on our journey home from Pembroke. It was great to find a lovely cafe that is dog friendly.

I simply cannot believe the nonsense I've read off the Minority of people slating this place. I've been going here for years and years and have never had anything but excellent service. Top quality local and homemade food and a nice cottage style atmosphere which is bang on for its surroundings. To the fools who rudely discriminated against the local elderly clientele....go bk to London and eat your poxy caviar and sushi and leave the honest local Welsh businesses to run honestly. Without the dishonest negative ungreatfullness that I've witnessed off you on this site. Keep up the good work all @ the strand and don't let the lies get you down.

We stopped at Builth for a short break and discovered this place which was really welcoming, served the coffee we had ordered (and we had extra too), was clean, busy and had outside tables in the sunshine. We'll certainly call back another time. Thank you.

Good place for lunch, busy café, homemade fare, friendly staff. I had leek and potato soup which was delicious and a ham sandwich - the ham was really good. My husband had the mini breakfast - the bacon was out of this world! We stopped here on the way to Aberystwyth, definitely worth a visit.

A good place to stop if your in Builth. Always a good choice of snacks and meals. Service is good and everything is good value.

We stopped here traveling home from a holiday. Busy cafe, lots of choice on menu, average prices, staff ok, food ok, large portions.

Most excellent, breakfast was really good! Not greasy, good bacon and sausage. Been for lunch too and that was great value for money. Regular haunt for us. Will be back for more 😀 want to try Welsh Lamb Stew!

Would not visit again, over cooked stews like baby food, no meat just shreds and could be anything, no apology when we told them.

Walked into this little café for an impromptu breakfast. Freshly cooked Welsh breakfast served by friendly and helpful staff. Food excellent and reasonably priced. Well worth a visit.

Very pleasant staff and the breakfast hit the right spot also very efficient and complimentary toast

We got a puncture on our way home on holiday so stopped to get it repaired. We decided to get some lunch whilst it was being done.

Called in here for a quick breakfast on our way home to Cheshire after staying in the nearby Beulah, found a table very quickly even though busy and very quick efficient service. We both had the big breakfast which comes with a cup of tea and toast. Breakfast was delicious,thick bacon and tasty sausages. Would defiantly go there again if we are back in the area!

Popped in for breakfast after our park run it was very busy but found a table. Had a full English (put the calories back!) and coffee. Best brekkie we’ve had in a long time. Well done especially for the prompt service on a busy day too.

Cosy little place in the heart of Builth Wells, excellent freshly cooked breakfast and friendly waitress service - highly recommended

My husband & I spent Christmas & New Year in Builth Wells & had a couple of meals at the strand. Our favourites were steak & ale pie, cottage pie & as our friends said when they visited the best breakfast in a long time. The food is homemade & tastes like your Granny used to make, the place is always busy & is popular with the locals, definitely a good sign in my book. I recommend the Strand wholeheartedly & will definitely be back.

Such a nice cafe, called it small in the title but I think it extended back further, certainly full of people tucking into nice looking food and drinks.

A good homely cafe cooking homemade food. Easy to forget how hard it is dealing with the public. I've eaten here about 4 times now. The young man who served us was very pleasant and covered all the tables on his own. We had 1 portion of sausages and onion gravy with mash and burger with bacon and chips and onion rings. It was good home cooking with the meat from the local highly rated butchers. For the prices it is a very good value cafe. Home made cakes looked really good but I did not have room to try these. Another time.

Had a quick stop, tea's, coffee's and some light bites such as toast and bacon sarni's etc. The tea and coffee were great, the food was quick, hot and tasty. Nice, welcoming atmosphere in the cafe and the staff were really nice. Really convenient location right across the road from the car park. Overall a recommended place to visit.

This little cafe always has buzzing atmosphere with many locals calling here for coffee and lunches. The food is delicious with much of being home cooked/made.

Food lovely... great value for money... lovely and warm cafe ... even though we went in later in the afternoon we were not made to feel rushed x

We stopped in Builth Wells on the way home from Cardiff and had lunch in this pleasant little cafe. It was very full but didn't seem overly lacking in space. The food was very good and the cup of tea was nuclear hot. The lady behind the counter was absolutely smiley and lovely, our waitress was a bit grumpy.

lovely lunch, food nicely presented and arrived promptly, we dont have a dog but it was nice that dogs could come in to

Stopped in this little town on way home from Cardiff on the A470. Nice riverside to walk round and then spotted this busy little cafe up a side street. Walked into a busy downstairs , but luckily there was space upstairs for us . The menu is quite comprehensive for such a small place and we chose steak and ale pie , plus Welsh stew with mash and veg. The service is pretty quick from the friendly staff ,especially as there were so many locals in there on the Bank holiday Monday. The food is tasty although my mash was quite dry ( a little butter or milk would have made it better ) , but hey if that is how it is served in Wales then who am I to complain. Decent prices and cheap drinks make a good spot for families too , who made up most of the custom in there. Recommended

On the way down from North Wales to a family wedding in Cardiff we stopped for lunch at The Strand, Builth Wells. We enjoyed our food and drinks. Then two days later on the return journey we again stopped here, this time for a comfort break, and just had drinks.It is very close (across the road) to the main car park here, which is next to the river. There are also a few outside seats on a nice day. I recommend this establishment. I noticed quite a few locals were eating and having drinks here, which is always I believe, a good sign.Fast service from friendly staff.

Just happened across this little café when travelling through.

A sorry looking toasted sandwich with curled up ends arrived some time after my tea had gone cold. Table service was terrible, and the sorry offering presented even worse. The child's portion of undercooked pale industrial bacon was cut into even smaller pieces (presumably for their toothlesss customers) and partially covered by two miniscule pieces of decaying black iceberg lettuce and a tired slice of tomato that would have been discarded anywhere else. I'd never encountered a less appetizing sandwich in the whole of the British Isles, not even on railway stations. The crisps that accompanied this funerary offering were at leat crisp, but the small pile of slad dumped at the side was bone dry. The cafe doesn't have any salad dressing, of course, and when i asked for olive oil and vinegar, the unenthusiastic owner told they don't use it and pointed to a bottle of malt vinegar and a plastic bottle of Heinz salad cream! Truly deadful, much like Builth Wells. i didn't think it was possible to screw up a BLT but this place managed it, for just £4.99. Poor value, poor service, diabolically bad food. Definitely a place to avoid.

We visited for lunch and found a great standard menu with all day breakfasts, specials, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches and paninis etc. We ordered a panini and a sandwich and both were lovely. It wasn't until we looked at the dessert special board that we had our surprise. Wimberry tart! I've never seen that on a menu before, so we ordered two pieces to take away and they were still warm, having been cooked only that morning. Oven fresh! They were fantastic! Thank you The Strand!

When I’m back visiting family and friends in Builth the strand is always somewhere we go to for lunch. Food is tasty,fresh and the staff are so attentive. Good quality food and very reasonable price. We had a lovely visit and will definitely return when we are next in Builth.

This was the only cafe open on a Saturday afternoon at 3.30pm! The staff were all very welcoming and served a good cuppa and cake.

The Strand was recommended to my daughter so we popped in. A very satisfying Big Breakfast and Strand Breakfast were had. Bacon was excellent but the sausage could have been better. All in all though a very good breakfast, freshly cooked and brought to the table outside. Highly recommended.

Had breakfast here many times but thought we would try lunch and we were very happy. I had the beef and ale pie and it was delicious the kids meals were just as nice and the staff were great see you again soon

Well that was very nice. Nice people, nice food, nice price. As my wife said "there was nothing wrong with that", and I agree.

When we are headed for North Wales, Builth Wells is a convenient stop-off point. The Strand is a nice cafe close to the main car park. We only call in for a coffee and a snack which are always of a good quality but they serve substantial meals too, and the place is never quiet. It is used by lots of locals which is always a good indication of quality and value. Staff all great.

we had the homemade soup, with lovely home made bread and a glass of wine: My husband had delicious chilli, which was fab, great value and good portions. Lovely service and pretty set up: don't sit by the doors though busy place and people come and go a lot. Great teas and coffee.

Having heard positive reviews, we decided to tryout a breakfast. The heating needed to be turned up a notch and cold plates just didn’t do it. The eggs were pre cooked and cold and the vegetarian breakfast was very disappointing, particularly when anywhere else serves vegetarian sausages. Mine consisted of battered onion rings (for breakfast?), fried sliced potatoes (for breakfast?) with the rest made up of warmish beans, mushrooms and a tomato. The fried bread was declined- fried in the same animal fat as the bacon and sausage I guess.

Great place for a good value breakfast as we discovered on a visit to Builth Wells. Welcoming staff, good service, good value. Highly recommended.

Fantastic little place, food is amazing and all locally sourced. The premises are clean and very welcoming. The staff are friendly and professional and I must say Neil is absolutely phenomenal at his job.

This is a friendly cafe which is ideal for breakfast, morning coffee or lunch. It has WiFi. It has a pleasant, bustling atmosphere.

We had cod and chips, plaice and chips and shepherds pie and chips. All 3 of us agreed it was...

We came intending on having breakfast. The girl who served us didn't make eye contact, let alone answer us or...

From the web and other reviews we were expecting a lot more, popped in for afternoon tea and had scones...

Nos alojamos en el pub de al lado y me quería veces y opciones de la noche anterior, así que terminamos de comer el desayuno aquí, excelentes opciones, comida sabrosa, y a un precio razonable. El personal es agradable. Mesas limpias y buen servicio. Recomendado.

Un salto para el desayuno de nuestro viaje a Cardiff. Buen servicio amable. Increíble desayuno durante todo el día, y té constructores! Aparcamiento en frente de pago. La única mejora que podría sugerir sería una mejor calidad de salchichas! Pero aún así un desayuno fabuloso.

Llamado para tazas de té mientras visitaba el mundo de la lana. Aunque estaba ocupado el té fue comprado muy rápidamente. Las ollas de té era muy razonable.

Me he pasado el Strand Café muchas veces, hoy fui. Una sorpresa muy agradable, la bienvenida fue encantador y el personal era muy servicial. mucho para elegir en el menú, y al haber elegido no me decepcionó. La presentación fue buena y la comida era excelente. Me gustó la experiencia y lo recomiendo encarecidamente que lo pruebes. Mientras estás allí saludan a Nikita, a mí se va pronto.

Have visited here before and had lunchtime snacks, poached egg on toast and toasted sandwiches. However our last visit was a particularly cold day and we opted for the homemade welsh beef casserole. I have to say when it arrived it looked like it had been poured from a tin and not homemade along with what appeared to be tinned carrots and peas, served with chips that had clearly been oven cooked and re-heated. Can only imagine this was a one-off but half way through eating, as we were cold and very hungry a hoover was being taken around the top section. We thought maybe it was close to closure but it was just 2.30pm so clearly not. It is a real shame as we've enjoyed our snacks before and the welsh cakes etc. but this clearly was not homemade. We would have rather been told they didn't have any than be given what we were given, it has put us off using again.

If you're passing through Builth Wells and feeling a little peckish then the Strand is where you need to stop. There's a large car park across the road and the food is well worth the stop.The full Welsh breakfast with eggs, sausage, bacon, black pudding and beans was awesome and the bacon was some of the best I've had in a long, long time.The service was great for a group of 8 of us and the place was pretty full.

We quite often miss what's right before our eyes - but don't miss this café/restaurant. I live in Builth and I recently ate here for the first time in a number of years. Good Menu choice, freshly cooked, very pleasant helpful staff. Very close to Groe Car Park so ideal for visitors. Busy and welcoming. Highly recommended. PS I don't have "shares" in the place! Just an honest review

We popped into The Strand following a recommendation from a fellow dog walker. They serve a lot of traditional Welsh fayre, mainly home made. It is dog friendly, cosy & clean with friendly service. A great place to visit after a long walk on The Groe.

Stopped for quick lunch on way home from holiday. Near a car park next to the river.Very pleasant staff with good selection of dishes all at very reasonable prices. Lots of homemade cakes etc.

Stopped here for a break on our journey down to Sidmouth.Had only gone in for coffee but when we saw the lovely food we decided to try a jacket potato with chilli and it was very nice and a good size. Staff were very friendly and the dog was allowed inside.

This was our second visit to the strand cafe and although it was busy we found a very nice table ,service was excellent and again there was a really nice atmosphere locals chatting to us .There was a lovely new water colour painting on the wall called At the cob sale ,it was really good and had alot of people talking about it it was for sale and if i had had the money i would have bought it .I had a jacket potato with prawns and my partner had the strand breakfast we really enjoyed our food ,The cafe is very clean and the staff were very friendly and smiling .

Have you seen that bit in Shirley Valentine when Tom Conti carries the table down to the water's edge for Pauline Collins to drink her Retzina? Well......the water's edge the bench opposite the cafe and the retzina was two milky coffees, but you get the idea. We arrived in Builth about lunch time so the cafe was packed. (That's what trip advisor does for you!) We had three dogs so a seat inside was a non-starter. Without much hope I asked if we could take our coffees across the road to sit on the benches. The best I was hoping for were two polystyrene take away cups. But no! 'Sure' the waitress said 'You go and sit on the bench and I'll bring them over'. Wow. What service. As Annie and I sat with the three dogs on the public bench not only were coffees delivered in proper china mugs (good coffee by the way) they were preceded by a small table being carried out and water for the dogs. What service!

Desperate for somewhere to buy lunch we came upon this little restaurant. It was a real pleasure to eat in there and to be served by friendly helpful staff. The menu choice was good and I was delighted to find that they served a range of food in a smaller portion which suited us both. I had a small breakfast and my husband had a small omelette and chips. just the right amount for both of us. I definitely cant wait to go back again and recommend it to others. Thank you.

We have visited The Strand on several occasions but mostly as a rest stop on our way to Dinas. Recently we called in again to have lunch and a coffee. The toasted sandwiches are excellent and the coffee is delicious. Service is very good and the surroundings comfortable and clean. Will be visiting again soon - and so should you.

we were visiting Builth wells for a few hours and we called in to the strand it was quite busy but we found a table the place was very clean and there was a nice atmosphere and we didn't have to wait long before someone came to take our orders , we both had the strand breakfast which were really nice very nicely presented and nice sized portions,the staff were very friendly and we listened to them with other customers and nothing seemed to be too much trouble they were definitely making sure that customers were happy including us .we would call here again and would recommend this place to anyone ,there was plenty of choice on the menu and it wasn't expensive

Request in the post office was a to find somewhere for a pit stop that would enable me to go online.The Strand fits the bill, albeit the pace of connection was practically glacial. Thus allowed plenty of time to consume the excellent baked potato with chilli con carne, accompanied by a proper Maxwell House mug of flat white. Cheesy scone to finish, all done for £ 7.50 and onwards to the Neuadd Arms and some Cambrian mountain walking - can't argue with any of that !7

There is much more to this two floor cafe than my title might indicate. My husband and I have used The Strand on several occasions. The food is excellent whatever you decide to have and there is a broad choice of menu. The Strand is wheelchair accessible and is very close to the Groe car park and disabled parking. However it would be very difficult to access the cafe with an electric scooter. The staff are exceptionally helpful and friendly. For good homespun cooking you can't get much better.

The food and service was excellent, lots of choice. Would go there again. There was a good range of local drinks too.

3 of us went for breakfast and all 3 of us had barely cooked eggs the whites were still opaque and snotty I mean people like a runny yoke but not the whole egg! Also timings were off 2 breakfasts were served but the 3rd came a good 15 mins later missing the to be rock hard toast. All 3 of us asked for brown toast but got white! Sadly not a nice breakfast.

I don't like writing negative reviews of places but I do feel qualified to write about this one as I used to use it regularly. However, recently the coffee has been awful. I had to throw away the last one as it was obviously 'stewed' and I will be honest and say that whoever wrote that the staff were friendly were not served by the manager!!!!! She gave me the impression that she was doing ME the favour of getting me a coffee rather than that I was paying for a service. Such a shame as it seems to have filtered ('scuse pun) through to the rest of the staff.

This cafe is always busy and the staff are friendly and efficient. The food is always lovely. It has been redecorated since my last visit and it has brightened up. Local artist paintings are for sale too.