The Vaynol in Gwynedd

Just called for a drink at the end of the day. No atmosphere, mainly due to the sparse decor and clinical lighting, and eye watering prices. £18.70 for 1 pint of Guinness and a large brandy and small bottle of coke! Have been before and is good for sitting out on a pleasant evening, but can’t recall these wallet breaking prices.

Lovely pub with a 'Snack Shack' food menu. The pub was dog friendly which was a must for us. We were tired and hungry and our needs were met. The burger was one of the best my husband had ever had and the Steak salad box was delicious, with the steak cooked perfectly. Staff at the bar and doing the food were friendly and welcoming.

Nice pub, bit expensive but friendly staff and bustling atmosphere.

Fantastic food and atmosphere 👌

Friendly staff,not cheap drinks,basic inside.They need to spruce it up inside.Lacking a lot of character inside. Poor Vibe.

Gorgeous food great service so friendly in lovely location

Only went for drinks but great atmosphere and friendly staff. Prices reasonable. Sat outside and watched the world go by.

This is a review of the 'Snack Shack' takeaway food. I went there on a day that was Pizza night. And had the choice of 4/5 different Pizzas. I order some mexican themed one with pulled pork, and a pepperoni one, as well as some basic fries and slaw. The Mexican themed pizza was foul. It was covered in two sauces, and was gopping wet. Literally soaked in them. I think one was some sort of garlic mayo or something. The slaw was so salty it rendered it inedible too. The other pizza was fine as were the fries. Had I not driven 15 mins to the campsite with the food, and realised how bad it was I would have returned it right away. Whats worse is that this is classically Abersoch prices, and this all came to about £35 for a only half edible meal. Thoroughly dissappointed.

Great pub in the heart of Abersoch dog friendly food available ( we had already eaten) but looked good and was busy will definitely be back lots of staff was super quick service

Came here for lunch as a fairly big group. Even though the main chef wasn't in and we had found this place randomly off the street, we were really pleased with our lunch. The salads were filling, fresh and tasty and everyone really enjoyed their meals. Staff were very helpful with dietary requirements.

Friendly staff and a warm welcome. The scotch egg with curry mayo is a delicious treat with a pint, if there are any left!

Best ale in the village. Purple moose elderflower ale is no1, Ben is the landlord top service from staff!

We had a delicious meal at the Snack Shack. The Shack was formerly at the golf club but has moved into the pub. The food is excellent and would return again!!!

The most rude and obnoxious staff i have ever had the misfortune to be served by Made to feel unwelcome and uneasy Shame as the beer was good and the venue is stunning Won't be doing back

Walked to the pub with my dog, treated her to a dog chew and a dog ice cream and myself to a g&t. Sat in the beer garden at the back in the sunshine. Glorious!

The bar staff were not pleasant. Ordered some drinks and was met with contempt, played pool for 15 minutes and they kept hovering around looking miserable. When we left we said thank you and were ignored. Beer was great. Will not be coming back.

Great spot a bit crammed at the front of the pub especially with two dogs . Pity they weren't allowed in the empty beer garden at the rear. Just saying.

Nice pub. Great sun spot outside. We didn't eat there so can't comment. Will visit again. Dog friendly also.

Sat in the beer garden on a warm sunny day, had the salt and pepper chips which were scrumptious, friends had a burger which I'm told was lovely,the ale was great, service was fast with a smile even though it was busy.

Just arrived into region and felt bit uncomfortable until I went for a beer in Vaynol Beautiful privet pool table and darts board x All the staff were extremely helpful and made me feel welcomed x Wayne was extremely friendly and Ben was always there x I truelly appreciate the hospitality xx Thank you guys !

Very expensive and needs a good clean. Specially outside area at the front. £7 a pint also which is ridiculous.

One of my go-to places in abersoch, the staff super friendly and helpful! Irish guy behind the bar is always friendly and delightful whenever I visit Dog friendly with a good atmosphere to watch the football and have a game of pool!

We ate here using The Surf Shack. I thought it would have been a novelty having food in a box. However we wouldn't come back. The food is average and the pub extremely loud.

Nice pub but a bit taken aback at £17.50 for two pints of Birra Moretti.

Brilliant setting. One (irish) bar staff bloke on who was just detached and cold to the point of rudeness. Were I his boss I'd have a word. He seemed a good worker but his interpersonal skills are poor. Not the best visit but at least the sun was shining!!

Beautiful day in Abersoch. I just sat down for a cold drink.

Good beer and good friendly staff.

The food is great from the Snack Shack, the drink selection is varied and the staff are friendly.

£7 a pint now in here, which is more expensive than drinking in the airport. Taking the pi55 these lot

Quality boozer with the football always on Saved the day away on holiday this week. Friendly staff also

Typical Abersoch prices over the top NO NEED shear greed

Meant to be dog friendly although barmen scowled every time a dog made a sound. Dogs can’t sit on laps or anything told off in front of whole bar - not a dog friendly environment at all sadly as clearly barmen disliked dogs the sign posted stated no dogs on seats not laps!!

Great friendly atmosphere, super place to meet up with friends for a drink or two. Packed out on Christmas Day.

Lunchtime visit, lovely meal, good service and atmosphere. Will call again when in Abersoch.

Only place serving food in area on very wet weekend afternoon late. Large TV screens showing sport Very busy. Was made aware 45minute wait for food. Food presented well and reasonable portions. Beer selection OK. Was noisy and dogs allowed. Would describe as upmarket wheatherspoons.

Busy, great atmosphere. Relaxed. Lots of seating inside and out.

Absolutely beautiful brilliant, What a wonderful atmosphere and Show for the game fair

Have been going to The Vaynol for many years. Arrived in Abersoch on Friday and went straight there looking forward to lunch. The menu was so disappointing. Very basic and not much choice. Ordered a drink and the beer was flat. Didn’t return for the remainder of the week.

Absolutely appalling tasteless burger in a bun ordered by me and my wife. We ordered two burger meals with chips and I had the slightly more expensive meal that had a burger with bacon and cheese. Total for both meals £27. The meals duly arrived and we began eating them only to realise that there was no taste to the burgers. In utter despair at yet another awful British/ Welsh pub meal in front of us we proceeded to spice up the burgers in a bun with lashings of tomato ketchup and salt. It didn’t help at all. The burgers were tough with a rubber texture and clearly not of good quality. The fries were similar to those found in a KFC or Mac Donald’s and I was disappointed to not have traditional chips similar to those you purchase from a fish n chip shop.The portion of cheese in my burger had no taste to it and the texture of cellophane,so a perfect compliment to the bland burger. The bacon was reasonably ok. The bun or bap was fine. The single piece of lettuce was a disappointment as I’d expected more. Anyway, I could go on for hours but I won’t as I’d prefer to not write this at all,however, the meals were so horrible that I want to warn others not to order this mess should they be in the Vaynol. Incidentally,no staff member asked if everything was okay, the female staff member who took the order had no clue as to what the ingredients were on the burger which was on the Specials board and had no inclination to ascertain the answer to my question, the background music was loud and raucous, the drinks we ordered were ridiculously expensive but in fairness refreshing and most welcome on what was a very hot day. I didn’t complain on the day because I knew the manager wasn’t in the building and quite frankly I just wanted to go and not engage with any of the staff who were there. Finally, I’d just like to inform any readers that I ate most of my meal as I was starving as was my wife but it was not a pleasant meal at all,sadly.

Was physically abused by a member of staff who was not happy I locked my bike up to an unused table when the majority of tables were empty.

Been here every summer for the past ten years. Good food with slight fluctuations in quality, good selection of drinks and not extortionate prices

Terrible pizza, worse burger and bad taco. The place is ok, the staff were ok but lacklustre and the food was terrible. The burger is easiest to describe: a disgusting industrial slab of bad tasting meat without the blanket of a caramellised crust. Feeble lettuce and tomato and an industrial dull bun. Pizza also appalling. Terrible kitchen and almost certainly a management that thinks day-tripper types ( like me) don't care or don't deserve better. £12 would get a fab burger in most of Cornwall. The beer was fine and it was a decent looking bar.

Visited with 2 families just after 6pm which is when they start serving food. It was already packed out. Fortunately we found a table outside as another group was leaving. The staff were really friendly and service was fast and efficient. The food was fine and came quickly.

Great family pub can be busy, especially when the football is on but lots of seating options both inside and out. Worth a visit

Great live music and atmosphere outside in the front seating area, under the parasols with heaters. Brilliant evening out. Good selection of spirits and mixers at sensible prices too. Very dog friendly. 🐕

Mostly warm and welcoming....reasonably priced...food was delicious...good varied menu to suit everyone. Would definitely visit again

Was a cracking pub. Room at the front, room inside AND room, round the side!!!.......busy pub but was served for food and drinks pretty quickly and the food was served by happy staff. Dog friendly and even has live music! Just what you need in Abersoch!!!👍👍👍👍👍

Been here many, many times. It gets better every time. A quintessentially good Pub, lockdown must have been a nightmare but this pub’s manager has used his imagination and grit to enable it to come out of the trauma better than ever. Well done Ben !!

Didn't eat so can't comment on the food. Place was clean, tidy and well serviced with regards to glass & plate collection. It's fair to say the owners have and instill in their staff a good degree of customer service awareness The placed, understandably, seemed to have many more holidaymakers than locals (Read into that your positive or negative connotations regarding that demographic). The front beer garden unfortunately had no green stuff, being at the front of the pub on a concreted area (Not unlike every other pub in the town centre) - This outside front area was very packed (Given the glorious weather) so was a bit less organised than the interior. To be fair though it's a pretty-ish town so looking out over the street wasn't bad at all. If you don't fancy an urban setting to your al-fresco experience there's a large more traditional beer garden at the back as well, with as much grass as you'd want. Given the general serenity of the town, no doubt a quieter place to have a drink. Not a bad place to any degree.

Nice dog friendly pub, but considering its peak time of year, they do not serve food all day. I noticed people were bringing sandwiches from other shops to eat outside. The pub is losing business. Maybe worth paying a full time chef. On the positive, staff seemed friendly and pub well presented and clean.

....good food. Went to The Vaynol for a midweek evening meal expecting a limited menu and were told full menu was available. Pizza was very nice as was the chicken burger; but what made the visit was the friendly welcome and efficient service. Oh and being able to sit outside and enjoy the evening sun.

Much better places to eat locally. Too hit and miss with food..potion size and taste. Go elsewhere for sure.

Yes vanol is a nice place for a meal and a drink and out side area

Waited ages to be served. We were both blatantly ignored for atleast 20 minutes, until someone next to us said that we were before him. We only wanted two drinks.

A pub like no other. The service we experienced was absolutely second to none. Elgan went above and beyond to make us feel welcome (special shout out for helping with some terrible heartburn). Sean was also fab, and poured a wonderful mini Guinness. We will be back every summer without a doubt! Cheers lads for making our experience one in a million.

Great dog friendly, people friendly pub. Live sport and great atmosphere. Didn't eat just drinks.

We bought an ice cream from the pub ice cream parlour. We then sat down at a table to eat it and got told to move because it had to be washed, even though it wasn’t dirty .. couldn’t wait five minutes …won’t be going back…!!

Visited this venue today and was not disappointed at all! Never known a public house/restaurant be as pet friendly so very accommodating. I was served by 2 wonderful young ladies today I believe names were allie n molly may I say the are a credit to your staff base! Very pleasant great to chat with permanent smiles and very efficient workers. Well done girls. The interior is very sleek modern and spotless toilets were flawless and the outside area is fab with great hanging baskets and excellent sized beer table/benches. Thoroughly enjoyed our time there 5 star from me all round. Didn't eat as we already had but wish we had given the gorgeous pizzas we saw people devouring.

Perfect pub in the centre of Abersoch. Perfect for a cold one after a day at the beach. Staff are great too!

Great spot sitting in the sun with drinks, served quickly, friendly staff clearing tables regularly and toilets were clean - would definantly return!

Very good JD's pub busy but quick service

Wonderful place in the heart of the beautiful village of Abersoch. Great food, drinks and atmosphere and runs like a Swiss watch

Good selection of beer. Not tried the food

Great food and a good selection of beers. As a 0% drinker the choices were good.

Great pub, friendly staff and dog friendly

Great food and Atmosphere. Ordered the fish and chips amazing quality and prompt service, we did visit in the quite drain but they very accommodating and friendly great value for money which is hard to find in Abersoch.

Absolutely delicious Sunday lunch, the lamb was very tender and vegetables perfectly cooked.

Menu was overpriced and very limited. More of a pub than a restaurant. Did stay long enough to try the beer.

Good food, disapointed it has changed so much since it was my regular back in the 70s -80s I was a regular and on the darts team, now there is no sine of a dart board.

Great pub. Only go in when the season is over through the winter months.

Great pub, lovely draft beer, nice food

Nice pub,but menu in off season very limited I.e Pizza, this should be mentioned somewhere

Local ales, sample before you buy, lovely helpful staff even when busy

Excellent pub.. friendly and great food and drink

Yes went to the vaynol and sat in the court yard in the sun and had some lunch the food was great and the service was brilliant 5 stars for you cheers ken lee

We loved this pub, packed every night, great location too.

Great service, and food to match.

Great pub. Good food, nice staff, plenty of t.v's when the footballs on

Brilliant Sunday lunch . Will Visit again soon 👍

Excellent pub in a lovely beachside location, staff very friendly and attentive and also dog friendly A great place for a family evening drink and meal

Great evening - live music and Superb food from Sanjeys Jerk Pan Kitchen. Thanks to Ben for 6 weeks of live music in the Vaynol Beer Garden. Fantastic summertime in Abersoch.

Great atmosphere here, nice pub with great food.

Enjoyed it, had too sit outside as had 2 dogs, is dog friendly but was busy, generally a welcoming pub.

Nice pub in the middle of Abersoch great location,amazing food

Nice pub, staff pleasant. Footy on, good atmosphere.

Great place with a great atmospher

Excellent lively pub with a couple of fine local beers and tasty food

Great icecream on a fantastic sunny day! My dog loved her doggy icecream!

Have found Abersoch to be an extremely friendly and welcoming place, this pub personifies this. Friendly staff, lovely pub and great clientele on our visit. Unfortunately for us, we visited on a Wednesday night when the kitchen is not open. Still had a really pleasant evening with a couple of pints. 5*

Great place to sit outside on a nice day. Dog friendly, just around the corner from the stunning abersoch beach. In a great high street, with lots of shops cafe's restaurants and bars and another fab beach at the end of the Rd

We were hoping to eat at The Vaynol but they were not serving food Wednesday or Thursday this week. So we opted to stay for a drink and managed to get a table on their front patio. They have two further outside areas, a courtyard (no smoking and no dogs) and a beer garden to the rear. All areas were kept clean and tidy but like most of the pubs and restaurants in Abersoch their is clearly a lack of staff.

Lovely pub sat outside in the sun. Food delicious.

Lovely place good food bit pricey but very enjoyable although I was overcharged on initial food order by about £6.00 Good place though dould go again

Always worth a visit when in Abersoch.

Bardzo smaczne dania, przemiła obsługa

Gorgeous food, reasonably priced

Fantastic service, friendly staff and amazing food for great value!!! Didn’t expect such tasty food for such good prices. Highly satisfied.

Excellent food and service. Beautiful place.

OK pub, but expensive. Greated by a most miserable staff member, not welcoming at all. Maybe it was the rain getting them down, but they were inside. Loads of dogs everywhere, this seems normal now. At least this pubs says no dogs on seats.

We had a lovely lunch here on Friday the cod & chops were too big to finish. We had the bar snacks (scotch eggs) onSaturday delicious. Definitely worth a visit.