Y Banc restaurant in Gwynedd

Food was fine but horrifically overpriced. If they reduced the prices by 50%, then all good. But unfortunately not worth the money. Suggest you go elsewhere.

Visited for lunch, was very quiet. I was drawn in by the inexpensive coffee! Lunch was good, pleasant staff.

There were 3 adults and one child in our party and we ate from the Christmas menu. All of us has the 3 course option and I have to say the food was superb. I don't normally like a cooked dinner in a restaurant (I prefer home cooked) but the meals we had tonight was absolutely fantastic. We were lucky that it was quiet for a Friday.

We visited here for a Sunday lunch. First impression was ok. We were the only people in but 2 other tables soon came in. Service started of slow & went down hill. 45 mins later & we hadn’t had our starters which would have been ok if it would have been busy. Soup was very thick & lacking in flavour. Nearly an hour later our main course arrived. No one checked if we wanted more drinks. You could clearly see the other 2 tables where feeling the same , the staff where no where to be seen. Food again just ok. Not terrible but not great. Staff service again none excitant. Dessert, sticky toffee pudding, burnt & very dry & no sticky toffee sauce. Again edible but that was about it. Would we return?? No Would we recommend?? No

Myself and my family participated in the Escape rooms nearby on a Sunday and always planned on going somewhere for food afterwards but had no idea where to. Banc was only a few doors down and looked nice from the outside, so decided to give it a go. Very glad we did! It’s a Lovely restaurant with great decor. They had a Christmas menu and I decided to have a traditional Turkey dinner - the meat was lovely and moist and the roast potatoes were out of this world! I also had Mozzerala sticks for starters which was lovely. 2 courses were £16.95 and 3 course was £21.95 which was great value, especially as the portion size was generous. Before Sunday, we had no idea about the restaurant, but now that I’ve been there, I will certainly be going back soon!

We only went in for drinks. It was raining out so we wanted hit drinks to warm up. Staff were speedy, efficient and friendly. The hot chocolate was also very nice 👌

Where can you go for coffee for £1, Brilliant 👏

Small portions for a rather expensive restaurant for this part of Wales. Food though was well prepared with good quality sides and condiments. The environment needs a tad more energy and so do the staff. I guess a rainy, cold November evening is not the ideal time to be serving hungry hikers 🙂

Decent food, decent prices. Nice location. Staff are friendly and attentive. Easy to find on one of the main streets in Porthmadog. Plenty of space. Might get busy sometimes, so it's probably worth booking at the weekend really. Good selection of food, and tasty too. Alcohol is priced reasonably.

The ambience was excellent. The front of house staff were absolutely lovely, they really were. But the food was really really poor. Various burgers were very poor quality ingredients, leaving no opportunity to be enhanced by the chef. A pizza was abominable (even if the burgers couldn't be helped in the kitchen, the pizza definitely was kitchen's fault). Would have complained but didn't want to spoil family occasion, and actually felt sorry for front of house staff. Whoever does the buying-in must take the responsibility. It is many years since I have left a critical review such as this, if ever.

horrible experience eating here. never coming back, ever! Waited over an hour for food!

Very well priced and tasty special for lunch. Lemonade tasted a bit strange and I wasn't happy that there were no not-low-sugar coke options as I can't stand aspartame fake sugar taste. Generally, and I may be being unfair since it used to be a bank, it lacks atmosphere, but if you want a tasty, quick lunch I recommend it.

Tried this restaurant on a wet Porthmadog Thursday after a train ride to Ffestiniog and was pleasantly surprised. Service was good and the spicy chicken wings with salad and coleslaw was absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. It was also a very generous portion so would definitely recommend.

A pleasant restaurant and coffee shop offering an interesting range of well presented and very appetising food. An oasis in a somewhat dismal town on a wet day, especially after a train ride to the slate tips of Blaenau Ffestiniog!

Just stayed in Porthmadog for a long weekend and was recommended to go here for food, we have been and everything was pleasant, you won’t starve, food hot and tasty but hot and miss if you get the right food, the 2 girls that were waiting on were very nice but it seemed as tho there were more wrong orders coming out of the kitchen than correct meals even to the point a family walked out..!!! Our food came and was all ok and was nice, central in Porthmadog, won’t return.

An amazing restaurant. Staff are wonderful and friendly, atmosphere is welcoming and best is that all the food is gluten free!! I could chose anything and know it was going to be delicious and I wasn't restricted to only a few options! This restaurant is a must for anyone who's gluten free

Visited restaurant on sat night (7/10/23) with a 14 people, restaurant was very quiet for a Saturday night, food choices was poor & over priced, service was ok but slow & waitress bought food bit at a time not all together, food was disgusting

Gorgeous selection of small plates which we’re actually very big. Gorgeous Camembert and fantastic service.

We had a really lovely meal at Y Banc, the food was delicious, nicely presented, with generous portions, but all four of us managed clean plates at the end! It's definitely worth saving some room for a dessert, the sticky toffee pudding and cheese cake were homemade (both gluten-free) and very yummy. The staff were helpful and friendly even though the restaurant was quite busy (booking a table is highly recommended) but the service was relaxed, not hurried, so don't expect to be in and out quickly, however we just enjoyed the time to chat.

Waitress Ela was very helpful , the food was amazing, will definitely come again

After 8pm on a Saturday night, this was the only place still serving food. Had the vegetarian Wellington, which was a delight. Great atmosphere and friendly staff.

I’ll start with positive the wine was good as was the cider after drinks meal went downhill Meat balls tasteless rubber ball’s swimming in what appeared to be tinned tomatoes pasta bland The skewed prawns weren’t served on bottled pickled red cabbage plain salad totally tasteless The spicy chicken turned out to be undercooked wings quantity didn’t make up for lack of quality little spice shook over The potas bravas. Ie boiled potatoes in tinned tomato’s the bravas never saw any spices or smokiness the Alioli never touched by garlic probably bought from Costco in plastic tub

Excellent service and excellent food, fully recommend 👍

Good value and great customer service from the bar staff.

Y Banc is one of only a few non-pub restaurants in town which gives it a ton of opportunity to be a wonderful option on high street. Food was solid but staff was a bit disinterested and atmosphere was sterile and chaotic. It felt like a cafeteria rather than a nice restaurant - the lights were on fully bright and dishes clattering constantly - a dimmer, and some nice music would make a world of difference and up the game a lot!

We had a lovely evening here, the food was wonderful and we had great service from Macy!

Arrived to find Staff disinterested and dishevelled wearing clothes with holes in! Told to choose my own table which we did n then was left sat there for a long time before my partner had to approach staff to take our drinks n food order Table sticky and cutlery,glasses dirty Waited ages for drinks n table water 2 tables arriving after us served first Eventually soft drinks arrived they were flat n tasted strange! Did inform staff twice but again staff disinterested Starters when eventually arrived seemed from a microwave or butternut stewed far too long n Camembert more like cheese on toast consistency with stale bread we nearly decided to pay n walk out as ridiculous Again another long wait for mains Mains honestly were the best part and were cooked very well and delicious despite the long wait the turkey beef and lamb mains were the best part of the whole experience We decided to forgo dessert as we had seen n eaten enough and just wanted to leave by then so requested the bill and staff came over with no bill but a payment ms gone to pay an amount he told us with no bill! Requested a bill again to finally be given it to find a service charge had been added and drink had been charged even though not drank because it tasted strange Pointers to owners Staff need retraining n to smarten themselves up and have better rapport with customers and maybe crack a smile or two Cleanliness should be top priority of a restaurant so glasses,tables n cutlery need to be cleaned n checked If drinks not correct then apologise and rectify the matter politely do not just ignore customer Starters need to be freshly cooked Mains very good so maybe stick to what chef knows as good enough for a Sunday lunch If good customer service isn’t given n customer had reason to complain do not add the service charge nor drink that was not drank All in all we would avoid but if you like cheap Sunday lunches then give it a whirl but don’t expect any customer service or cleanliness

Sunday lunch, served with extra potato's because they had NO veg. We had to collect our own cutlery. No beer only larger. Service apporling. No recite machine run out of paper.

What a spectacular place,food is out of this world and the owner is more than welcoming ...definitely a place we will be returning too and recommending..

Very nice food, great service. We couldn’t fault our experience

Lovely food and great service! Thank you!

such a lovely place!! The staff are so welcoming😍 would definitely come again x

We visited Y Banc for Sunday lunch and what a lovely visit! A warm welcome from staff followed by quick and efficient service. The food was divine, and very reasonable portions for such a good price! We didn’t have to wait long at all for food considering it was during their busy period as well. All the staff were very accommodating and nothing was too much trouble. Loved that the restaurant was dog friendly too. We will definitely be returning soon :)

Myself and some friends come down annually for a camping trip and find ourselves here each time, all the staff are very friendly and are so catering for any extra needs. This time we had three dogs with us and they were treated like customers themselves. Once again the food was unbelievable. The restaurant is beautiful and clean and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there and we will definitely coming again. Thank you to all the staff.

Brilliant food and service! Thank you, highly recommend!

Just had the Tomohawk steak wow a must try cooked to perfection!! And the customer service A1 👌

Excellent vegan Wellington. The best gravy!

Incredible service and the best food. Really impressed with Y Banc Restaurant and will definitely be returning soon. The food was delicious and really made the trip special. Thank you very much 😊

Lovely friendly atmosphere, we were greated and seated quickly. Very quick and efficient service from the staff. Food arrived quickly and tasted outstanding! We had the Sunday lunch and our group order various mains including the turkey, beef and lamb which were all cooked exceptionally. For puddings we tried the sorbets and sticky toffee puddings, brilliantly homemade. Great set price for two meals as well. The restaurant was also very accommodating and friendly towards our three dogs. We will definitely be returning and recommending Y Banc to friends.

Exceptional food and service, really sets the bar high. Made the trip to Porthmadog very special. We definitely will be returning very soon! Thank you Y Banc Restaurant

We were looking for somewhere with gluten free food and this place was perfect. The chef is coeliac, so everything on the menu is gluten free as a first option. The food is simple and filling. I had meatballs and pasta and hubby had a burger and chips. The sticky toffee pudding was wonderful. Hubby was less impressed with the myrtle cheesecake, as the myrtle didn’t go with the lemon cheesecake. This place is a good one if you want to be able to eat safely with a gluten allergy or coeliac. People who do not have an issue with gluten will not appreciate how special this place is. For us coeliac or allergy sufferers, it’s a haven.

Cheap ingredients, everything very average. I have been more impressed at a pub chain. They are not helping themselves, it could be much better. The pint was the most enjoyable part

We were VERY hesitant about eating here after reading the recent poor reviews but with a severe lack of gluten free and cross contamination safe other venues, we ended up eating here with my coeliac daughter. On arrival we were informed of the separate preparation and cooking areas for gluten free items. My daughter had the largest bowl of meatballs and GF pasta I've ever seen, and my partner opted for regular burgers (one classic and one haloumi). We were pleasantly surprised by all. For dessert we had a wonderful GF cheesecake and GF sticky toffee pudding. Our bill including drinks for three of us was £60.99, roughly £20 each which in my opinion we'd easily spend at any pub lunch. Being city dwellers I guess we're used to paying £15 for a burger! Not bad at all... by no means the best but nor the worst place we've eaten at all.

After one hour of waiting for order I get cold burger in frozen buns. Never back again

Lovely building, atmosphere and amazing food!

Fantastic meal , lovely Sea Food and Steaks , Coctails really good .Very reasonably priced and Beautiful interior that keeps the charm of and old Bank

Really disappointed with my visit! Have been meaning to try for ages and popped in for lunch. It was near enough empty (probably a sign) but the interior looked nice and the menu appealing so we sat down. On closer inspection the menu is quite limited and very expensive. Given there were only 2 tables we waited a long time for worse than average food. I make better meatballs and pasta at home - didn’t look or taste home cooked. My prawns were so over cooked I couldn’t prize them out of the shells and there was no flavour to them. The mussels had no sauce. Bravas had no flavour other than loads of mayo. I asked for bread with my mussels which took ages to come and I was charged £5 odd for ‘bread and oils’ (no oils came). Charged £3 a glass for soda water. Very expensive and very poor. Staff were young girls who were pleasant but no sense of urgency, experience or care - hence I didn’t complain. The only thing I enjoyed was the wine! Unfortunately I wouldn’t go back unless I hear of significant changes.

Average food not very well presented for the money - photo below posh surf and turf priced at 36 no presentation really.

Fabulous place with a great food choice. Something different to the usual sandwich.

We went here because we couldn’t get in anywhere else and we were really hungry after a day of travelling. My partner had the meatball pasta and it was over cooked pasta with what tasted like a tin of unseasoned chopped tomatoes and frozen meatballs, also had a pint of Staropramen which he said didn’t taste quite right. Daughter 1 had the prawns from the small plates which come with full shells, heads and legs on. They were over cooked so we couldn’t get the shells off without destroying half of the meat. Daughter 2 had halloumi burger which she said was fine. I had the spicy chicken, which was actually chicken wings, but relatively tasty enough. We shared the garlic chips which were nice, if not a bit greasy. Not cheap either! We didn’t complain at the time because we didn’t want to wait for anything else to be made and just made a mental note not to come back again.

Absolutely terrible. Booked a table for the Sunday roast after walking past the day before. Arrived to blank faces, no hello, welcome etc, no one seated us so we seated ourselves. I ordered a glass of Prosecco - completely flat. We both had the butternut squash starter (I’d actually seen other starters I would have preferred on the menu outside which weren’t on the menu inside) both starters were dripping in oil. Our ‘rump beef’ Sunday roast arrived. Well it looked vile. It had never seen rump beef. I couldn’t cut through it, and the rest was just slop on a plate, drowned in thick jelly-like gravy. Oh and a frozen style Yorkshire pudding thrown on top! We of course couldn’t eat this so paid for our drinks and starters (not sure why we paid for our starters or the flat Prosecco but I felt bad on the young waitress) please don’t waste your time coming here. It ruined our afternoon and we then had to find somewhere else to eat that was actually edible. Such a shame as we were really looking forward to it.

Very good food but the grilled salmon I ordered was really poor!

I can't comment on food as looks amazing, but the staff never seem very happy. I'm sure they could smile and be friendly if they wanted to.

Staff were friendly enough but the service was fortunately a bit lacking and slow. We asked for olives which were forgotten about and didn't arrive. The kids enjoyed their meals as did I but it seemed a bit basic considering the price. The meatballs and pasta that I had particularly seemed overpriced at £14.50. My wife had steak which was also overdone. When we asked for dessert menus we seemed to be forgotten about and I had to go and ask for the bill which came promptly. Admittedly we only went to this restaurant as we couldn't find anywhere else open that pleased everyone. If you find yourself in a similar situation i'd possibly recommend going to the chippy down the road instead.

Il locale é carino e i dipendenti gentili…. basta …. tutto il resto lascia a desiderare. Benché ci fossero stati...

Popped in for a coffee. Lovely place.

Visited Banc as we were staying in Porthmadog and had read this place was good for coeliacs. Lots of item free options but the food was very mediocre. We had pork belly which was incredibly dry and in a weird watery sauce, meatballs, prawns, pizza,...

Husband had tapas which looked lovely. I had a burger which was only a step up from burger van, sadly. As others have said, very pricey for what it is. We started out as one of only 2 filled tables. Although it did get busier, having gone on a Saturday night I was surprised at how quiet it was.

Don’t waste your time and money. Simply awful! An hours wait for terrible food. Cold veg wellington, cremated burgers. Cold stale buns. Heated up frozen pizza.

The one star is because you can’t give zero. This is the worst restaurant experience my family have had ever! We waited 55 mins for lunch, no apology! Our party included a 6 year old who eventually got a heated frozen pizza. The burgers were cremated. The buns were straight out of the fridge but stale nevertheless. The vegetarian wellington was cold in the middle with uncooked chickpeas. Just don’t go there!

I went with a friend for an early dinner. The menu offered plenty of choice, but as we weren't very hungry we opted to share Baked Camembert. It was a good choice because it was gooey and delicious and came with lots of crusty bread....

Wednesday 12th july 2023 wife(wheelchair user) and I had a kids free night, and after looking around, we found this quaint little place. The menu looked good for the various GF and dairy free food. An accessible ramp to gain access and plenty of space to move around. Staff helped us with the menu and let us know what could be changed for dairy free alternatives. My wife had the prawns and myself the pork belly starters with a katsu curry sauce. My wife loved the prawns, and the pork belly was one of the best I've eaten. Onto our mains, we both had the meatball pasta wife had the GF pasta option and had sides of the millionaire fries and garlic fries and some GF breads, all of which tasted wonderful. Staff were friendly and inviting, and happy to answer any questions about the food. Portions were good-sized, and we had to take a doggy bag with us with the bread and some of the meatball pasta.

We went to Y Banc restaurant whilst having a few days in Porthmadog and we had a really enjoyable meal which was cooked to perfection. We both had the salmon which was delicious. The only thing we regret is in not having a portion of...

Food served cold , the price of a bottle of corona , taken off the bill

Neat place to go to for lunch and enjoyed the surroundings of being a converted bank with what looked like the original vault door being retained. However we had an issue with overcooked camembert to the point where it was solid. Also service charge was automatically included, this was just for the two of us.

We had a great meal here 2 years ago and looked forward to returning. We had a very disappointing meal this time of and poor indifferent service. I had 3 tapas dishes, 2 of which were very badly cooked. The service was good to start...

Lukewarm food and the worst patatas bravas we have ever had. Basically boiled potatoes in tomato sauce with a dollop of mayonnaise on top

Had a lovely lunch here - food arrived promptly and was very good. A very nice ambience. Would definitely recommend

Lacks atmosphere, the food was simply awful, the pasta meatballs, were like a budget supermarket frozen cheepo range. It’s also very expensive for what you get. The waitress was really nice. But, I left feeling disappointed .

After a family morning at the beach came across the restaurant. Nice setting inside. Sadly let down by the food the Moules marinnere over cooked, no herb or garlic with dishwasher water as a sauce. Meatball and pasta game out like a school dinner and with packet pasta & rubbery meatballs. I have had microwave meals with more flavour. Half a bowl of soup with what’s seemed like the day before bread. A very big let down as going by the menu looked good.

We order lots of small plates for Tapas, and we got tons of food. Good value.

Called in for a drink and snack early afternoon it wasn’t busy so put our order in,20 minutes later we received our cups of tea then a further 15 minutes later the waitress informed us that they gave one of our meals to the table...

The good part is that the staff were friendly and the seating was nice, as were the toilets. I had scallops with black pudding which was lovely, my wife had antipasti which she enjoyed. Her vegetable Wellington was very tasty. There was an incredible delay...

We arrived around 18:00 as it was late and we were struggling to find a restaurant/ pub for food . We ordered bread & oil to start and Halloumi to start ….When then waited a good 30 mins for mains after this time …. 2x...

Nice location. Sunday dinner was kinda ok. Service was slow, meals came out with large gaps between with people sat without food.

We came here on a weekend evening for my husbands birthday celebration. Staff were very thoughtful and made an effort for his Birthday. Communication was great throughout two shifts as we were in at lunchtime to organise birthday hammers and cake etc. I’m Sorry I...

This restaurant served a very nice sunday lunch, we had roast turkey with all the trimmings and loads of veg. Very good value. Easy location to find on the High street. The only problem was that it was difficult to find parking as the town...

Looks decent from the outside, but food is just not good, had the burger, but this was not the kind of meat you would expect from a restaurant, same meat you get in the store ( probably frozen) restaurant not clean, ( dead flies from multiple days ) Sorry, but not recommended

we went to the bank restaurant when visiting Portmadog and snowdon for the weekend. the sunday lunch was fantastic, really good value. the vegetarian roast was nice. the staff were friendly too. limited choice of beers, but plenty of other drinks and wines.

DO NOT GO! Over priced pub food. The food was stale. I ordered, chicken wings as a starter and got piece's of chicken that tasted like it was food from the day before. I ordered The surf and turf as my main. The prawns were boiled to a point where they tasted like rubber, no flavour what so ever. The steak came as "well done" even through I had asked for medium rare. The meat tasted like Tesco's stake over cooked. Loads of dead flies on the window ledge. We still gave them the opportunity and benefit of the doubt and tried the food, but what a disappointment. Basically grim. If you're looking for a restaurant. This is not for you. If you're looking for food. This is not for you. The only thing I could say that was good was the waiter. Friendly. If only there was a zero star rating.

Myself, my partner and our 3 children came here for lunch today. I won't bore you with a long story as there isn't too much to tell. Firstly, my kids couldn't have anything to eat as the only thing on offer, bar a few starters...

A great Sunday roast for all our family. I had the roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, with all the trimmings, my partner had the vegan pastry wellington, whilst the kids both had turkey. Really good value meal for under £12. kids were half-price. Helpful staff....

Absolutely delicious, can't believe it's taken us so long to come here for food but so glad we went tonight. We had a cocktail whilst looking through the menu, they were fresh tasting, not sugary stuff, felt like holiday. The menu was simple, not pages...

This restaurant is totally out of its depth and I can honestly say it’s one of the worst dining experiences ever. We prebooked a table of 10 for 6.30pm on a Saturday in May. We arrived 5 minutes early for our booking. Orders were taken...

A group of 12 pre-booked our table. Arrived at 6.30 and by 8 pm no one had any food. After complaining the main courses turned up in dribs and drabs. 3 meals took a further 15 minutes to arrive. The slo-cooked braised steak was so...

Dropped in for lunch ... delicious food, nice atmosphere, very dog friendly, would recommend

The host was lovely however for the price the food was really poor for what it was. My girlfriend's mushrooms were raw in the middle for her ribeye steak. Considering it was probably £8-10 to source the steak charging £28 you could at least expect...

What a joke. Do not bother to go. My partner and I waited 45 minutes for our food, and got our main course before our starter course…. And no drinks. I had to go to the bar as no-one was bothered. 6 staff. 1 on...

Fantastic Sunday lunch. Huge portion size and very tasty. Friendly staff created a lovely ambience too

Took an hour to bring food out, when seated there was fish/mussel shells on the floor and hygiene was poor. Ordered the vegetable wellington and it was so small, for a ‘big plate’ more of a portion size for a starter. Even the waitress had agreed that it was ridiculous and said the kitchen is ‘all over the place’. This is a shame I’ve been going here for years on my annual visit to my hometown Porthmadog. But this visit has put me off any future visits.

We visited the Banc on a Saturday evening. The service was helpful and attentive. The atmosphere was good. The food was delicious especially the baked Camembert topped with chutney and the vegetarian Wellington, all washed down with a very nice glass of rose wine! We...

Although the food was good at the time, I’d asked for Gluten Free roast. It says on the menu GF yorkshires can be made upon request & as it wasn’t busy they brought out a Yorkshire pudding on my plate. When I double checked with...

Top quality food and one of the best restaurants for miles around. Friendly staff and a wonderful selection of food, most of which is gluten free (not that your non gluten free friends would know) From Sunday lunch to tapas or seafood this place does...

Went for my 60th birthday, and Stephen, along with his staff, layed on a lovely surprise. The food we had was excellent, service exemplary and the whole experience will never be forgotten. Would definitely recommend.

Food wasn't fantastic, not much choice on the menu.. burgers were awful it was bread than meat, just tasted like a fair burger.. meatball pasta way too much pasta nowhere near enough sauce extremely bland.. The only place we get booked in so decided to try it for Sunday lunch.. Sunday lunch.. meat really fatty couldn't be bothered to complain as waited long all our meals came out at different times.. it wasn't that busy.. roast potatoes were hard .. Yorkshire puds were defo frozen ones.. wouldn't be returning.. Staff overall were OK but slow on clearing plates.. and asking if you want any drinks.. The do provide well for gluten free 👏 but overall food naff My sis in law recommend this place as she had tapas last year and said it was amazing.. a shame they don't do it anymore and unfortunately wouldn't be returning after the experience we had..

Lovely Sunday lunch, good customer service and enjoyable food.

No tapas as web site very average burgers

Great Sunday lunch. Good portions, very tasty, great service, reasonably priced. Fixed menu on Sundays but still enough choice.

The burgers are the cheapest possible burgers you can buy/have. Dry roll also get some better burgers were they a £1 each appalling

From walking in, it was all a bit odd! The young girls running front of house were trying their best but the menu, food, and atmosphere weren't great. In hindsight we shouldn't have stayed!!