The Black Boy Inn, Caernarfon

I had wonderful food experiences at Black Boy Inn.
And I wrote something on my blog about.
This place has to be recommended to anybody!
http://bit.ly/v9FrRt

over priced tripe, what a let down. I had to go in this place as they had blocked the road with tables and chairs and drunk people spilling out everywhere even in the kids playground opposite .anyway after entering this old place i ordererd a pint of bitter and stake and chips, after waiting 30 mins for my food i asked the waiter where it was he went and checked and came back with my food which was just warm my stake was cooked to death and the chips very greasy i told the waiter about this and he took the meal back to the kitchen after a further 5 mins wait he returned with the same plate of food but this time it was steaming,it had been microwaved this time,so i went to the bar asked for the manager and he gave me a full refund including my two pints and appologised saying they had a new chef who wasnt quite on the ball…

Disappointing. Took a while for me to place my order at the bar as the barman served two customers who came in after me first, and the waitress who served us our food wasn't very polite. The food's presentation was superb and there was a generous portion of everything, but the food was nothing speical considering the expensive prices and the home made chips made me feel a bit sick afterwards to be honest. Despite the nice atmosphere, surroudings and nice clean toilets, we won't be returning for food again, just drinks.

I'm from the States and came to Caernarfon with little knowledge of the local area or the folks that populate it. I was a little daunted by the odd review recounting inhospitable locals and high crime. After the visit, well I found none of that. The Inn itself is excellent save for the second fire door on the way to my room--being American I always wear a ball cap so I didn't see the low beam and whacked my head on it every time. Check in was easy, and with utility employee Georgie we easily navigated the rabbit warren that lead to my room. The room is smallish by U.S. standards as is the bathroom but was still quite comfortable. A plus is the opening windows as it's a lot warmer and damper here than in Colorado. The bed was very comofrtable as well. Had a small issue with wi-fi that was quickly resolved with a word to the front desk.
I tried most of the traditional offerings on the menu which is the same in the bar as the restaurant and they were all wonderful. Usually I'm not much for breakfast but the 'full Welsh' was too good to pass up. Did make it difficult to ramp up for lunch. Service was ever prompt and courteous. The lamb shank was particularly good.
I went over to the pub every night of my stay and found no reason to wander elsewhere. The bar staff, Will, Paul and Helen were very welcoming and helpful and I developed a fondness for Rev. Andrews ale upon their recommendation. I met several locals that are regulars that were very welcoming and soon were taunting me as an equal. After a hard day of hanging out in the nearby (100 yards?) castle I really looked forward to joining my new found friends in the pub.
All in all a brilliant introduction to Wales and the Welsh!

I absolutely love this traditional inn found in the heart of Caernarfon. Great food, great beer, great atmosphere and service - what more could a person ask for? Everytime I go back to Caernarfon, I can’t help but drop in for a beer here!

Great family run pub in the middle of Caernarfon.Went in last thursday evening at about 6.15 pm and was surpriesed as to how busy it was compared to other places in the town.Had a drink in the bar and seeing what the other customer were getting as a meal decided to have a bar meal myself.Must say the staff were very freindly.Service was fast and the meal itself was large to say the least.Had the steak and home made chips with onion rings and was taken aback to how large the meal was.This is one place I will be visiting again.

An absolute gem of a pub in the walled city of Caernarfon. The pub is close to the shops in the city, the castle and the beach. Meals are absolutely delicious here - trythe roast lamb on a Sunday. Friendly staff and reasonably priced drinks and food as well. I haven’t stayed at the B&B but I believe that too to be excellent. Caernarfon is quite well known locally for being unfriendly but the customers in this pub are always chatty.

There’s a pool table but there never seems to be groups of rowdy teenagers surrounding it. The pub seems to be the kind where you’ll always get a quite table in a corner, no matter what day it is or what time of day it is. And never any trouble.

Excellent pub.

Interestingly named pub - obviously some controversy about the name, as they have left some of the previous signs there, and i think the most recent one attempted to rename it the 'black buoy’.

Going into this place is a bit like taking a step into a wine bar 15 years ago. There are elements where they have tried to become more upmarket but then they have failed.

Drinks
Ordered guiness and black - spot on, served in guiness glass.

Food
Good range of seafood - but veggie options limited. Two italian choice - Gnocchi and Ravioli, vegetable fajitas, or an omellette.

I went with the gnochii - i was intrigued by the creamy sauce that included grapes and peas.

I also ordered their 'special’ garlic bread which was just a chunk of bread with some garlic flavoured butter - no cloves of garlic evident, and nothing to give it the 'special’ tag.

The Gnocchi was ok but only 10 small dumpling, the sauce had peas and grapes in it as promised, but the peas showed evidence of being reheated in a microwave. The sauce also had a helping of grated cheese on the top.

Others in the group had the roast dinner which to be fair did look very impressive with nice thick slices of meat, and some homemade Yorkshire pudding, and a decent amount of vegetables.

Prices were on the expensive side, had they been slightly cheaper then it would have been good value for money, but the food didn’t really justify the price.

Great place to eat or drink at while in Caernarfon. Located within the walls itself it’s a great base for travellers wishing to visit the Caernarfon/Snowdonia area.
The decor is a little dated but the b&b is cheap to stay at and the breakfast is bountiful (although the continental choice is rather cheese heavy!)
Located close to the main shopping area and 2 minute walk from the castle itself it’s a fab place to stay.