My Favourite Spots for Eating and Drinking in Barmouth

The seaside town of Barmouth in North Wales has a resident population of around 3,000 people.  However, during the summer months, this can swell up to 25,000 and, if you happen to drive through it, you can spend a bit of time avoiding parked cars and the tourists who happily wander across the road at random.   It certainly keeps you on your toes if you’re not accustomed to it.  

This might be down to the fact that the town has a lovely, laid back atmosphere and attracts many visitors due to its fabulous location on Cardigan Bay.   There’s so much to do during the season, and these are my favourite spots for indulging in my hobby of eating and drinking.  Mind you, I haven't tried them all yet, so chances are the list will continue to grow…

Barmouth Bridge, Cardigan Bay.  And also some boats.  

Murray’s Cafe Bar:

My parents came down from Scotland recently to visit us and, by all accounts, eat cakes and drink coffee.   My Mum’s still talking about the lemon drizzle scone she had at Murray's,  so LT and I decided we had to check it out.   

The Cafe sits on King Edward Street and has a distinctive red awning with the name emblazoned on it. It’s a beautifully decorated space and is really cosy.  The staff are warm and friendly and the array of home baked goods that sits on top of the main serving counter could make even the most hardened anti-cake person (me, for example), think about reassessing whether my food intolerance would really take a hit if I just had a tiny piece of cake.  Alarm, I already know the answer to this, but LT has a stomach of steel, so I make him my (very willing) guinea pig for blog purposes. He's a good monkey. 

I had a fantastic coffee while LT indulged in Welsh ham panini and something with chocolate in and we sat back and enjoyed the lovely atmosphere.  Murray’s also has a small deli/shop area, where you can buy a host of fabulous Welsh produce (and alcohol…).  I write about alcoholic way too often, don’t I? I’m not addicted, honestly. I just like supporting local business.  Or something like that. 

Murray's Cafe Bar exterior

So many goodies... 

The Lobster Pot:

After a hard day out on the Barmouth lifeboat for The Three Peaks Challenge, LT and I, along with a few friends, popped in for a late dinner at this harbour side restaurant.   The menu is, as you'd expect, seafood orientated, which meant that LT had to try the Thermidor and I opted for that famous seafood speciality, the Thai Green Chicken Curry.  The setting is really lovely and our friends were telling us that they often go in to pick up fresh lobster to take home, as well as eating in.   The interior is decorated in a mostly seafaring theme, with great Welsh picture word prints on the walls, which I spent a while giggling at and trying to work out if they’d notice if I pinched it for my front room.  You can take the girl out of Scotland…

Prices are fairly reasonable and outdoor seating is available, should the sun be shining over the bay.  It’s a lovely spot for a special occasion, or just to celebrate not falling overboard from a Lifeboat. Go me!

Bring me lobster.  Now.  

The Mermaid:

I drive past this three days a week on my way home from work and there’s always a queue out the door.   I rarely eat fish and chips, but LT loves them and assures me these are the best he’s had in the town.  This is a takeaway outlet, which is located on Jubilee Street and within a few seconds walk of the train station. 

Get in the queue, grab some chips, and find a bench overlooking the bay to enjoy your food and the view.

The Captain's Table:
This lovely restaurant can be found on Church Street and has a huge menu, with a mix of traditional British dishes, tons of fresh seafood options, and my personal favourite, a fabulous Spanish paella.  There are also daytime menus where you can grab a lighter bite.  I defy you not to love it.  

Take a seat at the Captain's Table.   

Myrddins Bar Caffi:
We found this little restaurant when we visited Barmouth after LT had accepted a job offer and we were scouting out the area to find somewhere to live.  We visited out of season and this was one of the few places that was still open for business, serving food in the evenings.  It's a pretty small space, but the lady who served us was just lovely and I had the best Peri Peri Chicken I've ever had (it was fabulously hot!).   The menu was great, with a good selection on offer.  

I spotted my very first Welsh dragon in Myrddins, where he was sitting, quite contentedly, in his cage doing, well....dragony stuff.  I don't actually know what it is that dragons do, but I'm sure he was doing it splendidly.  I'm desperate to go back.   For the food and the dragon.   


Saffron:
This was another one of those off season visits we had while we were deciding whether to relocate to North Wales.   I LOVE Indian food and the atmosphere and staff within Saffron were both fantastic.  The menu was excellent and had all the extremely spicy food that I love, a well as a range of not so spicy food for LT.   Basically, it was a regular Indian menu, with a mixture of their own specialities included.   We often visit Harlech Tandoori in our own village and this one is just as good.   It's really reasonably priced and is a lovely space.  Every time I pass it I promise I'll go back.  My main worry is that it's located so close to a Fudge shop, so I'd end up consuming my own body weight in curry and sweets and would have to do A LOT of exercise to burn it all off.

...and while I'm on the subject of Fudge, if you're visiting Barmouth, you must visit Fudgeridoo.  As well as the range of waist expanding, homemade fudge, it might be the prettiest shop in town.   It's so well laid out and is a riot of beautiful gifts.   As I tend to be on the clumsy side, walking around the shop does make me a little nervous about knocking stuff over, but it's clear that a LOT of time and effort has gone in to making look the way it does.   

I defy you not to buy something... 

Have you been to Barmouth for lunch, dinner, or drinks?  Where are your favourite places  to hangout?