Welcome to The Old Courthouse, a stunning bistro restaurant, wedding venue, and private hire space located in the heart of this historic Welsh town of Caernarfon in North Wales. Our beautiful building is Grade 1 listed and was originally used as a courthouse, lending a unique and elegant atmosphere to your dining experience, wedding or private event.
The Bench Bistro boasts a seasonal menu of fresh, locally sourced ingredients, lovingly prepared by our talented chefs, and served in a relaxed and friendly setting.
With a rich history and a breath taking view of Caernarfon's magnificent castle, its distinctive architecture makes it a unique venue that exudes charm and sophistication.
Read more
The service was friendly and well timed. The food was tasty and well executed. Great building and relaxed atmosphere. Maybe just needs a more obvious and welcoming restaurant entrance. Might have seemed closed off to the general public from the outside.
Delightful food and fantastic live music. It's really special to have a place like this in Caernarfon, where you can enjoy the talent of West End performers!
Had dinner with a friend here in July. They managed to fit us in as a walkin despite being very busy. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and the food was excellent. The restaurant is really atmospheric, aided by what was a packed house of very happy diners when we were there
I don’t know where to start, maybe at the beginning. Lovely old building (ex Courthouse - there’s a clue in the name) next to the prison yard where executions used to take place. All I can say is I’m glad what we ate was not our last meal, though the Welsh rarebit with smoked haddock might have been prison food. And I’m being kind… The menu (very concise in Welsh and English) was very ambitious and if executed well (that word again) would be lovely. Only it wasn’t. We had coffees. Nice, not bitter - though £1 extra per cup for oat milk ought to be a hanging offence, so if the coffee wasn’t bitter, I was on discovering this unannounced upselling. The entrance by the way was confusing and quite unwelcoming…not sure where to go, but nice room once inside. Grand piano and palms with high ceiling, bar at one end. Expensive bent wood seating. Welsh Rarebit with Smoked Haddock seemed inviting (the photo of the rarebit on Google looked good) but the cheese would have been on the haddock instead of toast so we asked for the usual cheese on toast with the fish on the side. After a conflab out of sight it was agreed this would be possible. Two were then ordered with an Eggs Benedict. Now then…after a while and another coffee the food arrived - you can see the photos. The Rarebit was spread thinner than marmite on the thinnest bread I’ve seen recently with a piece of white fish next to it. When I say small I mean small. Take a look. We expected the usual smoked haddock - a slightly yellow fillet and a substantial piece of toasted bread covered in a cheesy sauce. The Eggs Benedict was quite good, runny eggs with a nice piece of real ham, though the sauce was unusually tart and the muffin strangely lacking in size and toastyness. And that was that. Oh…the bill. I didn’t see it but I was informed it was very expensive for what we had. Service was by one young person who had to do everything, and when coffee was being prepared conversation had to stop as the room took on the auditory ambiance of Euston station in the steam train era. We were glad to get out. What a shame! The site is historic, under the castle walls. The room renovated to a high standard. The menu intelligent and interesting. But something has gone drastically wrong. A basic lack of following through a good idea, and staff having to cope with unattainable goals. Somewhere like the Old Courthouse needs a mature manager to welcome people and oversee the pass, to check the food offering would stand up in court. Please don’t give up. Spend some time protecting your investment…
What can I say ! It started well, I was tempted by what seemed a nice menu, the soup was wonderful, but then it went downhill, first the sea bass was removed from the menu, and then nothing seemed to come out of the kitchen for almost 40 minutes. The place was less than half full, but people were waiting, and waiting. Got the impression someone was winging it in the kitchen that day and the staff were nervously telling people "almost ready " every 5 minutes. I am not in the habit of giving bad reviews, but it was a huge disappointment.
Sorry, we don't have any current events or offers for this pub.
Sorry, we don't have any current news or jobs for this pub.
Sorry, we don't have any menus listed at the moment.
Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55
4.1/5
Positioned in a great location, we’re the first building to greet you as you pass over the famous Thomas Telford suspension bridge and enter the Isle of Anglesey.
Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55
4.5/5
Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55
4.3/5
