'Seriously tasty' North Wales budget hotel bistro that won't break the bank

Seriously tasty food at seriously affordable prices - the Thyme Bar and Grill, the smart in-house restaurant at Llandudno’s new town centre Premier Inn, is a great place to eat, drink, relax and enjoy a casual dining experience. You really are spoilt for choice, as my friend Nerys and I found when we put it to the test.

Conveniently located in Vaughan Street just minutes away from the prom, North Shore beach and shops, the venue offers an extensive menu of traditional British dishes, with some surprising additions from around the world.. Everything from a light snack to a hearty mixed grill is available seven days a week and there’s plenty of veggie and vegan options plus a special children’s menu.

From fine dining establishments, restaurants from many countries, cosy café and gastro pubs to fast food outlets and takeaways, Llandudno has something for everyone, whatever their taste and budget. So will this relative newcomer be a worthy addition to the resorts lively café culture? I had heard some favourable reports about the place, so my companion and I were looking forward to giving it a try.

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The imposing white walled building that is now the new town centre Premier Inn, stands on the site of the former Tudno Castle Hotel, a Grade II listed property originally constructed in the l870s. The Victorian hotel that closed in 2008 remained vacant and derelict until its eventual demolition in 2014,

To cut a long and complex story short....rising from the ashes like the mythical phoenix , after a £10m investment by its new owners Premier Inn, the present hotel finally opened in August 2022 after a number of bedrooms had been added as well as a contemporary restaurant and bar on the lower ground floor

Day or night, parking is never easy in busy Llandudno. As the hotel does not have an on site car park, we had to drive around several times before finding space in a nearby side street.

First impressions were certainly favourable, for the Thyme Bar and Grill is bang on trend, spotlessly clean, its decor minimalist and attractive. The cosy bar section features comfortable seating, with colourful sofas to relax on and a large bar counter where guests can enjoy drinks and light snacks.

The adjoining restaurant area is roomy and well lit, with light painted walls and a variety of tables and upholstered chairs arranged in a way that makes for informal dining, All in all, I would describe it as the ideal place for socialising with family and friends rather than a romantic rendezvous.

Nerys and I had booked in advance and Eve, the charming and helpful duty manager, quickly seated at a corner table for two, where we had a great view of the comings and goings in the restaurant..

Although it was early, the room was warm and the atmosphere lively. A mix of couples and several family groups were tucking into delicious looking plates of food and obviously enjoying themselves.

We began our adventure by studying the drinks menu. This offered an excellent assortment of international wines, available by the glass and bottle, prosecco, cocktails and mocktails, beers including low and no alcohol varieties, ciders, spirits, soft and hot drinks By present standards the prices were fair.

As she was on driving duty, my former hotelier friend Nerys selected half of Heineken 0.0%, a non alcoholic pure malt lager and I went for a small glass of rich and fruity Australian Jam Shed chardonnay. No problems there.

Then it was on to the serious business of deciding what to eat from the current autumn/winter dinner menu, served between 5-9.45pm. A super selection, this offered classic main dishes from the UK as well as items from further afield. We could take our pick from beer battered fish and chips, scampi, beef ale pie or be more adventurous with chicken katsu curry, Thai green vegetable curry, beef lasagne or chilli linguine.

There were also starters, grills, salads, burgers, pizzas and an array of tempting desserts .Dietary needs were catered for and the calorific value of every item was shown on the menu - a nice touch for figure conscious diners.,

We decided to give starters a miss and go straight to mains. Nerys chose fish and chips and was delighted with a large portion of hake in a tasty beer batter. Perfectly cooked with lots of crispy chips and a generous dish of mushy peas, it went down a treat.

I am very fond of Indian food and selected chicken Makhani curry, an old favourite I have eaten many times in many different places.. Also known as butter chicken and similar to tikka masala, this is a medium curry with a tangy tomato sauce.

Beautifully presented on a hot plate, the chicken curry was plentiful, tender and flavoursome, accompanied by steaming white rice, a flaky poppadom and tasty dish of mango chutney. I was more than happy...Premier Inn’s version ranked with the best!

Dinner wouldn’t have been complete without dessert, so after much deliberation we decided to share a pancake stack ie American style pancakes topped with red berries, served with vanilla ice cream, We felt that the somewhat doughy pancakes would have benefited from the addition of honey or maple syrup as they were rather dry, but the fruit and ice cream more than compensated and our meals ended on a sweet note.

Nerys and I really enjoyed our night out at the Thyme Bar and Grill. The hardworking staff were friendly and helpful, the food more than surpassed expectations and the bill didn’t break the budget. It doesn’t get better than that!

One for the notebook? Most certainly.