RestaurantsGwyneddBalaLL23
HARDENS CLUB PARTNER

survey result

Summary

£100
£££££
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

On the edge of Snowdonia National Park, this Relais & Châteaux property occupies a former hunting lodge once owned by the Duke of Westminster, and was relaunched in 2016 as a luxury hotel. Its culinary ambitions have always run high, and were underpinned in May 2023 with the recruitment of Sam Griffths (Welsh Chef of the Year 2021) as their new head chef; Gareth Stevenson who had run the kitchen here since opening is stepping back. Griffiths was formerly the executive sous chef in The Chester Grosvenor’s restaurant Arkle.

Summary

£93
 ££££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“What joy to return to Palé Hall, and their standards of welcome, service, presentation and flavour”. If this plush Relais & Châteaux property (the Duke of Westminster’s former hunting lodge) near the River Dee was not stuck out in the sticks of North Wales, it would likely be much better known. Chef Gareth Stevenson offers a five-course or eight-course menu that receives limited but exceptional feedback in our annual diners’ poll. Another attraction here is the afternoon tea: “a fine variety, beautifully set and well-served. A treat indeed. Unhurried and unstinting. Well done!”

Summary

£93
 ££££
4
Very Good
3
Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Now under Relais & Chateaux, the Duke of Westminster’s former hunting lodge is boosted by its “exquisite country-house setting, with beautiful bedrooms and dreamy gardens”, in the tranquil Dee valley, making it “the perfect romantic getaway”. Head chef Gareth Stevenson continues the high note, turning out “wonderful” dishes strong on sourcing.

Summary

£100
£££££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

There’s no overlooking the gorgeous setting of this lavish Dee valley Relais & Chateaux country house hotel – owned by the UK’s richest man, the Duke of Westminster in the 1950s and 1960s. Chef Gareth Stevenson produces a short à la carte alongside some “exceptional” tasting menus (five courses for £70, eight for £90), all with very careful sourcing and “the impression of impressive attention to detail”.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Pale Hall Hotel Restaurant?

Pale Estate, Llandderfel, Bala, LL23 7PS

Restaurant details

18
No trainers
40
12

Prices

  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 80.00 Always available 4
Menu2 100.00 Always available 7
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £28.00
Filter Coffee £0.00
Extras  
Bread £0.00
Service 10.00%
Pale Estate, Llandderfel, Bala, LL23 7PS
Opening hours
Monday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm
Tuesday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm
Thursday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm
Friday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm
Saturday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm
Sunday12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm

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