12-07-2025
We tried Llandudno cafe that surprisingly adds something original to seaside town
With scores of cafes already in Llandudno you'd think it would be almost impossible to come up with an original idea. Like most towns there has been an explosion in cafe culture in recent years - from your big chains to local favourites like Providero.
The opening of the latest cafe would probably have passed me by if I didn't have teenage daughters. Harpers' at Montclare has been open around two weeks and apparently is "big on social" right now.
As the name suggests it is situated inside the Montclare hotel on North Parade in Llandudno. It is 'home of the first açai bowls in Llandudno" and I've no evidence to dispute that claim.
When the kids were selling the idea of testing it out, I had two questions. What is an açai bowl? and Do they sell coffee?
For the uninitiated I'll answer the first question further down, on the second question, the answer last weekend was 'no' but the machine is on its way.
The lack of coffee was an initial disappointment as my plan had been to sip on my usual flat white/cappuccino while boomer style moaning about what passed as food with young people these days. By the way, I was pronouncing these bowls 'ac-kai' but I was told (many times) the correct pronunciation is something like 'ass-si-ee'.
In terms of the location it's not somewhere you would stumble across but I suppose the advent of social media makes that less of an issue, particularly for those targeting a younger market.
Speaking to the staff the reason they actually opened ahead of the coffee machine arriving was the fact there was already something of a stir because of the efforts on apps like Instagram. When we arrived there was one large table in there of mainly youngsters and more came in (again a couple of decades younger than me) for takeaways while we were there.
It is a compact but light and airy site and we picked a window seat to watch the world go by on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The staff were very helpful and just generally really friendly and happy to assist in introducing me to the new experience.
With no coffee on offer I went for a mixed berry kombucha, which again was something new to me, and very refreshing, while one teen picked an iced matcha and the other stuck with the traditional and wanted a Coke.
The older child was the main driver on picking an 'acai bowl' place after living on these while travelling in Australia. On her return every conversation started with 'when I was in Australia' (which she was suitably mocked for) so it was good to show that we are also 'down with it' in North Wales when it came to acai.
When it comes to what it is, then it is defined as a "thick smoothie-like dish, typically served in a bowl, made from pureed acai berries". You then add in your extras to that - be it fruit, nuts, seeds or sweet toppings. Google tells me its roots are in the Amazonian parts of Brazil where the berry is a staple part of the local diet, but it has now become something of a global phenomenon.
You may be like me and be fairly underwhelmed at the description but I was prepared to give it a go. It's £8.50 a bowl (£9.50 for a large one) and the girls picked one each and I ordered an extra spoon to test out a bit of both.
One went for the OG with extra peanut butter. This had the acai covered in banana, strawberries and blueberries and a large dollop of peanut butter on top.
It was Biscoff Crazy for the youngest - a similar mix but as the name suggests there were crumbled Biscoff biscuits on the top.
I have to say they were nicely put together - a lovely mix of colours making them look appetising. The girls were enthusiastic with the eldest saying they were 'almost' as good as those in Australia, high praise indeed! The youngest was also won over, so I hovered with the extra spoon, waiting to give them both a try.
I went savoury first, digging into the OG one with peanut butter. The base is actually frozen - think iced smoothie - and goes beautifully with fruit. Then the peanut butter adds a nice contrast.
It was on to the sweet next and the Biscoff one was a big hit with me. The amount of times I returned to both pots is probably the best compliment I can pay. 'You're a convert' as one of the kids said.
The menu is very acai heavy but there are the usual sweet treat options as well on the counter - and a coffee machine to follow - for anyone who wants a more traditional drink and snack stop.
The total bill came to £25.40 which isn't cheap but we did feel well fed and refreshed - offering a different afternoon boost to a normal caffeine hit.
The facts
Food: Well presented, refreshing and something new.
