a day ago
I tested out Llandudno chippy some say is the 'best ever'
You'll find Barnacles fish and chip shop and restaurant in the centre of Llandudno. It is quite frankly in the epicentre of town, being a short walk from the railway station and North Shore, North Western Gardens ("Bog Island"), a second hand bookshop and the Premier Inn.
Barnacles, which sits between The Welsh Rock & Gift Shop and a Nationwide branch on Mostyn Street, also serves very nice food. No wonder it was full when I got there this week.
I had to wait a minute or two for a table to become free. I sat down near the back and checked the menu. Reviews on Tripadvisor offer a range of mainly positive opinions.
One diner eulogised about the "Best fish and chips ever" while another sniffed at the supposedly "slimy" fish. Others praised the desserts, in particular the "first rate" banana split and another customer was "very pleased with the novelty cow ice cream!"
Barnacles offers traditional, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan meals, with tasty sounding dishes like Homity Pie (open vegetable pie) served with chips and garnish (£11.95) and "Free & Easy" soup (choose from minestrone, pea & mint, tomato or lentil & red pepper) with a roll and butter (£5.95).
Vegan dishes included Falafel & Chips served with sweet chilli, houmous and garnish (£11.95) and something called a Moving Mountain Hog Dog, which comes with a brioche roll, fried onions and chips (£13.95).
I decided to be screamingly unadventurous and order the Cod Special of fish, chips and mushy peas, a slice of bread and a cup of tea. It took a little while to come, and when the slice of bread arrived it was white not brown.
But then the waitress realised her mistake and offered to change it but it didn't matter. She was rushed off her feet.
The fish and chips were extremely hot and well-cooked. The chips were fine and the batter was a lovely, crispy brown. The fish was soft and lustrous and the peas very mushy indeed.
It was filling and hit the spot. I wanted it to have time to go down so picked a slice of carrot cake from the cabinet to take away. It was soft, sweet and delicious at home.
I liked the wall coverings because the prints give a lovely depiction of the town's history. One photograph showed horse drawn carts trundling up Mostyn Street while another captured hundreds of people in Victorian or Edwardian period garb in caps and wide-brimmed hats - think The Railway Children era - lapping up a routine by long-forgotten performers in Happy Valley.
So I'd recommend Barnacles if you're in town and looking for a fairly traditional lunch. It may be less busy than today.
Hopefully, the food will be as tasty and reliable. I enjoyed my lunch and, judging by its popularity today, plenty of customers felt the same way.
The facts
Location: Barnacles, 7 Mostyn Street, Llandudno, LL30 2NL. Tel. : 01492 875336. Open 11am till 8pm to catch the tea-time trade.
Food: Well-cooked and hot
Service: A little slow on a busy lunch-time in summer
Atmosphere: Bustling and unfussy
The bill: Cod Special of fish, chips, mushy peas, a slice of bread and a cup of tea: £15.95, plus carrot cake (£4) to take out.
