Red Boat — the Institution
Castle Street, Beaumaris — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Red Boat Ice Cream Parlour on Castle Street is the town’s edible landmark — rated 4.6 from over 1,100 reviews, with artisan flavours made in small batches and a summer queue that has become part of the streetscape. An ice cream from Red Boat eaten on the pier is the definitive Beaumaris experience, and arguably reason enough for the trip.
Coffee & Lunch in Town
Castle Street and Church Street carry a cluster of small independents covering coffee, cakes and light lunches — the mix shifts with the seasons in a town this size, so wander and follow the full tables. The hotels fill the gaps handsomely: coffee in the Bulkeley’s lounge comes with strait views, and Bishopsgate House does the smart afternoon option. For a proper sit-down breakfast, our breakfast guide has the detail.
Worth the Walk: the Pilot House Café
Trwyn Du lighthouse at Penmon Point — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
At Penmon Point, the whitewashed Pilot House Café — once home to the lighthouse pilots and their families in the 1800s — serves the headland with views of the Trwyn Du lighthouse, Puffin Island, the Great Orme and Snowdon. Reached by the coastal path or a short drive, it turns a walk into an outing, and its position is unbeatable anywhere on Anglesey.
Timing Your Stops
Beaumaris cafe life follows the boats and the coaches: the late-morning rush lands with the day-trippers around 11, and Red Boat’s queue peaks with the post-lunch promenade between 2 and 4 on any warm day. Beat the system by going early (the town before 10am is a different, lovelier place), or embrace it — the queue moves fast and the people-watching is good. Out at Penmon, the Pilot House Café works to daylight and season rather than the clock; check ahead in winter. And in a town with this much good hotel lounge space, a rainy-day coffee is never more than fifty yards away.
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