Ty Pawb, Market St, Wrexham LL13 8BB

https://www.typawb.wales/food-court/

 

When a group of us attended the recent Phantasmagoria Horror Film Festival at Ty Pawb in Wrexham we face a quandary over where to have lunch.

You see, two of our party were vegans while a third has a serious mushroom allergy.

So the steaks were not only high, they were out of the question for half of us.

Wrexham does have a wide range of places to eat to suit all tastes, but we wanted to stay close to the event.

Then we realised the answer was right in front of us – the Ty Pawb food court.

With five independent eateries preparing fresh, tasty food – with names that could’ve been thought up by the writers of Bob’s Burgers - we were spoilt for choice.

The Leader:

With an airy large space, that is well-lit with well-spaced long tables, the food court is reminiscent of those you see in shopping centres and in malls in American movies.

But there were no McDonalds, Five Guys, Harry Ramsdens or Starbucks here. All of the vendors were local family businesses offering food they have become expert at preparing.

And, surrounded by stalls selling Ddraig Goch emblazoned apparel and poster boards of local history, this food court couldn’t be anywhere but Wrexham.

For the vegans, there was the Flatulent Frog. Dubious name aside, it is good to its claim of serving “natural vegan goodness”. Full breakfasts, burgers, nachos, and sandwiches were available – all plant-powered of course.

The Leader:

The vegans opted for chips (£2 for small, £3 for large) and cake (£4). And they said they were some of the best they’d had – fellow vegans enthused about the chips when they made the obligatory social media post.

The no-mushroom diner – who is otherwise a fun guy – opted to order from The Wing King.

However, he did not order one of the many varieties of chicken wings on offer, instead going for burger and fries (£6.75).

Although he ate every last morsel without complaint, it is probably unfair to say much more in deference to his majesty’s speciality of wings.

For me, the options were more plentiful, but I had wanted to try the delightfully puntastic The PIE’d PIE’per (they doubled punned it!).

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And, the company I was with excepted, who could resist a homemade pie with mash and onion gravy (£5.00) as we enter the autumn months?

Not me.

The Leader:

There were several appetising-looking pies to choose from, and I went for the steak and black pudding. I’m glad I did, as the black pudding added an extra umami punch and texture to the pie.

Mash is an easy thing to get wrong, and when it’s wrong it is awful. But here it was very much right; buttery, smooth clouds of comforting deliciousness.

The Leader:

The gravy was hot, think and plentiful, rounding off a perfect, warming meal that kept me fuelled and satisfied for the rest of the day. Oh, there was also peas.

My friend (remember the mushroom guy?) also opted for dessert.

The Leader:

Until then the service had been quick and efficient, with the vendors bringing the food to our tables.

But the waffles from Just Desserts & Milkshakes seemed to take an age to arrive, to the point when having left plenty of time to eat before the event started we began looking at our phones.

However, when it did arrive we could see why it had taken so long to put together.

The Leader:

A container large enough to house a large portion of fish and chips was crammed full of waffles, ice cream and caramel sauce. And even for my 6’7” size 17-footed pal, it was just too much to finish.

I must also mention Curry-on-the-go, the one place we didn’t order from. The dishes being served looked authentic and delicious, and certainly worthy of a separate review in the future.

In conclusion, the Ty Pawb food court is a gem. Perfect for families or groups of friends who can all sit together while ordered to suit the dietary requirements or preferences of everyone.

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