Foxglove — Restaurant in Barmouth

I really wanted to give this a higher rating but sadly, our experience did not match those that have dined here. The food itself was delicious but the service was another matter. For starters, it took over 20 minutes to just get water on our table, shortly followed by a very rushed overview on what drinks were available before leaving again. We noticed that 2 people who came in after us were immediately served their drinks, and it was evidently clear that the waitress knew them as she spent more time conversing with them than checking on us. It was clear that whilst she was very friendly, her prioritisation to chat to all the other tables made us feel like an afterthought, which was made even more disappointing as we travelled over an hour to dine there. The food itself was lovely, although on several occasions our next course was arriving when the previous plates had not been cleared from the table. The chef seemed to be rather distant and spent more time stroking our dog than speaking to us, and towards the end of our meal he was taking rubbish bags out through the actual restaurant - not exactly the ambient vibe you'd expect in a restaurant. We also noticed that another table got another dessert given to them, and the favouritism at this point was just too apparent. As we travelled far to get here it took ages to get the attention of the waitress yet again as she carried on chatting to others, and when interrupting her to ask for the bill her tone became very blunt towards of us. After we left she shut the door quite hurriedly - again, not a very professional and friendly way to end an evening. Whilst the food was lovely, the experience wasn't and for the price we had to pay, I expected so much better. Favouritism of your customers is not a good look, and with the price per person I would recommend other places to get a much better experience.

Update from owners review: -You might have gotten us confused with another customer - we were not offered any free bread (or anything free for that matter)

-There were no customers celebrating a retirement on our visit, the restaurant is small enough to know if someone was celebrating an occasion

-We actually made the best of the situation and were talking about our holidays (quite odd to suggest customers are quiet although you've likely confused this with another customer)

-Hopefully the bins can be taken out when no customer are present? At nearly £50 per head, attention to detail is not just about the food. We wish you the best of luck taking...

Visited Foxglove as a table of 2 at the end of May 2023 and we were both absolutely blown away by the whole experience.

We are both vegetarian, and pretty knowledgable with vegan food, but the entire menu really pushed the boundaries of what we thought a completely vegan menu was capable of - this is absolutely a must for anyone who likes a unique dining experience, meat eater or not.

The atmosphere is very welcoming and relaxed but still upholds a very high standard of personable and meticulous service and hosting that you would be accustomed to in a fine dining or Michellin Star establishment. We shared a bottle of prosecco which kept us going comfortably for all five courses.

The dishes were all creatively and invitingly plated and were all genuinely delicious - every one of the five courses was a standout. This was especially impressive considering that the couple who run Foxglove had foraged a good number of the ingredients and worked them into their menu depending on their short windows of seasonality.

The general approach was akin to what I would describe as "classic" fine dining cuisine: the second starter was a clever take on a panacotta themed around carrot (with pickled walnut caviar - amazing!) and the two mains took two different types of mushrooms with celery and fennel as the accompanying veg. The dessert brought in some classic Italian flavours with spruce meringue, pickled orange, caramel and a gorgeous parfait.

There are around 5/6 tables which accommodated for a few 2s and some 4s during the evening and it does seem to be very popular so booking is essential. One couple who had accidentally turned up a week later than their original booking were accommodated for which was admirable to see and received, from what we could tell, the full experience.

I wouldn't be surprised is Foxglove piques the attention of the national food scene very soon and becomes even more of an in-demand experience so I can only recommend that you go as soon as you can. A truly...

We ate at Foxglove this week. It was a 5 course tasting menu. All vegan with an emphasis on seasonal and locally foraged food. Amongst the stuff I’d never had before were fir cones, panna cotta infused with pine needles, saskatoon and some delicious reindeer moss. Who knew lichen tasted so good?

There were some incredible deep flavours on offer - mushrooms, garlic, nettle. Plus some good old fashioned vegetables - potatoes, carrots, broccoli, celeriac. All expertly delivered. It was all so so good.

I was left reflecting on how the supermarkets are now full of all manner of highly processed vegan meats and fake dairy, so us vegans can now eat as terrible a diet as everyone else. We finally achieved parity.

But Veganism at its best celebrates that our Earth is abundant with all manner of plants that come in all flavours, textures & aromas. With a talented chef to bring it to life, eating a plant only diet can be as delicious and decadent as any other.

It was one of the most enjoyable dining experiences I’ve had in a long time. In the best possible way it reminded me of being vegan in the early 1990s when we had no options in the mainstream but if you looked hard and travelled miles you could find little gems of cafes in out of the way places, serving food bursting with love and passion for our planet.

If you’re ever in North Wales I’d say this one is unmissable. But book in advance. They are quite rightly...