Estero Lounge — Restaurant in Wales

It’s not very often I leave a bad review, but I had an absolutely awful experience at Estero in Monmouth.

Firstly, we were not greeted upon entry and waited for over 10mins before going to find a member of staff to actually see to us. The sign isn’t very accurate advising that they won’t be long.

There was 8 of us (plus a baby) eating and each couple ordered separately via the QR code on the table. I would say we all ordered within the same 5 mins, but mine and my partners food arrived at least 15mins, possibly 20mins after everyone else’s which was not great. People did wait initially but we urged them to continue eating to save their meals going cold. By the time our food arrived, everyone else had finished eating.

I ordered the fish finger sandwich which was firstly completely cold upon arrival, but the chips were boiling hot so can only assume the sandwich was left waiting for the chips to finish cooking. Inside the fish finger sandwich, there was literally 2 fish fingers, one and a half fish fingers per half. This is shocking, the rest of the sandwich was stuffed with lettuce which also tasted off and did not look good at all. I also ordered onion rings and these were stone cold and rock hard. I ate one and then didn’t bother with the rest.

The toilets were in a terrible state, definitely not cleaned regularly as the signage in there suggests and there was also a literal human poo on the floor in the men’s in the toilet cubicle. We did report this to the staff who did apologise, but no one came to sort this in at least the half an hour from us reporting it to us leaving which is quite poor.

The service was also really bad. We had a blonde waitress who had a multicoloured lanyard and she seemed to have no personality whatsoever. She slammed the food down upon arrival (not infront of the right person, more next to people for us to sort) and after this she walked off immediately and we couldn’t even get the chance to ask for sauces or anything as she was gone. Throughout the whole meal no one came to ask us how the food was or anything, and as you pre pay on the app there was no staff interaction at all after the food was dropped off.

If this was paid for at the end of the meal, I would have objected to paying for the fish finger sandwich due to the fact it was stone cold and a complete rip off having 2 fish fingers in there. I would have also not paid for the onion rings as they were inedible.

I left feedback from a email link and also separately emailed the restaurant but have had no one come back to me to even apologise.

Based on my experience, I really would not reccomend going...

Estero Lounge: Where Brunch, Cocktails, and Comfy Chairs Collide

Estero Lounge in Monmouth isn’t just a café, isn’t just a bar, and isn’t just a restaurant—it’s a wonderful, slightly dangerous mix of all three, where you can turn a quick coffee into a three-hour brunch, and a casual drink into “shall we just stay for dinner?”

The Vibe 🌿🛋️

First things first—the atmosphere is spot on. It’s got that laid-back, stylish-yet-cosy feel that makes you want to settle in and pretend you’re the kind of person who drinks oat milk lattes while journaling about their goals. It’s decorated with just the right amount of quirky charm—colourful walls, vintage-inspired furniture, and the kind of lighting that makes everyone look 10% more attractive.

The Food & Drinks 🍳🍹

Now, onto the main event. The brunch menu is dangerously good, featuring everything from stacked pancakes to big fry-ups that cure all life’s problems. The mains? Tasty, fresh, and surprisingly affordable given the portion sizes. Burgers, tapas, salads, loaded fries—it’s all here and all excellent.

And the drinks menu? Oh, it’s a thing of beauty. Whether you fancy a cocktail, a craft beer, or a posh gin and tonic in a glass big enough to swim in, Estero Lounge has you covered. It’s the kind of place where you order a single drink and then suddenly it’s 10pm and you’re on your third round.

The Staff 👏

The team here are friendly, attentive, and seem to genuinely enjoy what they do—which makes a big difference. Even when it’s busy (which it often is), they keep things moving without ever making you feel rushed. They’ll even pretend not to judge you when you order another portion of halloumi fries “for the table” (but really for yourself).

The Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Estero Lounge is Monmouth’s go-to for brunch, drinks, and casual dining with a side of great atmosphere. Whether you’re there for a morning coffee, a lazy lunch, or an evening of cocktails and tapas, it just works.

Five stars—and an extra one for the sheer number of times I’ve said “let’s just stay...

My only regret is in not finding this place sooner. My partner and I took a week out of London to take break from all the chaos. We visited Monmouth several times and on the day of our return to London we decided to try out the Estero Lounge to get our coffees in and any breakfasts they had to offer. My partner is coeliac so having a gluten free option is always a plus, well this place has a whole gluten free menu which put us in a such a good mood for the day, she was to have GF hash browns with her egg and bacon bap. I went for the biggest cooked breakfast and in the end it beat me but to a very satisfying result. Out of everywhere we tried in Monmouth, this place has the best coffee. But the thing that tops it all is the staff, very welcoming, very down to Earth. All the staff in every place we went too were absolutely lovely (Monmouth is generally a lovely place with all the people) but in the Estero Lounge, there was more of a sense of a well tied crew working and getting on together that provides a very fitting service. The place as a whole feels like it was part of a chain but broke free to find its own thing it can offer and it's worked. I wish we found it sooner to try more things on the menu, my partner's never had gluten free buttermilk chicken before, but it was on there. Do hope to visit this...