The Front — Restaurant in Wales

A truly shocking experience. We visited this establishment on Saturday morning, hoping for a quick bite before exploring the nearby area. There were only two people ahead of us, who were seated immediately. After waiting ten minutes, someone finally approached, and I asked for a table for five adults and three small children (around 10 a.m.).

They said they couldn’t seat us inside because they were “full”; even though I could clearly see an empty, fully set table for eight. Instead, they told us we could sit outside and order from the kiosk. We reluctantly agreed, but as we were about to sit down, we saw other guests walk in and get seated inside.

Naturally, we questioned this and asked again if we could sit indoors since it was windy outside. The staff member, who we later learned was the manager, responded rudely, saying the kitchen couldn’t handle a table of eight, and acted as if we were inconveniencing them.

Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, we ordered drinks from the drive-through and moved on.

The next day, staying at a nearby hotel, we decided to give them another chance since it was the closest breakfast option. Same party of eight—but this time it was sunny, so we offered to sit outside to avoid repeating the previous day’s drama. The adults just wanted drinks and a few pancakes for the kids. We made this clear so they wouldn’t “freak out” about the size of the group.

We were given the breakfast menu and decided on our orders. But when we went to the kiosk, we were told they weren’t taking any more breakfast orders.

This was baffling, as we saw people arriving after us being seated and ordering breakfast without issue. We went inside to double-check, and one waitress—who was the only polite staff member we encountered—apologised and said they were still serving breakfast, as she had just taken orders for other tables. She offered to check with the manager.

Unfortunately, the same manager from the day before came over and curtly declared, “No more orders at all. The kitchen is backed up.”

You can’t tell customers one thing, let them prepare their orders, and then suddenly refuse to serve them—especially when there are three hungry, excited kids waiting.

Having worked in hospitality myself, I understand that things can get hectic. But I have never refused service or lied to customers. Sadly, it genuinely felt as though there was another motive at play, as we are a visibly Muslim family and were treated rudely on both occasions...

I Visited The Front on Monday evening with high expectations. I was greeted by the front of house manager but, not very warmly. My friend and I were shown to our table, we placed our drinks order and then our food order which was just for a bowl of Seasoned Fries, Onion Rings and Halloumi with chilli Jam. After 20 minutes of waiting we started to wonder what was taking so long as the restaurant was by no means busy, there was only two other tables eating and we had only ordered a started and two side dishes. Whilst we were waiting we couldn't help but notice that every time someone came in they had to wait ages to be seen as the front of house was no where to be seen, and when she did appear she turned them away despite it only being 8:20 and there being being plenty of tables available. We counted 12 people within the hour. We also notice people asking if they could have takeaway only to be told it was closed however at 9pm two men came who the front of house had a chat with and who were then allowed to be served at the take away even though numerous people before had been told no?? finally after 40 mins and us now not really feeling like food any more our dishes arrived, but how disappointing they were the fries had no seasoning and my chilli jam was more chilli water!! it was literally sweet chilli sauce mixed with water and looked nothing like the photo i had seen on instagram. I called the waitress over and said this should be a chilli jam to which she replied i will change it now which made me think obviously its not right then why couldn't they have given me the correct thing in the first instance. she return with a sweet chilli sauce with a blob of jam in the middle which although not great it was ten times better than the chilli water. We ate our food and ask for the bill, the waitress ask how i would like to pay and i replied card. She went off to get the bill and returned throwing it on the table then walked off. I managed to get her attention as she walk back past and asked again could I pay by card. I really had high hopes for the restaurant and was looking forward to visiting for a meal as i always enjoy my visits to your sister restaurant the Hideout however after the experience of my first visit I wont...

Updated review: Unfortunately, on further visits, standards have slipped considerably. As a new restaurant opening in covid times, I'm sure it is a very challenging time and applaud you for your contribution to the local community. We attended last Saturday (24/7/21) and had a wonderful meal of nachos, Karaagi Chicken and halloumi fries. The service was superb and I wrote a Google review to inform others of our experience. Upon our return, our experience was not of a similar standard. I am aware that opening a new dining establishment is fraught with snags and challenges so thought that constructive criticism may be beneficial so that these can be ironed out. Whilst the food was superb on our first visit, there were a few minor issues this time. The nachos and the Karaagi Chicken was somewhat dry and overcooked. Whilst it was still palatable, it did not live up to the high standards of our previous visit. The ramen was plain and stodgy with the main disappointment being reserved for the supposed "flagship dish" of the burger. With so many establishments offering finer burger options, a premium price demands a quality product and this did not meet the minimum standard. We also experienced issues with the service. I appreciate that many staff are new and still in training so wanted to highlight issues so they can be ironed out for future patrons. Whilst they were all very friendly, I was not offered a spoon for my ramen, and we were given no condiments (salt, pepper, mayonnaise, ketchup). We struggled to gain the attention of the staff and this required me to break the "table service" rule and approach the bar for the aforementioned items. It is a shame that after such am encouraging initial period, the standards have deteriorated so substantially, making it impossible to recommend.

Initial review: It is rare for somewhere so "Instagram friendly" to marry both the aesthetics and taste of the food. The Front delivers in both regards, with the freshness of the food standing out. Clearly it is prepared with love on site rather than relying on pre cooked/pre prepared food like many other establishments. Whilst Port Talbot does not have much of a culinary legacy, this hidden gem has certainly laid the groundwork for a...