Mesen

This is my favorite restaurant in Cardiff for sure. The food is incredible and service is spot on. Thoroughly recommend!

Mesen has been open for around three years and is run by a proprietor who previously lived in London for many years. Located just around the corner from Rhiwbina railway station, it occupies a prominent position on the high street, with shops lining both sides of the road. Outside, there are a couple of grey metal tables and chairs. Inside, the bistro-cocktail bar has a contemporary feel with wooden floors, wooden tables, black chairs, and tan leather banquette seating running along the left-hand wall. The bar sits at the far end, finished with green brick tiling, while fairy lights and artificial greenery soften the dark grey ceiling. A blackboard menu and various paintings on the walls complete the relaxed atmosphere. I started with the Mexican Highball, garnished with two apple slices. It was refreshing and well suited to a summer evening, although it was slightly on the weak side. The chicken wings were recommended by the waitress. As someone who does not usually order wings, I gave them a try but found them fairly average. They were rather fiddly to eat and would have benefited from a finger bowl or hand wipes being provided. The scallops arrived as a portion of two served on the shell. One was a reasonable size while the other was noticeably small. The dish was swimming in oil, flavoured with chilli flakes and caramelised butter. The flavours themselves were enjoyable, but the excessive amount of oil detracted from the overall experience. The mussels were perhaps the most interesting dish of the evening. They came in a vibrant green garlic-based sauce with a subtle nutty flavour. The garlic was present without being overpowering, which worked very well. My only criticism was the portion size, which felt rather small. A Negroni followed and was well presented. It was sweeter than a traditional version, likely due to the vermouth used, but remained an enjoyable cocktail. Unfortunately, the tiramisu was disappointing. It lacked the characteristic coffee flavour and there was little sign of Marsala. The dessert felt unbalanced and did not resemble a traditional tiramisu. Service throughout was friendly and attentive. However, the restaurant applies a 12.5% service charge, which feels more in keeping with London than Cardiff. While the service was good, it was not exceptional, and the charge is presented as optional. A lower percentage would seem more appropriate for the setting. Overall, Mesen offers an attractive setting, some well-made cocktails, and flashes of creativity from the kitchen. However, inconsistent execution, small portions, and the relatively high service charge mean that it falls short of being a destination dining experience.

Great food & service, Pigs head over the coals to die for. 10/10

It's... Alright. The food is wildly overpriced in my opinion, and I'm happy to pay higher prices. No salad on the menu so sides are lacking to create a full and varied meal. Fish was really buttery with not much flavour couldn't eat it all, restaurant is lacking ambience. We asked to be seated by the window which they said they would, then reserved that table for taking social media posts instead. All in all, I wouldn't come back. I think there are better small plate options around Cardiff if you're not local to Rhiwbina.

What a fantastic find. The food was gorgeous. The steak was cooked to perfection and the crab claws were the best I've had. The overall atmosphere was very relaxed and the staff were lovely and friendly. I'm sure it won't be long before we return

Wanted to go for ages and finally took the plunge The food was absolutely fabulous, hands down the best meal we’ve had out in a long time. We loved the concept of sharing and trying different things. Delicious, well presented food, staff were lovely the waitress was super friendly and made sure she topped up our water all night ( loved this ) and Rhys the owner spoke to us to make sure we enjoyed too which we thought was a lovely touch we can’t wait to go back it’s defo a very special place

Atmosphere was amazing, service from all the staff especially the manager who welcomed us in was great we really loved it, really impressed, would definitely recommended end and can't wait to go back here !

Just the perfect village restaurant, serving high quality and locally produced food. We ❤️ it!

Went to a brunch in Mesen on the weekend and it was great. The food, the service and the atmosphere were all excellent. 🌟 Would highly recommend to anyone. Diolch yn fawr.

Me and my partner were so excited to come here, I genuinely could not be more disappointed. The steak was so chewy and over priced, one steak knife and told us they would provide another once one because available which it didn’t the whole time we were there. Waitress was absolutely miserable and didn’t smile the whole time which usually wouldn’t bother me but it felt like she went out her way to be miserable. They could tell we weren’t having a nice experience and avoided eye contact with us the whole time rather than ask once how food was, we would not be rude at all but thought they should at least ask for feedback considering they crossed of the service charge without even talking to us. So awfully disappointed and just annoyed that we were ignored. We were told that there were barely any fish due to error in delivery which is understandable but then after we saw other people get served the fish we were told was out and undelivered it was offered to us as a second thought because we saw other people being served it. I made this account purely just to leave this review and have never complained about any restaurant before as there has always been a slight saving grace. We wanted to try something different by going here and went to order the pigs head but then we were told it wouldn’t fit on our table and were advised that the table next to us may be finished before it came out anyway so we may be able to take their able in addition to ours (the table next to us hadn’t even had food yet). I know this is long miserable review but thought it should be clearly outlined that unless you know the workers you should not go here as they were very obviously treated preferably.

Hidden gem in the heart of cardiff north! Me and my partner visited for food and drinks and the aroma from the open fire pit from the kitchen hits you as soon as you walk through the door The atmosphere service and all the team at the meren is second to none !! Well done all involved with this hidden gem ! A special shout out to the head chef jake absolutely faultless food thanks all forbthe great evening would highly recommend a visit to this establishment

One of the best Welsh restaurants in Cardiff - Mesen is welsh for acorn - it specialises in open fire cooking. Excellent atmosphere, delicious plates of food and wonderful service.