Restaurant in Cardiff, United Kingdom
Cardiff's most locally rooted tasting menu.
Hiræth is Cardiff's most compelling case for the tasting menu format right now. Opened in 2024 by Andy Aston and Lewis Dwyer, it earned a Michelin Plate in 2025 with locally foraged, allotment-grown produce and monthly-changing menus. At £££, it delivers strong value for a special occasion dinner — book the shorter evening menu and reserve two to three weeks ahead.
Hiræth is not a destination restaurant in the conventional sense — it sits on a residential stretch of Cowbridge Road East, opposite Victoria Park, in premises that make no grand statement from the outside. Do not let that reset your expectations downward. Opened in 2024 by chefs Andy Aston and Lewis Dwyer, this tasting menu restaurant earned a Michelin Plate in 2025 and delivers a level of ingredient-led cooking that Cardiff has rarely seen at this price point. If you are planning a special occasion dinner in the city, this is the strongest case for a tasting menu format you will find here.
The room is small and unfussy: rough-hewn wood, stone-tiled flooring, and lights hanging from spider-like flex overhead. The open kitchen is the focal point, and at dinner the space becomes genuinely intimate and convivial. Lunch is a different proposition — less atmospheric, better suited to a business conversation than a celebration. For a special occasion, an evening booking is the right call.
The tasting menu format changes monthly, which means the kitchen is always working with what is seasonal and available , including produce from the restaurant's own allotment, now transitioning to a smallholding. That is not a marketing detail; it shapes the menu's character. Dishes reach their highest point when they let the ingredients carry the weight rather than pushing for complexity.
Hiræth runs two dinner tasting menu lengths and a shorter lunch version. The shorter dinner option is the one to book. It gives you enough of the kitchen's range to understand what Aston and Dwyer are doing without the fatigue that occasionally sets in across the longer parade. Highlighted dishes from the Michelin inspection include a Japanese-influenced nori cracker with cured trout and spring onion emulsion, a tart of Perl Wen cheese with pear and walnuts, chicken tea served with chicken butter and Japanese shokupan bread, and nettle porridge with goat's curd. These are dishes where restraint and balance are the point. The larger courses , cod with salt-cod brandade and brown crab bisque, pork cheek with white beans and chorizo , can tip into intensity, so pace yourself with water rather than wine through the heavier plates. Desserts are handled well; the beetroot and white chocolate cannoli has drawn specific praise.
The drinks list is presented on a blackboard and runs from elderflower fruit wine through to cocktails. If you are drinking Welsh wine, note that the Rioja blanco is a more reliable choice than the Welsh white currently on the list. Staff are informed, warm, and will steer you through the menu without ceremony.
For context on where Hiræth sits within the wider British tasting menu conversation: the Michelin Plate recognition puts it in early-career company with restaurants that have gone on to full star status. The comparison is not to L'Enclume in Cartmel or Moor Hall in Aughton, but the trajectory and ambition are pointing in a similar direction. Within Wales, this is the most locally committed tasting menu operation currently running in Cardiff. If you want to see what the next generation of Welsh cooking looks like, this is where to go.
Hiræth is part of a small but serious group of Cardiff restaurants worth tracking. Heaneys sits at the same price tier with a different register , more accessible, broader in format. Gorse sits a tier above on price and formality. Asador 44 is the right choice if you want à la carte and a longer wine list. For everything else happening in Cardiff, see our full Cardiff restaurants guide.
Booking difficulty is moderate. Hiræth is a small, independently run restaurant and demand has increased since the Michelin Plate recognition. Book at least two to three weeks ahead for weekend evenings. Weekday dinner slots are more accessible. Walk-ins are unlikely to be possible given the tasting menu format and small covers. Address: 587 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1BE.
| Detail | Hiræth | Heaneys | Gorse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | £££ | £££ | ££££ |
| Format | Tasting menu | À la carte + tasting | Tasting menu |
| Michelin recognition | Plate 2025 | Check listing | Check listing |
| Leading for | Special occasion, date | Flexible group dining | Formal occasion |
| Booking lead time | 2–3 weeks | 1–2 weeks | 3–4 weeks |
If you are planning a full Cardiff trip, see also: our full Cardiff hotels guide, our full Cardiff bars guide, our full Cardiff experiences guide, and our full Cardiff wineries guide.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hiræth | £££ | — |
| Gorse | ££££ | — |
| Heaneys | £££ | — |
| ember at No. 5 | ££ | — |
| Heathcock | ££ | — |
| Purple Poppadom | ££ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Go with the shorter dinner tasting menu — the kitchen's own recommendation aligns with what the food does best. Dishes built around single high-quality ingredients, like the skrei cod with mussel and wild garlic velouté, outperform the more complex larger plates, which can run heavy. The chicken tea with shokupan bread is a menu fixture worth experiencing, and the dessert course has been notably strong. Monthly rotation means the specifics change, but the format stays consistent.
Hiræth is a small, independently run restaurant on a residential stretch of Cowbridge Road East opposite Victoria Park — not a city-centre address, so factor that into your journey. It holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and opened in 2024 under chefs Andy Aston and Lewis Dwyer. The format is tasting menu only: two options at dinner, a shorter version at lunch. Demand has grown since the Michelin recognition, so book ahead rather than hoping to walk in.
The open kitchen is the room's focal point and the space is small and convivial at dinner, which works reasonably well for solo diners who want something to watch. That said, Hiræth doesn't offer counter seating in the way a dedicated solo-friendly venue does. If solo dining comfort is your priority, check the seating layout when booking — the intimate scale means a solo seat won't feel exposed, but it's worth confirming availability directly.
Yes, with a caveat. The format is at its best when the kitchen lets quality ingredients lead — dishes like the Japanese-influenced nori cracker with cured trout or the Perl Wen cheese tart with pear and walnut show real precision. Some of the larger savoury courses have been unbalanced in seasoning, so the menu isn't flawless. At £££ in a Cardiff context, you're getting Michelin Plate cooking with genuinely local sourcing, including produce from the restaurant's own allotment — that's a fair exchange.
At £££, Hiræth sits at the upper end of Cardiff dining but not at London tasting-menu prices. For what you get — monthly-changing menus, Michelin Plate recognition, produce partly grown on-site, and attentive service — the value case holds. It's not a restaurant that always fires on every course, but the quality of sourcing and the ambition of the kitchen justify the spend for a special dinner. If you want more consistency at a lower price point, Heaneys offers strong cooking at a slightly more accessible level.
Yes, dinner works well for a special occasion. The room is intimate and convivial at night, service is informed and attentive, and the tasting menu format suits a celebratory meal. It is not a grand, formal setting — the interior is unfussy with rough-hewn wood and stone-tiled flooring — so expect warmth over ceremony. Lunch is noticeably less atmospheric, so book an evening slot for the better experience.
Heaneys is the closest comparison: strong local sourcing, tasting and à la carte options, and a slightly more established track record in Cardiff. Gorse is worth considering if you want a more rural Welsh produce focus. ember at No. 5 suits those who want a more casual format without the full tasting menu commitment. Heathcock works if you're looking for something gastropub-adjacent with quality cooking. Purple Poppadom is a strong option if you want Cardiff's most acclaimed Indian cooking rather than modern Welsh cuisine.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
