Augustus

Augustus, Taunton: The Verdict

At the ££ price point, Augustus is one of the most convincing arguments for eating locally sourced Modern British food outside a major city. If you want seasonal, ingredient-led cooking in Somerset without paying London prices, book here first.

The Room

The visual split between the two dining spaces is worth factoring into your booking. The cosy, intimate dining room suits a quieter dinner for two; the bright conservatory with its sliding glass doors and retractable roof works well for lunch, when natural light does most of the heavy lifting. Neither space is formal. The animated, relaxed atmosphere is part of the appeal, the cheeses arriving tableside on a perambulating butcher's block is the kind of detail that makes a meal feel considered without feeling theatrical. For a special occasion where you want warmth over ceremony, this room delivers.

The Cooking and What to Order by Season

The kitchen's strongest argument is its calendar-driven approach. Ingredients are sourced on foot from nearby butchers, bakers and fishmongers, with Somerset's orchards and smallholdings filling in the seasonal gaps. That means the menu shifts with the harvest, timing your visit around what's in season in the South West pays dividends.

In autumn, the vegetable tart with light, precise pastry has been specifically called out as a highlight; this is the season to visit if the kitchen's more delicate, produce-focused work interests you. The duck cassoulet is described as properly Gallic and properly rustic, the kind of dish that earns its place on a winter menu when it needs to. Brixham scallops with curry cream, raisins and pommes gaufrettes represent the kitchen's more confident technical register; Brixham is one of the South West's most reliable fishing ports, when the scallops are good, this dish shows what the team can do. The seafood stew and aubergine teriyaki with plancha-style Asian vegetables and sesame signal that the kitchen is not locked into a single European register; those occasional Asian forays broaden the menu's range without feeling forced.

If you want something direct rather than seasonal, the sirloin steak with cauliflower cheese and French fries is there for exactly that purpose. Dessert runs to tarte tatin and Bakewell tart with custard, both well within the bistro idiom. The cheese course, paraded around the room on that butcher's block, is worth leaving room for regardless of what else you order.

The wine list is described as workmanlike and fairly priced, with a trio of West Country bottles alongside an international selection. Plenty of options by the glass and carafe make it easy to drink well without committing to a full bottle, practical for a weekday lunch or a two-person dinner where tastes differ.

Service

The team is described as bright, breezy and welcoming, with service specifically noted as pleasant and efficient. For a special occasion, that matters: you get attentive without intrusive, which is the right register for a bistro at this price point. The owners, Cedric Chirossel and chef Richard Guest, have Taunton tenure behind them, longevity in a smaller city like this is a meaningful trust signal.

How It Compares

Against other Modern British restaurants in the South West, Augustus sits in a productive middle ground. For higher technical ambition in the region, Gidleigh Park in Chagford operates at a different price tier entirely and suits a blow-out occasion. hide and fox in Saltwood and 33 The Homend in Ledbury are useful comparators if you're assessing what ££ Modern British cooking looks like elsewhere in the country. Among national Michelin-recognised Modern British addresses, Moor Hall in Aughton, L'Enclume in Cartmel and Midsummer House in Cambridge all occupy a higher bracket in ambition and price. Augustus is not competing at that level, nor does it need to. What it offers, seasonal, locally sourced cooking, a genuinely welcoming room, a price point that doesn't require an occasion to justify, is a different proposition entirely. If you're in Taunton and you want the leading meal the town has to offer, this is where to go. See our full Taunton restaurants guide for broader context.

Know Before You Go

Pearl Picks Nearby

• Gidleigh Park in Chagford, for a higher-spend occasion in the South West
• Hand and Flowers in Marlow, for a pub-restaurant comparison at Michelin level
• hide and fox in Saltwood, comparable ££ Modern British with Michelin recognition
• 33 The Homend in Ledbury, another regional Modern British address worth benchmarking
• Midsummer House in Cambridge, if you want to understand what the next tier up looks like
• Opheem in Birmingham, for a regional alternative with a different cuisine register
• The Fat Duck in Bray, for context on where the Modern British category ceiling sits
• CORE by Clare Smyth in London, the London benchmark for serious Modern British cooking
• The Ritz Restaurant in London, if ceremony and formality are what the occasion calls for
• Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder, for a special-occasion comparison further afield