Restaurant in Wells, United Kingdom
Michelin Bib value, sharing plates, book ahead.
Root Wells holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years and earns it at ££ pricing — vegetable-led small plates with a seasonally changing menu, an open kitchen, and views of Wells Cathedral. It is the strongest restaurant in the city by a clear margin and one of the better value Michelin-recognised meals in the South West. Book one to three weeks ahead.
If you're weighing up where to eat in Wells and comparing Root against the Cathedral Hotel's restaurant or a more traditional Somerset pub lunch, Root wins on almost every criterion: sharper cooking, a more considered menu, better value, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand to back it up. The ££ price point with Bib Gourmand recognition is a rare combination in any English city, let alone one this small. Book it.
Root Wells is the Somerset outpost of Josh and Holly Eggleton's Pony Restaurant Group, brought to 12 Sadler Street by chef Rob Howell, who launched the original Root at Bristol's Wapping Wharf. The format is vegetable-led small plates with a seasonally changing menu that draws influences from India, South East Asia, South America, Italy, France and Spain. The open kitchen sits within a dining room described as elegant and comfortable, and the view from the restaurant takes in Wells Cathedral directly. That visual anchor matters: you're eating well-executed food in one of England's most architecturally striking small cities.
The wine list skews organic, biodynamic and low-intervention, mostly European, with the majority of bottles priced under £50. That pricing philosophy matches the food: this is a restaurant that has thought carefully about what things cost, and it shows. Google reviews sit at 4.8 across 186 ratings, which for a restaurant of this calibre in a cathedral city is consistent with the Michelin committee's view. The Bib Gourmand has been awarded in both 2024 and 2025, signalling sustained quality rather than a one-year spike.
Root runs a regularly changing seasonal menu, which makes the multi-visit case easy to argue. On a first visit, start with the cheese choux puffs: they are listed as a signature of the restaurant, described as smooth and ethereal, and they appear on the snacks section alongside cauliflower bhajis with tamarind sauce. These snacks are not a throwaway opener — they deliver equivalent flavour to the larger plates and set the register for what follows. Order them while you decide on everything else.
For a first visit, the directive from Michelin's inspectors is to let the ingredients lead: a spring menu included butter beans in a wild garlic and cavolo nero broth with ewe's curd, and Wye Valley asparagus with an Alicante sauce and a crispy-coated runny egg. These dishes are seasonal by design, so what you eat in spring will differ from autumn. That's the point. Come back in a different season and you're eating a materially different menu, not a variation on the same one.
A second visit rewards more deliberate ordering across the full menu. By then you'll have a read on portion sizing (small plates, so volume across four to six dishes per person is the right frame) and you can push further into the larger plates, then finish with the dessert section. Basque cheesecake with milk jam and rum baba with apricot and fennel cream have both appeared on recent menus. Neither is a token dessert — they follow the same logic as the savoury courses: a specific, considered combination rather than a generic close.
A third visit is the one where you can go deeper into the wine list. With most bottles under £50 and the list focused on low-intervention European producers, there's enough range to pair differently each time without the list becoming a project. Ask for a pairing recommendation from the floor team, whose service has been consistently described as enthusiastic and welcoming.
Root Wells is at 12 Sadler Street, a short walk from Wells Cathedral in the centre of the city. The format is sharing plates, so arrive with a group of two to four people for the most flexible ordering range. The ££ pricing means a full meal with wine should sit well within what most people consider a mid-range dinner spend in the UK , this is not a blowout occasion restaurant, but it is a serious one.
Booking is rated Easy, but the combination of a Michelin Bib Gourmand, a small city location, and a dining room that isn't large means you should not assume a table will be available on short notice, especially on weekends. Book at least one to two weeks ahead for a weekday visit; two to three weeks ahead for a weekend table is a sensible buffer. Wells draws visitors to the Cathedral year-round, so the tourist calendar adds pressure in summer and over holiday periods. For a relaxed first visit with maximum menu availability, a midweek lunch in spring or autumn gives you the leading of the seasonal produce and a less pressured room.
Dietary restrictions: Root's entire identity is vegetable-led, which means the menu is built around plant ingredients by default rather than by accommodation. If you have specific allergies beyond vegetarianism, contact the restaurant directly before booking, as menu details are not published in advance and change with the seasons.
For more options while you're in the city, see our full Wells restaurants guide, our full Wells bars guide, and our full Wells hotels guide. If you want a more casual daytime stop before or after, Maine Diner is worth knowing about.
For context on what Root's cooking sits alongside in the broader UK vegetable-led space, Opheem in Birmingham and Midsummer House in Cambridge represent the higher end of destination dining in comparable mid-sized UK cities. Internationally, Fu He Hui in Shanghai and Lamdre in Beijing show what fully committed vegetarian fine dining looks like at a different scale. Root operates below all of those in price and formality, but it is doing something genuinely coherent within its category.
For destination dining in the wider South West and beyond, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, hide and fox in Saltwood, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton all operate in a different price tier and format, but they give useful reference points for what serious UK cooking looks like at different levels of ambition. Root is not trying to be any of them, and that is the right call.
Quick reference: Root Wells, 12 Sadler St, Wells BA5 2SE , vegetable-led small plates, ££, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 and 2025, Google 4.8/5 (186 reviews), easy to book with 1–3 weeks' notice recommended.
Root is a vegetable-led small plates restaurant at ££ pricing with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Order the cheese choux puffs from the snacks section while you decide on the rest of the menu. Come with two to four people for the leading spread of dishes. The menu changes seasonally, so what's available shifts throughout the year. Book ahead rather than walking in, especially on weekends.
Yes, with the right expectations. Root is a serious restaurant with two consecutive years of Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition and a 4.8 Google rating, but the format is relaxed small plates rather than a white-tablecloth tasting menu. It works well for birthdays, anniversaries, or any occasion where the priority is excellent food at a fair price rather than formal ceremony. For a more structured, high-ceremony occasion, you'd be looking at a different type of restaurant at a higher price point.
Root operates a sharing plates format rather than a set tasting menu, which is part of its value proposition. You order across snacks, small plates, and desserts rather than following a fixed sequence. At ££ pricing with Bib Gourmand credentials, the value is strong , the flexibility of the format means you control the spend while still accessing the full range of the kitchen's cooking. Four to six dishes per person is the right volume for a full meal.
Bar seating details are not published, so contact the restaurant directly if this is your preference. The dining room has an open kitchen, which adds some counter-style energy to the room regardless of where you sit. For the most comfortable first visit, book a table in advance.
Wells is a small city and Root is its most decorated restaurant. For a more casual daytime option, Maine Diner is a practical fallback. If Root is fully booked and you're willing to travel into Somerset or the surrounding area, see our full Wells restaurants guide for a broader view of what's available. Root does not have a direct local competitor at the same quality level.
The entire menu is vegetable-led by design, so vegetarians and those reducing meat are the core audience. For specific allergies or other dietary needs, contact the restaurant directly before your visit. Given the seasonal, regularly changing menu, advance communication is the only reliable way to confirm what can be accommodated on a given date.
At ££ with a Michelin Bib Gourmand held in both 2024 and 2025, Root represents strong value by any measure. The Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for good quality at a moderate price, so the recognition directly addresses the value question. The wine list reinforces this, with most bottles under £50. You are unlikely to find a better quality-to-price ratio for a sit-down dinner in Wells.
One to two weeks ahead for a weekday visit; two to three weeks for a weekend. Wells attracts visitors to the Cathedral year-round, which adds pressure during summer and holiday periods. The restaurant's size and Bib Gourmand status mean it fills faster than its city-size might suggest. Book as soon as your dates are confirmed rather than leaving it to the week before.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Root Wells | ££ | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | ££££ | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | ££££ | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | ££££ | — |
| The Ledbury | ££££ | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | ££££ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
The format is sharing plates, so you'll be ordering several dishes across the table rather than one main each. Start with the cheese choux puffs — they're a signature and worth ordering before you've even looked at the rest of the menu. Root holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024 and 2025), which confirms the value case: this is cooking that punches above the ££ price point. It's on 12 Sadler Street, a short walk from Wells Cathedral.
Yes, with the right expectations. The dining room is described as elegant and comfortable, the service is genuinely enthusiastic, and the open kitchen adds some theatre. For a low-key celebration where the food is the focus, Root works well. If you need a private dining room or a more formal setting for a large group, this probably isn't the right fit — the sharing-plates format suits two to four people more naturally.
Root runs a regularly changing seasonal menu of small plates rather than a fixed tasting menu format. You build your meal from the menu as it stands on the night, which suits diners who want flexibility. Given the Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition and an ££ price range, the overall spend compares favourably to set tasting menus elsewhere in the region — you're unlikely to feel short-changed on either quality or quantity.
The venue data doesn't confirm bar seating as an option. The dining room has an open kitchen that adds some energy to the space, but specifics on counter or bar dining aren't documented. Contact Root Wells directly at 12 Sadler Street or check for current booking options online before assuming walk-in bar seats are available.
Within Wells itself, the Cathedral Hotel's restaurant is the most obvious comparison for a sit-down meal, but Root holds two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards that the Cathedral can't match on that metric. For a more casual option, a Somerset pub lunch costs less but won't deliver the same level of seasonal, technique-driven cooking. If you're willing to travel, Bristol's broader restaurant scene (including the original Root at Wapping Wharf) opens up more comparisons.
The menu is vegetarian-led by design, so plant-based eaters are the primary audience rather than an afterthought. The menu draws on influences from India, South East Asia, South America, Italy, France, and Spain, and changes seasonally. For specific allergen requirements or vegan needs, check the venue's official channels before booking — the venue data doesn't confirm blanket vegan suitability across all dishes.
At ££ with a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025, Root represents strong value for the level of cooking. The wine list is mostly priced under £50 and leans organic and biodynamic. For the quality of seasonal produce, technique, and service, this compares well against similarly priced restaurants in Somerset and sits comfortably ahead of the region's more pedestrian options at the same price point.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
