Gwen, Machynlleth Review: Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, 20 courses, and Mid Wales' next Michelin Star.......
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
Gwen, Machynlleth doesn't behave like any restaurant we've eaten in. Tucked behind an unassuming frontage on Heol Maengwyn in the heart of Machynlleth, this tiny eight-seat restaurant, the little sister of Gareth Ward's two-Michelin-starred Ynyshir just down the road, has entered a thrilling new era. Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, the chef who won a Michelin star at Bristol's Casamia, has taken over the stoves, and the result is one of the most exciting meals we've eaten anywhere in the UK.
Twenty courses. No dips. No filler. And a chilli con carne we're still thinking about.
If you're searching for where to eat in Machynlleth, or wondering whether Gwen is worth the drive into mid Wales, the short answer is yes. Book it now, before the rest of the country works out what's happening here. Here's the long answer.
What is Gwen, Machynlleth?
Gwen is a new concept for mid Wales: an intimate, eight-seat, multi-course restaurant (named after Gareth Ward's mother) where every single dish is cooked right in front of you. The evening starts in the cosy wine bar at the front , ours began with a glass of bubbly, and then the meal unfolds in chapters as you move from room to room through the building. It makes the night feel like a journey rather than a sitting.
The atmosphere is dark, moody and calm. The pace is deliberately slow, this is dining as an evening, not a transaction.
Our advice: don't rush it, surrender to it, and whatever you do, don't book your taxi for 9.30.
Chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias and sous chef Flynn
At the heart of Gwen is Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, the Bristol chef behind the much-missed Casamia and Paco Tapas, and most recently Decimo in London. On paper, a chef of that pedigree landing in a small Welsh market town sounds unlikely. In person, it makes complete sense. Peter is blooming lovely: super chilled, generous, funny, and clearly having the time of his life, enjoying cooking in the Welsh countryside. He describes his style as "no rules cooking," and you can taste the freedom in every plate.
He cooks every single dish himself alongside his 19-year-old sous chef Flynn, and watching the pair work the open kitchen is half the joy of the night. There's no barrier between kitchen and diner, you see everything, smell everything, and chat as you go.
The food: 20 courses and not a single weak link
Here's the thing about multi-course menus: normally you get one or two standout dishes and a polite supporting cast. Not at Gwen. Every course landed. That almost never happens.
The chilli con carne was the dish of the night, and we can't quite believe we're writing that about a chilli con carne.
Served with Japanese A5 Wagyu, Spanish adobo and sourdough, with a slab of butter - how bread and butter should be. It's a passport on a plate: the soul of Spain, the fire of Mexico and the precision of Japan in a few extraordinary mouthfuls. It rewires what you expect a tasting menu to be.
Other highlights, though honestly, we could name all twenty:
Datterini tomato with 25-year-old Giusti balsamic and stracciatella, a tomato dish that stops conversation dead.
Duroc rib with al pastor sweet n' sour, sticky, smoky and outrageous. This one was personal for us. Years ago we made the pilgrimage to Paco Tapas in Bristol and were gutted to find Peter's famous rib wasn't on the menu that day, we spent the entire day talking about the rib we didn't get. Years later, in a candlelit room in Machynlleth, we finally got our moment: the best rib of our lives, cooked by the very chef we'd chased it from. Worth every year of the wait.
Carabineros prawn with birria and hibiscus, and Dyfi lobster with bone marrow and cascabel butter , local Welsh seafood meeting Mexican depth.
Spanish blue fin akami and otoro with N25 caviar, dashi jelly and ponzu, Japan via Spain, executed flawlessly.
And then the desserts. All of them, without exception, outstanding: a yoghurt with iio jozo, lemon and kombu; a silky purin with Tahitian vanilla and blueberry; a tres leches soaked in Diplomatico Exclusiva Reserva rum; and a mangonada with tamarind and Clase Azul tequila to finish. Four courses of sweets and not one passenger among them.
The wine
The wine list at Gwen deserves its own mention. Sam steered us through it expertly, knowledgeable, relaxed and without a whiff of pretension, and every pairing lifted the food rather than competing with it. ( if you, like me visited Gwen for a wine and fried chicken waffle before Peter took the helm, you would remember Jake, a wonderful guy, who knew his wine - Well, Sam is his brother ).
Is Gwen Machynlleth worth it?
Without question. This is a restaurant at the very start of something special. Peter and the team are still finding their flow, and that's part of the thrill of eating here right now. When they've fully worked out their dance routine and everything beds in, we genuinely believe Gwen will win a Michelin star and become the hottest food destination in mid Wales. Get in early and say you were there at the beginning.
Gwen, Machynlleth: the essentials
Where: 21 Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth, Powys SY20 8EB
What: A 20-course "no rules" menu from Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, cooked entirely in front of you
Seats: Just eight covers , book well ahead
Style: Dark, moody, intimate; wine bar at the front, dining rooms beyond
Sit tight and enjoy : The A5 Wagyu chilli con carne, the Datterini tomato, the Duroc rib and every single dessert
Top tip: Give it the whole evening. No 9.30 taxis. 11 pm taxi.
Book: gwenrestaurant.co.uk
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