Alex Gooch Artisan Baker in Monmouthshire

Alex Gooch is familiar to us as we buy his products in Hay-on-Wye market so when we came across his bakery and coffee shop in Monmouth we thought it would be worth a visit. How wrong were we. When we walked in I noticed the breakfast muffin on display so ordered one of those for myself along with an americano and cold milk. My wife ordered a pastry and tea with milk. Now I have to admit that both of us did not see the small writing telling us that the cafe is 100% plant based but neither did the staff checked that we knew this. Our tea and coffee came with oat milk which for us ruined our drinks and my muffin came with an apology for plant sausage and plant bacon whatever they are, both of which where disgusting, I could only eat the bread - what a waste of money. I have no problem with what others wish to eat but it would have been nice to have more prominent information via signage and members of staff so that we could have gone elsewhere.

The most amazing vegan pastries. Beautiful bread. Had an amazing focaccia sandwich for lunch. Well worth travelling to.

No one in, stood for a few minutes, was ignored, wanted to but a fruit loaf, could hear people talking somewhere, customers came in behind me, I wished them luck in getting served; it was 3.40, I went elsewhere, which was a shame as their product is pretty unreplacable, as it is so good. So this is purely a service gripe.

We tried to eat some of the lovely breads here but without any luck. The sandwiches are all bagged up in advance with no option to not have ‘leeks’ in the cheese option. Ok I’ll have soup, but no apart from having a chalked sign offering what was obviously an option at some time. This was Saturday lunchtime. When I asked for anything simple please? The young chap shrugged his disinterested shoulders, don’t know he said, on pushing I got him to go behind and ask, but no. Thoroughly frustrated and hungry we picked our selves up realising selling the bread must be the sole orientation of this inappropriately advertised ‘ cafe’ . Funny there wasn’t much of that on the shelves either.

I'm in no way a vegan ,after looking at the counter and seeing how good the food looked was disappointed to find all items was Vegan. However choose a sandwich with cake and have to say how good the food was . If you find yourself in Monmouth check this place out

So I consider myself somewhat of a coffee and pastry nerd and I have to say that this place met all my expectations and more. Absolutely stunning pastries, coffees and bread. Prices very reasonable considering how much time and love need to go into creating these masterpieces. Staff are friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about their products. Can’t recommend enough and we shall definitely be coming back

Lovely bread and cakes ... but on a recent visit, we stayed for coffee after purchasing bread and cakes which we have bought before. The 'milk' was not proper milk and it ruined the coffee. A small sign on the door (which we did not see) indicated "Card Only". When we came to pay, we were told: "Cash Only". We shan't be going back for those two reasons.

I’m generally suspicious of anything with the word “artisan” in the title these days. However the bakery looked very good, although untested. However I ordered tea and it came with milk in an irritating little glass rather than a jug, impossible to pour from without making a mess. And to make it worse, it turned out not actually to be milk - making the tea unpalatable. Whatever it was left a coating on the tongue and a horrid aftertaste. When I raised this with staff they implied didn’t seem to be able to serve tea with milk. In Wales.

Excellent coffee and fantastic chai latte. The homemade bread, cakes, rolls and sandwiches are all incredible. Lovely Georgian building. Go upstairs and enjoy the view from the windows. Always come here when in Monmouth

We liked this warm and welcoming cafe. It’s wonderful to have food freshly baked on the premises and we enjoyed the focaccia and the sourdough. I’m afraid that I didn’t like seeing dogs on the sofa, but I’m sure others wouldn’t mind!! I’d still go back, but not sit on the sofa!

Amazing! Fantastic food in a relaxed atmosphere. The bakers are exceptional at their craft. Service was polite and friendly and coffee was superb. First time to Monmouth and we will detour to here any time we are remotely close. Well done team.

Purchased sourdough loaf . Very ordinary similar to Lidl. Not as tasty and texture of bread not a patch of other artisan breads .. take a tip from the Angel bakery in Abergavenny

Produce was lovely, but it left a sour taste after arriving home an hour away to find that they hadn't packed a pastry costing the best part of a fiver. Service was confused and disorganised and effectively stole my money.

So excited to see a vegan coffee shop open in Monmouth. So disappointed. First visit, very slow service but coffee and croissant were nice so tried again. Ordered 2 capuccinos without chocolate and a cake. Waited a good 20 minutes for the coffees to arrive ( not at all busy), they were covered in chocolate and not as hot as should be. Had to ask for spoons.Could not wait any longer for replacement. No apology for extreme delay and also the cake was incredibly dry. Shall not return. Shame.

Scrumptious soup and bread .Service was great and food came quickly.Really impressed with the quality and taste of soup and bread.There's seating upstairs and down.With more comfy seats on 1st floor.Great coffee .We loved it

Visited with my wife. Just awesome. I had the sourdough Rueben sandwich. Both bread and the filling were fabulous. Not the cheapest place in town but you certainly value for your money.

This is an outstanding bakery and coffee shop in the centre of Monmouth. We went there for breakfast on a Saturday morning in October, comprising home-baked bread and croissants with coffee. The staff were extremely pleasant, the range was excellent and the bread in particular was outstanding, so we ended up taking several loaves home. It's not the cheapest location in town but the quality of produce justifies the price. Certainly worth a visit, high streets undoubtedly benefit from businesses like this.