Margoux Review: Deluxe Restaurant & Cocktail Bar in Exeter!

Take a step into Exeter’s Margoux, and you’ll immediately feel how this is dining with a difference. Floor to ceiling windows awash the room with natural light, illuminating the brassy tables and sleek décor.

This is one of the newest restaurants in Exeter, offering a contemporary dining experience with European and English dishes, a range of tantalizingly tasty cocktails and an extensive wine list.

Try a chilled glass of dry white from the vineyards of Hungary or sip on a fruity cocktail before ordering your main dish.

You’ll soon see why Margoux has already been taking Exeter by storm.

Drinks at Margoux

Margoux is a restaurant on the ground floor, but upstairs boasts an impressive cocktail bar with a terrace overlooking Exeter Cathedral. More on that later!

Take a seat in the restaurant and browse the detailed drinks menu. It boasts a wide range of curated cocktails, some of which are classics and others which are a twist on staples.

I ordered a “poshstar martini”, which is a pornstar martini made with grey goose vodka.

Also on the drinks menu are alcoholic drinks like gin bramble, various beers and a range of wines. Of course, there are plenty of delicious non-alcoholic drinks as well! 

Food at Margoux

Margoux uses innovative ingredients to make creative dishes from British classics.

For example, my group was entranced at the miso caramel locally reared pork belly (I don’t eat meat, but the miso caramel bit certainly sounded delicious!).

One of my friends ordered and said it was just as delicious as it sounds!

My only slightly negative comment about the entire restaurant was the lack of options for me, as a vegetarian.

However, I still enjoyed some delicious food! For starters, I opted for just a ramekin of olives, as I didn’t fancy the only vegetarian starter (cashew cream with curry marinated heritage tomato and sunflower seeds).

As a main dish, I chose a creamy risotto with feta, squash, basil and rocket.

This was exquisite; the risotto was the perfect level of creamy and the flavours were perfectly balanced, and to be fair, I probably would have chosen it even if there were a couple of other vegetarian options on the menu.

I don’t normally eat pudding, but I saw a chocolate mousse with caramelised banana and popcorn on the menu and was immediately intrigued.

Just as the flavours in the risotto balanced each other perfectly, the textures in the dessert were the perfect mix of smooth and crunchy.

With just one bite, I tasted chocolate and caramel tones, and while the dish had a certain amount of richness, it wasn’t overpowering as chocolate desserts often are.

When it comes to balancing flavours and textures, the Margoux chef clearly knows what they’re doing.

I just hope to see more veggie options (and even a vegan option!) on the menu in the future – and as they’ve only just opened, I think this could be a real possibility.

Service at the Margoux

“I heard you wanted a white wine,” the restaurant manager said as I took my seat when returning from the bathroom.

I’d asked my friends to order me another drink while I was gone.

He produced a bottle of chilled white, inviting me to try it before pouring it into my glass. “This is Hungarian,” he told me. “It’s quite a unique flavour, but I really like it”.

As you can see by the above example, we were graced with exceptional service like the above throughout our entire time at the Margoux.

The wait staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and no request felt like too much.

Décor at the Margoux

The wall-to-ceiling windows make Margoux feel like you’re eating outdoors when you’re still very much undercover and inside. Elsewhere in the venue, the décor is very fresh and modern, with an air of sophistication.

I particularly loved the bathrooms, which featured vintage toilets and sinks with exposed pipes.

With neon signs and quirky artwork all over the walls, Margoux certainly put a lot of thought into its interior design, adding to the entire dining experience.

The cocktail bar at the Margoux

After your delicious dining experience, head upstairs to the cocktail bar, which has a fun atmosphere, funky artwork and great tunes playing.

The drinks list is similar to downstairs, with the options to purchase cocktails, wine or soft drinks.

The cocktail bar opens out onto the beautiful terrace, which has benches with cushions and a couple of tables – perfect for catching some rays on a sunny afternoon and overlooking one of Exeter’s best attractions, Exeter Cathedral.

Once you’ve sampled the best-looking cocktails on the menu, Margoux is only a short walk from Exeter Central station or other destinations in the city centre, including the Jury’s Inn Hotel, where you’ll sleep happily knowing that you’ve fully relished in the luxury of Exeter’s newest fine dining restaurant. 

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