Places to eat in Cardiff

As part of the Cardiff blog series we wanted to talk about the places we have eaten at in Cardiff. To be honest, we don’t very often go out for a meal as we prefer to save our money and eat in, but we still want to review the places we have been to give our honest opinions.

This post has been split into the following sections to help with your search:

• Independent Restaurants
• Chain Restaurants
• Desserts and Coffee

Independent Restaurants

The Classroom

Location: CAVC City Centre Campus, Dumballs Road, Cardiff CF10 5FE

Now we are not normally fancy restaurant eaters because we prefer to save our money to travel. However, this was an opportunity to experience fine dining we couldn’t miss. Basically, it is a restaurant attached to Cardiff and Vale College which is used to teach young people culinary skills and hospitality. This means that the food is prepared in an intricate way with all the fancy garnishing, but at a fraction of the price – a 2 course mean is just £15! The menus change almost monthly so there is always something new to try.

We decided to eat here for David’s birthday, and it really was lovely. Because we are quite frugal (or tight, whatever you want to call it), we decided to share a starter and a dessert because we knew we wouldn’t want masses for lunch but we still get a taste of all three courses.

Here’s what we chose:

Starter: Navarin of Lamb ravioli, sage, spring onions, pickled turnips

• I thought this was really tasty, and I don’t like lamb. It was surprisingly filling as well, the ravioli was stuffed full of juicy flakes of lamb and there was a really lovely gravy-like sauce that went with it which was so good and bought the dish together – gosh I sound like a food connoisseur (I’m really not).

Zoe’s main: Coconut braised fillet of haddock, spring radish, potato croquette, passionfruit

• The fish was so flaky and the hint of coconut just brought it up a level. I really enjoyed this dish, however I wasn’t a huge fan of the passionfruit coulis that was put on the plate – it just made the croquettes a bit soggy and everything too sweet. Fortunately, you could eat around most of this so all in all it was a very yummy plate of food.

David’s main: Smoked pork belly, wilted spinach, broad beans, apple and tonka bean

• It looked good. Really good. I’m not a big meat girl but this pork looked like the best I had ever laid eyes on. I only got a little taste but it was incredible, and there was no squidgy fat and the crackling was crunchy yet chewy… yum. David said he loved it too, so if you get the chance I would definitely try it! You get a fair portion as well which is always a bonus.

Dessert: Caramelised banana strudel, maple syrup, ginger and lemongrass ice cream

• The ice cream was to die for – I would have happily just had a huge mound of that as the dessert. But don’t get me wrong, the strudel was good too, although very sweet with the banana and the maple syrup.

The only negative thing I have to say about the place is its location – the view isn’t as great as it makes it out to be. It is almost in the middle of an industrial estate, but you are 5 floors up so you don’t really notice it after an hour or so. Don’t let this put you off, it’s just something to consider if you were hoping for the best views of the city.

Salt

Location: Stuart Street, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff, CF10 5BZ

After a breezy morning exploring the bay, we wanted something to eat. There are loads of places to eat in the Bay but we just wanted something small and inexpensive, and Salt ticked both those boxes. The interior inside was lovely, like a cosy beach house. It was almost empty when we went in but I bet it gets busy in the night time because there are 2 bars and they are open until late.

We sat upstairs where you can get nice views of the Bay, and choose our meals. You had to go up to the counter to order and pay before you got your meal, like a cafe but this isn’t a problem.

Here’s what we chose:

Zoe: Nachos – They were just your bog standard nachos really, nothing particularly special about them. To be honest, they became a bit soggy with all the grease from the cheese and it didn’t really have much flavour to be honest, I wouldn’t get them again.

David: Chicken and Bacon Tagliatelle – Again, this was nothing to rave about, honestly, either of us could have made better. It was just sloppy cheesy pasta with a sprinkling of meat. Everything about it just tasted a bit fake.

Personally, I wouldn’t come back to this eatery to eat, you can almost certainly get better meals for a similar price. But who knows, I may find myself in there one day for a drink and the interior is really lovely.

The Beach House Hotel

Location: The Esplanade, Penarth, CF64 3AU

Strictly speaking this isn’t ‘in Cardiff’, but you need to go to Penarth even just for an afternoon. It is a tiny beautiful seaside town with a small promenade pier and some cute little shops, cafes and restaurants. The Beach House Hotel is a hotel (as the name suggests), but there is also a cafe that’s open to everyone. We decided to go here before heading back to Cardiff Bay. It is a really nice place with great views onto the beach, perfect for a spot of lunch.

Here’s what we had:

Zoe: Jacket Potato with Cheese and Beans – It came with a side salad which was lovely and fresh, and this potato was so good. I am quite picky about my jackets because I love the skin but only when its crispy, and I really don’t enjoy a potato that tastes even a bit earthy. But this one was cooked to perfection with huge helpings of beans and cheese – all for quite a reasonable price.

David: Chicken and Bacon Panini – If you hadn’t noticed, David loves his meat. But that also means he knows what he’s talking about, and he said that this Panini was really good. It was warm and had melted cheese and a side salad and crisps, and it also felt really rustic and definitely homemade.

Chain Restaurants

Miller and Carter

Location: Hemingway Road, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff, CF10 4AU

Neither of us had been to a Miller and Carter before, much to the shock of David’s room mates. So, when the time arose we jumped at the chance at going. My grandparents were coming down and wanted to treat us to lunch, and are also great lovers of Miller and Carter restaurants so this was the perfect opportunity (especially as we didn’t have to pay – food tastes so much better when its free!).

Here’s what we had:

Zoe: Barbecue Glazed Chicken – I really enjoyed this actually, I’m not really a red meat eater (as I’ve probably mentioned already) so chicken is my go-to normally. This dish was really tasty without feeling too heavy, and the sauce was delicious. If you’re like me and don’t generally order steaks, this is a great choice.

David: Bacon & Smoked Cheddar Burger – Again, this looked really good. David said it was definitely one of the best burgers he’d had. It was a bit less heavy going than a steak but still with the same great flavour, and it was a big old hunk of meat. I think I will give this one a try if I go back in the future, but I’d have to starve myself first in order to finish it all!

There is also a Miller and Carter in Central Cardiff, but parking is so much easier in the Bay which is why we decided on this one (and you get free parking if you put in your registration number at the bar).

Frankie & Benny’s

Location: St David’s Dewi Sant, Bridge Street Arcade CF10 2EF

We had spend the afternoon shopping in Cardiff and wanted to grab something to eat in the early evening before heading back. We decided on Frankie and Benny’s on more sentimental grounds than anything else. I hadn’t been to one in years, and I know David loves that kind of Italian-American food style, so that’s where we went.

I couldn’t fault it to be honest, you don’t expect fine dining in here but it is always good reasonable food – and that’s what we got. The only thing is… I can’t remember what we had! All I remember was it was good.

TGI Friday’s

Location: St David’s Dewi Sant, 15-17 Bridge Street Arcade CF10 2EF

Another eatery located in the St Davids’s Shopping Centre, but unfortunately we didn’t like this one so much… I have been to many a TGIs in the past and really enjoyed what I’ve had, so I’m not saying any of this to put you off but I’ve now realised that some of their dishes are not quite what you expect.

Here’s what we had:

Zoe: Roasted Veg Sizzling Fajitas – I had high hopes for these as the description reads: ” Served on a hot skillet with a selection of dips and warm tortillas. When it comes to the sizzle, we know our shizzle!”. However, they clearly don’t know their shizzle because these were probably the worst fajitas I’ve ever had. The vegetables were rubbery and there was no seasoning on them so they just tasted bland. The condiments were also not great, there was a red tabasco-like sauce with a weird tang and the muddy brown sauce was unrecognisable to me – I definitely won’t be recommending these.

David: Fridays Double Glazed Burger – Another burger for David, and again this looked like a good one. He said that the glaze took the burger to a whole new level. This is probably the kind of thing I’d recommend at TGIs because they have a lot of burgers on their menu, so they are making them all the time.

Desserts and Coffee

Bru

Location: Ty Admiral, David Street, Cardiff, CF10 2EH

On to the sweet stuff now. We stumbled across Bru on our walk back to David’s accommodation – what dragged us in was their use of Biscoff in so many desserts (some would say over-use but not us). Although this wasn’t the cheapest place to eat it was really relaxed and a chilled way to end the evening – plus it was cheaper than the desserts in the restaurant!

Here’s what we had:

Biscoff cookie dough – Oh my God was it peng (it’s an embarrassing word I know, saved only for the best treats). I love Biscoff anyway and have been known to eat the spread straight from the jar before, but this was something else. Despite this, one portion of this cookie dough between us was more than enough to satisfy us, it is a very gooey heavy dessert (plus we’d just had a meal as I said). Unfortunately I think this was a special item on the menu, so I can’t make any promises it will be there if you decide to go. However, I’m sure we will be back in the future to sample some more!

I hope this post didn’t make you too hungry! Keep an eye on this as I will most likely be adding more places as we go to them.

As always, any questions please ask!

Happy Travelling!

Zoe and David x

Written by Zoe