Best restaurants in Cardiff Published 27 January 2025
Cardiff seamlessly blends its rich history with a modern, dynamic energy, and this is reflected in its vibrant dining scene. The city’s best restaurants offer everything from inventive contemporary dishes to comforting favourites, often showcasing the best of Welsh produce in creative and surprising ways.
Whether you’re after bold, exciting flavours or a taste of tradition with a local twist, Cardiff’s restaurants bring together diversity and a strong sense of identity. Dining here isn’t just about the food—it’s an opportunity to experience the warmth, creativity, and character that define the Welsh capital.
Explore our guide to the best restaurants in Cardiff and uncover the venues that make this city a standout destination for food lovers.
It might be in the centre of Cardiff, but this glowy, atmospheric love letter to Spain is a world away from the streets outside. While its nearby sibling Bar 44 is all about tapas, the focus here is on the grill, fed by the hefty … Read more
It might be in the centre of Cardiff, but this glowy, atmospheric love letter to Spain is a world away from the streets outside. While its nearby sibling Bar 44 is all about tapas, the focus here is on the grill, fed by the hefty array of meats that can be seen dry-aging in a fridge set into one wall. The setting is suave but relaxed, with exposed brickwork offset by dark blue and coffee walls, and intimate spaces created by banquettes and cookbook-crammed shelves. There's an industrious buzz to the whole operation, helped along by a polished front of house team.
The menu highlights classic Spanish delicacies, but also makes a feature of ex-dairy beef, which provides a full, rich flavour and sustainability credentials. Alongside straight-talking grill options, there are thoughtfully crafted starters such as Duroc pork belly with miso mayo and cockle vinaigrette or plump, pearly scallops with crunchy jamón and warm, smoky XO sauce. Mains might bring a fall-apart, melting wodge of ox cheek set on beef rice plus a vivacious flourish of salsa verde. From the great-value set lunch, we relished a buttery piece of hake, cooked just-so and adorned with capers and shrimps, accompanied by a bowl of rustic skin-on fries.
Desserts range from ice creams and sorbets to grilled banana with goat's curd dulce de leche topped with baby meringues and crunchy, sesame sugar shards. Asador also does a splendid Spanish take on Sunday lunch: go for the ‘incredible’ slow-cooked shoulder of Welsh lamb with duck-fat roasties or dive into the mighty family-sized paella with authentic fire-cooked rice. The wine offering lives up to the promise of a visible walk-in cellar, with a broad Spanish mix spanning big names, small family producers and lesser-known grapes.
This artist-run Venetian bar and restaurant in the heart of Cardiff is as idiosyncratic as it is charming. Dark terrazzo-tiled floors, white wall tiles and artfully distressed original features evoke an air of retro cool and we lo… Read more
This artist-run Venetian bar and restaurant in the heart of Cardiff is as idiosyncratic as it is charming. Dark terrazzo-tiled floors, white wall tiles and artfully distressed original features evoke an air of retro cool and we loved everything about it – from the seemingly thrown-together interior to the generous, inventive and often free-form take on Venetian food, ranging from cicchetti to not-so-small plates. The ground floor sports a long bar, plus yellow booths for dining, while upstairs a long, warmly lit room is furnished with reclaimed wood and metal furniture; there's a small roof terrace too. The expansive cicchetti menu, built on breads from the excellent Riverside Sourdough bakery, runs from classic salami, mozzarella and olive through to creative plant-based options such as chickpea pâté with seaweed and banana blossom, or a simple but enormously satisfying mountain of sweet, caramelised onion. While meat and fish appear on the menu, vegan and vegetarian options take up the lion’s share. There’s also a retro wholefood vibe to items such as mushroom barley risotto or a huge bowl of cauliflower soup topped with a riot of croûtons, broccoli florets and walnuts. These are big, rustic dishes designed for sharing (a typical non-veggie option might be spaghetti with cockles, garlic, chilli and parsley). Fresh, seasonal ingredients are very much the stars of the show, as exemplified by an autumn dessert of plum and apple galette, combining a gorgeously crisp crust with perfectly caramelised fruit and a sparkling slick of fragrant orange syrup. A decent selection of Italian wines is matched by a very respectable beer menu.
Lee Skeet (formerly head chef at Hedone in London) started a supper club during lockdown to get back into cooking after a serious accident forced a four-year break from the kitchen. It was a big hit and he subsequently launched Co… Read more
Lee Skeet (formerly head chef at Hedone in London) started a supper club during lockdown to get back into cooking after a serious accident forced a four-year break from the kitchen. It was a big hit and he subsequently launched Cora – a buzzy, relaxed first-floor restaurant, named after his daughter and located above Milkwood in Pontcanna. You ring a bell to enter and are led up a workaday flight of stairs, past the kitchen, into a white-walled, wood-floored room with suburban views and just 10 covers per service. It’s simple rather than slick but there’s plenty of polish in the kitchen, where Skeet cooks a six-course no-choice menu based on excellent Welsh ingredients. Classically rooted excellence is evident throughout, with 'vibrant, technicolour flavours' in abundance and each dish 'leaving you hungry for more'. A summer inspection began with crisp, light-as-air Roquefort pommes soufflé and dainty, smoky morsels of torched mackerel sashimi topped with glistening dabs of rhubarb purée. Skeet excels at seafood – from a supersized, caramelised Orkney scallop paired with a feisty soy and ginger broth to Cornish spider crab teamed with juicy marinated tomatoes and tomato consommé dotted with emerald basil oil. To follow, a pearlescent slice of turbot came topped with a mosaic of Persian courgettes plus a mélange of peas, chives, pea shoots, sweet-sharp morsels of Granny Smith apple and a luxurious Crémant butter sauce. It’s not all seafood however – another highlight was meltingly tender rack of Abergavenny lamb brightened with plump cherries and enriched with a dark, assertive seaweed sauce. A dessert of yoghurt panna cotta with marinated strawberries, strawberry sorbet and pieces of meringue was nicely judged, delivering welcome lightness after such a substantial meal, while skull-shaped chocolates filled with smooth salted caramel provided a charming finale. The wine list is short but well-judged, avoiding the predictable and offering something for all palates, with prices hovering around the £30 mark.
Devastatingly clever food in an uncluttered modernist setting
One of a rising tide of restaurants that take the starchiness out of high-end dining, Heaneys delivers devastatingly clever, technically adept food in a relaxed, vibey setting. No standing to attention here – just a pacey pr… Read more
One of a rising tide of restaurants that take the starchiness out of high-end dining, Heaneys delivers devastatingly clever, technically adept food in a relaxed, vibey setting. No standing to attention here – just a pacey procession of sublime taster-size dishes (although you can order two or three courses at lunch if you prefer). The interior is uncluttered and modern, with a white-tiled bar on the rear mezzanine and a light, airy, street-facing dining area sporting green banquettes and modernist wood furniture.
Tommy Heaney cooks like a man who’s learned the tune so perfectly he can now confidently riff on it. Expect plenty of imagination and interest built on a solid classical grounding: an opening dish simply billed as ‘cheese and onion’ was a crisp filo case with a fluffy, intense, cream cheese, onion, Parmesan and black olive filling after which ‘no quiche will ever be the same again’. A plump Carlingford oyster wore a veil of green herb oil, with fermented chilli and a dainty cucumber disc, while finely diced trout dressed with dashi, pickled mushrooms, soy and a twist of yuzu struck a perfect balance: smoky, citrussy, fresh and bright.
After that, the delights just kept on coming: an on-point, crispy-skinned helping of John Dory was paired with an airy buttermilk sauce, cod roe mousse, purple sprouting broccoli and chive oil, while melting, unctuous BBQ lamb and lamb neck harmonised beautifully with seasonal wild garlic purée, purple sprouting broccoli purée, crisped chard and fennel pollen. Sweet treats were also dazzling – a much-elevated take on a Jaffa Cake featured chocolate mousse and a lip-smacking blood orange layer in a chocolate casing, while dainty morsels of mirabelle pâté de fruits, blueberry macarons and salted white-chocolate caramel fudge made a perfect finale.
Sunday lunch brings an upscale three-course take on the traditional roast with headliners ranging from BBQ Welsh lamb with confit shoulder and mint to confit pork belly with rillette and burnt apple, plus helpings of duck-fast roast potaoes and veg. A fairly substantial wine list covers Europe especially well, offering something for most tastes and pockets. Next door, the Uisce bar is a good spot for oysters, small plates and pre/post-prandial cocktails.
From bar to beer garden, the Heathcock majors in laid-back sophistication: expect simple white walls, reclaimed furniture, a decent selection of beers, and warm, efficient service. Here, informality never equates to idleness, and … Read more
From bar to beer garden, the Heathcock majors in laid-back sophistication: expect simple white walls, reclaimed furniture, a decent selection of beers, and warm, efficient service. Here, informality never equates to idleness, and the same is true of the food, which – for all its rustic edges – is intelligent and considered. A big, chunky sourdough doorstep, say, quilted with the cheesiest, beeriest Welsh rarebit you could wish for, a bottle of Worcesterhire sauce on the side. Or grilled Wye asparagus teasingly dressed in grated Welsh black truffle and breadcrumbs then laid on a swirl of wild garlic purée. Native ingredients are trumpeted: a clutch of fluffy ricotta dumplings luxuriate in a heritage tomato sauce, with chunks of fresh tomato tasting of the summer sun thrown in for good measure. Game makes frequent appearances, as do native fish and seafood: smoked eel might be breadcrumbed, deep-fried and served with horseradish, rhubarb and chard on sourdough toast, while native mussels go Welsh with a leek and cider sauce. This is a small-plates menu, so expect to try at least three dishes each – and be sure to order dessert: a flawless, cloud-like rhubarb soufflé was a ‘sparkling highlight’ for one diner, while a perfectly crisp and syrupy pear tarte tatin delighted another. A good spread of European wines includes plenty by the glass. A recent addition is a Champagne and oyster bar upstairs.
Shielded from the street by floor-to-ceiling curtains (press the doorbell to enter), James Sommerin’s latest venture is darkly dramatic with the deepest slate grey walls, seven linen-clad tables and retro wood panelling lend… Read more
Shielded from the street by floor-to-ceiling curtains (press the doorbell to enter), James Sommerin’s latest venture is darkly dramatic with the deepest slate grey walls, seven linen-clad tables and retro wood panelling lending ‘a bewitching 1960s recording studio vibe’. The centrepiece is the broad open kitchen, lit like a Hopper painting, and creating a hypnotic and beautiful piece of live theatre backed by a luscious dreampop soundtrack. James Sommerin and his daughter Georgia are essentially the whole kitchen team, and sometimes bring out dishes from their no-choice, eight-course surprise menu (the printed version is presented at the end of the meal), though there’s an excellent, warmly assured front-of-house presence, too. Sommerin has always impressed, but it’s clear that he has raised the bar considerably here. There’s magic in every detail, from the dazzling amuse- bouches – a gougère made with Parmesan ‘light, crisp, and intense’, and an eggshell filled with silken parsnip espuma topped with a golden, crispy shard of chicken skin – right down to the dense, crusty wholemeal and laverbread loaf made with local beer and served with cultured seaweed butter. Some highlights at inspection included Jersey Royals cooked in home-smoked butter to intensify their flavour, served with tarragon emulsion and a dressing of smoked butter-rendered pork, snappy pork crackling and Parmesan and sage crumb, and a signature dish of perfect liquid pea ravioli with crispy sage and serrano ham, finished with Parmesan emulsion – a creation that ‘totally deserves its star spot’. A main act of corn-fed chicken breast accompanied by potato and olive oil purée, Carmarthen ham, broad beans, globe artichoke and Madeira sauce was equally flawless, while desserts took a playful tack with treats including honey and chamomile custard with strawberry sorbet, tarragon and delectable warm doughnuts. But for sheer theatre, nothing could trump the passion fruit ice cream on a stick – dipped in liquid nitrogen, then dunked in chocolate at the table and finally sprinkled with granola and topped with thick, sticky toffee sauce. The wine list is lengthy, global and full of interest, with high-end selections by the glass as well as more accessible options.
If you’re looking for south Indian cooking in Cardiff, you’d do well to pick this lively neighbourhood restaurant. Expect little in the way of garnishes and arty flourishes – the workaday presentation doesn&rsquo… Read more
If you’re looking for south Indian cooking in Cardiff, you’d do well to pick this lively neighbourhood restaurant. Expect little in the way of garnishes and arty flourishes – the workaday presentation doesn’t match their snazzy publicity pics – but the traditional Keralan dishes have what counts: irrepressible, complex flavours delivering a balance of fragrance and heat. Not every dish was perfect on our visit, but standouts included kallappam (a rice, coconut and cumin pancake-style bread), a Keralan dry-fry of tender beef strips coated in freshly ground spices and served with a curried mayo, and airy, crisp dosas with classic sambal and coconut chutney. Among the main courses, Kochin chicken – marinated in a classic turmeric and roasted coconut seasoning – stood out for tenderness and vivid flavours without too much heat. The buttery, just-charred naans are best in class too. For afters, the gorgeous homemade desserts are impossible to resist: try the cold-set coconut pudding with chocolate sauce or the mango pudding with chocolate, cashews and raisins. It’s all set against a backdrop of wood floors and simple pine furniture, with warmly enveloping, woven bamboo walls curving up to the ceiling, brightened by touches of greenery and twinkly birdcage lamps. Sadly, not all the staff are up to speed with the finer details of each dish, but the overall feeling is one of relaxation, indulgence and belt-loosening satisfaction.
An attractive, modern-looking spot in a parade of shops in the heart of Rhiwbina (a suburb of Cardiff), Mesen offers a relaxed take on contemporary small-plate dining. On the day we visited, it was gloriously sunny and the whole f… Read more
An attractive, modern-looking spot in a parade of shops in the heart of Rhiwbina (a suburb of Cardiff), Mesen offers a relaxed take on contemporary small-plate dining. On the day we visited, it was gloriously sunny and the whole frontage had been opened up to create an alfresco feel, with chairs and tables laid out on the street. Inside, there’s plenty of wood, leather and modern art, with a view into the kitchen at the rear.
The cooking is charcoal-fired, pairing chargrilled meat and fish with fresh, zesty flavours. The juicy, crunchy-skinned charcoal chicken, perfectly matched with ripe peach, cucumber and a fruity dressing, is a case in point, but it's easy to forgo meat altogether with the likes of plump, cheese-filled gnocchi, lightly charred and dressed in a lively walnut pesto. Geographically, the reach is broad, from various rösti and tostadas – perfectly soft and crisp, topped with tender pork belly and a fruity salsa – to rib of beef with Café de Paris butter or native lobster with confit garlic and finger lime.
The charcoal fire also services desserts such as grilled pineapple with grapefruit sorbet, and the whole offering sits comfortably alongside a thoughtful selection of European wines. In addition, there’s a real feeling of team spirit about the place – expect efficiency, friendliness and attention to detail throughout.
For most of the week, Milkwood is a relaxed café turning out trendy brunches, but every Friday and Saturday evening it shifts to a more elevated dining experience based around an imaginative 'small plates' menu that spans e… Read more
For most of the week, Milkwood is a relaxed café turning out trendy brunches, but every Friday and Saturday evening it shifts to a more elevated dining experience based around an imaginative 'small plates' menu that spans everything from stonking meat dishes to lively and interesting vegan options. At the carnivorous end of the spectrum might be hefty chunks of mangalitza black pudding with pickled walnut purée, a golden, runny egg, melting pork lardo and the crispiest croûtons – or slow-braised short-rib of beef topped with a profusion of glossy, coal-black lumpfish roe, plus hen of the woods mushroom and rich, sweet/savoury caramelised onion purée. Plant-based options are just as satisfying: take a barbecued gem lettuce – fresh, juicy and lightly charred – spiked with confit lime dressing and dainty capers then softened with cucumber and coconut yoghurt (a ‘bright, refreshing’ dish that delighted one diner). Elsewhere, meaty, caramelised slices of BBQ swede are enlivened with sweet-potato purée, punchy homemade kimchi and the crunch of puffed wild rice. Presentation is relaxed and generous – no more so than in a dessert of rhubarb and custard jumbled with honeycomb and spicy Jamaican ginger cake. This is cooking without boundaries, pulling in ideas from all quarters and creating dishes that surprise and excite. A relatively short wine list favours Europe and peaks at £35.
Since opening his self-named venue, chef Tom Simmons has certainly received the stamp of approval from appreciative visitors: 'upmarket but relaxed, this really was an utterly stunning meal,' cheered one satisfied customer. He has… Read more
Since opening his self-named venue, chef Tom Simmons has certainly received the stamp of approval from appreciative visitors: 'upmarket but relaxed, this really was an utterly stunning meal,' cheered one satisfied customer. He has also brought a certain Gallic charm to one of Cardiff’s most attractive Victorian suburbs. The interior combines mid-century cool and a soupçon of 1930s Paris with its parquet floors, glowing wall lights and deep green and red walls. It feels refined but not stuffy, and the menu follows suit, offering relaxed nibbles and sides alongside the regular three courses. These extras are not to be missed: mushroom croquettes, (bite-size umami explosions topped with a dusting of Parmesan and truffle) were ‘one of the best things I’ve ever tasted’, while tea-brined chicken in a 'light as air' crispy crumb topped with zingy lime mayo took fried chicken to previously unscaled heights. Flavours are intense and seasoning is perfect, as in a silken asparagus velouté – the very essence of springtime – served with a supersized gougère filled with molten Black Bomber Cheddar. A main course of beef fillet, glossy with caramelised jus, was accompanied by a dainty but big-booted beef rib tartlet topped with truffle/mushroom purée and shaved, truffle-dusted mushrooms. Sides of mac and cheese (luxuriantly cheesy and mushroom-topped) and the freshest BBQ spring cabbage with celeriac purée and wild garlic oil all hit the mark, with special mention going to the extraordinary chips made by compressing layers of potato with garlic and Parmesan, then chopping and deep-frying the result. As with everything else here, the result is a dazzlingly elevated version of a favourite dish. The same could be said of a dessert involving moist, citrussy treacle tart with the finest pastry case and a melting scoop of Earl Grey ice cream: this is classic food taken out of its comfort zone and made into the best version of itself. The international wine list covers all bases and price points, with plenty by the glass.
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