NEW JOBS AS CITY CENTRE BAR GETS £700K MAKEOVER
ONE of Cardiff’s most popular bars is undergoing a £700,000 refurbishment in an investment that will create 20 new jobs.
Walkabout, on St Mary Street in the centre of the city, has closed its doors for four weeks for the work to be carried out.
The interior of the new-look bar will benefit from new VIP areas, prebookable booths and private areas for parties, meals, club nights and live music.
Once complete, Walkabout Cardiff will also be home what they are describing as the biggest high-definition projection screen in Cardiff.
Eleven matches can be shown on it at once, and there will be multiple HD TVs throughout the venue.
There will also be a series of huge linked screens showing coral reef and footage of modern Australia.
A state-of-the-art sound and lighting system will top everything off, enhancing Walkabout’s reputation as one of Cardiff’s ultimate party venues.
Walkabout’s new food menu will also be on offer, with a selection of light bites, main meals, sharing dishes and party platters, along with a new drinks menu that includes craft beers, wines and m jam jar cocktails.
The new-look Walkabout will relaunch with a VIP party on May 25.
Nick Kyriacou, general manager, said: “We’ve always been famous for legendary party nights, fun, live music, sport and great food, but now we’ve got a totally transformed venue to make things even better.
“We can’t wait for our customers to see the refurbishment for themselves, whether it’s for a coffee or quiet drink with friends, a night out or to experience our unbeatable match-day atmosphere.”
The news comes as a few doors down, another bar prepares to reopen next month.
Cardiff’s legendary Philharmonic is set to open its doors after undergoing a £750,000 refurbishment.
Work started in June 2016 and in the last month has moved forward dramatically.
Last week a 360-degree bar was fitted on the ground floor.
The renovations have uncovered many hidden gems in the building, including a lane through the middle of the site and an original tile floor.
Directors Craig Davies and Simon Little currently run two city venues in Brewhouse and Retro.
Croeso Pub director Mr Davies said: “We had expected that knocking through a doorway of this size should take a day at most, though this particular passage ended up taking three days to break through, as the wall was around 3ft thick. It was a challenge for the builders, but they managed it.”
Fellow director Mr Little, said: “The refurbishment is going really well and we’re looking forward to seeing more developments in the next few weeks.
“The top floor is really coming together now with paint going on the walls and we’re really excited to see everything begin to fall into place.”
The Philharmonic was closed for five years before being taken over by the new company.