The 50 best places to grab a tasty plate to eat in the capital
Steffan Rhys uncovers the best restaurants in Cardiff – there are some new entries on the list for 2019, after a year in which several restaurants raised the bar in the city...
MUCH has changed on the Cardiff food scene over the past 18 months or so – but the food scene in the capital remains as impressive and diverse as ever. Several new restaurants have raised the standard, though the established businesses continue to shine as brightly as ever.
The cooking is beautifully diverse, with everything from tapas to Turkish, sushi to small plates and vegan to barbecue. And there’s plenty of top Welsh cooking too. You can eat in a prison, a classroom or a neighbourhood Italian.
From shawarma to maki rolls and arancini to Welsh rarebit burgers, these are our picks of the best restaurants in Cardiff in 2019.
The restaurants are listed in no particular order.
HEANEYS
Heaneys opened at the end of 2018 in a spot that’s been renowned for housing some of Cardiff ’s best restaurants, including Le Gallois and Arbennig. Heaneys, though, is arguably the best yet. Anyone who walks past his floorto-ceiling glass-fronted place can experience the busy, buzzing atmosphere inside.
Sample dish: Monkfish, leeks, tartar Hollandaise, tempura mussels
■ www.heaneyscardiff.co.uk
SUSHI LIFE
About a year ago, Sushi Life sprang from what seemed like nowhere to be rated the top restaurant in Cardiff on TripAdvisor.
The 1980s-style red-brick building you’ll find it in couldn’t be further away from the colourful makis, California rolls, ramens, curries and rice dishes you’ll find on the plates inside. Sample dish: ‘Happy Together’ maki rolls: prawn tempura, avocado, cucumber, topped with mango and strawberries
■ www.sushilife.co.uk
NOOK
Nook has only been open a couple of weeks but has jumped comfortably straight into this list. It’s a small, superfriendly place serving small plates and natural wines at good prices.
Sample dish: Mutton and aubergine arancini with tomato and caper ketchup
■ www.facebook.com/nookcdf
THE HEATHCOCK
The Heathcock is another relatively new restaurant spoiling the people of west Cardiff for choice, opened by the people behind its Bib Gourmandcarrying sister restaurant Hare and Hounds, near Cowbridge.
Sample dish: Rare roast hanger steak, green peppercorn sauce, watercress and Pommes Anna
■ heathcockcardiff.com
SARAY
If you want authentic Turkish cuisine, you must try Saray. But be prepared to book a table – the restaurant is full most evenings. Sample dish: Mixed grill: chicken shish, lamb shish, lamb kofte and chicken kofte
■ www.sarayturkishcuisine.co.uk
SALKAARA
Last year was a vintage one for restaurant openings in Cardiff. Here’s another restaurant rated among the best in the city after just a year doing business. Sample dish: Nadan chicken curry: curry with coconut milk, tomatoes and Kerala-style spices
■ www.salkaara.co.uk
BWYDIFUL
Bwydiful was a regular on the pop-up and food festival scene in Wales since 2015 before it opened its first permanent restaurant opposite Victoria Park, on a short little stretch that’s now doing a lot to boost the number of great places to eat in the city.
Sample dish: The Hawaiian burger, topped with maple-cured bacon and cinnamon-coated pineapple
■ bwydiful.co.uk
BLUE HONEY NIGHT CAFE
If you’ve not visited this night-time cafe – which is transformed in the evenings from the permanent greasy spoon that’s there during the daytime – you’re missing out on inventive and delicious fast food that’s a world away from McDonald’s or Burger King.
Sample dish: Korean buns filled with slow-roasted pork belly
■ www.instagram.com/bluehoneynightcafe
THE CLASSROOM
This remarkable restaurant is staffed by those honing their culinary and service skills at Cardiff and Vale College. The menus change with the season and bread is freshly baked each day in the in-house bakery.
Sample dish: Crispy belly pork, confit pork cheek, celeriac and five-spice puree, Cavelo nero, calvados jus
■ www.theclassroom.wales
CASANOVA
You’ve got to love a restaurant where, when your favourite dish is taken off the menu, the staff respond with: “Life is full of disappointments.”
And you’ve got to love it even more when they knock you up the dish anyway.
Sample dish: Tuscan-style roast pork served with tender flat green beans stewed with tomato and oregano
■ www.casanovacardiff.co.uk
CURADO
Curado was opened in 2016 by the people behind Ultracomida, which are hugely popular Spanish restaurants and delis in Aberystwyth and Narberth. The bustling city-centre restaurant serves fantastic tapas accompanied by good wine.
Sample dish: Loin of Duroc pig cured with paprika and olive oil
■ curadobar.com
MILKWOOD
Milkwood arrived on the scene in 2017 and the neighbourhood restaurant in Pontcanna has established itself among the finest in Cardiff. Think sewin with leeks, brown shrimp, cucumber and laverbread, or spring lamb cutlets, rolled belly, salsa and aubergine. Sample dish: Spiced quail, hummus, pastilla, tomato and pomegranate salad ■ milkwoodcardiff.com
LE MONDE
Back in the hands of the family who originally opened it in the 1980s, Le Monde is a top choice for steak and seafood, employing the traditional brasserie style of display and pick-yourcut. Have the crevettes!
Sample dish: Grilled fillets of chicken with a spicy coconut and pimento salsa ■ le-monde-restaurant.co.uk
THE BRASS BEETLE
Pizza and cocktails may be a common sight at many Cardiff restaurants, but The Brass Beetle caters for the glutenfree and vegan pizza lovers and has been doing so since it opened two years ago.
Sample dish: Italian anchovy pizza with capers, anchovy, rocket, tartar sauce and mozzarella
■ www.thebrassbeetle.co.uk
ASADOR 44
Asador has made a big impression since opening in what was Greenwood and Brown, next to the City Arms. Asador has its Spanish wood-fired parrilla grill at its heart – and the food coming off it is superb.
Sample dish: 500g Entrecote, served rare and sliced
■ asador44.co.uk
I GIARDINI DI SORRENTO
This enormously popular restaurant in City Road has a fine reputation for indulgent, classically Italian food (and atmosphere) inspired by the Sorrento region of southern Italy.
Sample dish: Venison ragu, cooked with garlic, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes
■ www.i-giardini.com
ANATONI’S
Anatoni’s has become a Roath institution in a relatively short time. Originally set up in June 2012 in Lakeside, Anatoni’s was the first traditional Neapolitan pizzeria in the city.
Now in Wellfield Road, a huge pizza oven in the window tells you where the focus is in this restaurant. But it’s not just pizza, and you’ll find Italian classics like lasagne on the list too. Sample dish: Santa Anna pizza: nduja, ricotta and basil
■ facebook.com/pg/anatonispizzeria
29 PARK PLACE
In a lovely spot between Cardiff’s civic centre and the residential streets of Cathays, the restaurant is bright and airy and the standard of food is high. Sample dish: Giant scallop, cauliflower purée, pancetta sand, sorrel
■ knifeandforkfood.co.uk/twentynine
BULLY’S
Bully’s is one of the city’s finest restaurants, has been for years, and is a past winner of the AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales.
Sample dish: Rump of lamb, rosemary and garlic fondant potato, braised gem, roasted onions, lamb sauce
■ bullysrestaurant.co.uk
SEN BBQ
It may look like a takeaway or a latenight kebab shop, but there’s so much more to this restaurant.
Sample dish: Mixed shawarma with rice or chips and fresh salad
■ www.facebook.com/Sen-BBQ
CALABRISELLA
Practically next door to Sen and open 14 hours a day, you’ll find people sitting outside Calabrisella in Cowbridge Road East for a morning espresso or an evening glass of wine.
Sample dish: Italian meatballs
■ www.calabrisellacardiff.com
OZ URFA
Oz Urfa was forced to close a few years ago after the Turkish chef had his visa refused. It was a popular restaurant in City Road run by Faruk Yavuzel and his brother and business partner. ■ facebook.com/pages/Oz-Urfa
CHAI STREET
Indian food with a difference, Chai Street serves up street food that dances with flavour.
Sample dish: Chai Special thali: One starter, one chicken dish, one lamb dish, one vegetarian dish, Dal, Raita, pickles, mini poppadoms, rice and naan bread
■ chaistreet.com
ANNA LOKA
Still Cardiff’s best vegan restaurant, it opened up declaring itself the city’s first 100% vegan restaurant, run by a Hare Krishna monk.
Sample dish: Aubergine fillet stuffed with turmeric buckwheat, cherry tomatoes and kale crisps
■ www.anna-loka.com
DA MARA
Classic Italian done really well in a twostorey restaurant, where there are always fantastic specials on top of the usual menu.
Sample dish: Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, chilli, fresh parsley and grated bottarga
■ www.damaracardiff.co.uk
THE POTTED PIG
Located in a former bank vault, The Potted Pig focuses on good cooking and good gin. The Michelin Guide was impressed by its “robust, tasty dishes”. Sample dish: Honey-glazed duck breast, spiced dumpling, carrot puree and pak choi
■ thepottedpig.com
PURPLE POPPADOM
It’s a world away from the traditional curry house, with one of Cardiff’s best chefs in the kitchen. Anand George changed Indian cooking in the city for