New name for city pub after takeover
THE Cayo Arms on Cathedral Road in Cardiff has reopened and it has a new name.
The Pontcanna Inn, as the Cayo is now named, is owned by the City Pub Company and it is the company’s first venture in Wales.
The Pontcanna Inn is on Cathedral Road, close to the city centre and near to Sophia Gardens.
Jim Charlton, operations manager for the City Pub Group, said: “We wanted a fresh start for the local residents after the Cayo had declined in recent years.”
He said the building has undergone a huge refurbishment and that “a lot of money” has been spent.
“We’ve gutted the building from top to bottom, but maintained as many of the original features as possible, like the wonderful stained glass windows,” Mr Charlton said.
The fast-growing chain had been looking for a venue in Cardiff for a while. Mr Charlton said they knew they had the right place when they found the former Cayo Arms.
“We really love the leafy suburb area, close to local businesses and to all the stadiums, and the castle,” said Mr Charlton.
He said they are looking to add more venues in South Wales to the pub group’s portfolio.
The pub also has 10 en-suite bedrooms and as it is only just reopening, they have rooms available for some of the big events coming up, including the Ed Sheeran gigs at the Principality Stadium.
The Pontcanna Inn will be offering food, with 90 covers inside and about 200 more outside, and it will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mr Charlton said he wants to cater for local residents, businesses, sports fans, students and tourists.
“One should expect plenty of classic pub grub, like a full English breakfast, fish and chips, beef burger, Sunday roasts,” said Mr Charlton.
“Plus some interesting dishes we have created, such as shakshouka and posh kebabs.”
Behind the bar they have secured a number of local beers on tap.
“Cask ale-wise we’ve initially opened with Tiny Rebel’s awardwinning Cwtch, Vale of Glamorgan’s South Island, plus we’ve especially brewed a best bitter and World Cup Pele Pale Ale from one of our own brew pubs, the Bath Brew House,” said Mr Charlton.
“On keg we’ve got Lagunitas IPA, Beavertown’s Gamma Ray, Tiny Rebel’s Lwb Tropicana, and a really local rotation from Pipes just around the corner from us. There is, of course, plenty of more mainstream lager, like Birra Moretti, Heineken, Amstel and Guinness.”
The City Pub Company was cofounded by Clive Watson, David Bruce and John Roberts in 2011, with its first venue opening in March 2012.
By the end of that year the company had six pubs, with sites in Bath, Cambridge and Oxford. It now has 11 venues in London, seven in Cambridge, and two in Norwich, Brighton, Bath, Bristol and Winchester, in addition to sites in Exeter, Southampton and Hayling Island, near Portsmouth.
The pub is employing 24 members of staff with a couple who previously worked at the Cayo Arms. Once the World Cup is over, there are plans to have a weekly quiz and live music.