COFFEE BARKER ****
1-5 Castle Arcade, Cardiff. 029 2037 1491
With such a huge number of cafes, eateries, takeaways and coffee shops offering all and sundry in the way of lunchtime bites and afternoon coffee breaks, attracting the attention of Cardiff’s thirsty shoppers can’t be an easy task. It was perhaps a brave move, then, for clothes shop Barker to decide that they’d open their own coffee shop in the already thronging Castle Arcade, which boasts no less than three other independent eateries.
Yet blending seamlessly with the shop’s already cool warehouse aesthetic – exposed brickwork, high ceilings and steel girders characterising the coffee shop’s contemporary interior – Coffee Barker offers something distinctly different from the faceless coffee chains that litter the city. A warm and friendly feel is achieved with a great mix of cool and comfy leather seats. Their drinks selection is varied with an eye for quality, and although the food is slightly on the pricey side, the amount of choice and also the standard, goes some way toward making up for it. Doorstep sandwiches, appealing paninis and excellent toasties come in a variety of options. Smoked salmon, brie and gammon, mascarpone chicken and cheese are among the many tantalising choices. The cakes prove equally tempting.
Stylish, sleek and comfortable, Barker certainly stands out as one of the better cafes in Cardiff to indulge in a beautiful slice of cake or a hearty lunch time sandwich. Whether you’re stopping in for a morning coffee or an afternoon tea with friends, Coffee Barker is a great place to relax, chat and watch passersby. Its popularity is already evident, with plans to extend the coffee shop further into the adjoining Barker clothes shop. GARETH LUDKIN
i stumbled into this cafe for the first time last saturday after a very long walk, and it was a delightful surprise – a veritable haven. Cool and relaxing music and atmosphere. Very attractive surroundings (I loved the decor in the toilet!), friendly staff, piles of great magazines to read.
i will definitely be a regular.
The best coffee, served at the best coffee bar in Cardiff.
I found Coffee Barker through work, one of our team said we should have our meeting there.
Felt compelled to right this.
Really cool place great food too! Great tunes, modern yet very classic decor.
Chill and relax in style.
Zak x
Amazing place!
Great atmosphere, delightful drinks, amazing home made-tasting cakes!
I was also nicely surprised by prices!
Keep it up guys!
[...] pretty certain that you cannot help but fall in love with one of their dishes. It is not only the food, but also the quiet atmosphere that added to our experience. The place is not really that big, but [...]
Wandered in here on Tuesday this week, after walking past the endless Starbucks, Nero et all and I can honestly say I could have stayed in here for HOURS! The decor, atmos, furnishings, staff, food, coffee… EVERYTHING is right about this place & it blows the big, global chains out of the water…in fact out of the universe. I could not recommend this place more & it has the added bonus of being attached to a fantasticly trendy clothes shop. If I lived in Cardiff I would be in here every single day & never get fed up of the surroundings, but alas, I'll have to wait til my next trip back to visit my folks.
I agree that the Decor is very nice and other shops in the arcade will no doubt benefit from the Parisian feel it gives – but the food is poor.
Drastically overcooked scrambled eggs packed into a glass ramekin to further the cooking process, with what can only be described as a 'suggestion' of salmon – seriously embarrassing portion of salmon for £7. My friend had the Full Breakfast and said each component had a fault (the sausage skin was so thick he peeled it off due to the time spent chewing) which made it an ‘average’ breakfast at best. Coffee lovers will find fault but nothing good training can’t fix.
This place has lots of potential but rather than worry about quirky serving ideas they must get the simple things correct, then the rest will look after itself.
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We called in to this coffee shop about two weeks ago and on entering we were more than pleased with the atmosphere that the decor and music provided however that's as far as it goes. The service was sloppy at the very least with a very off handed attitude from our server, then the food arrived { full breakfasts} which looked ok but most components were over cooked, or under cooked or just vile. Our half eaten meals were collected from the table without our server asking whether we enjoyed or not. This is not the service we expect and will not be returning