Food glorious food. Cakes, beers and pop-ups. We round up some of the best foodie delights Wales has to offer.
RESTAURANTS
Compiled by ANWEN WILLIAMS
CHAPEL 1877
Churchill Way, Cardiff
This inventive and elegant restaurant is based in a renovated chapel. The French gothic style building featuring bold interior and statement chandeliers has a great atmosphere and offers a distinctive dining experience. Its creative cuisine has global influence, and offers locally sourced meat and a pleasurable collection of seafood. Chapel offers a vast menu, from a light or hearty lunch, to an à la carte evening menu, or the option of a seven-course tasting menu. The spacious venue caters to all occasions.
Info: 029 2022 2020 / www.chapel1877.com
MUNCH OF MUMBLES
Mumbles Road, Swansea
Providing quality food in a modest yet sophisticated restaurant, Munch Of Mumbles is a little delight. Providing a modern British menu integrating elements of European cooking, the establishment prides itself on using quality, locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, switching up the menus every month. While Munch Of Mumbles is fully licensed, customers have the option to bring their own choice of beer and wine. Equipped with a certificate of excellence, the establishment seems to be a hotspot for tourists.
Info: 01972 362244 / www.munchofmumbles.co.uk
GOT BEEF
Whitchurch Rd, Cardiff / Cowbridge Rd East, Cardiff
Starting out as a mobile catering business, Got Beef took inspiration from street vendors in Thailand and food trucks in the US. After touring food events in the UK, they set up indoors in 2014, and recently opened a second branch in Canton. Using quality Welsh beef and inspiration from American cuisine, the food is extremely good for an impressive price. Grab a Breaking Bad-inspired Heisenburger served with blue drunken onions and blue cheese, or the Donald Trump – compiled with Mexican and American cheese, topped with a Russian dressing and a tiny pickle.
Info: 029 2061 7534 / www.gotbeef.co.uk
THE STUFFED DORMOUSE
Ponthir Road, Newport
The Stuffed Dormouse pride themselves on offering something completely different at a price that suits everyone. Distinct from the majority of restaurants in the area, the menu varies from exotic meat to fresh lobster, or a traditional Sunday roast. The exotic menu offers meats including crocodile, kangaroo, zebra or ostrich fillet. If you’re feeling adventurous, the restaurant offers a roulette skewer: four meats are chosen for you, their identity revealed to you following your meal. A menu that changes almost every day means that your food is guaranteed to be fresh, and the food is often bought from local suppliers.
Info: 01633 430142 / www.thestuffeddormouse.com
MOKSH
Bute Crescent, Cardiff
Situated in the heart of Cardiff Bay, Moksh’s menu offers dishes that are distinct from any other Indian restaurant in the region. Head chef Stephen Gomes is known for products of lateral culinary thinking, including lamb cheesecake and dishwasher chicken (which is exactly what it sounds like). Don’t be surprised if your dinner comes with liquid nitrogen, or if they bring you a fire blanket in case your flaming dish sets alight, that’s all part of the Moksh experience. Named Wales’ best curry house in 2016, Moksh pride themselves on using local ingredients and work with the finest quality Welsh produce.
Info: 029 2049 8120 / www.moksh.co.uk
BAR 44
Westgate St, Cardiff / Windsor Rd, Penarth / High Street, Cowbridge
Bar 44 brings contemporary Spain to south Wales with their tapas selections. It’s a great place to try some new dishes, as customers are offered an extensive menu from which they can pick a couple of small dishes as opposed to a main. The menu is perfect for a quick or even on the run lunch, well-presented food served in a vibrant yet intimate setting. The menu includes varieties of meat, fish and seafood, offering ranges of pork and speciality cheese dishes.
Info: 0333 3444049 / www.bar44.co.uk
SLICE
Eversley Rd, Swansea
With a great attention to detail and food cooked to a great standard, Slice live up to big expectations in a small restaurant. The 16-seat setting offers a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The quirky little dining area offers a distinct and exciting collection of food. Wagyu beef and wild boar loin are among the dishes offered, along with tasting menus to be enjoyed by the whole table. Since opening in 2014, Slice have already gained entry to the Michelin Food Guide, and are predicted great things in the future.
Info: 01792 290929 / www.sliceswansea.co.uk
THÉ POT BISTRO
Whitchurch Rd, Cardiff
This cafe by day, French bistro by night offers a range of homemade breakfasts and lunches followed by a French style menu in the evening. Thé Pot’s previous location on Crwys Rd made them a local favourite, eventually necessitating a move to a bigger venue (they still own the original building, which now goes by the name of Arty’s Kitchen). The menu offers classic dishes such as pan-fried sea bass, steamed mussels, langoustine and ratatouille. The small restaurant has a cosy and relaxing atmosphere.
Info: 029 2061 1204 / www.thepotcafe.co.uk
NANT RESTAURANT
Coleg y Cymoedd, Nantgarw
Voted one of the top restaurants in Cardiff by TripAdvisor (though actually located in the Rhondda), Nant Restaurant offers quality food prepared by students under the guidance of professional chefs. The price is incredibly reasonable, with the menu ranging from French to Welsh and European. The contemporary restaurant offers a variety of snacks, a three-course lunch or dinner, as well as an option to take away. The menu changes weekly, offering a wide range of dishes for everyone.
Info: 01443 663050 / facebook.com/nantrestaurant
CURADO
Guildhall Place, Cardiff
Spicing up the city centre is this newly established tapas bar and deli, bringing flavours from around Spain to Cardiff. Curado offers a range of craft beer and other Spanish beverages that compliment the diversity of flavours. With a menu dedicated to jamón and pintxos (Spanish ham and small snacks), the dishes are largely made up an array of meat, fish, and small vegetable options. Concentrating on traditional elements of Spanish dining, bookings for less than eight people are not available – the bar’s selling point is the freedom to pop in and enjoy a snack with some good beer.
Info: 029 2034 4336 / twitter.com/curadobar
HANG FIRE SMOKEHOUSE
The Pumphouse, Barry
If there’s one thing these guys know about, it’s barbeque – and when you visit, they’ll make sure you know it. The food, music and atmosphere at Hang Fire are US-inspired, bringing Kentucky biker bar vibes to Barry. After falling in love with the barbeque experience in New Orleans, Samantha Evans and Shauna Guinn – the brains behind this venture – decided to bring it home to south Wales. Dedicated to slow cooking meat and a distinctive smokey taste, the menu is filled with meaty greatness.
Info: www.hangfiresmokehouse.com
HARE & HOUNDS
Aberthin, Cowbridge
The head chef here, Tom Watts-Jones, was proclaimed a “great Welsh chef of the future” on BBC radio show Wales On The Menu. Offering a menu that changes daily, everything is made with the best produce that the Vale Of Glamorgan has to offer. Half of the pub has been dedicated to serving traditional bar food with a familiar tavern style setting; the other half has been transformed into a restaurant serving an à la carte menu. Expect menu choices as varied as rock oyster, sourdough focaccia, scallops and venison scotch eggs.
Info: 01446 774892 / www.hareandhoundsaberthin.com
FOX & HOUNDS
Llancarfan, Vale Of Glamorgan
An attractive little gem based in the heart of Llancarfan, this Fox & Hounds provides three dining areas. One is an endearing snug bar with a heated covered terrace, which welcomes dogs. Inside is a well-lit restaurant, with a menu changing seasonally; examples of the food offered are pan-fried stone bass with new potatoes, chorizo, broad bean and cauliflower and leek veloute; battered fish with chunky chips, crushed peas and tartare sauce; or crispy duck terrine with blood orange and radish. The contrasted menu offers an assortment of wines alongside it.
Info: 01446 781287 / www.fandhllancarfan.co.uk
SMALL BAR
Church Street, Cardiff
Having expanded from its Bristol home last year to open a second branch in Cardiff, Small Bar is dedicated to innovative independent craft breweries, primarily from the UK. Far from a haven for binge drinkers, the bar doesn’t serve beers in pint glasses – halves, thirds and two-thirds-sized vessels are the options here, variety prioritised over volume. And with around 31 beers on tap at any one time, you get the opportunity to taste around. The food that goes with it is also something to talk about, the menu offering freshly made pizzas, burgers, hotdogs, a range of fries and sides; based on the ‘beer and bread’ symmetry, there’s a big focus on starchy dishes, resulting in menus that go perfectly hand in hand.
Info: www.smallbar.co.uk
CASANOVA
Quay Street, Cardiff
Regarded as one of the best Italian restaurants in Wales, Casanova was opened in 2005 by three Italian friends. In an attempt to bring an authentic taste of Italy to your plate, local produce is used along imports such as extra virgin olive oil, salami, truffles and pasta. Unlike most Italian restaurants in the area, you won’t be able to predict what’s on the menu, as Casanova offer dishes that eschew Italian cliché. Traditional dishes are sourced from across the country, including local Tuscan and Venetian dishes.
Info: 029 2034 4044 / www.casanovacardiff.co.uk
CALABRISELLA
Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff
Since opening in 2014, Calabrisella has been helping customers to experience a bit of Calabria right on their doorstep. Focusing more on traditional Italian dishes, the pizzeria and bar make food that mimics real home cooked Italian food. With a simplistic, rustic style, the restaurant adds authenticity by dotting artefacts in the surrounding dining area. The menu is traditional yet diverse, offering traditional Italian food, as well as filled croissants, an English-style Italian breakfast or a takeaway panini alongside your espresso.
Info: 029 2022 5839 / www.calabrisellacardiff.com
ASADOR 44
Quay St, Cardiff
The heart of northern Spain is shown off in Bar 44’s latest venture, via artistically presented food cooked over charcoal. The menu revolves around cooking over different kinds of wood on a custom grill, which provides a depth of flavour and ensures food is cooked slowly and carefully. Along with a special grill, the restaurant provides a wine stall and cheese cave, that offer a large selection of goods that are on offer. The restaurant maintains a cosy yet vibrant Spanish vibe, with a number of zones available to dine in. Charcoal-cooked mains include hake fillet, octopus, squash and a selection of Welsh beef.
Info: 029 2002 0039 / www.asador44.co.uk
THE BAGEL AND BURGER KITCHEN
Salisbury Road, Cardiff
The Bagel And Burger Kitchen offer a range of, you guessed it, bagels and burgers. One of the specialities that is usually seen being raved about is the Krispy Kreme burger (a burger served between a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut). Along with this strange but wonderful concoction are a range of other classic burgers, which are generous for the price, and dished out quickly. The bagels make for a perfect breakfast and are prepared to order. The homemade relishes and fresh milkshakes are something to shout about.
Info: 029 2023 3329 / www.bbkitchen.co.uk