Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Cardiff
Hardens guides have spent 29 years compiling reviews of the best Cardiff restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 124 restaurants in Cardiff and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Cardiff restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Cardiff Restaurants
1. Asador 44
Spanish restaurant in Cardiff
14-15 Quay Street - CF10
An “almost entirely Spanish drinks list” deconstructed by an “excellent sommelier” sets the tone at Tom & Owen Morgan’s – of ‘44’ group fame – two-year-old flagship, with its own dedicated wine cave. “A wonderful experience from beginning to end”, the food is consistently highly rated, with Spanish and Welsh produce singed on the parilla grill over different sorts of wood (think 70-day dry-aged Rubia Gallega chuletón steaks).
2. Heathcock
British, Traditional restaurant in Llandaff
58 - 60 Bridge Street - CF5
Here at the Heathcock, as at our Sister Pub the Hare & Hounds, we serve good quality food and drinks in relaxed and informal surroundings.Our pub is a thriving local watering hole that has been keeping locals’ thirst at bay for over 100 years. We still do exac...
3. Bar 44 Penarth
Spanish restaurant in Penarth
Windsor Road - CF64
The Bar 44 Group of Tapas Bars are all slightly different with their own unique menus and ambience. There is, however, one common theme which runs through them all....the passion and desire to bring the very best food, drink and hospitality from modern Spain to the heart of So...
4. Heaney's
British, Modern restaurant in Cardiff
6-10 Romilly Crescent - CF11
Chef Tommy Heaney, from Great British Menu, moved from the Great House hotel in Bridgend in October 2018 to open his own project in Pontcanna, on a well-known site that’s hosted Arbennig and Le Gallois in their day (both now RIP). Serving a variety of small plates, plus various other menus (including vegan and vegetarian options) , fans have immediately hailed it as “Cardiff’s best” – it would have scored even higher were it not for the odd ‘off’ report.
5. Mint and Mustard
Indian restaurant in Cardiff
134 Whitchurch Road - CF14
“South Indian heaven” awaits in the unlikely setting of Cardiff at this, the original of a regional mini-chain – “full of a lively crowd reflecting the academic community around the nearby university”; its “interesting and unusual menu” focuses on seafood, and “pleases the entire family – rare!”
6. Cafe Citta
Italian restaurant in Cardiff
4 Church St - CF10
“A real gem”, this low-key but popular city centre venue provides “hearty Italian family fare” – mainly pasta and pizza – backed up by “great service”.
7. Dusty Knuckle
Pizza restaurant in Cardiff
The Printhaus, 70a Llandaff Road - CF11
Husband-and-wife team Phil and Deb Lewis run this cool pop-up-gone-permanent pizzeria in Canton – “I felt more on trend just by being there”. A crowdfunded sibling was scheduled to open in the restored Warden’s House on the edge of Bute Park in 2019.
8. Purple Poppadom
Indian restaurant in Cardiff
185a, Cowbridge Road East - CF11
“Superb Keralan food from chef Anand George” – formerly of Mint and Mustard – is to be found “in a surprisingly upmarket setting for a grotty Cardiff suburb”. The cooking is “refined and elegant, with delicate sauces”, and constitutes “a real gastronomic experience” – “without doubt some of the best food in town”.
9. Bar 44 Cardiff
Spanish restaurant in Cardiff
15-23 Westgate Street - CF10
“Very popular (but consequently sometimes very noisy)” city-centre Spaniard, part of a local chain (which now extends to Bristol), that wins praise for its “top tapas” and wide selection of wines and sherries. On the downside, some reporters “prefer the Cowbridge original”.
10. Casanova
Italian restaurant in Cardiff
13 Quay St - CF10
Opened in 2005 by three Italian amici, this “very friendly” outfit features a seasonal, purposefully not extensive menu that “uses a lot of authentic Italian produce” (though arguably “it’s actually more Sicilian” in result); while “not cheap”, the victuals are “really good” by all accounts.
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