It's always exciting when a new restaurant with an exciting new menu sets up shop to try and some delicious dishes to enjoy. Luckily for foodies in Cardiff, they never have to wait too long between openings, with a number of bars, restaurants and cafes arriving in the capital in recent months.
While some of these places seem to open up almost overnight, others carry a great deal of hype around them before their grand opening. Popular chains such as Rosa's Thai and Fat Hippo are just two of the new arrivals in the city that had built up a cult following thanks to their venues around the UK.
The big question, is however, do these new restaurants live up to expectations? You can read all our reviews here.
Read more: The hidden country inn on the edge of a village named the best pub in Wales
As we know, the customer is (mostly) always right, and there is no shortage of people who have gone online to share their views on the city's newest eateries. Taken from TripAdvisor and Google Reviews, here's what Cardiff foodies have to say about the latest additions to the capital.
Fat Hippo
Burger lovers rejoiced when it was announced that Fat Hippo - who claim to have the best burgers in Cardiff - announced it was taking over the former site of Bub's Bar and Kitchen on the foodie Church Street. The restaurant serves up a vast selection of impressive-looking burgers with creative fillings including peanut butter and jam, as well as extravagant starters including fried pickles, 'trash browns' and waffle fry nachos. You can read our review here.
Reviewers said:
"Fantastic service. Fantastic food. This is the absolute best burger I have eaten in my life! The staff are absolutely amazing, also they are polite and helpful!"
"Went for lunch with a friend, greeted promptly at the door with a smile! Orders taken quickly (but didn't feel rushed) and good variety of drinks. Frickles (fried pickles) to start (decent portion) which came with a ranch and hot style sauce - the sauces are amazing. Wild Bill for main and it was great, not too overwhelming but no room for dessert! Service was very good, although it was a Sunday and not super busy- hopefully you'll keep it up! Would return!"
"So overrated! Ordered a gluten free veggie burger and was so underwhelmed. Burger and fries were pretty poor, bun was super hard and portion sizes were pretty pathetic. Drink selection is really limited and service was super slow. Also not much allergen awareness from staff! Save your money and stick to Honest Burger."
Rosa's Thai
Earlier this year, Rosa's Thai opened its first restaurant in Wales across the road from Fat Hippo after enjoying success in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. The menu offers a range of curries, noodles, and stir fry dishes as well as seasonal specials, including tom yum noodle soup, salt and pepper crispy tofu, oyster mushroom tempura, and stir fry chilli tofu and green beans. You can read our review here.
Reviewers said:
"Have been here many times, love the food and love the service and staff. It's also handy for evening meals as it stays opens a bit later. My favourite dishes are the papaya salad, green chicken curry, and the cashew Nut Stir fry. They also have time limited specials which change now and again which are worth trying. Highly recommended."
"Visited for the first time today. Food was amazing, perfect spice level and generous portion sizes. The Thai lemon iced tea was also lovely. Will definitely be visiting again and highly recommending to others!"
"Not impressed. Had the chicken and cashew stir fry. Chicken was dry and could have been more tender. Won't be in a hurry to return. The prawn in breadcrumbs and dip starter was more enjoyable."
Par 59
This new bar, restaurant and mini-golf venue is a partnership between Wales legend Gareth Bale and the faces behind DEPOT, one of Cardiff's most successful business ventures. As well as two nine-hole mini golf courses and a well-stocked bar, Dirty Birdie serves up a custom-designed menu of buttermilk fried chicken dishes, along with brand-new vegan options. You can read more about Par59 here.
Reviewers said:
"Fantastic evening for our staff social night out. Everyone had such a laugh, great venue and the food was lush. Pulled pork burger was the favourite of the evening!"
"Really great! Very noticeable how well the staff have been trained. They were so happy, helpful and friendly. Food was magnificent also. Had lots of fun. Well done!"
"Overpriced and disappointing"
Daffodil
This gastro pub on Windsor Place, which is part of the Croeso Pub Company that also runs the Bluebell, Philharmonic, Brewhouse and Retro, focuses on local Welsh produce and boasts a "relaxed bar, restaurant & hidden garden". The menu ticks all the right boxes with everything from sweet breakfast dishes to crisp boozy cocktails featured, while the venue is warm and cosy with a roaring fireplace.
Reviewers said:
"Lovely little pub restaurant. The Sunday roast was divine and it wasn't over crowded. The service was fairly quick, but not too quick that you would believe the food was just reheated it was definitely cooked from scratch properly. We will definitely be back."
"What a great little find! From the friendly welcome we received to the friendly and attentive staff to the delicious food, what a great experience we had. The menu had a great selection of meals - so much so that it took us ages to choose what we wanted as it all sounded so good. When the food arrived it even looked better than it sounded on the menu and tasted absolutely delicious. Can't wait to return and work my way through the menu! I definitely recommend a visit to this restaurant, you will be very pleased you went. Food is great but wait staff need some serious training."
Little Kochi
One of the newest additions to the Cardiff food scene, Little Kochi oozes authenticity with delicious food and drink from the south Indian region being served up by Keralan chefs. Founder Albin Sunny recently graduated from Cardiff University, with the 25-year-old inspired by his family's Keralan heritage. You can read our interview with Albin here.
Reviewers said:
"If you like Indian food this is the best ever. A treat for your tastebuds. A perfect balance of spices. Excellent service in an amazing environment. Can’t wait to go back again."
"The food was amazing. A lot of exciting and tasty food at a great price. Portion sizes are great as well. Staff are friendly and decor is beautiful. Excited to come back again!"
"Dishes look like Indian cuisine but it doesn't taste like Indian. If you are born in the UK, you might find it good. But not for the people who are coming from India, especially from the South."
Kafe Makasih
Run by husband and wife team Ruth and Roger Hanson, the award-winning Kafe Makasih replaced student favourite The Early Bird Cafe on Cathays' Woodville Road earlier this year. Street food dishes inspired by Asian and British cuisine are on the menu, including crispy Malaysian chicken, curries and brunch dishes.
Reviewers said:
"WOW!! I was left speechless!! Absolutely stunning food.. so much flavour and choice. The paneer waffle and potato puffs were to die for. They have done such a beautiful job doing it up (the pink tiles are amazing) and the garden is lovely too. A very cool, relaxing and happy vibe. It will 100% leave you with full belly's and a huge smile. I would highly recommend it. Just one complaint - I can't eat here everyday. Stunning! Such a lovely addition to Cardiff."
"As a Malaysian, I am impressed!! I brought my mum here too and she had the same reaction. The foods were good. Mix of flavours in one dish. Love it!! The ambience was perfect. They don't deserve low ratings at all. I'd give 10/10!!"
"I’m really disappointed. I don’t know what to say. Can’t believe this restaurant replaced The Early Bird, that’s all. As a Malaysian, I found the food very sub-par, especially for the price. If you are looking for Malaysian cuisine, you are better off at the other Malaysian restaurants in Cardiff."
Wingstack
Specialising in mouth-watering chicken wings and burgers, Wingstack had already proved a hit with Cardiff foodies at its pop-up restaurants pop-up restaurants in Clearwater Parade and Corporation Yard before moving to Whitchurch Road earlier this year. With a wide menu, including eight different flavours of chicken wings, burgers, loaded fries and vegan options, there's a lot to love. You can see what we made of it here.
Reviewers said:
"Best chicken we’ve had and the staff are great. We have been waiting for them to set in the new location and it has been worth the wait. The menu has some new additions but remains superb quality and it’s also excellent value. New venue has plenty of space to sit in as well if preferred. Highly recommended."
"Lovely food, very interesting combinations of flavours, definitely worth trying . But be careful - once you come here, you'll find yourself coming back every week for some more or like me every time I get the chance. Their burgers are the best chicken burgers you can get in Cardiff (no joke) and their atomic chips are addictive! Five stars."
"The wings were tasty but some were very small with barely any meat. The chips were really disappointing. The atomic had heat and flavour whilst the Italian style were quite bland. However, the chips were bog standard frozen and the texture was quite spongy, like they had been reheated. Overall, the flavours, particularly the wings, were good but the poor quality chips really let the meal down. Not good value for money in our opinion"
Slamburger
Slamburger opened its sixth UK restaurant on City Road at the start of the year and is known for serving up halal versions of McDonald's and Burger King burgers as well as their own creations. Its impressive menu boasts a huge range of burgers, as well as kebabs, chicken nuggets and a wide selection of sides.
Reviewers said:
"Food was on point. Everything was cooked properly and most of the items came out quite quickly. For the price the food was great value for money. The staff were super helpful considering it was quite busy and they got our orders right. There was 18 of us and we all managed to sit in and eat comfortably. Would 100% be returning."
"Amazing burgers, good value for money and the burger meat was so tender and fresh."
"Fries were very slim fries, dry and cold. Most of them went in the bin. Chicken whopper was dry and bland, was supposed to be peri-peri. Added sauce to it to make it edible. We ordered approximately 12 meals but most of us binned the fries. Not in a rush to go back! Disappointed."
Bacareto
Having opened on Church Street last year, the café bar has already proved a hit. Inspired by the small bàcari of Venice, Bacareto serves up coffee, pastries, tramezzini and panini from the counter during the day, alongside a small menu cooked to order from the kitchen. In the evening, however, during 'Aperitivo hour' the bar bursts with cichéti to be washed down with an ombra or Spritz, with the menu changing regularly and being served late into the night.
Reviewers said:
"Amazing!!! The food is incredible, so much flavour and beautifully presented. I would never usually go for vegan or veggie dishes but the small choice made me try food I wouldn’t usually try and I wasn’t disappointed. So tasty. The staff are so lush too. Really attentive and knowledgeable. If you haven’t been yet, you need to book!!"
"Amazing bar and restaurant. Atmosphere is sophisticated and cosy with incredibly friendly staff and amazing selection of high quality drinks without the usual accompanying high price tag for the location. Food is an experience, while the menu is not expansive the quality of what is on offer shines through and will delight all but the fussiest of eaters."
"Was looking forward to finally trying here, unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype. Our waitress wasn’t enthusiastic about the food at all, she seemed annoyed that she had to explain the menu to us. The food was ok, it was expensive for what it was. The drinks however were excellent, we had spritzes and wine, both great."
Karak Chaii
As the name suggests, this new addition to City Road is most known for selling luxury high-quality chai tea. However, Karak Chaii also serves all-day breakfasts, smaller desi-style street food dishes - such as the Bombay Sandwich, Chilli Paneer and Keema Matar and Masala Chip - as well as a variety of desserts.
Reviewers said:
"Absolutely amazing! The place is just beautiful, staff are super friendly and the food is delicious. If you’re going there, don’t miss their Karak chai! Great experience."
"Absolutely love coming here! Great food, lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. Have dined in and taken out, both with quick service. Perfect place to go with family/friends. Would thoroughly recommend trying if you haven’t already!"
"What an absolute abomination to Indo/Pak street food, waste of time. Ordered two teas, pink and karak, both stone cold by the time I left the shop and got into my car."
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