Best restaurants in Cardiff
Published 25 February 2026

It might be in the centre of Cardiff, but this glowy, atmospheric love letter to Spain is a world away from the streets outside. While its nearby sibling Bar 44 is all about tapas, the focus here is on the grill, fed by the hefty array of meats that can be seen dry-aging in a fridge set into one wall. The setting is suave but relaxed, with exposed brickwork offset by dark blue and coffee walls, and intimate spaces created by banquettes and cookbook-crammed shelves. There's an industrious buzz to the whole operation, helped along by a polished front of house team.

The menu highlights classic Spanish delicacies, but also makes a feature of ex-dairy beef, which provides a full, rich flavour and sustainability credentials. Alongside straight-talking grill options, there are thoughtfully crafted starters such as Duroc pork belly with miso mayo and cockle vinaigrette or plump, pearly scallops with crunchy jamón and warm, smoky XO sauce. Mains might bring a fall-apart, melting wodge of ox cheek set on beef rice plus a vivacious flourish of salsa verde. From the great-value set lunch, we relished a buttery piece of hake, cooked just-so and adorned with capers and shrimps, accompanied by a bowl of rustic skin-on fries.

Desserts range from ice creams and sorbets to grilled banana with goat's curd dulce de leche topped with baby meringues and crunchy, sesame sugar shards. Asador also does a splendid Spanish take on Sunday lunch: go for the ‘incredible’ slow-cooked shoulder of Welsh lamb with duck-fat roasties or dive into the mighty family-sized paella with authentic fire-cooked rice. The wine offering lives up to the promise of a visible walk-in cellar, with a broad Spanish mix spanning big names, small family producers and lesser-known grapes.

Run by a group of artists, this idiosyncratic Welsh take on a Venetian bacaro is all about off-the-wall nibbles backed by a prodigious line-up of obscure wines, craft beers and limited-edition ciders. The repertoire is constantly changing, so be prepared for crostini topped with the likes of candied spicy jalapeño, whipped ricotta and bergamot or goat’s cheese, chocolate and almond (great with a Starlino rosé spritz). Their version of the classic ‘sardé in saor’ (sweet-and-sour sardines) is served cold on polenta – perfect with a glass of Sicilian Grillo. Also nab one of their porchetta rolls doused in fennel sausage gravy if they’re on. Staff are lovely, and the affordability is ‘next level’. 

Traditional and delightfully untrendy, this trattoria has been serving up a slice of Italy to appreciative locals for more than 20 years. Run by chef Antonio Cersosimo (from Calabria by way of Milan) and Neapolitan wine importer Luca Montuori, the proposition is a picture of regional Italian gastronomy, pairing premium Italian imports with bountiful Welsh produce. 

The concise menu, supplemented by a paper slip of specials, will transport you from the humdrum lookout onto an NCP car park, while charming service invites you to kick back and relax. From the list of antipasti, there might be spinach and ricotta gnudi, or thick-cut bruschetta, messily laden with stracciatella, sweet blistered tomatoes and the peppery undertones of good olive oil. Pasta dishes such as pappardelle with venison and pork ragù rule the mains alongside fresh fish from the market (halibut on our visit) and rosy-pink Welsh lamb rump with Parmesan mash. Dessert might be a simple almond panna cotta or a glass of passito with cantucci. Look out for the good-value lunch menu (£28 for three courses at the time of writing) or, if choosing is beyond you, there's a tasting experience of five courses for £60. 

As for wine, there’s a whole handbook of help available, although it's better to rely on the easy-going, knowledgeable staff when it comes to picking something from the all-Italian line-up. An upstairs dining room is warmly lit for a convivial evening, though we think the toilets could do with a makeover to bring things up to scratch.

‘Best pasta in Cardiff’ was one pithy summation of Dave Killick and Tommy Heaney’s new place – opened at the end of 2024 on a gentrified little street in fashionable Pontcanna near two of Heaney’s other restaurants. It’s a minimalist yet relaxing spot, Scandi in its use of light woods, with sandy walls, a central bar (with stools) and an open hatch into the kitchen at the rear. On our lunchtime visit, a prominent soundtrack ranged from modern jazz to Wham, via James Brown.

Yes, there’s fresh pasta here, and, in the Italian way, the daily menu lists the pasta choices before main courses (such as lamb rump with Jerusalem artichoke, basil and oregano), but just as important is the use of local ingredients. The stars of our meal were half a dozen of the biggest, plump, tender cockles we’d seen, fresh from Pembrokeshire and replete with briny flavours. These shared a plate with tube-like canestri pasta, little cubes of butternut squash, fresh basil leaves and a squash, garlic and chilli sauce – a delight. Almost as good was a starter of buttermilk pheasant, cooked like chicken karaage with a crisp coating and moist flesh, criss-crossed with squirts of fermented chilli sauce and aïoli, all sitting in a deeply savoury game gravy.

Desserts maintained the high standards: three freshly baked madeleines, accompanied by ‘orange curd’ (aka creamy cold custard flavoured with the citrus fruit). A bargain set meal and a five-course ‘chef’s menu’ are further options, and drinks provide admirable back-up – expect everything from house cocktails to an Old World wine list starting with a palatable Italian Pinot Grigio. This place deserves success.

Cardiff's covered market is a joy for lovers of cheap eats. The glorious Victorian building contains a thrilling mix of the old and new, selling all manner of enticements: from Welsh cakes to pierogi. Ffwrnes ('furnace' in English) has gained fame since opening in 2018. Queues often form at its first-floor stall where you choose from the list of 12 pizzas, then grab a stool at a wooden counter and take in the views over the market action below. Our 'Fen Soz' arrived straight from the wood-fired oven, with a thin, chewy base, browned crust and chunks of sausage bursting with fennel on top of fresh basil, tomato and mozzarella. Wash down your pizza with soft drinks, coffees or milky tea.

Tucked away in the pretty suburb of Pontcanna, where chef-patron Tom Waters previously hosted a series of wildly successful pop-ups, this is a fine-dining establishment with friendly neighbourhood vibes. Waters has three years at the Fat Duck under his belt, as well as stints at The Square and Odette’s (among others), and brings both a sense of theatre and a quiet perfectionism to his cooking.

The small dining room, with its neutral, calming grey walls and big windows, runs straight into the open kitchen where you can watch Waters and his small troupe of young chefs tweezering microherbs onto, say, an earthy but delicate mushroom tartlet with pickled juniper and lovage. It's all about tasting menus here, culminating in a 10-course bonanza – a succession of intricately designed and exquisitely presented dishes showcasing the best of Welsh produce, especially seafood. Start with a tiny bowl of cleansing laverbread broth, follow with a glistening scallop under a drift of wafer-thin slices of celeriac and ghostly white strawberry with smoked cream and pine, or perhaps a meaty blowtorched hunk of monkfish seasoned with a salty, vibrant and delicately crunchy sauce of pike roe, roast yeast and squash.

Our autumn visit also yielded pink slices of fallow deer dressed with blackberry, spiced beetroot and blackcurrant, before concluding with an intensely delicious pear sorbet in toffee sauce. Down-to-earth service from the waiting staff (as well as the chefs) combined with a soundtrack of 90s rock and pop ensures that the atmosphere never becomes too reverential, while reminding everyone that they are here to have fun. Ask the impressively knowledgeable waitress for advice when it comes to the serious, grown-up wine list.

One of a rising tide of restaurants that take the starchiness out of high-end dining, Heaneys delivers devastatingly clever, technically adept food in a relaxed, vibey setting. No standing to attention here – just a pacey procession of sublime taster-size dishes (although you can order two or three courses at lunch if you prefer). The interior is uncluttered and modern, with a white-tiled bar on the rear mezzanine and a light, airy, street-facing dining area sporting green banquettes and modernist wood furniture.

Tommy Heaney cooks like a man who’s learned the tune so perfectly he can now confidently riff on it. Expect plenty of imagination and interest built on a solid classical grounding: an opening dish simply billed as ‘cheese and onion’ was a crisp filo case with a fluffy, intense, cream cheese, onion, Parmesan and black olive filling after which ‘no quiche will ever be the same again’. A plump Carlingford oyster wore a veil of green herb oil, with fermented chilli and a dainty cucumber disc, while finely diced trout dressed with dashi, pickled mushrooms, soy and a twist of yuzu struck a perfect balance: smoky, citrussy, fresh and bright. 

After that, the delights just kept on coming: an on-point, crispy-skinned helping of John Dory was paired with an airy buttermilk sauce, cod roe mousse, purple sprouting broccoli and chive oil, while melting, unctuous BBQ lamb and lamb neck harmonised beautifully with seasonal wild garlic purée, purple sprouting broccoli purée, crisped chard and fennel pollen. Sweet treats were also dazzling – a much-elevated take on a Jaffa Cake featured chocolate mousse and a lip-smacking blood orange layer in a chocolate casing, while dainty morsels of mirabelle pâté de fruits, blueberry macarons and salted white-chocolate caramel fudge made a perfect finale.

Sunday lunch brings an upscale three-course take on the traditional roast with headliners ranging from BBQ Welsh lamb with confit shoulder and mint to confit pork belly with rillette and burnt apple, plus helpings of duck-fast roast potaoes and veg. A fairly substantial wine list covers Europe especially well, offering something for most tastes and pockets. Next door, the Uisce bar is a good spot for oysters, small plates and pre/post-prandial cocktails.

From bar to beer garden, the Heathcock majors in laid-back sophistication: expect simple white walls, reclaimed furniture, a decent selection of beers, and warm, efficient service. Here, informality never equates to idleness, and the same is true of the food, which – for all its rustic edges – is intelligent and considered. A big, chunky sourdough doorstep, say, quilted with the cheesiest, beeriest Welsh rarebit you could wish for, a bottle of Worcesterhire sauce on the side. Or grilled Wye asparagus teasingly dressed in grated Welsh black truffle and breadcrumbs then laid on a swirl of wild garlic purée. Native ingredients are trumpeted: a clutch of fluffy ricotta dumplings luxuriate in a heritage tomato sauce, with chunks of fresh tomato tasting of the summer sun thrown in for good measure. Game makes frequent appearances, as do native fish and seafood: smoked eel might be breadcrumbed, deep-fried and served with horseradish, rhubarb and chard on sourdough toast, while native mussels go Welsh with a leek and cider sauce. This is a small-plates menu, so expect to try at least three dishes each – and be sure to order dessert: a flawless, cloud-like rhubarb soufflé was a ‘sparkling highlight’ for one diner, while a perfectly crisp and syrupy pear tarte tatin delighted another. A good spread of European wines includes plenty by the glass. A recent addition is a Champagne and oyster bar upstairs.

‘A small independent business that is extremely passionate about what they produce,’ proclaims one reporter – and we agree. Opened in 2024 by two young chefs in small premises opposite Victoria Park (after a stint in the nearby village of Llysworney), Hiraeth is the sort of inventive, locally attuned venture that gladdens the soul. Friendly, informed staff and a soundtrack of cool beats set the scene, while rough-hewn wood, stone-tiled flooring and lights hanging from spider-like flex characterise the unfussy interior.

At night, the feel is convivial and intimate (less so during the day), with an open kitchen as the attention-grabbing focal point. Here, Andy Aston and Lewis Dwyer's team produce monthly changing tasting menus (two for dinner, a pared-down version for lunch) with meticulous care. We’d recommend the shorter dinner option. Several ingredients come from the restaurant’s allotment – soon to become a smallholding. Highlights from our lengthy parade of dishes included an exquisite Japanese-influenced 'snack' of crisp nori cracker containing cubes of cured trout and a creamy spring onion emulsion, as well as an equally delicate tart of flavourful Perl Wen cheese, balanced by sweet pear and crunchy walnuts – each ingredient playing its part. Chicken tea, served with delectable chicken butter and Japanese shokupan bread, is a menu fixture, and we also loved the nettle porridge with goat’s curd.

However, culinary misfires aren’t unknown. The intense flavours in larger dishes such as gorgeously fresh cod with salt-cod brandade and brown crab bisque or tender pork cheek with white beans and chorizo, left us reaching for the water (more balance needed here), but the quality of the ingredients and their handling was impeccable. The pick of the desserts was an ethereal beetroot and white chocolate cannoli. Drinks (on a blackboard list) range from elderflower fruit wine to cocktails; note that the Rioja blanco is preferable to a rather farmy Welsh white. 

Shielded from the street by floor-to-ceiling curtains (press the doorbell to enter), James Sommerin’s latest venture is darkly dramatic with the deepest slate grey walls, seven linen-clad tables and retro wood panelling lending ‘a bewitching 1960s recording studio vibe’. The centrepiece is the broad open kitchen, lit like a Hopper painting, and creating a hypnotic and beautiful piece of live theatre backed by a luscious dreampop soundtrack. James Sommerin and his daughter Georgia are essentially the whole kitchen team, and sometimes bring out dishes from their no-choice, eight-course surprise menu (the printed version is presented at the end of the meal), though there’s an excellent, warmly assured front-of-house presence, too. Sommerin has always impressed, but it’s clear that he has raised the bar considerably here. There’s magic in every detail, from the dazzling amuse- bouches – a gougère made with Parmesan ‘light, crisp, and intense’, and an eggshell filled with silken parsnip espuma topped with a golden, crispy shard of chicken skin – right down to the dense, crusty wholemeal and laverbread loaf made with local beer and served with cultured seaweed butter. Some highlights at inspection included Jersey Royals cooked in home-smoked butter to intensify their flavour, served with tarragon emulsion and a dressing of smoked butter-rendered pork, snappy pork crackling and Parmesan and sage crumb, and a signature dish of perfect liquid pea ravioli with crispy sage and serrano ham, finished with Parmesan emulsion – a creation that ‘totally deserves its star spot’. A main act of corn-fed chicken breast accompanied by potato and olive oil purée, Carmarthen ham, broad beans, globe artichoke and Madeira sauce was equally flawless, while desserts took a playful tack with treats including honey and chamomile custard with strawberry sorbet, tarragon and delectable warm doughnuts. But for sheer theatre, nothing could trump the passion fruit ice cream on a stick – dipped in liquid nitrogen, then dunked in chocolate at the table and finally sprinkled with granola and topped with thick, sticky toffee sauce. The wine list is lengthy, global and full of interest, with high-end selections by the glass as well as more accessible options.

This unprepossessing daytime café with white walls and mismatched furniture is home to some remarkably good Turkish breakfasts and brunches. Close your eyes to the hubbub of Whitchurch Road and you might just be in Istanbul tucking into a freshly baked, sesame-encrusted simit with rose jam and clotted cream, tempered by a fragrant glass of proper Turkish tea. For something heartier, choose from menemen, eggs and sucuk or shakshuka as part of the generous Anatolian or Aegean spreads. The homemade baklava and borek displayed at the counter are worth taking home. There's a second branch at 11 Park Place, which operates as a fully fledged restaurant.

James Chant started Matsudai as a pop-up and began selling highly popular ramen kits (still available) during the pandemic, before moving into this former Grangetown bank in 2022. The large, back-to-basics premises, dominated by a stainless-steel open kitchen, soon fills with a modish crowd slurping top-notch al dente noodles. Most sit at communal tables or at the counter. Vegan alternatives are available, but it’s the tonkotsu ramen in various guises that’s the draw: rich, profoundly flavourful pork-bone broth, with thin slices of tender pork loin and soft-boiled egg providing back-up. It’s also worth trying the delicate 'small plates': perhaps chopped scallop adorned with creamy yuzu mayo. Drinks include Japanese whiskies, sake and Asahi beer, but sadly no tea. Cards only.

An attractive, modern-looking spot in a parade of shops in the heart of Rhiwbina (a suburb of Cardiff), Mesen offers a relaxed take on contemporary small-plate dining. On the day we visited, it was gloriously sunny and the whole frontage had been opened up to create an alfresco feel, with chairs and tables laid out on the street. Inside, there’s plenty of wood, leather and modern art, with a view into the kitchen at the rear.

The cooking is charcoal-fired, pairing chargrilled meat and fish with fresh, zesty flavours. The juicy, crunchy-skinned charcoal chicken, perfectly matched with ripe peach, cucumber and a fruity dressing, is a case in point, but it's easy to forgo meat altogether with the likes of plump, cheese-filled gnocchi, lightly charred and dressed in a lively walnut pesto. Geographically, the reach is broad, from various rösti and tostadas – perfectly soft and crisp, topped with tender pork belly and a fruity salsa – to rib of beef with Café de Paris butter or native lobster with confit garlic and finger lime.

The charcoal fire also services desserts such as grilled pineapple with grapefruit sorbet, and the whole offering sits comfortably alongside a thoughtful selection of European wines. In addition, there’s a real feeling of team spirit about the place – expect efficiency, friendliness and attention to detail throughout.

Run by a ’friendly, capable team’ who care about the food they are serving, this relaxed spot is best known for its seasonal brunch and lunch dishes. Sit inside or take advantage of the ample pavement seating for a global menu that might run from bacon, cockles and laverbread on toast to shakshuka, huevos rancheros and onion bhaji buns, plus sweet stuff such as burnt Basque cheesecake. On Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s walk-ins only as the kitchen rolls out its menu of artisan pizzette (chargrilled artichokes with Gordal olives and roast peppers, say) backed by charcuterie, tinned fish, bespoke cocktails and natural wines (curated by the local Pontcanna Bottle Shop). The coffee is good too.

Spread over two floors with bare wood, beige walls and mismatched china creating a low-key DIY vibe, this laid-back bottle shop-cum-restaurant is right at home in the increasingly foodie neighbourhood of Pontcanna. The homely upstairs room is bookable, while the ground floor is reserved for walk-ins and those just wanting to drink. With its seats in the window and at a central island counter overlooking a big hatch into the kitchen, we thought this was the livelier option. Chef Alex Vines' menus focus on locally sourced organic, seasonal vegetables with meat and fish as an occasional treat: a short but inventive selection of salads and sandwiches on delicious home-baked bread for weekday lunches, plus an evening chalkboard featuring a dozen or so sharing dishes that might include a smoked haddock rarebit pie or an ‘exceptional’ confit belly pork with crispy crackling. Wine, chosen by co-owner Siôn Iorwerth, is natural and produced with minimal intervention – a single red, white and orange available on tap, served by the glass, 500ml carafe or bottle. Alternatively, take advice and choose something from the ground-floor shelves.

Since opening in April 2025, Sonder seems to have fulfilled its brief as a casual neighbourhood bar and bistro. There’s a hip feel to the place, helped by an upbeat soundtrack, stylish staff dressed in black, and interior design of the post-industrial ilk. Bare brick walls and austere metal lights hanging from a ceiling arrangement straight out of a Meccano set are tempered by wooden floorboards, displays of wine bottles and a bar counter with stools at the ready. The vibe is welcoming, not trendier-than-thou.

During our Friday lunchtime visit, the place was buzzing with young and old, mothers with babies, and the odd laptop-balancing local settling down for the afternoon. As befits the set-up, the menus are easy-going, catch-all and enticing, with a choice of mainly Euro-accented dishes ranging from ‘small bites’ (courgette and ricotta rösti, for instance) to main courses listed under headings such as ‘ocean’, ‘mountain’ (aka steaks), ‘birds and pigs’ and ‘veggie’.

To begin, the tender meat in our crispy lamb lettuce wraps was overwhelmed by a cloyingly sweet chilli sauce, although a cylinder of delicately cooked hake in a lentil stew was made appetisingly savoury with some ’nduja, plus four plump Cornish mussels (a highlight). To finish, a dense, creamy Basque cheesecake boosted by a sticky Pedro Ximénez sauce hit the mark precisely. Drinks include modern cocktails (Penicillin et al) as well as a varied wine list with ample by-the-glass options. There’s certainly potential here.

The striking enthusiasm of readers' reports is a powerful testimony to the success of Thomas Simmons’ pivot to a casual neighbourhood brasserie. Recent feedback noting that the chef offers the same quality of food as his erstwhile fine-dining restaurant, but with a more relaxed vibe, is bang-on. Grills, Welsh delicacies such as St Brides crab or Pembrokeshire oysters, and gently modernised brasserie dishes are the mainstays of the main menu – look out for beef tartare, short rib and suet pudding and the whole roast chicken for two, all done with great panache. The set lunch and early-bird menu is terrific value, as is the two/three-course Sunday lunch, while the front of house team does a consistently fine job. Wines are fairly priced, with a dozen or so by the glass – if you can tear yourself away from the cocktail list. Imprints of the restaurant's fine-dining past can be found upstairs in the Loft, an intimate 12-seater chef’s counter, which offers a seasonally influenced tasting menu for £110.