Cardiff Nightlife • A Complete Guide

Welcome to Cardiff’s premier nightlife guide.

On this page, you’ll discover the vibrant and varied nightlife scene in Cardiff. You’ll find the perfect venue for you and your preferred night out. Whether you want to go all-out clubbing or if you’d like a more laid back dinner and drinks with a view, we’ve got your covered.

Enjoy!

An Intro to Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital of Wales and its the largest city. The eleventh-largest city in the United Kingdom, it is Wales’s chief commercial center, the base for most national cultural institutions and Welsh media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. At the 2011 census, the unitary authority area population was estimated to be 346,090 and the wider urban area 479,000. Cardiff is a significant tourist center and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 21.3 million visitors in 2017. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographic’s alternative tourist destinations.

The city hosted the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The city was awarded the title of European City of Sport twice, due to its role in hosting major international sporting events: first in 2009 and again in 2014. The Principality Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the games’ opening event and the men’s bronze medal match.

The Cardiff City has several significant landmark buildings such as the Principality Stadium, Pierhead Building the Welsh National Museum and the Senedd, the home of the National Assembly for Wales. Cardiff City is also famous for Cardiff Castle, St David’s Hall, Llandaff Cathedral and the Wales Millennium Centre.

Cardiff Castle is a major tourist attraction in the city and is situated in the heart of the city center. The National History Museum at St Fagan’s in Cardiff is a large open-air museum housing dozens of buildings from throughout Welsh history that has been moved to the site in Cardiff. The Civic Centre in Cathays Park comprises a collection of Edwardian buildings such as the City Hall, National Museum and Gallery of Wales, Cardiff Crown Court, and buildings forming part of Cardiff University, together with more modern civic buildings. These buildings are laid out around the Queen Alexandra Gardens, a formal park which contains the Welsh National War Memorial and a number of other, smaller, memorials.

The Nightlife of Cardiff City

Likewise, the other neighboring cities, nightlife in Cardiff City has always been one of the city’s best features and with a complete host of new venues, there are hundreds of Cardiff nightclubs/bars/ restaurants to choose from to experience a wonderful, cheerful and joyous weekends. Spending time with your friends and loved ones in Cardiff City will definitely be an unforgettable event for a long time.
Cardiff City also has a brilliant sense of being big on atmosphere but tight-knit in scale, so you don’t really need to go very far to find somewhere you like. To give you a starting point, here’s our pick of the best pubs and eateries in The Cardiff City for either a stag do or hen party, or if you are planning a night-out gathering with your friends and loved ones to cheer up your moments.

Salt Cardiff Bay

At SALT, having two bars over two floors, the soaring interior of Salt is really amazing. Floor to ceiling windows will provide the visitor stunning views of Cardiff Bay & driftwood furniture and cozy sofas, roaring fires in the winter months and plenty of outdoor terrace seating to enjoy when the sun pops out, make it by far the best bar in the bay! With live DJ’s every Friday & Saturday night and there are monthly live bands too, the SALT is a perfect place to party at the weekends!

Revolution

Revolution is one of the largest nightclubs in Cardiff City, which is located opposite to the castle. Stylish and plush, there is a lot of space there to move around in with ample bars and dance floors. It does not go in for the themed approach so much, but it still manages to make a big impact on a night. It’s very proud of its hand-made cocktails and range of party music, but its popularity can result in a long queue on big and famous nights, so it might be worth calling in advance to find out about its queue jumping packages.

Retro

This is a very popular choice for both stag and hen weekends in Cardiff City and while it isn’t huge, it is got more than enough room for most groups. They proudly called them “the home of the 90s”, so you can surely expect the dance floor to be dedicated to all of the old school hits ranging from Britpop to the Spice Girls. The nostalgia-fuelled venue has a decent bar packs in a lot of fun and breweries. You can find it on Mill Lane, towards the back end of town, across the way from The Marriott Hotel.

Minskys

The visitors will be having one of Cardiff’s most unique party experiences with its showbar setup. It specializes in hen parties and stag dos as well, putting on drag queen and cabaret acts to entertain the audiences. There is even a Girls-night-out night dedicated to hen dos specifically. It’s tucked away behind St David’s shopping center, so it can take a little hunting down. Head down Hill Street and you’ll find it opposite Debenhams.

Revolucion de Cuba

While going through the joyful nightlife in The Cardiff City, if you are looking for something with a lot of Latin spirit and brilliantly outlandish cocktails then Cardiff City’s Revolucion de Cuba is well worth putting on the list. It may not appear to be all that well set up for parties and gathering during the routine daily life, but in the night it opens out into a Samba Club with live Latin music and maracas for everyone. It’s a good-sized venue with an ample arrangement of necessities and quick bar service, and it’s located on The Friary, just opposite The Hilton Hotel, one of the more cosmopolitan of Cardiff nightclubs.

Best Bar Restaurants in Cardiff City

While checking the recommendations provided in the aforementioned paragraphs, when you go out fulfilling your cocktailing needs in The Cardiff City, chances are there, at some point you are going to crave for deliciously and exotic food as well. With Cardiff City bar scenes continuing to grow and innovate, it’s no wonder that a restaurant bar would be a great idea to kill the craving need. Cardiff City has some of the best restaurants that serve delicious food along with great cocktails and drinks that blend perfectly with the best food to provide a great combination.
For a City that likes to drink a lot, it’s no surprise that they’re quickly becoming drinking spots in their own sense. The best thing to do is to choose a bar that also serves delicious food. That way your need for booze and craving for the food will be catered under one roof. Therefore, to fulfill your extreme craving for delightful food and awesome booze, we have jotted-out with a list of Cardiff City’s best bar restaurants and definitely, they are good enough to stimulate your taste buds to take you to the cloud noun :

Pieminister

Proper British food at its best, The Pieminister serves up award-winning pies with a whole load of sides and indulgent desserts. You certainly won’t leave hungry here. Located in the heart of the city on St. Mary Street near the Principality Stadium, Pieminister is the place to go for award-winning pies in Cardiff. Be sure to book in for their iconic Sunday Best: pies and roasts, united as one almighty mega-feast. Or check out Pieminister’s Bottomless Brunch starting in Spring. The ultimate treat of limitless prosecco, mimosas, Bloody Marys or Aperol Spritz accompanied by the best brunch pies. Weekend perfection.

The Park House Restaurant & Wine Bar

Park House Restaurant is housed in one of the Whales most stunning houses, a grade one listed Gothic style mansion house. Park House is an award-winning French-influenced restaurant and wine bar that was established in 2005. The wealthy Marquess of Bute built the property in 1874, he also commissioned the first of the great docks, which transformed the Cardiff from a sleepy town into a modern, prosperous city. The Park House Restaurant & Wine Bar offers a unique, selective fine dining experience. Customers can enjoy Michelin Star quality food, incredible service & over 100 available wines in a Grade 1 listed building.

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill

Take a trip up to the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse rooftop restaurant and bar, and you’ll experience a classic British menu with some truly delectable steaks, perfectly paired with tantalizing cocktails. Their team pride themselves on delivering a memorable experience, with great food and an unforgettable ambiance. Visit one of their 2 terrace areas for a welcome breath of fresh air as you hear the sounds of live music beating from the heart of the bar. You can expect live music every week, indeed, it will be a perfect way to make the most of your dining and drinking experience along with your loved ones. Their exclusive private dining room is set to be the perfect place for an intimate celebration in the city of Cardiff.

Pitch Bar & Eatery

Pitch Bar & Eatery is a fun and friendly spot to savor the flavor of Wales serving all things Welsh from the cocktail card to the standard food menu. Open from breakfast till cocktails daily, every dish served at the restaurant is lovingly handmade and is being produced from their home on Mill Lane. If you would like to book a table at Pitch for up to 8 people, you need to have a prior booking over the phone call and they will surely send you their confirmation on the same.

The Grazing Shed

At “The Grazing Shed”, they are passionate about making quality burgers, so much so that they have developed their very own unique and delicious range of Super Tidy Burgers. Super Tidy Burgers are a specialty at The Grazing Shed, using only the finest quality locally sourced ingredients with an extensive range of beef, chicken, veggie and vegan options.

Bella Italia

Whether it’s a romantic meal for two, a family gathering or great conversation with friends – Bella is the place to be, with guaranteed fantastic food, welcoming service and having warm Italian hospitality. Their Old Brewery Quarter Bella Italia restaurant is situated in the center of the City, a stone’s throw from the Principality Stadium. Bella is open on weekends for breakfast from 9 am and for lunch and dinner every day, serving their A’La Carte menu from 1130am, plus a lunch menu every weekday until 5 pm. They also have a fantastic children’s menu in two portion sizes, to suit smaller and larger appetites as required.

The Nightclubs of Cardiff City

Nightlife in Cardiff has always been one of the city’s best features and with a whole host of new venues, there are plenty of Cardiff nightclubs to choose from for a stag or hen weekend. As stated earlier, Cardiff City has a brilliant sense of being big on atmosphere but tight-knit in scale, so you don’t really need to go very far to find somewhere you like. To give you a starting point, here’s our pick of the best nightclubs in Cardiff for either a stag do or hen party.

The Glam Nightclub

Glam is an absolute opulent clubbing destination found on Cardiff’s Greyfriars Road. The nightclub fuses bold light displays with Funktion One sound quality and premium spirit mixes. Get some pals together and set up camp on their main dance floor. Specific playlists depending on the night you are visiting, but you can usually expect a mix of RnB, hip hop, house, and electro tunes to provide the soundtrack to the night at it’s best. Upstairs is the Lounge Area; a plush affair equipped with VIP booths and its own dancing space as well, while the separate VIP Lounge offers a chance to party with added exclusivity.

The Tiger Tiger

This heaven of tropical paradises, plush lounges, delicious grills, and funky retro escapes takes you on a journey across land and time, finding you the very best in banging beats as you soak up a vibrant atmosphere and some incredible decor. Get intimate in a cozy, red velvet booth over candlelight in the Jewel Bar, get your freak on the baby in the retro multi-colored lights of Decadia, or get down low in The Club, and you still haven’t traversed the whole venue. You don’t have to wait until the weekend, let loose whenever it takes your fancy and work off the weekday stresses in a venue that will take you away down all kinds of rabbit holes.

Clwb Ifor Bach

It is a hub for live music in Cardiff, this Womanby Street nightclub venue has been a vital part of the city’s alternative music scene since the 80s. Spread over three floors, this award-winning event space is the perfect place to swoon before your all-time favorite singers, to mosh out in the crowds or to get jiggy on a club night with your messiest of mates. Head downstairs for Dirty Pop and get sweaty on the dance floor, stay on the ground floor with Mr. Potter for some jump jive, soul, funk, and blues, or head upstairs for Vinyl Vendettas, bringing you the best in indie, classics, and rock’n’roll. Whether you’re gigging or just out for a good old boogie, this place has it all covered.

Mocka Lounge

It is a pumped up party joint on the thriving heart of Mill Lane in Cardiff, Mocka Lounge is a must-try for lush lunches, VIP boozing in the evening, affordable cocktails and more in nightlife. A menagerie of spaces, guests can wander through the contemporary, bare brick laced innards of Mocka between cool dining tables, uplit VIP booth areas, lush seating areas, and sophisticated spaces. A rocking weekend haunt that plays a pumped up selection of commercial hits, Mocka is at the thriving heart of Cardiff’s late-night party scene thanks to its regular DJs and bustling dancefloors that have produced Mocka as the best nightclub in Cardiff.

Conclusion

To conclude the whole article, it can be said that Cardiff City is an absolute house of bars, restaurants and loads of memorable things that one could ever think of. To overcome your boozing needs, the city, no doubt, has some of the finest breweries where you can enjoy your drink with the mesmerizing architectural beauty of the hand-crafted bars and their decors throughout the city’s coastal line.
Moreover, to really bump up the entertainment game, Cardiff City has covered you with plenty of the festivals and events that one can attend throughout the year. To present you a factual sense of what nightlife is really mean in Cardiff City we also went through a comprehensive jotting of Bars and Restaurants and nightclubs that further refines your experience at the Cardiff City.
All of the aforementioned experiences will work together to make your trip more memorable. A perfect and balanced blend of the above-identified activities can really boost your experience and make your trip unbelievably unforgettable for you.

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