Cardiff Restaurant Tips by ettiewyn Top 5 Page for this destination

Plan Café: A wonderful place!

I met local VT member Sean a.k.a. Aaaarrgh for a lunch meeting on St David's Day. Unfortunately it did not work out to meet up with more people and so it was only a mini meeting, but it was still a very nice lunch. Sean had chosen the Plan Café because of its good location and because, although not being a 100% vegetarian café, it offers vegetarian and vegan meals - and what a great café it was! I really liked it!

It is located in the beautiful Morgan Arcade in the city centre, and the exterior is just so pretty. Sitting inside, if you have a table at the window, you can watch the people walking through the Arcade. Outside seating (within the Arcade) is also provided.
Staff were friendly and I loved the menu - the vegan dishes were clearly marked vegan, which makes life so much easier! There were three vegan dishes (one sandwich and two salads), I chose the avocado salad and it was soooo good. Really delicious and also very filling. It was accompanied by bread.

You can see a picture of our mini meeting here (scroll down, it is the second picture).

Address: 28 - 29 Morgan Arcade

Comparison: about average

Directions: In the city centre

Phone: 02920398764

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Vegan/Vegetarian

Website: http://www.foodanddrinkguides.co.uk/cardiff/plan-cafe-bar/restaurant/3075/

Crumbs: Vegetarian café in the centre

As far as I know Crumbs is the only 100% vegetarian eating place directly in the city centre of Cardiff, so of course I went there during my stay in the city. It is located in Morgan Arcade, where the Plan Café is also situated, so vegetarians and vegans have two good options close together.

I first went to the Crumbs in the morning when I felt like a second breakfast and a break from sightseeing, and I was not very thrilled by it then, as the member of staff in attendance seemed not very confident about which parts of the menu were vegan and which not... I was not treated very friendly, and in the end I left because apparently they had no vegan choices at all in the morning. I was very disappointed by this experience - of course in an omnivore restaurant I don't expect the staff to know all of the ingredients, or what is vegan and what not, but I do expect it in a vegetarian restaurant, even more so when it is marked vegan-friendly in happycow.net.

However, at lunch time I decided to give them a second chance and was quite happy I did. It still seemed to be very unorganized - although there were four members of staff behind the counter I had to wait very long until I was greeted and asked for my order - but there were several vegan options now, and it was not expensive. I took a seat outside in the beautiful arcade, and staff - now that they finally spoke to me - were very friendly. The location is really nice and I enjoyed this meal.


Favorite Dish: I had a potato and leak soup and a chocolate flapjack for dessert. The soup was good (although it could have been hotter). The flapjack was really delicious - it was a pre-made one, though, not one made by the café.

Address: 33 Morgan Arcade

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: City Centre

Phone: 029 20395007

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Vegan/Vegetarian

The Summer House: Have a meal in green surroundings

The Summer House is a restaurant located in Bute Park. I passed it when I walked back from Llandaff to the city. From all my walking I felt quite hungry, so I opted for a quick snack from The Summer House before I caught the boat to Cardiff Bay (and had a proper lunch there).

It is quite a simple restaurant, consisting of a kind of hut where the food is prepared, and seats outside, sheltered from the rain by shades though. It still is not a cheap restaurant, and the surroundings are just beautiful. It is located next to the River Taff, and you sit directly in Bute Park, with the green lawns and trees around you.
I later read that the building was designed to reflect the architecture of the real Summer House designed by William Burges, which was built in Bute Park during the redevelopment of Cardiff Castle, but later moved to St Fagans. There certainly is a resemblance.

Their choice of meals is not that large and mainly consisting of local dishes and the ones typical for such a small restaurant/take away. Staff were very friendly when I had questions about the meals, and I chose a small salad. Because I had to catch the boat, I ordered Take Away, and got the salad in a pretty-looking green paper box with a wooden fork. You see - not only the surroundings are green here :-)

Favorite Dish: I had a salad consisting of vegetables, noodles, mushrooms, potatoes and green salad which was quite ok, though I certainly had better ones before ;-)

Address: Bute Park

Comparison: about average

Directions: Close to Millennium Bridge - just a short walk further into the park from here, on the walkway leading to Llandaff.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

Kemi's Cafe: Located at Crafts in the Bay

Kemi's Cafe is located in the same building as Crafts in the Bay, in Cardiff Bay near to the Millennium Centre. The basement provides a few seats, but they have a larger seating area on the first floor. It is a very airy place with big windows, and from here you have a nice views of Roald Dahl Plass and the Millennium Centre - I found it a very good location to have lunch!

They have a good range of meals on offer, including vegan and vegetarian dishes. Mainly they are not "big" meals, but rather things like wraps, soups, salads and jacket potatoes.

I think this is a very good place to go if you want to flee the hustle and bustle of Mermaid Quay and are looking for a place more quiet.

Opening times: 09.00am to 05.00pm during the week, from 10.00am on weekends.

Favorite Dish: I had a delicious humous wrap with roasted vegetables, which I liked very much!

Address: Lloyd George Avenue

Comparison: about average

Directions: You find it if you walk beyond Roald Dahl Plass and the Millennium Centre - it is the building standing on its own between the two streets leading from here.

Phone: 029 2045 3335

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Eclectic/International

Website: http://www.kemis.co.uk