Mill Lane, or the 'Cafe Quarter' as Cardiff seems to slowly be rebranding the area, is full of bars…read moreand restaurants (very few cafes, actually). This is the kind of place that will become packed any day after work when the sun is shining. Each place has tables and chairs on the pavement in a very European-feeling setting with trees and waiters and glasses of rose wine dotted about. Mocka Lounge is one of these places, and, very much in its favour, is one of the few places that remains a happening and well visited place during the entire day and not just coming alive in the evening like many of the others. This is a great place for a sophisticated drink and bite to eat at lunch time and late afternoon, and then stay sitting and watch the nightlife awaken around you as the sun goes down. One of the most attractive and friendly places along Mill Lane, this place is certainly worth checking out. Lovely.

I was all geared up to hate this place. I don't enjoy Mill Lane, the pretentiousness and the prices…read morerub me up the wrong way. Walking in to Snow Patrol on the stereo wasn't a great start to this visit either. But upon sitting down I found myself warming to the place. The service was excellent, prompt and professional, the black and red décor very much to my liking and the bottle of house red (which comes in at £14 a bottle) was light and fruity and highly quaffable. So much so that I found myself able to ignore The Black Eyed Peas that has dripping out of the speakers . We ordered the steak (8oz Sirloin = £14) from the surprisingly small menu. During the time it was being prepared I flicked through the drinks list. And then it became clear. Food for Mocka is a lunchtime slash early evening fixation (the kitchen closes at 8.30pm) with the main focus of the business on cocktails. Indeed rather than focus of how say much a double spirit and mixer is, such as the drinks lists in Wetherspoon's do, Mocka do things by the bottle. With a bottle of Grey Goose setting you back £90 and a list entitled "Cognac & Cigars", they're clearly going for a classy clientele or those on a total paycheck blowout. The steaks arrived and were divine. They were seasoned perfectly, the chips were super thick, the mushroom was buttery and meaty, while the peppercorn sauce was creamy with a delicious kick to it. My girlfriend reckoned it was the best steak she'd had in Cardiff. We opted to share a chocolate fondue for dessert. And while the chocolate was slightly sour, it strangely worked with the array of fruit, waffle and brownies we had to dunk with. A quick cocktail (from £5.80) was ordered to finish off what had been a fabulous evening. Highly recommended, if you've just been paid.

10 Feet Tall is a cooky and eccentric vintage looking bar sister to buffalo bar and Mr Smith's that…read moreserves so great meals with wonderful drinks. As if that wasn't enough it hosts live music certain nights and quiz nights. It once hosted a Doctor Who themed quiz night. If that's not enough to please you then I don't know what will! I was luckily enough to go to a staff party in their function room upstairs with a full bar. The whole mood and atmosphere is very relaxed and we all had an excellent time there. They even supplied us with their food. They food looks unique and tastes incredible. Although I was confused to deciding whether what I was eating was a roasted parsnip or a well cooked French fry. To this day I still don't know what it was. This bar is a great place to hang out in groups. It's a friendly place that offers a variety of cocktails and it has a happy hour. The only thing that brings it down slightly is the prices like it's sisters Buffalo and Mr Smith's. So prepare to dig a little deeper in your wallet. 10 Feet Tall is a wonderful bar where you can enjoy a lunch or have great night out with all the events that they host. Just be warned you may spend a little much. I would go after pay day!

I'm a real fan of this place, even if they have no idea what a Cosmopolitan is. They've never got…read moreit right, but the resulting drinks are always drinkable, at least. This bar opened just before I went away to New Zealand and it has been a very pleasant rediscovery on my part. Great nights have been had here, and as I'm not really a fan of just getting too drunk, this is a wonderful place to get tipsy and chat about the Enlightenment. Atmosphere really is the thing that sets this bar apart from others in the surrounding area. And atmosphere is the one thing that keeps bringing me and my cohorts back time and time again. It's classy and funky without seeming snobbish in the slightest. Which is quite an achievement, I think. An excellent place for a night out, or the beginning of a night, if you're that way inclined. Best to get there a little earlier to claim the seats and fill up on tapas.

Tucked away on a corner of Cathays Terrace you'd be hard pushed to know this little gem was here…read more When you walk inside for the first time you can't actually believe it's that small! The main bar area as you go in is smaller than my living room and is furnished with wicker chairs and kooky little bits and bobs. I only realised last time that there is now a downstairs area too - which is great for adding more space but I have to say it smelt a little damp!! The real thing about Bar En Route is the atmosphere, it's jam packed with candle-lit ambience and is the perfect place for a relaxed evening with friends. Although it seems to get really busy there never seemed to be a big queue at the bar - even with the HUGE choice of beers etc to really make deciding what to drink a struggle! I don't really like beer (sorry) however I was very happy with my bottle of Gaymers Pear Cider - yum - and the boys I was out with informed me that the choices of beer and lager was fantastic. I think there is a choice of over 60 imported beers surely something for everyone. On a different note - the toilet upstairs has some of the most interesting graffiti I've ever read and is just another example of how individual this place really is. The staff are friendly (I think it's family run), the windows nice and big to watch the world go by and you can snuggle down for an evening and pretend you are in some cool european bar. I don't want too many people to discover this gem though, frankly I'd like to keep it all to myself!

Yay it's open again! A great little wine bar with fantastic staff. Now they just need to make it a…read morebit more warm, cozy and arty feeling and they have a winner

I went to Buffalo Bar on the spur of the moment, with four of my housemates. We were all sitting…read morearound, struggling with the idea that a long evening of bad television stretched before us but unsure what to do instead. Suddenly, one of them said 'Well, we could go to Buffalo. It's free before 11!" And on that great recommendation did we embark. Actually, it was a really good night. The downstairs bar was compeltely rammed with people having a drink after work and I felt quite out of place. However, that's not to say that there was any hostile atmosphere against the small number of students there (as can sometimes be the case). Going upstairs, we found that there was a DJ playing - a mix of the best of old-school and more modern indie music. The drinks were a little dear for my poor old purse but I wasn't drinking alcohol so I wasn't hit too hard by it! All night we danced, making friends with people all along the way, as we swapped dance moves. Brilliant!

If you're after nice but pricey cocktails and a lively but ever-so-slightly pretentious bar,…read moreBuffalo is amongst Cardiff's best - although it does get overcrowded and the bar sometimes seems a bit understaffed. With refreshing Pimms served up on some days in the summer, and mulled wine in the winter, they often offer something special to fit the season or the weather. The décor is stylish but comfortable, with a retro/vintage feel and hanging chandeliers, and you can see why it attracts an arty kind of a crowd. As this bar is in a former house, there's a great 'secret' beer garden out the back for when it's sunny or warm - and there's an upstairs where bands play. They serve lunch (though I haven't tried the food there myself), but it's also always open late.

This tiny little place has just opened round the corner from my work, and I ventured in for lunch…read moretoday. It has a nice decor and the staff were all friendly. The menu's quite simple, not too expensive, and seems to cater well for vegetarians. The food counter must double up as a bar in the evening when they hold various eclectic themed music nights.

This is a great new cafe/bar next to the thai house. It's got a great interior and greta food. The…read moredrinks are good too as it stocks Artisan beer (which is a locally brewed beer) which you should really try! Themusic is great on a saturday and people sometimes kick the tables back to creat a dance floor. It has a great atmosphere and the staff are really friendly, especially the door man. Everybody should try this place!

On a Friday night this bar has karaoke. I LOVE karaoke! It's not that I ever get up there,…read moreespecially not on my own (though there are private booths in Tiger Tiger where you can do karaoke, and that's my favourite place in the world for a night out. Show tunes are my thing!) but it's always a good night out. Particularly if you've got some confident friends. There are pool tables which are in pretty good condition and are only 50p a game, though it does get busy so I would say go earlier if you're looking for a quiet game. It's a great place to go on any day of the week, though. It tends to get a bit busier from about 8/9 onwards so if you're looking for a relaxing drink I'd say get there early or go to a pub.

I love this place. No pretense, no faffing about, no cocktails. Just beer, somewhere to sit, people…read moreand... well what more do you need? Music? This is one of my favourite places to go for music in Cardiff, especially on a Thursday night. They have a regular 'jam session' and you'll be amazed at the variety. I've seen trumpets, saxes, avant garde fiddle improv and all sorts. You get a lot of the best musicians in Cardiff - and further afield - come together to play some music. But its not cliquey - not by a long shot. One evening whilst sitting supping on a pint, from a pint glass that was pint glass shaped, at a pub table, I heard the jam session give way for a regular who had been learning the piano. She played the Entertainer. Ok, she wasn't brilliant and it was a bit halting, but I've never heard such applause! Everyone in the bar supported her, fully, and there was no judgment. It was like being in a dream, a cultural oasis, a picture of how society should be. Oh, and did I mention the covers bands? I knew it was the pub for me when I heard a band covering the Velvet Underground. Brilliant! (But just be warned before you head to the ladies - and maybe take your own loo roll)

Gluten Free MOO (British beef steak and craft ale), with minty mushy peas and tender stems, peas,…read moreand shoots. Oh and an apple ginger shrub mocktail (fiery ginger beer, apple, lime, mint and cinnamon) Really enjoyed my pie here. Cute atmosphere too. Service is just fine, not over the top but definitely not shabby. Pieminister has a nice variety of sides and pies, guarantee if you like a pie you'll find something here.

Just returned from having dinner there with Grandma & my granddaughter on the last night of our…read morevisit to Cardiff, Wales (for the first time). The biggest mistake was not having dinner here on the first evening. The food, service & ambience was fantastic. We did not have much, a Moo pie, a Moo & Blu pie for myself and a "Heidi" for Grandma -- but all were fantastic and table talk diminished as dinnder disappeared. We even went for desert, the Hot Toffee was not available so I was forced to "settle" for the Pecan Sundae... poor me -- the worst thing is I had to share with my dinnermates ((grinn)) Our granddaughter is 11 and it was a great time for our 6:30 pm dinner on a Thursday. If only we weren't departing Cardiff tomorrow...