The Norwegian church is an art centre, performance space, and cafe, located on the waterfront of…read moreCardiff Bay. The church was originally built as a place of Lutheran worship, and was consecrated in 1868. It was built to serve the large number of Norwegian sailors coming into Cardiff's port at the time. The Norwegian Seamens' Mission was located here, and provided, as well as a place of worship, a place to find support and community for sailors away from home. In time, it also became the centre of a permanent expatriate Norwegian community. Perhaps its most famous member was Roald Dahl was baptised here, and worshipped with his family as a child. Sadly, the church's fortunes reflected those of the port as trade decreased in the post-war period, and it was closed and deconsecrated in 1974. The church was rescued and restored when the former port area was redeveloped in the 1980s. A preservation trust was established, and the church was dismantled and relocated in 1987 (the original site is now occupied by the Wales Millenium Centre). It was re-erected on the current site in 1992 and now hosts art exhibitions, concerts, acts as a venue for weddings, and there is a small cafe. The cafe serves a limited selection of snacks, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches and a range of cakes - coffee and cake seems to be its forte. We went for lunch there before a walk around the Bay - there are lovely views from the window tables across the Bay. We found the menu a bit limited: the toasted paninis come with cheese, or cheese and chutney, or cheese and ham, or... well, you get the picture. None comes with salad or vegetables (not even cheese and tomato). So we opted for the 3 choices above, accompanied by an olive, houmous and toasted bread platter, and a bowl of skin-on fries. It was good value, but let down by having standard sliced white bread with the platter (great olives, but sourdough would have been so much nicer!), and the toasties could have benefited from some side salad. A white bread toastie with just cheese feels a bit underwhelming in 2022. Service was similarly a bit underwhelming: pleasant and efficient enough - but only once we had gone to the counter and asked for a menu so we could make a selection. (No menus on the tables or menu boards.) You get the feeling they would be better concentrating on cakes and patisserie, with coffee: if they going to serve savoury food, a bit more attention to the menu would make a big difference. So, 5/5 for the historic building and location, 3/5 for the cafe (or stick to coffee and cake).

Great place from Hop on bus for a cold Welsh Cider, and a pastry-Rocky Road,Orchard Gold.read more

There are a whole lot of cafes in and around Penarth, and this is one of the better ones…read more This is a great little cafe upstairs in the home and garden store, Hamptons. The Blue Pelican Cafe is a lovely little place acting as getaway from the hustle and bustle of Windsor Road. They have a wide and exciting variety of sandwiches and salads, as well as cakes and hot food. You can even get a cream tea selection served on a tiered tray, should you so wish. My friend and I ordered the soup (honeyed carrot!) and the Thai Salmon. The soup was massive and delicious, but the salmon was a little disappointing. The salad was clearly just bagged, and the salmon was smothered with a cheap-tasting sweet chilli sauce which, although I like spicy, was too spicy and a lot of people would feel strongly about that, I think. However, this is not really the kind of place you could go and relax for hours at a time with a book. The staff have attempted a relaxed and exotic feel by wearing Hawaiian shirts, but they just look silly. This is the kind of place where women take tea; take heed and be careful not to break anything. Perfect place to bring you grandmother.

When I'm up early enough (which is not that often) and when I'm sober (which is even more of a…read morerarity) The Blue Pelican Cafe is my favourite breakfasting spot. Expect to find really yummy smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for around a fiver, that give the impression of being a lady of leisure only without the price tag to match.

This is probably my favourite bar in Cardiff bay…read more One of the reasons for this is because most people do not regard it as a bar (more a coffee shop) and it is therefore never over run unlike the bars over the other side of the bay like Salt and Terra Nova. Sitting inside is very pleasant as are the staff, especially the manager, who I think i called Hugo but to me its big selling point is its outside area. It over looks the oval basin and faces the sun. I have spent many a summer day having a few cheeky ones chatting away whilst the sun goes into the bay. So if this isn't your bag - stay away (that way there is more room for the rest of us who do).

One is an independent little bar inside the already impressive Wales millennium centre…read more We went for tapas, you can chose three dishes that come with pitta bread for around a tenner, we were feeling a bit flush so had the champagne option which cost us £17 (7 quid for a glass of champagne is a bit mental retrospectively). Of course I chose the veggie options which included Garlic Mushrooms, Mediterranean vegetables and feta in oil and a good stack of pitta. It was yummy, not exactly mind blowing but really tasty. What does make this place unique is the fantastic view over the bay, so essentially that's what your paying for with your £7 glass of champagne and limited tapas menu. It was worth a visit but it's not the kind of place I'd go regularly.

Located on Harrowby Street in Cardiff Bay - The Deck Coffee House and Cakery is the perfect hidden…read moreescape where you can forget the hustle and bustle of the City Centre... ...and the amount of calories in your cupcake. Open Monday to Sunday the Deck serves freshly made breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea filled with an array of home baked cakes that they serve the old fashioned way with their original bone china. Their Vintage High-Tea also includes finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, fresh fruit, chocolate brownies and cupcakes *drool* - they even play old school songs as you slip into a food coma. Def recommend to ALL!

This great little coffee shop is tucked away on a street of residential flats just opposite the…read morehuge new police station in Cardiff Bay. As soon as you walk in you're enveloped in lovely cake baking and roasted coffee aromas, and if you want to sit in, you can take your pick between the 'upper deck', which is usually quite busy, or the cosy downstairs area - although they also offer take away if you're in a rush. Ttheir food selection looks tempting, but I've not yet sampled anything other than their home made brownies - which are so good it makes me think the rest of their menu will be equally delicious. The coffee's also very palatable, and with free WiFi it's a great spot for informal meetings if you work in the area.

When I worked in Penarth, this was my Friday lunch venue…read more It's got a really great, earthy, relaxed atmosphere and serves great Organic food. We're talking sandwiches, soups and paninis (amongst other things) that taste fresh and delicious. The food here is organic and everything is fair trade so if you like your lunch with a side of ethical practice, this is the place to head.

I just popped down to this place upon the recommendation of this review, and was pleasantly…read moresurprised. I've been living in Penarth for 5 months now, and have wandered around the centre countless times, and still this fantastic little cafe managed to pass me by time and time again. I have only myself to blame though. I'm quite embarrassed. This is an immediately warm and inviting location once you make it past the front doors. It manages to be 'earthy' as Tiffany put it, without seeming exclusive. But this I mean that some places with emphasis on organic and fairtrade food have, in the past, seemed a little more like a local club or ethical police than cafes. Not this place though. I had the soup, despite the lovely clear weather, because it just sounded too tempting to miss out on. And it didn't disappoint in the slightest. Scrummy down to the last. This is a lovely place to have a little sit and relax during a busy day. Go check it out; don't miss out like I did!

With all the choices of Coffee places there are down Cardiff Bay there is somewhere you want to…read moreenjoy the outdoors and watch the world go by. Coffee Mania does just this! This coffee place seems to have more outdoor seats than indoors. There are seats indoors as well but you wouldn't stay inside and not enjoy the sunlight unless you're Edward Cullen. Coffee Mania is a pleasant place to be. I went on an extremely hot day so I didn't order a coffee because I feel I would of melted right then and there if I had anything else hot touch me. I went for a chilled fizzy cranberry drink. This hit the spot just lovely. I sat on one of the outside table with some friends. It was calm, fun and reasonably priced. Usually when I go to a coffee place I expect to pay a lot but this seemed different to me. Not only is it cheap you can download some vouchers in order to get 2 for 1 on coffees. Now that is worth a visit. Coffee Mania is a lovely coffee place that has a full choice of drinks. It has some options for lunch as well. Also, why not treat yourself to a cheeky little cake. You only live once right?

The real selling point of Coffee Mania is defiantly its outside space and views out over the bay…read more The Starbucks directly behind it must be gutted when they see the sun shinning. Its also a little bit cheaper and after having a beautiful white hot chocolate and coconut drink there yesterday I a devoted fan, especially since their hot chocolate is hot, not luke warm like it always is in Starbucks. One minor problem I find is that the service can be really slow. They also have a good range of smooties and ice-blends, and sell ice-creams from the freezer so in summer especially it would cater for the whole family.

The Ocho lounge is situated nicely at the heart of Penarth's busy high street. With it's warm and…read moreinviting interior, customers are embraced by a warm and homely sensation when seated in either the upstairs or lower section of the lounge. With rich, tasteful colour schemes and decor, the Ocho Lounge provides the ideal setting for a casual coffee with a partner, or some more serious drinks with groups of friends or work-mates. The selection of hot drinks, alcohol and soft drinks come at reasonable prices. Aside from drinking, the Ocho Lounge also provides a number of tasty meals and snacks. Highly recommended are the soups and paninis, which are hearty and wholesome, making excellent accompaniments to a hot chocolate or glass of red wine. The soups are exceptionally tasty and are served in generously sized portions. The Ocho Lounge is a very nice venue for all ages, but particularly more mature, sophisticated drinkers and diners.

Once the most middle class town close to Cardiff, Penarth has got distinctly more 'Chav' in recent…read moreyears. Still, there are enough people who need their delis, fresh coffee and tapas and so that's where somewhere like Occo comes in. Smack bang in the middle of the main street is this lovely little bar/cafe/coffee shop/whatever that radiates warmth. There are a few things that I really love 1) The huge selection of books and newspapers so you can go on your own without getting bored/looking like you have no friends. 2) There are actual board games! Ranging from the mature (chess) to the not so mature (buckaroo anyone?) All of which are completely free to use for your own amusement. Probably great as an ice breaker for a first date because when the conversation runs dry you just play Jenga. Tuesdays mean Tapas! You can get 3 dishes of your choice a huge amount of bread and a glass of wine for £8. The best part is the beer garden/outdoor space which really comes alive in summer. Not really much bigger than a back garden but I think that's part of the charm.

Cardiff is very quickly becoming my favourite city to discover new coffee. With the very new Little…read moreMan Coffee co it is easy to see why. Just being open around 4 months, the place was recommended to me by my Cardiff friends, and was an ideal place for our large group to meet on a Saturday afternoon. The shop located on a corner with massive windows providing a good place to people watch and enjoy views outside. It is very minimalistic yet very spacious with a large array of vintage furniture which gives it an "established" feel despite being a young coffee shop. I was very impressed with that Little Man are very proud to feature at least two roasters at all times. This day I had a soy latte using coaltown espresso blend and a v60 using the wonderful James Gourmet Coffee from the very knowledgeable staff. I saw Aeropress, Chemex and V60 on offer.. I didn't get a chance to peak at the cakes or if they had a menu but I was very curious to see how they can use this huge space for events in future. Such a great Coffee shop with much potential!

Cardiff seems to have a good scene for independent coffee shops and this one is no exception. A…read morecomfortable, friendly coffee shop with a surprising amount of (quirky) seating and big bright windows. I went straight for their own cold brew coffee (that comes in a lovely little bottle) which was excellent, nice and mellow, leaving me refreshed and suitably caffeinated. I'd expect the hot drinks match the quality. I wish I'd had a little more time to be able to settle in or go back, seems a good place to set up for a few hours, and when I left I wished I could take it back home with me to do just that! I suspect that if I had more of a chance to try everything they have this would get 5 stars.

Staff is fantastically helpful. Food is delicious and fresh. Coffee is good and there are multiple…read moremilk options. Great healthy options, filling vegan or veg, multiple fish and meat options, gorgeous juices. I had the superfood salad, grilled salmon was perfectly cooked, mango coconut dressing is superb. Location means that parking will likely be a bit of a walk away but it's worth it! There are lovely views and outdoor seating. Totally a treat!