I was a student in Cardiff from 1988 to 1993 and discovered Swallows in 1989. After the first…read morevisit, I was hooked and went back every weekend with different sets of friends. The food was amazing and our group got bigger each time, which further confirms how good the food is. My mouth still waters when I remember a prawn and chicken dish that was so delicious and aromatic.... i couldn't stop eating it. Although I have been living in the US for the last 27 years, I still have fond memories of Swallows. Besides the food, the owner became good friends of ours over the 3-4 years that I lived in Cardiff. From the start he was kind and courteous, always offering us some free desserts and so appreciative of earning our frequent business. He knew we were students, living on a limited budget, and would always give us some extra food. It left a lasting impression, that goes beyond serving great food. I am sorry to hear about Sir's health and hope you are doing better. I will visit Cardiff this year and hope to meet you again after so many years. You might not remember me by my name, but you will if we have a chance to meet again face to face. I would like to meet you and in some way show my appreciation for all those years when you went above and beyond just serving us food. Best, Deepak PS - I highly recommend it to everyone. I would like to come back here again and again.

Obviously the pun on words is a great innuendo. For this reason alone it deserved a good going…read moreover. Slightly at the high price range than most of the other Chinese establishments in the area. Easily the best Chinese restaurant on city road you'd be mad not to give it a go. The service is spot on and the food has never been less than fantastic, its small wonder they haven't taken over other Chinese places to improve the general trend. I recommend chicken battered balls with sweet & sour, beef because it's so tender and the duck in rolls, yummy. You cannot go wrong with this place.

Everything here is soooo good!!! Always fresh and their fries are also the best. Recommend the…read moreCajun fries. It's got a good kick but a little salty. Only wish they had banana peppers, but overall still great.

No lines and plenty of seating! The perfect place to satiate your Americana cravings. They have…read moreproper thinly cut, crispy fries (not potato logs). I loved the free toppings, sad that they don't give out free peanuts. It was so flavorful that I wished I ordered a double.

There are several places in Cardiff where you can get your Nandos Peri-Peri Chicken fix…read more.. St David's Shopping Centre, The Old Brewery Quarter, Bute Street - Mermaid Quay. You can even pre-order your lunch online and collect from all three of their stores. No matter which restaurant I visit, my order stays the same: Extra Hot Grilled Chicken Pitta with Spicy Rice = £7.45. ...yes I proudly wave my darkened flag in the air amongst most other lemon and herb goers.

I lost my Nando's virginity in this place and I have been back so many times since. It's in a great…read morelocation, the only thing I find is that because it's not very big it gets busy all the time and a wait usually occurs. I've always had good food and service here too and living in the Bay its a great place to order some food for Takeaway from. The reason this place is different is because it also has something at the moment they are calling Hottie Friday. Is it the place for Hotties to be seen or for you to spice up your dinner? Go and judge for yourself.

Pretty good. The…read moredude working the night was pretty much ready to put his life down to make sure I got what I wanted. I was just hungry really late and this place was pretty close to where I was staying so I went for it.

like many others, i usually don't have the best things to say about westernized, panda express…read morestyle chinese food. but this place is actually way better than panda express -- they prepare the meal on a wok in front of you, so you know what you're getting is piping hot and fresh. i got the duck breast which was so tender, juicy, and actually had A LOT of substance. the selection of vegetables is pretty standard for "chinese" cuisine, but still really good. that being said, i think there's a bit too much sauce - pretty salty and needed a lot of water lol

stunning food, brilliant service and fast delivery. Best Chinese around. Always so friendly too…read more unreal food best chicken curry around!!

lovely food, delicious prawn toast. great noodles!!!read more

I can't believe no one has reviewed Uncle Sam's yet! It's a bit of a classic American fast food…read moretakeaway right in the heart of Studentville, on Crwys Road (in Cathays/Roath). It has been going for years, and has managed to hold on to its fine reputation for decent quality and value for money throughout that time. It IS rather tiny, however, so it's possible you could easily walk past and miss it - but once you've been there once for food, you'll be a complete convert. Basically, they do American fast food - mainly burgers. It's not healthy, and it's not complicated, but what they do they do very well. The belly-busting All American 1/2 pound burger with fries and a tub of blue cheese sauce seems to go down well with meat-eaters, while there's a generously proportioned veggie option for people like me who don't eat beef. They also do chicken and pizza, but to be honest if you go to Uncle Sam's it should be for a burger, because that's what they do best. Excellent value for money!

Best chicken in Cardiff, I repeat for effect Uncle Sam's is the best chicken in Cardiff. I used to…read morelive in the States and as anyone who has been there or is from the U.S will tell you bigger is better! Why? It just is and Uncle Sam's certainly lives up to its American namesake. The restaurant is tiny and like other reviews have said it so easy to miss, so its beggars belief how such a small place can churn out such big and hearty portions of food. The price is ok but that is completely offset by taste of the food, as the juicy and flavourful chicken engulfs your taste buds. Of course chicken is not for everyone and they do have plenty of other dishes on the menu such as huge burgers (which have appeared to been given a real shout in other reviews) and pizza but honestly I personally think Uncle Sam's rules the roost!

Lee Garden is a popular Chinese and Thai Food Restaurant that offers a really impressive range of…read morefood including; Peking, Cantonese, Szechuan Chinese food as well as Thai and Malaysian cuisine. Whilst it's pleasant enough to eat in, I have mainly patronised them by using the take out menu, especially when trying to accommodate the tastes a large group of people. They have the most extensive menu for far Eastern food that I'm aware of in Cardiff, and so it's a no brainer who I recommend when we are trying to order for five or more people... it cuts down on the quibbling! The fact that they are open seven days a week also makes them pretty dependable. Being popular, they get pretty busy at the weekends and so delivery times can be erratic. They give a 15% reduction in price for collections, and they tend to process your order a lot quicker if you collect in person. I advise everyone to pick up their food if possible, especially if it's a large order. I've only eaten in once and enjoyed the experience. We needed a table for two at 8.30 on a Saturday night, and luckily didn't have to wait too long, despite not making a reservation. We wouldn't have been so lucky if there had been more of us. It's probably best to book on any night of the week, and is definitely advisable at the weekend. There's two numbers to call: 02920 462388 02920 486288 Unfortunately, there's no website, which, considering the extent of their menu, would be really useful. They have a well printed, four leaf take away menu that you can call in and collect when you are passing.

If you're a Chinese place on the same road as The Swallow, your business model has to revolve…read morearound one of two things if you're going to survive: being so mind-blowingly exceptional at what you do that you actually manage to surpass The Swallow, or offering customers something that The Swallow doesn't. Lee Garden opts for the latter choice, providing a menu that offers an extensive range of dishes that veer away from the standard Chinese fare of noodles + rice + lemon chicken. Instead, they have a menu that, besides the standards, also offers a selection of less anglicised Oriental dishes. If you are looking for a standard Chinese, and know exactly what you want, go for The Swallow. The food's better there. If you're a little more daring and want to take your tastebuds on a test drive of some new flavours, try the Lee Garden. Even if you don't enjoy the food, you can at least say you've tried it.

I love Nandos. My…read morefavourite thing on the menus was the Mushroom and Halloumi pitta. This has been removed from all my locals and has been replaced by a bland bean burger, bean Pitta and bean wrap. As a vegetarian bean burgers are constantly shoved in our faces as the only option. Nandos Mushroom and Halloumi pitta was a welcome and very tasty change from the norm so I am sad to see it removed. Nandos has lovely staff and nice atmosphere and lovely food for meat eaters but is sadly dropped off my radar.

Being a fan of the Nando's chain, I decided to call here for my evening meal after passing through…read morethe Old Brewery Quarter in Cardiff, the branch did look quite interesting and impressive from the first moment I walked in, to the large ordering area and drinks machine, as if you pay £2.60 you can get a drink with Unlimited refills, however this sadly doesn't improve the bottled Rubro Iced Tea, which is expensive at £2.65 for a 330ml can, especially when considering the prices of other drinks here and that the average selling price of a 500ml Lipton Iced Tea in most supermarkets is £1. Moving onto the food, I decided to order the Chicken Thighs with 2 portions of chips for £10.60, with medium strength. I was dissapointed to hear that my friends Chicken Butterfly was going to take 25 minutes, so as a good friend I kindly voulenteeted to torture him and get my food first. (The things you do when you are hungry!) The chicken was quite nice and good qualify, and it was a nice, juicy piece however this was sadly ruined by how spicy if was, they did coat it with the medium peri-peri coating but it was so much, it tasted like I had ordered extra hot, which ruined the meal abit for me. The portion sizes here were huge, for example my friend's Chicken Butterfly was double what it normally is and nearly got a full loaf of garlix bread, meanwhile I got 4 large Chicken Thighs and more chips than I could count. The staff seemed nice enough but the service was slow, having to wait to be seated despite there being no one waiting and then for a tablw, despite obviously tables being free, although I accept thr fact they were quite busy. Overall this Nando's stores look nice but the huge amounts of everything are just off-putting, making the spices even a lot hotter than what you asked for, while consisering issues with waiting, I sadly feel this branch has only done enough to warrant two stars.