The food hygiene quality is excellent, the staff are incredibly kind: clearly authentically Italian…read moreand providing great service! The decor around the restaurant makes you believe you're not in lousy old Cardiff, and maybe in somewhere like Florence. The music they play is great, and calming. Allowing for focus and conversation. I'm not a fan of the pizza too much, but it's just preference. Reccomended!

Pizzas were fantastic the dough was light and not saturated in cheese. The service was great and a…read morelovely atmosphere in the restaurant very friendly. Definitely will return soon.

The North Star is a vast pub cum restaurant and music venue occupying a prominent position on North…read moreRoad in the Maindy / Gabalfa area of Cardiff. It is an incredibly inspiring and important addition to the cultural wealth of the city. Opened in October last year, it is already the home to a cosmopolitan mix of locals, business people and students, as well as regular visitors from all over the city and beyond. When you walk into The North Star you can appreciate why it has such a draw. The old Victorian mansion-sized building has been lovingly refurbished with impressive style. The modern look, embellished with antique flourishes and an eclectic use of period furniture, has been created by Tim Rice, one of Cardiff's most successful designers, leading The North Star to be shortlisted for 'The Best Bar and Restaurant Design Awards' within months of its unveiling. It also scooped up another accolade when it was voted the fifth best 'cheap eat' in the UK by The Guardian. There's more to say about The North Star than I've got space here on Yelp. It's a multi-faceted business that offers a lot, to many. Managed by a brother and sister team, with Alex taking care of front of house, and her brother conjuring up epicurean delights in the kitchen. The food, organic and locally sourced wherever possible, is extensive in range and all homemade from scratch, including the relishes, dough's and even the Yorkshire puds! Dishes are predominantly Italian, but the menu frequently includes Welsh favourites like cockles and lava bread, Monmouthshire lamb and potted pig. With deals like '2 for 1' operating from Monday to Friday, customers are visibly increasing on a weekly basis. Specialty dishes are changed regularly, usually prompted by the advice of their local butcher, J T Morgan, who tips them the wink about all the best seasonal cuts on offer. Established in 1861, J T Morgan Butchers have occupied a position of importance at the indoor market, in central Cardiff, for more years than anyone can remember. A family butchers that have moved with the times, they are presently one of the most recognized purveyors of free range and organic meat and poultry in South Wales. Not surprisingly, The North Star makes the most of a good thing. As well as fantastic Sunday lunches, boasting the most succulent roasts in town, they're also hosting BBQ's on Friday and Sundays over the warmer months. Live music is on offer most days of the week, kicking off on Wednesdays with the Open Mic Night hosted by Rowan Liggett, who is also Co-Director of The Miniature Music Press, a really well produced A5 music magazine and 'What's On', that you can pick up for free at a whole host of places around the city. The North Star also has a sister pub worth mentioning; The Vulcan in Cathays on Wyvern Road, another haunt of the ubiquitous Rowan Liggett, who runs the Open Mic nights here as well. Frequented mainly by students, this is a cool live music pub, also designed by Tim Rice, that is equally well worth checking out. www.theminiaturemusicpress.com/

So the North Star has recently undergone a big renovation which is probably why I got some discount…read morevouchers to go and test it out. Its in a bit of an odd place really and right on the middle of the student area which is why I guess I had never been tempted to go there sooner. Went for an early dinner, the food was nice but not outstanding. I liked the relaxed atmosphere of the place and all the comfy looking leather sofa's. It would be a lovely Sunday place hangout I think. Prices are probably aimed at the students so its fairly cheap and there seems to be lots of events going on. Just wish parking was easier round there.

I have been going to Pizzeria Villagio for years and never once have I been left disappointed. The…read moreservice is amazing and food is above par. The ambiance of the place makes you feel as though you were in the heart of Italy. Truly my favourite place to go for Italian food. 5 stars.

This family run Italian restaurant and Pizzeria is really worth a visit. I've been coming here for…read moreyears, and have not once left disappointed. The menu is full of very good traditional, Italian food, and boy are the pizzas good (I wish I knew the recipe). The portions are sizeable enough but it is very easy, and affordable to manage a three course meal, and maybe even coffee afterwards. The walls are covered with photos of old Italy, and really add to the general atmosphere of Villagio. The Villagio also offer takeaways, and what has particular impressed me is that this is not just limited to pizzas, but most of the food on the main menu as well. Taking all this into consideration, it should come as no surprise that people from all over Cardiff, flock to the Villagio, and you should too!

My go to Italian restaurant! It's a family run business and they not only have a huge variety of…read moreoptions, the food there has never let me down. I'd always recommend to try out the homemade pasta they do and their arancini.

Had a pizza and spaghetti bolognaise. And the house wine. All were great. Book a reservation…read morebecause the place fills up fast, almost all tables filled by 19:00.

As an American tourist doing an AirBnB for a Six Nations match in Cardiff, I got a recommendation…read morefrom the host for this restaurant. I am 100% content with the service, the food, and the other verbal vibe of this small but comfortable eatery. My linguine carbonara tasted perfect; my plate was brought out steaming fresh from the kitchen; and the portion was small enough to eat entirely and still large enough to satisfy. The attentive staff provided prompt and pleasant service, and the smallish space was a very nice, inviting atmosphere.

This lovely, cosy little restaurant was the first Italian I ever ate at in Cardiff, and it was hard…read moreto force myself to try any others afterwards because I loved it so much. The decor is 'traditional', full of Italian memorabilia, and the atmosphere is one of a lively bistro. With a bring-your-own (BYO) policy, you can keep your bill very reasonable, but still expect excellent home made food that tastes like it's been made with love! Apart from delicious pizzas (including my favourite: the folded Calzone) and pasta dishes, they also have some specials such as veal or steak. With starters around a fiver, and mains around a tenner, a meal here doesn't need to be expensive. On some nights (Monday, I think), they have a musician in the restaurant playing the keyboard - a bit tacky, perhaps, but it actually makes you feel a bit like you're on holiday! You nearly always need to book ahead to eat there on Fridays or Saturdays, because the place has a loyal following - and when you do get a table you can pretty much guarantee the place to be buzzing. My favourite seat is the one for two in the window; away from the bigger groups, you get a bit of privacy but can still lap up the atmosphere.

Pontcanna is a trendy part of Cardiff and with it comes the predictable hype from the locals who…read morelike to rub it in to those who don''t live there ie. "Oh its so great to live in Pontcanna there are some wonderful family run cafes and bars only frequented by the locals thankfully". Pontcanna is a nice place to live but it i pricey and it does not have a monopoly on nice little family run cafes and restaurants. One of my best friends live near by and I have been in pretty much every bar and restaurant in this area and they are ok. I went to Cibo found the food ok but the attitude of the service staff was just about acceptable sometimes bordering on rude. I don't mean deliberately rude but it was as if I was only there by luck and my purpose was to give them money. If you go there I'm sure you will have food that is passable - if you think its exceptional then you need to eat out more.

Can anybody tell me if there is an historic connection between Cardiff and Italy? I'm caused to…read morewonder owing to the fact that Cardiff has some of the best Italian Restaurants in the world outside of this Southern European country. There's The North Star on North Road, Porto Due on St Mary Street, and Cibo on Pontcanna Street... all of which have something more than a bit special about them. The food at Cibo is exceptional. It would be my favourite Italian in Cardiff if it weren't for the fact that I have fallen in love with the wonderful interiors that you get at The North Star. It's not that Cibo is plain... far from it. It's lovely. It is tastefully furnished with a beautiful wooden bar and serving are that takes center stage. The garden is really sweet. It's entirely enclosed and intimate. But, when compared to the sheer scale and grandure there's ultimately no comparison between this place and The North Star. The food, I would say is n a par... but may be Cibo clinches it... it's a tough call...!?!

This place was just remodeled and we got a table on the opening night. They were kind enough to get…read moreus in and the place looks very nice. The open ceiling was very pretty as the sun set and our table was perfect. We ordered some drinks and they had a good selection of Italian wines and beers. They brought us some olives and we started with a minestrone soup and meatballs. Both were excellent! The meals we got a seafood pasta dish and veal dish. The seafood pasta was amazing with a very generous portion of mussels. The veal dish however tasted like they dropped the salt shaker in it. It was good otherwise just way to salty for my taste. The service was very attentive and they were friendly. The server brought out limoncello with the check which was a nice touch. I would recommend this place for a romantic dinner when in Cardiff. Food was very good, service was excellent and it is a cute little place!

My family and I had delicious food at this restaurant. It was wonderful service and a great…read moreatmosphere. I would highly recommend this restaurant. I went with my children and they were delighted with the food too and they're pretty fussy!!.

I have only been here once and don't think I will go again of my own free will (a friend may book a…read moreparty here for a special occasion in which case it would just be rude not to turn up). There was nothing particularly wrong with the food but that's about it. I honestly think i could have coked better at home for a fifth of the price. The waiter had forgotten how to smile - which always taints my view on a place. What can I say it would have been unmemorable had I not had the misfortune to remember it.