The Norwegian church is an art centre, performance space, and cafe, located on the waterfront of Cardiff 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). read more

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

Norwegian Church - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

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It's a nice looking Norwegian church overlooking the Cardiff Bay Area. A peaceful part of the city where you can get some Scandinavian coffee. It's also an arts centre and a venue for events such as weddings. Originally built for Norwegian sailors. Roald Dahl used to be part of this church and was baptised here. There is still a small Norwegian community that come here. read more

Norwegian Church - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

This quaint looking building defines the architecture of the bay in so much that it doesn't conform. The beauty of the bay lays in fact that most of it's buildings are so different from each other. The Norwegian church belongs in Norway but seems very comfortable over looking the water of Cardiff Bay. it has had more strangers take photo's of it than Madonna. If you go to the bay on a summers day and don't see the Norwegian church then you either need glasses or to sober up. Its also worth popping inside too as there is a little coffee shop and various art exhibitions always going on. read more

Norwegian Church - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

Cardiff never seams to stop surprising me, just when you think your walking to an end of the water way a beautiful Norwegian church pops up out of no where and claims to serve tea, that'll be me sold then. I didn't get a chance to try any of the food but will defiantly be going back to have a go. I'm bit of a tea freak and have stopped ordering it out as I'm always disappointed. This however was damn good tea and put my faith back into the tea making world. Inside is great, it's so different to anywhere else I've visited in Cardiff and just walked around taking it all in. Oh and my lovely just said to vouch for the Welshcakes here too "Yum" apparently. read more

Norwegian Church - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

The Norwegian Church, a former Norwegian Sailors' Church, is an instantly recognisable white, wooden church building in Cardiff Bay. Today it acts as an arts centre and cultural venue with a busy programme of exhibitions, acoustic gigs, jazz and classical concerts, markets, workshops and other events. It's an intimate and friendly venue, and the small gigs I've been to there have been reallu enjoyable because of the cosy surroundings as well as the music. As its name suggests, the church arts centre also has strong links with Norway, specifically with Hordaland on the southwest coast of Norway, which has been twinned with Cardiff since 1996. The venue hosts meetings and celebrations for the Welsh Norwegian Society, and each year Norway donates a beautiful outdoor Christmas tree to the venue, which becomes a focal point down at the Bay during the festive season. All year round you can also enjoy the church's cosy café with its Norwegian-influenced menu and delicious homemade cakes. A while back when there wasn't such a vast range of places to eat and drink in the Bay area, the Norwegian Church was a favourite spot for a cup of coffee and some cake on a Sunday afternoon's visit to the bay - and even now it's surviving the competition, and remains a bit separated from the hustle and bustle of the trendier and more contemporary café bars in Mermaid Quay. read more

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I didn't go in, but the outside is very nice. It's part of the Cardiff Bay port. You can do so many things in Cardiff Bay besides going into the church. You can shop, eat, take beautiful pictures, walk and bike ride. Just remember that language of Wales is Welch. So whenever you look at signs there, the signs will be written in Welch and in English. read more

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Despite not being the largest building in existence, it's absolutely unmistakable, with it's striking structure and distinctive white and black exterior. This is one of the most quaint and beautiful buildings in Cardiff Bay, serving as a venue for various functions. It really does facilitate a number of roles and functions, with small exhibitions, performances, private hire and little market stalls just some of the things which go on inside the glorious Norwegian Church. It really is held in high esteem by all that have been here. With its wonderful charm, this truly charismatic building has plenty of fans. It's almost quite difficult to describe the beauty of this building, and only truly can it be appreciated in person as the pictures don't do it justice. I'd recommend going here given any excuse. read more

Oh wow, the Norwegian church, what a treat of a venue. I went to see one of the special junket club evenings at this venue earlier in the year, where there were a plethora of fabulous comedians including Josie Long. It is a very cute and small venue, so you know that any gigs happening at this venue are going to be very intimate. It is has a wooden lodge feel to it, very Norwegian if you are lucky enough to have been to Norway like myself. There is a little cafe that serves soft drinks as well as alcoholic one, the prices can be a little high but you are paying for your truly beautiful surroundings that you enjoy whilst you drink. The Norwegian church is a beautiful little find if you are walking along the modern establishments of Cardiff bay and then reach this little beauty for a snack break. It is a fabulous venue and I'd urge you to get hold of tickets to any event happening here, it will provide you with an experience like no other. read more

My son and I stopped in the Norwegian Church on our way to the Doctor Who Experience. We were tourists -- visitors from the US, and we absolutely loved the place. My son has Aspergers and is very picky about his food, so I was concerned that "Welsh Rarebit" would be way outside his comfort zone -- but the food was so amazing that he didn't even bat an eye. The view is really wonderful, and the quaint building adds to the unique charm of the entire experience. After two weeks in the UK and eating at some pretty up-scale places, it is strange that the memory I have of my most enjoyed meal was some welsh rarebit with my son in the Norwegian Church. If I went back to Cardiff, I'd go there again -- even though there are other places that are surely as worthy. That should get across how much I enjoyed the Norwegian Church. read more

One word- Beautiful! This church is an absolute joy to visit. It has an open door policy and often has small little exhibitions/ markets inside. Sometimes items sold in here are slightly overpriced so I tend to browse rather than buy. A lovely summers walk along the bay finished with a cup of tea and a slice of cake in this picturesque piece of history is heaven..... Or if your super fit this could be a resting place before heading onto the barrage. On a sunny day you can enjoy the seating outside whilst wishing all of your worries away looking out into the bay. One day when my frog turns into a prince I would love to get married somewhere as beautiful as this! read more

This building is one that definitely defines Cardiff Bay for me because of it's familiarity and also how alien it almost looks in amongst all of the new developments. This unique white church is currently an arts center and coffee shop. There's always something different in terms of events such as Jazz music and arts workshops but equally good if you just want to nip in for a cuppa or something a little bit different. The food is Norway meets Cardiff and I can personally vouch for the Smoked Salmon Gravadlax and delicious welsh cakes. It's worthwhile checking out the website before you head down just so you can see what's on. All in all, a good venue in a fantastic setting. read more

Hands up, how many people knew that Cardiff was twinned with Horderland? Are you really telling me you didn't know that South Wales had a massive amount of links with Norway? Crazy fools. When I was 16 I went on an exchange to Bergen, Norway, and discovered all manner of interesting facts about the relationship between these two awesome countries. There as numerous links between families, businesses, churches and religious organisations. The Norwegian Church was the place of worship for the Norwegian populace of Cardiff, and remains to this day an important place of meeting for this purpose. Roald Dahl was part of this contingency when he was a boy; just read 'Boy'. A solid part of the Cardiff Bay scenery, the Norwegian Church offers an interesting cultural insight, as well as tasty food and drink. Certainly worth a gander. read more

The Norwegian Church has been a popular tourist and local attraction for years. It is a pretty little place and is very quaint and unusually unique. It's perfect cafe rest after or whilst your walking around and spending the day or an afternoon or morning at Cardiff Bay. Before this era the church was called Norwegian Sailors Church that has become renowned culture venue. It has a small cafe and more than often than not it is full of concerts, hospitality and art exhibitions. This church is a very welcoming place and it's a charming point in Cardiff Bay to relax in and it is an extremely comfortable and a peaceful building to chat to friends in. The website says it is a: "Venue with a difference!" You can hire the gallery and the main hall throughout unclosed hours. In the evenings the entire building is allowed to be hired and a bar can be placed in replacement for the coffee shop. They also hold parties there and wedding receptions. I recommend it to all travellers and to all locals. read more

The Norwegian Church is a landmark that you will no doubt be surprised to see if you've never taken a walk along the waterfront of Cardiff Bay. This surprise is due to the fact that the beautiful little white building stands out a mile when compared to the modernity of its surrounding buildings. The Norwegian Church remains as it is an important part of Cardiff's heritage, and perhaps more important than this, it serves cake. Perhaps even more important than the importance of the cake, it was the church that Roald Dahl was baptised in (mainly because he was from Llandaff, and because his parents were Norwegian). As Cardiff's history, and the Bay in particular, are closely tied to its trading links with other nations it is no surprise that some nations have left some of their history on the Welsh shores. This church is certainly worth a wander as they often host artistic events and have art on display in the building. Afterwards you can sit with a coffee and soak up much more Norwegian heritage than you expected when visiting the capital of Wales. read more

As a working staff of this place I can say if you are in Cardiff just drop by, the cakes are delicious! This is a reconstruction of the original Norwegian Church, although most of the structure derives from the old one all of it was built in an entirely new place and if I may say so it is ideally located at the very limit of Cardiff Bay right next to the Tube (Cardiff Visitor center). The building itself isn't anymore a church but an Arts center with a pretty decent Café. It is also used for concerts, art exhibits and meetings, so if you are looking for an old church this isn't that religious type. The whole purpose of this building in ancient times was to provide shelter and company to the Norge seamen. Nowadays it provides the opportunity to the general public explore some Norwegian cheeses and fish. The coffee is Italian and the food is always fresh, although in busy days (sunny ones) you may have to wait a bit to get your plate there. If you are on Cardiff and you are at Cardiff Bay you will certainly see this delightful little building. read more

Beautiful building positioned right at the end of the Mermaid Quay side of the Bay. This now converted church has a fantastic variety of music, theatre pieces and art. Always something exciting going on and the snack area serves some particularly tasty treats inc Norwegian products. Nearby parking means it is easier to get to than some exhibits in Cardiff read more

Has a really nice coffee shop/ tea room, which is a great place to chill out on a lazy sunday afternoon. They sell yummy cakes and coffee at very reasonable prices. It has benches outside which overlook the harbour and is great on a sunny day. Has various events in a beautiful building. read more

Norwegian Church - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

The Norwegian Church is a little treasure in the heart of Cardiff Bay. It's black and white clapboard construction mark it out immediatly as something quite different. You're never going to miss it on the skyline. I wasn't sure about it when I first visited a few years ago but I have really warmed to it. I think the turning point was seeing a concert in the main hall. The hall is a really great music venue. It's got great acoustics with the wooden construction and the quirky layout means that the audience can sit or stand at the back and have quite a lot off room to move, rather than having fixed tiers of seats. It makes for a really intimate space. I think I saw a pre-Christmas concert and there were mince pies and mulled wine a -plenty and the hall was beautifully lit. During the day it's a good stop off point for a slightly pricey lunchtime fare or the more manageable coffee and cake. The only issue being it's popularity with busloads of pensioners and foreign exchange students. read more

This a beautiful timber building and it's been moved to a stunning position in Cardiff Bay. There's a nice cafe downstairs and occasionally there are exhibitions upstairs. There are also sometimes performances held here in the evenings. read more