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.

I was shocked at how rudely we were treated by one of the bartenders here last night. We arrived…read morein Cardiff later in the day tired and hungry. When we went to the bar around 9:30 to order, one of two bartenders informed us that they don't serve food after 9:00 PM. We accepted this and were ready to move on. However, the other one felt the need to chime in, "Learn to read directions!". Sorry? As Americans, we are still trying to learn your way of doing things, but sometimes we make mistakes and did not see that food service had ended. How hard would it be to just be nice and say something like, "yes, we are finished serving food for the night, but I could recommend somewhere close that is still open." Instead, he chose to be be rude and unhelpful! Your menu looked like it had some delicious options, but for today, I'm not into second chances as there are too many other choices for other opportunities to spend our money! We'll give somewhere else the chance to choose to be nice. Lezzet Turkish Restaurant, a short distance away was very accommodating and delicious. We left our server a £10 tip.

I really like O'Neill's pubs, but perhaps that's just me?…read more Mainly I would go to O'Neill's for a cheap and hearty feed that can better any Wetherspoons any day of the week. They specialise in Irish food, meaning that soda bread and colcannon abound. My personal favourite in their Fisherman's Pie, with king prawns, muscles and smoked haddock, topped with cheesy colcannon. All for a tiny £5, and I can never finish it. Their sausages are also delicious, particularly the vegetarian variety. They also have a really good range of main meals that only cost £3.49 a pop. The service has always been grand in this establishment (see what I did there?) Although this pub can get very busy on a Friday and Saturday night, or when there is a match taking place in the Millennium Stadium. If that's the case, I would recommend going to the other branch just around the corner next to St. John's Church. Either way. Food good. Drink good. Good.

The Vittoria can be found along the stretch of trendy-looking bars on Whiteladies Road, but it's…read morenot quite like the others. The pub is popular with the locals, features guest ales and is pretty small so draws a completely different crowd to the others here. If you're a rugby fan, visit this pub as they show rugby before football and if you just want a decent pint and none of the trashy dance music you'll get with other bars in this area, The Vittoria is a great place to come out.

One of the oft-titled 'trendy' Whiteladies' Road's few traditional pubs, the Vittoria has recently…read morerepainted its facade from an unassuming burgundy to bright red. Before you accuse a drinking stalwart of trying too hard to keep up with the times, the colour change luckily hasn't affected the atmosphere within. The Vittoria remains as unpretentious, laid-back and characterful as it was was before. There's a wide selection of drinks, a faithful crowd of regulars and entertainment most nights of the week ranging from a quiz (with free curry doled out while the answers are checked) to steak or sausage tasting nights. Undoubtedly ne of the best places on Whiteladies for a quiet (especially weeknight) drink.

Local spot for pints and music. This is where the locals go for pints. Many are getting closed…read moredown, a problem in Bath and being replaced by touristy cocktail bars. This place has all the love of classic dive bars if that is your scene. Good music and friendly faces. Interesting fact -- the owner was going to sell it but the locals really wanted to hold on to it. He offered it to them if they could take up a collection and buy it -- and they did! Peter Gabriel is also one of the co-owners.

My husband and I went for beers today. There was a good assortment of choices. My review is…read moremainly for the gracious hospitality of the bar keepers. They were so friendly and spent lots of time with us making suggestions for the visiting the area. Thank you so much!

The savoy is the very definition of Dive bar…read more It has sticky floors, metal anthems and drinks served in cans. Once upon a time it was a place for the youth and for some, now it's just a piece of nostalgia. Is it great? No. Is it good? No. You should visit for the experience and use it to bond with others who have been. Think metros on a smaller scale.

A bit of a dive but great place to go if you're a rocker/goth/emo as there is not any other places…read morelike this one in Barry, toilets should be avoided at all costs. Only problem is the underage teenagers hanging around outside and being loud but altogether a good, cheap night out.

Forget the ignorant chitter chatter, Tasties got the goods. Good food, unique ambience and open…read morelate. I recommend a walk up to top shops after your meal to complete the experience

There aren't many businesses you can say have hosted some of the more sinister experiences of your…read morelife, but Tasties holds that title for me. A small, eerily lit cafe located on St Paul's small and somewhat dilapidated high street area, it serves Caribbean food by day to a crowd pretty much entirely formed of locals, and by night - like many neighbouring cafes, pubs and restaurants, lock-ins. I found myself here after taking a wrong turn for the Star and Garter and was served the strongest rum and coke I have perhaps ever had the misfortune to taste, surrounded by some sinister company indeed in a weird atmosphere. We legged it after the sexual aggression became too much to handle, and sought refuge in a slightly tamer (although no less locals-only, this is no average nightlife strip) pub on the same street. It's clearly not the kind of place which is used to (relative) strangers to the area invading its personal space, so unless you're born and bred St Pauls I'd stay away.

Went in here for my mate's birthday and bought 5 'Jack bombs' which would come to £5, so I paid…read morewith a £10 note. After about 5 minutes waiting for the lady who served me to return with my change, I asked one of the other bar staff whether he could grab it for me, upon which he went and found the original member of staff who appeared very irate when he informed her of the situation. She then stormed over and persistently repeated that she had given me my change, using a very patronising tone and calling me 'babe'. Also made out that I was drunk (this was literally the first bar we went to), suggesting that I had simply forgotten that she had given me my £5, then ignored any further attempts by myself to reason with her. Awful staff, will not be returning. A 1 star review is generous.