The city's club scene
is constantly changing, with a wide choice of venues. There is a
wide choice of bars, café-bars and restaurants - traditional,
'trendy' or both at once. Most of the action happens in the city
centre and at Cardiff Bay.
Bohemian-style Mill Lane, also known as the 'Café Quarter',
offers a good choice of eating options and bars. Gay venues are
found in Charles Street and elsewhere on the city centre's southern
fringe. Wednesday night is busy, when university crowds descend
on the town for student nights. Fridays and Saturdays are the traditional
evenings but everal bars and clubs are making a concerted effort
to liven things up during the rest of the week, with cheap drinks,
late licences, theatre, bands and poetry sessions.
Pubs and bars are normally licensed Monday to Saturday
11:00-23:00 and Sunday 12:00-22:30, although many venues in
the city centre are licensed until 01:00 or later at weekends.
Nightclubs stay open until at least 02:00 and many close as late
as 06:00, depending on the day of the week. Casinos usually close
between 03:00 and 04:00. All casinos, bars and clubs may refuse
admission to those under 18 years old, which is the legal drinking
age. Some venues do not allow anyone under 21 years.
Good sources of information are available online at Virtual
Cardiff and What's
On in Cardiff with links to most clubs, cinemas and other entertainment
options.
Bars
The Old Arcade, 14 Church Street, an old-fashioned
pub serving food and the locally-made Brain's beer. A wide choice
of traditional beers and food is also available at the Owain
Glyndwr, also in Church Street, opposite St John's Church.
Close to Cardiff Central station, the huge J D Wetherspoon's Prince
of Wales, 82 St Mary's Street, serves good value food and drink,
including a wide selection of 'real' traditional ales. The Angel
Tavern, in the Angel Hotel, Castle Street, offers typical pub
delights.
In the bay area, The Wharf, 121 Schooner Way, Atlantic Wharf,
has good views and cheap food. Live music can be found at The
Packet, Bute Street. The Pen & Wig, 1 Park Grove,
has a good food, beer and board games for rainy afternoons.
For a livelier time try Sam's Bar, 63 St Mary Street, in
the Café Quarter. This place is a bar/club crossover, with
live bands and a late licence until 02:00 on Fridays. One of the
more popular and trendy bars in the centre, Bar Essential,
35 Windsor Place, is the place for the city's young professionals
and visiting businesspeople. The Slug and Lettuce, 2-3 Working
Street, is also popular. The Model Inn, 14-15 Quay Street,
is a restaurant-bar.
Casinos
Les
Croupiers, 32 St Mary Street has roulette, blackjack, mah-jong
and other gaming pursuits. Dress code is smart-casual and the minimum
age for entry is 18 years. A passport or other form of identification
is required. Centrally located are Grosvenor Casino and Ladbroke
Club Casino on Greyfriars Road and Park Place respectively.
Both are members only.
Clubs
Clwb Ifor Bach, 11 Womanby Street, is considered
one of the 'coolest' clubs in Cardiff. It is situated over three
floors and is one of the few clubs to offer action throughout the
week.
Other venues include Liquid, Imperial Gate, St Mary Street,
Zeus, Greyfriars Road, and, for the over-25s set, Rioja
Bar, La Brasserie, Mill Lane. The Emporium - the younger
sister of the club of the same name in London - 8-10 High Street,
is an exclusive, elegant venue. Cardiff's biggest gay/mixed venue
is Club X, 42 Charles Street.
In the cavernous UCI building on Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay, Evolution
is the biggest club in Cardiff and offers mainstream house, dance
and party anthems. A shuttle bus collects partygoers from the New
Theatre in the city, every 15 minutes from 21:15. Wednesday night
is student night. Fridays are for over-18s and Saturdays are for
the over-20s. Only smart clubbing dressed will be admitted.
Comedy
The
Glee Club, at Bute Place on Cardiff Bay's Mermaid Quay. It stages
live acts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Comedy acts can also
be seen at The Wharf, Schooner Way.
Dance
The new Wales Millennium Centre is the home to the contemporary
dance group, Dance
Company of Wales (telephone: (029) 2046 5345; fax: (029) 2046
5346; email: diversions@diversionsdance.co.uk), which commissions
and premieres work from international choreographers, frequently
touring Wales, the UK and abroad.
Music
Live music
Live music is easy to find in the bars around the city - Cardiff
has an active music scene. Entry is often free and if admission
is charged it is rarely expensive. Café Jazz, in the
Sandringham Hotel, St Mary Street, is home to the Welsh Jazz
Society and has top local performers as well as international
acts. In addition to Clwb Ifor Bach (see Clubs), live acts
can be found at the Cardiff Coal Exchange, Mount Stuart Square,
Cardiff Bay, the Toucan Club, 95-97 St Mary's Street, for
Latin American and salsa, and the University Student's Union,
in Cathays Parks though many events are restricted to NUS card-holders
only. The Mount Stuart, West Bute Street, is another
option in the Cardiff Bay area. For really big acts, Cardiff
International Arena, Mary Ann Street, and occasionally the Millennium
Stadium, Westgate Street, are the main venues. |
