5 Bars & Clubs in City Centre That You Shouldn't Miss

April 7, 2022 Joeann Galban

The Welsh capital may have begun its life as a Roman fort, but it's since become a bustling city. Where the fort once stood, Cardiff Castle has held court since the 11th century. It remains a central presence in the city, now full of lively art and music venues, hip boutiques, fun bars and modern hotels. Even with so many new and exciting things to see, the National History Museum is still the most visited attraction in Wales. Don't be the only visitor who plays hooky!
Restaurants in Cardiff

1. Clwb Ifor Bach

11 Womanby Street, Cardiff CF10 1BR Wales +44 29 2023 2199 [email protected] http://clwb.net
Excellent
38%
Good
44%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
0%
Terrible
6%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 34 reviews

Clwb Ifor Bach

Located on Womanby Street, a narrow alley located across the road from Cardiff Castle, Clwb Ifor Bach - you might find it referred to as 'Y Clwb', or merely 'Clwb', or 'The Welsh Club' if three easily-pronounced words of the native tongue is deemed a shade taxing - opened in 1983. It was initially a members' club, one which sought to promote the Welsh language in Cardiff. While much of north and west Wales speaks Welsh as a primary language, Cardiff and the surrounding area is considered English-speaking first and foremost; this is reflected in the music that has emanated from the city over the decades, yet once Clwb Ifor Bach began to establish itself as a music venue, bands and artists from the breadth of Wales found their way through its doors. The commercial ascendancy of a select few Welsh-speaking outfits in the mid-90s - Super Furry Animals, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Catatonia made the greatest inroads - sparked, even if inadvertently, an upswing and a greater eclecticism in the venue's booking schedule. Memorable evenings in this decade included, among a sprawling list, UK electronic icons Autechre, the first and only Welsh show by Pavement (an early success for promo company Xplosure, who had a weekly band night which ran for some years), a just-pre-superstardom sell-out gig for Coldplay and a slew of monstrous rave-ups by hip-hop and dance promoters. Hustler covered hip-hop, funk and breakbeat, Silent Running brought every drum'n'bass icon under the sun to Cardiff and Radius maintained high house and techno standards. Names scattered among Clwb's backhistory include DJ Shadow, Roni Size, Scratch Perverts, 808 State, LTJ Bukem and Roots Manuva, to name a mere handful. The rule on which the club was established - that membership, for which one was given a card, required an ability to speak Welsh or a commitment to learn - was relaxed in the late 90s. Staff members are generally expected to speak the mother tongue, though, and things such as gig posters in the venue are bilingual where possible. The broad 'vibe' of Clwb Ifor Bach, friendly and bereft of dress codes or pocket-vacuuming drinks prices, stayed much the same, as the 21st century found South Wales spawning a glut of new bands (and rappers, DJs etc). Reflected in events like Radio 1 Live In Cardiff (October 2000) and labels such as Boobytrap, Ifor Bach was more of an epicentre for loud activity than ever. A disarmingly warm show headlined by The Strokes, in the summer of 2001, was one especially destined to stick in the memory of those who snared a ticket. It's 2008, and Clwb Ifor Bach has driven its foundations further still into the earth. Promoters and club nights have come and gone (although some, have been extant for over a decade now), and so have other music venues. Live music has been on both the top and bottom floors since 2005; the capacity on the top floor has recently been increased, yet there are still plenty of sell-out shows. It's not at all unknown for some proper famous boys to choose it for an 'intimate' gig on the down low - Super Furry Animals, Lost Prophets and Bullet For My Valentine are three recent examples. Notable shows in the last 12 months have come courtesy of Blood Red Shoes, Dead Meadow, Turisas, Foals, Black Lips, Future Of The Left, Los Campesinos!, The Cardiacs and Surgeon; prominent promoters at the time of writing include Forecast, Music Events Wales, Pedigree Falcon, Holodeck, Aperture, Sumo and Lesson No.1. Got designs to be among that list? Call up the venue. There's always room for more of this sort of spirit. Well, we hope you found that illuminating. Oh! What's an Ifor Bach? It's a who, not a what - Ifor Bach was the Welsh lord of the Cantref of Senghennydd, who in 1158 kidnapped the oppressive Earl of Gloucester and thus had hero status bestowed on him. He's a symbol of sorts for those in Wales who don't give in or take the easy route. Some people even named a music venue after him.

2. Walkabout Cardiff

St. Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1FA Wales +44 29 2072 7930 [email protected] http://www.walkaboutbars.co.uk/cardiff
Excellent
30%
Good
22%
Satisfactory
20%
Poor
13%
Terrible
15%
Overall Ratings

3.5 based on 167 reviews

Walkabout Cardiff

Australian-themed bar, serving up great food with an authentic Australian flavour as well as boasting the largest sports offering in Cardiff. Open 11am-11pm Sunday - Wednesday & 11am-3am Thursday - Saturday. Food, sports, nightlife, we have it all!

Reviewed By _marthajennings

The bar assistance nicknamed 'hot wheels' was super nice and gave us quick amazing service. Walkabout is great place and an amazing place to watch the rugby!

3. Soda

4-6 Mill Lane, Cardiff CF10 1FL Wales +44 29 2039 8380 [email protected] http://www.sodacardiff.co.uk
Excellent
34%
Good
19%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
5%
Terrible
31%
Overall Ratings

3.0 based on 120 reviews

Soda

Reviewed By Adventurer25858

Cocktail Masterclass Had a fantastic time 17/02/18 at The Cocktail Masterclass,celebrating a 60th birthday,Rhodri was brilliant with all of the ladies in our class with ages ranging from 24-82,excellent value with the cocktails,shots,food,will definitely go again and will ask for Rhodri,Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

4. Flyhalf and Firkin

Westgate Street, Cardiff Wales

A pleasantly rowdy bar with a sports theme.

5. Mulligans

St. Mary Street, Cardiff Wales

A popular Irish pub, featuring a wide array of Irish and Welsh brews.

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