La Marina in The Vale of Glamorgan

We had the pleasure of eating at La Marina for a special occasion, and it was truly wonderful! The location is perfect, with beautiful views and a calm atmosphere that made our stay so relaxing. The service was spectacular from start to finish, with every detail thoughtfully taken care of. A special shout-out to Pedro, who went above and beyond to make our visit even more memorable. His attention to detail and warm hospitality made all the difference. We can’t wait to return, and we highly recommend!

Visited here for the first time with family, the venue is in a nice location by Penarth Marina and this is one of two restaurants in the building. The venue has waiter service however to order food you have to go to to the food counter to place your order. A wide variety of Fish available and meats and a salad bar. The venue is quite expensive with a car park out side which is free but you must register. The Service was quite slow but we were a large party. Food Quality was good and the venue was busy. Limited available dishes for vegetarians, a lift is handy for disabled relatives

We visited for my sister in law's birthday. And weren't disappointed. I had the turbot which was suggested by The gentleman behind the counter I belive his name was Darren, who was very professional and helpful. It was fantastical will definitely be returning.

I went there to have a meal with my partner. I oarked my car in the oarking area. There were signs there relating to oarking but were not clear. A clear sign should say in plain English *please register your car at reception* unless there is a deception! As we entered in the restaurant no one advised us to register which they should have done. On the table there was no note to say register your car. After we spent over £100 for a meal that somewhere else cost us £40, we left. Few days later i received a fine of £170!!! For parking there, on facebook it says the parking space is for the customers. I called the restaurant they said oh you need to appeal, for that you need a receipt. I did not receive a receipt ! In almost every other restaurant they just say bring the fine here and they deal with it as its their car park. The manager Bruno told me he willgive me a copy of the receipt. But every time i call he is busy or on off work. This went on till the appeal time passed, then Bruno replied when i called and said sorry now its too latevand its going to court!! Mind you i have visited the restaurant many times asking for a copy of the receipt. It was passed to debt collectors, they started a compsine of harassment i almost lost my sanity i lost sleep the threats were almost every day ...i lived in a hell of time. Now i have been forced to appoint a solicitor and seek justice. Please please please avoud this expensive restaurant who are scamming ppl using their car park. Support those who have been scammed dont go there dont spend your money there , you will be supporting a scam.

Simply outstanding. My wife and I ate here on a Friday night, the food was amazing with generous portions and the service was outstanding with extremely reasonable prices. First Class.

My review is based on the La marina which is the first floor. On arrival we sat at the bar (downstairs) where there were lots of flies. We were told to wait until 6.30pm as we had reservations at La marina which is upstairs. We had to ask someone if it was ready. We weren’t even taken up. The food- bland but the fish and meat is good quality. Our scallops and mussels arrived really cold so we asked to change them and they did. The seasonal veg was ok. The chips were nice. The service: very poor, the staff were hard to reach and get attention of. There was a nice waiter but the rest came across a little cold. Ironically the nice waiter was the youngest and it was his first job. You can’t have cocktails if your are eating upstairs. You have to go down to the bar and order them which was very disappointing. The cocktails were mediocre, I even want to say poor. £10 for a mojito and not worth it. The restaurant- lots of flies as mentioned, on walls ect. The furniture is dated and lots of wear and tear. They really need to update it, it’s really dated and boring. The crockery, plates and metal serving plates. I would even go so far as saying it wasn’t so clean. Carpet didn’t looked hovered ( we were the 2nd table upstairs at the time) asp Marks on the painting next to us. The table next to us also returned food and told them to take it off the bill. The last tried to get someone’s attention but wasn’t successful. Instead she walked up and returned her food. I wouldn’t waste your money tbh

Another excellent lunch for a party of 17 today at La Marina. The food was all pre-ordered but was not served until we had all arrived and had ordered our drinks, thus all the hot starters were piping hot when served to us. Everybody was extremely happy with their main courses, and those that had lamb said it was the best they had ever had. The set price for 2 courses was good value for money. The waiting staff were excellent, happy to help and very attentive. We will visit again.

Not one to complain when trying to enjoy a birthday. Visiting Cardiff for my friends birthday and booked what appeared a nice restaurant. After a trip out of the city centre we arrived at La Marina. It’s was like arriving at something from the 1970’s. Old fashioned carpets, cheap blackboards & kebab shop ice counters with different types of meat in contact with each other. No table service, yet premium prices. Cheap napkins. Ordered at 19:30 and our friends that arrived late ordered at 20:00- whislt our friends that arrived later received their food at 20:20, the earlier customers received their food at 20:40, 1.40mins later- after reminding THREE of the waiters of our order (very unacceptable under any hospitality establishment, let alone one that sells themselves as a ‘premium’ establishment😂). No apology until we were busted by the 3rd waiter. One meal replaced and still under standard- medium rare steak delivered burnt. No meal was served with veg, and no option on the lovely ‘blackboards’ to advertise that this was an option. I compared the establishment to McDonald’s- the waiter wasn’t happy about this but in fact the service is much quicker & food a lot more satisfactory when compared to pricing at La Marina. Unlike a price of meat for £28- with no sides and - bottle of average rose wine for £40. Save yourselves the trek out from the city and attend a chain restaurant instead- the food and service would be much better. The restaurant was so cold by the time we left we had to put jackets on at the table. AND JUST TO TOP IT OFF THE FIRE ALARM WENT OFF AT THE END THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE RESTAURANT- probably because of our burnt steak. (Not able to add the recording of this)

Absolutely great! I’ve been numerous times before but felt a review was needed. Had the best grilled duck breast I’ve ever had. Fantastic wine list and the staff were very attentive, great quick service and fresh food 👌👌👌👌👌

Fantastic authentic Spanish tapas, wonderful wine and first class attentive service made our visit for a funeral wake an appropriate and happy experience

Blessed by a beautiful sunny day made the walk from Cardiff bay to Penarth. A touch of Spanish welcome at the fantastic la Marina greeted us. Authentic tapa, fresh seafood on display and cooked as you like. For us a la plancha. Wonderful meal and staff so attentive. All topped off with a romantic stroll back. Would recommend you take this walk and drop in.

The food was ok, but unfortunately just ok. Steak was overcooked, jacket potato was undercooked, hake was bland. The salmon starter was really good and the sea bass tasty. We were expecting much more. The weirdest thing though was the service. I can only think that it is set out to be like a kind of fish market experience. So you have to queue to chose your fish - no at table service (which I thought was kind of obligatory at the moment). As there were five of us and there were significant un-spaced queues to order food, we sent two of the table up so as not to add to the Covid mix. As no paper menus we took photos of the menu boards, only to find loads of stuff on the board wasn't on offer. So walked back to our table to reorganise orders... It was a fiasco that resulted in lots of people clustering together. Same thing when we arrived, no one there to seat us so we kind of loitered in the queue for the fish bar, totally unsure what was going on, but definitely not able to safely space ourselves. The staff were lovely but hassled. One waiter in particular really tried to make amends and his efforts were really appreciated - it made it a much nicer evening. Definitely wouldn't bother going back. The waiter kindly took off the price of the steak and gave us two free coffees. It was a really nice gesture but I just felt that the whole approach in normal times was pretentious, but in a pandemic was just unsafe.

Food was lovely, staff attentive. Major drawback is the web site says lunch is 14.95 per person, we did not see the lunch price on display when we queried the lunch we were told 'its OK' and to order off the day menu. But when the bill came we were charged 26.95 per person and were told the lunch price is not available during December. At best, a breakdown in communication ...

Absolutely terrible experience with this restaurant 1st of all never in my whole life have I had to pay for food upfront we was the only table in restaurant what they made do it after speaking to other guest they paid there afterwards but we continued and Starters came okay then when main course come I ordered T-Bone it was like eating a tyre was not just my peice as the rest of my party had the same problem with there steaks So we ask for manager they kept saying they couldn’t find him and we agreed for them to take steaks away and they drinks for the evening was on the house It was bad experience for it destroying are evening then to find out They took £335 Off my card for the full party’s drinks they never had no authority taking it The police and Fraun team will be made where This restaurant should be closed down to Robbing customers

The idea of picking your own produce is great. Beautiful quality goods on show with a full menu to match. Unfortunately the scallops looked gorgeous but once served they were cloggy and undercooked. Asparagus amazing King prawns looked beautiful but for £10 they were underwhelming. Had to ask for a finger bowl which wasn't overly an issue but was then offered just 1 wipe so had to ask again for more as we shared the starters. Mains were rack of Lamb. Looked amazing on display but as you can see very rare in the middle (ends over cooked) and reeked of Garlic. The fat not rendered but the flavour was great. Shame. Jue was yummy but luke warm. Potatoes were ok. The sea bass was quite simply the star of the show. Expensive but we were prewarned of price when we ordered. Great choice of wines but the waiter had NO knowledge of what wines would be a good pairing for our food choices. Overheard quite alot of complaints from other diners but the staff were lovely and rushed off there feet. Beautiful building and nicely decorated with Christmas joy but above our heads Christmas hymns blasted out. (Weird). Would visit again for round 2 just to see if Chef was just having an off day.

Of all the places I have been to in the last few weeks, this was the one that seemed to be following all the rules. We sat with more than 2m between us and others. The rules were explained clearly. The staff wore masks which must be difficult to cope with over a long shift yet they were friendly and helpful. We were asked to wear masks whilst moving around the restaurant which seems very sensible. There were sanitiser units outside and in front of the loo door. And the fish we ordered was perfectly cooked and tasty. If you need a treat but want to comply with the rules to do it safely, this is the place.

Great venue, great location, great service front of house-waiting staff were very attentive and great with the family/kids. Food was good, but a few points to raise, butter for the bread was rock solid (albeit the waiting staff were great to resolve) chips were a bit anaemic and a few undercooked ones, definitely room for improvement. Also the sauce for the peppercorn sauce was basically a Demi-glace that was used for other dishes (I had the beef mediations with pepper sauce and my wife had the chicken) apart from a few minor points the food was good, boys enjoyed their steak and chicken. Overall great place, great front of house, just a few little pointers to improve the food, seems picky but given the price point for this Resturant/area I would expect this.

Just had a wonderful time at la marina. 5 of us for lunch. I had scallops to start, sea bass in rock salt and then brownie and ice cream. Delicious meal. Everyone else enjoyed their meal also. Staff were very friendly and efficient. Lovely atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

Our first Sunday Lunch out since MarchWe picked La Marina because Sunday Lunch here is good!On arrival people are queuing to get in, none observing social distancing, then people are pushing pastWe realise that the queue is for downstairs, El Puerto, and wait to go upstairsWe are taken to our tableWe have to sit next to each other, it’s a table for four. We move to sit opposite each other, we are told we can’t do that. Social distancing.We move back. I’m now two feet away from a woman on my right.The table we are allegedly distancing from is round, it seats six, the waiter lays out the service for four people, one setting really close to our tableA little bit of thought, placing the four people as far away from us as possible, would have allowed me to sit opposite my husband, and both of us about a metre from the nearest other dinerI’m careful but not over zealous on social distancing, this was just crazy seeing as you still have to queue to order your food!Service very slow. Two hours for two courses, and a drink afterwards, food good as normal

Stopped in Penarth on business. Stumbled across the Custom House, close to the barrage. As walk in’s we received a warm welcome and were shown to a table by the window where we were able to continue our discussions, appreciate the view and remain compliant with the Covid 19 social distancing requirements in Wales. We opted for main course only, fillet steak, which was cooked to our liking and served in a timely and professional manner. The staff were friendly and efficient and throughout the lunch experience followed the covid 19 guidelines. If we have cause to return to Penarth we would certainly revisit the restaurant.

Recently visited for my father inlaws 60th birthday with 20 guests. We brought our own custom birthday cake, but unfortunately one of the staff dropped it! Mistakes happen. The way the manager dealt with this mishap was great, although dissapointing, he managed to more than make up for it. The wait for our main meal was over 1 hour, I appreciate we were a table of 20 but I do feel that was a little too long. Food was ok, my fillet steak was rather small (I know fillet isn't a huge cut but this was small!) and over cooked. The bill came and the staff taking the order had managed to really confuse the matter. Would have been 5 stars if my fillet wasn't so over cooked and tiny.

It's been about two years since I last ate here and I'm delighted to say that my rose tinted memory of last time was entirely accurate, with good service and excellent food being enjoyed by all three of my party. I started with the gravadlax, which was just as I like it, before moving onto the sea bass baked in rock salt and painstaking and lovingly excavated at the table by our waiter. My Mum enjoyed her "spot-on" avocado and prawns but thought the pan fried salmon was a teeny bit dry. Dad's calimare was "cooked beautifully" and he's a hard man to please when it comes to squid! His marinated chicken was similarly delicious. The side dish of vegetables was cooked to perfection, BUT.... There was NO sticky toffee pudding!

Excellent food as always. Good service on Boxing Day considering so few staff. Family gathering of 11 people all very much enjoyed each course, fish delicious. Thank you to all staff who made our celebrations memorable.

Christmas Eve Our friends / family were over from Rotterdam their first visit to Wales and were very impressed by the excellent food and lovely staff after we had assured them we’d never had a bad meal there . A bit of a long wait for main course but explained to them it was Christmas and very busy and the young waitress spotted the fact we were waiting and within 5min we were being served .

Le restaurant est jumeaux avec le restaurant El Puerto et fait parti d’un groupe de restaurant dans la région.La Marina est donc le restaurant à l’étage.La décoration est chaleureuse et sympathique. La vue par les fenêtres est sympa.Le service est très professionnel, souriant et efficace.La cuisine est très bonne, simple mais très bien faite, goûteuse et les produits utilisés sont très frais.La carte des vins est très large permettant des choix raisonnables ou complètement fou a une gamme de prix en rapport.Nous y avons passé un bon moment et nous y retournerons.

The only downside was that I had my heart set on seafood but the cheap lunch menu didn’t have anything I wanted so had the more expensive menu. My son had the cheap one and the lamb ribs starter and pie main was to die for.

Lovely location food very good would have liked a bread roll with the soup and some butter for the jacket potato but that aside a very good meal

My first 2 courses were outstanding. The grilled asparagus was perfectly cooked Al dente with hollandaise sauce. The lamb noisettes were stunning - best lamb I've tasted and served with delicious veg and perfect chips. A few of our party very much enjoyed the hake. I was disappointed with my dessert which was raspberry meringue roulade as was the other member of our party who ordered it. We both assumed it would be a meringue roulade stuffed with raspberries and cream. It was however a sponge roll with a very thin layer of meringue. Shame but still had a great evening.

Sunday lunch must start with the positive food was beautiful however some downfalls I picked up on which let the place down. We arrived and was shown to our table never visited before and wasn't told you must order at the food counter- poor communication. Soup arrived with no bread roll this must be ordered on top-disappointing. Soup and beef roast both beautiful. Again had to ask for more gravy one gravy boat between 4 wasn't going to do it. After our meal was cleared I felt the staff were concentration on getting the restaurant laid back up so they could finish rather than look after us I had to go up and disturb them to ask for my bill. The service was noticibly poor such a shame for a beautiful venue and location.

We brought friends for the first time last night 6 June, Having been before admittedly a while ago we fully expected lovely food and good service. However the waiter took quite a while to take our drinks order and then eventually brought the men's drinks but not the wine, after a long wait we had to ask for the wine. We then ordered our food, they where out of welsh Lamb and Lamb shank which was disappointing, so we changed our order. when it arrived my fillet steak was cold and badly cooked i ordered medium it was rare, my husband had a sirloin which was overcooked and very fatty...the chips usually a highlight were not the best...my friends husband had a rack of lamb which was all fat and no meat and really did not look very good.The wine was delicious but the food definitely underwhelming and the service poor. a table of obviously regular diners arrived after us and the waiter went out of his way to attend to them before us..very poor.We sat outside with a bottle of wine and it is a beautiful setting such a shame the food did meet expectations. We did not complain because the staff looked harassed and busy even though the restaurant was not full...

I love, love, love this place. Great service, delicious food and a decent bar offering. We’ve up to now, only been for a celebratory formal dinner but twice now, we’ve stopped off on a walk round the barrage for a couple of drinks and some tapas. It’s always excellent!

Very pleasant restaurant, clean & welcoming. Slight issue that you queue to order and not order at table. The restaurant is it a standard (and prices charged) that deserves waiters taking order at table.

Went there saturday night for hubby's birthday with friends. Very friendly staff the food was stunning , my husband loved his sea bass baked in salt , we all enjoyed very much pudding too. Will definitely return again.

I visited this lovely restaurant for my birthday in November. Was greeted by a smiling waitress who showed us to our table. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very lovely, lighting and decor very appealing. We ordered the 2 courses and oysters- which we discovered were not our sort of thing!

We booked Sunday lunch for four - table wasn't ready, the place was in chaos, choices unavailable on the menu and the food was just tasteless - so disappointed - wouldn't return 😕

Myself and my husband visited for the first time and it was Amazing food. The service was great and we loved the fact you have to order your own food at counter to pick your own meat or fish.

The food is sooooo good!!!!!!!! A lovely place to eat as a couple or with friends or family. Its not cheep but worth every penny

I've been visiting La Marina with my husband for a long time now and am really going to miss it when we move to London.

This place is very good, with a nice selection of fresh fish. Not the most amazing place I've ever eaten, but the service was good, the food is simple yet tasty and if you get a seat by the window, the view is gorgeous.

Another visit to this wonderful restaurant, this time for Sunday lunch. The restaurant was busy but the service and food was still excellent and I cannot wait to visit again soon.

We arrived intending to eat at El Puerto but then remembered that Chef Rob was now at La Marina so went 'upstairs' instead. We had a very relaxing lunch. Beautiful crevettes, squid and Spanish potatoes with chorizo followed by seabass and lemon sole. All perfectly cooked. We chose a Spanish wine I hadn't tried before because we had a Spanish guest and the Manager/Sommelier was extremely helpful when I wasn't quite sure about the flavour. After breathing for a while it was delicious . Professional and charming staff for whom nothing was too much trouble.

My family and I regularly eat at La Marina and never have any complaints other than sometimes the sauces can be over salted but the food quality is always good and the staff always friendly no matter how busy they are so I'm surprised by some of the other comments.

Attended La Marina for a birthday party with a large group.

The restaurant was very busy. The guy who seemed to be the head waiter was running around trying to do everything and trying to get the staff to be a bit more urgent. This didn't really spoil our meal as we just saw the funny side.

We’d enjoyed El Puerto, the sister restaurant downstairs, so we were looking forward to La Marina but greatly disappointed. I know it was Saturday night at 8pm and it was packed but the service was awful. The guy serving wine was sarcastic. “Can’t you see how busy we are?” . After a 10 minutes queue to order food at the counter there was no garlic bread. “We made 200 portions but all gone. I can give you the recipe if you like. It’s 30 years old”. The food was good and was served fairly swiftly. There was no queue by 8.30pm. The female servers were very nice and friendly. In summary don’t go at peak time and don’t expect all the staff to be pleasant.

The waitress service was very busy the starters was prawns which in fairness was spot on the main meal steak not up to much and to be honest iv had a lot better the place struggles when its busy .Not the place for large parties eat very over rated nice setting but that it

we returned after re locating to Penarth for sunday lunch

popped in on the off chance, lunch time special £12.95 for two course, lovely food, much more than i was expecting, flavors were stop on, great service, lovely surroundings , could fault any thing. think i have found a new favorite restaurant.,

We fancied a good steak, so we decided to go to La Marina as we haven't been there for a while, we hoped that it would be as good as it had been in the past, and it didn't let us down.

I visited the restaurant for my Mothers birthday ans she loved it. The restaurant itself is beautiful, the staff are very attentive and polite and most importantly the food is excellent. I cannot believe I've lived in Penarth for 31 years and I'm only now discovering this great restaurant! I cannot wait to return and already have plans to visit again tomorrow evening with friends. I would highly recommend a visit to La Marina to family and friends.

34 of us for dinner, a private room, great service, great food, brilliant value, and a wine list to die for, cant wait until next year to do it all again

Booked Sunday Lunch for 7 members of my family. There is a set 3 course lunch with all the usual trimmings as well as a huge choice of fresh meat, fish and poultry cooked to order. The options are varied and difficult to choose because it all looks and sounds really good. half our table had the Sunday roast and the rest from the other menus. All in all there was not 1 complaint. The service was excellent and a venue we will certainly visit again.

A group of twelve visited this restaurant. Therer was a varied choice advertised on the menu board, as well as the fixed price Sunday Lunch at £16.95. The staff were efficient and friendly and promptly provided all requests, more roast potatoes, sauces vegetables etc. The portions were of a generous size and the meals were hot. It is necessary to book and restaurant parking is limited, however parking at the front of the building is free provided that the registration number is entered at reception. A popular and busy restaurant, well worth a visit.

Booked for 1pm and my wife and I ordered soon after. She had the Bajun Fish Cakes and I had the Gradvalax Smoked Salmon which were both delicious. We both had the Roast Beef served Pink which had lashings of rich meaty gravy and no fewer than 5 vegetables plus the toast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. Everything was lovely and the service first class. The wine list is amazing as well. So glad we booked and thanks to everyone at La Marina for a fantastic meal. Easy to see why it is fully booked all day!!!

A weekend away with our friends. I can honestly say that this Resturant falls in my top 5 in the uk for quality, setting and service. Always attentive service with a smile. A huge choice on food freshly cooked and a wine list that goes on and on......

We returned to La Marina following our first visit 5 weeks ago. Once again we were not disappointed, the food as always was fresh and delicious, but the winning factor on this visit was the service!

Essentially a duplicate menu of the downstairs version. It was a seeming smaller bar area and dinner ordering station.Since it...

Food here was great and fairly priced for a more upmarket restaurant. Would definitely recommend this place and will be visiting again.

Booked here for a family meal to celebrate a birthday. The building itself is magnificent and the wine list extraordinary but that's about it in my opinion. It operates an unusual system, whereby the "menu" is written on boards, in a section of the restaurant that looks a bit like a fishmongers/butchers shop, with the raw ingredients laid out for you to see. This is quite novel, but leads to a lot of milling about as all the diners have to visit the boards and make their choices at the counter. Whilst this is going on, waiters are bobbing about through the crowd trying to deliver meals. The other downside is, you miss that element of a meal where you sit and discuss/anticipate what each of you might order. For me, this approach didn't really work.On our visit, there were, other minor things, that marred the overall experience. For example, the table is laid with cutlery ( cheap light canteen style cutlery, what's that about) and paper napkins (again, for the type of establishment they are aiming to be, where were the cotton napkins ?) and a single wine glass per seat. We started by asking for a jug of water whilst we waited for the rest of our group to arrive, and that's what we got a jug of iced water. No additional glasses, so we used the wine glasses. When we then ordered wine, we had to request additional glasses, now we have a table of identical glasses and we're not sure which have been used for water and which are fresh. Where were the tumblers for the water ?. It is a minor criticism, but this is very much an upmarket establishment, you can pay nearly £500 for a bottle of champers.Most of us ordered steaks, with the usual mix, or rare and medium rare etc. When the steaks started to arrive, there was no correlation between what we'd ordered and what the waiters were delivering, "Medium rare with peppercorn sauce ? Rare with no sauce", "No, the peppercorn sauce was supposed to be with the rare steak and vice versa". The steaks were taken away but quickly reappeared re-badged correctly. OK, so this could simply be that the waiter confused the two, fair enough. However, once we cut into the steaks there was no way you could tell by looking, which was rare and which medium rare, they all looked identical. It was quality meat, so this wasn't really an issue and we didn't complain but.. it comes back to an establishment that charges £500 for champagne, can you really marry that with this quality of service.So, for me, someone has clearly invested a great deal in the architecture and whoever is purchasing their raw ingredients is doing a great job. BUT, they need to get front of house sorted, they need to get some decent cutlery, some cotton napkins and train their waiters, so they are closer to the "silver service" standard one would expect from the look/feel/price of the place.

Have been many times, this visit a party of 20 for 2 Mum's birthdays, one slight mix up over starters but put right very quickly, the roast beef is one of the best in South Wales, great service, just be aware of the new parking service and enter reg number in machine or you will get a £100 ticket, there is a lot of fish served here and although I am not a fan a few of our group had the fish and it was really good, lots of lovely desserts.

Over the years I have been to La Marina, a few times. The choices on offer are excellent and I would be very surprise if anyone could fault the food selections for customers delight. The various meats, fish looks fresh and when it come to the table well presented and prepared as food should be. Fish soup, followed by the Lamb was tender and truly delicious. Portions and vegetables were a good varied selection. (There are no standard menus, but large boards situated behind the various fresh food counters/servers, with different set menus available or mix and match, different and quite fun. Drinks are order at your table - with your meal is served at your tables when prepared by helpful waiters)The staff are organised, well trained and courtesy, helpful, little things are made to look special and every detail about serving, setting the tables are carried out with precision that looks effortless. (Even the request for a draw was brought to the table in a long glass, instead of just a single draw being handed to you).We were there the last time to celebrate my friend 70th birthday and was seated at a round table over looking the Bay, the weather was good all adding to the special day.Overall it was a lovely celebrate made more so, by the extra touches, courtesy of the staff, in a very pleasant atmosphere. At first you are aware of the buzz, even largeness, perhaps some would say noise, but after a while all you can see is the "uniqueness" of La Marina and just find yourselves enjoying all it can offer. The food counters/servers are worth a look, as well as all the wines from reasonable to the VERY expensive. Not being much of a drinker that does not interest me but I can appreciate the display.

Lovely location. Courteous and friendly staff. There are no menus. You go up and order food from the counter. Good to see the food. Great choice.

Firstly a couple to points to summarise some of the concerns with regard to this restaurant.1. Finding the restaurantSimple. Follow signs to Penarth Marina and when you reach the OYSTERCATCHER pub you MUST take the road to the RIGHT. Then simply carry on straight until you reach the large car park which is adjacent to the restaurant by the BARRAGE.2.Car ParkingDO NOT PAY AT THE CAR PARK! Lots of confusion about this in previous submissions so here it is plain and simple. Park the car, enter building into the El Puerto Restaurant (which is the ground floor restaurant BELOW La Marina Restaurant). As you enter ON THE GROUND floor you are instructed to enter your car reg on a clearly displayed screen. This avoids you receiving an automatic £100 fine. That's all there is, simple.3 Is there a lift upstairs?There is a lift but, yes, it does smell rather of fish! 4. Are there lots of tables with great views?Yes a number of tables are adjacent to the long line of windows affording magnificent views over the marina and beyond to the Bay, especially magnificent after dark.5. Ordering the meals.The method is to go to the counter with the whole group and order from the board. There is an impressive display of fresh food and you can choose your own fish etc. 6. Ordering drinksDrinks menu at the table and waiter service. Huge choice and range of prices from reasonable to plain stupid ( I noticed one wine advertised at £2,750 - we had the rose at £16.95!)Now a review of the service. Party of five 7.00 pm Thursday Evening August 31st 2017I described it as "stunning" so a little explanation is needed. Businesses tend to perform well when there are no problems. So the real test is when things don't go to plan. We ordered our meals, and it has to be said that the staff member at the order counter was extremely knowledgeable and patient whilst trying to accommodate some fastidious members of our group, even providing sauces that were not even advertised!When the meals arrived everyone was delighted but I had a problem with my sirloin steak. Cooked to perfection but ultimately a very poor cut of meat which was too tough to cut. My wife had the same problem. We called the head waiter over and he had no hesitation in offering two full replacement meals. He also took the meat to the Chef and came back to report the fact that the Chef was in total agreement and was now seriously considering replacing their supplier. Later on, my elderly father in law ( 90) who has some mobility issues, had been a long time in the toilet, and I was standing up at the table waiting to see him come out of the toilet and go over to assist him. Without my saying anything the head waiter ( and by this time the restaurant was extremely busy) came over to me. He had somehow already "read" the situation. He asked me was I concerned about the elderly gentlemen who had gone to the toilet and offered to go in to the toilet to provide assistance if necessary. This kind of attention is impressive on so many levels. Later on this same Head Waiter again profusely apologised about the sub standard steak, and gave me a bill on which he had removed the cost of all the alcoholic drinks for our party of 5! So overall a very pleasant and successful evening at a hugely impressive restaurant. I have rarely encountered such a high level of service and would recommend this eatery to anyone wanting to arrange a very memorable special occasion in Cardiff. You won't be disappointed!!

Booked table for. 5. Pre advised mobility assistance required,and 1 diner with celiac dietary requirements. Arrived in pouring rain, staff immediately came outside to assist, and facilitated safe transfer to the first floor restaurant. Choice of wheelchair accessible tables.Excellent wine list - ranging from £16 - £4,000..........! Wide selection of fresh meat and fish with an array of sauces and side dishes. Gluten Free options were plentiful.Obviously a very popular restaurant, very crowded and a little too warm but otherwise a most enjoyable evening. We will certainly visit again very soon.

I have been dining with a party of 9 for my boyfriend's 50th Birthday. All are avid carnivores except for me. The menu online showed little choice of vegetarian dishes so I was not optimistic about enjoying the meal. How wrong I was. I had vegetable soup for starters which was delicious, the vegetable stock was fantastic. Then I had the vegetable stir fry for my main and it was exquisite. Note to vegetarians: do not be put off by the menu. Every effort is made to ensure that all of the food is cooked to perfection *****

Took family for a birthday celebration ,had lovely evening ,food was excellent ,service was great ,good choice of menu which is a brasserie style ,so everything is on display to see,wine list is huge .Not been for 12 months but not disappointed ,fully recommend .

Decided to eat at la marina restaurant after a few people recommended it.What a bad decision! Had to wait for over an hour for a table that we had already booked weeks in advance.The staff were poor, unattentive, didnt listen to our requests when spoken to and bordered on being rude.The food was worse than the service! Main meals were small portions, and overcooked to the point where they looked like they were re-heated.Wont be going back which is a shame because the restaurant and decor are very very nice.

Great venue overlooking the bay. Large choice of a fresh menu which is unusuak given how many of us there were. Fantastic family celebrations. Special thanks to Tanny, Dino and Bruno

Arrived at 1200, booked a table for 1300. Plenty of room within three well appointed dining areas. At our timed arrival we were escorted to our table and made very welcome.The white wine selected was nicely chilled and served. The starter and main fish course was well presented and very much enjoyed. The staff were attentive without being intrusive. We intend to return, particularly when we have overseas guests.

I just can't fault this place. £12.95 for a superb quality two course lunch. Excellent service fabulous views and the food is never short of spectacular. I do wish they had more than the one CD though...

This place not only serves an excellent meal but the staff and ambience is all very good.For such a classy restaurant one can eat quite reasonably cheap. The wine list is very complimentary to the food served and they also have great beers and spirits. Love bar area and the balcony gives you a lovely view of the Bay

My husband and I booked to have lunch here, to celebrate our anniversary. My husband ordered steak. It tasted burnt, like charcoal, and he said it was one of the worst steaks he had ever had. I had grilled asparagus to start, and the vegetarian pancake (also containing asparagus) for a main course. The asparagus was 'woody'. Dessert was not much better. My husband's sticky toffee pudding had a strangely bitter sauce. We expected much better from the food quality and standard of cooking. We were not very impressed by the service here either. We were not asked during our meal whether our food was ok. Overall, the food and service were below par, especially for the prices you pay here. We will not be returning.

We spent a lovely afternoon here. Had drinks before ordering lunch. There are places to sit outside - with heaters when the wind is cool. No menu here. The wAiter will take you to your table. Just go to counter, look at the food, what's on offer and order. They will bring the food to you. The fish is delicious as is the garlic bread! Staff very pleasant. Surroundings and view lovely. Totally would recommend this place all round.

A great selection of quality food, cooked well and in a lovely building and location. The staff were really helpful and accomodating and the prices quite reasonable for the quality and selection of food served.

A really good restaurant with a great choice of meat and fish. Great wines and and all round lovely nice place to go for a night out. Highly recommend it.

Food here is wonderful. The freshest produce cooked perfectly and served with a smile. I try to go here or to its sister restaurant in Caerleon (The Priory) every time I visit my parents in Wales. Well worth the visit. I'll keep coming back.

Had a lovely lunch yesterday - King Prawns to start - Fabulous Turbot for main course washed down with a cheeky Sav Blanc (Alan Scott New Zealand wines) Best thing was a "bit of atmosphere" at lunch time as there were plenty of people eating unlike so many places that are empty Definite recommend

Caring for a little baby (7-months old) means we have to selective where we go to eat in the evening. The staff welcomed us and gave us a table with lots of space to accommodate the car seat. We enjoyed a dish of Mussels to start and steak for the main, finished off with sticky toffee pudding and a cup of coffee. We ate here last year on Valentines Night...

My partner and I settled for a low key NYE this year so we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal. We'd been to La Marina a few years back and remembered it was beautiful so we decided to come again. The restaurant is beautiful and it really doesn't feel like you're in Wales when you look at the beautiful exterior of the building. As soon as we walked through the door we were greeted with the smell of beautiful food and fresh herbs. Although it was NYE and the restaurant itself was pretty jam packed, this did not bother us as the crowd it attracts is a fairly quiet one. It's definitely not one of the cheapest meals you can get but you DO get what you pay for. I had mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce to start, my boyfriend had the lobster and crawfish bisque - we both had a taste of eachother's and agreed that both starters were to die for. We had the same main meal of lobster thermidor and the only downfall of the meal was that it didn't last longer! It was gorgeous. We've had fresh lobster in Spain and this was just as good. One of my only criticisms of our experience was that I asked the waitress for a glass of white wine when she asked about our drinks and then she completely forgot about us altogether! I understand that on a night like new years eve it can be overwhelming but in an expensive, well established restaurant I don't think it's okay to forget who you're serving and have to get up and go to the bar yourself to get a drink. Other than that, our meal was delicious and the ambience of the restaurant made it that much better. We'll definitely return in the future.

Set lunch or out for the evening, you can always get very good food at La Marina, most staff very friendly always awarm wecome.Fish highly recommended I love their Hake when available, steaks very good, and good selection of wines.

Visited with family on very busy boxing day afternoon. As usual food was excellent but service was again quite slow. Steaks were popular choices amongst our group of 12. However I opted for the hake which was cooked to perfection and I can highly recommend.

We were celebrating a birthday and had a fabulous time. The restaurant is a little different as waiters only take drinks orders, and eventually dessert...you go to a counter to select your starters and mains. The fish and meat are displayed for you and you choose what you'd like and it's all cooked fresh for you. When it came to dessert I ordered the sticky toffee pudding and it was amazing...really light with a gorgeous toffee sauce...everyone agreed it was definitely the best pudding!

Hugely busy - Saturday before Christmas. Very noisy as to be expected and staff rushed off their feet, but fabulous atmosphere and food was very good.

We do go occassionally but not as often as we would like. We went early December went with friends to celebrate my birthday - had lovely table. Champagne was great as was the sea bass with special barbados sauce -Scallops to start and desert.It is great to be able to relax and enjoy great service -fabulous food . With a December birthday a lot of places offer only Christmas menus for December -but I can have my special meal at La Marina anytime. Thanks to Bruno and all the staff.

We were treated extremely well and enjoyed our visit very much. Our waiter was called Aaron a Spanish boy and he was very attentive with us. We were in the downstairs part of the restaurant.

6 of us had lunch here last Sunday (27th Nov).3 of us had Sunday lunch and 3 ordered fish from the cabinet. All meals were good but the Roast Beef was exceptional.The Restaurant was busy with a good atmos and service was friendly and mostly prompt; if I was looking for a criticism the only one really was that no-one seemed to be in overall charge so occasionally we had to flag down a random passing waiter when we needed something. Not a big deal but that's the difference between a 4 and 5 star rating.

Remembrance Sunday 2016. Great friendly welcome from front of house staff as we asked if we could pop in for a drink before the water taxi returned at 1.30pm but our experience was ruined by the surly French sounding barman (older Gentleman wearing glasses) I waited patiently at the bar and was totally ignored (the bar was nearly empty) whilst he bickered about table orders with the waitress! I'm no wine expert, and upon asking for a large Pino for my wife (when I finally got some service) I was told in a very condescending manner "Non" !! Not 'sorry sir but we do not have any Pinot'...just a very rude no!! I understood it was very busy, and the bar was probably secondary to the restaurant but that's no excuse to treat a customer with total pompous indifference. He snatched the money from my hand (without any comment or eye contact whatsoever ) and upon returning my change he continued to bicker with the waitress as if I wasn't there!! Terrible! I cannot rate the food though as we didn't eat there, but the place did have a wonderful atmosphere.

We went for a birthday meal. Our party was 5 adults, 3 children (3, 9 and 11) and my 6 month old baby boy. I have been before...before children and once when my little girl was a breast- fed baby....not in need of a high chair, but had to change her on the floor. NO BABY CHANGING FACILITES. They have a very large ladies toilet and a disabled toilet, but apparently baby changing facilites are not necessary in their eyes. They could do it so easily. I put up with it back then for some reason. Anyhow...this time we took our 6 month baby boy aswell. We had booked and mentioned over the phone the need for a high chair. Nothing was said. We arrived to be confronted with a NO HIGH CHAIR POILCY. Our waiter was clearly embarrassed and so was the manager when I asked him about it. He said we should have been told on the phone. Their advice is that you can bring your child' s own car booster seat/ car seat. That is ridiculous for any child, but really.... parents with babies are meant to bring something with them??? On top of everything else???? And your young baby, with very little body control, is meant to balance on a booster seat, which then has to be balanced on top of a soft upholstered chair. Safety issues there perhaps?? I don't think that they would even welcome your own high chair and why should you deconstruct it and shove it in your already bulging car anyway? I did allow the manager to try to help; he got his own child's car seat for us. I gave up as my son was clearly uncomfortable and I was having to hold the car seat on to the chair whilst also trying to feed him; he has just started solid foods. My husband then spent his time with our son walking around the restaurant with friendly staff cooing over him whilst the rest of us ate. By the way, if you order the Sunday beef roast be prepared for ONE SLICE, which you will pay £16.95 for (starter included, but you cannot opt out of the starters - they will still charge you £16.95 regardless). NO KIDS MENU WHATSOEVER, just a smaller portion for £8.95!!!!!!!!!My husband got to eat his meal at the end whilst the waiting staff hovered over our table. However, they did keep his meal warm whilst he was on childcare. At the end, my son needed a nappy change. Yep......on the floor of the ladies' toilets!! I wrote to the management team at the Custom House via their Facebook page and left a review (note the rudeness of one of their replies to another dissatisfied customer). I did get a quick reply, which I appreciated, but read this direct quote: 'WE HAVE NEVER AND WILL NEVER SUPPLY HIGH CHAIRS.' No reason given....clearly just stubbornness of the owner and short-sighted business sense. (They are Spanish by the way.....I know Spanish and Italians to be extremely family friendly and usually more accommodating than the Brits in this department. What has happened here)?They went on to say that they would be having staff training and reminding all staff to mention the no high chair policy when people are booking. Really? They expect all of their staff to remember this each time? Also, if you do look on the website there is no mention of no high chairs or baby changing unless you select the ' book a table' page. It is not mentioned anywhere else....so you may look, decide you want to book, phone instead and not be told about this ridiculous policy because whoever you speak to may have understandably forgotten to tell you. You will turn up unawares and pay a fortune for an okay meal, which you couldn't really enjoy because your baby - a valid part of your family - couldn't have his own seat and be easily fed. I find this effectively 'babies don't matter' attitude highly offensive. One more thing - whilst filling my side salad bowl with my 3 year old daughter we were treated to a chef, working with his team in the open kitchen, SWEARING AND PUTTING DOWN HIS OWN STAFF. This part of my complaint clearly bothered the management team more than the baby issues, as I was told they would be speaking to the chef as soon as possible. Well, that's something at least. If it had only been myself, my husband and our two children at the restaurant, we would have walked out and gone elsewhere, but there were others in our group with hungry, older children. Since our meal I have discovered others with young children/ babies who say they have also experienced this truly unfriendly and unhelpful treatment at The Custom House (or La Marina and Il Puerto); the NO KIDS MENU, NO BABY CHANGING FACILITIES, NO HIGH CHAIRS and the over-pricing of what is on offer. I really think that any positive reviews must be from customers who did not go with young children. Someone I recently spoke to, who runs a brilliant child friendly/ family friendly establishment in Penarth, could not believe it as Penarth is full of potential customers with young families. Thank you if you have taken the time to read this very long review. Please carefully consider your other options before even thinking to go to this restaurant.

We just love coming to this restaurant in Penarth. We prefer the upstairs dining area because it is usually quieter; more intimate. We had a salad to start - choose it and make it yourself from the salad bar, followed by Moules marinière and then a main course of fish. The food was delightful, but the waiter(s) service left a lot to be desired tonight. One minute they were 'in our face', seeing if we were ready to order our wine and then, when we needed them, to bring the water we had already asked for, they were nowhere to be seen. Definitely not as 'perfectly professional' as they usually are.

Came for Sunday lunch & had a choice from either the Sunday or daily menu. Have to go to the counter to order where the menus are on chalk boards. Even though the restaurant got busy the sevice was very good & did not feel rushed. As the restaurant is on the first floor get a good view over Cardiff Bay.

Ate here for a birthday meal for my partner on arrival it's very grand with terrace upstairs and down both with views over barrage to Cardiff Bay. A good menu with almost everything you need most on display in large glass fridges so you can choose.Would have liked to have been given a children's menu or offered smaller portion size's but my son 11 yrs had the beef medallions which suited him fine staff are attentive and mill around in case you need anything. Overall a good evening.

When we first arrived we were a bit surprised that we had to go to the counter to choose our food but once we had done this and the food arrived at our table we were very pleased that we chose this place for my husband's birthday dinner. Between the four of us we had seafood, fish and steaks and a great selection of vegetables as well as a choice of chips or baked potatoes. Excellent service, great location, reasonably priced and a buzzing atmosphere!!!

Some food good, some not good at all. Especially disappointing as one would think that with such a display and choice of fish, they would get the fish dishes spot on. Two of us had sea bass and it really was no good - firstly it was on the dry and overcooked side but it was the sauce that was the most "offending". We ate some of the bass, carefully scraping off the sauce, but could not put our finger on what the actual problem with the sauce was so decided to call the maitre d. He said he would go and taste the sauce, which he did, and came back with great apologies and thanked us for pointing it out. Apparently "something" went wrong and they recalled this dish from other diners as well. They did not charge us for these two dishes and offered us dessert on the house. Very well handled. However, the lamb dishes were great! And so was the smoked salmon starter - can't really mess up smoked salmon and lettuce leaves, can you?! Nice ambiance and good service.

All four of us enjoyed a wonderful lunch with fabulous food all of us had something different from the wide choice on offer and cooked fresh for you

I have been coming to the restaurant for over 12 years and this family run business, never fails us. It is located in an outstanding location with amazing views. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of food served. I had the lemon Sole for my main and calamari for my main, I have to say the calamari is the best I have ever tasted. The desserts were fantastic and the wine menu I do not know where to start. I will most certainly keep returning, can not fault them for all there hard work and efforts.

Outdoor seating area is lovely, free parking is great. Inside it is a big brasserie, not very atmospheric and quite dark in the daytime. As it was lunchtime I had a starter instead of a main which was nice, my husband ordered a dish that had an option of being a starter (for £9.95) or a main (£12.95), and asked for it to be a main, and bizarrely they charged £19.95 for it - it was tough (beef skewers) and not at all worth the money.

A group of 10 of us had Sunday lunch there yesterday and it was awful. I took my 4 year old granddaughter and ordered her a Sunday lunch. Her beef (and mine) was tough and full of gristle. There were only 2 very small roast potatoes and as she doesn't eat veg, she was still hungry. I told the waiter and he took both plates away to be examined by the chef, who then agreed to take both meals off the bill. I had heard good praise about the restaurant but after reading other ratings, I find that this is a "hit and miss" place. It is not cheap but the 10 of us came home hungry and will not visit again. Such a shame.

What's happening here...last time I visited the food was just about average...tonight it was amateurish at best...firstly the fish soup was tasteless with no fish in it..my main dish was veal and jacket potato..the potato was very cold..the veal even colder...complaint went to head waiter and owner...no apology from either..always spend a lot of money here..well after today, I'll go else where..ownership and management in chaos here...good name going down river

I was responsible for organising a retirement celebration and La Marina proved to be perfect. The staff were delightful and the food stunning! The whole experience from the onset was professional and easy. Nothing was too much trouble and the owner is an expert in his business, as are his staff. Great food and wine, complemented by excellent service, made a special occasion exquisite! We shall make this a regular venue as a school!

Our visit was with a group of friends ariving mid afternoon, a very busy time.We were immediately shown to our table, by a very welcomming waiter, and drinks served at the table.The comprehensive menu was available, though we decided to choose from the set menu, which included a good selection of choices.Various options were chosen by our friends, we were all served together, and we were not dissapointed with our choices, including dishes of vegetables sufficient for everybody.The view over cardiff bay is impresive, which rounded off a very enjoyable visit.Highly recommended, and Booking essential.