Milkwood in Cardiff

Great breakfast spot in a lovely part of Cardiff. Appreciate the Bloody Mary’s, hard to come by before midday! Food was great, something for everyone from classic full english to bacon and cockles. Staff were attentive. Booking is advised, imagine it gets busy at the weekends.

We had a nice breakfast here. It was really good!

Fabulous food and great atmosphere. Staff are super polite and very keen to help

First of all I wouldn‘t recommend eating inside the cafe as the staff is washing the dishes by hand behind the counter which creates a noise level that makes any conversation impossible. After changing our seats and a wait of about 30 minutes we received our food. Both „Milkwood Breakfasts“ were missing the bacon. The waitress had to check back with the kitchen if the dish actually is supposed to have bacon. Mind the menu is not that big. The worst part though was the hair we found in one of the dishes (huevos rancheros). After communicating this to the staff they took the dish, waited a few minutes and brought back the exact same plate (we knew because there were some tomatoes on the plate that aren’t usually part of the dish but ended up on the plate as one of my friends doesn’t like them). Regarding the bacon and the hair, their mistakes resulted in our food being colder than it had to be but without any compensation. We still ended up paying the full price as well. Regarding the food itself, pretty unspectacular and really not worth the above average price. The outside/garden area looks rather shabby. Bird poo on the tables and chairs. I would not recommend this place to anybody.

If you are looking for amazing food, just come here. Everything tastes incredibly good, starting from the complementary butter and bread served while waiting for the order. Tried the panfried chicken and pappardelle al ragù - both really tasty and perfectly balanced. Cosy atmosphere and kind personnel as well. I will certainly come back.

The food was okay although it took a while to arrive. We waited over 30 minutes and whilst we were one of the first to arrive, other families who arrived after we had placed our orders were getting served before us. I also found a hair inside my cappuccino which is why I knocked it down 2 stars.

Always the best food and service here , the staff are so so kind and the food is akways the higest quality ingredients around x

No complaints! That Brekfast Bun is LIFE! SO GOOD!

Ordered the huevos rancheros and they were absolutely delicious! Good selection of vegetarian options.

Best brunch in Cardiff. Range of options to suit any brunch enthusiast, with a specials board to go alongside. Personal favourite is the breakfast bun but the bhaji bun is also an absolute winner. Booking on a weekend is essential! Super easy to book online

Lovely little coffee shop in Pontcanna, great service, nice coffee & delicious Welsh Rarebit. Was too busy enjoying but will take photos next time!

Absolutely loved this place. Price point was very good considering the quality and location! P.S our group all found the grated potato / hash brown thinggy to be tasteless and very unappetising. You should change that. Otherwise 10/10

Breakfast at this cafe was freshly prepared and was served promptly. The salmon & scrambled egg on sourdough was the highlight, although the coffee was good quality also. I would recommend reserving a table at peak times, the place can fill up very quickly. They do have some outdoor seating available but it's much more pleasant inside.

Most of our foods were vegetarian. Only one breakfast was not, but the foods were a bit too salty. The hot and cold drinks were tasted good. I saw the portion of burgers are very big, gd to try. It's very busy on Sunday and it's better to reserve before going.

Perfectly fine brunch food but a bit overrated in my opinion

Friendly staff and delicious food.

First time eating laverbread and it tastes so good!

Nice little place. Very friendly staff. We liked the food. 👍 we'll be back

We got the tip from a friend from Cardiff and can only agree that it's worth eating there. We would love to come back when we come to Cardiff on holiday.

Attentive friendly staff with generous portions of delicious vegetarian brunch

Made a special journey here, drawn by the menu and sourcing. Wasn't disappointed. If I'd had time I would have returned for dinner.

Really tasty - too tasty to wait to photo. We had ranchos hueveros and potato/chorizo breakfast hash - Really good. They also easily accommodated our buggy and found a highchair for our 6month baby, and gave us a kid friendly spoon for her to eat her avocado.

Fantastic breakfast with a focus on homemade elements. I would highly recommend the full English. Wouldn't mind if they added mushrooms to that dish though. The hash browns seemed like they were made in house and they were very good. The beans must have been made in house and they were fantastic. I just with there were more on my plate. I'm only disappointed we couldn't eat here again before leaving Cardiff. Will definitely return, hopefully more than once!

fantastic! after poor service from milk and sugar came here, staff were lovely considering it was very busy. food was delicious thank you.

Had a lovely late brunch and coffee and also came back this evening for a dinner. Managed to get a table last minute, free parking outside. Amazing food, service and nice wine all at a good price. Thankyou

Nicest cafe in Cardiff for brunch, love coming here

Super excellent tacos, tapas style nibbles and cheesecake in the evening menu. Also make an excellent French 75 cocktail 🤌

Very busy and popular cafe, bustling with activity. Great choice of dishes and specials. After a bit of a wait, five great brunches arrived. Really delicious food and coffees. Will go back.

Fantastic coffee and the best chicken and waffles I've ever found. Their breakfast is highly recommended too.

Lovely friendly staff and delicious food. A cosy cafe with a warm atmosphere.

Went here for brunch, was greeted by very friendly staff. Had a fantastic coffee and ordered food. Food arrived quickly and proceeded to have the nicest full English I’ve ever had. Highly recommend!!

Had the most disturbing experience here in Pontcanna. I felt I was transported back to the 1960s white America where blacks are not allowed to eat in predominantly white areas. It is shameful that in Wales that such a Racist establishment with its prejudiced and uncultured waiters and manager can exist . Shame on the owners of this place who encourage and employ such disrespectful and uncouth youths for employees. If you are an ethnic person you are not allowed to even politely express could they make a drink more chocolate etc. Here comes the best part, they will offer to do this for you because they failed to take the order down properly or ignored it the first time. Regardless the next time you come in this simple request for making a hot chocolate more chocolate is demonised as “rude” and “demanding “ behavior when the rude waiter and prejudiced manageress was clutching at straws to give me a reason the would not give me a table even there were 2 free tables, and I was lied about that it was reserved. Even asking the lying staff at this place if they would let me have the table if the people did not turn up at the table, I was suddenly met with aggression from the male waiter who accused me of being rude and demanding for making a mere request. Make no mistake that if you were an ethnic person coming to a premise like this on your own, you could be as soft spoken as I was an inquisitive as a child, but because you are an ethnic person who dresses well with evident prosperity, some of these youths working here I have been told are jealous because they can’t afford the things they see people of color like me can. I have also been told that these youths working here are neither educated or brought up in respectable environments to respect that ethnic people just like me who have the right to ask questions. These uneducated waiters working here clearly felt I was beneath them asking them if they could do something about my hot chocolate. Bearing in mind I only asked for a little more chocolate in my hot chocolate ( you mean I didn’t have the right to express this as a customer) and they insisted on making a new one. If this, and making polite inquiries is the excuse they use to label an ethnic person as rude and demanding then the might as well gag our mouths as ethnic/ Asian/ black people coming into a purely white run and white patronised establishment.

Perfect spot for breakfast. Generous portions and a good selection of options. Be sure to book though as it is a VERY popular place.

Love the food! You have to book most weekends! Local suppliers too.

Great menu and varied enough to please most tastes. Friendly staff and suitable for babies as well.

Really good quality food and coffee

Great little find in a cost Cardiff neighborhood. Great coffee and food! Dog friendly.

Best vegan breakfast for miles - and such lovely staff

Absolutely love this place, food tastes just great, best ingredients used and everything is always seasoned perfectly. Wish it was closer to home!

This is a really lovely little cafe, you can tell everything is made from scratch with fresh ingredients. The place is really nicely decorated, the staff are attentive and couldn’t fault service. I asked for no eggs on my veggie breakfast and they swapped it for avo without any issue. The hash browns are amazing!

I had the most amazing chicken and waffles for brunch here - honestly some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had! Great coffee too and lovely staff.

Great place to meet up with friends for brunch

We had a lovely brunch at Milkwood last Saturday. The food is always incredible but it was super busy which meant service was really quite slow and did take almost an hour to get our food. You also have to book if you’re going at the weekend so keep that in mind as they turned quite a few people away who walked in. But overall we really enjoyed it and it is worth a visit.

Called in for breakfast before our drive home to York. The menu is different and offers some really interesting choices, the atmosphere and ambience real and the service cheerful and welcoming. All three of us were more than pleased with our (substantial) choices. A great call.

Great atmosphere, very chill. Food is fair price and the brunch options are fun with rotating specials.

Comparable to some of the best cafes and coffee we have in Aus. 🇦🇺 Serious Melbourne vibes 👌

Super cute place. Food was lovely coffee was also very good.

I waited for my food for more than 30 minutes, it did not ever come. Was charged a full amount when decided to finally leave. Hope they at least ate it. They did not even give me the pastry.

Not worth it with the wait. We waited over 20 minutes for 2 coffees. They did take it off the bill to be fair, but it still didn't really provide any satisfaction having luke warm coffee served 20 minutes after we ordered the initial drinks and asking the staff members 3 times to check on these. The gentleman at the front desk didn't seem to have any sense of urgency as I understand he was making the coffees but we could see he wasn't doing ours. The food eventually came out after a very long wait. The food isn't bad but it came out luke warm and the toast was soggy as if the food was cooked and left to sit for a while . Didn't really feel the need to want to raise a complaint as I won't be returning and we just wanted to get out of there after that experience.

Travelled from England to Wales to visit family and they brought us to Milkwood for breakfast. On the menu they had Mackerel which hard to get for breakfast, so for me was a breath of fresh air, especially as I didn’t fancy a English breakfast. My food was cooked to perfection and the poached eggs on top of my mackerel cooked to absolute perfection, will definitely be returning on our next visit to Wales

Our first visit to Milkwood for a light lunch. An exciting menu and open light atmosphere. Drinks came soon but there was a disappointing wait for our Huevos Rancheros and kippers. Not exactly dishes that take ages - though i guess the kippers had to be defrosted? The service was slapdash which let the place down. Having said that we enjoyed our food. The bill for 2 was £50.

We love going out for breakfast/brunch, and Milkwood is one of our favourite venues. The coffee is good, the staff are lovely, and the food is always great. The sausages are a really good quality, the eggs are always poached perfectly, and the homemade hash browns are delicious.

First time at Milkwood for brunch. 2 adults and 2 kids. Menu is amazing..order anything and you'll be delighted. The sausage bun and the waffles in particular were outstanding..also a special mention for the hash browns! Only minor quibble was the eggs were missed off one of our dishes, but it was dealt with, no bother.

Popped in for a Friday catch up with friends. Warm welcome, sat upstairs which has a different vibe but beautifully done. Very comfy chairs!!! Table service, very efficient. Coffee was delicious as was my food - waffles with fruit, yoghurt and maple syrup. Always a great place to visit.

Great, just great, food is always good and decent portions, more importantly the coffee is good too

Went out for a lovely breakfast at #Milkwood. Lovely to catch up with my beautiful friend after soooo many weeks. Brekkie was delish. Sourdough with smashed avocado, a red & yellow pepper salsa, crumbled feta + a poached egg. 😋

Arrived speculatively for breakfast. Whilst cafe was busy and we hadn’t reserved a table, staff did find us a table. Service was very efficient throughout and a good selection of food on their menu to choose from. Food itself was excellent, clearly freshly prepared and hot. Cafe is dog friendly (both outdoors and indoors).

Helpful staff took 5 of us close to closing time without any ado. Food is very good, Highly recommend

Great place to get brunch has a fantastic menu and offers dishes not available elsewhere in cardiff. Chicken and waffles 🧇 😋 Getting a seat can be difficult due to its popularity so maybe turn up with time to spare.

Excellent breakfasts, brunches and lunches, quality products

Really great breakfast spot, would definitely recommend !

Service wasn’t great, sorry! We had to ask 3 times for our drinks and I think we waited around 45 minutes for one to arrive. Chicken and waffles is good but the waffle was super dry and you hardly get any syrup. It was super loud in the main room and we couldn’t hear each other - possibly due to lack of curtains or carpets? I’m 30 so dread to think how anyone older would cope.

Food was amazing! The best chicken and waffles!

The food is so so good and the staff are really friendly. Highly reccomend!

When we arrived the place was packed and it was easy to see why! The breakfast was one of the best I’ve had, especially the hash browns! We’d ordered the vegan bhaji and it was a little spicy but wasn’t named on the menu as such. However this was no problem, the server apologised and gave us two coffees on the house which was greatly appreciated. The staff were lovely and very accommodating. Great experience!

Pleasant relaxed cafe. Outside seating.

Great innovative breakfast menu. Fantastic Service. Can't wait to go again. Lovely Welsh produce and smiling attentive and helpful Staff. Thanks for having me. Charlie

My first time here with friends for brunch. I had the vegan bun with an onion bhaji which was absolutely delicious. Great service and friendly staff too. I’ll definitely be back.

Loved it. Sitting in the window upstairs, we had a delightful lunch. Great options to choose from and we had the Welsh rarebit (special) and the steak & eggs. Both absolutely excellent!

Visited Cardiff for a few days and this place was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The best huevos rancheros I’ve had in the UK. Would recommend!

Busy and lively atmosphere. The menu for breakfast brunch is very varied and lots of choice. We decided to have a main each and one to share as we could not choose. I had the full breakfast and it was an solid 10 out of 10. She had hueovos rancheros which was 10 out of 10. We shared the onion Bahji breakfast and wow that was hot no warning on the menu but it was the hottest chilli taste we have ever eaten, wow it was hot. So a solid 10 out of 10 for food service and price. We loved it and will return again and again. Please try but make sure you book as it does get really busy.

Lovely restaurant v popular great food

I’ve dined here and there: came here for a second visit last Friday and honestly the best breakfast of my life. Produce is brilliant (largely produce Cymraeg) and is executed perfectly. Service is attentive and warm, yet laid back and not overly fussy nor pretentious. Just like the previous time; outstanding.

I’ve dined here and there: came here for a second visit last Friday and honestly the best breakfast of my life. Produce is brilliant (largely produce Cymraeg) and is executed perfectly. Service is attentive and warm, yet laid back and not overly fussy nor pretentious. Just like the previous time; outstanding.

My partner and I are in here embarrassingly often. The food is excellent and the staff adorable:)

Visited the Milkwood cafe in May 2023 with family for brunch, service was a little slow, but they were extremely busy that particular day (queuing out the door). Selections on the menu were extensive for such a small premises and the quality of food and value for money was excellent.

They make the perfect English (Millwood) Breakfast and set the standard from which all other breakfasts should be judged. They keep it simple and non-experimental but all the ingredients on the plate are done perfectly. The hash browns are some of the best my partner and I ever had. ( she would know she’s American). They have a very nice shape crisp and are so soft in the middle. The house sausage is an incredible standout and loved the poached eggs. The vegetarian option is almost as equally good. Once you have tried their chilli baked bean you’ll never want to go back to the heinz version. I liked that the cafe was situated in cozy area of cardiff and has a very homely and local feel to it. The staff is very friendly and the service is excellent.

Almost everything you need from a cafe but didn't stand out beyond that

Foods lovely but genuinely don't bother. Service is terrible and there are just as good places down the road

Food is great but be prepared to wait. Booked a table for 9.30am for breakfast, whilst our drink orders were taken pretty soon after arriving, they refused to take our food order until they had taken other peoples who arrived before us, even though we were ready to order and others were not ready. The young lady with glasses making coffee was very rude and abrupt in telling us this weird system of ordering. Because of this I clocked the times as it felt we waiting for ages to even just place an order. This meant our food order was not taken until 10:09. Almost 40 minutes after arriving. Such a bizarre system! Food didn’t arrive until 10:28am almost 1 hour after arriving to a booked reservation. I would understand if it was dinner but seriously for breakfast?? Anyhow quality of food was good, but for me service is equally important. I hope they rethink their ordering system. Not everyone has an hour to wait for a booked Reservation for breakfast, hence my score of 2 stars.

Lovely cafe in the heart of Pontcanna. Tasty food and reasonable prices. Meat breakfast was a bit greasy and too many fries with burger. Lovely poached eggs.

Food fantastic as always! Friendly staff and good coffee.

Delicious food, friendly and efficient service, went for brunch and can't wait to go back to try dinner 😋

We pretty much come here every Sunday and I always forget to leave a review. Tom and his team provide fantastic, casual service and nothing is ever too much trouble. The food is consistently fantastic and they are happy to cater for dietary requirements. One of my favourite places in Cardiff! They’ve also started opening in the evenings (as Mirkwood, which I love, as a lord of the rings fan), and it’s a bit different from the brunch menu but I love it just as much.

Reserved a table for brunch on Saturday. Was pointed to our table right next to the kitchen where servers were stomping and running to and from throughout the entire meal. Despite people running past us constantly, it took 20 mins for someone to take our drinks order, another 15 for food and no one came back to check on how our food was. If they had, we would have told them how burnt one of our meals was, so much so that the waffle had crisped up and turned black/dark brown around the edges. Once we told the server that when she came to collect our food, she gave us the quickest service ever to get us out, with a lovely attitude to go with it. I completely understand how busy this place gets and how not all of the tables are going to be ideally located, but I’m sure some basic standard of service would have made us overlook that. Instead, not one server served us with a smile or basic manners, which is such a shame as previous experiences have been an absolute delight.

Superb brunch, lovely ambience.

Had brunch here and the food was excellent. Nice to have a few options to choose from that you wont see on a standard brunch menu! Service was friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back!

Really nice breakfast just popped in on the off chance. The breakfast was tasty, the only downside were the poached eggs were hard But other that that it was spot on

Really tasty Moroccan lamb. Fast friendly service

A popular cafe in Pontcanna, some food menu items are a tad overpriced and small portions served. That said, the quality and presentation of the food and service is consistently good though.

Small menu yet surprisingly difficult to decide as there was a number of items that appealed. Don't think I every expected to say the words.. Those hash browns were great! A number of vegetarian options also available.

Small cafe looks cool but it’s hiding a secret. The breakfast are amazing and I mean amazing we scored 9 out of ten which is the highest we have ever given a score. The ingredients were top class and the service was attentive. Coffees were...

Coffee genuinely first rate. Veggie breakfast also delicious. Service friendly and efficient. Their sourdough is also delicious

Good food and decent service. Recommended.

Very disappointed! What happened to Mirkwood?! Meal was poor….one piece of toast with tiny pieces of undercooked bacon and a ‘smell’ of Laverbread! Also, we were given a time we had to leave….fair enough. However, when we were told we only had 10 minutes, 30 mins before the allotted time, that was pretty poor!

Food was deliciously prepared. The staff were so friendly. The venue was thoughtfully decorated. And it was dog friendly which was a nice feature! Highly recommended. Oh and these are the best hashbrowns I’ve ever had. Shatteringly crispy!

Stopped for breakfast on a Monday and had an Americano and bacon, cockles and laver bread on toast. Gorgeous food, very fast and friendly service. Bathroom was clean and tidy.

Arrived before 9, second people there. Empty cafe aside from that one table and they couldn’t seat us despite no booking and arriving before they opened.

Came for lunch on a Sunday. Very busy but we had booked a table which I recommend you do. Fairly cosy inside so don't expect a restaurant atmosphere but it was nice and staff friendly and helpful. Disappointed that they don't serve Sunday lunch, mostly breakfast/brunch dishes which were good. Tried steak and eggs, mackerel salad and bacon and toast. Hash browns were delicious. Enjoyed the meal but wished there was more choices on the menu.

This is an enchanting restaurant located in the equally enchanting ‘burb’ of Pontcanna, Cardiff. I had the cockles and lavabread for breakfast - the latter being a type of seaweed - which tasted exactly how I remembered it, delicious. The only glitch: while the restaurant opened at 8.00am, food didn’t start happening until 9.00am. I’m not sure how I missed this minor but aggravating detail or if it was a phenomena peculiar to that day, whatever, it was enough to make me consider leaving. I’m glad I didn’t though.