Pen & Wig in Cardiff

Booked a table for two online, arrived and booking hadn't been noticed by staff as they were busy. He said he'd look for a table for us and left us standing in the hall for 10 minutes and seemed to have forgotten us as he was servicing tables and washing dishes. If he couldn't find one would've been nice to know. After 10 more minutes of waiting not knowing if we'll be able to be seated (although we booked a table) we just left. It was quite busy, but if the pub is busy and hence not running properly - employ more staff. Or at least communicate that it had been forgotten and there's no space left instead of letting us stand in the hall not knowing what's going on.

We had a lovely evening there. They have an amazing selection of ciders and beers with lots of variety. The food that we have was very lovely too. Great place to spend a rainy day.

Always a great spot to stop for a drink, with a large patio outside. Good place to meet and talk. Good selection too.

Might be the best fish and chips I had :)

Nice pub with good beers and a homely atmosphere.

We visited last November and were thrilled with the service and our dinner - we were particularly excited about the bottomless Yorkshire puddings (although given the portion sizes we definitely didn’t utilise it much!). Thank you, we’ll be back!

Nice pub, loads of interesting beers and good (cheap) wines!

A nice and cosy pub. The food was really nice as well! They had a bunch of vegetarian options like veggie sausages & mashed potatoes, which was a big plus for me.

Great pub, great food, staff, selection of drinks and big beer garden.

Had a meal and 2 pints of larger. Had the Gammon steak, with pineapple, egg and chips. The food was delicious and the pub is really nice. It’s in an old building but the pub has only been open 30 years (opened in 1994). Really nice bear garden out the back and only 5 minutes walk from busy Queen street.

Solid boozer. Stopped in here for a few pints after a meeting.

Great cosy pub, lovely food. Steak pie, onion rings were tasty. Would return.

Amazing quality and value for money! Generous portions and the service is very good. I really did enjoy the fish cake and the tangy hearty salad! It’s a bargain

John was an absolute legend, an amazing quiz master, even accommodated us by doing a tie breaker with our group even though we were last, he was amazing!!!

Great quiz night would’ve been if I’d won, John is a king and the best quiz master ever

John is a great quizmaster! Such a nice cozy pub with a great atmosphere, hidden gem, recommend for the Tuesday evening quiz at 8

Been visiting Pen & Wig for nearly 10 years on and off. Always a large selection of ales, great food and a nice atmosphere. The beer garden is great, even in colder months with the heaters.

If you want a quiet but central city pub well managed then this one is highly recommended. Nicely situated in the middle of the city..but in some haven street so parking on a Sunday was easy. My wife and I had had cider with our generous portioned fish and chips...it was very competently done. Great service! Id go there for lunch again because it's well managed...clean happy customers, very good service and the kitchen do very well . Also not over priced like some. You get attended to promptly. You'd almost certainly find a park outside. And Leigh the manager knows how to keep everyone happy even when it's busy. So well done to the team, thank you very much for good experience all around!

Lovely Sunday roast.. Friendly staff and a good pint ..

I've heard from my friends about this pub and I've decided that I'll have to visit to confirm all the stories regarding delicious food and atmosphere. I was positively surprised. Nicely prepared and good looking dishes has been served by extremely polite waitress ( very professional staff 👏). Will be visiting again!

Went here lunch and like the look of the menu especially the homemade pies. So we went back in the evening only to find no pies at all! Fancy not having adequate stock on a Bank holiday weekend. So we settled for sausage and mash which is not something I would have had on a special weekend away. Then to top it all they brought our mains out before our starters, so took them back and brought the starters. The chicken skewers were so dry and overcooked could hardly chew them, the bruchetta was soggy, so at this point we cancelled our mains and ask for a refund. Very disappointing visit will not be going back !!

Great selection of beer, a great atmosphere, lovely building

Lovely city center beer garden. Great choice of beers. 1 star off as while I know times are hard in hospitality, 3 pints costing £17 is expensive when compared to other independent pubs.

Classic pub, crowded and pleasantly noisy, good food and fast service. We booked for 12 and they placed us in the small outdoor garden with a covered roof.

Very poor sausage and mash. Dried microwaved mash, certainly not buttery. Dry microwaved sausages and poor gravy. You could see the microwave gravy line on the bowl so gravy not even stirred. Do you really need to nuke everything in the microwave and destroy what they claim to be award winning sausages! Award winning cardboard as that's what they tasted like. Wife enjoyed the fish and chips but they completly ruined simple sausage and mash

A great pub with a mixed clientele. Occasionally very busy. But a good selection of beers with plenty of guest ales. It's also one of the few pubs near the centre of the city with a beer garden: a pleasant place to sit.

Was looking for somewhere to have a quick bite to eat and drink and as we haven't been here for a while thought we'd try it. Unfortunately we won't be rushing back. It was a quiz night so fairly busy but not packed but there was only one girl at the bar and service was very slow especially when I was trying to order food. Other staff were serving food and sorting glasses and could've easily helped at the bar. The beer was average, food was pleasant but was very quick so suspect it was microwaved first as no way it was all cooked in 10 mins.

The man behind the bar today was lovely. Unfortunately the female waitress with tattoos down her legs was so rude to me and my family. I’ve never experienced such passive aggressive behaviour, slamming food down in front us that took an hour to be served. Awful experience.

Great beer. Nice beer garden. Gower Ales in tap!

Really nice food, reasonably priced, nice atmosphere and friendly staff can’t ask for much more

A disappointing choice of beer on this visit. Only one beer on sale was what I would term at a 'sensible' strength. Matinee drinking is always dangerous, but I don't need 5%+ beers at lunchtime!

Good choice of ales and food looked good, but did not eat this time, maybe on my next visit I will.

A fabulous visit again and always a warm and friendly welcome from the staff. Great food, great beer and can't fault it.

The only place for the wanna be Cardiff barrister to get boozed up!

Really liked this place, great friendly atmosphere and nice surroundings. Thanks!

Great atmosphere, nice interior, would recommend. Drinks are normal prices.

Good food and a good selection of drinks. Shame about remarkably rude staff.

Just had an excellent burger and chips, moist burger very tasty as was the barbecue sauce with the chips

Great place for a pint in the sun.

Planned late to try somewhere for perhaps Sunday roast, but food in general for two adults and a toddler, with the dog! Finding it hard with most places stopping food at 3ish I searched dog friendly pubs in Cardiff and this came up. Called and they had roasts left at 5pm and serving normal menu until 9pm. Staff really friendly, helpful and inclusive of little one. Dog got fussed by staff and customers, really welcoming place. Ordered triple roast and kids fish chips and beans! All really good. There are dog treats and a doggy menu for them to eat too! Games for children and colouring crayons also. Would deffo go back. Has a beer garden at rear also but dogs can go anywhere inside or out.

Great pub garden, fab staff - really enjoyed!

Lovely visit to the Pen & Wig for a midweek family meal. Friendly staff, hot and tasty food and very reasonably priced. Have recommended to family members and looking forward to coming back. 😊

The food is nice, but poor service and extremely high prices for drinks. completely ridiculous to pay £5.50 for a 15% shot that a bottle of it costs £11 in the shop. Also we waited for more than 30min for drinks and when went to the bar and asked about the drinks the bartender was rude and dismissive. They need to get a grip on their prices

Large beer garden, good selection of beers

One of Cardiff's best I think. Worth seeking out and has a superb selection of local beers. Has a lovely old feel to it and a large beer garden out back.

Great place to meet up. Had to sit outside, very cold so would have been nice to have the wall heaters on. Drinks are pricey bit it is Cardiff after all

Excellent place, nice outdoor seating with decent space and feel

Great atmosphere, polite and friendly staff and excellent range of ales

Thank you to the barman and chef for being so accommodating this evening - you know what you did #daughter exam # healthy food. Beautiful food, atmosphere and service as always x

Fantastic food , The staff are very friendly and the service is brilliant . We will definatley be back for the Sunday Roast. 5*****

Lovely pub, friendly staff and excellent food.

Great beer selection, although I've never been a fan of people booking the tables on match day and only turning up for the game, personally I prefer the first come first served approach.

Did not eat here but the pub and its beers are excellent. Nice warm atmosphere and friendly. We had booked a meal elsewhere but their menu looks very good and reasonably priced. Will certainly visit next time we are in Cardiff.

A magnificent place away from the hubbub of the city. A very accomplished and delicious cuisine. A good choice of beers and good music. We had a very pleasant time. We will come back!

Loved it. It's the second time we've been. Good food both times, plus the sell Lilly's Bee Sting.

Great bar. Good range of ales and good food.

Best burger I've had for ages. Nice relaxed place for a beer and chat.

Great service and the atmosphere was amazing. Even during the Wales v Scotland game, the service was great.

Great place, arguably on the pricey side but it's very central and has great food/drink, so we can forgive it for that 😉 Definitely a great choice for a drink, bite to eat, or just to enjoy the beer garden (when the weather is a bit better!) The Pen and Wig is a Cardiff staple for good reason!

The real risk that you'll not get a drink on a match day is made all the more palpable as you walk through Cardiff away from the train station and you realise that the rain is keeping the clientèle very firmly indoors - queue the, er, queues as more than 50,000 Welsh fans wait patiently to gain entry to get a few in before the gates open. Adding a few thousand Scots into the mix made our drinking establishment of choice today a little risky but nevertheless the best chance we thought of dropping half a gallon of Dublin's finest darkly malted ale whilst hopefully watching Italy beat the enemy prior to grabbing our seats at the stadium for the main event. The Wig is just off the beaten track for townies so you don't trip over it as a non-local but it's in the heart of studentville and a well frequented and respected hostelry. Heaving is an oft over-used phrase but this place was heaving - in the best possible way - and the bar staff were working harder than prisoners in a chain gang. We were served quickly and got a spot in view of the game just in time to observe the real joy and warmth of this place when a Scot (in kilt) posed alongside two Welsh fans for a photo opp. My partner commented on how different the place felt compared to Bristol pubs on a football day. My usual response would have been to be dismissive about the nature of football fans but today I felt differently. We're in Wales I said - we're in Wales. Wales lost against Scotland but I was still in the pub to be honest as we travelled back on the train. Yn sicr yn werth y daith.

Lovely pub, the food is amazing would highly recommend 👌

First visit Definitely worth visiting Pleasant staff Thanks

Lovely, helpful staff. Extra roasties and yorkshires went down a treat!

Amazing service as usual. I’d say the dishes are very high in calories but nevertheless very delicious. Staff is kind and respectful.

Lovely family meal. Staff very friendly and helpful. Food was delicious and we loved the thoughtful table decorations. Highly recommend ❤️

Visited Cardiff, met up with some friends, and had fun times. Went to pen & wig for Sunday lunch, I sadly, for medical reasons, I have to eat cardboard ( vegan options). I didn't have much choice on the menu, that's normal. My friends' plates were stacked with delicious yummy food, as I could only order the veggie burger. It did come with a few chips. But there was more plate than food . At least fill up the space with salad . Would have been nice. Atmosphere was great, staff and service fantastic. Overall, I had a lovely evening.

This has been my go to place for roast dinners or a nice lunch for the past few years. Unfortunately, I feel the quality of the roasts have gone down. I came for the Christmas menu with friends and some dinners did not have much veg at all compared to others. The turkey dinners had 3 brussel sprouts and 1 stem of brocoli. I checked the menu later on and realised that there should have been carrots and parsnips on the plate. This is the 3rd time in a row that this has happened as I had the same issue with the Sunday roasts before.

Very impressed with real ale selection

Christmas meal with friends and the festive cocktails were lovely. However, the festive plant burger was really spicy and it says on the menu clearly "nachos AND chips" but it should've been "or", acording to the waitress. She said "I could ask the kitchen to make you some nachos?" like I should've known it was one or the other, but the whole table had their meals already so I just said don't worry about it. The portion of chips was small and it was £15 too so I should've said yes to the nachos! Such a shame 🤦🏻‍♀️

Nice Sunday lunch. As many yorkies and roasties as you want. Friendly staff. I would go again

Great bar just far enough off the beaten track. Great choice of beers (member of CAMRA) Staff really helpful and food pretty good too. Much better than the crowded bars of the city centre (if that’s what you’re looking for) Really enjoyed the Welsh hospitality 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 and would seek it out when next in the Welsh capital 😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The pints are expsnive but they have a lot on offer. Nice to have some you wouldn't usually get on draught such as gwynt y ddraig. Pub quiz is always really difficult

Great reasonably priced food for the price

Very cool pub friendly staff and homely atmosphere worth a visit

Great little pub and food always great 👍

Great pub! Friendly staff and good food at a very reasonable price. I would go here again.

Great drinks, plus the atmosphere is fantastic. The outdoor section is a great place to relax, with built in heaters for those cold or rainy Cardiff nights.

Good selection of drinks. 1 of our party had the Mac n cheese and the falafel and really enjoyed it. Staff were friendly and helpful. Can be a bit cold with the doors to the garden opening and closing. Seating outside front and back. On street parking close by and close to bus stops

management like to waste police time and call them to ask us to leave rather than ask us, because he bickered with a few in our party regarding standing in the way whilst he carried glass? very strange behaviour. we were just having a quiet drink at 11pm returning from a long journey watching our football team. next thing the police are telling us to leave.

What a fantastic place! We were quickly seated and a fresh bowl of water was brought over for the dog, we didn't even need to ask. Food was delicious, something suitable for all the family and they even have a dog menu. Great prices for great quality food. Staff were very friendly, the beer garden was lovely and well decorated too, the whole place had a great atmosphere. Will definitely return next time we are in Cardiff. Thank you for a wonderful dining experience.

Great atmosphere, lovely food food and the staff were friendly and professional. Great start to an evening out with friends, to see Dawn French, at the New Theatre. Thank you!

Lovely! We turned up without a booking, and they squeezed us in. Really friendly staff and the food was really good. Very very good value for money

Wunderschöner Pub mit leckerem Essen! Die Fish & Chips waren köstlich :)

Busy pub close to the university. Local ales. Food was tasty and fairly good value. Handy for Cathays railway station.

Lovely pub atmosphere, always a favourite for an after work drink.

I visited this marvelous real ale pub in Cardiff on Friday 8th October 2021 This pub is absolutely great in all ways for real ales plenty of them atmosphere interiors and staffing And when in Cardiff you have to visit this pub Monday 11th September 2023 I again had the honour to drink in what is without doubt cardiffs great real ale pub not only does a CAMRA DISCOUNT FOR CAMRA CARD HOLDERS But by what a superb vhoice of many quaint beers the land lord when comes to looking after great beers knows his leeks👍 The pub is a propper british boozer great atmosphere and clientelle Why can't more pubs follow this great real ale pubs examples Ill give this pub 6 stars if could

Beautiful traditional pub retaining many original architectural features including beautiful stone floor. Excellent large selection of real ales.. food delicious and reasonably priced. Welcoming interior and large shaded beer garden. Highly recommended.

We went he after we saw the rugby 🏉

Fantastic lunchtime pub good food and good ale

A nice pub to go for a drink and/or something to eat. For a light snack I had the fish goujon sandwich, which was delicious. Reasonably priced. Good selection of beers on offer.

Had a lovely vegan chicken sandwich which came with chips and a little salad.

Popped in for a quick soft drink with my daughter on a Saturday lunchtime and had great service from the bar tender who was really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. This is a lovely big pub very close to town but tucked away in a very quiet side street. We were surprised how dog friendly it was, with dog treats, towels to wipe their feet with, and a dog food menu! Will definitely be going back when we're in town next.

Stumbled across this place and was not disappointed. Food was great, service was quick, with a smile and would definitely return.

Steak please no sorry no steak, duck? no sorry no duck, joke? no sorry not a business... first time @ Pen&Wig and probably the last!

Nice pub for a Sunday lunch catch up with friends.

Rare find in this day and age of over-inflated prices. Gorgeous food and ale selection at a very reasonable price and in a cracking setting.

Great pub with excellent selection of beer and cider. Food is great value and staff are friendly.

Not what it was, sadly. Still a great pub with a fine selection of ales and craft beer. The manager has got to be one of the most miserable people I've seen behind a bar, however.

Atmosphere and service were good. Fish pie was nice though the veg with it wasn't fresh and not very warm

Good selection of ales not had the food yet, service good did have to wait for ice, which the n hottest day of year should not of happened, ice should of been made and back up made ice ready.