Pillars Restaurant in Cardiff

3rd time visited pillars in cardiff in 3 month. Each time they have over charged me. I think each person you ask gives you different prices

Had lovely chicken and chips staff friendly lovey place very good value don't get ripped off like posh food places we will definitely be back

Walked by and decided to have breakfast at Pillars .. only one friendly person that served me (buffet style ) and Second Lady was so rude to my wife .. older lady short hair .. anyways .. never mind that !! It’s the food that I want to mention! I laughed ! I laughed because this is officially the most disgusting “food” I’ve ever had and paid for ! I literally had half of sausage and half of bacon and tried microwaved “scrambled egg and I said to my wife let’s just leave . Now I know why they make you pay before you eat it 😂😂 honestly.. it’s horrible ! As we were sitting down I could see “chefs” with trollies up and down .. I’m sorry to say this as I have no intention to insult anyone but clearly poor hygiene and presentation of a person that “cooks” the food ! Basically we decided to instantly accept that we would rather lose the £20 we paid and simply walk out for our own health and safety. Not sure why we even continued to order the food since we were shocked walking in ! Lesson learned and guess . By the way , pictures on your website are misleading . It’s a yuck 🤮 place and food even worse

The last serving my husband was polite, the last serving my was extremely rude. Not a good impression for a first (and never to be repeated) visit. This place has so much potential and I love the idea of the place. But unfortunately the food was awful and also the tables and chair needed to be better cleaned.

Me and my mum found this place and thought it would be a new experience, we went down the stairs and it felt empty, for a place that big there should have been more staff, speaking of the staff they looked like they didn't want to be there, once we got out food we ordered 2 chicken burgers, 1 plain and one with the salad the both came plain and the chips they came with got cold quickly and looked like they came from the freezer and the bun wasn't even toasted and the chicken was bland it tasted like something you would get at a BBQ, nun the less I had the red velvet cake as desert an all day its mediocre and best, I've hada better experience in Witherspoon's, not coming back again, try better next time.

Rude manager 5 beans as a portion ..messaged them no response. Stopped going here . Horrid manager is very very rude . AVOID AT EVERY COST loads of options in the city . Weatherspoons do much better food at a better price

Terrible customer service, I wanted to order more food and the lady sent me straight to the till with bad mood.

I visited this restaurant today with my family, very bad experience, one of the girls who ask for your order was unfriendly and very rude, we wanted to add something else to our order and very annoyed she told us to move forward to where it is cancelled. Definitely very bad at her job. The food was a little cold, we ordered a hot coffee and it was cold, but the gentleman very kindly changed it. But, anyway, the terrible experience was only by the girl.

Took my two girls there order baked beans on toast and chips had 2 cakes and 3 drinks came to over £20 won't be going there again i can get a lot cheaper elsewhere and as a single parent money saving is everything! My partner is a vegetarian and they had little options available!

Food diabolical.service terrible. The place has gone down hill since the last time i came 2 years ago.

Probably the best value restaurant in Cardiff with good atmosphere.A wide variety of food on offer.british favourites like, pie and chips, curry and rice, fish and chips. Self service, orders taken and served quickly, plenty of room inside.

Love this place been going since I was a child, it hasn't changed. Yummy home cooked food 😀

Lovely large restaurant with plenty of seating Good selection of food and drink Reasonable price

Lovely friendly place will definitely go back .

Good place not too expensive for a basic meal, staff helpful if you have food allergies, clean and tidy

Always have to visit pillars whenever I go to Cardiff. Whether is breakfast or lunch the food is always delicious and excellent value for money

Good value, cellar restaurant that's been in Cardiff for years. There is a buffet style eatery or you can order off the menu. Good value for money, especially if you drink tea as it's only £1.71 a pot!

All my food was cold from a hot counter

I had the lasagna which was just warm. Otherwise it was a 5 star.

Still keeping up there standards

Used to go here years ago it was lovely. Returned there on the 29/11/2023 it was dirty looked like it hadn’t been deep cleaned for a while staff looked like they didn’t want to be there. toilets were disgusting with no toilet roll won’t be going back again.

Both myself and my Husband had the steak pie ,chips peas and gravy the food was OK but the service was awful the girl that served us practically threw the food on the plates there was gravy everywhere she was more interested in talking to the other girl that was also serving then serving us I felt like a inconvenience

It was just for a cup of tea and carrot 🥕 cake .I loved it

Good and affordable breakfast in city centre.

Randomly went in for lunch whilst visiting Cardiff from Liverpool. Couldn't fault it, food was great, no queueing, therefore no waiting for food, all served hot with big portions. Staff helpful and polite.

Haven't been to Pillars in a while, so I thought I'd take my hubby, son and his girlfriend there for breakfast before the Wales v Barbarians match on 04/11/23. Big disappointment! Fried bread was soaking in fat as was the hash browns, sausage and bacon; you could squeeze the fat into a puddle on the plate! The mushrooms had been cooked in water and had little or no flavour. Really disgusting... Used ladies loos and it was filthy! Blood and faeces on 2 of the toilets and none had tissue paper. We will never go here again!

This place needs a thorough clean. Too many bosses, not enough workers. Mushrooms were tinned and full.of water with no taste

Very nice staff, delicious food

Power thirsty managers who parade around the place as if they are better than you. Oh also food is awful.

Went to Pillars after going to Comic Con Food Amazing, Restaurant Itself LOOKS Stunning 10/10 would recommend

Hidden gem in queen Street cardiff tucked away under the main street . Perfect for small to big breakfasts and a reasonable price. Lots to choose from on the lunch menu too . Worth a visit 👍

Delightfully nostalgic and remarkably cheap. With a massively wide lunch menu, but I was here for breakfast - and I'll definitely do that again.

The only thing wrong with this restaurant is the stairs which are very steep not good for old people, needs lift. Loads of food on offer.

Comida de rancho militar , personal antipático .

I ordered the triple stack burger and to say it was flavourless is an understatement and the amount of oil was unreal I think next time some sauce in the bun and salad would improve this as its not worth 8.29 I paid which is a shame as I've got alot of fond memories of this place as a small boy and the food was always tasty and good value for money Staff were very polite and Courteous as always though.

Rediscovered this place useful for quick lunch onway home from work.Shame I can',t get Wi Fi to work.

Haven't been there since 2019. Used to be lovely food years ago. Had food there twice about 4 years ago and found human grey hairs in food. Am disgusted very unhygienic. Loos are ok. Shame must have changed staff. Gone to the dogs

I went several times with my husband in a short trip to Cardiff. He was looking for the one of his memories called maybe Leo's. We had a nice surprise instead, Pillars is this kind of grand parents restaurant where you can go with all your family and kids and get a very British food without breaking the bank at all! It's amazing! Every time he travels for work to Cardiff he prefers this restaurant even being able to choose any expensive one just because the food and ambient are as it used to be! And I love it because they helped me with my special diet requirements as a Carnivore filling my plate a bit more with meats as I don't eat any sides because all of then come from plants. Unfortunately I don't have enough pics to show how good was our particular experience but at least I can give a good review.

Disappointed probably wount eat here again not hot enough

Love this place. Food is tasty and the portions are ample. Always enjoy a visit here.

A great place for a good meal at a realistic price

Not the poshest eatery in Cardiff. They do nice variety of food from salads to cooked meals

Brilliant place to get a nice breakfast on a rugby match day - Must also be the only restaurant I've ever known to put their prices *DOWN* when they've been able to. 7 item cooked breakfast for £4.75 when I last went. Speedy service as well.

Love this place, for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner the food is excellent. The Homemade pie is great and the Curry half and half amazing. Plenty of seating and well worth a visit.

Chap who served us was in a rush, but there was no one behind us. Felt quite rude. Food was hot but tasteless.

It's an OK place....breakfasts need more in yhe way of seasoning....

This place never changes it's a lovely reliable place to eat

Really nice place to go and grab food. Mind blowingly secret gem of Cardiff. The breakfasts are impeccable. And the interior is that of a ww2 bunker. Very cool

Was lovely but only thing by time we waited for drink and payed our breakfast was quite cold x

Pillars is, nostalgic central for South Wales folk. Generation after generation goes here for good food that comes with a very reasonable price tag. Staff were all friendly and helpful. Just like your typical cafe, with plenty to choose from. It has toilets and plenty of space and it's right in the centre of the city. Opposite the Queens Arcade (St Davids shopping centre). However there's no lift that I noticed, there is steps down into the restaurant/cafe. I had lovely chicken curry, rice and chips. The child's meal was a good portion and the wife had bbq pulled pork with chips with one drink that came to £19. Overall if you like good food that's not fancy for a reasonable price then this is the best place in Cardiff.

Not great...I ordered the 12 piece breakfast too find there was no scrambled egg or black pudding..of what I did have the bacon was OK...fried bread cold undercooked and oily...fried eggs over cooked and greasy..mushrooms undercooked and cold..sausages were not breakfast sausages..I'm not a fussy person..I eat pretty much everything...but this was bad...I had better food in the army...the decor is definitely dated but quirky I guess...an experience for definate...get a new chef !

Hadn't been here since the late 80s, it hasn't changed too much which I actually really liked. It's admirable unwillingness to move with the modern dining trends, is matched only by it's ample selection of reasonably priced food. Simple, tasty popular dishes including veggie options served in a professional and friendly atmosphere. A spacious cavern of dining, you're not squashed in here. A stalwart of old fashioned Cardiff dining, don't ever change!

I ate lasagna (warm/cold, tasteless, looks like porridge, bad appearance, large portion), my friend had chicken curry with rice (very sweet taste, coarsely shredded chicken, bad appearance) anyway, we didn't like it and we won't be back and we don't even recommend it, there's no hot pepper sauce, very expensive beer...

Hardly busy at all, but must be served as quickly as humanly possible, to the point you’d think the guy was on speed. Didn’t even get a chance to ask what breakfast items there were, had no idea black pudding was an item. Quick quick quick next! Relax dude, it’s not busy!

Went there for lunch Expensive £29 for 3 things. Lasagna was sloppy, meat was grey Like prison food but worse

Brilliant, excellent value and quality, canteen type restaurant where you pick up your meals on trays and take them to your table. I loved the cottage pie and the cheesecake. Always somewhere to go when visiting Cardiff!

Great food at great prices..service great too..

Love their breakfasts. Also the coleslaw is awesome.

Really honest food for great prices. I had a corned beef pie with chips peas and gravy for £7.90. Great portion size. Decor may not be to everyones taste but service lovely and well worth a stop off

I love the fact that Pillars is underground. I had the Ham, Egg and Chips... the ham was lovely, the egg was undercooked and the chips were a bit anemic. Apart from that the price is reasonable and the drinks are okay for what you pay.

Found this place on a recent trip to Cardiff what an absolute gem. Great food great price and great service

Simple food, good value, ten minute wait for some meals.

Excellent food friendly staff inexpensive and would highly recommend it

Absolutely appalling:( Food and service cannot get worse than this. If you are looking for under cooked food This is the place

It's ok just a bit shabby needs a woman's touch shame really x

Ordered a burger...now how to describe it.. so ever had those packs of really cheap frozen burgers? Usually from iceland? Once cooked or microwaved you find a huge pool of oil around the plate and upon tasting it, tastes nothing like beef at all and probably isn't even beef? Thats exactly what this was... they charge the same price if not more for this burger and chips than a really good quality burger from elsewhere... Ate a bit of my burger and chips which was luke warm at best and wanted to leave, i did. The meal wasn't nice at all.. Sitting in there you instantly get the "this needs to be on kitchen nightmares with gordan ramsey" kind of vibe.. I went and had wiwo noodles instead.. can't believe i wasted so much money on poor quality food

Good chicken curry and chips. It's more cafe than anything but good hot food. They do need to remember that politeness costs nothing and the manager was rude. Give customers a few seconds to answer what you have asked before you repeat the same question. There was no queue and no rush! Calm down!

Great place to get a feel of Cardiff in days gone by. The moment I step in I feel like I am reliving a part of my childhood. Very little has changed over the years and I hope it never does. Love their breakfasts! Happy days. Good memories.

Hadn't been there for 30yrs.Deco the same.Needs major face-lift Staff friendly and efficient Food very basic and quite tasteless Jacket potato and coleslaw with a salad garnish.This consisted of a lettuce leaf and an anaemic and watery coleslaw with grated cheese Frozen chips,beef burger in a bun was tasteless and very disappointing. Pot of tea was hot and reasonable Toilets reasonably clean but loose toilet seats.Needs a revamp Wouldn't return

Just an average meal here. Cheap but not cheerful

Always come here when in Cardiff. Fairly priced

Food is nice. If you haven't been here before, it is quite confusing with the whole setup. Pasta came on a plate rather than a bowl. The 2x guys in blue tops (presumably managers) were pretty rude served and no greeting, too busy chatting away on phone. Good for food, but not for service. Needs modernising.

It is not as good as was before Food is to smell And no good No more for me

Nice big menu and something for everyone Staff are friendly and welcoming. Food is Always warm and tasty.

Wow, a time warp. Lasagna was more like a sponge cake, frozen fries and all very beige.

First time visited pillars and I was pleasantly surprised after reading previous reviews. Plenty of choice on the menu, reasonable choice and staff were friendly and helpful

First visit, went in for a breakfast & decided on a large. Plenty of food, as per the picture... reasonably priced...quick & pleasant service...& overall, the food was ok. The only gripe I had was that the sausages were very salty, almost to the point that I couldn't eat them...I washed them down with some toast & tea, as I was starving. Saying that, I will definitely go there again & still have a big breakfast.

Pillars is the best place to go if you want to be served straight away, no waiting. Food is always hot, large portions and value for money.

A hold over from another era that hasn't changed its decor. Ever. Nor should it. Good food, good prices. Great for a light bite. My favourite restaurant in Cardiff.

As always food stunning service fast atomsphere very friendly.

Not very good bacon and sausages Are really poor quality service was a joke Kept running off when taking my order Will not go back there

Great service, great food great atmosphere can't fault this place

How this place has gone downhill visited yesterday for lunch before we went to Bute park. The young man serving stood talking to another member of staff while we stood there. Ordering food was chaos, several attempts at taking down two kids meals. Told to go and get drinks before we had ordered the adults meals! After paying, went to pick up cutlery but first tray was empty and I noticed how grubby it was, the other side was full but had to search for cutlery that didn't have dried food on. If the children hadn't been hungry I would have asked for my money back. Anyway sat down and food came after a few minutes. My salad was fine, my husbands pie was lukewarm but ok, the children's food was shocking, the nuggets were a weird grey/pink colour inside and the sausages had a strange tang. Neither child would eat their food which meant that as soon as we left, I had to take them to Greggs as they were hungry. Overall, really think this place needs a good overall and a deep clean. Having been to Pillars almost monthly some years ago and always having a good experience, it was very disappointing and will never return.

I have made it my commitment to visit and support local independent businesses during these tough times and to give honest feedback for others looking to spend their money wisely and still enjoying a meal out with family and friends. To that end l visited Pillars in Cardiff Queen Street. Advertised They have a sandwich board outside advertising their choices for a hot breakfast. They start from 5 item and go up to a 9 item breakfast. I was impressed by the choice of food on offer. They do not force you to choose a set menu, You grab a tray and que up in front of the counter where there are several people behind the hot buffet style counter asking for your selection. Food : I chose a 5 item vegetarian option as the vegetarian sausages were not available and needed to be cooked up, my order was taken, l was given a slip and proceed down the line to the till and to find a seat to await my meal being prepared and brought to me. I was impressed and the food was delicious. I give a 5 star for the food. I will return with my three daughters, they will definitely appreciate the variety breakfast items on offer, including the fussy eater, she will find something she likes. Because it does make it difficult to take her out for a meal. If you don't have a specific dietary preference, then you can proceed along with the standard options and have your food faster. Service: I give 4 stars, they have more than enough people to cope with the large amount of people coming to eat, you don't have to wait long to be served as happens in other outlets because they are being stingy with staff. That is definitely not the case here and the staff are smiling, friendly efficient, to a point. However I do have one point of criticism which would be very easy to rectify and bring the service up from a four to a five for me. The restaurant is vast from my vantage point, the people tasked with taking food out to the tables if it was required faced great difficulties locating and identifying because of the sheer volume of people. This can easily be rectified for little cost by using a system l have seen used to great effect by two cafés l visited in the city. By use of a simple stand that holds a number card. That number is put on your ticket item for your order and you take it to the table with you. It allows the extremely busy staff the opportunity to locate you with the missing part of your order very quickly and efficiently. These stands could easily be DIY with a small block of wood as the stand and a wire with a curly bit at the top to hold a numbered card. This would increase their efficiency 💯, because l saw them return several times to the counter after being unable to locate the customer, in the meantime their food was getting cold. Other: 3 Star 🌟 very weak WiFi password is given when you ask, it kept dropping for me, it was very weak so after l had my meal l had to leave for an alternative venue. Toilets : 2 🌟 The code for the ladies toilets is given on the ticket. They were run down and not in the best repair, there was a weired wad of toilet paper discolored, so it looked like it had been there a long time, stuck behind the arm of the door out of the toilets. Sadly they were not inviting, my fussy kids would not be using those and neither will I, such a shame because though the entrance to the restaurant has such charm. The toilets heavily let it down.

Just amazing going there every time I go to cardiff

Have been here quite a lot in the past, and find the food not quite as nice. Although the service seems better.

I remember eating here as a child in the 80's with my parents. It hasn't changed much. It's still a nice meal with a fair amount of choice.

Ordered a small breakfast got charged for a large £8.90 the food was disgusting worst food Iv ever had

Right in the centre of Cardiff, loads of different meals to chose from. Cheap and cheerful with decent portion sizes prompt service.

It was very busy but the great standards never dropped, Great food the staff very efficient and helpful 👍.

Very large restaurant, food quality not bad, inexpensive

Never change, still racing around and getting orders wrong. No organisation, rude staff & manager almost throwing the food at you. Complete chaos. Will never visit again.

Fab place went in for breakfast great cake and lovely food

Waited ages for the food, reminded me of school canteen

My favourite place for steak & kidney pie & chips . Good portions.

Been comimg to pillars since I was a child and it's never disappointed. Food is extremely good and tasty with a wide variety of choice for everyones preferences and needs. Staff are extremely helpful and friendly.

Absolutely shocking prices. Burger and chips £11looked like a child's meal. Dirty cafe will never go there again

Food was nice order a full english no sausage it was cold and buns are not cooked! Very dirty would not recommend

Great homemade food at reasonable price, great location in city centre

Such a terrible English breakfast with a terrible juice. It's so charming in the heart of Cardiff.