Sand Martin in Cardiff

Currently sat in the sand Martin whilst writing this review. If you’re looking for a quiet pint, this is your place. If you’re looking for food, DONT BOTHER. Served with an attitude no meat available Barr dried out beef. Bare minimum vegetables and cold gravy. Made to wait over 15 mins for paid for pigs in blankets and then still didn’t turn up. If it wasn’t for Cardiff city drinking at this dump, it would have closed years ago

Llegamos a las 11. 15 sin darse cuenta de que la cocina abrió a las 12 pero el nuevo gerente dijo inmediatamente que estaba bien... la comida estaba hirviendo caliente y realmente sabrosa... Tenía los goujones de pollo con suero de mantequilla y palomitas de maíz que estaban deliciosos... el pescado que tenía mi madre era un monstruo y estaba muy bien cocinado... Sin duda recomendaría este pub y felicitaciones al nuevo gerente por el excelente servicio al cliente

New management - lush food all cooked fresh the burgers were flame grilled and delicious dessert was lovely too staff were nice and accommodating will defo be back

Great and fast service! Great food for the whole family! Friendly and helpful staff! Would definitely come again soon.

Lovely food with speedy service! Great range of foods. New manager was very helpful. Look forward to visiting again soon!

Staff where really friendly, polite and helpful. Food was really good and came out in good time. Area was clean and tindy

Really friendly staff and quick, attentive service. Enjoyed my lunch . Great value and nice atmosphere. Would come back

Such a lovely place. Was here having food with my son ( who is autistic) and my friend this evening. The food was really nice and the staff were very helpful and friendly. We will definitely be back

Hardly any options available from the menu, Wouldn't hurt to turn the heating on . Sat in there with our coats on

Found it a bit pricey! It was actually cheaper in the stadium.

During my recent Sunday lunch visit, I was taken aback by how quiet the establishment was, which led to a lack of ambiance. As for the food, the carvery was quite underwhelming, with the beef being tough and the vegetables lacking warmth despite their taste. The service was also lacking, with staff members appearing disheartened. Overall, the experience conveyed a sense of mismanagement, and I do not foresee myself returning in the near future. Such a shame.

the roast potatoes on the carvery were rock hard! I asked if there were any more coming out & the chef went to the back to check & said there were no more! Really Poor

Great place for a beer and an amazing outdoor garden. Very recommend if you are around 👌

Utterly disappointing. Awful. A friend ordered scampi, jacket potato and peas with a Diane sauce. First attempt came as scampi and chips. Second attempt, the sauce was served to another customer. When advised of this they went and was apparently retrieved from that customer and served. By this time the meal had gone cold. On the third attempt, the jacket potato and peas were cold, as if they'd simply been replated. When this was pointed out, the manageress simply ignored the query. I had ordered jacket potato. The salad was awful. The tomato was dry, and the lettuce limper than a pensioner with brewers droop. Makes Wetherpoons look like five star catering. This isn't the first time, either. There won't be a third. How can you get a jacket potato wrong??

Christmas day lunch was a disaster, had to wait an hour before being served. Then got told they'd ru out of food.had to have a refund,all my family were very upset, it totally ruined our Xmas day. Also saw the staff knocking back drinks behind the bar. I will never eat there again.

Absolutely terrible experience.. We live across the road, we have been locals here for many years ( since it opened ) we have celebrated most Christmas days here and the food has always been outstanding. We booked well in advance for this year like every year, 9 people 3pm, however I was asked to change the time to 2 15pm which I gladly did. Christmas day we arrive. All staff miserable, not willing to help, just want to go home. We get seated, we waited over 45 minutes for our starters. As we was eating our very very small starters we was interrupted by a customer stating all the meat on the carvery had gone and we should go get our mains as soon as possible! We went to check and there was atleast 15 people queuing up for what looked like no meat just veggies pale potatoes and 1 tiny stuffing ball. We immediately asked whats going on we have paid over £400 to spend our very special day here and we can't have a Christmas dinner? The guy with glasses who worked there agreed with us and was saying he wasn't to pleased either with how it's unfolded and how they didn't have enough meat... Our Christmas day was ruined we ended up leaving and having a kebab. Not ideal on Christmas day! I assume the new management arent fully aware of what they are doing, the new chefs are horrendous, the food has gone down hill, everyone was saying it tasted bland burnt and inedible. Such a shame. Our Christmas day was ruined.

Excellent pub. Great food at a reasonable price. Good varied menu. Lovely atmosphere. Plenty of parking including a few disabled spaces.

Food is top tier low quality. Enjoy your 2nd hand food. Pub isn't ran by marstons it's ran by a 3rd party and the person in charge treats his staff appallingly and doesn't pay them. This is a fact.

Myself and my sister ordered food yesterday at 12 midday. At 12.45 we asked how much longer our food would be. 5 minutes later our steak baguettes arrived, however l, we had asked for no peppers and the baguettes had lots of them. The waitress took them away and returned about 5 minutes later later with the food. You could clearly see that the peppers had been removed and the baguettes had been microwaved. The onions were very salty too. When I approached the waitress about it, she quickly apologised and disappeared. Absolutely disgusting service and food

Served by someone called Josh who was clearly unhygienic and was handling my food where he was dropping it appearing intoxicated. Horrendous service didn’t want to eat after seeing the behaviour of staff and lack of hygiene on this occasion. Would not recommend at all

10/10 experience everytime i visit, always a positive outcome, olivia makes the experience better and is always so happy to serve! 10/10 would recommend

came for a last min meal, the service was incredible! the staff were friendly as well as the new owner Satt! will come back!

Reasonably priced great food great service great experience!!

Called in for lunch mid week. Large pub. Generic pub chain style menu. All four of us ordered different meals but none of them were particularly good. They were just ok. My meal was meant to be a filled baguette. It wasn't a baguette it was a soggy submarine bread roll. Very stingy amount of chips too. Son had mac n cheese which was bland and runny - a few cheesy breadcrumbs crisped up on the top would've improved the look and taste/texture of it no end for the sake of a few "penneth" of extra ingredients and a minute or two of time. They were not busy and I can see why. Overpriced for what you got. Won't be returning.

Had a great meal fantastic service food arrived quickly which I love. Tasted delicious and warm. Great atmosphere. Met Satt and the team the he has really made an impact on the food and atmosphere which has improved considerably since a month a ago carvery was amazing needs to be on 7 days a week

Service was slow - there was a large group if us - I had requested a voucher for food at the venue as a prize for the raffle organised for the evening. I was told that I could have one but on arrival was told this was not available. It was very disappointing. There was also a child with autism there and he came to our group and stole one of our groups food - I understand that he is not at fault but he seemed to be known by the staff and we should have been warned that this might happen.

Friendly and welcoming staff. Good selection of drinks and speedy service. Would definitely come back for food and drinks!

Recently came to The Sand Martin for the first time. I have to say it's a lovely place. Staff were all helpful, especially Olivia. Excellent customer service! Will be coming again soon

The team at the sandmartin are amazing. My work colleagues and I visit every week for a couple of beers, and we’re always impressed with the service. The staff are polite, professional, and welcoming, creating a great atmosphere. Food is well priced and good quality, It’s a fantastic spot to unwind after work, and we always feel well taken care of. Highly recommend it!

had a great meal at the sand martin, a nice warm atmosphere with plenty of food and drink choices, staff were excellent, will be back to try a Sunday carvery soon

Visited The Sand Martin today for some lunch and drinks, had a great welcome & service from the new managers, me and my wife had fish and chips, fish was lovely, food was served in good time and a good selection of drinks on offer. Will be returning again in the near future

We had the fish and chips lunch time special. It was a child’s portion. We had 12 chips a small piece of fish and a spoonful of peas. Not worth the £9.50 we paid. The service was fine but the table we sat as was so sticky and slimy quite horrible. Definitely won’t be going back.

Era mi primera vez visitando The sand Martin. Me pareció muy amable y acogedor. El almuerzo era encantador y a un precio razonable. Hablé con los gerentes que me dijeron que solo habían estado allí una semana (Keeley y Gee) Se encontraron con muy amable y profesional. Buena suerte a los dos, espero que hagan un éxito del lugar.

Por segundo sábado consecutivo, sin cerveza de barril. No todos beben cerveza o sidra. Lo mismo que la temporada pasada para un partido de fútbol del sábado. No lo suficiente.

It’s disappointing that this restaurant no longer does a weekday carvery, which used to be enjoyable. The quality of the main menu food was good but prices were high. The discount code made it good value in terms of dynamic pricing. The team member behind the bar was rushed off her feet but still took her time with dietary requirements. Delivery of food to the table was very slow so guess the kitchen was under similar pressure. I would recommend the Sand Martin given the alternative of only fast food vendors nearby.

Food was better than expected for a chain. Portions were plentiful and well cooked. A little thin on the staffing levels as the person behind the bar was also the only waitress it seemed on shift. But everything came out fast and with a smile.

First time here with my mother, and was utterly disgusted when the chef(s) at the Carvery Station accidentally dropped the tongs on the floor, picked it later and placed it back on the station, and use the dirty tongs to pick up my Yorkshire pudding right away in front of me. I am utterly appalled by the food safety and hygiene standards of the establishment. Looking forward to your above action, thank you very much.

After match experience amazing. Door staff friendly and approachable. Bar staff available quickly and offer 1st class service.

What I love about the sand martin is not too crowded..staff are lovely and so was the food easy to book. I was running late ..and it wasn't a bother..relaxed atmosphere

Cerveza bien. Pedido tiras de pollo y patatas fritas. Luke tiene gorrión galés anoréxico caliente y 7 patatas fritas flacas. Robo a la luz del día

Ordered a dish of chicken strips . Got less than an anorexic Welsh sparrow

Nice and reasonable pice Sunday roast there

First I have been there not very busy we both had fish and chips was very nice and hot served food was on the table within 10mins thank you

Had a Sunday carvery. Server just put his hand out for our ticket, never said anything. Food was luke warm. Gravy like water. The lady that initially served me at the bar was nice although would've been helpful to have been told where the cutlery etc was.

Lovely helpful staff. Very clean, especially toilets. Good choice of food and allowed to swop chips for jacket potato, which not all pubs will do.

Amazing food! Staff are so kind! ❤️

As a disabled man the staff has been fantastic and welcome and very friendly the food been amazing 10/10 come here every week as I like there cowboy burger

Carvery for the last 2 weeks has been excellent!!! Finally can taste flavours alot fresher than it has been for a long long time!!! I always enjoy this pub for friendliness and welcoming atmosphere! Don't know what has changed but keep it up please! Food and cleanliness of your establishment has definitely improved

Monday special Pie and a Drink all for £12 on a quiet evening. Downside was receiving my drink in a extremely dirty glass which was changed on request. Bartender simply poured the contents into the other.!

Exellent service,and staff members,food was amazing,just gutted nomore cavery through the week

Excellent service, great choice of drinks. Olivia, Josh and Holly were all great too. Would highly recommend, ideal location too.

Amazing afternoon at the Sand Martin. Atmosphere lovely and staff friendly and approachable! Drinks served promptly.

Lovely venue with plenty of parking Carvery was quite tasty can't wait to see some sprouts on the carvery soon in the chilly afternoons. Staff where pleasant

This is a lovely spacious pub...friendly staff...food was really good too..

The whole place needs a very good clean.

I knew there was something wrong when I arrived at 12.30 and it was empty. Good carvery's are never empty at lunch time.I had visited the Sandmartin about 4 years ago and was expecting a better result this time,but no. The Carvery is way overpriced at £13.79 for a medium(which was tiny) plate and I ordered 2 x glasses of coke £4 each. The food was bland and dry and I had to flavour it with sauces. There are many good carvery's in Cardiff that give the customer what they want but this is not one of them,never again.

Lovely food nice pub highly recommend

Called in for a late lunch, staff were friendly enough but food was awful the club sandwich was dry and bread burnt, my daughter had a tuna mayo baguette which was hard and over cooked.

Bit of a hit or miss. This time was a miss. Not very good service and the coffee was disgusting

here for my aunties birthday and all the glasses have a thick rim of grime around the top and we got told it was “water stains” when i got a wipe and it came off black to top this off there was also a hair in the chicken corma and it just got ignored. will not be coming here ever again

Lovely place to visit, amazing atmosphere. Fantastic staff. Highly recommend 😁

Food isn't hot enough, no pigs in blankets, blunt knives, very poor.

Visited on a number of occasions now and have enjoyed every time. The staff are always accommodating even when the pub is rammed and do all the can to make us welcome. I absolutely LOVE that your pub is dog friendly as we like to take our pooch out with us. Has a lovely beer garden and a very good drinks selection with even nicer prices. We usually only have burgers or fish and chips on our visit but decided to book in for the Sunday roast as we heard others praise it. It did not disappoint. We’ll be back again as soon as to get ourselves a roast from your wonderful chefs!!

Lovely location. A busy little pub but had such a positive experience and were made to feel welcome by the team. Delicious food and amazing atmosphere.

Visited on a Wednesday. Nice to be able to choose a table and opt for bar service or on the app. Ordered on app. Staff were very uninterested and appeared not to be there. Half restaurant and fire door cordoned off. However, the food was very good even if add on on burger was missed. Staff not approachable.

Really great pub/ restaurant, the bar staff are fantastic so friendly and helpful particularly Josh, Olivia and Jay. We often come here as a family for some food and drinks and the food is always spot on, my eldest son has autism and all the staff have always been very accommodating and always made us feel welcome. 10/10 highly recommend

Beautiful food, amazing atmosphere and the staff are lovely.

Food was not cooked properly peas were hard coilflower not cooked and don't know what that stuff you called stuffing was pigs in blankets were rock hard mash potatoes were fake mash the gravy thin with lumps in it and was a funny taste to roast pots looking forward nice dinner did not get very sad I wanted a mixed grill but run out of them buy 12 .30 very disjointed will go there again

Came to The Sand Martin a couple of weeks ago because of the food and hospitality by Holly and her team so I thought we would try it again and we were again not disappointed. Even though there were a few people in we did not have long to be served and we did not have long to wait for the food to be served. So glad we came back.

Really friendly staff happy to accommodate.

Great weekly (Thursday) quiz night led by Olivia with great service from Josh behind the bar.

Went here for lunch after shopping. Such a warm welcome. Food was lovely served quickly and well presented. I would recommend.

Had a great time at Quiz last Thursday hosted by Liv. Friendly team and lots of fun, looking forward to the next visit.

My husband and I recently visited the Sand Martin for an evening meal. Wow! It was so spacious and accommodating! The staff were friendly and helpful and the owner Holly Hooper came over to say hello which we thought was a lovely personal touch. There was so much choice on the menu and a wide range of alcoholic and soft drinks. It was difficult to decide what to choose! We decided on the classic chicken burger and the 8oz aged sirloin, which my husband thoroughly enjoyed (and he is very fussy with steak!) Our meals were hot and delicious and we were not left waiting ages! We have booked in for Sunday roast as we have a special birthday coming up and want to take the whole family out, I really don’t think they will be disappointed! Can’t wait!

What a little Gem this place now is. From the moment we went in to the moment we left we were made to feel welcome by Holly and her team which is a far cry from when we last visited March 2023. My wife and I had Fish and Chips and can honestly say that it was best that we had had in a long time. We will certainly visit The Sand Martin again.

we went to the sand matin for lunch on a friday afternoon, my wife ordered fish and chips with peas I had was fine but our friends hunters chick a ultimate veggie burger meal and our friend ordered Hunters chicken my wifes fish chips was fine but her peas were hard my burger was fine but our friends hunters chicken portion was very small and had very little cheese and the two onion rings she had were tiny so the food was ok it was very disappointing

This is the stickiest pub I've ever visited. The table, bar, wine glass and every page of the menu were sticky! Very nosy staff also! Food was lovely and quick but I was surprised by the lack of side salad.

We come here every week for the quiz on Thursday evenings. Always have a meal beforehand. Olivia and Josh are brilliant. Always have a great atmosphere and staff really great and helpful.

Barman unwelcoming. Playing loud music. The barman said it closes at 10 but it closes at 11. The music is chained every second. No proper music taste. The ladies washroom is not clean and there is a little toilet. Very unprofessional.

Service was great and staff where helpful food was great and we where not waiting long for food to come out

Lovely beer garden great atmosphere as we were going to a hame in stadium staff were nice

Food = Lunch menu= Hunters chicken...more like a pidgeon, no serviettes on table, had to get own sauces ( not on table) attitude on guy behind bar, not friendly. Asked for ONE ice cube in water, got 3!! Didn't have a starter, parents hadn't finished eating, & he asked if we were ready for mains? 👎 dessert came with cream out of a can, as they didn't have pouring cream? No waitress service? As its mum n dad's local, their happy that's all that matters, but as part of their 'Marstons' chain, our Red kite in Caerphilly could knock spots off The Sand Martin. Not impressed.

Good atmosphere and lovely food. Everyone was polite and we had a great time.

Went with baby grandchild & elderly parents for a quick lunch. Went to change the baby in the rest room - really dirty Had to clean the highchair before I could put the baby in it - all of them need a really good scrub. Mum & dad asked for a pie which they didn't have so they had one with leek in. Pastry was rock solid - not sure if really old or overcooked I ordered a jacket potato with tuna mayo. Very little mayo - had to add butter. Potato was not that hot & I had to send it back because it had cotton thread in it. The barman was really nice & helpful but they seemed to be really struggling. Would not eat there again at this time. Really don't know how they have a 5 on hygiene

Absolutely lovely food. And the barman jay is very good at his job

As I was was finishing work my mum came to pick me up and went for tea there. The staff was amazing and the food was amazing.

lots of options out of stock, food was cold and when brought back had been microwaved so hard and inedible. no cake choices drinks were very expensive £4.90 for a bottle of alcohol free cider

Only been here for lunch and it's usually pretty quiet and relaxed. However, I came here to say, I totally recommend the burgers they are so very tasty! 😋

Great good valued food, friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere

Took the family for a carvery 2 adults and a child, cost us £54.00 with drinks. The vegetables where OK but the meat was disgusting and greasy Luke warm at best. First time and last time for us.

We met at 6.30 for a meal and drink. We went up at 8.40 to order a dessert to be told the kitchen closed at 8.30 pm. We were very disappointed why weren't we made aware of this when we ordered our main meal.

Didn't have food so can't judge either way. Just had drinks, they were fairly priced for a city. Atmosphere was great and friendly staff. 👌

Good all round pub, reasonably priced, nice pint and clean facilities. Can't comment on food as we didn't eat.

We were quite dissapointed with our meals. My husband had chicken and mushroom pie. The pie lid was very hard and tough to cut through and there was hardly any chicken in it, the portion of gravy was extremely small. I had fish and chips which were quite bland, not a lot of taste to fish or batter. Having said this we did eat it as we were so hungry.

Service is alright but the food is dry and expensive for what it is, overall really disappointed even for pub food

Nice pub grub and lovely atmosphere. Well worth it for a few pints.

Food is worse than Weatherspoons,very dry and overcooked

Excellent apart for 45 min wait for my jam sponge pudding

Tables had been cleaned with damp smelly cloth , food was awful and overcooked , child over 6 portion was tiny . Had to ask for more mash . Was overcharged but didn’t realise till I came home 2 adults meals and 2 kids meals for a £1 plus 2 cokes and charged £38 !!!!! If I had know this before I left I would have asked for a refund

Great atmosphere before and especially after the game.. Perfectly chilled beer. Professional service. Friendly staff