Summer Palace in Cardiff

£20 Minimum Charge Per Person for dine in. Disappointing Experience It was a rainy day, and we were thankful to find a seat inside. We were hoping to enjoy some appetizers and soup, but to our surprise, we were told that there is a £20 minimum per person charge to dine in. Since we didn’t plan to spend that much, we were asked to leave the table and order takeaway instead. It felt quite rude, and we were rushed out, leaving us disappointed with the service. Not a welcoming experience at all.

Excellent tasty food. The friendly staff make this place a pleasure to visit. Martin the chef/waiter is fantastic and has become a friend over the years. The sizzling plates are particularly good!

Visited this restaurant with my wife and found the food & Service excellent. We had a set meal and found it tasty & plentiful. The staff were very friendly & attentive. I would highly recommend this restaurant and free parking is available locally in the evening.

I love this place, but have not been in a while. We were not disappointed as the food was as stunning as we remembered.

Ordered meal for 4, with extras. Lovely spare ribs and vegetable spring rolls, no flavour in lettuce wrap. Peking duck was lovely. King prawn main had no flavour, rice was bland, sweet and sour was nice and crispy chicken. Beef with oyster sauce was salty and chewy. Was average. Service was nothing to write home about, my mum was partially sighted and light wasn't good but couldn't move a table as they had already been allocated, really??? Pretty expensive for average food, won't be running back.

Food quite expensive for what it was. Lots of dishes like lettuce wrap, king prawns in ginger and spring onion, beef in oyster sauce pretty bland and without flavour. Service below average and zero atmosphere.

We have been going here 25 years for special occasions 2/3 times year, the food and service is usually very good. However during our last visit we were seated at a table in a dark alcove we had booked this for a birthday treat 2 months in advance & we asked to move, have to say we were eventually moved after we stood our ground, but found the staff to be unhelpful which spoilt the atmosphere. We also noticed portion seemed smaller too. Such a pity

Despite the restaurant being full, the service was prompt. All of us enjoyed our meal. In fact, we went for sharing a set menu which worked out really well. There was plenty of food, good variety. I have a food intolerance which I thought would scupper our plans. But the waiter came up with an excellent idea to circumvent this, so it was smiles all round. I would really recommend booking because the place was full when we went on a Thursday, and from what I can tell, it is always busy. If you don't want a set menu, by the way, there was plenty of choice on the rest of the menu.

Great restaurant, I've eaten in 3 times and had takeaway countless times now. The service has always been great when I've sat in, and the staff are very welcoming and friendly. The restaurant is nicely decorated and always feels great to sit in. The food has never once been bad, and always comes completely as described. Definitely my favourite Chinese restaurant.

Ordered take away. Place was very busy with lots of diners inside and lots of take out orders stacked. Was informed take out would be 70 minutes which was expected as they are always backed up on take outs. Collected food on time. Food was warm, not piping hot but hot enough to eat. Potions ok but less than I normally receive from take outs with fewer ribs and less meat in a main. Otherwise standard amounts. Food very bland and unseasoned hence low score. Tasted poor or no taste. Not enough seasoning or spices. Satay sauce watery. Meat and veg overcooked. No crunch to bean sprouts or vegetables. Meat limp and soggy feeling. Prawn crackers had no seasoning either and were plain. Above average price for Chinese take out. We won’t be returning again and will stick to normal Chinese take out in Pontcanna.

The food here is amazing the best we've had by far. Staff are friendly too. Service good. We recommend!

Had a birthday meal with six people last night in the Summer Palace, and it was by far the best Chinese food I've had in years and probably the best meal in general I've had all year. The food was very well cooked. For starters, the standout dishes in particular were the salt and pepper ribs, which where crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside, and the mongolian crispy lamb, which tasted great. For mains, we were particularly impressed by the sichuan dishes, the Ma Po Tofu and the sweet and sour dishes and the three stuffed delicacies. The service was excellent, and the even brought a bit of ice cream over for the birthday boy. Absolutely brilliant, and will come again.

James & staff very nice friendly with great food & customer service lovely place & people thanks

We met up with family tonight to celebrate 3 birthdays. Two young children were in our party and the staff were very patient with them too. The food is delicious and the staff very friendly and the whole atmosphere very nice - thank you

Collected a takeaway this evening and saw that the restaurant was full with people waiting for tables. The atmosphere was vibrant and the diners all seemed to be enjoying themselves. The food was as delicious as usual and the portions were excellent. Am looking forward to booking a table soon to enjoy the food in the restaurant itself.

As ever, amazing takeaway from Summer Palace and really good value for money considering the consistent quality of their food.

Really good Chinese and they do Gluten Free as well. Very busy so you have to book a few weeks in advance

Visited Summer Palace for the first time tonight. The food was excellent and service friendly and prompt. Warm and inviting atmosphere. Will definitely be back

lovely food and nicely decorated restaurant.

Loved it can't say anymore well worth a visit

Sadly not what is used to be..... Food is incredible, but the service is by far the worst I have received. Table booked for 19:00, food ordered at 19:20, starters finally arrived at 20:15 later followed by food at 21:20. It seems as though take away orders take first priority and those orders were flying out the door whilst diners in the restarant did and wait hours. The food here is delicious, but the wait is not worth it.

Love this place. Best Chinese restaurant/takeaway in Cardiff.

Lovely meal and great service . Hope to come back soon .

We visited this Cantonese restaurant for a family birthday celebration, there were 6 of us. This was our first time at the Summer Palace. Not a very big restaurant and it is essential to book in advance. Lovely old building close to the Cathedral. We ordered quite a large selection of meals and sides and there was nothing left by the time we finished. Every dish was just right, good portion sizes and very tasty. Service was quick and staff polite and attentive. Nothing at all to complain about and we will definitely return.

Very good chinese restaurant in village near the Cathedral. Parking not close but walkable. Very good service. This place has been enjoyed by the village for years and is highly recommended.

We have been going to this restaurant for over 30 years for special occasions. Booked a table months in advance for my birthday. On arrival there was some confusion over the booking luckily I had a confirmation text from the restaurant when I booked. Eventually got seated at a table but unfortunately the table was right at the back almost in an Anex that felt like an add on. My husband asked to be moved explaining it was special occasion the waitress was not very accommodating & said there were no more tables & shrugged which felt like tough ! We were eventually given another table & the rest of the evening was very nice along the the food. I feel the layout downstairs is not suitable a larger group seemed to be crammed in plus the tables for two lack space I don’t understand why the upstairs area isn't used & the downstairs area used for takeout they takeaway was really busy.

The vibe and service was really good. We didn't have a reservation so we were lucky to have gotten a seat. The food was decently portioned and good for the price. However the restaurant loses a star for the absolute mess of fried rice. It was rice for £3. The Chicken curry sauce was also very grainy like it was made from a can. Overall good! But a little overhyped in my opinion.

Had round table at back of restaurant and felt like we were in dumping off ground for excess tables and chairs it was also cold in there no cloth on table so bit dissapointing food good as usual but not same as in previous visits they need to heat place up before opening not the usual standard 🤨

Had a lovely time and a lovely dinner

Excellent food, service and atmosphere! Would highly recommend menu c which came with delicious starters, crispy duck and pancakes and tasty mains!

Called for a takeaway on Friday night, given a time slot to collect and super friendly over the phone! Food was ready for time given and wow the best Chinese takeaway I’ve come across. Fresh, great quality and tasted great!

Quite simply the highest quality and most delicious take away you could ever imagine

Great quality and service. Staff allow the right amount of time between courses. Even though it was busy they always have time for you.

I was surprised how small the restaurant was, but the atmosphere is good and environment modern. The menu is quite extensive and has different options I hadn't seen before - I had a spicy lamb number which was real. Although in Wales these were real Yorkshire portions ( i.e large)! However the quality was excellent the prawn toasts were quite sumptuous and the lamb succulent. Worth a visit.

Was exploring Llandaff and just randomly saw this restaurant by chance after visiting nearby attractions. This is my first Cantonese meal since moving from Hong Kong. Very comforting food. This reminds me of home. Thank you.

Personally, I believe this is the best Chinese restaurant in Cardiff. The food is authentic and tastes fantastic. The staff are as attentive and accommodating as is possible and the atmosphere and restaurant is as traditional as it gets. The prices are reasonable, the service is quick but not forced so you never feel rushed. I can't recommend the summer palace highly enough. 👍

Nice food but a very poor welcome. Booked a week in advance. No welcome but told as soon as we arrived that the table had to be vacated by 8pm. Then placed in a dark corner next to the take away counter. Asked if there was an alternative and told "no". An adjoining table, in a more open position, had been laid for two and stayed unused for some time. Most disappointing.

Absolutely delicious food. Best Chinese food ever

Amazing food, lovely service from all the staff, really kind and helpful will definitely be back soon! Thank you

Poor customer service where after collecting a food order which was confirmed upon ringing through i found out a main meal was missing. When I rang through to enquire why it hadn’t been presented. I was advised to come back and collect it if still wanted which meant navigating back through rush hour traffic and the remainder of my partial order going cold in my car. I declined this option and they terminated the call. No offer of credit or delivery of food. Terrible service.

Dreadful , no where near as good as it was. Very rude insulting elderly waiter - insinuated that we were ordering too much food. Ie kept saying that’s enough !! Unbelievable. Quality was poor , not fresh , unable to change elements of the dishes also. Not enough rice for 4 , tasteless tofu , salty will not be going again as I can get better from our local takeaway !!

Great atmosphere, food and service! Glad my girlfriend took me here for my birthday. My first time here and now I understand why it isn't so easy to book a table. Absolutely recommended.

Best crispy chilli beef I've had. 😋

Fantastic food highly recommended been going here since 2010 👍

First time trying this restaurant as it always have been on my list and it has good ratings. It was quite disappointed. Basically it is not authentic Chinese food. This is the first time I had a sweet Mapo tofu rather than spicy and numb as what Mapo tofu is. Asked for some chilli oil to make the tofu more spicy and being charged £1.50 for the a small sauce plate of chilli oil! This is the first time in my life being charged £1.50 in a Chinese restaurant for condiment. Basically you are being charged for £1.50 for a ketchup. The baseline is there are other Chinese restaurant that offer more authentic food and cheaper.

Highly recommended for GF meals. Allergens are listed on the menu for ease. Highly recommend for any GF Chinese lovers.

Very pleasant staff, very warm and welcoming. The food tasted amazing, a highlight was the spare ribs. Highly recommended. A very good experience.

Just had an amazing food after a day of riding at BPW. Staff and food top bill! 5 plus star!

Best Chinese food I've ever had. Pleasent staff, spare ribs were amazing. Highly recommend

First visit, pleasant decor, friendly helpful staff, great menu plenty of choice and set menus with options to swap dishes. Plentiful portions, good quality tasty food. Experience let down by extortionate drinks prices.

Fantastic chinese food with great flavours and sauces. Cheerful anf attentive service. Can be pricey but worth the money. If you order too much, you ca.n get takeaway

Probably the best sit down chinese we have had. We will absolutely be going back. Food was fresh and everything we ordered was delicious. 5 out of 5

Disappointing food and service. The quality of ingredients seemed poor. Had gone downhill since last visit.

Went to Summer Palace twice within a week for two different occasions, one being a big group meal. Summer Palace is really popular and I feel you'd be unlikely to find a table just by turning up (they do offer a takeaway service though which also appears to be popular). Must say the food is very tasty, well portioned and all come out quickly. Over my two visits I've sampled a good selection from the menu and all dishes have been of a good quality. Salt and chilli squid, chilli beef and their King Prawn dishes have been particularly tasty. The waiters and waitresses are all very polite and attentive, and the restaurant itself is nice and cosy without feeling cramped ... no matter the size of your group. Must say that Summer Palace is one of the best Chinese restaurants I have been to in a while, and I would thoroughly recommend visiting it.

Excellent food, fast service wide menu choice

Been going here for years. Food is amazing. Sadly this evening we felt let down as owner unwilling to accommodate a small tweak to our order. We simply wanted the duck fried rice to be prepared without egg (our son has recently developed a dietary condition). This was curtly refused. Sad really. I won't be going again as customer service is paramount to me

Amazing food, wonderful service, one of our favorite restaurants in cardiff, 1000% recommended

The best Cantonese restaurant in Wales. Food excellent as well as the staff. Been going there over 25 years. That says it all, doesn't it. We go there at least twice a week. Staff very accomodating. Nothing's changed, all's well as always. Keep it going crew, as it keeps us going. We have great food and staff to look forward too every week we're home.

Very popular on a mid week. I did not book and was " lucky " to get a table for one after promising not to be longer than an hour. Staff were very busy. Menu was a huge choice. The place is quite small and seems to curl around the outside of the property. The tables are close together so it's a little noisey with everyone talking at the same time. The staff were polite whilst appearing to be a little flustered. The food was ok, nothing wrong with it but nothing special to write about either. Maybe all the other people filling the place saw something I didn't. I'll be back ,maybe.

Amazing as always..thank you again

My birthday big disappointment my husband's sliced duck was inedible and my crispy noodles with mixed meats was more noodles not much meat

Very disappointing. Simple changes to dishes were met with "no", the staff were a little abrupt, the food is not what it used to be. Rice was served in open bowls, so it goes cold quickly. All dishes tasted similar, the vegetable lettuce wraps tasted of nothing whatsoever. Just so disappointing, after many great visits in previous years.

Amazing New Year’s day take away from the summer palace. The food was outstanding as was the service. Can’t wait to try eating in at their restaurant. Highly recommend the summer palace, Llandaff.

Been coming here since I was a kid. The food is always amazing, just check everything is in the bag if you order a takeaway lol. My personal favourite - pekinese spare ribs!

Lovely food, very attentive staff, very much enjoyed our meal, thank you

It was heavenly... I haven't had a meal like that for many years. We were a table of 6 people and ate the most expensive fixed menu. We'll worth it. Prawns, crispy beef, lemon chicken, the most tender beef ever, peking duck... Plus much more. Can't wait to go again...

Excellent food and service, highly recommended

Good food and atmosphere. Maybe tone down the politeness to make it more authentic

Fantastic service, everyone is so friendly. The food is delicious, especially the duck!

My colleague and I visited early evening on a Thursday and they could only just fit us in- a good sign! We weren’t disappointed- service was quick and efficient and the food was excellent. I had the spicy ribs to start (huge and very tasty) and my colleague had a large bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup which he said was a amazing. I had sizzling king prawns with soft noodles and he had the crispy noodles with various meat. Again really big portions and very tasty. 3 Tsing Tao beers and 3 diet cokes and the total bill was a very reasonable £67. Recommended

To my taste this is one of the premier Chinese restaurants around anywhere. Food of consistently high standard. Customers just keep returning. Says it all really

Excellent set menu for 2 eaten. Been wanting to try here for months but always full when I ring and I was lucky to get a table for Friday night Will definitely go back

Food was delicious and the quantity of food was really good. I ordered the vegetarian Singapore noodles with black beans, aubergine chilli sauce with it but they gave me back beans with pepper sauce, which was still good. My friends ordered a portion of fried rice and a sauce to go with it. However, I think they could have avoided ordering so much and the rice and noodles portion would have been shared. The place was crowded as I thought it won't be. Looked like a popular place. Would recommend it.

Szechuan pork take-away with four thin slices of pork...£8.50. Rip-off.

Excellent restaurant meal - to their usual high standards.

MR Thomas provided the best service I ever had in a restaurant hope he gets a pay rise

Best aromatic crispy duck in Cardiff hands down. Foods great and reasonably priced, highly recommended Chinese in Cardiff.

Excellent takeaway meal as always. It was also nice to see a busy restaurant. Hopefully another sign we are returning to normal!

A wonderful family run restaurant/ takeaway it’s both.❣️❣️You have the personal experience as it’s an independent. (You can’t beat it) Service 10/10 Food 10/10 You must try this heaven of traditional Eastern Asia foods , as you won’t be disappointed.

Literally one of the best sit down and takeaway Chinese in Cardiff! Sticky crispy chicken and their broccoli & ginger in soy sauce are superb 🤤

***Gluten free friendly Chinese *** Summer Palace in Llandaff can cater for gluten and dairy free!!!! Hallelujah!! I found out by a random post by them through the first lockdown and my god am I chuffed I did! They're collection only but it's well worth it! They do recommend ordering 24hrs in advance for collection to ensure no disappointment. They are a sit down restaurant in the beautiful village of llandaff and just looking at the stunning building it is in! I've not managed to enjoy a sit down meal there as yet BUT I will soon! One major plus point for me is that I'm not left with that stodgy greasy feeling I remember from some Chinese take aways I used to visit. I've had lemon chicken, sweet and sour Cantonese style and special fried rice all of which have been safe and absolutely stunning. To just be able to enjoy the beautiful authentic Chinese flavours without feeling any guilt whatsoever or worried about stomach issues after is just amazing! I really cannot sing their praises any more! If you've not visited them yet, make sure it's your take away option for this weekend! I've recommended here to so many gluten intolerant and coeliacs and all have given glowing feedback!

Great Chinese food in a lovely restaurant & great service.

Really enjoyed our food here, great service

Arrived after booking on the telephone but they had no booking for us. Gave us a table very ungraciously. Food was really nice but we felt as if we were not really welcome. We were not asked if we wanted desserts, coffee or more drinks l felt they wanted us to eat up and get out. This had been recommended to us but sadly would not return. Spent about £170 for 6 of us

Food in this place is always great. Excellent Chinese restaurant

Visit was to celebrate my mothers 95th birthday. We waited an hour for first course whilst staff concentrated on serving and supplying take away customers. I have dined at the restaurant many times before and had excellent food and service thus the choice of this venue for the celebratory meal. I was extremely disappointed for the poor service, food lacked taste, the pork was tough and tasteless the noodles were dried out. I did not complain as it was a celebration and did not wish to make a fuss, normally I would have addressed these issues. There was no acknowledgement of my mothers 95 years despite my mentioning it on booking. I would have to think seriously about returning.

What a great place to eat, and the staff are very helpful and considerate. Will go again and pass on details to family and friends

Fantastic service, great food reasonable price. Loved it, previously eaten at the Crispy Duck highly rated but this was much better.

Ordered takeaway in advance, thank goodness as this popular restaurant is always busy. Food was lovely and the whole family enjoyed.

Good quality food at competitive price. Friendly staff

We recently had a meal at the Summer Palace and everything was really nice. The Prawn Crackers were fresh and tasty. I'd also really recommend the hot and sour vegetarian soup with tofu for starters. We also had wonton which we couldn't fault. For mains...

Best Chinese restaurant in cardiff! Superb!

Our first take away from here tonight, and I'm certain it won't be our last!

I was looking forward to this takeaway for a long time but I found it to be disappointing. The pancake rolls aren't very nice, they lack flavour and dont taste or look restaurant made. The prawn crackers are very good as are the sweet and sour chicken balls. I prefer swapping my sweet and sour sauce for bbq sauce but they told me they dont sell bbq sauce?? So they suggested peking sauce which they wouldn't swap, I had to pay an extra £1.65. (They still gave me the sweet and sour sauce?) When eating the meal, they either gave me 2 sweet and sour sauces or the Peking sauce tasted the same...... so I had no sauce at all to go with my food. The yung chow fried rice was tasteless and was boiled more than fried, the beansprouts were also tasteless and together they looked anemic and tasted bland. See picture. It was also expensive. 7.25 for chicken balls! .... they also told me they only sell rice in one size carton which is large, they are not, they are the small size so not enough to share. I had to finish off my rice with sesame oil and soya sauce due to the blandness. Doubt I'll eat there again.

Lovely venue in a great location opposite the cathedral. Staff welcoming and friendly. Good service. Table for 2 was very small so little room to fit the food \ drinks which made eating / enjoying the meal a little awkward / uncomfortable. Food was good portion and tasty. Enjoyed but slightly underwhelmed as ribs rather fruity and duck had thick fatty skin.

Only used the take away service, but despite the good things I have heard I was not that impressed. Duck was so overcooked it could not be shredded and the pork was so tough as to be inedible.

Great experience, really enjoyed the food, we went for the set menu option B lots of food. The staff friendly and very helpful ☺ we will definitely be going back for more.

The food was excellent, the service was outstanding, I will be recommending this place to everyone, I ever meet, ever.

The best Chinese Restaurant in Cardiff by a mile.

The best Chinese takeaway in Cardiff!