The Philharmonic in Cardiff

Lovely welcome from the bar person as we arrived. Just popped in out of the rain and was immediately informed of the two for one offer on. Great choice of cocktails and usual bar drinks menu. Huge pub so on a wk end I can imagine it would be quite a place to add to the crawl round town and a great spot for big groups.

We hosted the launch of my new book upstairs and it was perfect - comfortable, light, intimate enough, nice sound and great staff! Thanks!

Excellent night out. Bar staff very quick and good atmosphere.

Awful experience. There was a reserved table until 5pm. We got there at 2pm. 5 minutes within us sitting down, the 2 women were very rude to us and told us to move, no politeness about it. And once we moved tables to an unreserved one, we got told off for eating the Easter eggs by a very rude young lady. All in all, it was a very rude atmosphere, the staff were not friendly at all. That’s what you get for employing young women with no social awareness. If you are about to spend money at a place, you hope the service is good to match the price. These young women have no manners at all!!!!

After hearing so much about brunches & having troubles getting drinks I was wary. This most certainly didn’t apply here, the drinks didn’t stop the food wasn’t bad either. I would most definitely recommend for brunch, really enjoyed!

Did not have much of a feel for the place as probably went There a little early..!

Très bel endroit, sur 3 niveaux. Vous pourrez profiter de boire une pinte au Rdc dans une bonne ambiance, puis monter sur les deux autres étages pour manger. Les prix sont correct pour le lieu. Visité à l'occasion d'un match au principality stadium

Bit early so not many people in there. Breakfast was very nice but with smoked bacon not for everyone.

Good place, decent selection of beers. Bit pricey.

At least you come home even when you're French 😅

Being an Indian, the cauliflower side was fantabulous to have. The service was little delayed but could understand how a Friday night be. The dance floor was little congested, however.. the music and the vibe was too good. They are 2 floors seating, ground and mezzanine being very busy. I love this place and will sure visit again ... Kudos Philharmonic.

Nice 25% discounted food but no mustard.

Great staff coping with a busy rugby day

Got dragged out of the building by the throat by a bouncer with a small willy. Highly recommend

We had a great night out at this place. This was a few years ago, but the food was good and the drinks were amazing. We definitely spent a lot of money.

Nice place with 2 floors It has a lot of options of drinks Music here is amazing I like the singer He is professional

Staff were friendly enough when they wanted my money but as an English (born) person, I was made to feel SHOCKINGLY unwelcome. We travelled there to watch the six nations rugby with our Welsh friend, and they played music all through the England game. Such hated and discrimination shown to English visitors. IM NOT TO BLAME. GET OVER IT. Never going back.

Great place some nice pleasant staff! Good variety of drinks and cocktails, didn't have any food but good music and a good night will definitely go again.

Staff not willing to discuss a simple matter at the bar before you are thrown out. If you overpay for your drinks and try to bring this to their attention - good luck. Incompetent. Shame, because the atmosphere inside is great. If only they knew how to treat people with some respect it’d be a 10/10.

Lovely place, excellent staff great atmosphere was very full as match day Six Nations 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 but service was quick.

The worst bouncers in cardiff. Thinking they own the street. They are the worst. Stay away.

Seven quid entry to be chucked out in five minutes for accidently bouncer backing into a bouncer whilst dancing, pure money making scheme as there were too many people. Evil

Excellent value food and drink.

Good place for breakfast plenty of options and you could change a few things your not keen and add other of your likings. The place could do with an update also the toilets could be more sign posted.

The security wouldn’t let me in because of my race and they made me feel uncomfortable terrible service they should be ashamed of themselves

Couldn't be happier with the experience we received tonight! Even though it was new year's eve, Eleanor has been an exceptional host and service person throughout the ongoing evening!

Visited the philarmonic for a quick drink, heard the loud music outside figured it would be ear splittingly loud upon entering it was still loud but bearable. as time went on it seemed to get louder ruining any semblance of an atmosphere. The mojito was nice but the damage to ear drums is not worth the visit.

14 of us, my mate was sitting on my lap! nightmare with the service she must of had a rough night! don’t waste your time

me and my friend came here on a night out, got in the queue, i laughed at something she said and fell backwards a bit. as the barriers were really close together keeping the lines of people really close, i knocked the barrier ( no one was stood behind) and i then pulled it back and said sorry. As we got to getting our ID’s checked the bouncer grabbed me and pushed me and my friend out with no reasoning when i asked why. There was no need to grab me i was not even very drunk i was cooperating with him and i told him to get off and he said ‘i don’t want to touch you anyway’. not very professional from a bouncer for this club. wouldn’t go back out of spite now 🤪

Great fun bar full of all ages brilliant atmosphere

Came here for breakfast, they have a good vegan selection. Vegan breakfast was nice, came out fast. lots of free tables. Would return.

Came here for breakfast, they have a good vegan selection. Vegan breakfast was nice, came out fast. lots of free tables. Would return.

Myself and another four of my family members came here for some dinner. When it came to ordering the food we went to the bar to order. The man behind the bar seemed very confused and clueless as we ordered, he then didn’t know how much the bill came to and my sister had to help him with the math. The food took around 40minutes to come and was cold, not like warm, COLD! Do not recommend this place for food. All staff member seemed clueless and were getting confused with which table each food went to.

The staff in the bar up stairs unfortunately not professional come to the table asked what we wanted to drink so we sat there 25 minutes no drinks so I went to the bar and the lady said she didn’t take an order we would of gone to the bar if she didn’t take the order and to say she didn’t take an order when she did not good I not go again ☹️

Bouncers are disgusting in this place! Have loved philharmonic for years but tonight I was attacked by a random girl dragged down the stairs (the ones between the girls toilet and main bar) chunks of my hair are missing! Was then kicked out by these disgusting bouncers Although it was me who was attacked? I have marks to prove it. Bouncers were terrible did nothing then accused me of biting them??? They were NOWHERE to be seen hence the fact I got dragged down every single step by my HAIR. Have been advised by South Wales Police to make a formal complaint and charges which I will be doing on Monday morning😊 usually is an amazing service all around by this place but have clearly cut costs on security. I will never return to this disgusting institution and charges will be pressed upon staff and the vile girl who ripped me around the whole club. Luckily for me I am fortunate enough to have close family and friends within south wales police and I can afford a solicitor 😆 best of luck to you philarmonic shame on you and your security staff!

Oszuści i złodzieje. Naciągają ludzi. Nie wpuscili moich gości i nie chcieli oddać pieniędzy. Nie wrucę tu więcej. Nie polecam.

Didn't have any food. Drinks were good and service good. Only thing that was a let down was my friend wanted a coffee and they couldn't do it as didn't know how to put through till

We like a bottomless brunch and try many different venues - first time at the "Philly" and won't be the last! First class service from the lovely Megan - extremely attentive, very generous with the drinks and the food was delicious! We were downstairs which was a bit dark but that didn't matter. Great duo too to entertain the crowd! We had the ultimate brunch so a great choice of cocktails. beers. wine, spirits, prosecco etc - well worth the money. Only negative was the state of the ladies toilets - everyone of them was either flooding or blocked. Management need to sort that out as soon as possible. Highly recommended venue though and great value for money.

Came here on Tuesday night after a meal at Wagamama’s. I was hoping to watch the last 20 minutes of the football match and have my usual 2 pints when I’m working away. I’m away on a business trip so by myself. The doorman started asking me all manner of questions, who am I with where am I staying, why am I down here, why am I out by myself. He wasn’t impolite about it but it seemed a bit strange and invasive. I responded politely explaining I’m here on a work trip and staying in Premier Inn. Both parties remained polite, he was professional in his conduct. I came dressed smartly and hadn’t even consumed any alcohol. I got told it’s the policy not to allow single men in. I am a quality engineer and have been working away for 12 years. I have a routine of a meal and 2 pints most nights when away. I have never came across such a dismissive policy. At first I thought he was kidding, but no he deadly serious. I don’t like leaving negative reviews but felt compelled to share my experience here. I’m happy to amend my review if someone gets in touch.

Cavernous pub, split across three floors, no cask ales, but the drinks range isn't too bad.

Never fail to have a great night here. Plenty of space to dance or to take yourself away for a sit down and chat! Went again on Saturday and we were a very large group of boys and girls, like 15 of us. Myself and my partner came 5 minutss before the rest of the group because we wanted to find space for the boxing. Dan helped us find a quieter area of the club and put the boxing on the screen for us, i then asked if there was any way he could speed up the rest of the group wanting to come in as they were all queing but people at the front were being difficult which meant the que was getting longer. He went out and spoke to the doorman and let all of our group past. So that they didnt miss the start of the boxing. Thanks Dan (General manager i think)

Booked the bottomless brunch for 7 people to celebrate a friends birthday... we were not disappointed! Great service, plenty of cocktails/drinks in the 90 mins, brilliant selection, good portion of food. All round fabulous afternoon. 100% recommend & will book again.

Staff were great. Ultimate Brunch (£35, 90min) food was good, great drinks good choice. Some areas are a bit tired. Majority of the toilets didn't lock and the ones that did were out of toilet paper at half 12 in the afternoon

Amazing place, I went with my partner and we enjoyed lots of cocktails during happy hour. The staff are really kind and friendly, and the atmosphere is amazing.

One of the loveliest bars I've been to in Cardiff. Brilliant and friendly staff. Great service. Great atmosphere. Not too loud, lovely for a drink and a good gossip. Great cocktails, good value 2 for 1 deals. Can't get anywhere better. Will be coming here again.

Avoid! I recently visited The Philharmonic and had a negative experience. Unfortunately, my partner was asked to leave the premises based on an unfair assumption. He was accused of engaging in dr*g-related activities simply because he preferred to use the cubicle in the restroom instead of the urinal. This decision was driven by his discomfort in such public spaces, and it was not related to any illegal activities! We were deeply disappointed by this incident, as it left him feeling humiliated and targeted for his sexual orientation. We believe that no one should experience discrimination based on their identity. We had hoped that The Philharmonic would be an inclusive and welcoming space for all patrons. We urge the management to address this issue promptly, conduct an investigation, and implement measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.! Diversity training for the staff could greatly contribute to fostering an environment of understanding and acceptance. We hope that the The Philharmonic takes this matter seriously and strives to create a more inclusive atmosphere for all visitors.

The staff are all very friendly and the VIP room above the main area is perfect for watching Formula 1 or doing some salsa dancing.

Visited here on a stag do for a few drinks and it was great. Dance floor and bar downstairs was good fun and didn’t have to wait for drinks.

Class little spot for jäger trays. Only downside is that there isn’t a tunnel from here to coyote ugly. Five stars

Avoid,overpriced and door staff overly aggressive. Classic cardiff door staff, uneducated, aggressive, and general bullies. Ruin cardiff for a night out. Door staff are shocking, assulted me for no more reason than getting refused a drink. Refused to give my phone or jacket back,cardiff resident and eont be 8sinf your business again shocking. Looking into my legal defence, poor poor poor door management as usual in cardiff, door staff are aggressive and over step their job. Ill be requesting the video footage in the morning and speaking to my legal representative

Well maintained premises on main street of city, reasonably priced menu, food very tasty, we had tapas selection. Service a little slow & background music a little loud. Overall nice experience.

Terrible gaff. Sales men on the door trying to coax you in, we gave it a try and all the sales tactics were false. We were told 2-4-1, great atmosphere and all day scran, but none of it was true. No 241, no one was in there and no food. Wouldn’t recommend at all. Fake salesmen selling fake products.

Myself and 11 friends recently had bottomless brunch at the Philharmonic in cardiff. Firstly the positives - The food was great! We had to preorder online a few days before and our food arrived piping hot within 10 minutes of arrival. There was lots of food options , something for everyone (even the fussy eaters in my party) Everyone enjoyed their food I as the birthday girl had a free shot on arrival which was a nice touch Now the negatives - Even though we were one of only 2/3 tables booked in for brunch it was the slowest drinks service I’ve ever had at a bottomless brunch. Having tried many others in cardiff including Turtle Bay, Las Iguanas and Dirty Martini I thought we’d try somewhere different but were very disappointed with the drinks service. One member of the party asked the waiter if they could speed it up a little as we’d only had 1 drink within the first 40 minutes of arrival and from then on it improved. Overall it was okay. I would have bottomless here again but only as a last resort

Booked the VIP lounge for my daughters hen party for 50+ people Saturday 17th June 2023. The manager could not do enough for us from the time of booking to the day of the party. Also booked the hot and cold buffet through the manager which was delicious 😋 The room was exceptional with air conditioning and the modern feel atmosphere. Would highly recommend The Philharmonic for any private event. Suzanne

Genuinely awful experience, awful service and bouncers were clueless in who they kicked out and their service.

There was a big gang of us in there the weekend spending lots of money. didnt have any food... the beer was ok.. but started drinking double vodkas.. and then tried double rums... no alcohol in either... just water... and not cheap!! Not everyone is so drunk they wont notice!!

Do not go here unless you want to be man handled for no reason. The bouncers are on a massive power trip, one in particular is nothing but a bully, throwing my friend out accusing her of being sick in the toilets which she was not, and had no where near enough drink to be sick. She tried telling him that he had the wrong person and obviously he is someone who doesn't like to be told he is wrong so he decided to rag her through the club and throw her on to the pavement, breaking her sandals and badly bruising her leg! This is assault! The people who are supposed to be protecting everyone in the venue are the ones that we need to be protected from! When asked why he did this he gave a totally disgusting and rediculous answer. The owner of Philharmonic needs to address this before they seriously injure someone all for their own ego! As you can see from multiple previous 1 star reviews complaining about the bouncers and clearly nothing has been done! They must get a real kick out of picking on people and roughing them up! It's bouncers like that who give the whole profession a bad name!

I only stayed there for a bit to get some food before my train journey. The Caesar Salad is one of the best in the land. The music is nice too (2000's hits) and the prices are not inflated. Overall, I'd recommend this place!

Very nice place to enjoy and have fun

Lovely staff and atmosphere. Cocktails were nice, but the last one had no alcohol in it ... felt robbed considering the price. Nothing to do with the staff, they were amazing!

We had confirmed with Philharmonic that they would be showing the Women's six nations Wales vs England prior to booking a table. They confirmed they would be so we booked a table. Upon arrival, we again asked if they were showing the women's six nation match today and again they said yes. So settling down for the match, we tries to order food from the app but looked at the menu at the table prior to ordering. The menu said "Tapas 6 for £23.95" however the app constantly tried to charge £25.95 after taking off the promotion. The staff were made aware of this and we ordered at the bar. Do be careful when ordering that youre getting the correct price. Following this the channel was changed from the footie to horse racing, we physically had to go down to ask for the womens rugby to be shown. Then half way through the second half, they changed the channel again and again we had to go ask for the rugby to be put back on. It's shocking to think how little this pub cares for customers and claiming one thing and doing another. Beside this is a six nation match and it shows that they do not appreciate supporting the welsh or sport women due to them constantly changing the channel over. It was disappointing being promised that thr game would be shown and it wasn't, and again and again it had to be asked for. We won't be coming back here, first time and last time. How disappointing.

Good laugh Good music good beer

Good selection of beers & lagers. Reasonable prices for a City Centre Pub. Very different to the days of sticking to the floor of the 90's. Will be back 👍

Jess and the team are lovely, the food was also pretty good.

Incompetent, unprofessional and judgemental door staff at this venue. Will never visit or recommend any Philharmonic venue ever again. Going by the numerous previous reviews highlighting this issue, I can see that nothing much has changed and no retraining has been received by Assero Security Services, who provide security for this venue.

Incompetent, unprofessional and judgemental door staff at this venue. Will never visit or recommend any Philharmonic venue ever again. Going by the numerous previous reviews highlighting this issue, I can see that nothing much has changed and no retraining has been received by Assero Security Services, who provide security for this venue.

Class night ,friendly staff , bouncers and bar staff were awesome and welcoming will be back again.

Came in for a few drinks on my birthday evening. The music and atmosphere was fantastic, even considering it was a Tuesday night! Took advantage of the 2-4-1 cocktails, and even after this ended they offer a particular cocktail each night that stays on the offer so that you don’t have to pay out for the full priced ones! The drinks were really lovely and overall we had a great evening!

Lively place to watch sport. Downstairs bar has large screens, if you can't get a ticket for the rugby this place has a great atmosphere on rugby International days

My friend and myself had just paid to get into the philharmonic. We bought a drink and headed to the dance floor. Whilst we were dancing, a lady with short white hair stated that we were “in her space”. We stepped down onto the floor and next thing we knew, a ‘bouncer’ told us to go upstairs “for a chat” (we took a photo of the woman after she tried to get the bouncer to get us thrown out for being in her ‘space’ - we followed the bouncer. I asked for his badge number but he refused to tell us - accusing us of filming him which we hadn’t and have proof it was just the woman who told us “it’s my space”. He gave us plastic cups and told us we were to be “out now”. I stated “are you serious?” He said ‘yes you were in her space?’ I said ‘“Ain’t this a public place? And we were there first?” They did not listen to us - I believe this was due to my appearance - with a face tattoo and looking alternative. We hadn’t done anything wrong! My friend and I couldn’t believe we were getting thrown out for no reason. We were later informed she was “an employee” - not my issue. We then observed the lady going into ‘Walkabout’ straight after getting us kicked out - I confronted her and said “what was all that about?” She said “I didn’t intend to get you thrown out” my friend said “but you did get us thrown out” and she said “this is my space, get over it” - who does she think she is? Have had many a good nights in philharmonic but we will NOT be returning after this treatment.

Great place to dance away the night in Cardiff.

Had a fab night with friends but unfortunately one of my friends had too much to drink and was really sick. The doormen took us to a closed off area and gave her a bucket and water and a blanket to cover herself. They let us sit with her for a while before helping us carry her into a taxi and persuading the taxi driver to help us get her home. The doormen there were absolutely incredible. We felt safe and We were so thankful. Amazing doormen and all round bloody good blokes. Thank you x

Very nice pub. Atmosphere very good and staff lovely.

The whole place smells like urine.

Great atmosphere and staff and amazing cocktails!

Great atmosphere. Buzzing with lots of people on a night out. I have come here many times, even before it was all refurbished and it has always been good. The menu looks really good. But we didn't eat this time. We would come again

The vibes are mad!!! And the drinks are affordable and amazing

Came here Friday night with friends… was very disappointed was there for an hour no problems at all was having a great time. Went to the toilet then a bouncer proceeded to remove me… was not given a reason just manhandled me.. wasn’t drunk well behaved. Wasn’t able to tell my friends as no signal on the dance floor. Seems the bouncers picked on other people that night for no apparent reason. Also had my hoody in the closet.. told him this he didn’t care still removed me so I had to ask someone else if they could get it. Very disappointing pay good money to come to these places and then get treated very badly for no reason.. would avoid and recommend somewhere like live lounge where the security are fair and kind.

Not really my bag but it was OK for a change of scene with a mix of ages but mainly younger, playing early 2000 RnB. At 11pm on Friday it wasn't so busy. Anything goes outfit wise but mostly items that wouldn't pass a mothers approval. I wouldn't recommend for the cocktails so stick to tap and bottles. Loos were surprisingly cleaner than the bar area.

Ideal for drinks with friends. In need of a make over and a good clean.

Have been here on many nights out with my friends (girls) turned up on a night out with my husband and another couple, to have a very rude bounce thinking it's okay to throw his weight around approach my husband and try to antagonise him, at that point had to tell my husband we were leaving before the bouncer found an excuse to cause drama....I think your bouncer's need training in customer service and approaching staff when removing tables and chairs to turn your establishment from a bar to a night club.......

Good atmosphere, quickly served even when busy

There is a black painted box at the bottom of the stairs which I tripped over and hurt my leg on. It's supposed to be a small platform for the security to elevate themselves to monitor the dancefloor but is dangerously positioned at the bottom of a stair and painted black! Sort it out.

An amazing venue! Amazing music! Amazing cocktails! Amazing food! Honestly couldn’t think of any where better to start and end my nights out!

An amazing transformation since I was last there many decades ago. It's made my day to get fresh beer in clean lines served in a spotless glass. The service from the ladies was first class. Whoever runs this place should be proud. Well done!

Great cocktails at sociable happy hour time and friendly staff.

£6 for a pint of lager(!) which was served in a handle tankard (fair enough) which I didn't want. Asked if they could pour it into a usual glass and was then presented with a half beer, half froth drink and told to go do one. Ridiculed by a bunch of 20 year old upstarts behind the bar and threatened to be thrown out. Absolutely appalling.

Nice decor, overpriced drinks, absolutely disgusting men's toilets, downstairs floor soaked with urine, upstairs even worse, urinals overflowing and cubicle floor soaked with urine

Great atmosphere and live band was very good.

Nice place to watch the rugby plenty of tvs and plenty of room

Decent atmosphere and the majority of our small party enjoyed. However, a couple of the bar staff were rude to our group on at least 2 separate occasions. For this reason, we won’t be rushing back!

Great atmosphere and location. Staff seemed good.

Nice looking bar but the management kick people out of tables saying they are reserved although there are not. Can be very frustrating when you are trying to enjoy your night.

Make sure you don't forget your coat in their cloakroom at the end of the night. Despite them saying they have it and despite your best efforts to get it back they'll just dispose of it without warning.

Great music and atmosphere at night!

Me and my wife popped in here on a recent night out in Cardiff and really enjoyed our time in there. The bar is pretty big and has plenty of seating areas scattered over different levels. There's a huge selection of drinks to choose from,...

As I was going in, sober, with a paid ticket, a security guard told me I was a sl*g and said to his colleagues, “let the sl*gs through” on about me and my friends. Honestly disgusting. I have lived in Cardiff for 22 years and usually go here loads and have never had this experience before EVER but bun that. I dont go out to be shamed and insulted, sort it out!!!!

Absolutely disgusting bouncer staff. We're completely racist towards my friend. Additionally were telling me to F off the bold African American man was absolutely horrible. His thee co workers told me they'd let us in but this one specific Boucher, told us we were all too drunk.his other 3 co workers lets us in. (We had only 3 pints!) He allowed allowed half of us to pass through before coming up with this comple and utter fable of a lie that we were all absolutely wasted. This guy in particular whom wouldn't give me a name was an utter shambles. Worst door man ever. Horrible,rude, used fowel language told us to F off when we said we only had 3 pints. Ultimately couldn't rate this bar any lower because Google only allowed a 1 star would have given a minus 18198 star because this one guy he should be sacked. He's upset us all and ruined a lovely night out we had planned. Absolutely disgusting.

Great night, great music, good atmosphere

Great staff and great venue. Would highly recommend