The Pontcanna Inn in Cardiff

If I could give minus I sure would. Absolutely shocking and will never ever ever return! Rude bar staff and then comes along the most arrogant ‘big headed’ manager that thinks he’s bigger and better than everyone else who thinks he has the god given right to shout at you and make you feel so small (didn’t work sorry better luck next time) Shocking customer service honestly do not waste your time or money I mean it, spend it somewhere decent who hire staff that are approachable and who are trained properly. By the looks of all other reviews whoever types the replies for this awful pub has an answer for everything and it always seems to be the customers fault never the pubs fault, no accountability what so ever..

From the moment we arrived, we felt completely unwelcome and uncomfortable. When we ordered cocktails from the menu, the staff’s reaction was dismissive and unprofessional—one even responded with an unimpressed “ummm, okay,” as if our request was a major inconvenience. Later, one member of our group tried to order another cocktail and was flat-out told no, without any explanation. We had pre-booked a table for our group of seven, but when we arrived, no one explained that we had to order at the bar. We sat down, clearly trying to figure out the system, and were in earshot of staff, yet no one took the time to inform us how to order. It was a frustrating and avoidable start to the experience. The food itself was mediocre at best, and to make matters worse, one member of our group received their meal 20 minutes after everyone else. We tried to cancel it after such a long wait, only to be met with the dismissive response, “They’ve already started it.” To their credit, this meal was refunded, but it says a lot when the refund ends up being the best part of our visit. On top of all this, staff members sitting at a nearby table on a laptop actually shushed us. While we understand the need to maintain a pleasant atmosphere, this approach was both rude and unprofessional. A simple and polite request to lower our volume would have been far more appropriate. This experience left us feeling so uncomfortable that we would not recommend this place to anyone. Between the poor service, lack of communication, unprofessional behavior, mediocre food, and unwelcoming environment, it’s safe to say we won’t be returning.

Central location, good size garden at back. Useful to know that they don't take cash

Vinimos al Pontcanna Inn para hacer un trabajo y el servicio era genial! Lugar perfecto para esta ocasión y lo recomendaría!

Absolutely amazing pub! Staff are incredible as well! Been going here for a while now on and off and my server Hasia was absolutely incredible when I went there yesterday!! Always has a smile on her face and was more than happy to help with anything!! Hasia truly stood out as an invaluable asset to the team, consistently providing exceptional service every time I go there and adding to the overall positive atmosphere of the pub!! Also want to thank Nathan and Noah for being great!! If I had to give a rating it’d be a 10/10!! Also the food is incredible!!!

Great rugby pub with lots of space and well themed. Very nice atmosphere with good drinks and plenty of space and TVs to watch the rugby.

Decent pub, decent beer, but overpriced. Additionally, to be classed as a proper pub, you have to accept cash. Card-only is utter woke nonsense

Excellent stay at Pontcanna Inn, the rooms are really well presented with comfortable beds and great showers. Prime location and proactive staff.

Booked a table for 4 two weeks in advance. The last of our party to arrive was refused entry by the doormen because the pub was “over capacity”😳 Even though we explained we had a booked table! Shocking service.

There's a reason locals don't go here. Original review: Really really average - feels like a classic case of a new bar in Cardiff so let's rave about it. Drinks range is average at best, if not quite poor and not seasonally reflective (no non bottled cider other than stuff like dark fruits). Drinks are fairly expensive - £4 a pint. Served a pint in a broken glass too, broken to the point it should have been thrown out. Some of the staff were nice (more senior ones) but the younger bar staff were short bordering on rude. Expected to hand my card over and not be shown how much I was being charged but rather told and expected to accept it, asking for a receipt seemed to be a major inconvenience for them. Decor is very nice and it's clean and tidy but it is new. Outdoor space out the back is a bit bland but serviceable. Didn't try the food. Update: Outdoor space is much better now following the updates this year. Still overpriced.

Booked a table this Saturday night. Not only did they fail our booking and have to hastily find us a table, but refused entry to one of our party because the venue was over capacity (despite many empty tables). Ruined our night at what was one of our favourite pubs.

We love going here for drinks. Really nice decor inside and a really impressive beer garden. However, food can be hit or miss. Somedays spot on, others not so.

very nice place to stay, and the service is very good!

Era la primera vez que visitaba el Pontcanna Inn desde que se instaló la nueva cervecería. Cuando entré en el jardín me sorprendió el puro asombro. Era un asombro solo comparable a ver la puesta de sol en la playa de Daytona mientras estaba muy intoxicado, o ver a Lionel Andrés Messi jugar en vivo. Seguí adelante, todavía golpeado y ahora sin aliento. Como individuo que es generalmente incapaz de montar una sonrisa debido a una combinación de neurodivergencia y ser un naufragio tembloroso - incluso yo sentí el temblor de un labio vuelto hacia arriba y el goteo de una lágrima en mi mejilla. No como a menudo fuera debido a la interacción humana innecesaria, pero debo decir que la comida se ve tremenda. A menudo me he encontrado salivando como el perro de Pavlov mientras la comida es enviada desde la cocina. Mi compañero de copas, que tiene un marco rotundo, está de acuerdo. Es un lugar muy acogedor con un personal de bar sensacional, y el hecho de que Estrella Damm se sirva en el grifo es un gran positivo. Lo único negativo que se me ocurre es la falta de cubículos masculinos. No necesariamente para consumir drogas de clase A, solo disfruto mucho haciendo pis. Recomendaría encarecidamente el Pontcanna Inn. Es una distracción bienvenida de la incompetencia y falta de profesionalismo de la jerarquía de cricket Glamorgan.

Have just left the Pontcanna Inn - had a terrible experience. Paid £12.70 for 2 pints, and decided to sit out of the front of the pub as there was a quiz night set up in the rear garden. No sooner had we sat down to enjoy our beers, 2 members of staff set out to empty the cellar of barrels onto the patio behind us making so much unbearable noise we left our unfinished pints. This pub does not care about its customers. Despite visiting regularly, we will not be returning.

Se absolutely loved our stay at the Pontcanna inn! The room was very spacious, with an unexpectedly nice view of the main road out front through gorgeous big windows. The staff was also incredibly friendly to us, despite also having to run a pub. We also very much loved the friendly and laid back atmosphere of the pub below, and made some new friends while having our dinner, and watching the football in the absolutely HUGE beer garden in the back. The location is also ideal in a very walkable and adorable neighborhood.

Excellent stay. Room was ready on arrival as location is brilliant.The room was excellent with bottled water available. The bathroom was a good size with an amazing shower. Great food and a nice atmosphere in the bar with friendly locals. The best part was the comfortable bed for a good night sleep.

Beautiful decor in rooms , lovely comfy bed and friendly helpful staff . Great location

Ubicación ideal para conciertos celebrados en el castillo, un corto paseo por el parque y se encuentra en el bullicioso centro Nuestra habitación estaba muy bien decorada y era cómoda y limpia, lo único negativo sería que las áreas de servicio (escaleras / rellanos / pasillos) están un poco cansados y sucios El personal era servicial y a pesar de que el pub estaba ocupado no experimentamos ningún ruido para molestarnos durante nuestra estancia

Nice beers and good outdoor space. Friendly

Nice bar with lots of good drink choices. Only complaint is that glasses/ plates were left around for ages and not cleared up - I know they were busy!! Would recommend this pub it is lovely and has a great beer garden

Lovely pub garden Good atmosphere But more on the expensive side

A chic room with a lovely bathroom, just a few minutes' walk from Cardiff city centre. At the weekend there is a delicious breakfast from the menu. Bute Park is also just around the corner. Our dog had a lot of fun there. Even on the weekend we had no problem finding a parking space on the side street Sophia Walk. The staff was always helpful and very friendly. However, a closet would really do the room good. So we had to live out of suitcases for several days. You should also know that the rooms are above a pub. It didn't bother us, but it can get a bit noisy, especially on weekends.

Great location to access all of this great city. Room was good, bed comfortable and everything was clean. We had one of the rooms facing the road and, despite the pub being fairly full outside when we returned, the double glazing meant it was very quiet. This was a pleasant surprise. The only negative was that the uplighting at the front of the building shone into our room keeping the room light whilst we went to sleep. Not a big negative, but something that probably could be adjusted. Overall, a good stay.

Nice beer garden, busy and good pints. Service was a bit lacking.

Friendly and helpful staff - especially helping me with my questions about gluten free food options. Big thanks to the barmaid who went out of her way to help me with the new menu and explain the gluten-free options, reassuring me that the kitchen had a separate fryer for the chips. A lovely place to spend a spring evening with friends.

Fab location, nicely refurbed bedroom, comfy bed, broken loo seat but management knew about this and was on maintenance lists, access after 12 via outside staircase scared me to bits 🤣 Plenty of parking along cathedral road

The manager was extremely rude when I politely asked for a top up on my pint. It was clearly below the pint mark. She point blank refused then began to belittle me in front of other customers. Very embarrassing. I will not drink here again. Was here during am event night. A review earlier puts it nicely. Thoroughly rude lady and antiquated rules. But, I have never been refused a top up before. Extremely poor service.

Anyone who can do without luxury is in good hands here. We had a large room that was simple but completely sufficient. Everything we needed was available (kettle, coffee, tea, hairdryer). If you are on the island for the first time, you should think about an adapter for your electronic devices. There are other sockets here. The USB sockets were great. This means you don't need an adapter to charge your cell phone. The pub downstairs invites you to have an evening nightcap. But the food selection is also good. It's a shame that breakfast is only available on weekends. Nevertheless, we felt comfortable at the Pontcana Inn and would like to come back again.

Great location, food, staff and prices. These guys and girls are setting a new standard.

Nice pub. Lots of TVs to watch sports and a great pint. Large sheltered garden area to the rear with removable roof.

Nice pub, good beers and good atmosphere, but they had a 'no tracksuit bottoms' policy on their local's garden party 'event night'. Just seems really backward enforcing a restricted dress code which also isn't mentioned on their event page. Asked bar manager, who was also wearing relaxed comfort trousers (aka tracksuit bottoms) to find out why the policy was in place. The only response that was given, was that as other people had been turned away it's not fair that they change the rules now. You know it's better to admit that you are wrong and move forward, than to keep making the same mistake. Anyway, nice pub, just don't go near it if you think what you are wearing might not suit their taste!

Went there a couple of nights ago with my partner and found it friendly and good staff,a good crowd of people,

From here it is a short walk through the park to the city center. The rooms are comfortable and sufficient. The pub is very cozy and we had nice people at our table on the quiz evening. The food and drinks are definitely worth it and we really enjoyed it.

Perfect location for Principality Stadium! First floor is a bit noisy - 2nd floor fine!

I enjoyed my stay at the Pontcanna. The room was very comfortable and relatively quiet considering it was above the pub. The staff were friendly and helpful for check in. The location was great to get to my meeting at the cricket club and is also just a few minutes walk to good restaurants and sites. I ate in the pub a couple of times and was happy with both meals. I was a bit thrown by the qr code ordering and paying at first but it ended up being very convenient and you always have the option of ordering from the server. I would certainly stay here for any future Cardiff visits.

Always great. Never had a bad stay

Our experience was great. We arrived half way through Wales v Ireland in the 6 nations and the place was heaving. The Door men were lovely, calling someone to the front doors to us so we didn't have to try to find someone ourselves. A lovely girl- jen/ gemma it think came to us, took our name got our key and showed us to our room, she explained how to get in and out after midnight as that's when the bar is closed and told us everything we needed. Our room was lovely looked out the front which is great a we love pontcanna, large window seat, really comfy bed and great on suit. We could turn the heating on off so the room was a temp we like and also a fan if it's warm. We slept really well, I even fell asleep just before the bar closed to someone singing oasis..lol The bar is lovely and big, massive bear garden- all staff were lovely and it was a very busy night. I can't fault it at all and we will definitely stay again.

Great place to stay a night or more, rooms are cool and excellent downstairs pub.

Lovely bar staff. Great room at first sight. But the curtain doesn't lower fully (and a random bag of screws and rawl plugs appears without warning). Wonderful there's hot chocolate for the none tea and coffee drinkers, but where are the biscuits??

Good food with friendly and helpful staff!

Great Sunday dinner in the evening.

Lovely pub with a massive covered beer garden at the front and the back. Beer selection is good and it's always nice to see Clwb Tropica on tap. Good music (plenty of Britpop if you're lucky) and really lovely staff make this pub a joy to visit. Keep meaning on trying the food but never get around to it, looks decent

Came for Sunday Lunch. Run out of celeriac puree and my partners beef was cold to the touch. Aside from that, really enjoyed our experience and will be back (but maybe not for food) on a Sunday :-(

Fabulous Sunday roast. Good service.

Great place to stay for a city visit, good location for exploring Cardiff. Rooms are clean and comfortable. Pub area is welcoming and pleasant. I will definitely come back, next time in Cardiff

Great service couldn't fault them

Always A Pleasure Seeing My Beautiful Manager There Jaymie. She Always Makes You Feel Welcome & Doesn't Stop Lol. Lovely Venue & Dog Friendly

A nice pub with friendly staff! Marking them down for the food, which felt frozen and deep fried. If they could just elevate the food a touch, would be a great pub.

The room we had was perfect. We stayed on Saturday night, great atmosphere. We ate in the restaurant and food was nice. Breakfast in the morning was amazing. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend. We are looking to come again and will be booking here.

Great venue and location, attractive building and interior. Our large room was lovely well decorated, very clean and great shower. Good meal on Saturday night and great veggie breakfast on Sunday morning.Really enjoyable stay with friends.. loved it, thanks

Ideal location, 10 min walk to St Mary’s Street. Great welcome and our room was upgraded which was lovely for them to do as it was a Birthday treat. Room was decorated excellently with great features. Pub was lively and a very friendly atmosphere. Would highly recommend staying here and was told they are extended the beer garden so a must visit in the Summer.

My team and I (×13 of us) had our Christmas lunch at the Pontcanna Inn. The service was prompt and friendly, the food was delicious and we were not rushed which meant we could sit and enjoy each others company for a while before moving on. All in all, a really pleasant afternoon. A Billy bonus being it's a dog friendly venue so a colleague could bring his sausage dog along to meet the team!

The room is very comfortable, spacious and clean, however it’s actually located above the pub/restaurant. So be prepared the noises will continue at least until 23:30 if you choose to stay here. The location is also very nice and handy because it’s very close to the Cardiff Castle. The restaurant downstairs offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and etc. Which is also very handy for travelers as well. Plus the food there is also very good!! I would definitely recommend!!

Amazing hotel, staff really lovely rooms spotlessly clean bed and bedding amazing fresh comfy didn't want to get out of bed 😊will be staying at the poncanna inn again and again

Amazing hotel clean comfortable and the staff are really friendly. The bed is so comfy I didn't want to get out of it

Staff very nice ,breakfast food is great 👍 Right beside the road .

We always enjoy a trip to Pontcanna! Good food, good drinks in a festive atmosphere.

Amazing stay at Pontcanna Inn. Walking distance to Cardiff City center, but far enough away for a quiet nights sleep. The room was compact, however, plenty of room for just me, bed was incredibly comfortable, tea tray had everything I needed, and the ensuite was a good size. I enjoyed numerous meals during my stay including roast on Sunday. All in all I highly recommend Pontcanna inn for lodging, drinks and dining!

Great place, but they had run out of bacon and eggs, so we couldn't have breakfast.

Excellent service, very busy staff done everything to accomodate

My husband and I stopped here mid afternoon for a late lunch. Noah was our server, and he was friendly and accommodating, giving us several samples of beer prior to our choosing one of them. As to the food, I got the jerk chicken and it was delicious, as were the sweet potato fries. My husband got the hamburger and he said that he really enjoyed it. 5 stars to this wonderful pub!

They advertised Oktoberfest, steins, and snitzels. Went there around 8 and it was a football night. Just a casual pub night. No steins no snitzels or themed music, clothing. Nothing Oktoberfest like except a sign 😂. Was really excited about this, left with disappointment.

Quick lunch with work, lovely food, good service!!

Good atmosphere, nice food, comfortable quiet bedrooms - would happily stay again.

Wouldn’t recommend We stayed for a few nights. The rooms are right above the pub so are very noisy until we’ll past midnight. Like being above a nightclub not a pub. The pub is meant to close at midnight but the music didn’t stop until after 1am. We went down to ask them to turn it off and where given a rude short response. The staff just had the music on for themselves at that point. Food isn’t good either, multiple breakfast options not available. The food we did get was small portions and over cooked. The location is good close to the city centre and local park.

We were there on Quiz Night. Question is why are they so expensive....

A group of 4 arrived for lunch on a Tuesday. Service was friendly and we ordered chicken Caesar salads, chicken burger and beef burger. All meals were good. We went again the following day for dinner. Caesar salad and beef burger. Not sure if it was a different cook but unfortunately the burger arrived with no sauce and the salad had no egg - looked like a bowl of lettuce.

Popped in for a quick pint in the sunny front beer garden and watched the world go by

Perfect place to stay if you are going to the cricket. Room was lovely and staff and locals all very friendly.

Had the Sunday roast. That was nice. Pub night on a Thursday was only ok.

Went there after walesv aus .great people pub really enjoyed my evening..

Nice pub with an amazing garden!

Great place to stay, close to sporting venues. Great service, food, room. Exceeded our expectations.

Lovely relaxed and chilled atmosphere. Great food and drinks, well worth a try

Brilliant staff and service for my Brothers Wedding, rooms were clean bed were incredibly comfortable, staff were friendly chatty and made you feel so welcome. It really was a wonderful weekend we just had at the Pontcanna Inn. Thank you so much Thomas Schewitz & Family

We stayed at the hotel because we were in Cardiff for the Tom Jones concert. We had a brilliant stay. room was wonderful. tea on tap and the most friendly and helpful staff. great breakfast Room 6. Highly recommend anyone coming to cardiff to book here.

Nice pub. Good atmosphere. Good food.

Booked 3 months ago as so few places in Cardiff do a roast on a Sunday evening, or indeed any food, and friends were driving down from Scotland to meet us. Three hours before we were due to eat they rang to say they had no roasts left. Very disappointing but we had no choice other than to still go to the restaurant. Ate some very average food - burgers and fish & chips which were a bit dry. Ordered desserts. Then 15 minutes later they came to tell us they couldn't do the desserts because they had run out of cream. What a very disappointing experience - and rather embarrassing in front of my Scottish friends.

Lovely bar/hotel. Perfect location for a night in Cardiff. Very friendly cheerful welcome., from very efficient Manager . Quirky comfortable rooms loved the decor. Very clean. Tea coffee and water supplies in room. Parking area a nice bonus. Fantastic breakfast. Would definitely recommend and stay in the future

Nick on the bar... what a legend

Decent venue but I wouldn’t recommend the food really as it’s microwave ready meal standard but quite pricey for that standard. Drink range decent and friendly helpful staff. Decent beer garden out front and to the rear. Highchairs available

We had a one night stay at this fabulous place. We had a fantastic welcome as soon as we arrived. Excellent pint of Guinness!! We had the Bbq beef burger and it was fantastic. The room was spotlessly clean with a great shower. We will definitely be back. Many thanks all.

We were on our way to the Coldplay gig and were in a joyous mood and probably veery easy to please and the Pontcanna did just that. Set in a garden in a friendly neighbourhood with happy people enjoying the good weather, the Pontcanna was perfect for us. The menu is interesting and contained several meat free dishes. Good (even if we eat meat). I had the jerk chicken that was special and great. My better half the salmon cakes - also good. Food came on time and the staff was very friendly and efficient. Really a nice meal at a very nice place. I much prefer this kind of setting and positive noise than a crowded place in the city. Great!

Kann nur den Pub beurteilen. Nettes Personal, guter Cider.

Fantastic 2 night stay at the Pontcanna Inn lovely rooms, comfortable beds and fab service. X x

We had a lovely time, staff friendly and helpful. Room comfortable and clean. The bar and dinning area was relaxed and a great atmosphere. We will definitely visit again and recommend.

Didn't stay just had a Sunday lunch was very nice and well priced.

It’s bigger than you think, has a front area, inside and out the back. Prices aren’t the cheapest but the food was good. Drinks I felt are expensive. Enjoyed meal and handy for our accommodation.

Family post Christmas get together meal at the Pontcanna inn, we all had a roast , four beef roast , four mushroom cashew nut and a chicken roast … service was quick .. presentation on plates looked lovely , quality of food was excellent .. the only negative was the veg was a tad cold and we had two of the dishes reheated and the rest of us carried on .. I think had the dishes been pipping hot then this would have been the best roast eaten out in Cardiff that I have ever experienced and we all agreed on that, what was also really pleasing was to have the barman , maybe manager offer us all a complementary drink as a result .. certainly looking forward to going again , they really catered for our every need whether meat eater , vegetarian or Glutan free .. if you are thinking of a visit.. they do have a car park at the rear … I parked in Sophia gardens at a cost of £4.10 for three hours as I didn’t realise at the time. If you are looking for a excellent Sunday roast .. look no further .. just make sure it’s hot !

We are staying at the Pontcanna Inn and we have a beautiful room at an incredibly reasonable rate for the night. We popped down early evening for some dinner and decided to split the sharing board between us. It was all delicious and piping hot. The red pepper hummus was heavenly. We’re disappointed we won’t be able to have breakfast here in the morning as they only serve at the weekend and if the evening food is anything to go by the breakfast would’ve been top notch. Definitely recommend anyone looking for tasty pub grub!

Booked a double room last minute as good price for one night. Dropped bag off before check in time and had a drink. Really nice pub, bit pricey but nice vibe. Returned later in evening and was able to check in. Lovely room, loved the decor. Bed very comfortable and shower good. Had breakfast in Pontcanna plenty of choices. Would definitely stay here again!

We stayed for 3 nights in a nicely decorated room with a great shower. The pub at the ground floor was nice and crowded in the evening. The staff was kind and helpful. More attention to some details (e.g., fixing the window sliding system) would enhance the quality of the offered service.

Called in for a drink Sunday 7th August evening ordered 1 pint of beer and 2 halves of shandy could not here the bar staff say the price as it was busy and very noisy. Looking at my bank Statement I was charged £12.very overpiced...

stayed here for one night with my dad and the bedrooms were exceptional and so was the service, definitely recommend :)

We spent three nights at the Pontcanna Inn. The room was nice and the bathroom was clean and had an excellent shower. A walk through beautiful Bute Park takes you into the city centre, crossing the Taff via the bridge and wonderful views. At the...

Very pleasant experience. Booked a table outside for drinks in advance. Received a warm welcome and directed to table and informed of app. Service was relatively speedy but very friendly. Being in the garden was a vibrant but relaxing experience. Really wide range of drinks,...

We visited the Pontcanna Inn yesterday for food and drinks. Staff asked us to hurry up and leave multiple times BEFORE the overly greasy food we had ordered had even arrived. As soon as we were finished the bouncers came over and asked us to...

Came here with 5 friends. We all had steak - app ordering very easy. Steak was lush. Only slight criticism is if I have to eat it from a takeaway box with plastic cutlery, please cut the steak in strips so make it easier to...

I booked a table for drinks with friends, as we were being greeted by a member of staff, a second staff member pushed me out of the way (not adhering to government guidelines) and told me not to ‘f*cking’ stand there. I appreciate that the...