Valentino's Restaurant in Cardiff

Worst place we've eaten in Cardiff since moving here over 10 years ago. Thought we'd have a nice meal pre theatre show, sadly that was not the case here. Rude staff, ok at best food, no atmosphere. But it was the poor service and rude staff that really let the restaurant down. Would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

This place is a must when you are in Cardiff. Amazing food, great service and if you are lucky you are attended by Damian who was a great waiter. Try the organic Italian Pinot Grigio, it is gorgeous. So is the scallops and the fried dessert. Definitely will return

We went on a Thursday evening for my brother's 18th birthday. I had booked in advance but we were the only table there (we did get there early - around 5:30pm and left just after 7). The service was amazing, with the waiting staff asking about my brother's birthday plans and talking about their own 18th birthday. As we were the only table at that time, I can't comment on what the service would have been like had the restaurant been full but our experience was excellent. The food was delicious. We all had starters and a few of us had desserts. There were no faults with the food. We also were given complimentary bread and butter while we were waiting. When desserts came, they put on a happy birthday song and had written 'happy birthday' on my brother's dessert plate and put a candle in his dessert, which was a lovely touch. The only criticism I have of the restaurant is when you first come in, you can smell the toilets, which are upstairs opposite the entrance door. I didn't use the bathroom there so can't comment on cleanliness but there was definitely a toilet smell. I wouldn't let that put anyone else off going, as inside the restaurant is fine. Two of us are vegetarian and there was enough choice on the menu for us, rather than just the usual one option!

delicious food and top service - very friendly and relaxed - cheers

Excellent restaurant and staff. Delicious food, would highly recommend for excellent Italian food.

Thank you Valentinos , for a very happy experience in your resteraunt at lunchtime today. Beautiful spagetti pomodoro, waiters were so accommodating, atmosphere was warm and friendly. Makes eating out a special treat .

Lovely staff, food was amazing, the only reason I gave a 4 star and not a 5 star is because we ordered a drink twice and still didn't get it, we just gave up in the end. Other than that, very good just a bit more attention on what the customers are ordering :)

What a wonderful place. It's getting difficult to have a good, honest, family run restaraunt experience in Cardiff City these days. There are only a small handful of places left who serve this sort of experience and atmosphere. I can't believe it's taken me until now to visit Valentino's but I'm so glad I did. The service was excellent, and the staff and owners are so accommodating. Thank you all for a wonderful experience.

Amazing experience: the service, the food, the wine and the coffee were excellent!!! We really enjoyed it!

We were rather late for our booking but the staff were very accommodating. Lovely food. Will definitely be visiting again when in Cardiff

A group visit - the food overall was absolutely delicious, with the exception of the mushroom bruschetta that came out cold and was then reheated so that the salad was also warm. The service was abysmal - forgetting to bring cutlery out for certain courses, forgetting glasses of wine, forgetting coffees, forgetting desserts - we were constantly left waiting for things we'd ordered, including one cheese board when we'd ordered two and one had arrived. It felt like an absolute shambles, as if staff had forgotten we were there, and weren't checking in on us at all. The complimentary limoncinos at the end were a nice gesture, but it failed to make up for the poor service throughout the night. We overheard others at an adjacent table also having issues. Please sort this out and your restaurant will be a lovely little spot!

Absolutely wicked little restaurant. I called ahead as we were on the later side and wanted to check for tables and was told one was available, we showed up ten minutes later and the server immediately asked if I was the one that called and the excellent service continued from there, our initial waiter seemed a little new maybe and we had to work with them a little bit but the more experienced server started to take over and he was just excellent. The food is also second to very few, the carbonara was representative of the quality you'd expect in Italy. Overall a wonderful experience with a cosy vibe.

Service was horrible, Food was good Would not recommend unless you have a spare 2 hours to wait for your food to come.

Outside of Italy. This was the best Italian food I have eaten. Great cosy atmosphere and lovely staff. What more could you ask of a place to eat.

Couldn't fault the food or service but always room for improvement 😉 Thursday evening so it only us and a family in there. Facilities need a facelift though, damp and rot in the toilets, visible leaks and generally felt unclean.

Another wonderful visit to this fabulous Sardinian Restaurant. Food never fails to deliver and the staff are great and the service second to none. We will back again for sure

Good place for a pre-international pizza.

Probably one of the best meals we've had its way in the top 5 absolutely delicious..lovely staff and atmosphere would highly recommend and visit again ..

Great lunch at amazing price, food excellent and great service

Very good Italian, well worth a visit in Cardiff. Very happy and helpful staff and good food to boot.

Visited Valentinos tonight. Super tasty food. Polite and attentive staff. All round greatness

Weekday dinner, food excellent.

Great food and fantastic service

Such a welcoming and wonderful place! The food is amazing!

Got the lunch offer only to be told when the staff started cooking that the main I got was not part of the offer. Got charged original prices for both starter and main. Bruschetta with mushrooms were fine. Simple but decent. Risotto with mushrooms were cooked with cream, and cheese served tableside. Honestly very disappointed. I had high hopes for the risotto given the price and choice of ingredients. Sadly technique is definitely lacking here.

Wow, we expected Lasagne to be superb as acclaimed a Italian Restaurant, The waiter spoke Italian as well as English, and basically the starters were wrong, ok no problem, ordered bread with starters but came with my pizza, well not good but ok, but the 3 lasagne was the last straw, there was no meat between the pasta, being polite we asked the tall dark haired waiter, excuse me are these vegan not meat lasagne, No it’s what you ordered, we’ll have a look no meat, after a look he replied oh well guess you were unlucky, Wow we were so gobsmacked we really could not believe our ears, and with that there was a excuse me from a lady 2 tables away that had a steak that was full of fat, and he told them, well that’s the cut of meat, mmmm sorry, None of us even had a drink offered and as so dumbstruck was charged full amount, after event we realised we really should have said well unlucky we’re not paying but was TBH really caught off guard. So if you go make sure you have your wits about you and don’t get scammed like us customers did 🙈

We enjoyed our dinner here at Valentino’s. We received great service and good food. We had the garlic bread, margarita pizza, tagliatelle ragu, and tagliatelle Alfredo, along with tiramisu, chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. Everything was tasty!

We came to celebrate my friend’s birthday, and the stuff, were very nice and friendly. This place is authentic Italian and this coming from an Italian. Best risotto ever. Definitely would recommend.

The Welsh Lamb Was Excellent. The Owner & Family are Very Helpful & Friendly. Wine List Has Good Selections to suit all of the well Presented Food from the Menu. Also Very Important Great Quality Coffee. Great place For Lunch. 👌

Loved this place for a pre Theatre dining. The staff were so friendly and we had an early bird two course menu. Scrumptious

Fantastic!!!!!! Small and cozy. Staff are brilliant. Nice...

Visited the restaurant for their Valentine’s Day menu. When we sat down the waiter told us that they were not offering this menu today despite on the website it saying from the 12th-14th, after insisting that I booked for it and the website said it was available today they gave us the set menu. The couple next to us said the exact same thing happened to them and they were offered the normal menu instead as a means to get us to spend more. Once we received the set menu the price on the menu was more than on the website that was ‘recently updated’. The food itself was nice nothing extraordinary and the portion sizes were on the smaller size. On the whole it wasn’t an amazing experience and I wouldn’t recommend.

Very busy, tasty food reasonably priced. Staff were under pressure but worked very well and the service was good. The owner/ manager was constantly at his staff shouting. Ok for me but not for them

First time visiting this lovely little restaurant, very homely feeling about the place, perfect for a romantic meal . Me and my girlfriend both went for the tagliatelle Alfredo with garlic bread and shared a stunning bottle of sauvingon blanc, staff are very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this little place of Italy 👍

Came here after the panto before heading home. We did book a table but as alot of people turned up at the same time as us the waiter just quickly put a table together by the kitchen. Quick and friendly service, great food, nice little place.

Excellent service and excellent food

Lovely staff, unfortunately, the meals we ordered (belly pork) were mediocre.The restrooms were not the cleanest and need updating.

We've been to Valentino's a few times now and the experience has been wonderful every single time. The food is incredible and the service is outstanding. The staff are so welcoming and friendly, they go above and beyond and they make you feel right at home. I can't recommend Valentino's enough, definitely one of the best restaurants in South Wales! Huge thank you to Amadeo and the team for always looking after us. Absolutely amazing!

It was a quiet afternoon so only a few in and one serving but the food was excellent.

Great lunch time meal with my friends

Excellent food , service and very pleasant professional staff .

Staff attentive and very pleasant. Made us feel welcome.

Excellent. The lunchtime/ per theatre 2 course menu is excellent value and just what we wanted. Will return

What a great place ,food was exceptional so were the staff,made us very welcome we had our 18 month old grandson with us no problems definitely go there again

Fabulous pre theatre meal...service superb...highly recommend

I went to Valentino's, excellent food and fantastic service. Thank you

Enjoyed a delicious meal with exceptional service! We arrived with no reservation and they were very welcoming and accommodating. So glad we decided to try Valentino’s!

Amazing food and service . Very reccomended

Outstanding meal Friday evening 👍😎

If you're looking for a restaurant in Cardiff that values its customers then Valentino's is the place for you. From an extensive menu offering exquisite freshly cooked food, to attentive, friendly, fabulous staff through to an overall wonderful ambience. We had the perfect evening, and as for the sharing dessert platter ... scumptious! Kudos all at Valentino's, can't wait to visit again soon.

Great selection of pasta and other dishes

We attended a wedding reception here yesterday and had a wonderful time. Everything was so well organised and ran smoothly, the food was stunning and the staff were welcoming and attentive. Will definitely be returning here for a date night

Lovely family run restaurant with great food and charming staff. Thank you for another great evening.

Not expensive. Nice food. Friendly staff. Been here three times in a row. Will come back.

Went here for lunch. The service was excellent and so was the food. I recommend this Italian restaurant and will be also recommending it to my friends. Grazie Valentino's 🇮🇹. Repeat visits have all been fab. 😊

Great value pre-theatre menu. Fantastic service.

Fantastic dining experience as always.

Maravilhosa. Atendimento perfeito Comida deliciosa

6 of us ate here yesterday, we were seated & left 15 minutes before we were asked if we would like drinks, EVENTUALLY a member of staff pulled himself away from laying empty tables in the restaurant & got us some drinks, we ordered our food, 50 minutes later we were still waiting for our meals, when we asked where our meals were & mentioned that we had already been waiting 50 minutes they said it would be 5 minutes more. The food came & there was no problem with the meals, very tasty but over priced. The staff could be a bit more friendlier & attentive to their customers & if meals take that long to prepare then at least provide some complimentary nibbles & advertise the fact that there is a long wait for food preparation as the restaurant was not overly busy, shame staff let the restaurant down.

Excellent service, very friendly, attentive staff, fantastic meal. Thank you so much.

We had a nice experience here. Service was charming and the food was great.

Good food at a reasonable price.

First experience at this restaurant. Great food, great service and excellent value for money. Nice family atmosphere not surprisingly with lots of diners.

Was recommended by a colleague and wasn't disappointed. Probably the best meal I can remember, absolutely stunning food. Service was brilliant and friendly and the place has a great ambiance. A real treat.

Very tasty food, fantastic service & amazing company.

Lovely food ate more than we should have! Excellent service and very friendly and attentive staff. Thank you for a lovely meal.

An absolute gem of a restaurant. Freshly cooked authentic food, and excellent friendly attentive service. First time visitor today, I will be back.

Loved every bit of this. Great food,attentive staff & great surroundings

Good food and excellent service. The staff were lovely

Staff very friendly and helpful, food was excellent, very clean, 🙂too ladies out for lunch 😄

I had the Salmone, which was OK, if overpriced. The hygeine rating displayed on the door is only a 3. Service was OK, atmosphere was lacking.. Too many tables squeezed in.

Great to be back at this little gem. Service and food as good as ever. This place has character very expensive fine dining it isn't. Good food perfectly cooked at reasonable prices it is. Much more personable than the big names. So pleased they are still operating.

Exquisite food and service! Such beautiful flavourful food that you knew was going to taste good from the smell as it was placed in front of you. Vegan options available and very very good! Would recommend the soup and great recommendations on wine.

Clean with reasonable food. Coffee was cool (espresso). Food slightly bland.

Fantastic restaurant, truly beautiful food a real gem, staff very friendly and professional. A slice of Italian culture in the Welsh Capital.

Good if you like Italian restraunts but the food we received wasnt "handmade" like specified

Went here for the first time on Valentine’s Day. So glad we did as the valentines menu was amazingly priced and the food was incredible! The tiramisu and glass of Prosecco was the perfect end to the meal. Thanks guys, we will be coming again :)

Amazing restaurant. Food was wonderful, good service and etiquette.

First trip to Valentino’s and did not disappoint. Yummy, authentic Italian food cooked to perfection! Will definitely visit again next time we come to Cardiff.

Great time with wife, good staff and an all round enjoyable evening. Will visit again for a special occasion (Dydd Santes Dwynwen)

Music was all slow covers, prefer other songs, but it did fit the mood of the place. Food great quality, servers attentive and friendly, glad I got talked into trying this place. Wine recommendation was great

Excellent meal. The Fillet steak was extremely tender and cooked perfectly to my liking.

Excellent Food,reasonable prices. Great Service!!

Can't rate this place enough. Food and service was exceptional. Great selection of wine also will definitely be back again soon.

Very friendly staff and most helpful. Excellent service . Very extensive menu.

I’d happily recommend Valentino’s Rist. Sardegna to anybody in Cardiff looking for a top shelf, authentic Italian restaurant that doesn’t break the bank. The venue is cosy, the staff are welcoming and delightful, the wine is bellissimo, and the food is sublime. I’ve been twice now and am looking forward to going again and again. Perfect for individuals, couples, and groups.

Fantastic food, wonderful venue and very friendly and helpful staff. Will definitely recommend to all my friends and family, and will be revisting very soon.

An embarrassment to Italians. Warped lasagne and chewey pasta. Only good if you go there drunk. Moet was lovely.

wow what an amazing restaurant. staff are so pleasant and helpful.. food is out of this world yum yum

Pleasant atmosphere, tasty food, well priced pre-theatre lunch menu.

Lovely meal and excellent service. My friend who speaks Italian thought it a very authentic restaurant. May say it closes at 9PM but you do not get thrown out.

Fabulous. So good to go back there again.

The staff very friendly and the food its was very very tasted

Having lived and worked in Italy once upon a time, I adore Italian food and this restaurant serves some of the best I've tasted in the UK. Very friendly and attentive staff only add to pleasure of eating here. Highly recommended.

We celebrated my husband's 70th birthday with our family,19 in total,the food delicious,piping hot,service excellent.how they managed it all amazes me,goes to show they deserve the 5star award.my husband had a memorable evening,thank you all at Valentinos,Joan Donovan ❤

Food delicious staff friendly, reasonably priced, lovely ambience

Beautiful food.. wonderful staff

Fresh pasta. Helpful friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Pleasant experience.

One good meal and one bad meal, will change if the balance sways.

Fancy videos on the wall showing gorgeous home made food. The reality was not the same. The vegetable soup was ok. The pizzas disappointing. One pizza with anchovies and capers had a lot of cheese but far less of the aforementioned. My partner had a vegetable pizza that was short on veg. Attempts to cover up the fact by smothering it in Rocket . Waitresses were a little inattentive and it wasn't really busy .I asked for chili oil that came in a glass skull to be told only take one drop at a time. What pantomime. It wasn't hot at all ! There is an expression in English " all fur coat and no knickers ". Just about sums it up.