A trip down Newport Road in Cardiff seeking various forms of sustenance at the many restaurants, take-aways and cafes in the area. So far I am concentrating on the section of Newport Road between the River Rhymney and town.
B&M
I must admit when I started this challenge of eating in every food outlet up and down Newport Road between Rhymney River bridge and town, I hadn’t envisaged ending it with a cheese and pickle sandwich, but hey-ho. B&M arrived at this location in around 2021.
Greggs
This little block of retail outlets was built in the car park of the Avenue Retail Park around 2010 and Greggs has been there occupying one of the units ever since. I want for the less than healthy options today and had a slice pepperoni hot-hot pizza, a cheese & onion bake and a triple chocolate doughnut. At least I walked there!
Home Bargains
The store has been here since around 2013. Today it lived up to its name and my egg, mayo and cress sandwiches cost just £1.09.
Spit & Sawdust
The great thing about this challenge I have set myself of eating my way along Newport Road is that I end up in places I never knew existed. A smashing experience it was coming here to Spit & Sawdust and enjoying a meal whilst watching the skateboarders. We had a char gilled seitan in flatbread and a burger.
Brød
Danish Bakery started in 2015 and now has three shops in Penarth and Cardiff and opened this bakery with a bakery retail hatch in 2024. Admittedly it is a bit off Newport Road but I couldn’t resist adding it to our challenge of eating our qay up and down the road. Today we had a Mad Brød (Bacon, Brie and Chilli Jam) Vegan focaccia base filled generously with Bacon, Brie and chilli jam. Finished with chilli flakes and olive oil once baked and an Overskåren, three flavours in one. A flaky layered pastry where one end contains marzipan and white icing, the middle is filled with custard, the far end with cinnamon and chocolate.
McDonalds
Got here just in time. This outlet is going to close for a while for refurbishment. McDonalds opened in California in 1940 but it wasn’t until 1974 that their first restaurant opened in UK in Woolwich. They now have 1270 UK outlets and employ 120,000 people. I enjoyed my double cheeseburger and fried and orange juice and watched the world go by outside.
Starbucks
I seemed to cause chaos here. All I asked was to see a menu as there was none on display. A technical glitch apparently. As one kind person explained to me what they had the other went to reboot the display screens which meant all the power in the restaurant going off momentarily. Anyways, the large mocha was good the pain au chocolat less so.
Five Guys
Five Guys is a relatively new arrival in Newport Road having been here just a couple of years and moving into the old Frankie and Benny’s premises. It’s an American chain named after the five brothers who started it in 1986 rather than go to college. It serves more expensive and higher quality burgers than some of the other fast food chains so going for a different market. A limited menu but lots of choice of free toppings and huge portions of fries cooked in peanut oil. We had a small bacon cheeseburger and a regular cheeseburger. The vanilla shake was good too.
Castle Bingo
I wasn’t sure what food they would be serving but it was quite extensive and very reasonable. I had sweet and sour chicken and rice for £5. These days many people choose to ‘play’ using the ipad type devices where the numbers get marked off automatically for you as they are called. You don’t have to do a thing apart from keep an eye on the screen and call ‘House’ if you are lucky enough to win. I chose the old fashioned paper method and after purchasing their 30p dabber and ten games for £2 it was eyes down. It didn’t start well. So fast! There is none of the bingo rhyming slang used, just the numbers called out in quick succession. With six cards on each game I couldn’t keep up marking off the numbers. Then when the time came to start the second game I realised the dabber ink had seeped through the paper and marked off numbers already. Doh! I changed my strategy for the third game and just concentrated on the top three cards. It was more relaxing but I didn’t win. Good fun.
Londis – Shell Garage
I hadn’t realised how many garages there are on Newport Road until I started seeking sustenance in them all. The Meal Deal always seems to hit the spot. No need to describe what I had here!
KFC
The new KFC offering caught my eye and as everything on the menu seemed to be about the same price I had one. A Buffalo tower meal seemed to lack buffalo but was a chicken, a hash brown, cheese, buffalo sauce, fries and a drink. I do like a hash brown!
TGI Fridays
TGI’s has been here in Newport Road for a long time, pre-2008. The restaurant chain started in New York in 1965 and was inspired by the Barnum & Bailey Circus with an ambition to put on the ‘greatest show on earth’. There is therefore a connection with Cardiff where Captain George Auger, the Cardiff Giant, tallest man on Earth was born and was the giant in the Barnum & Bailey Circus. I chose from the £7 lunch menu and had a Fridays Hog Dog: Pigs in blankets in a brioche bun, drizzled with honey mustard mayo, topped with crispy onions and bbq pulled pork which came with fries and all pretty tasty. Taylor Swift was in town this week so I said hi as I walked past and ‘welcome to the ‘Diff’.
Costa
Costa arrived in Newport Road around 2013. Must admit I thought it was just a drive-through but no, lots of tables inside. I had a chocolate twist and a large flat white. They are not joking when they call it large, it’s got two handles and like a soup tureen.
Poundland
Poundland moved into this refurbished retail park around 2018 into the place previously occupied by Carpet Right. A £2 prawn salad was just the job on a nice warm day in May.
The Food Warehouse
The Food Warehouse is a branch of Iceland and has been here on the City Link Retail Park since about 2016. I kept things simple and had a sausage roll and some mango, papaya and passion fruit yogurt.
Aldi
Aldi moved into the old Comet warehouse in around 2015. I had a sandwich selection copied by quite a few outlets and one of my favourites when I popped out to the shops for lunch when working; a BLT, chicken salad and prawn mayonnaise. I wonder if I eat them in the same order as other people. The prawn mayonnaise has to come first surely.
Home Bargains
This particular branch of Home Bargains moved into the old Argos store around 2019. I kept things simple today and had an egg, mayo and cress sandwich. I foolishly ate it straight from the fridge so it somewhat lacked taste.
Pausa Cafe, Dunelm
Dunelm has been in Newport Road for quite a few years now. I think the coffee shop arrived around 2010. It’s a popular place. I had a tuna melt Panini and a coffee which was well presented and served with a smile.
Royal Oak
1864 is the first newspaper reference I can find to the Royal Oak in Roath making it one of the oldest pubs in the area. The Roath Harriers Athletics club formed here in 1882. The pub has a strong association with boxing and still has a preserved boxing ring upstairs. Some of the Brains stained glass windows survive. I enjoyed a couple of pints of Brains bitter.
Aroma Coffee, Capel i Bawb
This café and library are housed in what used to be the Royal Infirmary chapel which was built in 1921. The chapel closed in 1999 and the refurbished building opened in 2022. We had a very nice vegetation breakfast wrap followed by a caramel topped flapjack. It was then a wander over to a nearby computer to do some local history research.
Mercure Hotel
I remember this building when it used to be the Julian Hodge House building. When it was first built it was the tallest building in Cardiff and I remember going there on a trip with cubs 55 years ago and up to the top floor to survey the panorama. It was nice to have an excuse to return 55 years later! It is now ranked number twelve in Cardiff’s tallest buildings. I had a house burger and pint of Guinness and my wife had Gloucester Old Spot sausages with bubble and squeak.
Starbucks
Starbucks is in Shand House which used to be the Institute for the Blind when I was growing up and had wicker baskets and other products in the windows. The building is named after the inspirational Frances Batty Shand. Today I had a tomato and mozzarella panini with my coffee.
One Stop
One Stop convenience store is at the bottom of Shand House, itself named after an early charitable activist Betty Frances Shand who founded the Association for Improving the Social and Working Conditions of the Blind in Cardiff. At the side of the shop is some street art: a lovely painted flower. Today I had cheese based meal deal consisting of a variety of cheese sandwiches and some cheese and onion crisps.
Lilo’s Pasta
Lilo’s Pasta has been at this location since about 2018 and has a sister shop in Pencoed. I was pleasantly surprised to discover on a wet February day that the pasta in this case was served warm and that there was seating inside. Added to that my Chick ‘n Pesto on garlic and herb pasta was tasty and a generous portion. Good service.
Coffee Planet
Coffee Planet are a coffee company based in UAE with roasting, retail and café outlets. Cardiff is their first UK outlet and opened in 2018. I had a very nice flat white and a chocolate coconut flapjack and watched people walk by.
Domino’s Pizza
I thought having looked at the Domino’s Pizza leaflet that gets delivered to the house that it was going to be pricy here but discovered that they do a Personal 7” pizza which was ideal for lunchtime and a nice pizza. I also didn’t know that Domino’s Pizza started in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Cafe Rabaiotti
Having visited quite a few fast food and petrol station outlets on Newport Road it was a pleasure to come across this little gem, an independent outlet, Cafe Rabaiotti. What a rich history it has having had outlets in the past in Queen Street, Cowbridge Road and of course on the Esplanade in Penarth. I remember a knickerbocker glory was always the treat of the day when visiting Penarth. The fourth generation of the family is now working in the café. Great service. I had a tasty well-constructed falafel salad box.
Londis – ESSO Garage
Well, I’ve never been here for lunch before! I grabbed a meal deal and took it into town and ate it among the Christmas revelers in the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The egg and cress sandwiches were decent enough.
Burger King
Every now and then I do enjoy a Burger King. It may be my imagination but I tend to get the feeling there is quite a surcharge for those not using their app these days. Ordering certainly confused me. I think I had a crispy bacon melt burger with small fries and a coke but that’s only a guess.
Londis – Texaco Garage
A break in the wet November weather we’ve been having so time to head out for a walk. I grabbed a sandwich from Londis in the Texaco Garage on Newport Road. Ended up in the Forest of Dean overlooking the splendid Wye Valley when by lunchtime I’d built up a healthy appetite.
Two Guys
In a stroke of genius this burger trailer has set itself up on the opposite side of Newport Road to the fast food outlet Five Guys and called it Two Guys. Just a cheeseburger for me today. I was impressed I was offered a choice of cheeses – Cheddar or American. I was also impressed by the quality of the bun.
Taco Bell
I’ve been meaning to pay a visit to Taco Bell ever since they opened here in around 2021 and satisfy a craving I’ve had for Mexican food after first tasting it in USA. I chose the Crispy Chicken Burrito Combo. It was certainly crispy and tasty but not sure how authentically Mexican it is. Next time I’ll be brave and try a Volcano Burrito which may be closer to the mark.
Morrisons Petrol Station
Morrisons and the petrol station on Newport Road opened around 2013. I must admit in all those years I’ve never noted that it is actually called Morisons Daily. I purchased a Sweet Chilli Chicken wrap and ate it high on the Bwlch after I’d been walking for a few hours. That’s probably why it tasted so good.
Morrisons Cafe
A full breakfast breakfast at Morrisons certainly does mean a full plate even without the exta black pudding I ordered. The coffee machine was out of order but luckily there was another one elsewhere in the shop. It was only after I had started to eat did I spot the lack of hash browns (one of my favourite breakfast items) but that was soon rectified by the staff and all was well.
Cardiff Capers 