Eight great places to eat and drink in Cardiff Market

Updated - 21 November 2019

It’s great to see the renaissance of Cardiff Market.

This beautiful Victorian building located in the heart of the city has great produce stalls like E.Ashton fishmongers and JT Morgan butchers. But, it’s increasingly gaining the food stalls that make the central markets in cities like Lisbon and Barcelona such magnets for visitors. It would be great to see communal seating and an on-license booze trader in the market push things on even further.

Here are my picks of the places to visit in Cardiff Market for a tasty bite to eat and a drink.

Franks

The Two Anchor’s team now hold the title of Cardiff’s best gourmet hot dog thanks to their new venture, Franks. They’ve done it by focusing on the fundamentals - a brilliantly snappy-skinned, juicy and lightly-smokey Grid Iron outdoor reared Gloucester Old Spot frankfurter was a banger of a banger. Whilst a golden-crusted and airy-crumbed brioche bun from Friends in Knead was light yet sturdy enough to carry its payload. 

I ordered my frank (£5) with zingy kraut, perky gherkins, ketchup, mustard and everything sauce - a flavour-packed mix of mayo, ketchup, mustard, gherkins, kraut and raw onions. 

Masala Hut 

Masala Hut serves big-flavoured, well-priced and generously portioned Malaysian and Indian curries. When I asked the friendly owner which curry he recommended, he gave me a sample of them all to try! 

Whilst they were all lovely, my favourite was a medium-spiced chicken rendang packed with creamy coconut, spicy chilli and a fragrant mix of kaffir lime leaf and ginger. £4.50 bought a groaning bowlful loaded with meat, sauce and sticky rice. You get a heck of a lot of bang for your buck and you can also upgrade to a meal deal for £6 to include a drink and homemade samosas. 

The Greenery 

Located on the former site of Milgi Market, The Greenery serves modern global Vegan food. From toasties and sandwiches to soups, freshly baked cakes and daily specials, everything looks full of colour and flavour.

Jackfruit mince tacos were gloriously meaty, served on a pair of excellent blue corn tortillas and liberally dressed with a creamy and smoky chipotle sauce, fresh coriander, lime and red onion. 

A Vietnamese salad box saw rice noodles combined with marinated tofu, pink pickles, fresh herbs and cucumber, spiced peanuts and a creamy Vietnamese influenced dressing.

 
Ffwrnes

Ffrwrnes started out selling their Neapolitan pizzas from a three-wheeled van called Smokey Pete. Their first bricks and mortar restaurant opened in the market in August 2018.

A compact menu comprises five meat free pizzas and three meat pizzas which weigh in at a very reasonable £5-7.

A margherita (£5.50) showcased the quality of Ffwrnes’s ingredients - a soft and thin mottled base was topped with light and fresh San Marzano tomato sauce, creamy fior di latte cheese and leaves of metallic basil.

A Jiawl Bach (£7) saw the addition of crisp and spicy pepperoni and slices of fiery chilli.

 

Hard Lines Coffee

Formerly known as Outpost, Hard Lines serve one of the best cups of coffee in the whole of Cardiff. Expect single origin beans from the best suppliers, flawless latte art and tasty snacks from Alex Gooch and Flapjack Nation.

Thai Asian Delish

For seriously tasty and good value Thai food you can’t go wrong with Thai Asian Delish. Dishes like nutty Massaman curry and chicken pad thai are packed full of flavour.

B.R.Donnelly Cafe

I love faggots and B.R.Donnelly, an old skool greasy spoon cafe, serves some fine examples. Faggots, peas, chips and bread and butter will set you back a mere £3.80. A rich and offaly faggot comes perched a top a pile of crisp chips and proper marrowfat peas. Thick gravy (I think it may be Bisto but Mrs G thinks it’s a cut above) and a slice of soft pappy white bread complete the dish.

Cardiff Bakestones

The Welshcakes from Cardiff Bakestones are frigging lovely and an absolute bargain too. Ask for what’s fresh off the bakestone as they’re at their very best when they’re still warm.

The Details:

Address - Cardiff Market, St Mary Street, Cardiff CF1 2AU 
Web - https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Visiting/Culture-art-and-museums/Pages/Cardiff-Central-Market.aspx
Telephone - 029 2087 1214