Wings of Glory, Mexican and Colombian restaurant review, Cardiff

It’s hard to think of a Cardiff restaurant name which undersells itself more than Wings of Glory.

Whilst this Riverside restaurant does sell chicken wings in 25 different flavours as diverse as jalapeno tamarind and mango habanero (in portion sizes up to 100 for £75), they also serve a range of Mexican, Colombian and Spanish dishes.

Run by a team who hail from Mexico and Colombia, it was these cuisines which brought us to their large yet understated dining room on a quiet weekday lunchtime. 

Mexican dishes on offer include molcajetes (a huge mortar filled with meat, cheese and vegetables) and sopes (topped corn patties), whilst Colombian dishes include Cazuela de Marisco (seafood soup) and Picada (a platter of pork, chorizo and chicken).

As I worked my way through a couple of halves of Mahou lager (£3), Mrs G tucked into a pint of cinnamon-topped horchata (£3.50), which tasted exactly like a rice pudding milkshake i.e. bloody lovely. 

To go alongside our drinks was a complimentary bowl of nachos and salsa. The star of this duo was the homemade salsa - a fresh combination of tomato, onion and coriander. It was a theme which continued throughout the meal with vibrant, flavour-packed sauces accompanying each dish.

Having heard about Wings of Glory’s portion sizes, I tried to show some restraint in our ordering. Of course, we still ended up ordering too much. 

Excellent tacos al pastor (£7) combined soft corn tortillas topped with crisp pieces of marinated pork, slices of cleansing pineapple, white onion and coriander. A little pot of lightly smokey tomato salsa delivered a good thump of chilli.

Carnitas tacos (£7) were just as memorable. Slow-cooked shreds of tender pork adorned a quartet of the tortillas and were served alongside a pot of excellent fresh and spicy tomatillo salsa with a good lick of mustard seed. 

A whopper of an arepa (£8) was a meal in itself. The crisp, lightly-charred and soft-textured maize flour pocket was stuffed with shreds of tender marinated beef and red and white grated cheeses which melted to form a delicious ooze. Tangy Thousand Island-esque mayo was a delicious accompaniment, so too were the leftover salsas from the tacos.

Freshly fried Colombian empanadas (£8) had a similar vibe to the arepa. Crisp and soft maize flour parcels were rammed with spiced soft potatoes and shredded beef. This time, additional layers of flavour came from a light and cleansing pico de gallo and thick guacamole. 

We had a really excellent and great value lunch at Wings of Glory. 

It's somewhere I'll most definitely be visiting regularly for tacos. And there’s so much more on their menu that I’m looking forward to exploring too. 

The Details:

Address - Wings of Glory, 44 Tudor St, Cardiff CF11 6AH
Web - https://wingsofglorycardif.wixsite.com/restaurant
Telephone - 07958 641053