When it comes to Christmas, Cardiff has so many places where you can enjoy the festivities with your friends, family and colleagues -in fact it can be tricky to decide which bar to go to.
For Cardiff has some pretty awesome places in which you can enjoy the best beers, cocktails and even have a bit of a boogie. Over the years, it has become an amazing hub for food and drink, with independent establishments popping up left, right and centre offering some incredible cuisines and tipples.
There are several streets across this glorious city which are famed for supplying the people of Cardiff with a number of successful independent cocktail and wine bars and breweries that we are so proud to call our local watering holes - from the tip top of High Street to Womanby Street and the arcades in between.
Read more: Most expensive Christmas menus in Wales right now
So whether it's a pint of pale ale you're yearning for this Christmas, a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio, a mocktail or just a good time in a place that serves class drinks, we have just the ticket. Read on to find out just some of our favourite bars in Wales' capital city to celebrate the festive season - or visit any time of the year.
1. The Dead Canary
Walk past The Dead Canary and you'd be forgiven in not knowing there was anything to note. But look closely and, above a secret 'fire exit' door, you will spot a teeny detail that gives the game of this secret cocktail bar away - a bird cage in which sits a yellow canary bird that indicates you're in the right place. That and the ginormous mural which neighbours it - currently, it's of a dragon.
And while newbies to the city aren't in the know when it comes to this incredible cocktail bar, the team behind the bar, who have just taken on a new venture (Nighthawks, read more on that here), proudly declare themselves as being Cardiff's "worst kept secret" and serve up some of the city's most delicious cocktails. Currently, its drinks menu is inspired by and named after mythical creatures, like Wales' very own Y Ddraig Goch. It's so great, it made our list of Hidden Gems. Read more on that here.
Where: Barrack Lane
2. Nighthawks
Delicious wine, grilled cheese sandwiches and a view of Cardiff's impressive castle... wine bars don't get much better than this. A relatively new addition to the Cardiff bar scene, the team (who are also behind the speakeasy cocktail bar above) are self-confessed 'wine obsessives' and are on a mission with Nighthawks to bring great wines to the widest possible audience and serve up some of "the best wines, charcuterie, grilled cheeses and cocktails" in the city, they previously told us.
It's a wine bar that celebrates simplicity and has an upstairs level and downstairs cosy candlelit den. With a "stripped back" list of only a dozen wines - which will regularly change - charcuterie boards and cheese toasties as well as cocktails and coffee - "we’re aiming to offer the best Bloody Mary in Cardiff!" - it's the perfect place to unwind after a day's work.
Where: 47-49, Castle Arcade
3. Flight Club
This bar champions 'social darts' as it sees the classic pub game take on a new "supercharged" look, making for the ultimate night out with friends. As well as a damn good time, it serves delicious food - small plates, pizzas and sharing platters, for example - and free-flowing cocktails alongside the game. It promises customers a "spectacular bar, electric atmosphere and mind-blowing experience" from its first location in Wales. With 15 social darts playing areas and four bar areas, it's the perfect place for a friendly get-together with mates. Plus, if you're looking for a rooftop terrace with style, look no further.
They will also be offering prosecco and bottomless pizza at their brunch social every Thursday to Sunday. The place is set to open on Friday, October 7.
Where : 3-4 St Mary Street
4. The Libertine
Looking for something a little fancier where heels and suits won't make you stand out like a sore thumb? The Libertine is a classy, '20s style bar with no strict dress code bar a "smile" which has an array of artistic cocktails on offer, with creative monikers to match, and makes for the perfect pre - or post - date night tipple or a place for the girls to let loose and indulge in a cocktail or three. If something on the menu doesn't quite tickle your fancy, they will happily be up for the challenge of making one personal for you.
Where: 28 High Street
5. Gin and Juice + Rum and Fizz
Run by the team behind Coffee Barker and Barker Tea rooms - and the soon coming Maison Grill Chez Barker - these two cocktail bars offer a cosy and welcoming atmosphere as you sip on their extensive list of gins, juices and rum cocktails.
For Gin and Juice, their bread and butter is, obviously, gin, with over 350 different versions on offer alongside beers, wines and other spirits. By day, however, you can pair your drink with healthy breakfasts, lunches and light suppers - and a fresh juice, if that's more your forte.
Rum and Fizz offers a glorious selection of cocktails and, as the name suggests, fizz - prosecco, champagne, the works - as well as offering over 200 rums "featuring a range of countries, flavour profiles and distilling techniques".
Where: 1-5 High Street
6. Pennyroyal
This dark and moody bar on the High Street serves bold and eccentric flavoured cocktails accompanied by a hip hop soundtrack. Despite it being located on one of Cardiff’s busiest streets, it still manages to maintain a discreet presence with its intimate atmosphere inside.
Having originally opened in 2017, Pennyroyal is no stranger to award nominations, having been nominated for Imbibe Magazine’s Drinks List of the Year four years in a row.
Where: 22 High Street
7. Tiny Rebel
This much-loved bar and music venue's mission is to "bring you good times with a hint of beer". And they do that by bringing the punters imaginative and creative beers that "capture your imagination and defy your senses".
The award-winning brewery - it is the youngest and only Welsh brewery to win Champion Beer of Britain, according to its website - started as an idea between two friends in a garage in 2012. Now they supply supermarkets with their beers all over the UK and have thousands of fans buying their beers in their bar, in shops or online.
Flavours range from 'pump up the jam' (a jam doughnut flavoured pale ale) to Clwb Tropica - a tropical flavoured IPA.
Where: 25 Westgate Street
8. Bootlegger
With a theme of prohibition - or lack thereof - this quirky bar takes you back to the days of speakeasys. Offering the classics (cocktails, we mean) as well as swanky new creations, their drinks - of which there are more than 80 options - are delicious and slide down your throat far too easily. Alongside cocktails, they host craft beers including local favourites like Tiny Rebel and - a treat for gin lovers - there's a special gin bar. Sometimes they even have live music which happens on the first of two levels in the place. Expect soul, jazz, blues, '50s and '60s rock and roll and funk throughout the week.
Where: The Bootlegger, Womanby Street
9. Bacareto
Inspired by the Venetian bàcaris - small cafés and bars which serve up small plates of food alongside coffees, or a glass of wine or spritzes - Bacareto is an informal bar and cafe and is one of the newer additions to Cardiff's city centre's food scene. Alongside delightful tapas style dishes, it serves a selection of wines, spritzes, cocktails and beers.
Located on Church Street, it's the perfect post-work treat.
Where: 13 Church St, Cardiff CF10 1BG
10. Lab 22
Tucked away at the top of Chippy Lane, Lab 22 is another hidden gem that has a great cocktail menu to match its mystery (see their menu here) - and one so delicious that it was named, earlier this year, in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list 2022 (alongside fellow Cardiff bar Pennyroyal). Read more on that here.
It describes itself as: "A prevalence towards the different and daring. Constantly striving to push boundaries of mixology and set the standard for cocktails in Cardiff. Mixed drinks, but not like you’ve had them before." If that doesn't entice you, I don't know what will.
Where: 22 Caroline Street
11. Brewhouse
The Wales game is on. Your mates are all around you. There's a buzz in the air as strangers come together to celebrate or commiserate the winning or losing scores. Brewhouse is quite possibly one of the best places to be if you're not in the stadium itself on a match day. With tables inside and outside - and both areas packed like sardines - it's a constantly thronging bar with lovely bar staff, lovely regulars and a class atmosphere. They also do some pretty standard but yummy pub grub.
On a day where a rugby or football match isn't on, indulge in the live music on show as musicians and bands take to its stage to serenade the bar-goers.
Where: The Hophouse, 49 St Mary Street
12. Live Lounge
Whether it's a late afternoon, late night or early morning (very very very early morning) drink you're after, Live Lounge has you covered with a fully stocked bar and with a variety of live music from bands to acoustic artists playing most days. It's a classic place for a night out in Cardiff, but before it gets wild, it's a pretty nice place for a drink where you'll not just enjoy a good bev but top quality entertainment too.
Where: 9 The Friary
Read Next:
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- The four Welsh finalists battling it out in the Just Eat Restaurant Awards
- First look at Bridgend’s newest restaurant Marble Steakhouse
- How to cook an entire Christmas dinner in an air fryer
- The food and drink prices at Cardiff Christmas Market and how they compare to others around the UK
