Cayo Arms

Don’t know why or how, but after years of it being Mochyn Du, the Cayo has now become the home of the regular Welsh folk music session. Every Monday night as a general rule. So that makes it worth heading to if nothing else!
Otherwise it is a perfectly nice pub. It does shut a little too promptly for my liking, but there is always The Beverly. We had a few nice evenings out the front nattering away at one of the big tables, a nice pint of bitter. Very chilled. And just far away from town to miss the cheap booze carnage, but then close enough to the centre to be easy for everyone to get to.

It would be easy to think that a pub named after Julian Cayo Evans, the former leader of the Free Wales Army and convicted arsonist, wouldn’t be a particularly welcoming kind of place. Especially to those you don’t siarad Cymraeg. But the reality is that The Cayo Arms is a wonderfully friendly pub no matter what tongue you speak.
The pub has recently been refurbished and has brought light to whence it was dark and peanuts that come coated in fancy flavourings and in little bowls rather than bags from KP. They’ve done a lovely job without tearing it apart and losing the essence of the pub.
The Cayo has always proudly served great cask ale from across the country and this hasn’t changed. You’ll usually find four real ales on offer and I heartily recommend a pint of Brakspear’s Oxford Gold that was on last week and hopefully still is. It was so nice that I never managed to make it to the cricket, even though the ground is within spitting distance. They also serve the gorgeous Franziskaner at £2.95 a pop. Happy days!

A perfect post-​sports destination for drinks for those using the Sophia Gardens facilities or watching cricket at the Swalec Stadium, the Cayo is one of the best-​loved pubs on Cathedral Road. An undercurrent of Welsh language patrons could make it a little uninviting for non-​mother tongue speakers, but that’s really not worth considering as the Cayo has ample down-​to-​earth pros that outweigh such minor potential cons. Chances of a quiet pint are decreased during widescreen sports coverage, admittedly, yet the cheap pub grub, pleasant garden area, spacious interior and friendly welcome are multiple compensation.

The Cayo is a friendly pub housed in two grand Victorian residences that have been combined to create a larger space.
It was called the Apollo Hotel until 2001, when it was renamed after a famous Welsh man called William Julian Cayo-​who ran the Free Wales Army.
You could easily confuse this and the Beverley, which also spans a couple of very similar houses and is located just along the road.
The regular crowd tends to be more mature (though not necessarily old!) and fairly laidback, although it often gets busy with a more mixed crowd on quiz nights (usually on Sundays, I believe) and on days when there are rugby matches at the nearby Millennium Stadium, when lots of fans drink and watch the game here.
All in all this is a welcoming establishment in a pleasant and leafy area of Cardiff, with reasonable bar and food prices — far cheaper than many other Pontcanna bars.

The Cayo and The Beverley up the road will always, in my mind, be sister pubs — they are very similar to the uninitiated — as I am. I have often gone from one to the other should the one be too busy /​too quiet.
They are both great over spill pubs for rugby internationals and they both attempt to accommodate the burgeoning drinking population come international rugby days.
I have had food at The Cayo and it was passable if you are enjoying your time their but can’t be bothered to go elsewhere for a special meal.
So match days its a fun happy welcome all. Week days it tends to be a different animal with quite a cliquey regular crowd — or that was my feel. Not that the staff change attitudes they remain friendly whatever the day.

Disgusting is the only word for it.
Filthy Gents loos’s; horrible food, nothing fresh or interesting. This once great pub has plumbed the depths of corporate abandonment, and is just truly as bad as it gets.
The new refurb is nothing more than a lickj of paint, and the menus is cuisine a la ding, all microwaved.
After a week eating out in Cardiff this has to be one of the worst pubs I have been to ina long long time,
What a shame.

Having worked on Cathedral Road, I have probably visited all the pubs on this road at least one, at this was a particular favourite. Selling real ales with good cheap food and a warm welcome, they can’t really do much wrong by me. A fiver for a freshly made sandwich and a pint at lunch time is perfect.
It may look a bit like an old man’s pub, and maybe the crowd is slightly older but you aren’t made to feel like an outsider and the staff are usually quite chatty.
Its also got a nice outside space which made me late back to work on many occasions and a Pub Quiz most Sunday’s.
Upstairs they have a Bed and Breakfast, and while I’ve never stayed it would be a great choice for proximity to the Cricket grounds and the rest of town.

Situated five minutes away from the City Centre and is near to the Swalec Stadium and around the corner from the Mochyn Du pub. Can either walk straight down Cathedral Road or a quick shortcut through Bute Park by the side of Cardiff Castle & across the bridge into Sophia Gardens and through to Sophia Close.
Externally it looks more like a B & B than a pub, which is not too surprising as en-​suite accommodation is available here too.
On entering through the «reception/​entrance area» your are plunged into the bar with a large selection of real ales. On this occassion I sampled a rather nice pint of Marstons Old Empire (Indian Pale Ale).
The décor inside is quite old fashioned and quite classy which accentuates that guest house feel.
The bar room is quite spacious and there is a big screen to show sports matches etc.
The toilets here are quite clean but very small.
The pub does offer meals, obviously must do breakfast for its overnight guests plus meals during the day. On match days however this is limited to hot meat rolls & bar snacks.
It is well worth a stroll over esp. with the Mochyn Du so close as well for a good pint of real ale and a quieter alternate to the themed/​chain owned bars the city centre has to offer.
(N.B. Unable to comment on the rooms/​B & B as no info was to hand or online.)

A tradional pub located 5 minutes walk from the city centre. Popular in the summar and on match days, the pub is pretty run of the mill, but has a nice smoking area and patio — and you could do far worse in choosing this watering hole, as its only 5 minutes walk from Bute park.

A good selection of Ales and previous winner of CAMERA welsh pub of the year.
I think the best thing to say about this place is that you’ll strugle to find anything bad to say. I used to work near here and was spoilt for choice with the Cayo and the Mochyn Du so close!

Gutes gemütliches Pub in Pontcanna Street benannt nach Julian Cayo-​Evans. Sehr beliebt bei walisischsprachigen Walisern, Fernsehleuten, Rugbyspielern und generell.
Leckeres Bier! Im Sommer kann man draussen sitzen. Gute Atmosphäre! Cheers! Man kann hier auch übernachten (5 Schlafzimmer). Von der Stadtmitte ist es überhaupt nicht weit und der Pub liegt nicht weit vom Pontcanna Park entfernt.