Chapter

Wonderful ambience and fabulous food. Very relaxing and food very tasty and reasonable. Highly recommended.

I like Chapter. Choice of beers good and foods ok. I did have one bad experience last year when I had to wait about a hour and a half for food.
It’s well fitted out and has a good atmosphere.

A great no-​fuss wifi system here.
None of this Sign-In-First-To-(the unreliable)-BT-(perishing)-Openzone load of old pants.
Neither does one have to play Secret Agents and be slipped the password by a man wearing a carnation in the Chapter car park.
No, just open up wifi, click on Chapter and you’re in. Sorted.
Mind you, it still doesn’t change the fact that long tables of punters using their laptops looks inescapably sad.
One feels like giving them all a hug and saying: Don’t worry, mate, one day you’ll find some REAL friends.
Chapter’s an institution. Good food, REAL ales, art, music, theatre, cinema etc make it one of Cardiff’s little gems.

IRIS PRIZE 2010
The Iris Prize is an international film competition, celebrating short films made by lesbian, gay and Queer filmmakers. It has it’s home in Cardiff and every October the winning film is announced and their film is shown in Chapter. It is a very prestigious film making award that attracts entries from around the world. There’s also a prize worth the equivalent of £25,000 for the winner. The film only has to be 10 minutes long making it accessible for a lot of filmmakers with limited resources.
Throughout October Chapter will also be hosting other films and events supporting the festival. This will be kicking off on Wednesday October 6^th.
Also on Wednesday October 6^th there will be an event focussing on Women In Film and Television which will be a question and answer session with a panel of people currently working in the industry. The panellists include Iris Prize patron Carol Coombes, Sue Jones Davies and Briony Hanson from Script Factory

It’s hard to talk of Chapter in just one review because there are so many reasons to make the trek out of town to visit this delightful arts centre.
My main reason, I confess, is to get myself a glass of German beer. Supplied by Olaf (who certainly knows a thing who two about the most flavoursome of beverages), Chapter have such an impressive array of drinks it’s hard to know where to start.
The gallery is also worth a visit, so make sure you get in before eight. What you must remember here, though, is that you’re allowed to laugh. When I last visited they were showing a short film where two Arabian men hovered on carpets while smoking shisha… assisted by men in overalls in a zero gravity room. This is odd stuff, and consequently great fun. Abandon your preconceptions regarding the meaning of art and enjoy.
The cinemas here are my favourite in Cardiff because of the films they show. I remember a couple of months ago they screened, With Bells On, a delightfully British comedy about Morris dancers which Chapter decided to get us in the mood for by inviting a few local sides along for dancing in the foyer. What a night!
In terms of theatre, Chapter always have some quality pieces which they don’t confirm too far in advance making the venue an excellent spur of the moment destination. Look out for the comedy nights as well, cheap and cheerful at its best.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Try a bottle of Bambergs Spezialität. Dark and smoky, it’s a million miles from Carling. Prost.

Chapter Arts Centre really is an asset to this city. It’s a little way out of the centre, but it offer such a great range of different artistic endeavours that it’s worth the trip.
The main thing I use it for is its cinema. It tends to show alternative or against the grain films, though it does sometimes get hold of the odd mainstream flick as well. There’s something great about being in such a tiny cinema for a change, almost like you’re around and your mate’s house. A mate, that is, who has loads of other mates round and who is really rich.
Apart from the cinema it also puts on plenty of other events like plays, exhibitions, and children’s activities, and it also has a thriving bar and food area. Chapter Arts offers a chance to have a totally different evening from the norm. Mix it up a bit.

Chapter is one of those venues that you are glad exist in such a city as Cardiff, being a great place to watch mainstream film and also alternative film. This centre regularly features up and coming movie maker’s productions which is beneficial to those of you, whom like myself like to see what local film makers can offer to inspire you.
This centre hosts comedy nights such as Drones, which is a great platform if you are starting out as a comedian and want to give your material a try on a small audience as the people who run this rely on new emerging talent.
Chapter is a fantastically diverse venue, hosting art galleries, film, comedy and live music. Swn festival often take over Chapter for their annual event, filling the place with music and joy (well they did have inflatable sumo wrestling outfits last year) It is a modern and stylish venue, with a full bar and also a café serving up some fantastic light bites and main dishes.

I always think Chapter is a really cool place to hang out — until I actually get there. There is always something that doesn’t quite sit right.
The newly refurbished Chapter looks amazing, with a swanky bar and café, glass fronted outside area etc. But there is something not quite right. The bar has that canteen feeling and is just too noisy if you fancy a chat — you know that hollow, school hall sound? The outdoor area has always been packed when I’ve been, and the non-​smoking tables are a bit of a pain.
The bar have a wide selection of bottled european lagers, cask real ales and other drinks, but there are just too many and it leaves you flummoxed as to what to order.
I’ve not been in the cinema since the refit, mainly cos the films haven’t grabbed me. But the second space (e.g. smallish room) is just too small and narrow for a music/​performance venue.
I know this looks like a lot of criticism. Chapter really is a great place — its just each element just seems to miss — just. Shame really.

This is a unique arts centre where I have been to view a few films and one of them was called Brick that I saw with Coleg Glan Hafren College whilst I studied a Media and Film course there.
The films are often small film company productions and sometimes they show films which were out in the cinema a month or two ago. When we saw Brick I thought I wasn’t going to like it as it was a local film company that had created it and it was all about drugs, violence and the main character was supposed to be very depressive and dull.
He was but I was amazed at how well I liked it in the end. It turned out to be a bit of a crime thriller, in my opinion, as I found out as I was watching it that I was trying to figure out who had killed the people who were murdered in the film.
The place seems small, but actually for a local arts centre it is pretty big. It is full of sixty cultural workspaces and more… it also has a lovely café; award-​winning bars, exhibition spaces, studio, theatres and cinemas.
Entry is free and there is more than one complex around Cardiff, the main campus is in an area called Canton and it is on Market Road. The staff are kind and friendly and are ready and waiting to assist you.
I recommend this place to everyone…

The refurbished Chapter Arts House is absolutely brilliant if you’re into in smaller-​scale cinema, theatre, exhibitions and artistic odds and sods. It also does very nice food and drinks and finding a parking space nearby isn’t too difficult either.
Shows-​wise, Chapter is great for niche theatre, contemporary cinema and more obscure artistic or foreign films. Even if all that this doesn’t sound like your bag baby then my recommendation is for Bad Film Club, which takes place on the first Sunday of every month and is the most fun you can legally have in a cinema. Two resident comedians, Nicko and Joe, will introduce you to a really, really awful film that they want to share with you, and then you watch it with them pointing out everything that’s wrong with it with laser pens and funny voices. The combination of films and comedy here really is brilliant so if you’ve never heard of Bad Film Club you HAVE to go check it out! You will laugh yourself silly!
There’s a great variety on show here but it’s also a really nice place to visit if you just want somewhere interesting to have a few drinks. In the evenings the main reception area is normally quite busy but there’s usually enough seating for everyone either in the main bar area, around the corner in the cwtch (welsh for cuddle or snug) or outside on the patio. The drinks are a bit different (I’m a big fan of draught Aspall cider) and aren’t that expensive, and there’s an impressive food menu that serves up until about 7 or 8pm. The bar carries on serving well past this though and it’s easy to find yourself spending a few hours here chatting and catching up with people.

I visit Chapter at least once a week. It is a great meeting place for friends but is equally as great if you feel like escaping for a while on your own with a good book.
Chapter serves food and drinks which are all very tasty. I can personally recommend the ham and mustard sandwich. It comes served with a salad garnish and crisps. The mustard made my eyes water though because it was so strong!
Drinks wise they do a mean Mocha which is my favourite from their hot drink selection.
On Friday mornings they have a carry on screaming session which is a cinema for people with young children. It is similar to going to the pictures but it has the added extra of allowing babies in. Hence the screaming in the title. This facility is for everybody but if you go without children be warned it does get quite noisy.
To see what is showing and when you just need to pick up a copy of the Chapter brochure which gets printed every month.
Also it is great for celeb hunting. I once saw Ruth Jones in there which was a real joy!

Chapter arts centre is not just for the arty types even though you will find them there happily chatting to other arty types in their unironed clothes or creating a playlettes on their laptops. Its also a meeting place for a variety of groups from ladies of a certain age, to mums to be to people who just fancy spending a bit of time in a nice amiable space.
What can I say — you walk in the doors at Chapter and immediately you think, «ohh this is nice». It’s open, airy, bright and clean wrapped in a nice warm gentle atmosphere. The café area is the kind of place you could easy while away several hours drinking coffee, reading, surfing the internet and eating their very impressive variety of snacks. If you fancy going further than a snack then it has a very respectable menu at reasonable prices too.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg on what’s on offer at Chapter. There is 2 cinemas, 3 theatres, galleries and much, much more. I am not going to list everything you can do there as finding out is half the point in going there. I will only suggest you do one thing — go there, I guarantee you will like it.

Chapter Art Centre, as a single entity, offers one of the most comprehensive programme of events to be seen outside of London. Comprised of a cinema, gallery, theatre, café-​bar, dance studios, workshop spaces and bookshop, it is, quite literally, an all singing, all dancing, creative hub. It also happens to be one of my most loved havens in Cardiff. I spent the best part of Monday there, (which wasn’t my intention… it’s just a very difficult place to leave!) I regularly ensconce myself in the newly refurbed café, lunching out whilst taking advantage of the extremely quick wifi they provide. These days there are plenty of sockets so that everyone who wants to can plug-​in, (in the bad old days I have had to queue to get to a socket when I ran out of juice… there just weren’t enough to go round).
The facilities have improved across the board since vast sums of money have been spent modernising the space. There are two schools of thought regarding the refurbishments, with the old guard firmly protesting the changes, and people like me, who think that it has lost nothing of its charm, and are grateful for the improvements that have been made. I guess not everyone appreciates change. Oh well, done now!

Chapter used to be my local bar, and I have a huge amount of loyalty to the place. It’s a real hive of activity, and a brilliant community arts centre made up of a cinema, a gallery, a theatre, and a café-​bar area.
I have passed many happy evenings in Chapter’s bar, or outside in the beer garden, which has recently been refurbished and is looking smarter than ever, with a covered outdoor area. As ever, the café’s menu still offers healthy, wholesome home-​cooked food and plenty for veggies, while the bar always has specialist guest beers on offer.
The building previously served as a school, and Chapter’s café and bar area are housed in what would presumably have been the assembly hall, while courses and workshops are run in the former classrooms, and other rooms are now dance studios.
The gallery hosts changing exhibitions of contemporary art, some of them quite weird and many much– talked-​about, spanning diverse formats such as sculpture, painting, film and installation.
Chapter is probably best known, however, for its excellent art-​house cinema. There’s nowhere else in Cardiff showing such a diverse range of international and independent films, and now I no longer live in Canton I wish I’d seen more films there while it was just two minutes around the corner from my house.

Chapter Arts is a great place if you fancy a relaxed night out to see something a little bit different. They show an excellent range of art house, foreign and mainstream films, and because they’re a smaller venue they tend to get them a little later, so you can still see all those greats you thought you’d missed.
There are two cinema screens, both are fairly small and intimate, although usually quite popular. There is also a gallery, showing modern local art (some of which is fascinating, and some of which is absurdly fascinating). There is a bar and a café, so drinks and nibbles are available at the very least all day long.
If you’re into you classes, theatre, writing, dance or art, they have an ever changing and exciting spectrum of courses and events to cater to every taste. Children and adults alike.
Chapter Arts Centre is a great place to start if you’re new to the area and would like to fell a little more involved. Or else just a great getaway.

I love the Chapter of Arts centre, mainly because they showed my film there las year. They did very well with the event and had wine and a buffet afterwards upstairs. All the staff were great looked after everyone splendidly well.
The Screens have about a hundred seats or so and have great views where ever you sit. There is also a bar that sells over priced drinks but is really modern and has a great range of drinks available.

Chapter isn’t just a cinema, its a centre for arts of all kinds in Cardiff. It has quirky art displays, great theatre and dance performances, comedy nights and hosts lectures and debates, not to mention scrabble Sunday.
I wish there were more places like this in Cardiff, places that work with community and offer up something less mainstream that provides the arts scene in city a really good base.
Defiantly think its worth checking out their brochure and find out whats going on, and get down there and support the place.

Chapter arts has recently been refurbished and it’s looking fantastic, from the new covered outdoor area to the clean bright bar café. Everything is looking really gorgeous which is just as well because now summer is back I’d like to go there and drink my slightly pretentious cherry beer and talk art with the locals. The food is tasty and varied and there’s an especially good selection for vegans, lots of warm salads and French fries. The film selection is really great and I always pick up a guide whenever I go there. I’d recommend the bad film club which is on once a month and well worth booking in advance to check out. There’s also comedy, performance art and exhibitions in the gallery. Definitely one of the few places in Cardiff that’s got something different going on every day.

At the moment Chapter has gone way down hill. They have a school dinner hall as a bar, the car park has reopened thankfully, temporary theatre and outside toilets. No toilets upstairs anymore, so you have to exit (often into the rain) just for a wee. They have Y Llofft and this space is very nice and quite big when I saw a promenade theatre piece in there. This space has and will have great theatre productions in (Flurry of Florence, 31^st July and 1^st August). The space has a specific quality about it. Chapter Arts is still a great place to go. It will be even better than it was when the renovation is complete.
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Located in the heart of the Canton district (a short walk from the city centre), Chapter arts is a fantastic arts centre and great place to hang out with friends.
Wide range of entertainment on offer from arthouse/​world cinema, quirky theatre, workshops, musical events, stand up comedy and more. There is also an exhibit gallery to peruse and a nice bar which serves inexpensive drinks and a café area.
A great place to spend a rainy day.
Some limited parking behind — so get there early for a space.