Cibo

Food mediocre over priced rushed in and rushed out, don’t expect to linger. I was born and bred in Pontcanna which is now too big for its boots and heading for a fall… remember nothing lasts forever .up your game Cibo.

Cibo is quite popular but it’s hard to see why. The food today was very ordinary — a sausage risotto accompanied by the sort of tomato salad you might get at a Little Chef. I ate hear a few weeks ago and thought they were having an off day. It’s somewhere to take kids for a pizza maybe, but not for good Italian food sadly.

For those restaurant that comes so highly recommended on Unilocal I’ve never been so disappointed. It failed on so many levels.
Firstly we found the staff to be quite rude and uninterested. As another reviewer said, it’s not deliberately rude but you really get the sense that you’re inconveniencing them.
Our starter was pretty reasonable but the food was downhill from there. We both ordered pasta mains and both had undercooked vegetables. This wasn’t subjectivly undercooked. The courgette was in unpleasantly almost raw chunks. This was a shame because the tomato sauce base was really rather good. The mozarella balls also seemed to be quite low quality. The pizza that the next table ordered looked great and authentically home made but if they can’t do pasta dishes right then there are real problems.
The gelati was unimpressive and could easily have just been scraped out of a catering tub. The one thing that I think there’s no excuse for getting wrong is coffee. It’s the last taste you have in your mouth and thus is the lingering nemory. An Italian restaurant should have great coffee, especially one that doubles as a café. Cibo doesn’t. My espresso was so burnt that there was no longer any coffee taste at all. Genuinely the most undrinkable cup of coffee I’ve ever had.
There must be so many better Italian places in Cardiff. They aren’t even trying here.

I’m lucky to say I am now a Pontcanna local, so it is only right if I am to explore the lovely, quiet and chic area of Cardiff!
Full of quaint cafes and bars, and Cibo particularly impressed me! I was out with my family and scouted out a few of the cafes and bars and decided on Cibo, as it looked fairy empty and we were all in a rush to get served and fed quickly. Slightly basic looking, we weren’t expecting any miracles, but we were all surprised! We were served by an Italian waiter, so you know its all very genuine! The food was amazing, really authentic, fresh and flavoursome ingredients and portions big enough to fill two plates!
After a full and satisfied belly, the bill arrived, and a fairly cheap one too! To be honest they could charge a lot more considering the quality cuisine they have on offer. It will set you back about twelve pounds a head for a main course and a soft drink. If you’re feeling guilty afterwards, Bute park and Llandaff fields are a two minute walk away if you feel the need to burn off the calories!
By the time we left, Cibo was brimming with local people in for a lunch-​time treat, proving that this is one of Pontcanna’s best kept secrets and definitely worth a visit!

I used to go to Cibo’s when there wasn’t any room in Café Brava. But now I just go cos it’s got great food and I enjoy going there.
The menu is quite extensive with lots of mouth watering things on offer. You can also just have coffee and dessert if you want though. I try not to go at peak times when space is at a premium. I don’t like feeling under pressure to have a full meal and just eat and go. Cibo’s food deserves to be anticipated and savoured
It’s quite hard deciding what you want to eat as it all looks lovely. It’s not cheap but when you have something to celebrate it’s a great place to go.
There’s seating outside too although it can feel like a bit like being in a wind tunnel somedays.
When i first started coming here I used to have dolcelatte toasties which were divine. Now it’s gone a bit up-​market I can’t have them.

Have been a regular here for years but in the last few months the standard has fallen and the food has not been as good.

Pontcanna is a trendy part of Cardiff and with it comes the predictable hype from the locals who like to rub it in to those who don”t live there ie. «Oh its so great to live in Pontcanna there are some wonderful family run cafes and bars only frequented by the locals thankfully».
Pontcanna is a nice place to live but it i pricey and it does not have a monopoly on nice little family run cafes and restaurants. One of my best friends live near by and I have been in pretty much every bar and restaurant in this area and they are ok.
I went to Cibo found the food ok but the attitude of the service staff was just about acceptable sometimes bordering on rude. I don’t mean deliberately rude but it was as if I was only there by luck and my purpose was to give them money.
If you go there I’m sure you will have food that is passable — if you think its exceptional then you need to eat out more.

Italian food really is the bee’s knees, isn’t it! This is great comfort food at it’s very best; quality, well put together ingredients combine to make many magical mouthfuls.
The specials board is a great place to start if you’re looking for something a little bit different.

This small Italian café-​bar-​restaurant is a great little spot for authentic Italian cuisine in a lovely, quiet area of Cardiff.
Owned and run by a family from Naples, the pizzas are made Napoli style — while they also serve delicious, fresh pasta dishes and a changing menu of daily specials, such as the very filling homemade pork meatballs served with spaghetti in a tomato sauce.
The prices reflect this café’s Pontcanna location, so it’s not the cheapest place to eat lunch or dinner, but the setting makes it worth the bit extra — and there’s a sweet enclosed garden for dining al fresco on sunny days.
They are licensed, too, so you can enjoy a glass of wine or a Peroni with your food, followed by a grappa to wake you up — plus as you’d expect they also do great coffee! Just watch out if you intend to go here for supper — if like me you like to eat late they may close a little too early…

Lovely place with great atmosphere and fantastic food. The staff were having a lively discussion in Italian the first time we went which was brilliant! I’ve no idea what they were saying but it really added to the atmosphere.
Not bad veggie selection as far as I can remember, I was more than happy with what I had anyway!
I’ve only been a couple of times and I’m desperate to go back.
Definitely recommended!

Can anybody tell me if there is an historic connection between Cardiff and Italy? I’m caused to wonder owing to the fact that Cardiff has some of the best Italian Restaurants in the world outside of this Southern European country. There’s The North Star on North Road, Porto Due on St Mary Street, and Cibo on Pontcanna Street… all of which have something more than a bit special about them.
The food at Cibo is exceptional. It would be my favourite Italian in Cardiff if it weren’t for the fact that I have fallen in love with the wonderful interiors that you get at The North Star. It’s not that Cibo is plain… far from it. It’s lovely. It is tastefully furnished with a beautiful wooden bar and serving are that takes center stage. The garden is really sweet. It’s entirely enclosed and intimate. But, when compared to the sheer scale and grandure there’s ultimately no comparison between this place and The North Star. The food, I would say is n a par… but may be Cibo clinches it… it’s a tough call!!!

Defiantly the best Pizza I have eaten in Cardiff so far, they are thin and crisp and beautifully fresh, but sometimes the service leaves something to be desired especially during busy evenings.
Still it’s café culture is what I love Pontcanna for and if you have never made a trip to this part of town you are defiantly missing out. Everyone I have ever eaten with in Cibo’s has rated the Pasta dishes which I very weirdly don’t like (thats at all, not used in Cibo’s!). Everything looks so fresh it’s a real feast for the eyes.
The inside is pretty small and it does feel cramped and busy even on a weekday lunch time. I’m not sure I would want to pop in here for a cup of coffee, and its too busy for a romantic dinner. Its also not cheap enough for a regular lunch stop either, at least not for me. Maybe go on a sunny day off and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine with your dinner and then a walk in the park.

Like its’ nearby neighbour Diner 77, Cibo is small, but what it lacks in size it surely makes up for in quality. This probably the closest you’ll get to genuine Italian dining in Cardiff. There are starter options, but I often find it’s more fun to go for their antipasti to share (very good), when it comes to the mains you can get pizza (I often find high quality Italian restaurants don’t serve it), but that seems a bit of a waste, as the fish is just superb! The staff are all lovely, and the food is always delivered promptly. The downside to Cibo’s obvious success is that you should definitely book ahead, otherwise you might not be guaranteed a table.

It may be small, but it is THE best café style Italian in Cardiff! Been a regular favourite of mine for the past 7 years and the high food quality is consistantly delicious! My advice is to check out the specials, occasionally included is the homemade pork meatballs served with spaghetti in a rich tomato based sauce, you’re in for a treat!

A little gem. Just a small room and bar in the Pontcanna district of Cardiff, Cibo is owned and run by an Italian family from Naples. Serving staff are all Italian natives also, either family, or friends who have come over for a working break. About room for 20 covers inside, and a couple of outside tables on the pavement in good weather.
Mainly serves pasta and pizze. These are real Neapolitan pizze –taste the difference between Cibo’s pizze and the ready-​made offerings from chain pizza houses! But there are also daily specials made fresh with real Italian ingredients; when I was there, Salsicce e Spinaci and Strozzapreti were on offer. Strozzapreti means ‘choked priest’ and is reputed to get its name from an Italian cleric who nearly choked with joy when he first tasted it!
Rosella waited on my table and she came from Palermo. She was anxious to suggest some destinations in Sicily for anyone who might be going there — see ‘La Dolce Vita’ Group for details.
Top place in Cardiff for the taste of Italy.

The Cibo is a small but popular bar café, located not far from the centre of Cardiff, it is the perfect place to enjoy a tasty breakfast a delicious afternoon meal and an exquisite evening meal. In summer it is most enjoyable to sit out in the gardens and relax with an ice cold peroni beer, it can get a little pricey, but all in all its definitely worth it!