2026-09-12
A Decade in Cardiff
Today marks 10 years of (mostly) living in Cardiff. That makes it the longest I’ve lived anywhere! I’m celebrating with an appreciation post. Here are my favourite things in (or nearby) Cardiff.
Green Spaces
Cardiff is a great place to walk. Its green spaces make up a surprisingly high portion of the city’s area at around 19%. They’re beautiful and well-maintained. Bute and Roath are even renowned for their arboretum collections:
Bute Park has the highest number of “champion trees” in any UK public park (the park with the second highest number of champions is Roath Park, so Cardiff is uniquely blessed with special trees!)
I’m fortunate to live less than a 20 minute walk from Bute Park, Heath Park, and Roath Park. My go-to spot for a quick walk, though, is Cathays Cemetery. Opening in 1859, it was intended to be “a pleasant environment in which to walk”. It is. The cedar by the chapels is my favourite tree in Cardiff.
If I’ve got a bit more time, I’ll head down to Roath. There is a huge plane tree I like by The Celtic Bridge in Roath Pleasure Gardens. Roath Botanic Garden is also quite special. If it’s hot out I’ll do a loop of Roath Lake with an ice cream.
Heath Park is right next to Heath Library, my favourite quiet study space. As of last year it is also home to the Brodies coffee hut. There is no finer study treat than a visit to Brodies for a coffee and something sweet.
Bute park is the largest park of Cardiff’s parks. It has been open to the public since 1857. My ideal walk on a (dry) Sunday morning is to walk down through Bute park to Riverside Market. On the way, if you want a coffee, you pass by the Secret Garden Cafe, who do the best vegan soft serve in town, or the Brodies at the castle wall entrance. The main path is very nice but there’s also a trail that goes along the river between the suspension bridge and the Secret Garden Cafe that keeps you in the shade and is quieter.
I’m sure this is true everywhere in the UK but Cardiff really comes alive the sun. Everyone’s out in the parks having a BBQ, enjoying the sun. Everyone’s happy. There’s a universal gratitude for the weather and you can feel it in the air. Moving to Cardiff from Lisbon was a big shock. In a year, Cardiff gets roughly half of the sunlight hours Lisbon gets. That said, Wales is as beautiful as it is thanks to the rain and long winter we have here. The colours we have the rest of the year make it worth it. On the best sunny days, I’d rather be in Cardiff than Lisbon.
Rest Bay
Rest bay is only about 40 minutes from Cardiff. It is a beautiful beach and probably the one I’ve spent the most time at in my life. When the conditions line up the surf can be really fun. At low tide there’s loads of room to avoid the crowds.
Blake & Brew
My favourite cafe. Everyone knows Phil and Phil knows everyone. Phil is the best. His coffee is excellent. Lucky to be around the corner from this place.
Riverside Market
The place to be on a Sunday morning. The #1 spot here for me is Riverside Sourdough. Really good bread but its their cinnamon swirls that sell out fastest. The pain au chocs are my favourite when they have them. There are loads of options great options at the market. Something for everyone. Be sure to check out the famous graffiti wall just across the river. The market is also on at the Mackintosh Sports club Saturdays.
Alex Gooch
I am incredibly lucky to live down the road from one of Cardiff’s best vegan bakeries. I go there most weeks for a loaf of sourdough. The pastries are top notch. If you only get one it should be the kouign-amann. Also a great lunch spot. Go for the soup, salad, and focaccia combo.
Sgwd Gwladys
My favourite walk ever. A flat, easy, 30min walk to the waterfall. It is beautiful all year round. I lived 10 minutes up the road for a year so we did this walk most weekends.
West Pizza
My favourite pizza in Cardiff. It’s a New York style by-the-slice place. My favourite, the Cochyn (a marinara), is £3 a slice. That’s part of the reason there are no pubs on this list. I’d rather have two slices of Cochyn than a pint.
Pen Y Fan
The most famous walk in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. About 50 minutes from Cardiff. Very busy but worth it.
Cardiff Market
Ffwrnes Pizza has been holding the fort a long time at Cardiff Market. It used to be the only reason I went to the market. These days there are loads of great stalls there. Pierogi is also great. The market is supposedly due a huge renovation next year!
Brodies
I mentioned the Brodies hut in Heath Park and the Brodies on the wall. There’s also the original hut in Gorsedd Gardens. The gardens are right in front of Cardiff Museum. They’re the closest green haven to the Queen Street end of town. I used to go to the Brodies hut all the time when I worked around there. Great spot.
Corner Coffee
This is the best cafe in the city center. They do V60s. Had my best coffee ever here. There’s also one in Porthcawl now. Great post-surf spot!
Pooja
This place has been there as long as I can remember. I used to live around the corner on Mackintosh Place so I used to go all the time. Last week I got three samosas, two bhajis, and two baklava for £3.50. The biryani is very good. I also used to love the paneer rolls.
Hard Lines
My coffee journey kicked off with a Hard Lines V60 gift box I got for Christmas one year. Alongside the roastery, they have an American-style diner cafe in Canton. It is one of my favourite lunch spots. They have the best vegan cookies. If I weren’t vegan I’d be going for the key lime pie. Also, their Valentine’s Day roasts are 10/10.
New York Deli
Great baps and hot dogs. I think they’ve been around longer than I’ve been in Cardiff. Excellent vegan selection.
Fresh the Baguette Bar
The Cardiff lunch spot. Be prepared to queue a long time if you haven’t pre-ordered. Dedicated veggie menu.
Brother Thai
My favourite dinner spot in Cardiff. Just up the road from me. Very popular. Always busy. Famous for their rotis: a flaky paratha filled with (in my case) jackfruit or seitan goodness.
Thanks Cardiff!
It’s easy to glorify the idea of living somewhere else. It’s a trap I fall into the time. Although, of course, what made these past 10 years so special are the people I spent them with, it was nice to focus on all the things I love about Cardiff. I’m very grateful for my time here.