Cardiff
Lyalena

Lyalena

175 City Road, Cardiff, Cardiff, CF243JB, CF24 3JB, United Kingdom

Pizza • Salad • Italian • Sandwich


"Visited on a Friday afternoon/evening on a work afternoon out as a large group and was not disappointed! Started with grilled halloumi cheese, no sweet chilli sauce or condiments to go with it but some lettuce salad on the side. Lovely thick pieces of halloumi cooked perfectly and a generous portion for a starter at the usual price of upwards of £3 and closer to £4. Totally worth it and with the pitta bread on the table, chucking a piece in there is a winner for the taste palette. The main event really was impressive, I opted for the £10.90 Lyalena Mixed Grill. Lamb shish, chicken shish and lamb kafta were the main components and were accompanied by rice, chips, side salad and a stunning mayo and chilli side sauce. Considering the very reasonable price, the portion size was more than impressive and realistically could have been a meal for two. If you’re a good eater and like the challenge of battling meat sweats though, it’s more than worth the effort! Located in the heart of City Road in the Welsh capital, you may struggle to find parking but a drive up and down the side streets should prove fruitful eventually. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the city centre though, so not completely off the beaten path. No alcohol is sold there either, so you’re if you’re looking for a drink with your food: it’ll be a soft drink or water. Overall, I found the staff to be friendly and helpful and the restaurant itself was clean and tidy, which is always a plus. It’s suitable for couples and groups and it’s worth a visit if you’re looking to try somewhere different and take in some authentic Lebanese food."

Cafe Aroma

Cafe Aroma

120 Crwys Road, CF24 4ND, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Cafe • Wraps • Panini • Breakfast


"Use to be a lovely atmosphere with great staff and food however since the new owners have come in the standards have dropped and they don’t seem to care. Visited with a friend for a quick bite to eat for lunch, place was quiet, not like before when it use to be bustling. Asked for a panini meal and specifically asked if the spicy chicken was marinated where they lady behind the till confirmed it was. I am quite picky with my food and if the member of staff confirms something then you expect it to arrive like you expect. When it arrived I could immediately see that the chicken was not marinated, instead there were 2 pieces of chicken, and I’m not lying when I say they must have been each the size of two 50p pieces and super thin, plain and not marinated, the chilly came via some chilly sauce out of a bottle topped on the chicken. The panini was accompanied with a minuscule amount of chips and salad on the side, more suitable for a kiddy’s meal. When questioning the person behind the till who confirmed it was marinated originally replied with “no that’s how it come”, obviously I was slightly irate as it’s not what I expected, and to top it off my bottle of water that I paid £1.50 was Costco’s very own 330ml Kirkland brand. Overall I will not be returning to this place. The food has gone down hill and the owners don’t care. Maybe I was just unlucky and it was and off day but I won’t go again. Food was below average and definitely not value for money."

Mezza Luna

Mezza Luna

159 City Road, Cardiff, CF243BQ, CF24 3BQ, United Kingdom

Meat • Pizza • Mexican • Moroccan


"I have been going to Mezza Luna for years and have always raved about the food! The front of house used to be run by the lovely Anna and in those days it ran like clockwork all was perfect! Last Wed we turned up and apart from some hand gel as you walked in there were no Covid measures in place that we had seen in other places. No temperature checking, no screens, staff nor wearing visors etc.. 2 of our group left almost immediately as they felt so uncomfortable. The service was at best chaotic, which we did not mind so much as they had 3 new staff under a week in the job and you could see they were doing their best. We arrived at 7pm we were eating our main courses at nearly 10pm. The head waitress through a wobbly and started swearing and abusing customers and through her tray across the restaurant in front of the whole restaurant and young children.. at the end of the meal I spoke to the owner politely and said the food was wonderful as usual however I felt concerned about the lack of safety measures and ft the outburst from his staff member was unacceptable. I was surprised that he tried to defend her behaviour And then the staff member who was walking passed and overheard had another wobbly telling me she had worked there for 7 years was stressed and was on minimum wage.. and then shouted at me to **** off twice, to which the owner did not say a word. We will it be returning sadly inside the restaurant! Bring back Anna that might be the only thing that can save that restaurant!"