The Waterguard

Not every Qype recommendation works out! While this is a cheap and friendly Sam Smiths pub that looks quite nice externally, inside it is a bright modern charm free place that feels more like a hotel bar.
In their defence I did turn up in not the best mood having walked down a very dodgy street to get to the pub, during which time I was shouted at by a drugged up pram pusher and sh*t on by a seagull!
It was not worth it.
And taking off one star for this: disgraceful and greedy act by the owner at one of their other pubs!

I really like The Waterguard, it is such a refreshing change from the crowded chain pubs in the rest of the Bay. There’s no blaring music or TVs showing sport that couldn’t give a monkey’s about and there’s enough room to relax without being squashed up against the neighbouring tables. You can quite happily sit in peace and wile away an hour or so playing Scrabble or draughts cwtched up on one of the sofas.
The bar is stocked with proper lagers and beers brewed for taste and quality, not your mass produced run-​of-​the-​mill Carling or Fosters. And at less than £2.50 for a pint of lager, that’s quite refreshing too.
The food isn’t bad either. They’ve had a few changes in management over the past few months but the kitchen is open again and serves traditional pub fayre: various pies, burgers, curries, even toad in the hole as well as ‘lite bites’ and sandwiches. Most things are around the £5/£6 mark.
What I found quite interesting is that a lot of their bottled drinks like lagers and ciders are marked as being suitable for Vegans — so no shellfish in their finery. Plus on a completely different note — parking outside is free after 6, and all day on Sundays!

I have been to the Waterguard so many times.
Its great for a night out in the bay without being squashed into a crowded bar full of drunken louts.
It serves good but basic pub grub and has the added extra of providing board games.
Many wet evenings I have spent playing scrabble here with a glass of wine and a bowl of chips.
It is a great place to go and relax in but it isn’t a great place if you are wanting to dance the night away.
In the summer it has a lovely outdoor seating area close to grass suitable for kids to play on.
At the minute there is a big wheel fairground ride opposite which is worth a go on as it shows you spectacular views of the bay. I cant promise it will still be there by the time you read this but it was there when I visited at the weekend!

If you want to avoid the more crowded bars of the bay (Salt and Terra Nova) then head towards the castle look-​a-​likee that happens to be a bar called The Waterguard.
The upsides are:
As I said can have a quite drink and get served hassle free.
You can play board games as they have quite a few behind the bar including Monopoly and Scrabble.
They have a lovely outside area where you can either sit at a table or on the lush grass in the summer.
They have speciality beers.
The downsides are:
They have speciality beers — some people will see this a good thing but I can honestly say I have never tasted a beer I like here.
It can be a bit pricey.
It can lack a bit of atmosphere if its too empty.

I quite like this pub, and it’s often one where my friends and I congregate to gossip over a pint. Or two. Or three.
With no background musak to distort your experience (I’m sorry, hearing Robbie Williams in a cosy pub always seems to put me in a bad way), The Waterguard offers a range of Samuel Smith beers, ciders, and juices that complement both the dreary Welsh winters and balmy summer evenings.
Speaking of summer, whenever the temperature rises, most patrons can be found sitting on blankets in the grassy noll that lines the back, while making the most of the long evenings with a pint or two or three.
And I always enjoy taking a whimsical ride on the ferris wheel that makes an appearance in the summer months.
It’s much cheaper than most of the bay bars as well — I won’t name names, but a few charge London prices for a pint of their brew.

A decent pub next to the Atradius offices where I was working; overlooking the bay. They sell a selection of Samuel Smiths beers on draught as well as good bottled beers.

I admittedly walked past this place many times without actually realizing what it is. It looks half like a castle keep, with a super modern shell attached to the back. It wasn’t until the summer when I noticed all the people drinking outside that I realized it was a bar and restaurant!
The inside is an equally odd mix of old mixed with very new. It’s a Samuel Smiths bar which means they offer up a unique mix of reasonably priced beers. My bloke was recommended a ‘Man in a Box’, which tasted better than its name would suggest. I opted for a lovely cider. The menu didn’t temp us, especially being a little more expensive than we would normally pay.
Nice enough place for a quiet, relaxing drink especially in the summer, but not really anything special.

The Waterguard has to be one of the most attractive buildings in Cardiff Bay (in my opinion of course) but I think it’s probably a bit of a poisoned chalice because it can seem a little bit intimidating if you don’t know what it is. Both times I’ve visited it’s been deathly quiet and I’m guessing that’s because of the ambiguity of the venue. Is it a bar? Is it a restaurant? Aesthetically it looks more ‘fine dining’ than your average pub. It’s such a shame too because this place deserves way more recognition than it actually gets. It’s a really laid back and low key little pub, the interior mixes a good classic style with a contemporary twist and it stocks some pretty speciality beers. Don’t ask me to name them because I felt I needed to try as many as possible and this has somewhat impaired my memory. I seriously suggest you give it a whirl instead of passing it by like so many others before you.

I love this pub. It’s away from the hustle and bustle in Cardiff Bay and it’s nothing like Salt or Terra Nova, thank goodness. It’s great on a summer’s day as you can sit outside on the grass whilst sipping away on a Samuel Smith’s beer (or cider). Although the wheat beer does smelly oddly of baked beans?!
This pub is a mixture of modern and classical all in one and is especially great on a summer’s day!

This is a great little bar perfect for on a hot day after you’ve been exploring cardiff bay.
The pricing is very reasonable and the staff friendly.
Admittedly its not the sort of place to stay for along time as it lacks atmosphere when not many people are having a drink.

The way I got to know this pub was quite a profession related one, for a bit of chill out and meeting. I wasn’t really expecting hat was coming cause I just thought it was a run of the mill pub. It is actually quite different, when you go in, it seems like you are going in to a gentleman’s club, it is very conservative and traditional. Some people may be turned off by that, but add that to the niceness and friendliness of the staff and you get quite nice comfortable place.
The venue is made of 3 different rooms, a meeting room and two lounges. It is a bit dark and full of couches all over the place, you get quite a good view of the navy boat at the bay and of the Tube (Cardiff Bay’s visitor centre).
They have a quite good selection of traditional ales and lagers, most are British and they taste quite good. It is a good option to go to the bay and end up there!
The prices are moderate for pubs in Cardiff, so why not make a visit?

Cardiff could do with more Samual Smith pubs!
Good place to stop for a quick (cheap) beer whilest exploring the bay.
Handy hint, great place to go for a quiet drink after a show at the millenium centre as most people tend to move the other way.

A Samuel Smith’s pub in Cardiff Bay that has been transformed as the Bay continues to grow as a tourist attraction. Which is a shame, as I like Samuel Smith’s pubs just the way they were– their own range of interestingly bitter and wheaty beers (no Fosters or Carling to be seen) and always cheaper than the pub next door.
The menu at the Waterguard seems to change every few months. Sometimes it will be a typical pub-​style menu but with all the dishes costing £10 instead of £6, and then at other times they’ll do ‘specialist food’, you can never be quite sure what you’re going to get. It’s expensive food but tasty, and the outdoor seating, if you’re lucky enough to get it, is a lovely place to sit on a sunny day.

The best place to drink in Cardiff Bay — excellent selection of wines, spirits and beers with eye catching, pleasant surroundings!
Menu is pricey, but this is pretty much the case of everywhere in the Bay and the quality of the food is reasonable with a nice variety.

This is a great place with a fantasic garden grass area where you can chill out with your drink. and after a few drinks get flowing practice wrestling with your mates. The food is also very good with nice quality produce. Feels slightly chainy but its faily good value. It also serves fantaic beers, real beers, like man in a box! and all sorts of austrian and german beers. A good pub for a lazy evening after work down in the bay

Different beers from most other bars (No fosters, carling, stella etc) and some of them are pretty decent. The soft drinks I’ve tried have been pretty terrible though.
Service on the food is slow, and the menu lacks choice but it’s not that expensive. Other far better places to eat nearby though so I wouldn’t bother.
Atmosphere and décor is nice, and compared to the Eli Jenkins is never that busy.
This place is worth a visit to have something different, but it will never be a regular haunt.

The watergueard is one of the best pubs in cardiff bay. Although small & it doesnt look like a pub, it stocks a range of different beers from the usual. The staff are friendly & the food served here is also very tasty.

Everything’s imported at the Waterguard (drink-​wise anyhoo) — you won’t find Bud or JD or Brains here — but you will find Man in a Box and various other interesting and organic beverages. The food isn’t fabulous, but it’s tasty enough. The photographs hanging on the wall are incredible black and white shots of the bay and the building itself is a bit of a work of art — half über modern and half old original castle-​esque building. There’s one big main bar area and then a couple of spin-​off rooms, one of which you can hire for functions. Beware of sitting by the big glass window on a sunny day — it gets HOT.

At first I wondered why I was even bothering going inside this venue, the entrance was bland and boring and didn’t stand out at all, but I went with my instinct never judge a book by it’s cover and entered the Waterguard, and I’m so glad I did! The choice of beers were immaculate! I’m so used to seeing the usual carling and foster signs in pubs I thought I was day dreaming, my faith was restored to Cardiff bays nightlife as soon as I entered this pub. The long sofas were pretty cool since there was a big group of us but I saw the little intermit corners and dark little holes people to escape into for something a little more private. The crowd seemed to be a little bit mixed up with tired looking office workers looking for some fun on a Friday night to regulars sat at the bar and some tourists huddled in a corner, so not exactly the pub I would want to spend my whole night, but definitely a perfect party starter!

This is by far the best pub in Cardiff Bay, if not Cardiff! from the outside you’d be forgiven for thinking that this gem is a little gallery rather then a pub. But take a walk in side and you find a finely stocked bar with not a mainstream labeled beverage in sight!
All of the beer is ‘Old Brewery’ which is cheap but also some of the best ale (Samuel Smiths), larger (Ayingerbrau) and cider you’ll ever taste. Even the spirits and mixers are non-​mainstream and taste so much better than your everyday brands.
The menu here isn’t as cheap as the drink, but is some of the best food you’ll find around. All freshly prepared and made on site, you can’t beat it. Try something with chips they are the best I’ve ever had.
The interior is very spacious and contemporary with plenty of room to sit and enjoy your eating/​drinking. There are also a few benches out the back which look over a well kept lawn then out to the gentle waters of Cardiff Bay.
If I was to have one small criticism it would be that they don’t play music, it would be nice to have very quiet chilled music on in the background.
It’s a shame you can’t give out 6-​stars as this place would be sure to get them!