Costco Cafe

If after cheap, good food this is the place to go! Unfortunately you have to be a member of Costco to gain admission, but membership at £25 is available to people who work in a wide variety of occupations e.g. local government, education, civil service, police, NHS etc…
Incredibly good value for money although limited choice of food, including pizza slices, baked potatoes and fillings, hot dogs, wraps and salads. It’s a good place to grab a cheap lunch especially if heading for a Cardiff City match at the stadium next door.
A baked potato and filling will set you back only £2– amazing! Don’t touch the coffee though; it’s really not the best.
It can sometimes be really hard to get a seat, although it is possible to eat standing up (if that’s your thing).

You have to pay for membership to Costco, and it was £20 for me (as I have a business) but it is only £12 for my staff. The Costco website explains more about how to become a member, and you don’t necessarily have to be a business owner either.
Costco is a great place to shop, if you have a family or any other need to buy in bulk. They don’t sell cheap merchandise, but they do sell very good value products. I use it to stock up on tea bags, washing powder, loo rolls and other items that we always seem to run out of quickly. Everything is good quality and if you go on a good day, you can find really amazing bargains. I found beautiful cutlery sets with 8 place settings, (heavier than a set I got in House of Fraser for triple the price!) for £20, the fluffiest bath towels we’ve ever had, plus loads of other stuff too boring to mention. They also sell the best sirloin steak we’ve ever tasted (even in expensive restaurants), whilst not cheap it is competitively priced, British meat and cut very thickly, just how it should be. I cooked a birthday meal for my Dad and he said the same and he’s probably eaten a fair few in his time (he is 73).
Costco sell everything from electrical goods (TV’s, music, games etc) to housewares, food and drink, tools, furniture, clothing and gifts. Many items are American style (oversized) and mostly are known brands. If you see the Kirkland brand in there, it is their own brand (usually made by a well known manufacturer, for example Kirkland coffee is Starbucks) and of high quality. Their food selection is second to none for parties, since they offer both ready prepared food e.g. massive pizzas for around £7 (but they are enormous) and even big platters of buffet food like sandwiches. They also do birthday cakes very cheaply, e.g. personalised iced cakes for around £10. I haven’t tried these are we don’t really like shop bought cake, but they do look good, if you’re stuck for a birthday gift idea.
You need to travel to Costco by car, since it’s on a new retail park and you’re sure to buy more stuff than you could carry on public transport. On the same estate there are other new stores nearby including Next Home, JJB (with an awesome new gym, that’s another story) and Hobbycraft. There are coming soon signs for Gregs, Subway and others, although if you get peckish and you’re in Costco you’d be better off buying something from their café, as it is very cheap and good quality, e.g. filled baked potato £1.25 or a massive hot dog with re-​fillable drink £1.60.
Costco opened in November and I’ve been there weekly ever since! It is worth going often if you are an ardent money saver or have a large family since the prices seem to change often and they have bargains but it isn’t always obvious if something is on special offer.
You need to take your debit card or cash as they don’t accept credit cards, and be prepared to buy in bulk if you’re after stock-​up items for the house, but other than that I’d say that it has something for everyone and is really worth a visit if you’ve got a few hours to spare.