Madeira

This place is GREAT!!! It has been a Cardiff staple for many years now and is very worth a visit.
The design of the place is cosy and the beams, exposed brick work, wooden tables and open fire give you a lovely feel as you peruse the extensive food and wine menus.
This place is known primarily for two things. The meat skewers that hang above your table and, the deep fried, battered cauliflower florets. Both are EXCELLENT!!! Nowadays you get less of the cauliflower which is disappointing.
Got for steak or the skewers (land, beef, pork or monkfish) and enjoy the garlic butter that runs down over it.
Ask for guidance in their Portuguese wine as there are some really very lovely bottles there.
Go hungry as you will leave full!

I happened to be in Cardiff. Not quite renowned for its food, I suppose, but there I was. Ended up at Madeira.
My impressions, with a Cardiff frame of mind.
Nice atmosphere
Friendly service
Good kebabs — decent amount of food for the price
Great peas
Open late
Four stars. But remember that you’re in Cardiff.

Perfectly cooked Ribeye steak «A Portuguesa Sauce». The King Prawns Madeira, Lamb Kebab and a Portuguese Salad.
It is hard to find really good food in Cardiff. This is Really Good Food.

tl;dr: Four stars, minus one, but plus one.
Very solid grilled sardines. This is tough to do. Simple, grilled sardines. Perfectly Portuguese. Could have been fresher… if you were on the sea in Portugal. These were as good as you’d get in the UK.
Totally decent table wine.
I had tagliatelle do mare — pasta with sea stuff. It was nice — flavourful, fresh, the calamari not too chewy, but it was absolutely covered with salt — possibly OK if it was the middle of the summer in 40 degree Oporto, but not so great in Cardiff in January. I wasn’t sure it was me ’til I had that salt tang on my tongue well after the meal.
–1 star.
I mentioned it to the server when they brought the bill — no big deal, just it was a bit salty — and they were over-​effusive — offering coffee, pudding, brandy — even saying «Next time I’ll buy you a drink, eh mate?» I’m unlikely to be back in Cardiff anytime soon, but I’d go back.
+1 star for the recovery.

Great authentic Portuguese restaurant with good food and great atmosphere. Service is quick and none intrusive, and the meals are about £30 a head for 3 courses. Well worth a visit.
Cons: could be a little brighter in there, had to get my phones torch out to read the menu properly, and the draft beers and ciders seem to taste a little watery.

Yes lovely place with great food, no more to add that already hasnt been said, go there :))

I’ve been coming here with my family and friends since 1998, every birthday occasion we always choose the Madeira. I have probably eaten here over 200 times and I have thoroughly enjoyed every meal. I’ve tried the majority of the menu and all the food is fresh, well seasoned and cooked with an expert touch. The atmosphere is fantastic no matter which day you chose to go, the staff make you feel really valued as a customer. If you are thinking of going I would advise booking beforehand as it is really popular. The menu is very reasonably priced especially the lunchtime special. Keep up the good work! See you all very soon! Nat, Linda, Kev and Mike x

Love this restaurant. This is a favourite in my family. We always come here when we have family meals. The staff are really friendly and always polite. The food is delicious my favourite being the kebabs. One negative point i would make is that sometimes, even when its not so busy, it can feel like the waiters are trying to rush you. As soon as you’ve finished your starter, your main is there! But overall a really nice restaurant and lovely food.

Forget the chains this is a great place to visit for really nice food and friendly service. The owner runs the place and its a real credit to him and his team. Prices are ok too.

I often eat here with friends when out shopping in Cardiff. What a fab place it is! The food is always great and it’s always a pleasurable experience. The only negative is that there’s not much choice if you’re a vegetarian but if you’re a meat or a fish eater the choice is amazing. Costs are reasonable and there’s usually a lunch time special offer. Great food, drinks and venue!

I visited the Madeira Restaurant last night for a friend’s birthday, and after hearing a heck load of praise for the place from just about every person I mentioned it to (I had 6 responses on my Facebook status alone!), I went there geared up for a Portuguese feast.
We arrived slightly earlier than the rest of the party so sat in the bar, a lovely, cosy, booth-​style seating arrangement with dimmed lights and authentic atmosphere. Once the others turned up we were shown to the table and allowed to, rather excitedly, browse the menu.
I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been to a restaurant where it’s taken so long to decide what dish to eat. The experienced Madeira Restaurant visitors among our party chose almost immediately. They all went with Esteladas (a Portuguese kebab). For the rest of us, it took approximately 30 minutes to ponder the vast menu.
I followed the recommendations of my friends (those who had visited before) and went for the Chicken Esteladas with A Portuguesa sauce. I declined on the starter option but my friends had the Homemade Pâté, Spaghetti de Tomato and Lulas Fritas (fried squid). I did eat some of the bread that was placed on the table.
The Esteladas came on a skewer which was then hung from the ceiling on a hook. I was lucky, in that, I was seated more or less underneath the hooks so could get at my kebab fairly easily but for those sat in the middle of the table it was more difficult to reach and a little cumbersome. Fortunately the waiter came over and offered to remove the meat from the skewers for those that were out of reach. As a side, sharing plates of deep-​fried cauliflower, potatoes and peas were placed on the table. I have to say that I thought the food was, ever so slightly, bland. The chicken was chargrilled, which was gorgeous but the Portuguesa sauce was slightly disappointing and didn’t do much for my tastebuds. A tomatoey sauce with, essentially, mushrooms and garlic, it really was nothing special. The vegetables were ok, but again nothing exceptional.
I absolutely adored the atmosphere of the restaurant, a great place to go for a birthday or celebration. The staff are great fun and make the night highly enjoyable. The breadth of the menu was a huge plus point and gave a real flavour of Portugal. Next time I’ll definitely try something different or, at least, an alternative sauce to accompany the Esteladas.

I was disappointed with the food and really pleased with the drinks! Having heard such great things about Madeira, was expecting something really special, food-​wise, but i’m afraid that it was nothing more than OK.
Had the mussels to start and one or two tasted bitter and smelled a bit off. Followed with monkfish for mains and it was under seasoned and chewy. The accompaniments (peas, little chunky roast potatoes and deep fried cauliflower) were all very good though.
My partner had Veal and asked for rice instead of veg, which they were happy to do (so nice when you can have what you want without a fuss!). The veal was a touch overdone and could have been more tender, but on the whole the dish was good.
Lost of people in the restaurant opted for the kebabs, which they hang from hooks above the tables. This is their speciality and, in retrospect, I wished i’d gone for a lamb kebab instead of the fish. Hey-​de-​ho.
The red wine, on the other hand, was fantastic. Can’t for the life of me remember the name, but it cost £17 and was around fourth or fifth on the menu. It was spicy and soft and delicious. The espresso is also fantastic.
The staff were brilliant — friendly, efficient and fun — and the restaurant itself is lovely. Exposed stone walls, wood beams overhead, soft lighting, good layout. You can easily forget you’re in Cardiff. I bet it’s lovely in the winter.
We had a £20 off voucher from MyCity, so the whole thing came to £33, which i was more than happy to pay considering the atmosphere, service, wine and coffee. I don’t think i’d have been so happy having to pay the full £53 though.

I’m embarrassed to say I’ve lived in this city nearly four years, and I had yet to dine here. Yes, I know. Shame on me.
Walking into Madeira was like being transported to a 16^th century tavern, with the exposed brick work lining the walls, low wooded ceilings and dim lighting. The atmosphere (on a Thursday evening at 7, no less) was raucous, but it suited the surroundings.
The food is immense. I had to order the Espetadas — large medallions of chicken (or lamb, beef, or monkfish) arranged on a long metal shish kebab skewer, which is then suspended from a hook in the ceiling. I felt like a Viking.
The server wraps a napkin saturated with garlic butter and ties it to the top of the skewer, ensuring the chicken breast chunks below are properly enveloped in the buttery goodness.
And you even get an order of veg that you actually want to eat! I don’t like cauliflower, but I love anything deep fried, so of course, the battered florets were the first side dish I grabbed. And of course, they were delicious.
It’s not really a restaurant for a romantic first date, as from what I understand, Madeira is normally rammed, which explains why I found it hard to hear my dining companion speaking from the other side of the table.
But it won’t deter me! I’m going back again.

This is a wonderfully romantic Portuguese restaurant with bags of charm, low lighting, and great food. The staff are warm and engaging, and the décor is cosy with old wooden beams, brick walls, dark wooden furniture, with a well-​stocked bar bearing Portuguese flags.
For fish-​lovers you can enjoy a bowl of traditional Portuguese fish broth, or grilled swordfish, salmon or halibut with a ‘Madeira’ sauce. They have a special section of the menu for ‘healthy food’, although you may need to ask a waiter to tell you a bit more about what some of the dishes are like! Then there’s plenty for meat-​lovers, with special kebabs of pork, beef, lamb chicken, or a combination. The food has always been tasty when I’ve been there, but it’s for the overall experience I go back: friendly service, lovely surroundings, AND great food.

It is because he takes me places like this that I love my boyfriend. Only joking, I like him anyway, but it is wonderful when he takes me to places like Madeira, the best Mediterannean restaurant that I think I have ever visited. The fact that he was paying meant that I didn’t worry about the slightly higher than normal prices. The food was really worth the extra money though — it was excellent and, though there wasn’t a HUGE amount to choose from for strict vegetarians, there were a lot of fish options. The service was just as fantastic as the décor, which — as you can see from the accompanying picture — is quite dark and beautiful. I would probably only come here on special occassions because I’m a poor student. But I recommend highly saving up those odd pennies till you can finally try it out.

Maderia restaurant is, for the geographically challenged, a Portuguese establishment. Situated on a line of quite metropolitan restaurants/​cafes opposite the Ibis hotel.
Now, if your a fan of fish this place is the one for you. The majority of the menu is sea-​based (I just avoided a fish based pun there, see if you can guess what it was.) However you can get steak, chicken and vegetarian meals if you so choose.
I went for the leader of Prawns, the King prawn main course with some garlic/​cheese bread. A weird mix slightly but tasted great. The presentation of the food was wonderful and almost a shame I had to spoil it by eating it. Warning about the garlic/​cheese bread though, it’s incredibly tasty, but is quite the girlfriend repellent as I found out.
As is the case with every portuguese person I have met, the staff were incredibly friendly and chatty.
The décor is very Mediterranean and warm feeling. Lovely dark wooden floors with furniture to match and a lovely stone built bar with flowers on etc.
I really, really loved this place and will defiantly be taken my lovely back again. The price are a little pricier than I’m used to (Don’t worry, I’m poor so it doesn’t take alot) But for the service and surroundings, that does not put me off at all.

stunning restuarant, great menu. such a lovely little restaurant with a great feel to it inside and an ideal place for a date or for a family who fancy trying something different.
really good prices and parking isnt a problem around the area

This place is awesome, the staff are really friendly and the food is very tasty. The meat kebabs that they hang from the ceiling on long squewers are not only tasty, they also provide great amusement for people! The only down side to this place is that it lacks good vegetarian options, but for meat lovers it is great. It is really busy at the weekends and you definataley have to book, it is also busy at lunchtimes as they do special offers.

Good food in a pleasant environment. Nice mixtute of traditional Protugese and Madeiran food but lacking some of the touches that are the norm on the island that gives its name to the restaurant.

The best portuguese restaurant in Cardiff! Very reasonable prices, amazing food and very welcoming service. A pleasant and warm atomosphere. Staff are polite and helpful.