Mocka Lounge

My wife and I went there on a special offer and were very pleasantly surprised. As it was early evening there was live music which we enjoyed and the atmosphere was perfect. We both ordered steaks which were very tender and perfectly cooked, and the whole meal was excellent. The staff were very attentive and friendly at all times. In all, a thoroughly enjoyable experience and we will certainly be going there again.

Poor. Waited ages to be served only to be disappointed when we were. Bland, tasteless cocktails lacking in flavour and seemingly alcohol.

What can I say about Mocka Lounge?
When my companion and I walked past this venue on a casual Sunday afternoon we noticed the plush leather couches, heat lamps, etc. that dotted the sexy patio. This was a place we must experience.
Located on Mill Lane — which to my knowledge, residents of Cardiff consider to be THE pretentious/​pricey area.
When we strolled in and grabbed a chic table location right in the front — the bartender ran over to our table immediately and asked us what Sunday Funday beverage we’d fancy at that specific time. Companion ordered Irish coffees — — not knowing they’d come with double shots of Jameson. Success.
We were seated by this table of women, who eventually were accompanied by about 10 men — — this would come later though. These three were straight out of «Only Way is Essex» and illustrated to me why natives of Cardiff consider Mill Lane to be the way its percieved. They were creatures I had not previously encountered — gorgeous yes, but so blatently materialistic & quite possibly on designer drugs.
I decided to fight their pretentiousness & awful accents with rounds and rounds of shots. We did have a 2 hour train ride to London ahead of us.
This place is cool — if I knew about it before hand, probably would have gone there not on a Sunday afternoon but on a Saturday night.

I was all geared up to hate this place. I don’t enjoy Mill Lane, the pretentiousness and the prices rub me up the wrong way. Walking in to Snow Patrol on the stereo wasn’t a great start to this visit either.
But upon sitting down I found myself warming to the place. The service was excellent, prompt and professional, the black and red décor very much to my liking and the bottle of house red (which comes in at £14 a bottle) was light and fruity and highly quaffable. So much so that I found myself able to ignore The Black Eyed Peas that has dripping out of the speakers .
We ordered the steak (8oz Sirloin = £14) from the surprisingly small menu. During the time it was being prepared I flicked through the drinks list. And then it became clear. Food for Mocka is a lunchtime slash early evening fixation (the kitchen closes at 8.30pm) with the main focus of the business on cocktails. Indeed rather than focus of how say much a double spirit and mixer is, such as the drinks lists in Wetherspoon’s do, Mocka do things by the bottle. With a bottle of Grey Goose setting you back £90 and a list entitled «Cognac & Cigars», they’re clearly going for a classy clientele or those on a total paycheck blowout.
The steaks arrived and were divine. They were seasoned perfectly, the chips were super thick, the mushroom was buttery and meaty, while the peppercorn sauce was creamy with a delicious kick to it. My girlfriend reckoned it was the best steak she’d had in Cardiff.
We opted to share a chocolate fondue for dessert. And while the chocolate was slightly sour, it strangely worked with the array of fruit, waffle and brownies we had to dunk with. A quick cocktail (from £5.80) was ordered to finish off what had been a fabulous evening.
Highly recommended, if you’ve just been paid.

When a double jagermeister and red bull comes in at £8 plus, alarm bealls would normally start to ring. Nevertheless, I have had a couple of decent, if expensive nights in Mocka.
It gets jam packed all throughout the summer and the front seating area is one of the busiest in Cardiff. It’s one of the nicest spots in Cardiff to enjoy a drink so no surprises there.
My first real experience came when we were drafted into the VIP area for a friends birthday. We had a pretty plush area with thick, luxurious carpets and a balcony above the 2^nd floor. It was all well and good and we also had waitress service. I was having such a good time I completely forgot that I am relatively poor, and cleaned out my £60 budget in a few hours. That’s because we were charged a service fee every time we were brought drinks, which was fairly regularly as there were about 10 of us. I can’t remember the exact figures but a couple of whiskey and cokes and a couple of cocktails came in at almost £30.
That’s a fairly minor gripe though and the clientele of the place is generally (although not always) of a more mature ilk. They’ve got decent music playing and a decent sized upstairs area. It’s spread out over two floors aswell so there’s usually plenty of space.
There were a few lecherous older gentleman who made a couple of comments about a female friend of mine but in fairness they apologised as soon as we confronted them about it.
Apart from that though it’s ok in here but not really worth the very high prices in my opinion. I wouldn’t ever come here of my own volition but tend to get roped in with a group consensus. Your expenditure can get out of hand very quickly in here so make sure you watch those pennies!

Generally you wouldn’t look at this bar unless the sun was out. But when the sun is out it’s a lovely place to drink away a few hours and look at the creatures within and walking past the establishment.
Mill lane is Cardiff’s bar riviera — where certain people likes to be or be seen hanging out chatting and pretending they are on another sunny continent altogether.
So if you want to hang out come the sunshine this is as good a bar on any on Mill Lane to be seen at. The prices whilst not cheap are comparable to any other bar on the lane.
The male toilets are a little on the cosy side.

On a sunny day, the outdoor terrace at the front of Mocka is generally packed out, along with most of the other continental-​style establishments along Mill Lane, which is one of the city centre’s best spots for summer afternoon eating and drinking.
When winter sets in, you can warm up inside for a lazy Sunday afternoon and enjoy their weekly roast dinner.
In the evening, it seems to attract Cardiff’s «it» crowd: people dress up more, and tend to be slightly older than the customers at many neighbouring bars (though I’m not talking geriatric, here!). The drinks aren’t cheap and can quickly add up — but at least their cocktails hit the spot.
This bar-​restaurant celebrated its first birthday in April 2010 and managed to generate heaps of column inches in the local media by hosting a big party and attracting some famous faces along. They seem to have their head screwed on when it comes to PR, but I still prefer the laid back daytime version than the more attention-​seeking evening one.

I really like this bar, especially in the summer.
The outdoor seating is a great location for people watching! They serve lovely food and in the summer they offer a really good value set menu which includes a drink. It also has adequate indoor seating which is great if you fancy going here on a cold dark evening aswell!
Mocka is set in Mill Lane. Mill lane is the single most classy lane in Cardiff. It has a wide selection of different bars and restaurants and because it offers slightly higher priced beverages it only attracts a certain type of drinkers.
You very rarely get the hen and stag parties down here which is an added bonus.
Mocka is managed by a lovely guy who always offers a cheery smile and a wink if your lucky!
The only negative is that I found it really hard to get in touch with this bar to see if I had left my bag there. I had to result to sending an email, which got answered about three days later!

One of my favourite spots to enjoy a dirty gin martini and a smoke.
If I had a few girly mates from out of town who wanted to meet some of Cardiff’s male population, I’d probably bring them here (or perhaps Crystal, if you wanted to throw dancing in the mix).
Like I said, the brunette behind the bar mixes a mean martini — so good my friend and I had a few (not bad for a Tuesday). At around £7 a pop, I can’t afford to spend all evening here, but the drinks are consistently tasty, so it’s definitely worth stopping by at some point.
I will admit, it can be a tad bit pretentious, but it can be avoided if you come on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening. Although, a bit of glam can be a welcomed change from the dime-​store pubs throbbing with the cacophony of rugby and football fans’ antics.
I ain’t a bar snob, but you know what I mean. I love dive bars as much as the next gal, but there’s a time and a place for it, I reckon.

Mill Lane, or the ‘Café Quarter’ as Cardiff seems to slowly be rebranding the area, is full of bars and restaurants (very few cafes, actually). This is the kind of place that will become packed any day after work when the sun is shining. Each place has tables and chairs on the pavement in a very European-​feeling setting with trees and waiters and glasses of rose wine dotted about.
Mocka Lounge is one of these places, and, very much in its favour, is one of the few places that remains a happening and well visited place during the entire day and not just coming alive in the evening like many of the others.
This is a great place for a sophisticated drink and bite to eat at lunch time and late afternoon, and then stay sitting and watch the nightlife awaken around you as the sun goes down. One of the most attractive and friendly places along Mill Lane, this place is certainly worth checking out. Lovely.

There’s a few things I like about Mocka; the outdoor summer terrace to enjoy some drinks until the sun goes down, the posh barn conversion style interior and the fact I don’t feel like the oldest person out. I haven’t eaten here yet but the food sounds like quite typical pub grub.
What don’t I like, its quite expensive and a bit pretentious. Best I would say for an evening drink, or maybe a cocktail or two to start off the night.