The Goat Major

I first came to this pub when my ex was a student at Cardiff so it holds fond memories. It has not changed one bit in fact O think it is the same carpet. It’s still Brains but slighty more choice. It is a classic pub so well worth a visit.

First off, the staff was incredible.
Daniel (bartender) went out of his way to help us with directions and find our way around. I can see how it caters to so many tourists, but he was energetic, positive and a wonderful example for not only the Goat Major but for the Welsh people!
The food was great, and we enjoyed some drinks.
You can’t beat the location. It is literally on the main street, right in front of the Cardiff Castle. Great for people watching and absorbing some of the history and culture of the city. I recommend stopping by for lunch — sandwich and some drinks.

Great place across from the castle. Friendly locals and bar staff and they serve killer pies on Sunday.

Good place to go before dinner for a quick drink. Gets rowdy but that’s the kind of place this is :)

Had a lovely pie and pint here on a Saturday evening. The signs said they stopped serving the pies at 1800, but we were in there about a half hour later and had no problem being served. A nice selection of beers, lots of craft Brains brews.
Definitely a nice normal pub, nothing too crazy, easy to find a place to sit and watch a match. Service was friendly.

This is a lovely little pub with lots of physical character. It had never been very busy in any of my visits but I have beer seen it as quiet as it was last night. Thursday night in Cardiff town centre and we were the only customers such that the bar staff had the Brasso and were cleaning.
There is a good choice of beers and the smell of Brasso wasn’t too off putting! Friendly service and we didn’t have to wait to be served!

It’s a bit small and bright inside, and one friend complained about the smell (I didn’t notice it). The ale was tasty, the bartender friendly, and I spent a few hours standing with a circle of new friends having discourse and drinks. I would certainly go back.

Really good pub. Didn’t eat here, so I cannot comment on the food, but the service and beer and ale selection is great. They have a nice amount of cask ales as well, which I love. They pour and serve them the way a proper Welsh pub should.

Loved the atmosphere, the story of Taffy the Goat and the delish ales. Can’t beat the location. Highly recommend!

What a great little pub. Brought my jet-​lagged self in here for a pie and some ale after a long day of traveling! The fella at the bar helped me select a beer (I wasnt familiar with the stuff on tap) and helped me figure out the pub etiquette! I had the mutton and rosemary pie and chips– huge portions and really delicious. Knocked me right out!

During my trek throughout Europe, this was one of my favorite places! The Goat Major not only gave us a great meal, but a memorable experience. You know that you’re in a good bar when the regulars are friendly and approach you to have a conversation.
My friend and I stopped in for lunch on a recommendation from my friend’s father who always makes it a point to stop here when he is on business in Cardiff. We were just passing through Cardiff, taking the scenic route, from Northern Wales to Cambridge and it just so happened to be the week that the US began making threats to take action in Syria. We had seen some protesters along the way in Manchester and Liverpool. Anyway, we had some beers (excellent, by the way) and some pies. I had a chicken and leek pie in a white sauce that was probably the best I had in my time in the UK. I’ve set a goal for myself to attempt a recreation of this pie once I return home… fresh chunks of chicken breast in a creamy herb sauce with loads of leeks baked into a flaky, buttery crust… it was pie perfection!
So we’re finishing our meal and we approach the bar for another drink. An older gentleman at the bar hears us talking (with our American accents), and turns to us with a smile and says «So are you at war yet?» We chatted with him about the Syria crisis for a few minutes and he started asking us questions about where we were headed and where we had been. We told him about our trip through Wales. Then he asks us if he can show us something outside, and says he’s going to teach us the longest word in the English language (I think perhaps he meant to say «the Welsh language») and he took us around the corner to look at a sign which read «Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysili­ogogogoch.» Underneath was the translation: «St Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave.»
A little tipsy from the booze and giddy from the serendipitous nature of this entire day, we giggled and thanked the man for sharing this information. He went on to explain that the name of the place he showed us was a train station, but that it’s no longer there so it’s a good thing we didn’t waste our time trying to find it when we were in Northern Wales. Then this man (Oh, his name was Michael! I just remembered that!) asks us if we want to hear the bartender inside pronounce this ridiculously long word. We looked at each other, happy as 5 year olds on a sugar high, and say that, yes of course, we need to hear someone say this word. Michael escorts us back inside and yells at the bartender «Hey Eddy, say that word for them!» Eddy has no idea what he’s talking about and says so. «You know, the longest word in English!»
«Oh you mean…» and this guy rattles off the word like it’s nothing. We ask him to do it again and he obliges in way better humor than he should, apparently happy to be pleasing his customers. We shook hands with Michael and Eddy and vowed to come back some day as we exited the bar and got back on track with our journey across the country. I will never forget my experience at the Goat Major and I hope to be back again some day.
Thank you Michael and Eddy for a great lunch and an even greater story.

The Goat Major was one of our stops while we were in Cardiff right after Christmas. The straight from the cask Brains SA was very good, and the Wye Valley pie was the best meal I had in the UK. Truly excellent. The atmosphere at lunch was fairly quiet, though there were several tables taken. As others have said, it is a traditional sort of pub, not loud and raucous, but a great place for a pint. I will definitely return when we return to Cardiff in the future.

Bad timing to come here. Early Saturday evening the place was already turned up to an unbearable volume. It was clearly party time with some people sniffing poppers.
My pint of malt loaf was alright, but this was the pub that convinced me it was time to retire to my hotel.

A famous city-​centre pub known until the mid-​1990s as the «Bluebell» (and many moons before that, simply as the «Goat»), we understand that the Goat Major gets its curious name from the mascot of a Welsh royal regiment which carried a live goat on the Russian front line during the Crimean War. The Major miraculously survived and returned to the UK, where it was introduced as a war hero to Queen Victoria. A Victorian building itself, the pub is part of the local Brains chain, and hence several of their brews are available — Bitter, SA (a stronger bitter), The Reverend James and the excellent Dark.
It attracts visitors from all over whilst remaining noticeably «native» — we heard Welsh being spoken in one corner. That said, a lot of English were present on our visit and there was no observable animosity at all. The interior is quite plush, in an «L» shape, with black leather settees, a couple of intimate corners and a tiled floor. Standard pub grub is available, as well as traditional Welsh dishes. The staff are a cheerful bunch, too. Pop by if in town.

The Goat Major is situated in the centre of Cardiff, perfect for some regular pub drinks before going on to the swankier places. It’s never really that busy in here, just like the Rummer round the corner, there’s just nothing that special about it.
Me and my boyfriend tried to eat in here once when were looking for somewhere cheap, however one glance at the menu and we were out of there. It was all pies, basically they just do pies, but all sorts of pies, even fish pies. So if you’re not in the pie mood, like we weren’t, then there is no point going in here.
It’s one of those places that you should go to with a big bunch of mates, expecting to drink cheaply and hopefully peacefully. I’ve never been here at night so can’t really comment on what this would be like, but give it a try, you never know, you might like it.

One minute walk from the front of Cardiff Castle, this is military related pub is traditional as it gets. It’s a proper old man’s pub ideal for everyone above the age of 18.
Here is a bit of history the name is taken from the Mascot of the Royal 41^st regiment of Wales. They carried a live goat on the Russian front line in the Crimean War. The goat survived the War and was introduced to Queen Victoria back in England. Originally simply called the Goat, the pub was renamed the Bluebell in 1813, and finally the Goat Major in 1995.
To this day when the Royal Regiment of Wales names a new goat as its mascot they get several column inches dedicated to them in the Welsh press.
I’ve never eaten here — nor would I want to as it strikes me a strictly drinking pub with lots of real ales on the menu and wall to wall dark wood panelling. Wednesday is Welsh night by the way and apparently the pub offers a range of Goat Major memorabilia — I can’t say I’d noticed.

I live above this pub, so know it extremely well. Like the Rummer Tavern just around the corner, it’s proper old-​school inside with pictures relating to the history of the pub. The name is taken from the Royal 41^st Regiment of Wales, who carried a live goat on the front line during the Crimean War. That goat survived the entire war and was dubbed the Goat Major.
Inside there is a tiled floor, authentically styled in keeping with the age of the place. 3 TVs are pretty much always showing Sky News or Sky Sports News. There’s no sports or anything like that on offer here though.
The staff are really friendly and the traditional food is excellent. Along with the Rummer Tavern, I’d recommend it for a quiet pint.
I also saw Charles Lawson in here. He played Irish tough guy Jim Mcdonald in Coronation Street. He wasn’t very friendly. But still — Jim Mcdonald! 5 stars.

Gleaming brass and dark wood. Ornately tiled floor and champion pies. Armchairs and real ale. All that’s missing is the roaring log fire and a dog curled up in front of it.
The Goat Major is pub that reeks of authenticity.
No Sky Sports, no e-​number riddled beverages, this is a pub for men of vast wisdom and their vast bellies.
On my visit, only beers from Brains were available on pull, though the wall behind the bar was festooned with past guest ale badges, like trophy heads in a hunting lodge. Keep an eye on their twitter feed for the latest arrivals —
.
A treasure.

For good old-​fashioned tradition and real ales, the historic Goat Major pub is one of the city centre’s finest drinking establishments, just down the road from Cardiff Castle.
Despite its very central St Mary Street location, this Brains pub attracts a well-​mannered clientele rather than the rowdy, drunk crowds filling up most of the other bars in that area, so it’s not the place to go for a big party night — but great for conversation over a quiet pint (or spirits from the Penderyn distillery). It doesn’t lack atmosphere, however, and it can get really busy on some nights. When the rugby’s on, things in there are a bit different, but I generally avoid the city centre altogether on rugby days (because I could not be less interested in watching sport, and every single pub seems to be filled with people staring at screens).
It’s also clean, well staffed, and serves decent if unadventurous and limited pub food — but still offering good value for money.
Although for a brief period the pub was renamed The Bluebell, it’s now reverted to its former name — which apparently comes from the establishment’s close association with the 41^st Regiment of Wales, with a goat as their mascot.

As you try and soak in the Welsh culture you must visit the Goat Major. Getting on for it’s 200^th birthday, the bar is full of history. The name is taken from the mascot of the 41^st regiment of wales during the Crimean War. If you can visit on a wednesday, the major has a Welsh night. I don’t know what that entails as I haven’t gone on that night, but sounds the right night to take in the best of the culture.
Décor is beautifully Victorian, consisting of dark wooden panelling keeping in mind the tradition of this pub.
Atmosphere is very friendly here and the staff are very friendly. Prices are that of a city centre but is worth it, honestly.
As I always say you should always support these historic pubs rather than go to your local chain. You really get the best of Cardiff during your visit here.