Seven classics made the way the book says, seven of our own on Welsh spirits, ice we cut by hand, and a room quiet enough to talk in. Except Thursdays, when the trio plays.
The bar
one
Seven drinks that were worked out a century ago and do not need our help. Made to the specification, with the right glass, the right ice and the right garnish, every time, by whoever is behind the bar.
Classics £12, or £8 from 5 to 7 Tuesday to Thursday.
two
Seven drinks Nia and the team have worked out themselves, built on Welsh spirits where there is a good one, changed with the seasons and retired when they stop being interesting. The current seven are on the menu page.
The Still list £13.
three
Four drinks with no alcohol and one low-alcohol spritz that took as long to develop as anything else on the list, made with the same ice, the same glassware and the same care, because the person not drinking is still a guest.
No-alcohol drinks £7, the low-alcohol spritz £8.
four
Every Thursday a trio plays in the corner from eight until eleven: piano, bass and whoever is in town on the third instrument. No ticket, no cover charge, no talking over them, and the best night of the week to book a table.
No cover charge.
five
Two hours behind our bar with one of our bartenders: three classics made by you from the ground up, the ice, the stir and the shake explained, and a sheet to take home. Sunday afternoons, six to ten people, £55 each.
£55 a person including three full-size drinks, snacks and the recipe sheet.
six
The back room seats sixteen behind a curtain with its own bar hatch and no hire fee against a minimum spend; the whole bar is yours on a Monday, when we are otherwise closed, for forty seated or sixty with the stools out.
Back room: no hire fee, minimum spend £600 on Friday and Saturday, £350 Sunday to Thursday.
The list
Classics are £8 from 5 to 7, Tuesday to Thursday. The Still list changes in March, June, September and December. Nothing is added for service.
How we work
A Martini is six to one, stirred, with a twist unless you say olive. A Negroni is equal parts. A Daiquiri has three ingredients. We do not improve the classics; we make them.
Tuesday to Thursday from 5 to 7 the classics are £8. Same drink, same ice, same glass, before the room fills up.
Every drink has its price on the list and the list is on this site. Service is not added; tip the person who made it if you want to, and they keep it.
Four drinks with no alcohol that took as long to work out as the ones with, and a low-alcohol spritz. Not a lime and soda with a straw.
Thursdays
Every Thursday from eight: Rhodri on piano, Mari on bass, and whoever is passing through Cardiff on the third instrument. Three sets, no ticket, no cover charge, the drinks at their usual prices, and the one rule, which is that if you want to talk, come on a Wednesday.
The room
The roomTuesday
Forty seats, a copper bar that is polished every afternoon and shows every fingerprint by nine, and a back bar that is mostly Welsh.
The Still listNia
Penderyn, bara brith syrup, blackberry shrub, lemon, egg white. Retired twice, shouted back twice. On every list since 2017.
IceLeo
A forty-litre block freezes overnight in the cellar, directionally so it is clear, and is cut by hand into the cubes, spears and spheres for that night.
Reviews
The Martini is exactly what a Martini is supposed to be, which is rarer than it should be in Cardiff. Forty seats, no standing, you can hear your friend. The ice is ridiculous in the best way.
Thursday jazz with a table booked two weeks ahead, as advised. Three sets, nobody talking over the band, Arcade Sours all round. The best night out in the arcades and it costs the price of the drinks.
Booked the back room for my wife's fortieth. Sixteen of us, our own bartender through the hatch, a set menu of five cocktails that came out fast, and the croquetas. No hire fee, we hit the minimum spend without trying. Huw sorted everything on one email.
Find us
Number 14, in the Victorian arcade between Castle Street and the High Street, seven minutes from Cardiff Central. No parking in the arcades; St David's and Westgate Street are five minutes. The arcade gates shut at midnight and our Castle Street door takes over.
On a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, yes: forty seats go early and Thursdays go a fortnight ahead. On other nights you can usually walk in. Six stools at the bar are never bookable and go to whoever is waiting.
Classics £12, the Still list £13, no-alcohol drinks £7, snacks from £5. The classics are £8 from 5 to 7, Tuesday to Thursday. Every price is on the menu page and nothing is added for service.
No. Come as you are. The room is dim and nobody is looking at your shoes.
Before 5pm, yes, with you at a table. After 5pm, no, including babies; it is a condition of the licence. Eighteen and over for everyone after that, with ID if you look under 25.
Snacks: olives, almonds, padron peppers, croquetas, rarebit toasts, and a board of the lot for £28. Enough to drink three cocktails on; not dinner. There are four restaurants within the arcade for before or after.
Forty seats, so Thursdays to Saturdays need a booking. The back room seats sixteen with no hire fee against a minimum spend; the whole bar is yours on a Monday. Eighteen and over after 5pm.
