A Shot In The Dark

Stopped here for a coffee and lunch after reading all the great reviews. Underwhelmed is the word of the day here. The place was sweltering hot, the tables were dirty even though it wasn’t busy, the staff looked bored and uninterested, the food was average and the coffee was just ok. Maybe just an off day for them, but no glowing review from me.

Super endroit pour se détendre ! Les smoothies et les petites pâtisseries que l’on y trouve sont excellents et à un prix raisonnable. A l’étage, il est possible de passer d’agréables soirées calmes et sympathiques entre amis et même s’adonner à quelques jeux de sociétés.

A bit of a gem at the Newport Road end of City Road unless you are a fan of Wetherspoons and early morning drinking then I can’t think of anywhere else you’d rather go in this area.
Very laid back and relaxed, the hot chocolate is amazing and they’ve often got interesting things going on in the evening.

I love this late night Café bar, a great place where you can get a beer, coffee, cake or a snack pretty much anytime of the day. Very friendly and relaxed staff, great atmosphere with board games and comfy sofas upstairs. A chilled out haven in the city

nice café with very friendly waiters. I always enjoyed sitting there with my friends and chatter all afternoon.

This is the kind of place that every city needs more of. A good local coffee shop using good locally roast coffee. I have to admit that it probably wasn’t my favourite coffee but it was still good. It’s also open nice and late. Fancy a coffee at 10pm on a Sunday — no problem!
There was a newish food menu when I went that we did not try. The slight smell of bleach, although reassuring that they clean, was slightly off-​putting and we were after something large to eat.

Wanted to have Christmas Eve drink… turned up at 12 noon but the staff member said that they were closing early due to «lack of business». How bizarre is that? There were about 10 of us in our party! Not a very sound business approach… had to make do with Ernest Willows pub next door.

This is what Coffee 1 should be like. A Shot in the Dark is a mood altering experience with an unbelievable long list of teas and coffee preparations it could be mistaken for a herbalist shop. With a fully licensed bar they have a selection of beers and bottled coke, which is awesome.
Go upstairs for a quieter experience and grab a newspaper by the door if you haven’t anything to read while you enjoy your coffee latte.
As with other coffee houses you have a specific bread of person who frequents the place, in this case book people, art people, and general libertines etc.
If you can pretend not to care about anything always have a cool look on your face, don’t pull faces that just rude and generally act like your waiting for your agent to drop by then this is your kind of place.

Fantastic. A sophisticated place where you can stay up late and drink non-​alcoholic drinks.
Shot in the Dark has all the drive of a pretentious arty bar yet is somewhat accomplished, a rare feat of genuineness. The result is a classy, relaxed and stylish atmosphere coated in beautiful works of photography that remind us what an artistic city Cardiff is.
For those who appreciate a good old board game, this place will suit your needs. They have all the old favourites from Scrabble to Kerplunk that are guaranteed to occupy you for a fair few hours of yelling ‘just one more game’.
There’s just one thing to be careful of when you play that fabulously rowdy marble game or argue about whether proper nouns count. In such a relaxed and creative environment, chances are some booky-​type will be penning their next best-​seller across the room.
Look out for Shot in the Dark’s gig nights, fantastic in that they maintain the chilled out mentality even mid-​set. A brilliant place to nod along with a drink in hand.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Make my time at Shot in the Dark easier by reminding them a Chai Latte doesn’t contain coffee. It will be worth the hassle.

I went here once for a gig, I think this was a bad idea and has tainted my view of what probably is a pretty awesome venue. The gig I went to see was King Louis Collective and wow had they drawn a crowd. The place was heaving, I could not move which was a little worrying for health and safety reasons — I realize I have just made myself seem really old and boring, I swear I am not.
What I could see of the venue, it seemed cute with lots of comfy seats, the gigs happen upstairs and if you do find yourself at such a gig, you can just go back downstairs where they will serve you an array of hot drinks, alcoholic drinks and soft cold drinks — bliss.
They looked like they did some might fine food too and one day I shall return to sample this, but being all the way down City road, it might be a little out of the way of town for most people, but there are some great drinking establishments surrounding it so check it out!

Do you like jazz? I mean really like jazz? You live for getting jazzed in the face? I ask as if you plan to while away an hour in Shot In The Dark you have to be able to handle your jazz. They pump it out at you.
Dark walls and blackboards, venetian blinds and coffee syrups, leather sofas and doorstop sandwiches are the order of the day here. The grub is a little pricey but generous and filling. Upstairs, where you’ll usually find me, is a good place to get some work down with free wi-​fi (the password is written in the bottom right hand corner on the board above the counter) and plenty of tables and comfy chairs. Be warned though, if you go in a big group just to use it as a meeting area, you will get a telling off.
With board games in the fireplace and free papers by the door, the Shot In The Dark is great café with a clear ethos and long may it continue.

A Shot in the Dark one of my favourite Saturday morning after a hangover haunts. It’s not somewhere I go every day anymore because it’s too full of earnest art students and it can take quite a while to get served. Also the staff have this collective air of being too cool to actually do anything as mundane as make coffee.
But it does have sofa’s, newspapers, a quiet upstairs space and a ton of information on everything arty happening in Cardiff. Also the coffee is great. Unfortunately the place had a bit of a makeover about 18 months ago resulting in the food prices getting hiked up. £3 for a piece of carrot cake last time I was there which i declined. They said it was sourced from Jamie Oliver… I assumed he must have it himself hence the price.
Being hones the main reason why I keep on going after all these years is because it’s five minutes away.

This is one of my favourite places to go. Whether it is a quiet coffee with your partner, a drink with friends or a good gig. The venue has two levels, with one bar downstairs and a large open space with sofas and retro board games upstairs.
Upstairs is often used as a venue for private parties and gigs, with a variety of live bands. There is often a door charge but it is minimum — although it is a bit of a pain having to go downstairs to get a drink — and there is one step evidently designed to confuse and spill drinks! — and at busy times there can be a bit of a wait.
But, it is worth the wait, as they have a huge range of teas and coffees, lovely beers, reasonable wine and some really lovely food. They cater well for vegetarians and vegans, and the menu is being continuously updated. The food seems expensive, but is made from good ingredients and is simply homely, hearty fair. And don’t even get me started on the cheesecake… if you do nothing else in Cardiff pop in here for a slice of cake. Mmmmmmm, cake…

Sometimes do you ever question whether you have a soggy bit of mash potato inside your skull rather than a proper functioning brain?
This occurred to me the second time I went to shot in the dark. I was sitting there with a friend and asked him why they called it «Shot In The Dark», looking around for Pink Panther film memorabilia.
Obviously my friend looked at me as if an sparrow had just flow from within my left ear. «Are you serous»? I tried to pretend I wasn’t but he could see I was.
Anyway Shot in the Dark is a bit moody but the coffee and cakes are really good and to me that the main thing. This model could so easily be rolled out nationawide but I’m glad its not.

So. Many. Kinds. Of. Tea.
Seriously, if you love trying different types of teas like I do, this is the place for you. And they’re all in little individual drawers too!
I love this place. It looks a little pretentious from the outside, but I love it. You can go in there on your own and not look like the poor chap who’s been stood up. Go in with a book or your laptop and gradually work your way through the tea chest.
Stay for dinner too, if you get hungry. It’s reasonably priced and you get a lot for your money; the portions are huge. Try the nachos or the lasagne, and finish with another cup of tea.
The last time I was there, there was a party being held upstairs. When I popped up to the toilet, I had a quick look in and I was really impressed with how good a job the staff had done. I was also surprised that such a large party wasn’t disturbing the customers enjoying their evening meals and late cups of coffee downstairs, and while the staff were obviously making sure this party was well catered for, it didn’t have a negative impact on the service downstairs either. This place is incredibly well run, providing efficient and friendly service however busy it is.
One of the few places that is great for whatever you need, socially. Whether you’re having coffee with a friend, dinner as a group, a party, a date, or just want some time to yourself, A Shot in the Dark is ideal.

I recently went into this place and was very pleasantly surprised. There seem to be a lot of new members of staff around, and one girl in particualr was lovely.
No longer the slightly brooding atmosphere, instead I was greeted with a lovely smile and a Kia Ora. The coffee she made was really the best I’ve ever had at this café, and one of the best in Cardiff.
Thank you A Shot in the Dark.

Serving coffee and cake, but also staying open late and serving tapas-​style food and alcohol, A Shot in the Dark is a Continental-​style cross between a café and a bar.
It’s unique to Cardiff and, unlike the chain coffee shops, is a place you can linger for hours. It shows off a real personality of its own, managing to be both cosy and cool, with candles flickering away during the evenings giving the place a really cosy atmosphere.
The food is good, and lots of it is perfectly suited to sharing (particularly their tapas and their ‘Platters to Share’!): another good reason to choose this place for a laid-​back evening socialising with your friends. There’s plenty for vegetarians, and I highly recommend the carrot cake — if it hasn’t sold out!

I am a fan of this place but I do find it sometimes a little bit cloying. There’s something confused about it. It’s not quite sure if it’s a coffeehouse, a bar… I don’t really know what else. However, it is good for any one of those things.
It’s the kind of place that you go ‘to relax’ with someone that you actually want to impress with your coolness. You go, hang out, look nonchalant and — bingo — they are impressed. But I can’t imagine ever feeling completely at ease there — not to the same extent as in places like Café Calcio, for example.
Like everything, it’s all about the scene you’re into. This just isn’t quite my thing but I appreciate the good service and the good drinks (I haven’t had the food but they serve a good range).

Once upon a time, in the glory days when you could force your second hand smoke on the other patrons, a shot in the dark was the broodiest place to reflect and chain smoke to jazz. Now though since the smoking ban it’s become an establishment with a huge selection of milkshakes and coke in glass bottles. Not that I’m complaining, I love this place. Once the host for ‘Scrabble Sundays’ (pretty self explanatory) now it’s just a great little coffee shop with a really good vibe about it. They serve food with a good selection of Vegetarian dishes, lots of picky tapas type things and they do make a mean cup of coffee. Mostly though, it’s all about the atmosphere, imagine hanging out in someone’s (ever so slightly pretentious but lovely all the same) living room. They’re fully licensed too so there’s a bar with a decent selection of European beers, especially good for when there’s an open mic night. Still one of my favourite Coffee shops in Cardiff.

Drive along City Road after dark and just before you reach Newport Road you will see flickering of candlelight like a welcoming beacon in the window of Shot in the Dark.
I love the huge selection of herbal teas, far more than you usually find in a coffee shop, and there is always something on the cake counter to tempt me! What particularly appeals is the fact that is feels very much like a ‘local’ establishment local art on the walls (I’m especially fond of the photo of the windscreen cleaner from Death Junction!) and the fact that local groups are not only encouraged but welcomed. I’ve been to Scrabble Sunday on a few occasions, and think it’s a fantastic way to spend a Sunday evening.

I went there for a company’s lunch and I have to say that I liked the cosy feel of it. It is just like an ordinary coffee shop with loads of food for you to choose, I went for a Goats Cheese w/​Honey Bruschetta which took around 10 minutes to come) and was just a very thick loaf slice filled with the Cheese, Honey and some Roast veggies), which was understandable cause I was in a group of 6 persons and I was the last. The prices are average, I spent around £9 on a Bruschetta, a Lager and on a Caramel Shortbread (yummy!). My colleagues chose a cake that was there, but they all thought of it to be really dry. All in all was a good experience, although for my wallet a bit expensive (but that might have been my fault by going along with the beer).
We sat upstairs with a lounge just for ourselves, at the time there was a photographic exhibition of a Cardiff based photographer. That I did liked to see, supporting local artists which is something rare nowadays. The staff was always friendly even when they were busier. The only thing that was missing there was a bit of ambient music, it was all too quiet.
I would recommend this if you have time to chill out and read a newspaper there while drinking a speciality tea/​coffee.

Great chilled out bar only five minutes from central Cardiff (in the Roath area), they do some nice tapas style items and great coffee. The cake is worth a mention as it’s a definite highlight.
Can be quite expensive but is a lovely venue, worth checking out and great for a date too!