Cardiff Arts Institute

I think the one-​star reviews are a bit harsh. I’ve been twice. First time, I had a great evening of music for very little cash. Second time, this week, went for the story-​telling. Had fish and chips first and it was excellent: hot, fresh, great chips, friendly staff, nice beer.
There are varied areas to sit in and there was a stall promoting Amnesty’s campaign for card writing to prisoners of conscience.
There are points that could improve (like answering emails) but it’s certainly a venue I’ll visit again based on experiences to date. May re-​rate with more experience.

I pick up a scarf from a girl’s store in Cardiff Art Institutes’ flea market. It’s blue and gold. I like the colours. I ask how much it is. 50p isn’t bad.
Persuaded upstairs, I have my photo taken and on the back of the print-​out write why I love Cardiff. The image is then hung on a washing line of A4 faces.
I chat to some actors about why they love Cardiff.
I draw on the walls with a crayon. I feel a stab of guilt as I remember what my mum said last time I did this. I look around. Nobody cares. This is what I’m meant to be doing.
I sit on stage and watch hilarious comedians talk about their days spent growing up in Splott. Earlier that day I saw UNDEB perform plays related to the subject of identity.
I build a house out of Lego and attach it to the wall.
Sitting with friends, I watch Dumbwise Theatre performed a rehearsed reading of their play, Baby.
I make friends with a six year old girl and spend the rest of the afternoon being beaten at Kerplunk.
Although these memories aren’t all from the same day (my!imagine how good a day that would be!), all of these fond moments are from hours spent in Cardiff Arts Institute. In my opinion, nothing can be gained from tying this venue to a review. The only thing to do is go along and let your memories and stories build up.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Take a coloured crayon and have a go at paint by numbers in the toilets

I went along to this place with some friends, not really expecting anything more than a bar. It’s a whole heap more though; the style and live music make it a quirky venue with a lot to offer.
Although extremely student heavy, places like this have a lot going for them. The beautiful thing is that repeated trips will seem very different, as per the music on that night.
I was impressed with the band on the night I turned up, a kind of ‘Cure’ meets ‘Radio Head’ mash which was really rather good.
So many bars try to use live music as a pull to get customers in but are not suitable places for performance, the music drowns out the whole bar or they take up to much space there are more musicians than customers. The Arts Institute has a huge advantage here; the building has the space and shape to provide live music and places for people to eat and drink. It feels like one of the rare venues that a musician will actually be pleased to have played, and will have got something from the gig.

Everyone who goes to the Cardiff Arts Institute has an opinion about it and whether it’s a venue that you regularly frequent or not. I like it but it’s not a venue I go to regularly and I think it’s great that you can go there and see live music for only a few quid. I wish I could say the same about the drinks and sometimes the amount of money you pay for a spirit and mixer can seem absolutely astronomical.
The actually venue itself, the décor etc has an awfully strong vibe that the Cardiff Arts Institute is trying to be something it’s not. Having said that I find its quite a nice place to have a few drinks to start the night out especially if you live Cathays and are on way in to the city centre. As far as the food is concerned, I haven’t bought food here personally but it seems slightly overpriced. Nevertheless the Cardiff Arts Institute is certainly worth going down for a gig or a few drinks

I remember wanting to go out and have a pint somewhere fairly anonymous one Friday evening after work. I ended up in this part of town and found myself out in the back garden of the Pen & Wig. I’m quite fond of this bar but when it’s as busy as it was that evening you are not just anonymous, you are near invisible unless you’re in a group of friends. So I recall following my feet out of the back gate and was about to turn left and head back into town when something caught my eye to the right of me. As I have a naturally inquisitive nature I took a peek around the corner and was welcomed with a banner declaring this was Cardiff Arts Institute.
This was a total chance occurrence, I went out looking to find somewhere new to me and that is exactly what I got. I instantly warmed to this bar; the girls serving were not completely rushed off of their feet and happy enough to engage in an intellectual conversation with a customer. I found the décor to be to my liking, there was something a little arty farty student about it but I think they pulled it off in a way that appeals to all sorts of people. The prices seemed fairly reasonable and when I had exhausted the girl who served me my beverage of all conversation I decided to talk to other patrons and find out what kind of folk come here.
I got talking to a couple of media students and ended up having a lengthy debate about films etc, obviously fuelled by some more beverages from the bar. The place was not over-​crowded, light and airy, spacious and welcoming. My favourite feature is the Lego wall. It’s a wall of Lego boards and bricks. You can arrange them however it tickles your fancy

The Cardiff Arts Institute has been a welcome change from the standard bar it used to be. Back in the day it used to be the bland creamy coloured Incognitos, now it is a stylish bar for all, you may find the odd student in here, but generally it will consist of the slightly older community who can afford the price of drinks.
Putting on regular gigs here, it is giving the other gig venues of Cardiff a thrashing, with prices as cheap as £2 or £3 to see a gig, it is decreasing the cost of viewing live music, but only if you can manage to go without a drink or two.
The décor is intriguing, with a lego board on the wall and random bird cages. It isn’t the largest bar going, so do be prepared to be rubbing chests with someone you’d rather not be having intimate contact with in order to obtain a beverage.

This is an interesting place for me. I knew CAI back when it was Incognitos and still just a bar, so it’s weird for me to think of it as an ‘institute’. I’ve been there a few times since it changed and to me it’s very much the same just with different decorations, and strange ones at that. The walls by the door say ‘nothing special’ on them over and over again, not sure why, there’s a lego wall on one side of the place (great for kids but less great when these kids are in their 20s and trying to throw lego bricks into your drink), and there’s bits and bobs all over the place that kind of feel like they’ve just been plonked there willy-​nilly. If you’re new to the CAI you may find all this really quirky and cool, and I probably would if I was new to it as well, but at the moment I still find it a bit of an odd way to have done up what was already a perfectly serviceable and nice looking bar.
The other thing that put me off this place when I came back to it was the drinks prices. I know students tend to have it easy in this area so we shouldn’t complain, but when you put a quirky place like this so close to where the students are you’re going to have to accept it when they don’t like paying close to £4 for a drink. I don’t mean a fancy one either, it was just a regular pint which I could have got up the road in the Union for about two quid less. There is a good selection of drinks in the CAI but be warned that it’s not as easy on the wallet as some other nearby places.
Despite all of this I am reliably informed that, as a venue, this place is actually really good. I’ve not been to any of the events here but I know that they do a fair amount of gigs and guest DJ nights, and a load of other arts-​related events that tend to draw fairly decent crowds. If you’re into that sort of thing have a look at what they’ve got coming up and see if there’s anything you fancy. I’ll even do the same, maybe I’ll like CAI as a venue, but you’re still unlikely to see me here for the bar alone even though my student days are now behind me.

The CAI (not the CIA — this causes great confusion on gig listings!) has fast become one of my regular haunts. Ideally placed in the heart of the Civic centre and to nearby Cathays, Roath and Plasnewydd, Cardiff Arts is a much needed antidote to the chains and cheap drinks deals of the City Centre.
The interior is pleasantly quirky, with a mixture of artistic decoration, retro chic and installations. The appearance of tattoo images widens the meaning of art, but does dominate somewhat. My personal favourite is the lego wall; just when you thought you were an adult…
As a venue, Cardiff Arts has a wide variety of bands and DJs on offer throughout the week, and there is something for every taste. The shape of the room isn’t ideal for a good view or the best sound quality, but the relaxed atmosphere and cosy nature makes up for this. Door prices are generally reasonable and the regular listings leaflets keep everyone up to date.
If you’re heading in for a gig, it is well worth going early and getting a bite to eat first. The food is reasonable, well presented, tasty and there is something for everyone. Vegetarians get a very good deal with many a meat eater looking jealously at the veggie options when they arrive. And I can’t fault their Sunday roast with free Bloody Mary! The drinks aren’t the cheapest around, keeping it from becoming a solely ‘student’ pub, but not extortionate either They have a good variety of real ales and beers, as well as cocktails and coffees.
So why only four stars? Well, the venue would definitely benefit from an outside seating area. There is a courtyard with good views of the stage, but with no where to sit, it seems a waste of the space. Finally, and this seems to happen more and more in bars and clubs, the bar closing time and the music ending rarely coincide. With no indication of last orders it is possible you’ll have to watch the last act without a drink.

This Institute (though it looks like it’s just a bar, it really is an Institute) is a great addition to Cardiff. It has only recently arrived in its completed form and since then has gained a lot of popularity. This is partly due to its proximity to areas frequented by students at Cardiff University.
It’s not just for students, however. Last time I was there to watch one of the many gigs they put on I was sat with my friend at a table when we decided we fancied exploring. I’d heard there was a comedy thing happening upstairs. When we arrived at the door we peeked in to see people watching classic Looney Tunes episodes, we were invited in for a quid because we were told we’d missed two thirds of the show and so £1 was a reasonable amount to see the rest.
Turns out the cartoons were just the greatest intermission in the world, and they got started again with an open-​mic set up of stand up, sketches, and interactive funnies. It was so great to stumble into something like this. It’s really only when places put on such events by such welcoming people that this kind of thing occurs. I’d recommend visiting the Institute of an evening and having a look around to see what you might find.

Where Cardiff’s hipster crowd unites! Don’t let the name fool you — the CAI is half-​bar, half-​arts venue and open to any and all, with comedians, DJ’s and quality bands like Beach House (best concert ever!) gracing its modest stage.
Some may argue that it’s a bit pretentious, but I always enjoy myself here. The drinks are reasonably priced and the food is better than you’d expect from a watering hole kitchen. Roast Sunday (with free Bloody Mary!) is my preferred way to spend a lazy afternoon.
CAI’s eclectic and quirky interior means there’s always something to catch your attention (this goes for its patrons, too), but if you’re looking for something to hold it, just ask the guys behind the bar for one of their many available board games.
One of my favourite bars in Cardiff, and here’s hoping more follow in its footsteps.

If you’re a floppy quiffed, tight jeaned dour arty trendy wannbe — and i don’t mean this is a negative way although as I write this I fail to see how this could be a compliment — then you will love Cardiff Arts Institute.
Its air attempts to reek of pretension and the odour of the in crowd — the wall of marigold gloves is a testament to that. Having said that i was welcomed by a smiling bar maid who was more than happy to serve me. Which I found odd, I almost expected her to look me up and down disdainfully before walking away in disgust.
I only spent a couple of hours there with a few mates and it was a quiet night so I can’t say I experienced it at its best but I wouldn’t say this is ever going to be my local or a regular haunt of mine — why? I loathe what its trying to be it doesn’t feel natural — maybe I’m being a bit harsh — I just have a natural anathema to all things pretentious — it’s only a personal view you may love it there. There are some nice design touches about the place and part of me can imagine it being a nice place to hang out but that part of me is very small indeed.

Cardiff needed The Arts Institute like sad, sorry Sally needed a party! Chapter Arts is all very well, and does amazingly innovative things, but it still has a reserved air about it when it comes to shaking off the flecks of mundanity that accumulate on our souls throughout the process of the working week. The Arts Institute, by contrast, is an unfettered triumph of imaginative dynamism made reality, where an organic process of evolution is driving it ever forward into new realms of expression and experience.
My recent foray into the nocturnal world of The Arts Institute had me moshing with moharks at an Oxjam gig, headlined by one of Bristol’s biggest bands, Babyhead. The place was seething with people, and the level of energy that reigned throughout was electrifying. People were packed into all of the enclaves of this multifaceted space, cheek by jowl amid some of the most exciting art that I have seen in a while.
Everyone in Cardiff needs to check this place out and get involved!

A cool arty bar/​canteen which has live bands and various events. A new venue to Cardiff and worth checking out.

This offbeat canteen-​style arts venue is a social and cultural hub for Cardiff’s young musician, poets, comedians, DJs, and other creatives and performers, and a magnet for studenty-​arty types.
The slightly quirky lounge bar area is decked out with bright bunting and art work by local artists, and its canteen serves up contemporary home made food as well as coffee, cider, cocktails and other concoctions. The food includes snacks such as tapas, nachos and falafel, or burgers, sandwiches, and main meals such as Welsh beef curry, fish & chips, or Sunday roast (on Sundays!).
It hosts a whole array of arty events, from pop punk nights and live gigs to spoken word evenings and stand up comedy, while at other times when there’s no event taking place you can just chill out there over playing board games or enjoying the art.

Not the educational facility the name suggests, instead this arty canteen bar, social club and music room is my current favourite hangout in the city. Set up as a collaborative project between 580 Ltd (Nation of Shopkeepers (Leeds), Start the Bus (Bristol) and The Lock Tavern (Camden)) and the Welsh collective Something Creatives (Milgi, Secret Carnival, Big Love Inflatable Church & Northcote Lane Market) their ethos is admirable.
The venue’s manifesto states: ‘Cardiff Arts Institute is […] A space to explore creative vision and push the boundaries of what it means to live, work and play in Cardiff right now. We want you to join with bands, musicians, promoters, artists, poets, comedians, DJs, thinkers, dancers, performers, creatives and party people on a brand new adventure. We will program the venue with your influence, with what you want to see, with what you want to do.’ So far they are sticking to it.
The bar’s design is a beautiful burst of bunting, brightly coloured brick tiling, local art, interactive lego and brilliantly British eccentricity. Lounge-​like inviting, and equal measures inspiring and laid-​back. Serving hot drinks, cocktails, bottles and pints of lager, cider and ale the CAI attracts a young art centre crowd of locals and students alike; not surprisingly given its close proximity to the university. The menu is appealing and caters for big and small appetites — steak sandwiches, falafel, meatballs, burgers, fish & chips, apple and raspberry crumble). It also boasts a decent number of veggie options — multiple choices — I like.
On the affordable entertainment front, CAI score top marks, whether hosting poetry slams, clothes swap shops, the literature and music regular Balloon, Undeb Theatre’s Cardiff Identity Festival or the after party for the latest National Theatre of Wales (NTW) production. An eclectic range of events take place in both the main bar and upstairs in the more intimate Common Room. There are times for laughs during comedy nights featuring Tom Craine, or watching local legend Kaptin’s leg wax for Oxfam. Ouch! Good music also regularly makes it onto the bill. Sundays are a laidback affair — big roast dinners (and the free glass of bloody mary), board games and a potter around the carboutique stalls of vintage fashion, jumble, music and books.
The cherry on top: The CAI appreciate their regulars, pick up a regular’s card and you will get bonuses including money off your drinks and one-​off opportunities like their recent £1 opening night ticket offer for NTW’s production of The Devil Inside Him.
They don’t use any artificial colours or preservatives. They do stay up late and break all the rules. For both of these reasons and more I love CAI. Long may it continue to invigorate and evolve Cardiff’s social and cultural life.
Not one niggle? Okay, just one, every single time I’ve visited there has been NO LOO ROLL in the ladies. If they fix that, I’m a happy bunny.

Don’t be put off by thinking you need to be an Art student to get in here. You don’t, though arty types will defiantly appreciate the décor more than most. Its pretty much just a really good bar and music venue.
The interior really must be seen, its far more unique and off the wall than any other bar in Cardiff. There is some amazing stuff going on here from poetry reading to amazing DJ’s and artists. There’s something for everything so check out their website now!