Spar

When I’m on a night out, I will very often be starving after a couple of hours. I’m also a big fan of eating a lot when I’m drinking as it reduces my hangover the next day.
Having a 24 hour Spar on St Mary Street is a genius idea as far as I’m concerned. If I get the munchies while we’re drinking in a pub nearby, or on the way to Walkabout, I can run over to Spar and grab a packet of crisps or a sandwich to keep me going. It’s fantastically convenient.
It’s not just useful for nights out though, I find that I often call in here on the way home from town when I’ve spent too long shopping and don’t have time to go do a proper supermarket shop. Or just to grab a snack to eat while waiting for a bus.
What can I say? I like food. And Spar sells this to me in wonderfully convenient locations.

There are a huge amount of Spar shops in Cardiff… too many to count in fact! And, whilst I prefer to shop at independent convenience stores wherever possible, it is sometimes easier and cheaper to use Spar. The fresh produce is always in good condition, with a reasonable selection on offer. The fresh meat section is again always well stocked, and they sometimes do great seasoned selection boxes of mixed meats that are great for the BBQ, and really cheap by comparison to buying the same cuts individually. £6.00 will buy you about eight pieces of meat including lamb, pork and chicken.
I really like the takeaway coffee service that Spar offer that works out a lot cheaper than going to a café. This option singles it out in my mind, and makes me more likely to be shopping at Spar than its nearest food chain rival Sainsburys, a few doors down. And, it’s open 24 — 7!
This branch is also a pay point and has food to go. It doesn’t have an ATM however, but this isn’t so much of an issue on St Mary Street, as there are plenty of cash points near by. My branch of the Co operative Bank has two for instance, and is only a couple of minutes walk up the road.