The Dead Canary — Restaurant in Great Britain

We heard so much praise about this place, so regardless of the rain, we took the train from Newport and made our way to Dead Canary.

We were taken by surprise by the host swaying outside hanging by the front door—“you coming in?” He said, almost sheepishly, almost playfully. We weren’t actually sure at this point, but lo! It was Dead Canary.

Our at first charming host asked us if we had a reservation. We didn’t. At this point we were well confused, but open minded. We were almost giddy with excitement. The entrance was so industrial and we could hear era music coming from within. At this point, I am so desperate to even peek inside. The suspense!

The hostess—I didn’t catch her name unfortunately—was very sweet. Her counterpart was less so. We were sat upstairs and told we had an hour to order and finish our drinks. No problem.

After about ten minutes without human contact, my boyfriend went downstairs to grab a menu. THE MALE HOST GRABBED MY PARTNERS ARM AND DEMANDED HE RETURN THE MENU. Mind you, he asked the table of two if he could have their third menu, and they of course obliged. He was gripped by the shoulder as he browses the menu as if he were a criminal. My partner is never bothered by anything, but he actually asserted that I write this review because he was so put off by being grabbed and then treated like riff-raff.

Speaking of criminal, the bill for two cocktails was £21. I asked for a “filthy dirty” vodka martini (I had a serious craving.) My boyfriend ordered “the strongest cocktail you have” which was a Zombie. I had to ask for more brine for my martini, which our server Shane very promptly brought. He was one of the only positive features of the place.

Shane was attentive, outside of the ten minutes it took to be greeted. He was great and I have no complaints.

What I really have issue with was the lack of wow-factor. If the host (blonde boy) hadn’t ruined the entire allure of the place, I might be inclined to give a better review. As it stands, the whole time we were at Dead Canary, we were wishing we had gone to competitors’ that we have had truly amazing experiences with.

I wouldn’t even bother writing a review if 1. The service from start to finish was awesome. It wasn’t. Shane did his best I think, but we felt like an annoyance to the rest of staff. If the drinks were amazing. They weren’t. They were mediocre. . . . TL;DR. We honestly wanted to love this place, but we felt like outsiders thanks to 1/2 of the host staff. The drinks were too expensive for the quality. Service, though well-intended, was slow. Not...

The whole 'hidden venue' thing seems a bit pretentious on the face of it so I was wary of my first visit when a friend had to book a table. The idea of booking a table at a bar seemed even more pretentious but I was pleasantly surprised. You realise that it's all a bit of fun in the name of doing something a bit different, especially when you meet all the friendly and distinctly unpretentious staff.

Great ambience. Very 'cool' atmosphere and incredibly low lighting. I wasn't drinking so I can't speak for the cocktails personally, but everyone else loved them. Drinks aren't what you would call 'cheap' but they don't feel like rip off prices given what's involved. Everyone felt that they probably spent no more than they would on a regular night out but had far nicer drinks than they would normally have. Live piano performance through the evening added to atmosphere and everyone was able to have a civil conversation without shouting like in most bars and not a TV screen to be seen.

Staff were very attentive and helpful; nice to have table service and settling up with a bill rather than queuing at a bar like some sort of animal. I personally had some nice coffee and a great evening. Late night opening suited me and leaving around 3am felt civil and not rushed.

Definitely give it a try but if you plan on a Friday or Saturday night, you really should book. I'll be...

Been here a few times now. Completely different to any other main stream bar in Cardiff. The secret entrance way and the exclusive tsble service set up are all very cool. Staff are really friendly and nothing is too much trouble for them.

Atmosphere is dark, moody, interesting and cool with low light throughout the bar, candles and small lamps set against dark walls and floor with plenty of oddities on the walls and quirky art choices. Loads of comfortable small chairs all set up in small intimate groups, perfect for a date or a group of friends.

The bar is something to behold, the selection of spirits, ingredients and finishing touches on the drinks is huge and of a very high quality, this is a serious cocktail connoisseurs choice! The menus are themed (currently dragons), the thought that has gone into every aspect of this experience is huge. You can ask for any cocktail you want or simply give them a theme or idea and they'll make you a custom drink! Music volume is low so perfect for a chat and there's usually a mix of chilled eclectic music through the decades.

Drinks prices are on the high side but you are buying the experience and exclusivity.

Highly reccomend, worth booking a table on...