Queens Vaults - JW Bassett Pub — Restaurant in Wales

We came across the B- staff apparently. We had come in about 7 pm on a Sunday after a long drive and went there for our evening meal. There were many customers but lots of empty tables and not many diners. Our first experience of the poor service from staff was a young male who apparently couldn’t see two older ladies but had perfect vision for younger men and served them in preference. Then the “on duty manager “ served one of us but I was left standing while he then served two other customers before me. ( he later claimed that they had allowed us to be served first but they had been waiting - this was not correct. One had come to the bar to chat to a friend while I was already there and the other came while my friend was having her order taken. ) The staffer taking my order was offhand - making a fuss about my request to not have peas and not establishing eye contact. He did not mention that the meals were not seemingly cooked on site and that the wait would be close to an hour. We ordered fish and chips and a grilled steak. Plus a red wine, a beer and two glasses of water with ice. I went back for another beer while waiting for my meal and observed that the younger staffer was offhand if not downright rude to most customers. He frequently turned his back and very loudly exclaimed “thank you “ with an exaggerated sigh and shoulder slump as though he was doing customers a favour. He did the same with me because he apparently hadn’t heard me say thank you so I called out loudly again thank you but I was not happy with his attitude or service. He overfilled the glass and pushed the rim of the base under a heavy plastic mat which I didn’t see so that it spilled further when I picked it up. Not that that was unusual - the bar near the on tap beers was overflowing and dripping back or spreading everywhere so I take it that’s his usual standard of service. After nearly an hour I went back to the bar to enquire when the meals would come. I was there with another customer who was also asking. The manager phoned the kitchen to check. While this was happening ( and both myself and the other customer were standing back from the bar), the rude young man came back to the bar and loudly proclaimed that I was denied bar service. I pointed out that I didn’t want bar service, and gestured to the other customer to go up to the bar. Turned out that he had been upset by the young man and only wanted his meals and get out of the place too. When our meals finally arrived, they were satisfactory but not anything out of the box. And I feel that anyone ordering meals should be advised of the expected wait time as a matter of course and professional practice. I have dined in pubs around several countries and can’t recall ever having such an overt display of rudeness from a staffer. The owners, trainers and managers should ensure that the frontline staff know they are representing the business and establishment and it’s their behaviour which affects customer’s opinions and generates income. I certainly wouldn’t go back here and would recommend that other potential customers observe the behaviour of the staff before ordering. There’s another establishment 10 feet away offering pub...

Having been recommended to me by a work colleague I visited the Queens Vaults for an evening meal with friends, they seemed very busy so we had a drink and found a table, the waitress was very nice and the meal was as expected. The whole experience was then spoilt by the rudest member of staff I think I have ever come across. We were sitting at the table chatting and the male member of staff named Morgan reached across the table and took my glass which was not finished, he did not apologise for interrupting us or acknowledge the fact he had just taken my unfinished drink, I found it easier not to say anything and spoil our evening until he then returned and interrupted us once more by reaching across and removing the condiments, At this point I felt it necessary to point out that he was very rude and the items may still be required by us and a proper way to approach the task would be to ask if we had finished before clearing our glasses and other items, to which he replied you must have finished with them as we have stopped serving food he then turned and walked away with no apology. I thought the matter was concluded at this point until I went to the bar to get a drink and he began talking about me to the other Barmaid in front of me as if I wasn’t there, I then felt that the service I was about to receive was not going to be acceptable so I chose to leave the premises with my friends after making my feelings about the staff member known. We will not be returning to the Queens...

Looks like an old fashioned pub with lots of wood and fabric but deceptively large once inside. Plays sport events in early afternoon but tends to start playing music later on. Music is varied but does have a strong rock/metal focus.

A couple of pool tables are available which get plenty of use.

The crowd is pretty diverse, and depends on the day but a lot of older people mix with younger patrons although the later it gets the fewer old people are present.

It has a good range of drinks and a reasonable menu of your looking for food. Atmosphere is generally friendly and security staff are normally present at busy times.

There's a small smoking area outside as well as a few tables for when it's not raining.

Whenever I'm in Cardiff city centre and need somewhere relaxed to kill a couple of hours this is invariably where I end up.

Jukebox is very good, and it's very friendly to just pop in for a couple on your own which after the last couple of years isn't a given.

I recommended the queen's vaults a few years back and can only recommend even more now.

Rating updated as appropriate 😀

Generally pop in before any city center gigs and still thoroughly recommend it.

A few years on from my initial review, it's much the same and I mean that in a good way. Still my go-to pub for when I want to relax, but still feel the vibe of the city. Pre-gig, get together with friends, or just a quick pint on the way home from work....