Clubs, bars & the SU near campus
Y Plas — Cardiff SU
The Students' Union's own nightclub — home to YOLO, Cardiff's biggest weekly student night. Links up with the Great Hall for a 4,000-capacity superclub on big nights.
YOLO — get ticketsMisfits Social Club
An independent grassroots venue just north of the SU. Live music, street food and cheap drinks 'til 3am, in the old Koko Gorillaz building.
What's on — get ticketsClwb Ifor Bach
Cardiff's best-loved indie & alt club — three floors, gigs most nights.
Tonight's gig — get ticketsCircuit
Big-room commercial club — house, pop and chart anthems, on the old PRYZM site.
Tonight's line-up — get ticketsFuel Rock Club
Cardiff's only dedicated rock & metal club — gigs out back, discos 'til late Fri & Sat.
Rock & metal disco — get ticketsMetros
Backstreet basement club running alt & indie nights for over 20 years.
Alt night — get ticketsPopworld Cardiff
Cheesy pop, karaoke and half-price drinks — dance floor anthems 'til 3am.
Karaoke & pop night — get ticketsThe Woodville
The classic Cathays student pub — big beer garden, sport on every screen, cheap pints two minutes from Talybont.
The Flora
Corner local on Cathays Terrace — pool table, quiz nights and a proper student crowd.
Bar 105
Tiny basement cocktail bar and event space — cocktails early, underground techno and house nights later.
The Crwys
Wetherspoons at the top of Crwys Road — the go-to for cheap pitchers before a night out.
Cathays Beer House
Cathays micropub — rotating cask ales and craft kegs, no TVs, no music, just beer.
The Mackintosh
Community-owned free house tucked behind Mackintosh Place — real ales, table football and a big student following.
The Vulcan Lounge
Wyeverne Road boozer with £4-ish pizzas, all-day breakfast, karaoke and live bands — a staple student bar.
Foundry Social
The old Gassy Jack's, reborn — retro arcade machines, pool, street food and a mezzanine, on the best stretch of Salisbury Road.
The Blackweir Tavern
Brains pub on the edge of Bute Park — carvery, garden and a short walk from Talybont and the Heath.
Dead Canary
Ring the bell to get in — hidden cocktail bar with lab-made drinks in a Grade II building.
Tiny Rebel Cardiff
Welsh craft-brewery bar opposite the Principality Stadium — 20+ taps and a packed matchday crowd.
The Owain Glyndŵr
Refurbished sports pub by the market and castle — dozens of screens, always packed on match day.