Zero Degrees

27 Westgate Street, Cardiff [map]


This is one of four branches of the micro brewery's micro-chain. The other three bars under the Zero Degrees banner are in Bristol, Reading and London. (Just imagine what a depressing experience a night out in Reading must be.)

All the beers are brewed on-site, so there's none of your generic Foster's/Carling/Kronenbourg malarkey here. Instead, you've got a choice of such literally-named pints as Wheat Ale, Black Lager and Pilsner. All of which are eminently drinkable and pleasantly lacking in the belch-inducing fizz of branded lagers.

Pale Ale is our preference, although there's a rotating selection of seasonal beers too. The bar staff will readily offer you samples.


The utilitarian look neatly integrates the tanks and pipes used in the brewing process. We've been here a few times now - there aren't usually this many suits in the place.


Don't be fooled by those sofas on the right: they're not very comfortable. And the way they're laid out means that you often end up with someone sitting mere inches behind you, which is mildly disconcerting.

About a third of the floor-space is given over to an informal dining section (there's also a separate restaurant area upstairs), with the rest of the place dedicated to pure drinking. Eating is cheating, after all.