10 Adam Street, Adamsdown [map]
There aren't many Cardiff pubs left that can provide such resolutely old school thrills as The Vulcan.
But despite dating from 1853 - how many pints do you think have been downed here over the last 150 years? - it's only just been saved from being knocked down to make way for a car park for forthcoming mega-mall St David's 2.
Seriously, who could possibly opt for a car park over a slightly knackered old boozer with an enormous ship's wheel on the wall? Someone who clearly doesn't enjoy a pint.
Still, following a fund, a petition, a blog and plenty of local press, The Vulcan has been saved from extinction for at least another three years after the current landowner negotiated a new lease with Brains.
There's something of an unwritten rule that you have to have a shaved head in order to drink here.
Look at all those empties on the bar. It's only lunchtime but some serious boozing has clearly been taking place already. Not a massive array of drinks on offer but, between the session lagers, Stella, Brains and Guinness, you're not going to go thirsty.
Round the side to the 'lounge bar', where there's a more relaxed vibe afoot. So relaxed, in fact, that there's no one else in here. Nice Rowe-AMI jukebox though.
Those famous urinals in full. Marcel Duchamp would be proud.
Suffice to say, The Vulcan is not so much a pub as an institution. The ideal venue to absorb both some local history and a pint or six.
