Breakfast at The Dock, Cardiff Bay

 

After a long walk around Cardiff Bay to start off a bright and sunny Bank Holiday Monday we decided we needed some serious energy food. The Dock offers a small selection of outdoor seating right on the front of the Bay, with beautiful views out over the water and harbour. The inside is spacious and we had no problem walking through with a stroller – pretty much all of the tables both inside and out can fit a stroller at if you’re traveling with a tiny one. There are also high chairs and a kids menu, so quite family friendly. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and are excellent prices – especially the offering of a 2 course lunch / early dinner for £9.50 or 3 course for £10.50.

You can view their website and menus here.

The breakfast deal is a small breakfast item and hot drink for £6 or the Dock Breakfast (full English) and a drink for £8. It basically makes the drink £1 on top instead of £2.25 so a small saving but every little helps.

Ben had pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, with a coffee and I had the Dock Breakfast with a pot of English Breakfast tea (two generous cups!)

Presentation was lovely and the food was extremely tasty, fresh and piping hot.

The staff all seemed friendly and competent.

Some minor issues that stopped it being perfect – the tables inside were a little bit sticky and could have done with a more vigorous clean. Quite a few of the menus had a very distinct alcoholic smell and were quite sticky as well – clearly from drinks being spilled on them. The cutlery that both my husband and I received was not particularly clean and in general it just felt like it needed a deep clean from the night before.

The baby changing facilities was in the disabled toilet (no changing facilities in the actual ladies) which was locked with a RADAR key. I found that a bit odd considering it’s an indoor toilet in a restaurant and the sole baby changing facilities. RADAR keys are usually used for outdoor toilets that don’t have supervision or that people would access outside regular hours. Having to find a member of staff who has time to unlock a door when you need to change a crying baby is inconvenient and most mums don’t carry a RADAR key as it’s targeted more towards disabled use – but perhaps it was because it was so early in the day, and usually it is unlocked when it is busy. I guess we’ll find out next time.

Now admittedly, it was 10am on a Bank Holiday Monday. Not only was it the weekend of the Extreme Sailing Series, it was Pride Cymru & The Big Weekend Festival and there were two big football matches this weekend. So, I can imagine they were extremely busy and had a pretty hectic weekend with a lot of nightlife, which could offer some excuse. The food was absolutely lovely and the outside area in an amazing location, so we will definitely be going back for their afternoon/early evening menu which offers a pretty decent selection.

Overall it was a fantastic breakfast and I’m willing to give this place a second go. There were some little issues that if experienced more than once, might make me shy away in the future. It would be a shame if something as simple as washing cutlery and tables would put people off, as the location and menu really are worth visiting for and it’s very family friendly.

So stay tuned, follow me on Twitter and Bloglovin’ to get updated when I post next. I plan to head back here this month for the 3 course set menu and they do an afternoon tea here, which is one of my favourite things… let’s see if the schedule allows it!

Check out my other reviews in this area: Cardiff Bay Beach (Attractions) & Bill’s Restaurant with a Baby (Eating out), and follow me on Instagram for lots of family friendly pics as well as delicious food!