The Halfway

We chose the Halfway pub as our pre-​match drinking and lunch spot before the Wales vs Australia Rugby match at the Millennium Stadium. Arriving at the pub nice and early before the game we had a few drinks and a bite to eat. The food was perfectly fine though my vegetarian burger with chips would have been significantly enhanced with some salsa or other tasty condiment beyond a splodge of ketchup. That said the food was playing second fiddle to a gathering of pals and it hit the required spot. The main thing is that we all had somewhere comfortable to sit, drink, eat and chat until it was time to go.
The Halfway was perfectly located for us to arrive by taxi, have lunch then walk to the stadium via Sophia Gardens avoiding all the craziness of traffic gridlock and overloaded public transport. The walk took around half an hour and after the match we walked back to the Halfway for more drinks until the crowds subsided. Wales lost the game, but its not the end of the world!

A great pub this, good beer, good food and good atmosphere. Always accommodating to sports teams and players. The beer garden is a perfect place to sit and have a pint post softball game!

The Halfway is possibly the most enjoyable Cathedral Road pub in which to kill a lazy weekend day, catering for the chief requirements for such an event: hearty food, a decent beer selection, big screen sports and a bunch of daily newspapers lying around. Considering its Pontcanna surrounds, it’s surprisingly unpretentious, with a good mix of locals. If you prefer football over the egg-​shaped ball, you may want to avoid The Halfway on days when rugby and soccer clash, as they tend to show the rugby given a choice. Although the balance of fans isn’t always as clear-​cut as you may imagine, as the occasional loudmouth attempting a headcount in order to get the rugby put on instead has found. But that’s about the only hassle, with enough space to fit in a good crowd at evenings and for the biggest sporting events. There’s a skittles alley out back too.

Situated on the edge of Pontcanna, just next to Llandaff and Llandaff fields, the Halfway is a big, traditional Brains pub with a typical pub menu and a few specials, lots of Brains cask beers, a few locally-​produced spirits, and all the usual big brands.
My friend ate there recently and said her veggie pasta dish was pretty bland — but that the nachos are quite tasty if you fancy a snack to share.
In the summer there’s a decent, secluded courtyard-​style beer garden which is a pleasant place for a drink, although when it comes to good beer gardens there’s quite a bit of competition in the Pontcanna area (such as The Beverley, or Y Mochyn Du, right by Bute Park).

Everyone has the occasional bad day; those times when the clouds seem to hanging over you and you alone. If you meet someone on that day, you’re probably going to walk away with a marginally negative opinion of them. And pubs can be exactly the same.
It makes sense; pubs often end up looking like their landlords, after all, so they are obviously influenced a great deal by mood. My first experience in The Halfway was absolutely fantastic. My friend lived right around the corner a few years ago, literally about half a dozen doors down and he was playing host that New Year’s Eve. We headed to his place first, caught a couple of pre-​drinks, then adjourned to the Halfway to ring in the new year. Everyone had a great time, naturally. The staff were in high spirits, everyone was merry and good times were had by all.
The second time, however, was not so great. A different group of friends met up for a drink there to watch a rugby match that was on. It wasn’t an especially big game, so the pub wasn’t crowded. It was obvious that one of the staff was in a foul mood, and everything just seemed dingy because of it. Kind of hung a cloud over the day, unfortunately. I’d definitely go there again, because everyone has a bad day. Just try to avoid the girl with the massive scowl.

I was invited to watch the Ashes (a big cricket match between England and Australia) at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The first time it had been staged here so it was quite a big deal.
After the game we searched for a pub close to the ground but not too close so that it wasn’t too busy to get served. That is how we ended up in the Halfway. It was still busy but we managed to get served within 10 minutes. All was well until we decided to order some food — it never turned up, maybe it had been eaten by the haunted old man that is supposed to hang out there. Anyway in the end we cancelled the food — just in case there was any danger of it turning up.
On any other day I’m sure this wouldn’t have happened — it a traditional looking pub inside and out with all the trappings including a good atmosphere — I’d be more than happy to give it another go.

I discovered The Halfway after a hockey training session down at Sofia gardens. It turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined when we came across the skittle alley out the back. Yes thats right I said Skittle Alley! Forget pool or darts, skittles are defiantly what you need on a night out.
Apart from the skittles, and the a really nice little courtyard for summer drinking/​smoking, it pretty much your standard Brain’s pub with lots of screens for sport and a standard pub grub menu.
Oh yeah and apparently it’s haunted by an old man and you can try and freak out your mates.