Cardiff indoor Market

Every city or town should have a market like this one, a traditional market selling almost everything from local produce to exotic delicacies.
Wonderful atmosphere and a proper indoor market aroma as soon as you enter.

Great local market with a bias towards fresh produce - there was a lot of tasty things I wish I'd brought my cooler box to take back to London with me. If one were staying in Cardiff this would surely be a cheap source of meat, fish, fruit and veg. There's also a little bakery stall selling fresh bread.

There were a lot of winking pigs heads which felt a little Lord of the flies-esque but on the whole quite fun to poke around with a lot of variety.

The stores that weren't selling meat seemed a bit out of place (I really think they should be seperated between the floors) with little electronic tables and jewellery stalls nestled inbetween the fresh stuff.

Worth poking your head around if your doing a visit to Cardiff and though I didn't try the fast food it is cheap and others seem happy to suggest it.

This is great- loads of stalls covering just about anything you could need. As you enter, there is a massive fish stall which is amazing and also serves some game from a fridge to the side of the main stall. There are numerous butchers with a good selection and the same with fruit and veg. Upstairs there are a couple of pet shops with animals and also cafes for if you get peckish.

Where else can you go to get lunch/fish/meat then get your shoes repaired, some pet food and cds? There is also the best pick & mix in Cardiff in here- very cheap and lots to choose from. Great if you nede that little bit of sugar to get through the day :)

Brilliant and affordable fresh goods. The anti-tesco :)

Cardiff Market is another place I like to buy my lunch - there are loads of stalls in here that sell food (although my favorite one that sold the crepes seems to have gone) there are stalls that sell chips, various sandwiches and rolls, curry, jacket potatoes, pizza and my new favorite the one where you can buy small portions of different salads (up to 5 different ones) in a box for £2 - Ive also frequently bought fruit, veg and other bits and pieces. Its probably the cheapest place to buy lunch in the local area (apart from maybe greggs)

the great thing about this market is the smell that hits you as you enter…. fresh fresh fish, all laid out on ice for you to buy. But not only do they sell the usual haddock, cod and sole, there are all sorts of exotic fish on display to buy. One past the fish moungers the market opens up into a bustling alladins cave of small shops all grided together in groups of 4. there is everything here from a cafe to a grocers. from a butchers to a pet stall. If you cannot find something in the vast shopping giant of Cardiff, you can be assured it will be tucked away somewhere in this market.. did i forget to mention that it also has an upstairs. Wrapping around the roof line of the market there are yet more stalls. ranging from the 'oh i need one of them’ , to 'what would i use that for’

To be honest, its taken me a few years to become a fan of the indoor market. But now that I have been converted, its great!

I often buy my meat and veg in the Market and its amazing value. There is a great choice of both veg and meat with a number of stalls selling both.

The second hand book shop is worth a mention too.

What a smell - but that just comes from the fresh fish stall. There are stalls offering everything from meat to fabric.
Can be busy with loads of people buying fresh fruit and veg.
As with the whole of Cardiff would advise travelling in by train rather than car as the parking is expensive.

Cardiff’s indoor market has the widest range of fresh produce under one roof. There are stalls selling everything from fruit and veg, meat, Danish bacon, cheese, sweets, pets upstairs and a christian bookshop. The fresh fish counter is second to none. You have got to go there.

Why are all my reviews about food…..probably cos I’m greedy and I hate being ripped off for meals!. Well one thing about Cardiff Market is the upstairs cafe which is absolutely fabulous. Last year Christmas shopping with my 8 year old nephew I was determined we wouldn’t end up in McDonalds, We wandered through all the colour and noise of the market and thought it would be a great idea to see it all from above so we wandered up the steps to the balcony area; we saw the pets and marvelled at the ancient roof before sitting along the upstairs wall (all very safe), we had a fab cooked breakfast whilst watching the fascinating life below - even he agreed was better than McDonalds any day!

I was so overwhelmed when I went in here! My husband is Welsh and his dad was helping us find Welsh love spoons and he brought us here and I could have spent the day here.

This has to be the best place to disappear into for the weekend and just shop your heart out. Nicer than a flea market and yet stiff has inexpensive stuff.

The stalls do change here so if you like something you’d best pick it up when you see it and not come back a few weeks later (speaks the voice of experience).

We did end up buying some wonderful Welsh love spoons as well!

Cardiff Market is an institution! It’a like an Alladin’s Cave and you can get in manner of things from here. They have a superb fresh fish counters as well as fresh meats and fruit and veg. Their bakery stall is excellent as well.
Well worth a walk around even if you don’t plan on buying anything but you probably will once you have had nosy about.

If you can brave it past the niffy part of the market (the fish counter) then it’s wonderful inside. I thoroughly recommend the silver jewellery stall!!

The downside was that it has a stall that sells live animals. It broke my heart to see then in the confined areas. I’m sure they are well cared for and all find a good home but it still tugs at the heart strings.

Cardiff indoor market has a variety of differents stalls/shops. At one entrance you have the fish counter selling fresh fish, shrimp, crab etc, as you venture inside they everything from palm readers, to card stalls, jewellery stalls, mobile phone repairs, butchers, book stalls, pet stalls selling cats dogs birds etc, records sellers, everything basically at good prices.

Cardiff’s central covered market is an excellently preserved example of a late Victorian market, with a first floor gallery, all sheltered under a huge overall glass roof. Opened in 1891, to the design of the borough engineer William Harpur, it is still an important attraction for Cardiff shoppers. It replaces an earlier market erected in the 1830s, itself a successor to the market held under the old town hall, built in the 1740s.

Today, the stalls inside sell a wide variety of both food and non-food items. Probably best known are the fresh meat counter and fresh fish counter at the entrance, but there are also greengrocers, bakers and delicatessen too, with provisions at prices which compare favourably with the supermarkets. Upstairs are cafes if you need a break from shopping, or you can even have your future told by a clairvoyant, if you believe in such things.

Other stalls sell everything from second-hand books, to spare vacuum cleaner parts, sports wear, jewellery and pet supplies. On my visit, an intrepid young woman was lugging a huge rabbit hutch home on her own…

nice selection of different things for everybody

Cardiff had quite a scare earlier this year when there was an intensely destructive fire in the vicinity of the old indoor market. Nooooooooooooooo - cried the masses - we can’t lose Cardiff Market! It’s a national treasure.
And quite right too - it’s wonderful. The fishmongers at the entrance is a must (it is a tad expensive but the quality is superb and the guys know their stuff). There are aisles of interesting stalls, not least the second hand music stall upstairs (well worth a rummage). There’s also a sweet stall and a cool little stall selling kitch Welsh souvineers downstairs - oh yeah, the market has an upstairs and a downstairs. Plus, there are some great cafes upstairs where you can sit with a cup of tea and a proper bacon sarnie (butter and white bread) and watch the hubbub below. Bliss.

Cardiff indoor market has lots of varying markets, the infamous, all be it smelly fish market, as well as jewellery, meat, cakes, clothes, palm readers.