... They were in fact talking about a bar in the City Centre known as the “Scrum Bar”. The good ol' Sports Cafe was located in the Cardiff bay area of the city. Not too far away from the likes of UCI (see previous review) Unfortunately The Cafe has closed down now, during the time of the Cardiff ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: If you like sport You love this place Disadvantages: No Longer Open
...start this retrospective look at the Sports Cafe, now retired and taking a seat in that big cafe bar in the sky.
Having read the only other brief opinion of the Cafe I can safely say that with the greatest respect the member in question has got it completely wrong. They were in fact talking about a bar in the City Centre known as the “Scrum Bar”. The good ol' Sports Cafe was located in the Cardiff bay area of the city. Not too far ... ...The Cafe has closed down now, during the time of the Cardiff Bay re development it really rode the crest of the wave of new developments in the area and did a roaring trade, towards the end of its days, the scene had started to slow down and the management had decided that to remain competitive they would need to re-locate back into the city centre which was starting to become more and more popular due to the sheer number of pubs and clubs popping ... more
I think I am going to have to clear up a few things before I even start this retrospective look at the Sports Cafe, now retired and taking a seat in that big cafe bar in the sky.
Having read the only other brief opinion of the Cafe I can safely say that with the greatest respect the member in question has got it completely wrong. They were in fact talking about a bar in the City Centre known as the “Scrum Bar”. The good ol' Sports Cafe was located in the Cardiff bay area of the city. Not too far away from the likes of UCI (see previous review) Unfortunately The Cafe has closed down now, during the time of the Cardiff Bay re development it really rode the crest of the wave of new developments in the area and did a roaring trade, towards the end of its days, the scene had started to slow down and the management had decided that to remain competitive they would need to re-locate back into the city centre which was starting to become more and more popular due to the sheer number of pubs and clubs popping up, especially around the St Mary’s Street area. The word is this will happen in the next year and I really hope so, hence the reason for this review.
To anyone who has ever visited a Sports Cafe (and to be honest I don’t know how many there are around the uk or world for that matter) the general idea is that it is a haven for those who love sport, they have literally tonnes of memorabilia ranging from football players signed shirts to rare baseballs and gloves signed by the likes of Babe Ruth. (apparently it is all authentic so I am told). One talking point for myself and my friends was the England shirt signed by the 1966 world cup winning squad. How we would have loved to have “borrowed” that item ! Although there would be something there for almost any sport you could think of…(not sure about synchronised swimming though !)
They had numerous TV’s positioned around the location, always playing sports across one of the many networks. There are also mini televisions in each booth. This though is not a problem as they can be turned off if they are considered a distraction to the social benefits of visiting a bar. There was plenty to entertain everyone and anyone, each booth had a computer to accompany the mini screen, each playing different games of one type or another. Mini Table Football was always good for a laugh as well and at 20p a go it never really hurt the wallet. Pool was average price £1 a game, which seems to be the norm for at least 80% of pubs in the area these days and when the football was on, there was no better place to go and enjoy a few beers with your mates.
Although it suffered from much the same accessibility problems as the nearby UCI cinema complex (see UCI review) it was still a top place to spend some time. The only downside to life at the Sports Café was the prices were a little steep. Drinks were not extortionate if you were drinking alcohol, but for soft drinks £1.50 a time was a little steep, although in days gone by they had operated happy hours and the like, which was always a nice touch when looking for a way to spend some time of an evening. It kept us out of mischief anyway !
The food menu was quite expensive, not extortionate, but not cheap either. The good thing was the portions came in two sizes depending on how happy the chef was. These were large or huge…either way I rarely finished anything that was ordered from there. The waitresses dressed in some rather interesting short skirt button down top get up, this was always nice and provided a nice view for those waiting for some service : ) it also invited tipping so was a great idea from the Sports Café management !
Our particular café even had a small basketball arena, which always invited competitions from friends after a few beers, nothing too strenuous, just to see who could actually aim straight after drinking…again this was one of the unique little touches which made the place one of our fave locations. It opened until 2am, most nights of the week and being lazy students at the time we really appreciated this because lets face it we weren’t going to get up and study the next day were we !
While this little corner of Cardiff was not the most impressive in terms of cost, the volume of entertainment and amount of good times that we had there more than made up for it. I can say on behalf of me and my friends - we really miss the place and hope that the re-location stories are true. Come out of retirement Sports Café, We need you !!
Advantages: Not too smokey Disadvantages: TVs on all the time. Expensive
...location - on route from the Uni to town, right next to the hotel where most of the uni balls are held and add, wait for it, TVs in every seating booth. Nooo. If I wanted to watch telly I'd have stayed at home. It's fine for when a big match is on but a major conversation stopper when you're all just out on town. And the it's joining the growing number of bars in Cardiff which think they're trendy and think they can elevate the prices to trendier ...
disco-clare 11.08.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Sports Café
Atmosphere
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "The Sports Café"
Advantages: Comfortable booth seating, indoor basketball court, lots of pool tables, large portions Disadvantages: Very busy at peak times, music is a bit too middle-of-the-road
Situated centrally on Birmingham?s main Strip the SportsCafé is part of a national chain of eight American theme bars. The venue itself changes greatly between day and evening trade, with some facilities that are closed during the evenings.
The ground floor is a vast area with two bars that get very busy at the weekend, certainly not the place you could prop up the bar. But during the day this is a totally different experience. Booths line one of the walls and provide very comfortable and intimate surroundings. In each booth a TV has been mounted in the wall which plays from a selection of channels with different sporting events. Though the bar is in the UK the chain quite clearly originates in the USA and this is reflected in the variety of sports available. From baseball to NASCAR, American Football to Golf, and I?ve even seen ...
gnipping 11.05.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sports Café
Advantages: Trendy place to be seen, good food and atmosphere Disadvantages: A victim of its own success
The SportsCafe opened on Broad Street in Birmingham a year ago amidst a welter of publicity. Offering three bars and table food service surrounded by sports paraphernalia, it was different to anything else the city has to offer. It was soon seen as THE place to go and watch any live sports events, with TV screens splattered all over the place.
The Euro 2000 qualifiers, and in particular the play-off against Soctland, pulled in massive crowds and generated a cracking atmosphere.
However, since then the SportsCafe has started to suffer. It has almost become too popular and is regularly, and uncomfortably, crammed full. Unless you get there very early, getting a table is definitely not an option.
The recent England matches in Euro 2000 showed how bad things had got - barely even room to stand and the whole bottom floor sold out to ...
Grifter 23.06.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sports Café
If you're the sort of person who wants to go out, get lashed, and have a real laugh - the SportsCafe is definitely your final destination! Every weekend I end up in there with my friends, and everytime we've loved it - revelling on the phone the next morning, completely hungover, with a glass of Alka Seltza in your hand! I agree with other reviews - it can get really packed in there, and it does take time to get served - but the answer is......... make sure you go there last! In Brum you start of posh and end up trashed! 52's to start - with your bottle of champagne (and you know that that sends you on your way!) then you go to the (previously known as) Ministry for your £1 tequila slammers, and the rest...........! And THEN you go to the SportsCafe - when you're completely wrecked and up for a jig to me old mate Mr Martin ...
EmmaStar 03.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sports Café
