The Sand Martin Pub.
Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:13 pm
I went down to the sand martin today for a mothers day meal with the family. It was a staff training day so it isn't officially open until tomorrow...got heavily discounted food though!! 
Anyway my first impressions are that it is massive! Its basically a huge rectangle that goes around the bar, brilliant kids section at the back with a play area too. There isn't any TV at all, so if you want to watch a match and have a drink...the sand martin isn't for you. Visually its stunning, really homely and has some great photography of Cardiff and surrounding areas. I asked the staff about match days and how they feel it will go, they told me that fans must be seated unless at the bar or in the beer garden, thats obviously understandable, this isn't the ninian pub and doesn't want to be. The food is spot on as u'd expect, the cavery is reasonably prices at £6.99 I think and the ice cream sundae was the perfect hangover cure. Overall i thinks its a great FAMILY pub, the beer garden will be a perfect place to enjoy a few drinks prior to a match and flick a few V's to the away players coach as it drives past.
Oh and sand martin is a bird...I kinda felt thick when I asked the barmaids why there was so many bloody birds on the walls. Ooops.
Thought id share.
Anyway my first impressions are that it is massive! Its basically a huge rectangle that goes around the bar, brilliant kids section at the back with a play area too. There isn't any TV at all, so if you want to watch a match and have a drink...the sand martin isn't for you. Visually its stunning, really homely and has some great photography of Cardiff and surrounding areas. I asked the staff about match days and how they feel it will go, they told me that fans must be seated unless at the bar or in the beer garden, thats obviously understandable, this isn't the ninian pub and doesn't want to be. The food is spot on as u'd expect, the cavery is reasonably prices at £6.99 I think and the ice cream sundae was the perfect hangover cure. Overall i thinks its a great FAMILY pub, the beer garden will be a perfect place to enjoy a few drinks prior to a match and flick a few V's to the away players coach as it drives past. Oh and sand martin is a bird...I kinda felt thick when I asked the barmaids why there was so many bloody birds on the walls. Ooops.
Thought id share.
Re: The Sand Martin Pub.
Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:38 pm
sorry for sounding thick..lol so it is open to footy fans on a match day then? id heard stories that you could only drink in there if you were having a meal??
Re: The Sand Martin Pub.
Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:48 pm
boyosback wrote:sorry for sounding thick..lol so it is open to footy fans on a match day then? id heard stories that you could only drink in there if you were having a meal??
Its open to football fans on match day the same as everyone else. i.e. you can have a drink if you are having a meal - there is no ban on football fans.
Re: The Sand Martin Pub.
Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:48 pm
boyosback wrote:sorry for sounding thick..lol so it is open to footy fans on a match day then? id heard stories that you could only drink in there if you were having a meal??
Ive not heard that before. If your going to build a pub next to a stadium then I imagine thats where you expect to make a vast amount of your takings from, so from what I was told, it is open to all. It wont be a pub where you stand around drinking like most pubs in canton on a match day, its a sit down pub..and food if you want. Its not compulsory to eat if your a city fan and you want a drink on a match day. That would just be daft.
Re: The Sand Martin Pub.
Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:10 pm
i know somebody who works there on match days before games no food no booze my advice stay in canton and get drunk the walk to the ground will sober you up 