Meat at 156, City Road, Cardiff review

Meat at 156 is Cardiff's newest burger joint, and it's clear some thought has gone into this place. A glass front serves to open up the compact space, and although the usual suspects of wood and exposed brick are present and correct, here it feels more welcoming, more homely than it does elsewhere.

There's no booze on offer, but the chocolate peanut butter milkshake makes up for it. It's just the right consistency, with bags of peanut flavour courtesy of little chunks of the crunchy stuff. The strawberry shortcake chosen by Guido is also excellent, though mine is so good I have another.

Although the burgers here are named entities (from a visually appealing and well-organised menu, courtesy of local designers Made At Haum), there's a twist: all of the combinations are available as beef, chicken or vegetarian. There are a few additions you can make, at a small surcharge, though no bacon.



Dirty fries (£1.95) pack a peri peri punch- the milkshake came in very handy here- and is loaded with sliced jalapeno, so it's not to be taken lightly. Apparently the ramped-up heat is in response to customer demand; perhaps it would be an idea to serve them a little less fiery, and make extra sauce available at the table for the faint of heart and reinforced of oesophagus. Garlicky chicken wings (£2.95) are both tasty and, again, keenly priced.

Guido orders The Texan (£6.95) ; lightly battered strings of onion criss-cross the beef for a slight sweetness. As with mine, there's a hint of pink and an appealing depth of flavour. These burgers feel substantial and well seasoned, but an open texture -not overworked and overdense- means they don't feel it's like working your way through a steak.

The patties here are made fresh on the premises every day, with Gloucester beef from a named farmer; they cut their own steaks too. Cooking on a charbroiler means there are crispy little savoury nuggets of caramelised beef on my 'Meat At Signature',

"This is definitely not a first date place," says Guido, in an attempt to excuse the sheer mess he has made with his meal.

So what is it, then? No bacon, no booze? A halal symbol in the window? It's easy to imagine this place being popular with young Muslims looking for somewhere to hang out, somewhere with no alcohol, where there is no danger of non-halal meat on the menu. It's family friendly, too, especially at these prices, and there's not a lot of competition for the same niche market: I can only recall another three comparable places in the city.

It would be easy pigeonhole Meat At 156 as 'only' for that audience, but that would be missing the point.

You dont think that way about Shaam Nights.
You dont think that way about Mowlana.
You don't think that way about so many nearby places operating under the same rules.

So, while applauding the fact the owners have seen a gap in the 'quality burger for young Muslims', market, it would be a shame to miss out on burgers which are hand made fresh daily, rather than just shipped in, thawed out and gussied up.

That's a huge difference in the attention to detail, and more importantly, in quality.

Meat At 156
156 City Rd, 
Cardiff 
CF24 3DR
029 2048 8739

We ate as guests of Meat At 156, and all food and drink was complimentary. This did not influence my opinion.