Gwdihw

Why we love it

More "vivid bird of paradise" than "wise old Welsh owl", Gwdihw is a pint-sized highlight amongst Cardiff's city centre tapestry of bars, venues and clubs - marrying consistently brilliant live music and leftfield ambiance with the sort of unaffected cool and genuine unorthodoxy that only really develops after years of embracing heavy nights, rolling with the hangovers and not paying too much attention to what anybody (apart from the adoring regulars) thinks. As you might have guessed, it's our kind of joint.

Wedged betwixt a train bridge, an NCP car park, a secluded back alley and two of Cardiff's most well established restaurants (shout out to Madeira and Thai house!), Gwdihw compensates for its inconspicuous Guildford Crescent location by greeting allcomers with a Sergeant Peppers-esque blaze of colour.

Step through a corridor caked in gig listings, posters and the odd doodle (remembering to tip your cap to the owl perched above the door) and you'll be greeted by proper music (none of this autotuned top-40 nonsense), a friendly crowd buzzing between boogying and the bar (stocked with a fine array of local beers and staffed by a crew of absolute diamonds) and a managery of trinkets and curio (vintage TVs, new-age sun clock, lord-of-the-valley Moose Head etc). It gets pretty cosy as the night rolls on (you'll get 60 people in here at a push), so we'd advise moseying to the venue's secret garden once your senses have had their fill of tickling. Expect bunting, stools, moody lighting and a squidgy sofa to rest those tired loins.

So there you have it: Gwdihw. An off the wall, slightly psychadelic music mecca where the owls get funky for the night and the locals focus on having fun. It's a quite fantastic place.