KIN+ILK (Capital Quarter)

Why we love it

Brushed pine panelling, exposed concrete struts and pane upon sweeping pane of floor to ceiling glass typify the skandi-industrial chic of Kin+Ilk's Capital Quarter café-bar: a tip-top coffee, brekkie and brunch hub nestled at the pedestrianised feet of the city's newest business district, within view of the dreaming academic spires of USW and almost always flooded with beams of natural light, caffine-hungry students and remote-working professionals.

Nudging onto the pavement along "Smart Way", the main thoroughfare in these parts, Kin+Ilk's staff are encouraged to take a few moments every morning to spread some cheer by chalking down a pearl of wisdom (or #Kinspiration) on their A-frame blackboard. If you choose to walk inside, you'll be rewarded with aromas of freshly ground coffee, the tinkling of plates stacked with smashed avocado and the cosmic allure of proper doorstop bacon sarnies. If you choose to stay, then you'll enjoy a small but diverse menu of modern café classics and a handful of carefully chosen craft beers, ales and ciders.

For work or play, friends or colleagues, this contemporary spot between central Cardiff and The Bay is worth walking the extra mile to discover.