Discovery Inn, Cardiff

Visited 08/08/24. Pleasant pub with nice entrance area with mustard coloured leather banquettes the main feature and seating arrangement in this area. Large TVs on the left and door facing wall with bar against the wall on the right-hand side. Area behind the wall facing the door was a smaller seating area with more fabric banquettes. Off to the right-hand side was another area described as the dining area with its own bar and leading out to a raised seating area outside. At what I would describe as the back of the pub (ie away from the entrance) was a very large area on two levels with a stage against left hand side wall on the lower level down a flight of half a dozen or so steps. A railing with a ledge and tall stools on the upper level provided a good viewing point for the action below, with quite a few tables and chairs and banquettes for getting up close and personal with the stage action. Feature of this area was an array of four plasma screens at right angles to each other suspended from the ceiling so you can catch the action from wherever you are sitting in this back part of the venue. This area on the upper level had its own bar facing the railing and the stage below. There is also a dart board in the back corner. Really disappointed on the cask front with three hand pumps, only one of which functional and offering Doom Bar. Loads of dull keg choices with a preponderance of mainstream lagers (Asahi, Moretti, San Miguel, Madri, Stella, Cruz, Amstel & Carling) and oft-seen ciders (dark fruits Strongbow, Aspall & Inch’s), counterbalanced meekly by Guinness, Neck Oil and John Smiths. Opted for a pint of the latter so not much choice at all. Taken aback by the sheer scale of this place. It would take a fair few in here to make it feel busy, but I suspect it is later in the week when there is action on the stage and during big sporting events. Absent a beer choice to suit my taste I can’t see myself back here.

The Discovery Inn feels a world away from the city centre. It is situated in a residential area, along with a barbers, an Indian restaurant and a Tesco Express. New flats are being built opposite. It doesn't really feel much like an estate pub inside. The interior has been modernised, with any character it previously possessed having been lost. There is a public bar at the front and a larger lounge/dining area to the rear. 3 or 4 male drinkers were sat at the bar in the front room, with 3 or 4 female diners in the rear room - all very segregated! A patio at the front has a number of tables with blue and pink umbrellas. 2 real ales were available - Glamorgan Cwrw Gorslas & Bluestone Stone Cold. We had the latter, which had a slight citrusy taste to it, but was past its best. Not a bad place, but well out of the way. Perhaps we were unlucky with the beer quality.

Lovely estate pub that's in the GBG. Has all local ales available. On my visit they had two from Vale of Glamorgan (VOG) and one from Glamorgan Brewery. I had a Stable Genius from VOG which was on top form. Was an amazing find on my pre-lockdown pub crawl