Restaurant in Cardiff, United Kingdom
Welsh beef done right, no fixed menu required.
The Sorting Room holds a 2025 Michelin Plate and takes Welsh beef more seriously than any other hotel restaurant in Cardiff. At £££, the Chateaubriand, steak and ale pie, and signature beef Wellington experience justify the price — but order into the kitchen's strengths. A reliable choice for special occasions and business meals, with a room that matches the ambition of the cooking.
A Google rating of 4.2 across 145 reviews is a solid signal for a hotel restaurant, but the number that matters more here is the Michelin Plate awarded in 2025. That recognition confirms what the menu suggests: The Sorting Room is doing something more technically considered than the average brasserie attached to a Cardiff hotel. If you are looking for Modern British cooking with a genuine Welsh provenance focus, this is the most credible option in its price tier on Westgate Street.
The room is brasserie in the truest sense: leather banquettes, a modish hotel setting that leans elegant without tipping into stiff formality. The layout works well for groups, couples, and solo diners alike, and the attentive service model suits the occasion-dining crowd without alienating anyone who has just walked in from the stadium. It is a room that knows what it is — comfortable, considered, and built for repeat use rather than a single marquee visit.
The editorial angle here is cuisine mastery, and the menu gives you a clear picture of where the kitchen's strengths lie. Welsh beef is the anchor. The Chateaubriand to share and the steak and ale pie represent two different expressions of the same sourcing commitment: one for the table that wants theatre, one for the table that wants comfort done properly. The beef Wellington experience positions the kitchen in the same conversation as hotel dining rooms that treat a single ingredient as a signature rather than a menu filler — see Gidleigh Park in Chagford or Hand and Flowers in Marlow for how that approach can anchor a reputation.
Smoked octopus as a starter signals a kitchen that is thinking beyond the obvious. The tarte Tatin as a sharer dessert is a confident call , it requires timing, technique, and a degree of faith in the guest's willingness to slow down. That the menu highlights it as a finishing move says something about the kitchen's priorities.
For context on what a Michelin Plate means: it is not a star, but it does mean Michelin inspectors have eaten here and found the cooking to be good. In Cardiff's Modern British category, that places The Sorting Room in a small group. Gorse operates at the higher end of ambition in the city, but The Sorting Room's brasserie format means the execution standard applies across a wider, more accessible menu , which is a harder thing to sustain than a tight tasting menu.
Book The Sorting Room if you want a special-occasion dinner that does not require you to commit to a fixed menu. The beef Wellington experience is worth flagging ahead of time if that is your plan , a dish of that format is typically pre-ordered rather than improvised. The room and service level suit anniversaries, business meals, and pre-theatre dinners equally well. It is also a sound choice for visitors to Cardiff who want to eat Welsh produce in a setting that matches the ambition of the sourcing.
If you are looking for something more experimental, Cora and Thomas offer different registers of modern cooking in the city. For the explorer diner who wants depth and provenance, The Sorting Room's Welsh beef focus is a more coherent narrative than venues that cover more ground with less conviction.
The £££ price tier positions this alongside Asador 44 rather than the budget end of the Cardiff market. You are paying for a room, a sourcing story, and Michelin-noted cooking. That is a fair exchange at this level, provided you order into the kitchen's strengths rather than treating it as a generic hotel restaurant. The Modern British canon at this price point across the UK , from hide and fox in Saltwood to The Ritz Restaurant in London , sets a high bar for what £££ should deliver. The Sorting Room holds its own within that frame, particularly on the beef-centred dishes.
Booking difficulty is moderate. As a hotel restaurant with brasserie-style capacity, availability is generally better than a small neighbourhood spot, but weekend evenings and dates around Cardiff's major events calendar (rugby internationals, arena concerts) will fill. Book at least two weeks ahead for weekend dinners during busy periods. The hotel location on Westgate Street places it within walking distance of the Principality Stadium, which makes it both convenient and subject to event-day demand spikes.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty | Michelin Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sorting Room | Modern British | £££ | Moderate | Plate (2025) |
| Gorse | Modern British | ££££ | High | Not listed |
| Asador 44 | Spanish | £££ | Moderate | Not listed |
| ember at No. 5 | Modern British | ££ | Low–Moderate | Not listed |
For the full picture of where The Sorting Room sits in Cardiff's dining scene, see our full Cardiff restaurants guide. If you are planning a wider visit, our Cardiff hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city's offer.
The Sorting Room earns its Michelin Plate, and the Welsh beef programme is the reason to go. Order the Chateaubriand or book the beef Wellington experience for a special occasion, start with the smoked octopus, and finish with the tarte Tatin. At £££ in Cardiff, this is the most credible hotel restaurant in its category. It will not push you as hard as CORE by Clare Smyth or L'Enclume, but it is not trying to. As a brasserie that takes its sourcing seriously and has the Michelin recognition to prove it, the booking is justified.
The venue is a brasserie-style hotel restaurant with leather banquettes as the primary seating format. Bar seating availability is not confirmed in current data. If a more casual, counter-style experience is your priority, ember at No. 5 at ££ offers a more informal room in Cardiff.
Smart casual is the appropriate call. The room is elegant and sits within a hotel, but the brasserie format means it is not a jacket-required environment. The Michelin Plate signals a degree of formality in the cooking , match that in how you dress and you will fit the room.
Yes, provided you order into its strengths. The Welsh beef dishes , Chateaubriand, steak and ale pie, and the signature beef Wellington experience , justify the £££ tier. If you order generically, you will pay £££ prices for a hotel brasserie meal. Order specifically, and the Michelin Plate is explained.
The beef is the point. Start with the smoked octopus, commit to a Welsh beef main, and share the tarte Tatin. The beef Wellington is a pre-order experience , flag it when booking if that is what you want. The room is in a hotel on Westgate Street, so factor in event-day Cardiff when you are choosing your date.
For a step up in ambition and price, Gorse at ££££ is Cardiff's most serious Modern British offer. For the same £££ tier with a different cuisine focus, Asador 44 does Spanish fire-cooking well. If budget is a factor, ember at No. 5 at ££ delivers Modern British cooking at a lower price point. See our Cardiff restaurants guide for the full comparison.
The available data does not confirm a tasting menu format at The Sorting Room. The menu appears to be a la carte brasserie-style. If a tasting menu experience is your priority in Cardiff, Gorse is the more suitable choice.
Yes. The beef Wellington signature experience is specifically positioned for celebration dining, and the room's elegant brasserie format , leather banquettes, attentive service , suits anniversaries and milestone meals. Book ahead, mention the occasion, and pre-order the beef Wellington if that is your plan. At £££ with Michelin recognition, the setting and cooking level match what a special occasion dinner should deliver.
No specific dietary information is available in current data. Contact the venue directly before booking if dietary requirements are a factor , the wide-ranging brasserie menu suggests flexibility, but a kitchen centred on beef may have limitations for non-meat eaters. Call ahead rather than assume.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sorting Room | Modern British | £££ | Set within an impressive, modish hotel, this elegant, brasserie-style spot boasts leather banquettes, attentive staff and a wide-ranging menu of British dishes. Smoked octopus would be a great way to start, while for main course Welsh beef is a real feature of the menu, whether it's steak and ale pie or Chateaubriand to share – and if you're celebrating a special occasion, consider the signature beef Wellington experience. If you've got a sweet tooth, finish with the tarte Tatin which is big enough to share... not that you'll want to.; Michelin Plate (2025) | Moderate | — |
| Gorse | Modern British | ££££ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Heaneys | Modern Cuisine | £££ | Unknown | — | |
| Asador 44 | Spanish | £££ | Unknown | — | |
| ember at No. 5 | Modern British | ££ | Unknown | — | |
| Heathcock | British Contemporary | ££ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Cardiff for this tier.
The venue is set within a hotel and operates as a brasserie with leather banquettes as the primary seating format. Bar dining is not confirmed in available venue details. check the venue's official channels via Westgate St, Cardiff CF10 1DA to confirm bar seating before arrival.
The room is described as elegant without being stiff, so treat it like a grown-up brasserie dinner: put in some effort but there is no indication of a formal dress code. A jacket for men sits comfortably here given the hotel setting and £££ price point, but this is not a white-tablecloth-only room.
At £££, yes — if you order the Welsh beef. The Chateaubriand or the signature beef Wellington experience are the dishes that justify the spend, and the Michelin Plate (2025) backs the kitchen's credentials. If you are coming for something other than the beef programme, the value case is less clear-cut.
The menu is à la carte brasserie-style, so there is no commitment to a set format — useful to know if you dislike tasting menus. Welsh beef is the kitchen's anchor: the steak and ale pie, the Chateaubriand to share, and the beef Wellington experience are the reasons to come. The tarte Tatin is large enough to share and worth ordering for the table.
Asador 44 is the direct rival for beef-focused dining in Cardiff and worth comparing if a live-fire cooking format appeals. Heaneys offers more creative Modern British cooking at a similar price point if the brasserie format feels too conservative. Ember at No. 5 is worth considering for a more intimate setting.
The Sorting Room does not appear to operate a tasting menu format — this is a brasserie with an à la carte menu. That is actually a selling point if you want flexibility. If a tasting menu is what you are after in Cardiff, Heaneys is the more relevant option.
Yes, and specifically because it offers the beef Wellington experience as a bookable centrepiece dish — that kind of built-in occasion format works well for birthdays and anniversaries. The hotel setting, attentive service, and Michelin Plate recognition (2025) give it enough weight for a celebration without the rigidity of a tasting-menu-only room.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
