For those of you based in Cardiff, you probably already know the original Longa – a cosy little cafe on Whitchurch Road. They’re best known for their rich, comforting Turkish breakfasts and we visited before we’d even made the move over from Bristol. Maybe it was their eggs and sucuk that sealed the deal?
The Longa in this review is their newer much bigger site on Park Place next to the centre of town. It opened in March 2025 and it’s a proper restaurant, with light, airy interiors and a casual but stylish feel.
Despite being the ground floor of a soullessly modern block of student flats, the space has a Mediterranean brightness that makes you feel like you’ve stepped off a plane into somewhere with olive trees and actual sunshine. Just perfect for these long winter nights and driving Welsh rain.
I went with Mum (my favourite dinner date, don’t tell Dave), and between us we shared five dishes, exactly as recommended by our lovely — and yes, very handsome — waiter. It turned out to be the perfect amount of food: fresh, homemade, flavour‑packed and not at all heavy. We left feeling satisfied, not stuffed which was perfect given that we were dining ahead of a show at the New Theatre which is literally across the road.
Here’s what we ordered:
👉 Velvety hummus, leek chips, olive salad, toasted walnut, lavash crisps.
👉 Aged Tulum cheese, roasted hazelnuts, herb oil, spiced chilli jam, homemade bread.
👉 Kibbeh — beef & bulgur shells, smoked yoghurt, burned butter.
👉 Green‑chilli infused watermelon, whipped feta, balsamic glaze, crushed pistachio.
👉 Slow‑braised beef shoulder, chilli butter, smoked aubergine purée, pea shoots.
Every plate was beautiful, but also comforting — the kind of cooking that feels cared for. If I was being forced to critique, the kibbeh shells were quite hard and possibly very slightly over fried. This does feel like nit picking though, because they were still great. When I see these on the menu, I always order them. There’s something so comforting about the spiced meat inside – kind of like a more exciting shepherds pie filling.
Standouts for me were the Tulum cheese – salty, nutty, jammy heaven and the watermelon with feta, which was the perfect mix of tangy and sweet. We both agreed we’d be recreating this one come summertime. The beef shoulder was the big indulgence of everything we ordered and at £25 felt quite steep. However, once it arrived in its pretty basket, piled on top of very sumptuous mashed potato, the tender, fall‑apart meat was worth every penny.
Wrapping up
For two glasses of wine and all five dishes, the bill came to just under £90. You can do Longa more cheaply if you stick to lighter plates. We went full treat‑mode, and I regret nothing!
As I mentioned, we were headed to a show after our meal. Longa is literally right across the road from New Theatre, making it spot‑on for pre‑show dining. We had a 6pm booking, took our time, enjoyed everything, and were in our seats for the show by 7:20pm.
I’m still new to Cardiff but I know that there is a lot of Greek and Turkish food here (which I love). Whilst I can’t talk for authenticity, Longa’s story is lovely. It certainly feels like what they’re cooking is the real deal. It was started by sisters who wanted to share the flavours of Anatolia which is where they grew up and the menu feels homely but modern. Simge, the Head Chef, taught herself to cook their mums recipes after finding out she had cancer, as a way to keep her recipes alive. I believe she’s achieved that ten-fold and together, they’ve more than done her proud.
