African and Caribbean Food in Cardiff: Where to Eat and Shop

For Cardiff's African and Caribbean communities, food is home, heritage and belonging, carried by one of Britain's oldest multi-ethnic communities. It is the history of Butetown and Tiger Bay, the smell of jerk and African stews, the ingredient from home found on a local shelf, and the caterer who does the family celebration. Cardiff has been a home to these communities for well over a century, and its food scene carries that deep history and love, a real taste of the Caribbean and Africa in the Welsh capital.

Whether your family has been in Cardiff for generations or you are new to the city, exploring its African and Caribbean food is a way to connect with community and heritage. From a plate of curry goat to a bowl of egusi soup, from a Caribbean patty to a wrap of suya, the flavours of home are there to be found and shared. That warm, welcoming spirit is what African and Caribbean food in Cardiff is all about.

Cardiffs African and Caribbean Food Scene

Cardiff holds a special place in Britain's multicultural history, thanks to Butetown, the dockland area near Cardiff Bay once famous as Tiger Bay. As a great port, Cardiff drew people from Africa, the Caribbean and around the world for well over a century, making Butetown one of the oldest and most established multi-ethnic communities in Britain. That deep heritage, added to over the years by newer African communities, including a large Somali community as well as Nigerian, Ghanaian and Caribbean residents, gives the city a rich and varied food culture.

For anyone in Cardiff, this makes the city a wonderful place to explore African and Caribbean food, whether you are from these communities and looking for a taste of home or keen to discover the cuisines. From grocery shops full of hard-to-find ingredients to restaurants, takeaways and caterers, Cardiff has plenty to offer. If you are new to the food, our guides to Caribbean food and Nigerian food are a good place to start.

Butetown Tiger Bay and the Community

The historic heart of Cardiff's African and Caribbean community is Butetown, the area near Cardiff Bay once known as Tiger Bay. For generations, Butetown was home to a remarkably diverse community of sailors, dockworkers and their families from Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East and beyond, and it remains a place of great cultural heritage and pride, celebrated in the city's history and arts. It is an area with deep roots and a strong sense of community and identity.

Alongside Butetown, Cardiff's African and Caribbean communities are found across the city, including in areas like Grangetown, and the city is home to newer African communities, notably one of the UK's larger Somali communities, again rooted in the port history, as well as Nigerian, Ghanaian and other African residents. This mix gives Cardiff a varied and interesting African and Caribbean food scene, from long-established Caribbean cooking to a range of African cuisines.

Where to Eat, Shop and Cater

Cardiff offers a good choice. For eating out, Caribbean and African restaurants and takeaways across the city serve Caribbean classics like jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtail and rice and peas, and African dishes such as jollof rice, egusi soup, pounded yam, suya and Somali and other specialities. For a celebration, caterers cook African and Caribbean food for parties, weddings and events, ideal for an owambe, a christening or any occasion. Browse African restaurants near you and African caterers near you to find current, well-reviewed places close to you.

For ingredients, Cardiff has African and Caribbean grocery stores stocking yam, plantain, scotch bonnet, egusi, garri, palm oil, saltfish, ackee, spices and more. To find grocery stores near you, the Africanstores listings for African food stores in Cardiff show you which shops stock what, so you can find the closest place for whatever you need. You can also read our guide to African supermarkets in the UK for tips on what to look for.