Ad | Darts, anyone? The new venue Flight Club Cardiff is now open! Want to know what all the fuss is about and what to expect when you visit? Here’s all you need to know.
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Ok, I have to be honest; I am not a darts fan. We have a professional board in our home pub, and I never play. However, the boyfriend does. So, when I was invited to Cardiff Flight Club, how could I not take him? (It turns out he was working, so I went with Hisdoryan, Steffan and Beth instead)
My first thought was, which genius thought, let’s allow drunk people to throw pointy sharp things? That’s my level of intellect, and I’m all for it!
Darts is a challenging game and takes a lot of practice, which is probably why I don’t want to play. I have little patience and a short attention span. Darts in some form has been played since medieval times. Given its long history, and the millions who have loved playing throughout time, I was willing to give it my all for one evening.
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Stepping Up to the Oche
After finishing work for the day, we headed to Cardiff City Centre. Flight Club Cardiff is on St Mary Street (castle end). The four-storey building, a 400 square metre site that can host 550 people, was formally Beanfreaks health food store. It’s Flight Clubs’ largest venue outside of London. The darts bar also has outlets in Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham. The chain Flight Club is also in the USA and Australia.
Inside there is a feeling of stepping into a Victorian pub at the funfair. There’s lots of glossy wood with carousel images, vivid colours and string bulb lights. The decor, especially up the stairs, is like your grandmother’s house, with clocks and vintage china on the wall.
There are 15 social dart playing areas, four bars, a massive roof terrace with space for over 200 guests, with bookable huts that look like carnival wagons. It’s even heated and covered so you can sit outside when it’s raining. In Wales, this happens a lot!
Game Time. One Hundred and Eighhhhhhhhty!
I tried to learn some darts phrases to throw out while playing. You’ve got to look like you know what you’re doing, right? There was no way I would get a double bull, devil, game shot or a happy meal (when you score 69 points). However, I know I can nail a buckshot which is when the darts hit the dartboard all over the place.
The biggest and best surprise, the games are designed for beginners and experienced players to play together. Everyone has a chance of winning. Plus, you don’t need to be good at mental maths or have your calculator to hand; the tournament technology has instant scoring. It also keeps track of whose turn it is, which numbers each player has to hit and announces the winner on the big screen. If you are attending an event or playing a tournament, there is a Fight Club Gamesmaster to keep things running smoothly and present the winner’s medals.
If you organise your own gaming tournaments, you can also design the most distinctive Award Medals for your mates as souvenirs.
When in the playing area, you enter your name and have your picture taken (don’t worry, you can retake this if you don’t like it). Pick your game such as Demolition, Killer or Snakes and Ladders. If you have booked online, you get the results emailed by 18:00 the following day.
Feed me! What’s on the menu?
Bullseye! This is what I’m here for! As you’d expect from an events venue like this, the food is deep fried, quick to serve and easy to eat with your hands. Small plates include sticky mushroom quesadillas, Korean beef skewers, salt and pepper squid and chicken katsu bites. There are also sharing platters, burgers, wraps, pizza paddles and sweet treats. A huge plus is that you can press a button to order food and drinks; they are then delivered to you.
I can’t knock the food; it’s as I expected it to be. It looked great and smelt good, but I wish it were homemade. As a self-confessed food snob, I prefer not to eat pre-packaged and frozen food. I like to know some love has gone into making the dish. However, if it’s what the clientele wants, then it is perfect.
Brunch Social
Regular readers will know I love a bottomless brunch. I think Flight Club Cardiff’s Bottomless Brunch will be the next one I try. It includes a bottle of Prosecco each, bottomless pizza (that’s right, bottomless pizza!) and social darts. Plus, orange juice and jugs of water. It is a 2-hour session which you can book from Thursday to Sunday at 12:00 or 14:30. It is for a minimum of 6 people. Prices range between £25-35 depending on the date and if you do include social darts.
If You’re Thirsty
The darts bar has a large range of drinks. Of course, there are spirits, bottled beer and pints on tap. There’s only one cider, Orchard Thieves, so I think this range could be expanded. The standard lagers are Amstel, Birra Moretti, Brixton Pale Ale, Neck Oil and Guinness. They are all £4.95-5.95 per pint. The bottle range is from £5-6.75. Making it one of the more high-end drinking establishments.
There’s an impressive cocktail menu, which puts a spin on the classics. Salted caramel espresso martini or dancing on ice tea, anyone? I was pleased to see that it wasn’t all gin, which I hate. However, as a rum lover, there isn’t a huge choice, a toffee apple old-fashioned or sweet success with coconut rum. If you’re reading this Flight Club, more dark and spiced rum, please? The prices range from £8.95 to £10.50.
Lastly, you may want to go to the bar to get a drink and order your food. We had to ask the team to remove a pretty big service charge from the bill. It would have been ok if we had split the bill, but as we all had a different number of drinks, we paid for what we had.
Rooftop Bar
After playing social darts and internally crying because I lost all the games, we headed to the rooftop terrace. Even though it is outdoors, it is undercover and heated. Fake grass, trees, potted plants and other greenery give you modern garden vibes. There are poser tables and tall stools, picnic benches and even a gypsy-style caravan. Make sure you check out the red British phone box. Make a call and dance to the answering pop star.
Would I Recommend Flight Club Darts Cardiff
Flight Club Cardiff takes the (boring) game of darts to the top level. I was pleasantly surprised. I genuinely didn’t think it would be for me, but I had fun! The atmosphere was fantastic! You can hear groups cheering each other on from every corner. Some other guests popped their heads around our playing area to egg us on. You can expect it to be loud and exciting.
It is ideal for a birthday celebration, team building, business networking or stag and hen parties.
Book Flight Club
Social darts is £10 per person for 90 minutes. Full payment is required at the time of booking. Bookings can be made online. The minimum numbers are:
- Monday and Tuesday – from 16:00: 4 guests
- Wednesday to Friday – from 16:00: 6 guests
- All day Saturday: 6 guests
- All day during December: 6 guests
- Smaller groups can book outside of these hours
- You should arrive 15 minutes before your booked slot.
If you work in hospitality, you can get 50% off social darts, food and drinks on Mondays and Sundays. This discount isn’t available in December. You’ll need to show your payslip or work ID.
Blue Light Cardholders get 25% off food, drinks and social darts. Again, this isn’t available in December.
Other Things You Need to Know
You can’t bring your own darts because of the technology Flight Club Cardiff uses.
The venue is cashless. You can pay by card (excluding American Express) or pay for food and drink via their app.
There is no cloakroom. However, there are coat hooks throughout the venue and areas to pop your bag at every oche.
Opening Times
Sunday to Thursday – 11:30 to 00:00
Friday to Saturday – 11:30 to 01:00
The venue is strictly over 18s
Flight Club Cardiff Address
3-4 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1AT
///mole.future.ocean
Getting around Cardiff has never been easier
Transport for Wales now offers Multiflex, which gives you 12 journeys for the same price as 5 returns. With stops in Taffs Well, Radyr, Whitchurch, Llandaff North, Cathays, two in the city centre – Queen Street and Cardiff Central – plus Cardiff Bay. And, who doesn’t want to save money to spend on darts?
How Do I Contact Flight Club?
Email the team on bookings@flightclubdarts.com
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Stay the night
If you know when you’d like to travel, try to book in advance and as soon as possible. Prices tend to rise the closer you get to the travel date. However, there is a vast array to accommodate all budgets.
easyHotel Cardiff
The easyHotel Cardiff has double rooms (with or without a window), accessible bedrooms and twin rooms. Found a short walk behind Cardiff Queen Street train station, the budget hotel has en-suite bathrooms, heated rooms in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. WiFi is free; pay and display and multi-storey car parks are nearby.
Dog friendly hotels in Cardiff
Your perfect dog-friendly escape in Cardiff awaits! Before I had my rescue dog, Ivan, I didn’t think Cardiff was very dog friendly. How wrong was I? The dog friendly hotels in Cardiff include national chain hotels, budget brands, pubs and country houses.
The Copthorne
The Copthorne, part of Millennium Hotels and Resorts, is a traditional 4-star hotel in Cardiff that is ideally located between the city centre and the coast of Barry Island. Ideal for business travellers, couples or families, it is a perfect base. You can expect free Wi-Fi, an indoor pool and modern in-room amenities. Book early and save up to 20% off:
The surrounding areas
Don’t be afraid of staying out of central Cardiff either. Penarth, Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, and Merthyr Tydfil are the surrounding areas connected by regular buses and trains. You can also plan with LastMinute.com. Stay at great hotels at a fraction of the price.
Cottages and Houses
The award-winning business, Sykes Cottages, has properties across the UK, and the ones near Cardiff are beautiful. From cosy lodges with traditional woodburning stoves to contemporary accommodation with a hot tub. With all the amenities you could need, including parking, WiFi and many dog-friendly places, check out Sykes Holiday Cottages.
FREE Visit Cardiff Checklist & Guide
Get your FREE Visting Cardiff Checklist and Guide with over 25 pages full of travel tips, how to get around, places to visit, food and drink, shopping, parks and green spaces, some Welsh phrases and a travel itinerary.
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