Croeso Pubs Ltd, the South Wales pub chain which already runs five Cardiff city centre venues, is to take on the former Brains bar The Dock, in the city’s bayside area.
Originally opened as Terra Nova, the bar underwent a £1.25million refurbishment in 2016 and was renamed as The Dock. Just days ago, SA Brain announced its closure. Now it will be run by the team behind The Philharmonic, Brewhouse, Retro, Blue Bell, and Daffodil, all in Cardiff.
This isn’t the first Brains pub that Croeso Pubs has taken over. It refurbished the former Goat Major pub on High Street, opposite Cardiff Castle, in 2021, and reinstated it to its original name, Blue Bell.
Craig Davies, director of Croeso Pubs, said: “I remember when the pub first opened, how busy it was and how key it was to any night out in Cardiff Bay, so we were very sad when we heard that it was closing.
“We felt that if we jumped in and took over the bar, we could really make a difference and turn it around, and so decided to go for it.”
Fellow Croeso director, Simon Little, added: “It is a massive venue that has huge potential, and we can’t wait to get it open again and return it to its rightful place as the number one venue in Cardiff Bay.
“We are offering all former staff members their jobs back, as well as creating around 20 more full-time and part-time positions. The Dock will be open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, using local fresh produce, with a menu created by our very own executive chef Jamie Newman.
“We look forward to welcoming former regulars and new customers through the doors on 26th January.”
The bar will be showing all major sports events with full Sky, Amazon, BT, and Viaplay packages. It will also regularly have live music.
