Ballie Ballerson is one of the most recent unique venues to open in Cardiff and has been on everyone’s radar for planning a night out or a little cocktail date since it opened last September! With all the excitement surrounding the venue on social media, I had to go and see for myself if it was worth the hype. Here's what I thought…
After seeing so many vibrant posts all over social media, I had high hopes for the decoration of the venue and was not disappointed. As soon as you enter Ballie Ballerson, you are instantly immersed in a mosaic of vibrant colour and a somewhat nostalgic feel, as if walking into a child's dream birthday party. With neon lights and extravagant decorations all around, there are plenty of photo opportunities. There is also a Big Brother-themed photo booth, which was so much fun— especially when you're tipsy!
One of the occasions I visited for was their Taylor Swift-themed bottomless brunch events. For a two-hour brunch, we received unlimited pizzas (vegan options available!), unlimited pornstar martinis and prosecco, endless Taylor Swift music, and access to the ball pit, all for £34. However, prices do vary depending on what kind of ticket you purchase. For that value, I consider this to be a reasonable price! For the table of three, we had around seven pizzas and lost count of how many times we had our pornstars refilled. The staff were not stingy when it came to topping up our drinks and food, which I believe is usually the worst part of bottomless brunch, as you feel like you have to beg to order more drinks. Some of the workers were also dressed up as Taylor and Travis Kelce which was amusing to watch for the brunch. I would say the events at Ballie Ballerson are good value, such a fun time, and a unique experience.
However, the only thing I believe the venue falters in is the drinks. There is no denying that the cocktails are very aesthetically pleasing and worthy of an Instagram post, however, the taste is just something I could not look past. The cocktails are based on classic childhood sweats such as dip-dab, skittles, and rocket lollies, and even come with said sweets! However, as a group, we all agreed that the drinks were extremely difficult to drink due to their usual taste. Despite being based on a sweet, they lacked serious flavour and did not resemble the sweet at all. They were also extremely strong-tasting, which is usually not an issue, but even when completely drunk, we all struggled to force ourselves to drink the cocktails. This is so disappointing, as in every other way, the venue is an amazing addition to Cardiff and a memorable night out, with just the dire taste of the drinks letting it down.
Moving on from the drinks, the ball pit in Ballie Ballerson is one of my favourite places ever! The bottomless brunch included ball pit entry, however, if going in separately, it ranges from £7 to £10 depending on the day. Although it is more on the expensive side, I would say it is worth doing, even once! There is something about being drunk with your friends in a massive ball pit surrounded by lights and mirrors that is just one of the most entertaining experiences ever!
Overall, I do believe Ballie Ballerson is worth the hype. If there could just be some improvements in the taste of the cocktails, then it would be perfect!