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 opportunities for a photo opp. There is also a Big Brother-themed photo booth which was so much fun - especially when tipsy!
One of the occasions I visited was for their Taylor Swiftthemed 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 the price, I consider this to be a reasonable price! For the table of 3, we had around 7 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 as though 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 lacks 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 sweet! However, as a group, we all agreed that the drinks were extremely difficult due to drinking due to the usual taste. Despite being based on a sweet, they lacked serious flavour and did not resealable 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, however, the dire taste of the drinks just let it down.
Moving on from the drinks, the ball put in Ballie Ballerson is one of my favour places ever! The bottomless brunch included ball pit entry, however, if going in separately it ranges from £7-£10 depending on the day. Although it is more on the expensive side, I would say it is worth doing, even once! Its something about being drunk with tour 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, there could just be some improvements in the taste of the cocktails, and it would be perfect!