Bar 44 plans to open rooms above Cardiff restaurant

Restaurant group Bar 44 has confirmed plans to open nine boutique hotel rooms above its Asador 44 restaurant in Cardiff, as well as a guest lounge and roof terrace.

The group has submitted a planning application for ‘Parador 44’, named after the quirky Spanish hotels usually located in repurposed historic buildings.

“We are delighted to be in a position to be submitting a planning application for boutique hotel rooms above our Asador 44 restaurant in Cardiff,” said director Natalie Isaac.

“Cardiff is constantly innovating and growing as a capital city and hotel rooms are under huge demand during peak times. Our plan is to have nine en-suite rooms, a guest lounge and roof terrace above the restaurant, subject to planning permission being achieved.”

The group’s first restaurant was opened by brothers Tom and Owen Morgan in Cowbridge in 2002 and the group grew to three further outlets in Penarth, Cardiff and Bristol, all serving Spanish food and drink and specialising in tapas and sherry.

The original Bar 44 site in Cowbridge closed earlier this year when it came to the end of its lease. The Morgans decided not to renew the lease in the face of social distancing restrictions, although they expressed the hope to open another site in Cowbridge at a later date.

The 87-cover Asador 44 (pictured) opened in Cardiff in 2017, specialising in asador-style cooking, where meat, fish and vegetables are cooked over charcoal and wood-fired barbecues. The restaurant also has a ‘cheese cave', a walk-in wine room and dry-ageing meat cabinets.