The 15 best places to go out in Swindon

Looking around the different cafes and bars in Old Town, I popped in to have a coffee and to try a breakfast. Although not that inviting from the front, the member of staff was very helpful and friendly, the coffee arrived and shortly afterwards the breakfast. The 3rd piece of bacon was hiding as well as the black pudding so a big breakfast it definitely was, I struggled. It would be nice to have a choice of a smaller version. Will be definitely going back, so the stars given may change....

Came here for a light lunch. I ordered the club grilled sandwich, my husband had the steak sandwich. Mine was extremely dry—just a dry piece of chicken, one lettuce leaf, and barely any mayo. I went to ask for sauce and had to wait about 20 minutes while the staff struggled to take the order from the customer ahead of me. When the waitress finally turned to me, she was sarcastic and said she’d already asked my husband. I explained I wanted sauce myself, and to be fair, she brought it over quickly—within 2–3 minutes. The space is nice, but the food and service need real improvement. I wouldn’t recommend it.

We come here all the time, and we are always greeted with a smile and made to feel at home by the staff. Came in today and we were served by a new staff member. No friendly greeting we order a couple of cocktails (supposed to be sex on the beach) and we got 2 drinks that were just thrown together in a shaker. Served without due care and attention. Having spent 30 yrs in the trade I just find this lack of due care and attention an issue. When asking for the drinks to be remade, i was told by the young lad that "i used to work in a really high end bar" which sort of didn't make him look that great- considering it is a pretty basic cocktail he definitely should have known how to make it. However it was remade to how it should be made. I would suggest more training. Not just on mixology but also customer service as well.

Nice bar but no ales. Good choice of food and generally good quality. Had 5 meals and all tasted good. Bacon undercooked on chargrilled chicken and tacos very tasty but a little small. Generally good overall. Would come again

Food came out quickly but the drinks took over half an hour as we ordered them on the app. Apparently staff don’t check the app regularly. Very disappointing as we only ordered two basic drinks. After going up to the bar twice, the manager helped us and was very nice.

AVOID, Poor service even when empty!!! We came here for breakfast hoping to try something new. We waited 1 hr for our food and our drinks arrived late, considering it wasn’t very busy and there wasn’t alot of people seated. We got handed different orders twice within the hour which they brought back to the kitchen. We had assumed it was the orders of the people that have walked out and left, as there had been a few customers asking for refunds at the till. My partner and I were exhausted and hungry as we were in the process of moving house. By the time our order arrived it was lukewarm and I received a meal that wasn’t what I ordered, at that point we gave up and ate what was delivered to us, as we didn’t want to wait any longer for the correct food to be delivered as we already waited an hour.

no 'beer' just about 20 largers and ciders and an IPA which isn't proper beer , so had to have Guinness, plus the fire alarm kept going off , at least 7/8 times in about 15 minutes, so we drank up and left. note to owners , get some beer on tap and you may get more customers as it was empty apart from us on Friday ?

We went to see the Swindon Youth Project production of Annie. Such a brilliant show!! However, the theatre was far too hot, no air conditioning and the doors were kept closed. It’s a great theatre and there isn’t a bad seat, it just needs some investment (or a completely new one if the council ever pull their finger out!!). The staff are friendly and the food and drink is extortionate!!

Small personal theatre, seats comfortable. Reasonable prices in bar. Plenty of parking, either a small car park out & multi storey just a few minutes away. Only issue was that it was so hot..take a small hand held fan.

The show was amazing (Annie) the theatre was far too hot. Everyone in the audience was struggling with the heat. Make sure you bring a fan. The staff were lovely.

A lovely compact and bijou theatre which has a wide & diverse range of entertainment. We saw The James Bond Concert Spectacular which was wonderful & actually narrated by an original Moneypenny, Caroline Bliss. The staff were lovely and very helpfully, which added to our wonderful evening.

A fantastic experience at the Wyvern Theatre! The staff were welcoming and helpful, the venue was clean and comfortable, and the atmosphere was lively without being overwhelming. The show was incredibly well-produced, with great sound and lighting that really added to the performance. It’s clear the team here cares deeply about providing a quality experience for all guests. Looking forward to my next visit!

Went to see Tap Factory at Wyvern recently. Car Parking is not easy as very limited spaces close to the Theatre. Nice cafe/bar area selling good drink options. Food options pretty limited. We had a great view of the stage from our seats in the Stalls. Sound quality was very good. Staff were helpful and friendly.

We went to watch the Wilks end of year dance show which was great. The theatre was absolutely boiling with no air conditioning or fans which let it down. It could be great if they sorted the problem.

Little pub just a minute or two off the M4 on Marlborough side. Serves food in the afternoon then again from 5pm until 9pm. Service was friendly they accepted us as a walk in with no reservations. Think it maybe better to book. Ham, egg and home made chips were tasty and of high quality. Lots of vegan or vegetarian options. The tomatoe salad and Burrata was so soft, creamy with a little balsamic vinegar dressing. Overall a cosy pub setting with helpful staff and food that's worth taking your time enjoying. Excellent indeed.

On our way to visit family in Hampshire we booked Sunday lunch, absolutely delicious. On our way back home to South Wales we decided to call in and have an early evening meal. Both occasions the food was delicious, staff were very friendly and attentive. Fish and chips were the best we’ve had for a long time. The atmosphere is very welcoming.

The food was absolutely delicious, the service was quick and lovely. Awesome place to stop in on a longer drive

Stopped here on route to Cornwall. It was busy but was found a table. I had an excellent gammon and cheese sandwich, partner had a smoked salmon and cream cheese one, atmosphere was lovely, warm and welcoming. The place was very clean. Highly recommend

Stopped there today on the off chance to get some food as Granddaughter was hungry. Place was very pleasant, staff went out of there way to accommodate my Granddaughter's food requirements which was served really quickly. Well priced and very good quality food and servings. Would definitely visit again.

Was driving back home on the M4 when I looked up pubs in the area, this pub was very close to junction 15 on the M4 The pub was very nice and had a nice atmosphere as we entered the pub, although it was busy the young lady found us a nice table inside as per our request. The food was fantastic, we had the beer battered fish and chips with the added curry sauce Which is delicious and very enjoyable And we had the steak and chips which which was also very nice. Great service by the team and although it was very busy on a sunny bank holiday, we really appreciate the effort the team to ensure we had a great experience. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos. But next time we are in the area, we will pop in.

Best roast in Swindon, each meat option has all the trimmings, I really could have licked my plate clean! The fact my daughter actually ate vegetables also says it all. All the staff were lovely and so attentive, especially towards my little one. Also a great range of free from options on the menu too, which allowed us to have meal out with confidence.

Delicious food and such a selection. The most gorgeous beer garden in the sun and plenty of parking. A nice spot that can get busy for events or weekends but lovely for with friends or family. Have been going here for a long time and continues to impress us all.

Stayed here on Sunday 7th September. Becky looked after us really well!lovely warm welcome. We stayed in room 9,spotlessly clean. Breakfast great!! Lovely time,thank you all at Sun Inn,if you are in the area we recommend you visit/stay!!

Casual Sunday drink. Could barely sit in the garden for the wasps. We persevered and had a couple, but sad to see the place so quiet. Why not use the BBQ, get a pizza oven? However, the bar staff were great and welcoming. It'll be a while before we come back.

Staff lovely. Error made with order but soon sorted by the manager I believe. She was very lovely and understanding of my child’s additional needs. Thank you for this :)

Stayed here for work travel on a Wednesday, no complaints from us, enjoyed the food & good pints, friendly staff, nice accommodation detached from the pub overlooking the beer garden, there is a balcony on the upper floor rooms. Nice atmosphere, big free car park. I would visit & stay again. Thank you

Excellent in every sense. Great staff, good value for money, hot, well cooked menu. Rooms comfortable, clean and well equipped. Would definitely recommend

To be honest, I didn't like the food. I thought it was horrible. The halloumi and onion rings were PURE soaked OIL. They were so crusty that I couldn't eat them. My chicken burger tasted like fish. The staff were very disorganized, they didn't write things down properly and then they got nervous. I don't recommend it for your birthday or celebration.

We live up the road from here and come here A LOT! Deffo go for something from the Himalayan menu - you won’t be disappointed! The food here is absolutely delicious, and always hits the spot!

Food was absolutely delicious, we did have to wait 50mins for starters when a table that sat down at the same time as us got mains before us.... Only like a quarter of an hour after we got our mains tho which wasn't as bad. The bathroom... I don't understand how you stain a toilet seat that yellow and the edges of the floor was filthy but at least the main parts were fine? But yh the food really was lovely so it does deserve a good rating and there was two large party's there

Given frozen pizza, charged £10 for something that looks like it cost £1 from Iceland, probably cheaper in a cash & carry. Context below. We arrived at 7/8pm on a Sunday evening, they told me at the bar kitchen was closing in less than 5 but still took the order. The pizza and onion rings genuinely looks like frozen food, I may as well just ate at home.

Wonderful pub and restaurant in Swindon, close to M4 J16 and minutes from town centre. Good local beers and a choice of good pub classics or super tasty Nepalise curries - the house specialities. There are momo's of course and a range of richly spiced curries, tandoor cooked dishes and Biryani.

Hidden gem in Swindon, large varied menu from Himalayan cuisine to standard pub grub. Really impressed with the quality of the food and staff are extremely friendly. Would highly recommend experiencing the Mongolian cuisine.

The staff here are always so friendly and welcoming and the Himalayan themed food is some of the best pub food I have ever tasted 😋 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Saturday curry night with the ladies. We had a selection of mains and they were all lush. Amazing tikka. Staff attentive, but not overpowering and later in the evening there was a lovely dj playing a selection of my kind of tunes and the odd karaoke. Highly recommend and will return 😋

Fancied a Sunday roast after a trip to Avebury. Rang on the off chance to see if they had space, they were very accommodating and squeezed us in with our little dog. The staff were very friendly, and the food was brilliant, we had sirloin beef roast, the portions were large and the beef was really tender. Will definitely be going again but will book next time as it was really busy and the restaurant was packed.

What an amazing pub. Food was fantastic! This is not the usual average pub and those images in google are not updated. The pub inside is lovely, the food is marvellous. Everything is fresh and homemade. Warm bread, ham, cheese, onion rings etc. were incredible. The service was attentive and we truly enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Prices are reasonable for the quality you get. Honestly a great place for all the occasions, family meals or business dinners. WELL DONE!

Did the pizza and pasta deal on Monday which is excellent value. No drinks menu which is not good. Drinks were a bit pricey but to be expected I suppose. Overall quite good.

Amazing place; Fantastic manager/owner and staff are friendly and helpful. Rooms are clean, tidy and comfortable. Food is out of this world, definitely worth trying.

A warm greeting from the staff, the young lady was very tentived, not pushy at all, the Thursday Carvery was just so nicely cooked packed with amazing flavours, we will definitely be going back!

Such a shame this pub is not easier to get to without driving as this would make a great regular drinking hole. Will definitely visit again though.

April-2025: Lovely roast lamb dinner on Sunday with my friend having the pork. Giant yorkies with lovely home cooked vegetables and delicious gravy. Back there Monday for pizza and pasta night for £2.50 a dish or pizza with each drink.. Then again, on Friday with my niece and her family. Then, yet again, the following Tuesday with my sister and my brother-in-law. Definitely giving them a lot of custom, but well worth it now that I moved closer. May-2024 Another great meal at The Fox and Hounds in Wroughton. I had the chorizo with prawns in a white wine sauce with crusty bread (as a main), then my friends had a Southern Fried Chicken Burger with chips and the other who doesn't eat meat had the small Fish and chips with peas. They do a small vegan menu but not a vegetarian/meat-free menu, which is a pity as my non-meat eating friend likes proper cheese in meals (whether feta, mozzarella or cheddar for example) and proper butter made puff or short crust pastry for vegetarian based pies not all the vegan substitues. So, we may not frequent it as regularly as limited choice for her, unfortunately. Thoroughly recommend.

Stopped in on the way through, just to have a well deserved treat after a hard day. When we got in we were just going for a chat and a drink, but having smelt the food coming from the kitchen, we could only but order our dinner, food was tasty , homely food. We rebooked for end of month treat.

Definitely will not be returning to this pub again. Visiting on a Saturday afternoon for some pub lunch with friends, the food extremely overpriced and small portions and tasted average at best! The staff are the biggest problem, all very young teenagers, very rude and unprofessional. As for the landlady i have never come across such a miserable rude woman ever. To run a pub you need to be upbeat and have people skills but this lady clearly does not. 100% would NOT recommend.

Always nice friendly staff. Lovely garden and good food 😁😁 shade if needed with a fair size under cover seating area. Dogs are welcome and they do the best cakes 🎂 😋

First time visitor to the Kingsdown and have to say I was really impressed. The food was great, drinks were great and service was great. The halloumi burger was outstanding, highly recommended. The steak pie was good too. Definitely would recommend and go again

Very welcoming pub with great range of drinks inc craft beers. Ramp to front entrance. Eatery at the rear in a bright conservatory. Car park on site with larger one across the road.

Went in for lunch here had a baguette great value for money. Great friendly staff. Would definitely go here again

Excellent, friendly service. Food was lovely, home cooked and great portion sizes. Will definitely be back

I left Kioki in Swindon about half an hour ago, and as a foreign settler, I have never felt more disrespected in what is supposed to be a multicultural country. Just after I walked out, one of the security guards made a blatantly racist comment to his colleagues, who all laughed like it was a joke. It was disgusting, humiliating, and completely unacceptable. For a venue that welcomes people from all backgrounds, you’d expect their staff, especially security, to behave with professionalism and respect. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. The venue itself was okay, but the behaviour of the security staff completely ruined the experience. Management seriously needs to take action and ensure there’s zero tolerance for racism or discriminatory behaviour. Shameful and disappointing. Avoid if you value basic human decency.

Drinks are excellent, staff is nice and really helpful without Jake this palce would go down as DM and AM is most people to talk with Respect to the security who saved the night

incredible club, really amazing atmosphere and definitely somewhere i’ll come back too, the staff are all super friendly, this is my second visit and i’m beyond impressed.

Brad was amazing !!! Great staff made me feel comfortable.

Amazing atmosphere and vibe. Feels safe and no intrusive or aggression anywhere.beautiful venue and excellent service from staff. Highly recommend

Saturday night disaster. Don't book a birthday celebration there. The staff are something else, they have a "I don't care " attitude towards paying customers and vip table customers. Let's not mention the bouncers and aggressive management. They never looked after us at the vip table. Don't book anything there if you want a good time. ..... don't want to talk about the toilets 🤮

Best drinks and lovely vibe

I am not from the area and tried to park in the pub carpark while dropping something off to my friend quickly and who I assume was the landlady threatened to pop my tires and shout abuse at me and my friend before we could even retaliate. After apologising and explaining how I didn’t realise it wasn’t public and wasn’t from the area I was shouted at even more and called a liar and told to move my car. I wouldn’t take my family here as she seems clearly a very aggressive person. If I could put no starts I would

Staff is rude , they don’t wash the beer glasses properly.They should learn the basics of hospitality.. poor and ignorant staff ( the bar tender especially) … the ambience is really dull , there are better options nearby ( like weatherspoon) .., no wonder why the pub is always empty . ( Google should give the option to give -1 rating )

Unfortunately not as great place as I hoped for. Together with my friends we were made feel really uncomfortable when we have decided not to take part in Wednesday quiz night. Landlords suggested that if we are not staying for quiz, they need our table ASAP. Very awkward!!! We were in the middle of having drinks and full on conversation and fun. It's a shame. Very rude, uncomfortable moment. Fair to say, we won't be back.

Friendly community pub with a decent range of Arkells beers. Update. The Clifton is a welcoming, friendly pub full of charming regulars and not so regulars. It is a great place to watch sport and relax. Full of dogs and kids it has a great community atmosphere and should be celebrated for that fact.

Came in at about 8pm on Saturday. It was quiet apart from a few people who were singing happily to the music. I noticed a really good selection of spirits, in particular gin from where I was sat at the bar. The place had a clean and fresh feel to it as if it had recently been re-furbished. The bar was set up with lots of seating.

Lovely pub, have lived on Clifton Street for 24 years and I spent a long time having never been into it under old management. Since it's been refurbished and under new management it's now so bright and vibrant. Staff are so friendly a really lovely place for a drink and dogs are welcome in the pub and outside!

I haven't been to the Clifton in many years and was pleasantly surprised to see they have (recently?) Had a refit and it looks lovely inside and out. Drinks seemed reasonably priced and with a good selection including local brews. Only grip was that it was a difficult to get a seat but is just due to the size of the pub. Would recommend a visit.

Very pleased about how quickly the agency reacted then I was looking for job. After 3 months was contacted directly by company. Wanna say thanks to Olga and all team what gave me supported what I needed in time. Received payment always in time once in week with details of hours what I have done. Definitely would recommend CONTACTCORP.

It was a nice experience to collaborate with ContactCORP. Olga from the agency in Swindon was very kind and available for any situation or concerns I had. I warmly recommend, I recently switched to a permanent contract at work, but I really appreciated the possibility given by the agency to have an appreciated job. Thank you!

What can I say! I have had the best experience with ‘contactcorp’. Communication is amazing and was with me in every step of the way during my interview process! Saw the job advert and within the week I had a offer! Absolutely amazing couldn’t recommend more! I dealt with Karen Davison, who is brilliant and such a lovely person who is invested in your journey! Again I couldn’t recommend enough how amazing this place is!!!!!

Would like to say a massive thank you to Lisa Power and Lisa Boughen in helping me to secure a job at Mercedes-Benz, Swindon The help and guidance during the interview process was amazing, pointed in the right direction to research the company to help me during the interview process. T

Really good experience any problems were felt with promptly and professionally I would recommend the agency to anyone and as they were the first agency I’ve ever been woth it was a lovely experience 5 stars all day long and my favourite person the miss olga lovely lady always had time to talk or any problems I had she would deal with in a timely manor 😊😊

Karen and her team where fantastic, instead of interviewing lots of people they whittled it down to a few and we got the person we were looking for. Can't talk highly enough and will defo use again.

Very good agency, got a permanent contract through them and never had a problem. Only good things to say. 5 stars 👌

Waste of time. After many years reporting an individual in care of a 4 year old who is unfit the system has yet once again failed. No call backs as promised and no action taken. This child will suffer due to social services negligence. I will escalate my complaint

They don't listen and they don't help. The reports are never accurate, it's like they hear only what they want to hear, not what you've said. If you have evidence and send it to them, they magically seem to lose it and leave it out of chronological reports if it negates what they think and supports what you've said. Any time I've had to deal with Swindon SS, it's a test for patience. Pointer for anyone who is in a situation of having to deal with these people - speak slowly and ask to check their notes, I guarantee it won't be what you've said. You'll see it in the report, it'll be full of contradictions.

Useless service, they're not actually helping instead they make so much worse for everyone!

Advise you to take legal action as your childs situation is terrible and there has been a report off abuse to the school from the child, then proforms a section 7 with a different social worker that clealy has no children themselves, there meant to improve childrens lives not ruin them.

sent an email to request my own files from my time in care never even got a reply

Very unprofessional and rude, do assessments find nothing untoward but run with there own narrative, due process isnt taken, people that should be invloved in meetings dont attend, they tell you outcomes are voluntary but then when you refuse early help,beacuse you can access these services at anytime and have already done so, they penalise you and they try to escalate a case that has to be closed or you volunteer for it to stay open, basically if the social worker has a opinion about you, it doesnt matter its there way or no way, they go off opinion not fact or proof ,stand your ground dont be pressured into doing something when they didnt do the job in the first place, record any and all interaction with these people, its a one track narative and if one doesnt work they will try another and another, for example... you have no family near you ( choice we made to protect our children) you must take a support worker, then it was oh you have 5 children ( i didnt know that was a crime, and i didnt know if you had five kids that meant automatic social services involvment) you must take a support worker,then the narative was well your child has adhd and his behaviour isnt under control ( yes that is because he had a seizure and cant have the correct dosage of medication staright away due to the fact the tablets could trigger another one, so its a slow process) my advice to anyone that has this service visiting document everything and get a solicitor as soon as possible

Waste of time. Being told in a round about way that the mother has more rights is a joke. They check nothing And refuse to divulge any information regardless of a legal parental right. Seems as though it’s just an over payed office job. Don’t waste your time with these.

Superb motor car and bike and memorabilia museum