Never been so disappointed in my life...we used to live in this area, and this was our favorite…read morepub/restaurant to go to...in fact, it was the first place we had a meal after we got off the plane and drove to our house, which was in a nearby village. We had such great and happy memories of meals here. A while back my husband and I were in England on holiday, and we made a special trip to the area to go visit our old favorite spot. There were a lot of open tables, both in the pub and the restaurant...in fact, there was basically nobody in the restaurant. The young girl behind the bar told us that "all the tables were reserved", which was surprising, but we decided we would sit outside and have a drink at least. Imagine our surprise, when an hour later, we were ready to go find a dinner spot, and popped in to drop off our glasses, and every table was still empty. In other words, we had plenty of time to have a meal, and been out of there before any of the "reservations" arrived. Totally rude. So, I guess these days they are only welcoming and friendly to locals, or friends of the owner. Don't waste your time here.

I ate lunch here twice. I first had the wildboar sausages served with mashed potatoes and some…read morekind of apple gravy. Next, I had the truffled macaroni and cheese with a side of minted peas. I found everything to be delicious. I didn't sample any of their ales while I was there, though they had several on tap. I had two different ciders though, my favorite being named Lilly. I'm not from the area, so i don't know if Lilly is a common cider, but I didn't see it anywhere else while we were in the area. The staff at the old spotted cow were one of the best aspects. They were friendly and talkative, and we all joked about a couple of men ordering the light fruity Lilly. They were responsive and attentive and we felt very welcomed. The atmosphere is idyllic as well. The bar is on the outskirts of a small town with rolling green pastures, and small cows graze next to the pub. Both times we were there, we saw the patron of the bar (we believe) exercising his hounds. The pub itself has the familiar feeling of established "oldness" very common with pubs in the area, and is clearly a gathering place for locals. I find this charming, and if that is your thing as well, you could do much worse than the old spotted cow.

A great pub that I always try to have a pint in if we are visiting family in Swindon. Tucked behind…read morethe college on a steep hill this was my local and favourite pub for two years till I moved to London (a long time ago). Its small, its busy and the staff are friendly. Lots of regulars - you will get a welcome and not a stare. Live music. Managed to pop in for a swift pint this summer and nothing had changed - as friendly as ever. I think this pub and the Domebuster flumes in Swindon are the only two reasons to visit. Combined gives my idea of a perfect day.......

Small pub with very, very friendly people- most of which are regulars…read more Average beer/wine/spirit selection. Theres a corner for darts and a few places to sit but alot of people just hang out at the bar. 4stars for the quirky friendly people and the atmosphere they bring!

I LOVE WETHERSPOONS!…read more This is definitely the best Spoons in Swindon. It is much larger than the other location, plentiful seating, and seemed to be better staffed (at least during the several times I visited). Tables - not sticky Food and drink - arrived VERY quickly Ladies toilet - just to the left of the bar, not maze! Of course there is no shortage of Spoons charm - the mismatched chairs, the crazy carpet, the "regulars" :) Of all the Spoons I have visited, I'd rate The Savoy a solid 4.4..... being generous I'll round up to a 5.

Absolutely terrible! Men invading women's toilets repetitively. Gave me several accounts of food…read morepoisoning very rude staff. horrible atmosphere creates a terrible mood. Never leave your kids attended with the staff. The toilets are invaded. I'm not happy with the service provided they failed to provide my refund in full and they continue to lie. There is no sign about the toilets and how men are allowed into the women's. I am beyond furious with the service provided today and I will not be returning. Keep this review noted.

A proper pub in Swindon. On my second visit, Dave the landlord, shouted my name and welcomed me…read moreback. With a nod towards the real ales, he poured a proper pint and served it with an "Y'alright?". The Donkey is a perfect pub to meet your mates, make some new ones, or have a quite time next to the working fireplaces. There's dart and poker nights for those that play, and live music one night a week. Located just off of Wood St, the Donkey makes a brilliant stop before or after dining at Swindon's best. Can't recommend the Roaring Donkey enough for those who like pubs, proper ales, and great company.

I know why it is called the "roaring donkey" if anybody is interested. At least according to one of…read morethe elderly locals called Robin when I used to drink there in 1996. He said a donkey was tethered outside the pub always in the same place and when it was time for it to go home and be fed it would roar to make sure its owner knew. And when donkeys want to make a lot of noise they can and it is a bit like a roar. I have heard this. He said the pub is haunted as well and he has seen an old lady sat at the table by the window.

Visited from Canada... It was the best part of Swindon! I love (and miss) pubs like this. A must…read more Great atmosphere around people that care.

I do love to abuse Swindon for being an armpit of a town, but this place isn't so bad. It's a…read morelittle pub on the corner, with friendly staff which serves some really great ales. They've even got some helpful advice on the wall describing their offerings. Great in the warmer weather, as you can sit outside. And for me, who is used to London prices, this place is a steal. That being said, I tend to try and escape Swindon as quickly as possible when I finish work, so visits are relatively rare!

As visiting supporters (Walsall FC) we were welcomed. The pub was full of both sets of fans and the…read moresecurity had no problem with us singing a few songs. Prices were ok and the staff were nice enough considering they were rushed off their feet.

This a great lively pub It has great food, staff and shows football. we come here all the time!!read more

My first trip here was to have a drink and meet up with some of Mr. Snarky's colleagues from work…read more We sat outside and I have to say, if I were to suggest a place for drinks with my friends, it would be the Pig on the Hill. They have some wonderful posters on the wall as well and apparently you can commission one! Today I was exploring more of Swindon and happened to see that they now serve food all day! I took at a look at the menu outside and it looked really lovely, so I went in. I noticed there were no numbers on the tables, so I was a bit unsure as to how to proceed. So I went up to the bar and asked and they said they would be happy to come and take my order when I had settled. I chose a nice table in the corner, you could see the t.v. or out of the window. Although, I have to say I kept noticing that when cars drove by there was a sewer cover that was clanging about... a little bothersome, but I guess if there are more people in the pub, you wouldn't necessarily hear it. There were quite a few things that stood out to me on the menu... actually a lot of things stood out to me, but one thing that really took my fancy was the vegetarian burger option. Again, not a vegetarian and typically the idea of a black bean burger doesn't excite me like a juicy patty of meat, however, the idea of a mushroom, jalapeno, and pinto bean burger sounded intriguing. There is also a smaller menu, a lunch menu, that has a selection of sandwiches served with slaw and olives. So if you are in a hurry or need to get back to work, they have you covered. The waitress came over and apologized saying she had forgotten to come over and take my order, but to be honest, I don't think I was waiting that long. When the burger came out (I will be uploading a picture) it was massive. It was a bit different than what I expected and there were some things on the burger that I wasn't expecting. The mushroom was a large flat cap mushroom with a slice of Goat's Cheese, some time of spread that I can only describe as either hummus or ground pinto beans, grilled peppers, grilled zucchini, slices of tomato, and lettuce. This was all served on a wood board with slaw and fries. I did sit there for a minute trying to figure out how to start this burger. I know I have a big mouth, but even sometimes I get stumped with these massive sandwiches. Eventually I decided to use the steak knife holding it together to cut it in half. While the view of the dissected sandwich was stunning (the lettuce at the bottom was so carefully placed, not just tossed on as an afterthought), it may have been a mistake as the other half began to slide apart. The mushroom was nice and tender, Goat's Cheese was quite chewy and squeaky which made me wonder if it was a different type of cheese (because I am lactose challenged, I don't have an extensive knowledge about cheese). The problem with the sandwich was that everything inside was quite slippery and juicy so things were sliding and the bottom bun was disintegrating. I loved all of the vegetables that were in the sandwich, but would have liked a bit more seasoning. The spread on the top... not sure what it was, hummus or ground pinto beans, but a bit of spice in that would've taken the sandwich to a whole new level... maybe a bit of cumin, squeeze of lemon. I don't believe there was salsa or jalapenos on the sandwich as the menu had stated, which might have helped with the seasoning. I loved the slaw, it had a hint of horseradish for bite and there was some whole grain mustard in it as well for an added bit of tangy-ness. The fries were lovely and came with a homemade ketchup which was also quite lovely. The dessert selection looked lovely, but I was absolutely stuffed after the sandwich. I would love to come back and try out some of the other dishes and perhaps get some dessert as well! They have happy hour, they also have a deal on Tuesdays where those buying a bottle of wine can receive a cheese board for two... or you could buy a large glass of wine and get a small cheese sampler for one. Also, if it is your birthday and you book your birthday dinner, you get a three course dinner for free!

Great Lebanese food in the Royal Oak, now under new ownership. The place needs a few more people…read moreto give it a bit more atmosphere, which I think should be no problem as it is central and the staff are friendly. At the moment I would say this is an undiscovered gem.