AV8 Bistro & Restaurant in Cotswold

The service could of been much better. I was stood at the counter waiting while numerous staff came along and chatted to each other behind the counter and left again and must of been stood there for nearly 5 minutes waiting despite staff looking at me stood there.

You can spend a happy few hours here ..so much to see... Jumbo jet , Canberra , plus many many more aircraft to see like the occasional Spitfire , Vampire and Hawker Hunter quite a busy airport with a lovely atmospheric cafe to enjoy something to eat and drink.

Gluten-free and dairy-free options available. I had a BLT ciabatta with chips and a tea. I've seen them consulting with the kitchen to make sure I get what I ordered. Very friendly staff, they go the extra mile to serve the customer right. It's a nice environment, well priced. Also very busy place, for the above reasons. Will be back for sure.

Aviation spotters paradise. A cafe, with like bites and lunchs.

Always a great ride to Cotswold airport for breakfast.🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️

Come here lots as a family as it is in the middle of us. Staff are lovely and we love it here. One of my favourite cafes/restaurants ever! Kids can watch the planes and there is always a colouring table. Adults can have a nice breakfast or lunch and the food is great. LOVE!

As close as you can get to an active runway on a busy little country airport, the food and service is great, and the place is clean with a nice atmosphere

Great breakfast, was very busy so a little bit of a wait.

I’ve visited AV8 on a number of occasions, mainly with car meets . Unfortunately it’s no longer what it was over the last few years. We used to all park out the front and get good photos with the planes as a backdrop, you’d see new members arrive by recognising their car (model). Now you have to park at the rear as the front car park is a kids playground, they don’t open Sundays to the public, they won’t take advanced bookings and you’re not allowed to move tables to accommodate parties over 6 people together. (We often have 12 +) we’ve even been told off for using metal cutlery outside !! Sadly, We now just feel generally unwelcome, which is a shame as it used to be a great venue for meets. We’ve raised these issues but they dont seem interested unfortunately

Great place to go on a Saturday morning for coffee n cake with planes thrown in. Win win

Had a burger and a panini. Chips come as an extra. The panini was literally just a panini on a plate - surely a bit of salad and a few Crisps wouldn't go amiss. Lots of staff chatting but taming ages to clear tables. Could do better so easily

Food is medicore and rather expensive fir portion sizes, location is nice, often hard to get a table

Great food with some amazing seats from the 747 with a stunning view of the airfield

We enjoyed nice latte and americano with oat milk. Ambience was great.

Nice place but 1 hour wait for food not great

If you want to see old air frames this is the coffee for you ,the old RAF Kemble air Field gives you a unique look at the camp as a lovely backdrop to this coffee ,the food is excellent and the coffee and drinks are very good ,the staff are very friendly and welcoming ,l can highly recommend this ,

If your plane spotter and good food lover brilliant

Had a lovely meal there today staff very friendly would definitely go there again

Always a good time here. Good quality food and good selection.

Lovely location, great cafe. Had the full English- can recommend! Parking sectioned off for motorcycles. Will be back.

Wanted to visit the Cotswold Airport and this is the only place to eat Went in around 11:30 and was told I couldn’t order food due to lunch menu starting, asked if I could order something off the breakfast menu this was also a no In the end ordered two paninis, now for the hard part £15, came with no chips just the two Paninis !! They weren’t worth it, location is great but the price of the food is a complete rip off Top tip take your own food

Wanted to visit the Cotswold Airport and this is the only place to eat Went in around 11:30 and was told I couldn’t order food due to lunch menu starting, asked if I could order something off the breakfast menu this was also a no In the end ordered two paninis, now for the hard part £15, came with no chips just the two Paninis !! They weren’t worth it, location is great but the price of the food is a complete rip off Top tip take your own food

Brilliant place for aviation enthusiasts. Right in the middle of Kemble (Cotswold Airport) with coffee, food and snacks. Lots of fascinating stored airliners to be seen.

Great food and atmosphere. Kids loved watching the planes and helicopters

I have been visiting this establishment for over 19 years, and I have fond memories of the delicious Sunday roasts and the stunning views. However, I recently visited and was disappointed to see that the quality has declined. Av8 has a unique and beautiful location, but unfortunately, the food is overpriced and underwhelming, and the staff seem disinterested and unenthusiastic. Upon arrival, I noticed a significant amount of litter on the floor near the front of the restaurant. Within two minutes of arriving, a staff member lectured me about the potential danger of the litter near my foot (which I did not leave, I must emphasize) to aircraft. Whilst I get his concern, it did leave me feeling rather taken aback by the accusation. Maybe it was because I had children with me? Many reviews have mentioned the issue of takeout cups and bags. In this era of environmental consciousness, it would be commendable if the restaurant switched to plates for outdoor dining. This would not only reduce waste but also mitigate the risk to pilots. When we placed our order for food and beverages, the reactions were varied. The pizza was one of the finest I have ever had; it was absolutely flawless. However, the hot chocolate was served cold, which significantly dampened my spirits. The jacket potato appeared delicious, but the accompanying salad was unappealing and wilted. On the other hand, the children's picnic baskets were a resounding success and were thoroughly enjoyed by the children. In fact, they were possibly the best packed lunch-style meals I have encountered in a dining establishment in quite some time. Av8 is fortunate to be situated in its current location, as I doubt it would prosper without the presence of Negus and the visiting aircraft.

Great food, friendly staff and plenty of air craft activity to follow!!'

Nice place for a meal out, some stuck up people need some work on attitudes. The staff are friendly and food prices are good.

Ok so this is a very well kept secret, what a place, what a view, come have a cooked breaky in a beautiful aeronautical styled cafe. Watch the planes land and take off. See the departures board. Cafe is on the airport. Jets in the carpark, big birds! Not open Sundays and Mondays. Food; My poached eggs were hard not dippy but the flavour of the crushed avocado was lush, perfectly seasoned, so maybe an off day for the chef? Service: excellent 👌 👍 Loos: clean and modern 10/10 Gnat breakfast, Master maker says very warm, delicious toast, but he's had better, it's a little more pricy than places in town, but the view and setting is amazing. Leave yourself time to walk round the amazing boing 747 which is an attraction, you can go in when it's open. Also check out the little jet.

Friendly staff latte n cake very yummy!!!thankyou

Did not try the restaurant but it looked good

Well worth a visit. Very accessible.

Such an awesome place! I took my 5 year old daughter. We both loved it and are already planning our return trip 😊

Expensive but definitely not worth it. Sausage ciabatta roll underwhelming undercooked and served in a paperbag, coffee in a paper cup. Just something you would of expected from a road side catering van. Couldn't even say the atmosphere was nice. Confusing layout of where to order then join another queue to collect your drinks. Just not a pleasurable experience. 2 normal coffees 1sausage ciabatta roll 1 bacon ciabatta roll £18.00.

Friendly staff but... Used to be a nice spot, now a car park full of picnic tables. 4 Soggy jacket potato with bland fillings and 'salads' barely a pinch of leaves... average coffee and generally dull atmos even on a nice day has killed it for me. Had heard things had gone down hill and wanted to give benefit of the doubt but on visiting, sadly agree with the negative reviews. Won't be back.

Great location, but food was average and expensive, cheese burger £10.50 no chips, they cost extra, milkshake was out of a bottle and not cold.

The airfield and its coming and goings is a fab find. My grandson & son, who love aircraft, had a fab time. There is plenty of parking and it's all free. Fantastic! We only had drinks on the sun terrace, and they were good, but not so keen on the takeaway cups. Overall, it was a very good visit.

As someone with a hypersensitivity to certain foods, they went out of their way to accommodate us. Food and service very good and the restaurant overlooks the airfield. We had lunch watching the spitfire take off.

good choice of food at sensible prices with air conditioned or alfresco seating available with a live runway view

A lovely cafe by a historic airfield you may think. Don't be fooled. The minute that horrid Hilda realises that you are going to sit out side on the outdoor seating you will be treated like a McDonald's customer. Given your buzzer and told to help yourself to everything that is plastic, cardboard, hideous and undercooked. The only person that enjoyed the experience was Horrid Hilda who I guess was in charge. Even the seagulls and crows wouldn't eat it. Such a shame. It could be so good if only they replace Hilda.

Nice place good food staff friendly

Always stop here on the way to fairford . Quirky airline seating.

This is what you get for £11 if you sit on the lovely terrace outside. Undercooked bacon, overcooked egg, roadkill sausage, cold beans and HALF a Mushroom ! All served in a cardboard box. Absolutely dismal excuse for a breakfast washed down with watery tea @ £2.50. What a waste of a great location....

My gnat breakfast this morning had a hard egg, undercooked bacon & a mushroom so rubbery that the wooden knife you have to use when eating outside struggled to cut it. Sitting outside means you have to have your food in a takeaway box which is so flimsy the fluids for your breakfast soak through it & make a hole. Shameful for £11. Nice place to look at aircraft but avoid the breakfast

Brilliant place to stop off for some lunch. Watching the planes land and take off. Visited here after going on Negus. It's a regular detour on our way to Weymouth. Gorgeous food amd friendly staff.

Cool place if you like jets and stuff.

Above and beyond service : Had ordered 2 rounds of sandwiches ( excellent value meal deal) and they arrived promptly . Shortly after , I received some very difficult news ( telephone call) and , after staring at our sandwiches for a while we’re unable to face eating at that time . We asked if they could be boxed up for us to take home . The young lady was very kind and whisked the sandwiches away . Some while later , she returned with freshly made sandwiches packaged and sealed for freshness as the others had been left sitting around ( by us not them !) This was particularly kind and top level service. She also obligingly bagged up coffee grounds for my roses ! It was very busy but the staff were exceptional. Thank you !! There is so much more to say good stuff but I need to stop now !

Nice stop off for a snack or light lunch with the added bonus of watching the planes

As far as airport cafes go this one is exceptional great views and very clean with a good variety of drinks and food xx

Clean, happy staff, nice food. Worth a trip. Cool spitfire flying when i visited

Amazing place. Lots to see . Not your normal cafe

Unfortunately was on a reduced menu due to staff sickness, still a good choice and lovely food.

Good food and good service and great place to watch Spitfires from. Also very dog friendly👍

Avoid at all costs! We arrived for lunch, found a table with ease, looked through the menu & decided what everyone wanted. Here’s where it all went wrong! With only one till point, the wait to order was ridiculous, a young lady stood behind the counter was doing absolutely nothing but playing with her hair for 20 minutes, she then didn’t wash her hands, which is a massive EHO violation! If she’s stood there doing nothing, get her helping prep in the kitchen or doing something! After another 5 minutes, a waitress not even the manager, came out & informed several of us still waiting ti order, that the kitchen was not taking anymore food orders! This was not even 1pm How can you turn business & money away in these economic times? Absolutely crazy! When a couple of us asked if she was kidding, she very unprofessionally said no ! Don’t waste your time trying to dine here, you run the risk of not being served because they can’t cope ! I will be telling all my friends & online followers never to go there, it’s simply not worth it !

Great spot with good coffee and cakes. Fun to watch all the aircraft.

Nice to be able to sit in the sun 🌞

Great place to eat and while away the hours relaxing and watching the aeroplanes come and go, also you can go aboard a 747(tickets required)

First time we have been there. Lovely place we had breakfast. Service was excellent and very friendly, food was very good. Will definitely go again.

Aviation themed cafe, some seating was old plane seats and next to the skeleton of a cabin. We visited on a Saturday lunchtime and it was very busy, lots of outdoor seating but sadly the weather wasn’t kind enough to make this useable. Lovely to sit and watch the planes take off and land.

Nice atmosphere friendly staff.

Our first ever visit. Hidden gem. Amazing cafe. Lovely food. Fantastic plane related decor and great to watch the planes too. Real sun trap our door seating too

Nice place to visit to sit and plane watch food very good cake range could be better can get very busy

Great place to visit especially if you like your aviation! light aircraft coming and going, helicopter rides ( prebooked), Boeing 747 tour and experience, cafe for refreshments and toilets. Great for a day out with family and kids

Great cafe overlooking the runway at Cotswold Airport. Not an extensive menu, but good quality food and great value. Well worth a visit for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon coffee & watch the planes & helicopters coming in & out.

First time visit. Great place. Interesting watching and seeing aircraft from the balcony. Will definitely visit again.

Don't waste your effort – such a disapointment – it used to be good (have been regulars there for many years). Staff were brusque and rude – being busy is not an excuse for being rude to customers. We felt like we were not wanted, so we left as quickly as we could, never to return.

I booked AV8 for a group of 20 celebrating a birthday. It was the lunch stop on a 100 mile motorbike ride. Throughout the process of booking, selecting the buffet, liasing about numbers on the run up and, most importantly, ariving and dining; AV8 were superb. Everything was easy to organise and delivered exactly as expected to an excellent standard. Thank you.

Lovely cafe brilliant to watch pilots pop in for a coffee, big shame closed on Sunday and Monday , they miss a lot of trade !!!!!!

Website said it was open, drove up from Gloucester and the airport was shut. Annoying.

Great food, lots of seating, prompt service and planes (mostly small and one big jumbo) if that is your thing.

Very accessible, staff went above and beyond to make us welcome. Prices fair. Will definitely return.

This is a great place to visit by plane, or road vehicle. Friendly staff, lovely view of the aircraft landing. & parking. Shame the rather loud ‘background’ music & talk spoil the atmosphere. Hope this will change soon.

Great experience of having breakfast near runway and watching gliders taking off and landing

Visited with a friend for lunch been several times very good service lovely food cake and coffee to finish it was all first class

Great location. A warm welcome from the staff despite the venue being absolutely full. Good coffee and then a tasy burger enjoyed outside. A busy airfield with plenty to see and the BA 747 makes a spectacular backdrop. Thanks for the warm welcome.

A simple BLT ruined with cheap margarine spread and under cooked bacon. Chips were fine and cappuccino nice although small for the price paid. My advice if you can't afford real butter and decent mayonnaise is to get out of food service. If it had not been for the fact we were pressed for time I would have sent it back as it tasted foul.

Found Cotswold Airport by accident. Glad we stopped to admire the 747 and others here. AV8 very welcome stop for coffee and cake. Great atmosphere and packed. Nice place to sit out in summer.

We called in for a breakfast on our way to Cornwall we were disappointed as only sausage or bacon cobs available no full breakfasts available due to staff shortages the coffees were excellent though and the staff very friendly we will revisit on a day and spend some time overlooking the airfield to see a bit of flying activity

Great spot for a refreshment break whilst out in the Cotswolds near Cirencester. As the name suggests - aviate- , the theme is about aviation & the walls have numerous photo's. There are cakes & more substantial meals on offer with beverages hot & cold. The Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet is right outside the cafe & you can get up close to a piece of aviation history. You can tour the 747 but will need to book & purchase tickets. Friendly & helpful staff.

Superb for either a family outing or a business meeting, the setting is an aviators dream with friendly accommodating staff offering value for money tasty grub

I stopped in here for a coffee and a bacon roll. Both were delicious. The staff were friendly. It was quite busy probably because of mid term break. I liked it there and I'm planning another visit this week.

Great bikers cafe , great food and to be right by the run way is awesome.

Absolutely love AV8 watches, I had a delivery so can't review the store/ restaurant

Excellent service from the lovely ladies and they were so accommodating when I was trying to encourage my 3 year old picky grandson to eat his lunch. Beans and cheese on toast and the trainee pilot picnic box went down a treat. 👍

A brilliant lovely place where you can see planes taking off and landing and there are lots of aeronautical memorabilia. Lovely food. Good prices and dog friendly

Really nice Cafe at a great location. I can't figure out why they are closed on Sundays.

Very busy, food is poor and very expensive, cold chips, pity as it was really fun watching the planes take off

Great place to go for food or coffee. Watching the view

Highly recommend if you love open space under sunshine with air planes in front of you. A place shouldn’t be missed. Food is good in line with the price. Staff are friendly and polite.

Great place in the Cotswolds. The arrivals board and outside viewing adds to the experience. Great food and looking forward to a repeat very soon. Under 12's breaky with 747 toast is a must! Cheers Mick

Great cafe with fantastic atmosphere and lots of aviation memorabilia. Situated close to the active runway. Excellent food and very polite staff. Highly recommended.

What a fabulous little restaurant! A very, very pleasant surprise. I met up with an old chum of mine for lunch recently (loved the BA 744 parked outside, both of us being retired BA staff and avi anoraks!), and had a thoroughly lovely time. The place is an aviation fans delight with (as mentioned, the BA 747-400 outside) a plethora of highly interesting and historically important artefacts, smashing! You don't have to be an aviation fan to find and visit the AV8 restaurant, simply be an advocate of quality well priced hospitality. The food was spot on; great quality, plentiful and superbly derived. Attentive and engaging staff and all in wonderful surroundings. A brilliant find and highly recommended. Thank you all for making a couple of old farts very happy indeed!

Havent been to AV8 for years,wow what a change. Fantastic cafe/bar/restaurant. Very nice interior, staff excellent, as was the coffee and cake. Lovely setting and atmosphere, especially for someone who has been involved in aviation for 50 years. Great to see the Hunter and Gnat having flown in both.

An excellent friendly venue with good food, excellent service and caring staff. Plenty of parking, excellent interior and theme. Dog friendly great for lunch. looking forward to trying the breakfast

Always worth a visit when in the area. Excellent facility on a fascinating site (accessible off of the A433)

Good coffee. We killed an hour while granddaughter on Santa flight. Staff chatty and friendly. Minus 8 outside so very glad to be in. Menu looked good but only got as far as toast which was fine. Interesting pictures on wall.

Nice view but the cappaccino cups are far too small for price Nice views while sipping a cappuccino of a very busy airport The hot chocolate is a bit special it is rather nice

A very popular venue judging by the length of the queue and full tables. Even though busy a nice calm atmosphere.

What a cool place to have food and drinks. My girls love it, especially on a clear morning.. there are planes taking off every 20-30 minutes or so. The lemon drizzle cake is yummy.

Absolute pleasure to visit - great views of the Airfield and lovely selection of cake and coffee..... With very helpful staff.!

Lovely breakfast interesting place if you like aircraft