Mackenzies Swindon in Swindon

Lovely Staff, polite and very welcoming. Food is nicely prepared. The venue is clean and well presented and our networking event for Buzz was warm welcomed everything.

Brilliant coffee here, dog friendly too but the new cake!!! The Rocky Road was the best ever and the lemon drizzle fresh and tangy. I’ve put an order in for more types of home made cake - just the USP to make it the favourite in Old Town.

We have been to Mackenzies on and off over the last 30 years or more and seen a slow decline. It used to be a more 'classy' venue, but the very loud music and all the doors open in the evening mean this is no longer the case. We just came for a drink this time - had expresso martinis and somehow they didn't taste creamy as they should. I also think the kahlua mentioned in the description was either missing or we had a short measure as we couldnt taste it.

We’ve eaten at Mackenzies on 4 occasions recently. The first 2 visits were great, the third wasn’t bad, but today’s visit was very disappointing. The quesadillas had hardly any filling, just tiny cubes of dry chicken. Where were the onions, peppers etc? For the prices charged, we expect much better.

Very nice breakfast (full "Englisg"). I am coeliac and they were very accommodating. Lots of food! Nice service, very helpful. 😊 Thanks.

Very poor service on a bank holiday. One member of staff, felt sorry for him! Owners should step up and provide decent customer service

Really poor breakfast service on Mother’s Day. We waited a long time for the food to come out, and some of our groups food didn’t turn up until 30 minutes after the first one. No appologies for the delays even when I followed up. The food quality wasn’t very good, over cooked eggs for almost everyone but we waited too long and were too hungry to send them back.

Saturday breakfast - beautifully cooked full english and smashed avocado and eggs. Great food, fantastic and friendly staff and service.

Popped in for the first time in years with family early on Saturday evening. We all commented that it felt a bit chilly. We ordered drinks and sat down and started chatting. We soon stopped chatting because the music was turned up so loud we couldn’t hear each other, so we moved tables as a speaker was right above us. Both tables we sat at were dirty and sticky, and moving didn’t make much difference so we finished our drinks and left. Not many people were in the place and I wonder why, because other very nearby establishments were very busy. I would not recommend this bar or be visiting again.

Lovely atmosphere in MacKenzies this morning, relaxed, clean, lovely staff, the guy with the big hair did a great job, food smelled amazing, one of your favourite places for a little break on the weekend, thanks guys

Like everywhere, prices are on the up. I’ve been visiting Mackenzies for many years when I’m staying in Swindon, but considering the competition on their doorstep, I felt their prices are now on the high side. I drink Bacardi and coke, and for a price difference of nearly £2 for a large one, compared with a bar close by is slightly excessive. I’ll still keep popping in, as the atmosphere is spot on.

Called in for the first time as (the cafe opposite was closed ) .We had 2 large breakfasts £9.95 each and tea for 2 .£4. Had to wait quite a time even though is was very quiet. Most of the food was only warm, did not like sausages (thick skins and not nice ) toast was cold and very dry .The tea came (nice and hot ) but only had brown sugar as used for coffee ,no sweetners either.Over all will not be returning ,read other reviews of this place and was of the same thinking sticky tables etc .

Passing through Swindon we popped in for breakfast. The place was almost empty so you would think a decent cooked breakfast would be easy? Not so, luke warm dried out food that had clearly been cooked a couple of hours early. Come on guys if you want to charge £10 for a cooked breakfast it can't be one you cooked earlier. Disappointing and best avoided.

Chose Mackenzies for a work bottomless brunch. They did a fantastic job of keeping a very thirsty 20 people suitably topped up with drinks and the bar staff were attentive and super helpful. The food flowed and overall was a great experience. Highly recommend 👌

Overall excellent experience, customer service provided by Jonny was brilliant, he went above and beyond for the duration of our bottomless brunch!

Something stinks in Wood Street.... Mackenzies has all the ingredients for a great bar except for one, the smell. We've noticed a very obnoxious odour throughout the whole establishment for some time, something like stagnant water combined with chemicals. Even with the doors and windows open it's pretty overpowering to the point of being a complete downer on the atmosphere. No way could we order food, and all the empty tables would suggest others agree.

Food was good and arrived very quickly. The portions were generous. Prices were reasonable for the type of establishment. Atmosphere was nice, although we had to sit outside as most indoor tables were pre-booked. Staff was friendly. Overall the experience was positive.

Good bar in Swindon - plenty of drinks options but fairly expensive considering it's Swindon. Staff are pretty good and the garden (whilst needing some new furniture) is a nice place to be when it's warm.

My husband booked supper and an evening to sera local comedian. It was meant to be a treat but we turned up to be told that our table was cancelled because they had a large party. No one let us know and we aren’t local to Swindon. Also my husband is coeliac so can’t just go anywhere. Luckily the Jewel in the Crown fitted us in or we’d have gone to bed hungry.

I visit this bar regularly as one of my favourite places, staff are always lovely and friendly and atmosphere is great, however on this occasion the bar was extremely cold I had to sit with my coat on for the duration I spent there as temperature was barely 16c inside, it was already a pretty cold and miserable evening therefore I expected to be able to feel warm and cosy inside the bar but this just wasn't the case, other people were also sat wearing their coats, I understand energy prices have risen but a social place needs to feel warm and inviting not cold that you feel you want to leave and go home again

went for the office Christmas party - we were put on a table that seemed like it was in a corridor. It was so cold no one took their coat off, when asked the staff to put the heating on we were told there isn't any heating. All we wanted to is eat as fast as possible and get out. The temp was only 16C when we left, it was warmer outside where there were heaters.

A friend booked a table for lunch for 7 of us for 1pm. We arrived to be told that there would be no food available until 2.30pm they did give us complimentary pitchers of cocktails. The whole building was absolutely freezing we had to sit with coats scarves and gloves on. Food eventually arrived nice burger but the chips were almost cold and over cooked. If we weren't so cold and hungry we would have left. Given the prices they charge they could have at least put the heating on. If you visit in winter time take some blankets and a hot water bottle Double check the prices too as you have to pay extra for some foods.

We come here all the time and love it. Staff are SO friendly!! Especially T, who was very patient with me when I dropped all my money on the floor - thank you T and the whole team ☺️

The food was terrible, frozen bland burger without any taste, horrible soggy fries , tapas was from the shop not homemade, dirty glasses , dirty sticky tables . Awful experience and waste of money.

I actually thought the food was ok, over priced but i guess they have huge over heads. What puts me off the most is the toilets which smell as though there are dead fish behind the walls the stench of urine is so bad it makes you want to reach with sickness. A few diffusers and basin tablets might help. Maybe an open window etc. This place is going to take a spiralling dive if someone doesnt step in and give it a make over and teach the staff to smile occasionally.

Called in for lunch with family and friends the place was empty but was told the wait for food would be 30/40 minutes we waited just over the hour for half the meals to come which were all eaten before the next 5 arrived of...

Came in with a friend for lunch, meal was lovely. Josh checked in on us to ensure all was okay and made some lovely mocktails. Will definitely return, thank you.

Food is utterly terrible. Think along the lines of spoons standards but much worse. We ordered 2 burgers. “Sorry we’ve run out of the beef burgers”.. no problem we’ll have chicken. Ordered and paid. “Sorry we’ve run out of burger buns, would you like it...

We drink here quite often and love the place but after stopping for breakfast, I had mixed feelings about our favourite drinking place. Large breakfast was good as were my wife’s eggs Benedict but the place looked dirty and tatty. I went to the gents...

Where do I start… breakfast arrived over 50 mins after order (restaurant practically empty) cardboard found in one meal, hard unrecognisable lump found in another, bacon came instead of sausage, we had to order more tea because we were waiting for so long… and then...

We were told on the day of the booking that our party all had to decide on either prosecco or cock...tails. we spoke to the manager on duty and due to a fructose Intolerance in one of our party she allowed 1 person to have...

Me and my two sons popped in for just burgers and drinks , not busy but we had to wait 1hr 5 mins for 3 burgers and then when it arrived , dry burnt burgers, brown salad and burnt chips . One positive was the...

Website and Google says this place opens at 9am on a Sunday. Turned up at the place wanting a beer at 0910hrs only to find that it doesn't open till 1030hrs. Pony.

The bar looks great from the outside and inside with a modern approach to giving customers a chilled and relaxed environment. However, as you enter, you feel there is something missing, the ambience just isnt right. When we visited it was a pretty quiet afternoon...

Mackenzies certainly blows hot and cold, hence their average rating of 3.5. However on my latest visit, the barmaid was exemplary with the way she made my B&C. A balloon glass, overflowing with ice, a slice and a squeeze of lemon, a generous double measure...

We booked for breakfast for 10.30 on Sunday On arriving we were told to find a seat and then had no other contact with staff. We couldn’t use the app to order- it didn’t list breakfast and we wanted to swop poached for scrambled. There...

have been here several times nwt and the food is consistently burnt ... not just a bit over cooked, burnt, charcoal! staff always friendly but they need to get someone in the kitchen that firstly knows how to cook and secondly only sends food out...

Enjoyed a late night drink here. Nice places for groups or people looking for a little dance. Good outdoor area out the back.

Mackenzies is in a street of interesting businesses in a nice part of Swindon called Swindon Old Town, which is a mile or two away from the dismal modern town centre of Swindon. I had the Big Breakfast there, which was awesome. 2 nice fried...

I visited here with a group of friends, i was served by a wonderful barman called Ben who provided excellent service

From the grubby interior and filthy toilets to the rude staff and intimidating (mostly very drunk) clientele, it is possibly the worst pub I’ve been in in a long time. We only went in for drinks but would never return, dreadful. If there was a...

I had my daughters baby shower here yesterday and had amazing service from staff and management. The manger even reserved the upstairs area and outside area for me because of the British weather being so unpredictable! I would definitely recommend this venue. Thank you 😊

Whole thing was a bit of a shambles to be honest. We waited ages for food, then it came burnt and cold? Actually felt for the staff a bit as everyone was complaining about the wait, with many people sending food back. Not sure what...

They even got a ramp for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, this is why I went in.. All day breakfast a bonus :) Sensible seating distances. Fish and chips. Very nice batter and good quality fish. Mackenzie special burger is very good. Person I went went...

My friend & I went here for a late lunch about 2.00pm & was greeted by friendly staff. We had shared one of my favourite choice of meal at restaurants which was the Mexican chicken fajitas but it was incredibly disappointing. There was a reasonably...

Not able to book a table but at 4 pm easy to get a table and young male waiter could not be more friendly and helpful.

This is the first time I’ve been to this bar and was greeted by a friendly bouncer followed by a very grumpy and rude manager. He told us to wait across the street even though we had a table booked and his attitude was awful....

Excellent breakfast and coffee. Only complaint is that the portion was larger than I could eat! Good friendly service and nice surroundings to go with the good food.

Worst experience eating out in my life. We waited an hour and a half for food after ordering it, no communication or indication as to why or that it would take long; we have to ask at the hour mark to be told it would...

I booked a reservation for 8:30pm at Mackenzies for Wednesday to benefit from the eat out to help out scheme. I made sure to book as restaurants are really busy at the moment. When we got there the waitress told us that they wouldn’t be...

Overall a good experience as usual, only the potatoes were not as good as usual but the meat and drinks were excellent, friendly staff do recommend!

Staff great however the food is of very poor quality, Guacamole isn’t brown!! I’m sure that was off. The complete food was disgusting. Staff however we’re amazing.

One of the managers told us to “sit the f**k down” because we stood up for approximately 1 minute. After this, refused to serve us as we were “too drunk” however we hadn’t acc had any drinks from here yet. Rude staff, would never return.

I called in for pre dinner drinks one Tuesday evening. I had to wait over five minutes for a barman to come to the bar. It wasn’t his fault as he had to do everything, not only the drinks, but serve the food as well....

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for hosting my husband’s 30th Birthday party. The upstairs function room is perfect, I love that you get that whole space to yourself, including easy access to the toilets. Having your own private bar is awesome, it...

Called in on New Years Day and arrived just about 12 noon. Only 2 members of staff at work - both of whom looked like they would rather be elsewhere. Ordered 2 coffees and 2 scruffy beans on toast for a midday snack. At the time we arrived there was no one else in the place but it soon filled up within minutes. Coffees took ages to arrive as people had arrived just after we had and the girl made all the coffees together and delivered them all on 1 tray. Sadly ours was so cold when it arrived as it had clearly been made first we had to drink it straight down. The food took 1/2 hr to arrive and while it seemed ok at first it turned out the bacon was stone cold and was only warmed by the beans that had been put on top. The “toast” was just bread and had clearly never seen a toaster. As we have visited many times before this was a real disappointment - absolutely no point in complaining though as the 2 girls working clearly couldn’t care less! A shame but we won’t be returning.

We had our Christmas party at Mackenzies on the 21st December 2019 and I just wanted to say how great the service and food was. The staff were really friendly and helpful and the function room was very nice. The little touches such as place names made it really special. I would most certainly recommend Mackenzies to anyone looking for a reasonably priced venue for any kind of party, and would certainly go back again next year.

Popped in at 10.45, was told they were closed, shuts at 12 on a Thursday, bit miffed! Am I wrong, or is it ok to make it up as you go along, customer service non existent!

Visited with a group of friends for coffee and light lunch. All 3 of us given filthy teaspoons. I took them back to the bar and asked for clean ones, wasn't offered an apology, staff member instead took them off me and said she would "rinse them off" but I asked again for clean ones.Food was OK, quite expensive for what it was. Chicken wings had no flavour and the Patatas bravas was undercooked potato's in a tomato pasta sauce. Also served on filthy plates.Staff seemed more preoccupied with chatting behind the bar with one couple displaying a lot of physical affection towards each other which was kind of super awkward.Wouldn't visit again and wouldn't recommend :(

We had an excellent works leaving party in the upstairs room at Mackenzies.Great Buffet, helpful bar staff and good choice of drinks.Recommended for anyone thinking about a works or family party or occasion.Thanks Mackenzies ( esp Liam and Joe )

I would not recommend anybody to visit this place. They refuse to serve youngesters under the age of 18 not even coke, or coffee. Their excuse is that they are not allowed to serve anybody under the age of 18 after 7.00pm each day. Pathetic, sack the bar staff and management. We will all use Fezz Bar from now on it's convienient and opposite this bar.

Pleasantly surprised by the lovely brunch here. Friendly staff and great food.Been here for a few drinks with friends too. Great atmosphere and definitely a good place to call in while out.

What an amazing place to hold our works do. We had a private area at the back roped off for us to use, along with a lovely bar tender. The food looked great although I wasn’t eating that night, everyone that was eating enjoyed it. The place was very busy and still we were all able to get served because of our very own bar tender. The cocktails flowed and we all had an amazing time. I totally understand why we couldn’t have loud music out there but that made it better we were able to chat without shouting over the music. A fabulous night thank you Mackenzies and Sophia for organising.

I absolutely love this place but sadly on this occasion I was disgusted by the ladies toilets every toilet I tried to use the seats were all broken one cubicle also had excrement around the seat toilets were very dirty and unhygenic. I feel it's about time the owner sorted out the issue and spent some money on fixing and making usable really wasn't nice at all. Staff work very hard and can't address this issue too

Lovely, refreshing and reasonably priced cocktails especially enjoyable when drinking them outside on comfortable seating, on a hot summers day. The service was great and the management were very attentive. Will definitely be going back for more!

Sadly, I write a rare negative review. We visited on Saturday evening for drinks. A good atmosphere again but unfortunately, they seem to employ inexperienced bar staff. When you choose from a specific 'gin menu' you expect to receive a decent gin, not a good gin served in a wine glass with just one cube of ice and the wrong tonic! It's a shame really, they would never serve wine in a straight half pint tumbler.... Or so I hope!

We popped into Mackenzies for a quick drink & saw some customers eating some really good looking sandwiches, this prompted us to order some food. We were both expecting normal pub food & we were really pleasantly surprised. The food was restaurant quality, plus the portions were large. I had King Prawn fajita's, there were loads of prawns, warm tortilla's & a selection of cheese, sauces & fresh salad. My partner had the forest burger with sweet potato fries, which was also great. Both meals were delicious & all of the food was such good quality, well worth the money. After dismissing this as just another normal wine bar, we will definitely be back for another high quality meal.

We ordered tapas 5 items for £18

Having experienced a great party here for my mates 60th ( see previous review) we decided to chose Mackenzies for ours and what a great choice it was, from the ease of booking via Joe and management and organisation of our party with both Rhianne and Joe, to the excellent service behind the bar during the evening of our party by Emma, the whole experience was stress freee and excellent.

I popped in for a coffee, but quite liked the look of the veggie breakfast.

We went to Mackenzie's ( Swindon) for a team ( 18 of us ) lunch last week, and we just couldn't fault them really. The food tasted so good/fresh/warm and we all enjoyed our meal without any issues, the service was fairly quick so would highly recommend this place. Thanks again Liam.

Doubting cleanliness and stock rotation in Bar .... not good to find MOULD in your drink 😡 especially when it’s hiding behind the ice and you’ve drunk majority before you notice 🤮

Popped into Mackenzies for brunch on a sunny Thursday morning. The place was fairly quiet with only a handful of customers. We asked if we could sit outside as it was such a lovely day, the bartender said of course, so we ordered food and drinks at the bar and went outside to the garden to find that it was undergoing a bit of a makeover, so we sat just outside the doors as the dust from the workmen sawing wood was not great to be near. Shame the bartender didn't mention it prior to us ordering... However, the service was fairly quick and the food was nice. Little pricey for offering, but quality was good. A relaxed environment and garden will be lovely once work is completed.

Went with a group of friends for Sunday brunch and all ordered breakfast items and drinks. One member of our group was a very sensitive coeliac and despite the online menus claiming they did GF food, the server and kitchen was unable to provide GF options, and so was stuck with a plate of 3 various side orders of mushrooms, two fried eggs and two rashers of bacon. The rest of the food was mediocre at best, with a bacon sandwich consisting of one over done and rubbery rasher of bacon, and the eggs on the other breakfasts also being massively over cooked.

Went to Mackenzies to finish off a lovely girls’ weekend in Swindon as we’d seen they have a gluten free menu online. My sister is a highly sensitive coeliac so this was vital for us. On arrival we asked about the gluten free menu and were immediately informed that it was incorrect - at this point we should have seen sense and left for another establishment!!

With so many places now to visit for coffee I enjoyed my experience at McKenzies. Good coffee and very pleasant and friendly staff. Was served by Jonny who could not have been more helpful

Went here for lunch today and had a toasted bacon Brie and cranberry sauce sandwich, was very nice and tasty, good price but table was a bit sticky.

Saturday lunch, warm toasted sandwich.

Have been for lunch twice in the last month. The first time was very quiet, service was very good and the food good, well cooked and tasty, but not particularly outstanding. Nevertheless, a very pleasant venue for a nice meal with very friendly and attentive staff. The second time was extremely busy with two large parties lunching at the same time. They coped very well and the waiting time for the food was not as long as we expected. Also a good standard was maintained.

Went with friends for drinks in the evening, place was packed and we saw there was a sign saying “more seating upstairs” so we went up and sat to have a drink, we did wonder why there was no one upstairs but a member of staff came out and very rudely told us it was quite clearly shut off upstairs, there was no sign saying it was shut and the stairway was lit up and no barrier saying we couldn’t be there, we said this to the staff member but he insisted it was “quite clearly shut guys”, we went back downstairs. Quite rude

This bar should be renamed “The Postman” as it ALWAYS delivers a great night! Pleasant and friendly staff right from the bar staff to the legends on the front door. Keep doing what you’re doing guys as it’s working!

Cannot recommend this venue enough! We had a booking of over 35 people for our Xmas party that the team at Mackenzie's did a fantastic job that far exceeded our expectations. The food was delicious! Was also very impressed that the food was all brought out quickly, with no delays, which must be some feat considering the size of the booking. The team made us feel very welcome there and kept me informed throughout the night of when our area was ready, when food would be served and were receptive to any requests we had. The ambience in the bar was really laid back and comfortable. Cannot recommend Mackenzie's enough.

MacKenzie’s is one of the bars on Wood Street in Old Town, Swindon that you visit on a Saturday night. It’s somewhere we should have avoided tonight. Just inside the bar there were a group of men who were enjoying more than drink and were thinking it was fine to intimidate others enjoying their night. Sadly the security staff did nothing about it despite us bringing it to their attention. Very disaapponted by the lack of action.

Called in for a drink at the end of our night, I usually love mackenzies but the staff were rude especially the young guy who said he was the manager. I was twice given gin and lemonade instead of tonic, no ice and served in a warm glass. Come on Mackenzies we expect more from such a long established popular bar.

We attended my mates 60th birthday party in the room upstairs which was reserved for the private party. Atmosphere was good , not too loud so people could still talk, one guy on the bar but he was excellent and kept us all watered without waiting, hot buffet food was very good IMO as it’s hard to cater for a large group with differing taste , great night and would recommend as a venue for a private party

Met friends for brunch. It was very quiet in there, which was good. However, that makes the slightly poor service and attention to detail less explicable. People were having to order and request again because the ordered items didn't arrive. Crispy bacon was floppy (even when requested to be crispy and described as such on the menu), cups weren't terribly clean, the only sugar available for my pot of tea (luke warm water) was demerara; so overall it was OK, but I don't think I would rush back.

we went for lunch which is a great place for lunch not too loud so you can have a conversation the food is really nice sandwiches and platters are good

Normally come here to meet friends at the start of a night but every time recently I wonder why we decided to. The queues are outrageously long, staff are miserable. A member of staff gave me a double peach snaps and coke? I'm not sure who even orders that. Had to queue back up and after 20 minutes got told it had been to long so couldn't exchange it for what I had actually ordered. Not somewhere to come for a quick drink at all.

Had a lunch time meeting here. Very good choice on menu, variety of coffees, teas, beers etc. In good location in the Old Town.

Avoid at all costs, dirty plates, dirty glasses and when telling the staff they come with : I can assure you this , I can assure you that.... when I am showing them both of our plates and glasses were disgustingly dirty. Wasn’t even offered a refund hence the review!!!! Will never come back! And will make sure I tell everybody about it....

Popped in here for lunch and was very impressed with the steak sandwich which tasted fresh and arrived in a timely manner. Staff were friendly and accommodating. Would recommend.

We have visited a few times just for a drink and always seen food being served and thinking that looks nice, so we tried the steak, it’s wasn’t bad, for what you pay it was a pretty good meal.

After visiting on Monday for food and leaving very unhappy with the food I messaged the facebook page to express my concerns. Firstly one of the glasses had lipsticks marks on which was clearly not from me or my friend (I was advised that these are checked) Clearly not very well and this is very unhygienic!! Secondly I expressed my concerns in relation to the food being advertised. I ordered a creamy chicken pesto cabitta. Only for it to come with half a onion as well which was never advertised on the menu. I expressed my concerns in relation to the food being advertised and was advised it would be looked into. The gentleman who I spoke to who has taken on the business should clearly look into how it is being run! Poor hygiene and poor food!!

My husband and I really enjoyed the ambience of this place. Two weeks ago we went on a Sunday afternoon and ordered beer and a drink made with coffee were great. In the course of our visit we decided to order something to eat, I chose Rump Steak with chips and to my disappointment the meat was hard and the potatoes almost burned. I did not call the waiter because I will go other times, I really like the service and the environment. but I need to prepare the meals more fondly.

Pleasant surprise to find a nice place in Swindon for breakfast which had a good variety of dishes. Food was very enjoyable though would be better if they perfected the eggs from easy to well done. All ours were well done. Small point though as the rest was tasty and well priced. Staff were friendly too, so obviously heeded previous customers advice. Only a short way to go to get 5 stars. Would definitely go again.

Popped in for a drink with a friend before visiting Art Centre. Enjoying the buzzing atmosphere of people enjoying a lovely evening in the sunshine in the garden

Visited on a Sunday lunchtime, and as it was a gloriously sunny day we decided to sit out in the decent sized garden. First mistake! Walking past tables to go to the raised decking area at the rear of the garden, we noticed that there was a lot of 'debris' under these tables and the furniture looked a little tired.

We visited on a sunny weekday evening to enjoy a meal in the beer garden. Unfortunately upon arriving at the bar to place our food order at 8.15pm we were told that the kitchen was shut. When we asked when the kitchen closed the answer was 'right now' ...

This used to be a clean quick service bar. We waited 20 mins during a quiet period (the calm before the Saturday night storm)

A group of us went her this eve for food and drinks and were absolutely gob smacked at the shocking customer service! All three members of staff looked like they were on suicide watch!! It took 25 minutes to order a wine and Diet Coke!! As for ordering the food that took another 40 minutes!