Octagon in Swindon - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Situated in town centre with big windows perfect for people watching! Food was served quickly and piping hot! Great food at a good price. I highly recommend the breakfast and the loaded fries!

had high hopes, Work had decided to pay for us to have a christmas dinner.

Visited last week, this cafe must have a new chef. They used to make the best scones in Swindon. Now they are the worst, Gross!

Decided to revisit The Octagon last week on two occasions after a few years abroad, The first time was a disappointment so I decided to go back a couple of days later to see if it was just a one-off. Sadly it wasn’t! Having heard they had changed hands recently, my sister and I went for some lunch. After climbing through the mess of binbags, cardboard and bird excrement outside the doors we found the place to be empty and I can understand why... This restaurant used to be one of my favourite when I was in working in town, situated in the prime spot between the bus station and the Tri-centre buildings. The milky coffee and array of home made cakes (especially the scones) made it worth walking from the other end of town- at least they appear to have kept some of the better staff. The display counters were filled with over-cooked shortbread and rock hard flapjacks, bought in loaf cakes, muffins and biscuits. Such a shame as they used to make a wide range of Fruit cakes, flapjacks, bread pudding, and sponge cakes on the premises daily. Perhaps the new owners could rehire the old chefs to teach them how to bake cakes.! I decided to try a tuna sandwich and my sister had a Ham and cheese roll. My sandwich, despite saying ‘freshly made today’ was like eating cardboard! isn’t that false advertising..? We were served by a young girl, who seemed to think it was okay to sneeze into her hands before serving us. I think she left her manners at home that day too! Our teas were stewed and luke warm so we had to be returned twice- how hard is it to make a nice hot cup of tea..? We struggled to find a table clean enough to eat from so had to ask another young girl who could barely see over the counter for a cloth to clean it ourselves. We quickly ate our lunch and left, leaving the place empty again. I can safely say I won’t be back again, this place is doomed if they continue what they are doing. Perhaps if they get the staff to clean tables, learn basic hygiene & customer service, serve food that isn’t similar to a back-street petrol garage, then this once popular restaurant can avoid being next closure of Swindon town centre.

I popped in here with my Guide Dog and my New Partner who popped down from Oxford to see me. I had The large Breakfast and a cuppa. Food was delicious and i thoroughly enjoyed it :) My partner only had a bowl of chips which she enjoyed. I do think with Tea it should come with the tea bag in the cup on it's own with hot water and not ready made !! so we are able to make the tea or Standard Coffee as strong we like to make it Maybe with a miniature jug of Milk with the choice of Blue Top' Green Top' or Red Top' asked at the counter when purchasing tea or a standard coffee :) And Maybe a little pot of sugar instead of Paper Packets which hold hardly any sugar in lol !! I would definitely recommend this Cafe to anyone IN or Visiting Swindon.

I dropped in here while waiting for a coach to Heathrow. Plenty of seating and the staff seemed friendly. I ordered a sausage sandwich and a tea. Tea was hot and strong and served in a mug. The sandwich was offered on a choice of bread and had a generous filling of sausage. Food was cooked quickly and brought to my table with a smile. Would defiantly drop in here again.

Not a place I would visit again, service slow. Probably the worst sausage and bacon roll I have ever eaten. The roll was cold and soggy, the bacon just about ok and the sausage was pasty at best and lacked any taste. At least the coffee was warming.

From J Boy of Derby Always call in here whilst waiting for bus changes at nearby Swindon bus station. Always found the staff friendly and the tea and coffee very good at a reasonable price Situated at the back of the bus station they do breakfasts as well,pity there is no outside seating.

Always good food and great service , good menu range , but my mate and I always have the same each week , which is cooked fresh each time , spot on 👍

a very nice cafe almost right by the bus stn with friendly staff and a lovely unrushed atmosphere! Plenty of nice food too inc scones and cakes! A nice menu too with plenty of big windows (though not quite all 8!) around to look out of!

Haven't been in for a while as I had been off work for a few months , glad to see my regular Friday breakfast of scrambled eggs and tomatoes on toast with tea is still as good as ever 👍

The place is designed so customers can see everything going on, so cleanliness is on view. After 33 years of the same owners, the building will be demolished with the bus station at some point. I don't know of any other café in the town that has lasted so long, or bakes it's own rolls every day.

This place used to be great, so when I returned to Swindon for work I popped in to get a bacon butty. The chap eventually served me after chatting to another member of staff, and once I'd ordered he wiped his mouth and nose in his hand and grabbed some bread. I was shocked, but even worse was to come. I asked him to wash his hands and start again, and he looked at me as if I'd gone mad! I won't be returning...

This to me is a great working mans lunch spot, a real classic cafe. Staff are fantastic people always very friendly and know the regulars by name and usual order. Food is good size and of classic British cafe quality. Value for money is good on most items.

This is a regular spot to have a cup of tea or coffee close to the bus station. It serves typical cafe food such as sandwiches, cakes and hot food. There's always a seat to be had and the staff are always pleasant and friendly.

Came in briefly. Not a bad place at all. Am in Swindon a lot so should really give this place a visit more often. Real handy being in the bus station and not too far from the train station so handy enough for travellers

Been coming here most fridays throughout the year with an industry coleague for Breakfast, we either have the 'full monty' english breakfast or the healthy tomatoes and scrambled eggs on toast option, both choices are always served nice and hot and with a smile.A great litte restaurant with all hot meals freshly cooked with fresh ingredients

Being on the road a lot of time I end eating at many chain establishments where the food is lacking a few things (processed), so once in while you come across smaller establishment where the food actually looks real and the rolls are made fresh this for me is a win along with the friendly staff and atomosphere to go with it.

Very good service here, I thought the tea was about overpriced but the taste was worth it, staff are very friendly especially the two younger staff members l, great place to get something to eat from and perfect because it's right next to the bus station.

Have been several times - mostly early in the morning before a journey. Staff are not really interested in providing anything other than a basic service. Serve yourself sugar with a dirty plastic spoon - but at Starbucks prices. Wouldn't go there if anyone else was open that early. In fact stay at home an extra 1/4 hour and spare yourself the indignity of having to ask for a key to the toilet.

A family run cafe, close to the bus station it should be a gold mine! Very modestly supported with a basic menu which is seriously overpriced. Staff appear not to be bothered and the level of service varies between poor and mediocre.

Visited here of a wet weekday lunchtime in need of some comfort food. Typical old fashioned good value transport style cafe,very clean, with reasonable prices. I chose a turkey Pasty and chips which were slightly underdone as is often the case today and a mug of tea which amounted to approximately £6.50. A written receipt was not furnished although I suppose I could easily have insisted. The owner, who his staff relate, makes his own rolls and starts at three in the morning has been serving the Swindon public for over 25 years; I should have probably preferred the soup and roll plus a prawn sandwich but edible nevertheless. Friendly service from the amiable lady cook/waitresses but the star of the show is the building itself, which ,as the name suggests is an octagonal space with an unusual upturned ceiling; altogether an interesting spacious area and worth a tea or coffee just to take in the architecture.