Old Swan Tea Rooms in Powys

Awful. The service was terrible, over priced food, they got the order wrong. Meals came out at separate times, my husband has finished his before I even had mine (had to ask for it). Cash only, and very adamant you pay when order. Staff in their own world, no customer service at all. Wish I never gave them £35 of my money!

We both liked this tea rooms as they had a good selection of gluten free cakes. The waitress was chatty and friendly. The rock cake and GF cheesecake were very good. Nice to know they were all cooked on the premises. We were made to feel welcome and would definitely recommend it.

Good location in town centre. Breakfast ok, except sausages weren’t good. I’m surprised by the good reviews. Maybe we arrived at a bad time, before 9.30 a.m.

I had the fabulous veggie breakfast & my husband had fried eggs on toast with a veggie sausage. Both were really delicious. We’ll definitely be back. I want to try the scrambled eggs next time😋

We have been coming to Rhayader for around 15 years and in recent years had breakfast at Ty Morgan’s but the last couple of years have had breakfast here. Lovely staff and absolutely superb food. Cannot fault the place. It’s our go to for breakfast. Matt & Judith

WOW. Super expensive won't be going again. Wafer thin packet ham not what I'd expect for the price. Cash only aswell in 2024.

The food was ok but no pricing on anything was shocked how much it cost at the end definitely over priced wouldn’t come back

Fantastic breakfast with amazing service. All the family enjoyed the breakfast and they even did Alfie ( 8 year old ) chicken nuggets and chips @09:30 in the morning. High quality produce used and was rich in flavour.

Awful!! Rude staff and mediocre hot chocolate and cappuccino we will not be returning . Only pleasant when we were leaving I think they realised that they were unwelcoming!

A lovely warm welcome to the place and took a tight table in the window because it was almost full. The window seat was great to watch the world go by.My wife had the leek and potato soup and thoroghly enjoyed it. My pasty and chips came with some of the best chips I have had and the pasty was good. This was followerd by rock cake and tiramisu. yummy. The friendly staff were welcoming to all and I noticed that they paid extra care to the eldrly locals, so nice to see an unhurried service with warm staff. Thanks again.

We were a group of 31 elderly people. They accomodated us with only 24 hours notice. Very good food, with generous portions, at a resonable price and very friendly service. We were lucky to have found this cafe.

Passing though en route to the coast decided to stop. Good food, great value and friendly staff. What’s not to like? I highly recommend their “ultimate sandwich” but there is a wide variety of food and cake on offer.

Passing through town at 2pm, we wanted to buy food to take away and eat later. Thinking we would get something nice, and possibly homemade, we stopped at this cafe because it had a bakery counter. As soon as we entered, the woman at the counter said, in an unfriendly manner, and without any other greeting, “we’re only serving take away drinks and what’s on display in the cabinet”. There were no prices on the products. The woman told me the price of the Welsh Cakes, which I deemed to be rather high. None of the other products looked as though they’d been made with any flair, creativity or pride. I now wish I’d left without buying anything, because my mistake was to then ask for a small chicken and mushroom pie, for which the woman charged £5. That too was expensive for what the pie looked like. However, it was only an hour later that we realised the extent of the awfulness of our pie purchase: the pie was 8cm in diameter, with a thin pastry case and top. Whilst not having the appearance of a yummy homemade pie, from the outside there was nothing to indicate the true horror of what was under the industrially manufactured crust. Biting into the pie revealed a largely hollow interior. It might have been a better pie if the interior had been entirely devoid of any filling. Why? Well this ‘filling’ comprised of no more than two dessert spoons of pale mush. We didn’t detect anything resembling chicken in that mush, nor mushroom. The most pleasant components were flecks of ice, which were a distraction from the insipid gloop that the manufacturer might have called gravy. When handing the pie to my partner, it tilted slightly, upon which water slopped out of the pie - we estimate the amount of water to be two or three dessert spoons. There’s no doubt that we’d inadvertently bought a pie that was at the extraordinarily cheap and nasty end of the spectrum of factory-manufactured pies. However, this woeful and deplorable tearoom had gone one better, and made the UK’s most unappealing pie even worse. I considered writing this cautionary review three days ago, in case I was poisoned by the pie (and didn’t live to tell the tale).

My Wife ordered a cream tea, I ordered a Welsh tea, never had Bara Brith and why have I waited till is am 60. It was so good we bought a whole cake so now enjoying it at home in Suffolk. The staff were 1st class can’t wait to go back to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 loved our stay

This is a fabulous café. We recently attended a family funeral in Rhayader and up to 18 of us ate wonderful breakfast here prepared fresh for us every morning in the week. The ladies operating here are absolutely lovely true and caring professionals. Cannot say enough about these ladies and their food. Excellent food delivered to a high standard by kind and caring people.

Very unwelcoming member of staff. "Don't put hot things on the table". Hard to do in a cafe. Couldn't wait to clear our table. Tasteless cawl. Cash only. Not a good advert for Welsh tourism.

Beautiful looking little tea room. However, tried to get a coffee, when I asked if they had a milk alternative, "No, just cows" was the reply without a hint of a smile or friendliness. There was quite a large sign on the front of the counter telling customers to ask about allergens/dietary requirements and staff would help. It's a shame, even basic soy milk would do and yet they seem to have no interest. Ty Morgan's next door were very obliging and had 3 milk alternatives to offer.

When to buy six cakes to takeaway but there were no prices shown of the ones in the glass cabinet. So left. With the way prices are rocketing it’s very important to display prices so people will know if they have enough cash and they don’t want to keep asking. I usually buy my cakes from Marks and Spencer or Waitrose as I find these little delis and independent bakeries can be very expensive

My husband's baked potato with filling and salad was very nice and good value for money. My fishcakes were most disappointing- very thin, very dry and very crusty, and not very fishy. The salad and coleslaw that accompanied them were good. I'd have the baked potato next time!

Pro's - Service excellent, I wish I had remembered the young girls name, so polite and helpful. Food really quick and fresh with good portions. Only one toilet but it was clean. Ample seating, with a few tables outside as well. Even though the cons below are there, I will be coming back. The cons stop it being 5 stars for me... Cons - Cash only ( I always think it shows a lack of being with the times and culture when businesses only allow cash. This place definitely takes enough revenue to warrant having a card system. It lost two families due to only allowing cash. There were also outdated menu prices in the window, but a sign saying that new prices were inside on menus? Take the old ones down, put new ones up? It seems all the sandwiches and toasties had gone up £1. The hand dryer in the toilet is dreadful..

Over priced food, £6.45 for a cheap plastic ham salad sandwich,only used marg so when I asked for butter, over heard the kitchen staff complaining about my request,had the sandwich remade , no butter...paid less at airport's

On our way up north, we stopped off in Rhayader for lunch. What a find! I had home made lasagne with chips and salad. My husband had Welsh cawl (root vegetable casserole) which had only just been cooked. We bought a couple of cakes to take with us - we couldn't possibly have eaten anything else after our main course. Highly recommended.

Great, old school no-nonsense cafe/eatery, good food and coffee. friendly staff. A fab looking selection of cakes (we skipped this time). definitely returning

Proper tea room, serving lovely local fare. Nice friendly atmosphere. We even called in for breakfast before we left for home, if you're in the area do call in for breakfast splendid.

We visited today and were delighted with a beautifully cooked breakfast cooked exactly as requested. We then had to stock up on savouries and cakes to take home. Katy was brilliant, friendly, helpful and very good natured and Aylin keeps her promises about excellently cooked...

Good range of food on offer for lunch and great choice of cakes and desserts. Staff friendly, helpful and service very efficient. Well worth stopping here when travelling through mid Wales.

We called in after completing a local walk & liked the menu so we decided to have lunch. The staff were very nice & friendly & mentioned immediately that it was cash only, which was fine, although there is a cash point 20 yards away...

We loved the Old Swan Tea Room in Rhayader, Wales. Great bread, pastries, tea and Cappuccino in a charming setting! The whole town is charming, as well!

Turned up with 12 people and a child and they fitted us in the lower room no issues. Great food, served really quickly! Really friendly staff. Would definitely visit again if I was in the area!

Obviously a very good tea room as extremely busy!! Unfortunately just to buy some cakes to take away was not so good as the poor lady was run off her feet dealing with seated customers & their orders! Saying that the homemade apple pie that...

My mum and I called in for lunch today , Wednesday. The food was delicious and the price was very reasonable. Service was friendly yet quick and efficient. We would visit again if we were in the area. We were surprised it was open as...

One of the best if not the best breakfast I ever had. Plenty of food for the price and fantastic service. Highly recommend and will aim to drop in as often as i can when travelling down to South Wales.

Lovely old building. Friendly efficient staff who couldn’t be more helpful. Best sausage roll I’ve ever eaten. Breakfast huge and very good and very competitive prices.

Been coming here for years its our local cafe. All staff are super friendly and the food is delicious hence why we keep coming back. The cafe is family run and are always so welcoming and the food is lush everytime. We love the little...

On Friday 25\6\22 we thought we would sit outside and enjoy a coffee 1) They got the simple order of 2 coffee wrong, when we asked the waitress for the correct order, we got a very surly response 2) while sitting and trying to drink...

I visited Old Swan Tea rooms a few weeks ago for the first time in five years, and what I observed was a bustling, vibrant cafe, with a mixture of tourists and locals enjoying food and engaged in conversation. The food looked great and the...

Dreadful. We were given the wrong order of coffees. When we brought this up,the manager charged over and told us to get on with it and if we didn't like what we had we could leave. Very rude. Over priced coffee and cakes very expensive....

This is the worst cafe we've ever visited. It was expensive, dirty, full of flies, the toilet was dirty and the cakes were not priced. We had to pay in cash only when ordering. The staff got our order wrong and then got immediately aggressive,...

Very poor .... Service sure and very rude. Do not waste your money here... Very stressed owner and attitude was apauling. All we wanted was a pleasant cup of coffee. Facilities are dirty and full if flies.

We called for breakfast on the way home from holiday. Husband had the "ultimate" breakfast and I had the "light" one. All cooked beautifully, bacon and sausage delicious, ample portions, my husband had to finish mine off but he had no complaints about that. Toilet...

Came in with 2 dogs on our weekend away, greeted with friendly faces, had the most delicious rocky road, veggie sausage and egg bag and an afternoon tea for 1!

“Do you have non-dairy milk….only semi-skimmed”. Need I say more…avoid if you have dietary requirements…also cash only and no deviation from menu allowed to put a meal together.

Camped with friends over New Year and found this lovely tea room as we were looking for somewhere to have breakfast. Well, we weren't disappointed, staff are absolutely lovely and the breakfast was great, so much so that we went back the following day. Worth...

Had a pre Christmas lunch here. Very friendly and attentive staff, spotlessly clean and delicious reasonably priced food. I had the Special steak baguette which came with chips at £7.95 . I have to say it was the best steak sandwich/baguette I've ever eaten. My...

We stayed in rhayder for a week in November and came across this little tea room in the town centre. We visited 3 times it was so good. Friendly staff, stunning cakes and deserts and a fantastic breakfast. Very very good

A real tea room with great cakes and many tasting looking treats, too many to try, with very nivce people, very friendly and prompt service. A place to be thoroughly recommended.

This cafe was very near our accommodation. We went in for a couple of breakfasts which were great, lovely veggie breakfasts. There was also fab cakes, pasties and pies and a great selection of take away sandwiches. The staff were very friendly and efficient. We...

We stopped off here for a cuppa and was pleased to see they had a couple of vegan gf choices. We sampled a billionaire shortbread which was a lovely treat. Also saw a vegan pie. Would be great to see a few more choices.

Excellent food and such lovely staff couldn't do enough for us would definitely recommend very clean also and excellent choice of cakes and food

Stopped here with the family on the way home last weekend after staying in Pembrokeshire. This place is situated right in the centre. There was a wide selection of caked and pies on display when we entered. We were required to wear masks but that...

We popped in for cake and coffee. Cakes were nice as was coffee. This little old fashioned tearoom, although in need of updating the premises was full and popular.

Traditional and cosy looking from the outside. The food on display looked really nice. Nothing appeared to be priced, I didn’t check what I was paying and the staff were quite brusque. It was cash up front (no cards) and when the pot of tea...

This maybe a good place for a cheap breakfast or lunch but it is not the place for a good coffee. Try over the road at Ty Morgan's. Decent Baristas there and good cakes.

An excellent menu , quick efficient service. Lovely food choice . Perfection on a plate is how I described the light breakfast . Clean tidy polite staff . Couldn’t fault it .

We are camping locally and have been to the Old Swan Tea Rooms several times during our stay. The service is quick, efficient and friendly. We had breakfasts, cakes and main meals, all of which were delicious. I would highly recommend a visit.

Ate here for lunch almost every day of our holiday. Huge menu, all delicious. Welsh tea also brilliant. Great for kids. Would very highly recommend.

A cosy little establishment in the middle of town beside the crossroads. Food served from 0900-1500 and is of a high standard. Cakes and pastries too. Friendly staff, what’s not to like! Cash only,

Love the decorations, love the services, and love the chocolate orange cake and bacon panini with brie and onion marmalade, what a combination!!! My daughter loves the kid meals...

Nice breakfast with family, sat outside as had dogs. Elderly gentleman that served us was delightful as was the lady that served the food.

What a lovely lil spot. Have had a couple of stops here and will return. Very friendly staff, chatty and attentive. Nicest coffee I've had in rhayader. I recommend the Welsh tea, fab Bara Brith and Welsh cakes, have to say lush lemon drizzle cake...

Excellent to be back and see the swan is running smoothly on all six cylinders as ever. One of my favourite haunts in Rhayader. Lovely staff, fresh food and a price for all pockets (v reasonable!!

This was a small bustling shop with friendly staff and a wide menu for lunches. Quantity and taste of food was great, priced well, great find.

We visited the town as the weather was nice today. Walking through the town we stopped at the tea rooms for 2 cream teas. The tea room wasn't busy, around 8 to 10 people inside and no one at the outside seating area. We were...

Having just popped in for slice of cake we had a warm welcome and was shown a table. We choose some cake and soft drinks and really enjoyed the cake was very nice and must add very reasonably priced. The staff where friendly and followed...

We had coffee and cake here on Thursday and returned on Friday for lunch. Although the main door says assistance dogs only they have an area to the right of the counter specifically for visitors with dogs and they are certainly dog friendly - ours...

We have visited the Old Swan on many occasions but this was the first time since the lockdown. It was lovely to go back and get such a friendly welcome. Our baguettes were lovely as always. Hope to see you again soon.

My boyfriend and I came here one Saturday morning for breakfast and it was delightful. I had a bacon and brie toastie with homemade caramelised marmalade, as good as it sounds. He had the ultimate breakfast and immediately talked about how the eggs were perfect...

Staff were very friendly and polite with covid compliance. Bacon and sausage baguette really nice. Would visit again

Had a lovely meal here, very friendly and helpful staff, busy, but safe distance kept with everyone, would recommend

Very welcoming, but then forgot us and we had to chase them up to take the order after waiting 15 to 20 minutes! Extremely well organised (Covid wise), food was quick to come. Far too much grated cheese on the jacket potato which had obviously been microwaved, soggy and tasteless and the cheese wasn't melted!! Chicken Cawl was hot and flavoursome, but not much chicken in it. I would definitely go again, but now I know what to expect and what to ask for. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

We visited these tea rooms yesterday and were initially pleased with the choice of food on offer and the first impression of cleanliness. However our visit was soon spoilt by the rude, bordering on aggressive manner in which the manageress spoke to my elderly mother when she mistakenly believed that she could move tables for a more comfortable seat and got up from our table without her face mask on. Obviously due to the cleaning regime that they were having to follow due to Covid regulations this was not possible. Nobody would complain about this however there are ways of reminding and emphasising this without raising one’s voice and belittling an 80 year old woman in front of the whole room, this I believe is unforgivable. The emphasis on cleanliness and Covid procedures seems to be nullified by the close spacing of tables within the establishment, secondly we were asked to provide contact tracing details but two tables served before us weren’t and finally as a previous reviewer has mentioned the ‘cash payment only’ rule certainly goes against Welsh Government recommendations. The whole situation upset my mother and she was still apologising to us, her nearest and dearest a day later. These are difficult times for all of us, please be kind!

Went to get a take out sandwich and pie for lunch. We entered and were told straight away in no uncertain terms to put our masks on, no issue with that other than this is a tiny place and everyone who was sat down didn't have a mask on and were literally inches from us. They then said it was cash only.. comical. They are happy to handle cash all day but you can't enter without a mask. Food was average but as I said we only grabbed a quick sandwich

We were staying about 3 miles from Rhayader and I'd been wanting to go here everytime we drove past. So, on the last day of our holiday we found ourselves a table outside with our dog. My husband decided he'd try the Welsh Tea and I had trouble deciding between all the delicious looking cakes inside. I settled for Banoffee Pie with cream. I have to say it was delicious and not overly sweet, which some cakes can be.Service was excellent and our table was sanitised before sitting down.As the food inside looked so good I also ordered a few things to take away including cheese scones, salted caramel torte and some Bara Brith to take home for my Dad. He enjoyed both pieces.This cafe/tearoom also does breakfasts and we would definitely re-visit when we return to the area.Highly recommended!

We did not eat in here but bought food to take out and I have to stay this was some of the best quality quiche and cheese scones we have ever had. With the benefit of an almond slice and rock cake, we were in seventh heaven. Can't imagine how good these might have been in the cafe

Stopped here because my wife read the book regarding this charming place.. stopped by and even though pub was not open except toilets the huge outdoor space had a bbq going! A pizza oven and an outdoor bar... all sat next to the river Thames and canal off shoot You can hire kayaks and paddle boards which I would do next visit. What I saw of the olde pub was fabulous ... the pizza was great and Covid protection was well designed

love calling in here for food , fresh homecooked meals and cakes, worth a visit Definately recommended , it’s a cosy atmosphere reasonably priced , a little gem

Popped in for a mid week late lunch and were surprised to see many tables busy - the locals clearly know a good thing! Very tasty food, promptly served with a smile. Managed to resist the lovely display of cakes and pastries but we'll be back to sample those for teatime on another occasion. Missing one star because the coffee wasn't great.

Sunday lunchtime and pub only did Sunday lunch, so fell upon the Tea Rooms. Excellent range of lunch options, well priced and what we had was excellent. Staff friendly and efficient and apparently manager/head chef was on some TV food show. Busy expanding the offer. Everything from soups, cakes, pasties to burger and chips - it looked good!

We took refuge in here during a downpour and received a very friendly welcome. Food was tasty and the warmth of the place and their smiles seemed to melt away the clouds; the rain had stopped by the time we left. Not sure they should take the credit for that bit but, then again, why not?

Had a lovely lunch served by very pleasant staff. The chilli was very tasty and my boyfriend’s sausage and mash was delicious - loved the sausages especially and it was served in a big Yorkshire pudding Will definitely be going back! 😊

I have been here a few times now and I love it. Great tea and coffee and an amazing selection of cakes. My favorites are the lumpy bumpy cake and the cornflake cakes. Very friendly staff too.

Had Moussaka and Chilli Bean from the special board and there was certainly nothing special about the food. No evidence of chilli and the moussaka was bland. Good chips.Staff sullen and unwelcoming. 'Menus on the table, order at counter'Should've read the reviews - won't be returning.

cosy n quaint tea rooms the lady who owns it and does the cooking is local and most of the fare is homemade fresh scones very good

Front of house staff seem bored and dissinterested, talked to me while walking away. Food is always good although my bacon roll took a while, I didn't mind superb bacon in a fresh baguette. Chef seemed lovely.

Four of us visited for lunch and were impressed with the wide selection of dishes and sandwiches. Our sandwiches were generously filled doorstops with a good salad garnish, all of which was very fresh. Whilst Gluten free bread is not on offer there are many gluten free dishes, however it is shame that coeliac cannot enjoy a sandwich (It does take much to keep gluten free bread in the freezer.) Nevertheless my coeliac wife's omelette was excellent. Service was quick and efficient despite being a busy day.

We had excellent lunches here on two occassions. Very friendly service. Great choice of meals at a reasonable price and good selection of cakes

We stopped at the tea rooms at 3.45pm as it stated in the window the kitchen was open until 4pm. We were told immediately we could only have what was left in the display. There were 9 of us, ranging from great grandparents to a 4 month old, it was sunny with quite a strong chilly wind and we were just wanting a hot drink and something warm to eat. We were made to feel as though we were a massive inconvenience by the (quite miserable) lady serving, some of our party went over to a table while we paid, she abruptly told us we hadn't informed her we wanted to sit inside and as she had rung up our food we would have to go outside! Totally disgusted with her customer service skills, so different to how we were made to feel at other establishments in such a beautiful part of the country!

Having a wander around Rhayader we decided to pop into the tea room for som refreshments.

We had cakes, quiche and scones here. The cheese scones with slices of cheese and chutney was very good. Cakes were nice too. We all enjoyed our meals

Friendly, great food, a really nice place. The children received a goodie bag which my 14 year old didn’t want until he opened the bag.. sweets lol

We enjoyed lunch here when we stopped in Rhayader. This old cafe is situated right in the centre of the town and offers a wide variety of snacks, meals and drinks. It was certainly a warm and friendly place to stop on a grey day. My wife had the all day breakfast and I had a local twist on chicken soup with bread. Both were warm and filling, and quickly served. Good place to relax and watch the world pass by.

This small tea room is situated right on the main square, with seating outside. The coffee was fine, but our cakes were very dry. Of course, the place offers other food. It was busy, so it's clearly popular with locals and tourists.

I lived near Rhayader 1948-1967 and its not changed a lot. Two weeks after a recent visit we went to Chipping Camden. The contrast is massive: cafes there served beautiful, light scones; the Old Swan's were dry and inedible. Coffee was ordinary too.

Absolutely dreadful coffee. I think this is by far the most awful cup of coffee I have had the misfortune to taste for many years.

We wanted a quick light lunch. The quiche with salad and the warm chess scone filled us nicely. The cakes liked lovely too.

Der Tee war gut, die Bedienung normal und das Klo sauber.

From full breakfast to lunch time treats. I can recommend the door stop sandwiches especially the prawn cocktail ones. The pasties are also excellent too.

We had no expectations when wandering into the tea room. While the staff wasn’t unfriendly the atmosphere still is not amazing or welcoming but pretty much average at best.

Possibly the worst coffee I’ve experienced in a coffee shop. I ordered a double espresso; it fully filled a standard coffee cup, was weak, watery, looked like a filter coffee and tasted dreadful. I politely queried whether this was what they intended to serve me as a double espresso and was told by the manager, “yes, that’s what you get when you press the espresso button twice”! To be fair, she did reluctantly say she’d “sort it” but given that she was only going to press the button again twice, I didn’t bother. My colleague’s Americano was equally poor and we left without drinking either. It might be an idea for the management to taste what they are serving sometime.

Very unfriendly staff. Literally yelled at everyone who walked in.”menu on table , order at counter “!! Try hello , welcome !