Platform One Cafe @ Steam in Swindon

My friend and I had lunch here on the day of our visit to Steam. We had the all day breakfast which was really good with tasty bacon and a filling plateful. As you don't have to visit the museum to use the cafe I would recommend eating here even if one is visiting the Outlet Village as the prices are far more reasonable. Very clean and well laid out with lots of room between the tables and the staff are all pleasant.

This down to earth Cafe is clean and comfortable. The menu contains traditionally good food at good prices.

Visited the Steam Museum on a quiet day (no school trips planned on my visit) and had lunch in the Platform One Cafe. My wife and I both had Brunel's Steak and mushroom Pudding, which came with cabbage, carrots and mashed potato. The star on the plate was the suet pudding packed full with chunks of meat, mushrooms and gravy. The meal was freshly cooked and and was hot from the 1st mouthful to the last. The price of the dish was £6.95 which is very good. We shared the cafe with 2 other couples so it was quiet and the service from the staff was good.

Great place to eat whilst visiting the museum. A good range of food and drink options and the staff are very friendly. It has a relaxed atmosphere.

We were a big party of 8 adults and 3 children but were accommodated on one table for lunch last Saturday. There was a great choice of food on the menu. People in our group sampled the fish and chips, burgers and jacket potatoes whereas the children all had chicken strips and chips as they had run out of sausages. Very reasonably priced, but because we’d ordered individually the food did not all arrive at once. You don’t need to visit the museum to use the cafe.

Tea was very nice and reasonably priced, not a great selection of cakes though. Disabled access was very disappointing - disabled customer in a (museum owned) mobility scooter struggled to manouvre out of the lift due to a large table being stored in the turning area. When this was mentioned to cafe staff they stated that they didn't know who had left it there but they couldn't move it because they could get into trouble for doing so. They added that it was lucky that we hadn't come on a day then there was a conference going on as that area is usually piled high with items. Very unsatisfactory response - cafe staff seemed to care only how hard it was for them and not for the needs of disabled customers, thus what could have been a 4 star reviews is barely 2 stars. Just like to add that in contrast, the staff in the museum itself were brilliant and very happy to help us out with access requirements despite having a big function to prepare for.

Museum cafes are not renowned for fine dining. This one has very good quality simple food at a reasonable price. There is also a good selection of drinks. The sandwich selection was unimaginative though.

On the first Floor of the railway museum. Went in for a pot of tea. The tea was plentiful and hot water was no problem, the price was very reasonable. Went back later and we were the only customers. The food menu looked good and the prices very reasonable. Will have a meal on our next visit.

Before taking our grandchildren into the Steam Museum we stopped at Platform One for lunch. The menu isn't extensive and is largely simple fare but is very good value. A stones throw from the Designer Outler where more expensive eateries abound it's well worth a visit. Most impressive of all was how well the staff attended customers. Nothing was too much trouble and all done in a pleasant manner.

This is a great café, the food is reasonably priced and very good. You can visit the café without going into the museum (which is well worth a visit).

Had a coffee break and lunch there while visiting the Steam museum. Nice and clean. Modern but with an historic railway theme. Very good value for money compared with most museum cafes and generous portions.

Found this little gem during visit to STEAM. Food great, good prices and friendly staff. Great place to eat, will visit again. Hope not too many people know about it as quite small and could get very busy.

Lovely, clean, cafe situated in the Steam museum Friendly staff and good service. Very clean. I had cheesy jacket potato and a pot of tea which was lovely and hot. Will return if I am ever in the area again

Sixteen people were served a traditional English breakfast, which was hot and tasty and of good quality and was enough to keep us going for the rest of the day.

Went for tea after 3 hours in the museum, excellent pot of tea for two but terrible choice of cakes so we didn't bother. It was a quiet day so maybe much better choice at other times. Clean and light, we had the comfy chairs as it was a quiet day.

I popped in with my family at 12.50pm for some lunch half way through our visit to steam. I was told (at 12.50) that they would be shutting at 1pm so couldn't serve us. Surely that means it is actually already shut??

Only ever visited once but will certainly be coming back again. Situated within the Steam Museum its a great place to have lunch after a morning visit to the restaurant. Great menu with great prices to match. Staff were very welcoming and friendly, the place was clean and the food was delicious! If you visit the Steam Museum, certainly include this in your visit, even if it's only for coffee and cake!

Revisited the Museum to take some photos of the Trains etc ,after the museum I wanted a cup of tea . I had to ask directions to the cafe , its in the entrance hall (you do not have to pay enter the museum to use this Cafe ).The Cafe is on the first floor up some stairs ( there is a lift ) . I ordered a tea ,which came in a pot with milk,jug and cup £1.95 .The tea was nice ,plenty left in the pot after one cup .I looked at the Menu which was good enough for most customers and reasonably priced. The food people were eating looked tasty .Will definitely be returning .

Pleasant meal in reasonable surroundings, worth a visit if going to the GWR museum as opposed to braving the Designer Outlet Centre.

We went here for lunch before visiting the onsite Steam Museum.

Have visited this café twice, once when wanting lunch while visiting STEAM and once for coffe in preference to the noisy outlet centre or awful NT Heelis café. Good value jacket potatoes served by friendly staff, nice quiet atmosphere. Would deffo visit again

This is a small cafe above the Steam Museum, selling drinks, snacks and light lunches. The food is good and the prices are reasonable.

The café is always spotlessly clean, a surplus of seating available and a friendly face to greet you! It's very reasonably priced and the range of food is fab. It can be quite busy at times but the staff go above and beyond to cater to your requests no matter what. Located a short 2 minute walk from the outlet village, it is a great place to escape the busy hustle and bustle of shoppers.

Visited on 11/11/17. They stopped serving hot food very early and this is not advertised. We were in the middle of reading the menu in front of the till, when a waitress just came over and covered it up (see photo) without even acknowledging we...

We came for lunch for a family birthday. The staff couldn't have been friendlier or more efficient. Staff even introduced...

We where at the steam place the former great western railway workshops the cafe upstairs is a good place to...

We just had tea and cake after a visit to the museum. It was all fresh and good quality. The...

Lovely quiet cafe, helpful staff and excellent choice of food. Good value and good quality, children's portions available and def...

Tenía chaqueta cursi y taza de té. Servidor muy agradable y la comida estaba caliente y sabrosa. Los precios eran razonables y que se sentía más personal que una de las grandes cadenas recomendaría

Llamamos aquí para el almuerzo durante nuestro viaje de compras al Outlet Village. Hemos tenido el pescado y patatas fritas anteriormente y siempre es bueno. Las patatas fritas y pescado bonito grasa son crujientes recién preparado y servido con guisantes y un par de rodajas de limón. Servicio cordial y agradable y una buena taza de té encima. Vale la pena una visita, pero es probablemente daba en favor de los demás restaurantes ubicado en el outlet en sí. Es un corto paseo desde allí que yo recomendaría a cualquiera una visita.

We had visited the Designer Outlet Village next to Steam and had intended to have lunch there, but the background noise there was too loud and being a hearing aid wearer the noise is uncomfortable and makes it difficult to follow a conversation. So having visited Platform One before, we headed over there. It's a quiet oasis with very soft background music and just the sound of conversations and the hum of the fridges. I was able to hold a conversation easily, such a relief in this noisy world. The food was excellent and the staff friendly. We'll certainly go back there again.

Just a nice little well run café for a break during your time around the museum, chocolate with `extras` is lovely

Not over priced you can get a meal, snack or just a drink which is what we did this time.Friendly staff. The museum is good too!

Very pleasant surroundings,very clean. A good selection of food and drinks which should suit everyone.

Lovely light and airy venue. Nice and clean with a good view over the reception and shop area. Lift to the first floor and friendly staff. We had coffee and then a light lunch and both were simple but well presented with loads of cheese on the jacket potato.

This is an excellent café on-site which was seriously under-used whilst we were there. We found the drinks and food served was of good quality and very good value in our opinion. We had lunch here – a burger and a jacket potato. Both were made to order. My burger came with beautifully cooked chips. My wife had a jacket potato and yet was so taken with my chips she then started pinching them out of the basket before I could get round to them! This café is on the first floor above the museum entrance and could do with a little publicity in our opinion. It can cater for families with young children as well as adults.

Excellent. Friendly staff. Everywhere clean. Great value. Food arrived very promptly. The special at just £5.95 was three slices of good-quality ham, two runny-yolked fried eggs, a salad garnish and a good portion of fabulous proper fried chips - crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle that would put most chippies to shame. Other half had the burger and his only complaint was that it came on a fancy wooden platter that things kept falling off. Food great though. If the rest of their menu is up to the standard we experienced, they are onto a winner.

Not a soul here when I arrived but don't let that put you off. Unless you go to the Steam museum I doubt you'd even know it existed but it's well worth the short walk from the outlet centre. I had the breakfast and the bacon was superb. Great value and friendly staff.

Not five star catering but the food was acceptable and good for a snack! Not expensive and quite a good range of food. Good/average!

Platform 1 is a cafe / restaurant situated in the STEAM museum, but you can access it without going to the museum. There is an excellent choice of food and beverages and the service is efficient and friendly. Prices are reasonable and the food is good.

We've visited this cafe before on a visit to the Outlet Village and thought we'd go there again. It was busy at midday as there were a couple of coaches in the Steam Museum car park and a couple of groups were eating in the cafe which is above the museum. It took a while to queue and order the food but once it was ordered it only took 10 minutes to arrive. The food here is excellent and good value. The fish was beautifully cooked and the chips were big, fat and fluffy inside. We washed it all down with a pot of tea each. Thoroughly recommend this place when you visit the outlet rather than the usual eateries.

At the start of our visit we visited Platform One cafe. Friendly service and excellent food for the meat lover, but a little restricted for vegetarians - which my wife is. The cappuccino coffee could also be strengthened as it was a bit weak and milky.My bacon and egg roll was done to perfection, crispy bacon, rich yellow yoked egg all on a fresh roll.Complimentary WiFi available which would benefit the customers if the password were either printed on the till receipt or displayed somewhere. Why offer complimentary WiFi and then make it difficult to access it?!Overall, a well presented cafe with a railwaymans menu, but limited if you happen to be vegetarian.

We visited the Steam museum in Swindon on a day trip specifically to visit both here and the outlet centre close by. We travelled to Swindon by train and the Steam museum is a reasonable walk from the station via a fairly flat and paved route and finally a pedestrian tunnel under the railway line which once led from the town to the railway works here.Entrance to the museum is via a large foyer containing some railway themed exhibits, the Platform one café refreshment facility is reached from here and it appears, can be accessed independent of the museum. Entrance to the café is via a flight of stairs (though we believe there were lifts as well), and if you can, in the café get a table overlooking the entrance foyer purely for the elevated view.The cafeteria is a self-service affair and there is a reasonable choice of food, we both had a baked potato. We used the cafeteria after having visited the museum first and being a summer weekday afternoon found that it was fairly quiet. The interior was well lit and appeared to be clean with all of the tables cleared of debris from previous diners. The staff we came into contact with seemed professional and friendly. We thought prices were average for this sort of facility and certainly worth a visit if you are passing by.

Having spent perhaps too long indulging in railway memorabilia and the gift shop, we were late in getting into this café at the end of our tour. The young lady on duty however was very cheerful and helpful and produced some delicious cakes and coffee for us to refresh ourselves. We found it to be very clean, light and good value.

Had lunch here whilst visiting Steam. You benefit from discounted prices when you show your entry to Steam ticket.My wife had a jacket potato with trimmings, which was a vey good portion, and I had a sandwich and sausage roll. The food was fresh and appetising, and the surroundings are clean and inviting. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Having lunch with my son, food tasted good and prices were reasonable. A self serve type of café. Friendly staff.

Although we found the menu limited the cafe was pleasant and although it's on the 1st floor there is a lift to it. The staff were pleasant and helpful.

We visited the Steam Museum mid week just before the school holidays, deliberately to try and catch a quite time. We succeeded, and used the café for a quick coffee before our visit and for a snack lunch half-way through.It was quiet, but very convenient, being at the entrance to the museum. The place was spotlessly clean and staff very polite. The choice was limited, but it was a quiet time of year! They had the normal sandwiches and sausage rolls etc, and you could get a hot light meal too.Would recommend the café for convenience and being reasonably priced.

I had a baked potato here with beans, cheese and salad. I won't remember this meal in years to come but it adequately filled me up at the time. The service was very good. I appreciated their efforts to make children welcome such as 'Thomas' plates and child sized cutlery.

We came after 2 p.m. and there were no other guests around at the time. We asked if we could have a burger - of course! When my husband did not quite fancy the sandwiches on offer, the lady offered to make whatever sandwich he wanted. Very nice burger with delicious chips and home made ketchup, good tuna sandwich and the service was with a smile. You get a discount if you have booked entrance tickets for the STEAM museum.

Prices are on the high side for the quality of the food, ambience pretty poor, but convenient if you happen to be in STEAM museum. There are alternative eateries within a few minutes' walk nearby.

Visited the museum for the first time and decided to eat on site. The restaurant is very clean, the staff were friendly and efficient . The food was very good, reasonable priced, nice and hot and serve very quickly.Would definitely visit again

I called for lunch after visiting the Railway Museum.The Menu is limited and the food I had was a really basic "Fireman's Lunch" or what I would call a ploughman's.The food was a reasonably priced but I would expect more, The same meal in my local café is the same cost but much more quantity & qualityNot a bad experience but nothing to write home about. If I am honest if am was visiting the museum again I would probable find a local pub to have lunch in.

We popped into the museums cafe for a bite to eat and a coffee. Food was OK with both of us having a baked potato which were obviously from a pre heated stock. Nicely presented with a 5% discount after our visit so reasonably priced at just over £12 for the food and drink.James and Karen

Fancied a light breakfast before we went around the steam museum & decided to call in at Platform one cafe.Plenty of staff on hand on this bank holiday Saturday,so we were quickly sorted out & ate our food.Summing up,a discount is offered if you have a ticket for the museum,and the food was hot & tasty served by a pleasant young lady.Would we visit again,yes we would with pleasure.

What a pleasant surprise to find a very reasonably priced food outlet within an attraction.The menu is not extensive but caters for most needs and is served by friendly staff in quick time.

If you're visiting the Outlet Centre it's worth stepping outside, walking past the National Trust cafe and heading straight to the STEAM Museum where you'll find this gem of a cafe. It's usually fairly quiet, although it's popularity is spreading, and quite rightly so!The menu is well-priced and has an ingenious steam train theme; when you place your order for food you're (usually) given a cutout wooden steam train on a stick with your table number on it; and if you order the full English breakfast the plate will be carried to you on a shovel as it's from the "From the Firebox" section of the menu! I usually have a jacket potato and it's always really tasty and comes with a large side salad of radishes, lettuce, peppers, tomato & cucumber.The staff are welcoming, friendly and efficient, and the cafe is clean and tidy.Oh, and if you're an adult and ask REALLY nicely, the staff will let you choose the fishfinger sandwich & chips from the children's menu and it'll be served to you on a Thomas the Tank Engine plate!!! :o) It's very tasty too!

Considering this is part of the museum, prices are not too unreasonable and the range of food and sandwiches is good.Discount is available if you have visited the museum on the same day, but if not then you have much more choice at the nearby Designer Outlet.

The cafe is part on the steam but was very clean and the sandwiches were well filled and fresh coffee good and the local ice-cream went down well added to the visit

It's clean and service was prompt, order at counter and pay and food will be brought to the table. Not an extensive choice on the menu but okay for a snack after visiting museum. Average prices i.e. £4.50 for jacket potato and £1.95 for tea, don't forget your 5% discount if you visited the Steam museum, just show your ticket.

Really surprised at the value for money this cafe offers. They do more substantial meals as well as light snacks. Most impressive is that kids meals are served on Thomas the Tank Engine plates.

Nice range of food available from snacks to meals, all reasonably priced.Personnel were very friendly, and hot food delivered to your table very efficiently.

A very friendly cafe at the Swindon Steam museum. Good value food and a discount if you are visiting the museum.

For a museum café, this was well priced and good quality. The fact it is licensed was an added bonus with very good quality bottled beer on offer. The chips were also excellent, the veggie burger tasty.

Popped in for a quick lunch after visiting the museum, food was served quickly and was very enjoyable along side an ice cold drink in this hot weather! Along with a little discount as we had visited the museum you had 3 very happy diners!

We had a mixture of paninis, steak pudding (not pie) and fish and chips. All were well cooked and presented. The steak puddings got a particular amount of praise. Additionally, if you go to the museum you get a reduction on meals. It's not a large cafe and we went on a quiet day. We considered the prices very reasonable. If you visit the museum it's worth going to check out what's on the menu before going to the shopping mall but remember to keep your museum ticket for the reduction.

Spacious and airy, nice coffee and cakes, we relaxed here after spending a long time in the museum. Loos clean and pleasant.

Visited for the first time this year after several previous visits last summer. Staff were pleasant and offered a good friendly service. Noted that the menu had not changed since our last visit in September. Had the steak and mushroom pudding, which had a nice tasty filling, however the outside was too hard and not as good as it was last year. Despite the menu offering a "selection of desserts" all that appeared to be available was several types of cake in plastic boxes. On querying this, I got the impression that this was the normal offering. Not my idea of a "selection of desserts" I am afraid. Overall a little disappointing, and would suggest that a revamp of the menu is overdue.

Visited Steam on a soaking wet day during half term. We decided to eat at their café and to be honest wasn’t expecting anything special. How wrong we were. The staff were super friendly and the food was excellent. My steak pudding was wonderful and my wife’s breakfast was served with a bit of theatre using a fireman’s shovel as they would have used in a steam engine cab. All in all a pleasant find.

Great original tasty sandwiches (no plastic box packs etc).15% discount with your Steam entrance ticket.

Ditch the shopping centre food outlets and eat quality hot and cold meals, or light bites here instead.

Had slight problem,re table number,cashier entered table 3 on order,i was given a table marker no 6.Member of staff soon noticed,I had not been served and rectified the problem

It is an excellent little cafe with great fresh cooked food on offer. The chunky chips and the all day breakfast are particularly good but I've never had a bad meal and we eat here regularly. They do great kids meals served on a Thomas plate with a Thomas cup which my girls enjoy.

I very much enjoyed my lunch in the STEAM cafe, it was much nicer than I had expected. I had fish and chips which were good value and very nice for a cafe, they were nicely presented and came with salad and some lemon. One of our party was having a birthday, and as a kind gesture the staff gave the children two free cakes with a candle on one. An unexpectedly nice lunch!

Lovely lunch in a calm restaurant just a hop away from the manic bustle of the outlet centre..The waitress miss heard us and three of our meals were wrong but that was no problem for them and our correct meals arrived promptly.We had maccoroni cheese which was piping hot and delicious.. And the fish and chipsWarning! The chips are so good you will need more of them so order extra!

The food was tasty, coffee was great and the staff very friendly. I had a long chat to the guy behind the counter about steam trains, he was so friendly and enthusiastic!

The restaurant was lovely and clean. The staff were very polite and helpful the food was and choice was lovely and very reasonably price. Excellent all round. Thank you

A late lunch after visiting the museum so we were peckish and both chose the steak and mushroom pudding with potato mash and freshly cooked veg. Absolutely scrummy. Crust on pudding was perfect, veg nicely Al dente - mange tout, courgette, cabbage and leeks and good mash with no lumps!! Good choice of non alcoholic drinks. Ladies serving were charming. Altogether a great experience and a discount for having bought museum entrance.

We came here as part of a visit to the Steam Museum in the same building, although you don't have to go into the museum to use the restaurant - and there were clearly patrons coming in from the next door shops.The food was nice, freshly cooked and brought out quickly, with Thomas and Friends cutlery and plates for the kids meals.

I had a pleasant lunch break here on a Sunday afternoon after visiting the STEAM museum. I enjoyed a sandwich made with nice thick slices of ham and a victoria sponge cake. Very enjoyable, and you get a discount if you have visited the museum first. If you keep the discount card, subsequent visits to the cafe are discounted too.