Spotted Cow in Swindon

Came to the spotted cow today for lunch with some friends. Been here a few times before, the service was good as usual. It was sad to see staff so stressed though. The pub was clearly understaffed. The girl on the bar was serving everyone, there was another running around trying to clear tables and bring food out the kitchen. Despite being so busy they were still able to show us a smile and treat us with respect. There was a bit of a wait on food but I heard that there was only 1 chef on so that was understandable. I’m not sure who is doing the rotas but only 1 chef during half term? Seems very unfair and the poor chef must have been so stressed. The food was delicious and hot though so they’re doing a great job. I saw another chef come in after our food arrived and I overheard that he has come in early to help but wasn’t able to ?clock on for it. I saw a customer (I think it was a relative of a member of staff) started clearing tables to help as the poor staff just couldn’t keep up with the amount of work. Seems a shame to see such brilliant staff working under such poor conditions. I wouldn’t be surprised if they leave, which would be such a shame as they all seemed so lovely and made the experience a good one!

Manager cassie very pleasant the people who do behind the scenes aimee joao and chris outstanding customer service coming back to the pub what a huge change quslity of food excellent i will come back again and again

Great food, got to meet the kitchen manager chris. Laurie and Jessica were happy behind the bar. Georgia greeted us with smiles which was lovely. Excellent service. Definitely be back

Great food, served quickly but hot & fresh. Teen enjoyed birthday meal. Really friendly staff with great service. Good price.

Came in again today for lunch with a couple of friends. Georgia was very welcoming and smiley. Met Serena today who was the chef that cooked our meals, she was very friendly. All the food came out and hot and in a decent amount of time. It was delicious! Spotted cow has become our favourite place to meet up.

I've never experienced such bad service, when I arrived the pub was half full, I had to wait 30 minutes for my drinks to arrive at my table, I ordered my food at 7.40pm i was to there's an hour wait..that hour came and went still no food, I asked how much long yo be told another 30 minutes, people who arrived after me were getting there food, I was still waiting...that 30 minutes came and went I asked again they said its not ready yet, I've now been here for 1 hour and 45 minutes and only received 1 drink, I decided to get a refund and leave. I appreciate a busy pub, but I've been here several times under the old management qhen it's much busier and been served much quicker, terrible service and i wont be going there again .

Great service and excellent food at a really good price. Will be back soon the staff were professional but with a human touch and nothing was to much trouble

Thank you to the Hospitality team, Jess, Alex and newbie Joal. Very pleasant and extremely helpful. The food was well presented, lovely and hot - Thank you Chefs !!!!

I was looking forwards to having chicken skewers with salad and a baked potato, I was Not disappointed it was lovely the chicken was lovely and moust,

Went for early dinner today we had excellent food & service was exceptional. We have to mention Steve the manager & also Chris the restaurant manager. Really happy to write a good review for excellent food. We will definitely be returning.

Had the luxury of finishing work early, pulled for a last minute bite to eat and was so impressed. The staff were all very polite, the restaurant was warm and had pleasant atmosphere. I’m not one to normally write a review but I was so impressed I felt I needed to. The food was simply great, served in good time and looked spot on. My steak sizzler was cooked to perfection medium rare. Very tasty and I’d go as far as to say the best Iv had in Swindon. The ultimate combo was huge! One of us had the chicken skewers and was lost for words it was so good. The crown of burgers was epic too, the food was enjoyed by all. The spotted cow has been mentioned a few times by friends at works lately with all positive comments aimed towards the staff and new kitchen team. I have a 60th birthday party coming up and plan to make a reservation here. We will be back :-)

Visited today (2nd may) for lunch. Food was delicious. chicken new yorker was juicy and full of flavour I attempted the large one and was almost defeated. Fries were hot golden and crispy. The gammon was cooked perfectly as were the eggs. HUGE improvement from our last visit in February. will defo return.

Visited for an impromptu family weekday meal. Service was extremely friendly and efficient. Food was very tasty, and extremely reasonable.

Not been here since December 2023, was a bit reluctant to come back following our previous visit. I can honestly say wow! If your looking for a Sunday roast then the spotted cow is definitely worth a visit. Four of us had the beef and two the vegetarian roast. Our Food looked as good as it tasted - perfect! our meals all came out in good time, hot and very well plated. My 70 year old mother loved her roast beef and shes a fussy eater. The restaurant has been redecorated since our last visit and hosts a warm homely family atmosphere. All the staff were smiling and id like to extend a warm thank you to Tia who served us, Very polite and interactive with all the guests. During our visit we also met the new chef who also made us feel welcome, he took the time to talk to us at our table and recommended the roast dinners to us including the vegetarian options when asked. This not only made us feel valued as guests but put a smile on mothers face! we are certainly looking forward to returning next week for sizzler night also recommended by the chef. please can you pass on our comments to the team please give and extra thank you to Tia and the chef.

It's so sad that I'd have to write this after all the lovely meals we've had here but it feels that this place may have changed hands recently or they've started cutting corners to keep costs down. My pint tasted like it was pre watered down with soda, the meal which I paid almost £10 for was a pre frozen cooked microwave meal and a bad one at that with a cheap old salad accompanying it. Both children size despite the gloating of the menu and my partners were little peices of chicken with overcooked vegetables...not quite a main really, more like a tapas! Safe to say we will definitely not be returning and the owner should feel ashamed for serving it. In this day and age where things are pricey as it is the last thing you need is being robbed of a decent meal.

Having visited the pub twice this month, I feel it’s important to share my thoughts with the wider community. The pub is well presented and houses a great atmosphere. Six of us attended for an evening meal and were all very impressed with the service. The waitress Tia was lovely, we were told the restaurant has a new kitchen team and kitchen management, this certainly reflects positively from previous visits earlier in the year a huge improvement. Our food was served hot and presented beautifully. My wife enjoyed the chicken New Yorker and I got stuck into the full Monty grill. The steak was cooked perfectly to medium rare, I wish I had had my phone to take a picture. Having seen a recent review from David H I feel this is a huge disappointment to the company and clearly not true. Some people should learn if they have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything. The damage a negative comment can make to a business is huge. I would highly recommend the spotted cow Swindon for any occasion. To sum up, great food, great staff and great atmosphere. Well done. Please pass on our compliments to all.

Very disappointed after visiting the Spotted Cow in Swindon. We waited an hour for our dinners to arrive, and found that the vegetables were cold. We reported this fact, but was met with a couldn't care attitude. There were six of us, the only meal that was hot was the Mac n Cheese which came with a salad. I'm glad to say that the salad was cold.

This is not the first time ive had to complain i ordered my dinner for me and my wife my side of corn on the cob was stone cold and my cull monty was stone cold as well i returned mine which i was annoyed at my wife had almost finished her dinner before i started mine i then felt rushed as i was eating and she had finished this is about the 8th time i returned food being cold or overcooked or steak undercooked with bllod coming out when u order a well cook steak im totally appaled at this service of hospitality when im regular customer recieving food of such poor quality on a revular basis i wouldnt teccomend anyone to go there because of the food quality is very poor i would like to think that as a company your reputation should be of a high standard not how it is you just never know what your goner vet and i saw 2 others there tonight return there roast dinners as they was cold

Genuinely impressed. We popped in expecting a standard pub experience. The food, service and atmosphere well exceeds that. Friendly service, exceptional steaks and an all round great experience. We will return!

Was in last night and had a wonderful Steak Meal. Don't know if you have a new chef but was amazing. Compliments all round to this involved in my service.

What a difference, food well presented and very tasty. Manager was very polite and full of smiles. Had the pleasure of meeting the new head chef at the bar. Very polite, bubbly, informative and Full of charm. Atmosphere has definitely lifted in the pub. Well done team spotted cow. Will be back soon and definitely can’t wait for the summer months in the pub garden.

Let's be honest, it's a chain pub serving big plate specials, you get what you pay for. Having said that.. We visited for breakfast on Easter Monday, was quite quiet so food arrived quickly and hot. 2 adults, 2 kids all having breakfast and drinks for under £30, can't go wrong. Staff were friendly and the manager was friendly despite someone having a go at him upon our arrival (honestly give the guy a break it's 10.30am) Yes it could do with a lick of paint and I'm sure a few little repairs here and there would make a big difference but all in all it was okay.

We were a bit unlucky as we arrived at 7 on a Friday evening and it was extremely busy. As a result it took well over an hour for our food to arrive, but Kyle and Shannon did their best to sort it up - their efforts were really appreciated.

The people are lovely in the spotted cow the food is amazing couldn't ask for anything better the chicken is actually out of this world and it's good atmosphere there love it

Possibly the worst meal I have paid for over cooked poor ingredients on a oversized plate the restaurant is tired looking with cutlery self service (looks unclean) never a good look just screams lazy needs renovating and a new lease of life sorry

It was very busy as half term and a pub aimed at families. Pub could do with an update but it's company not staff fault. Food took an expected time seeing how busy it was and a wait at till bit the server told expected wait time for food, not a problem as there for a catch up. Would of gone somewhere else if wanted quick service when seeing how busy it was obvious a wait. Food was hot and tasty and offer for children meals was really worth it. Staff were very busy but kept on top of things and polite.

Awful messy run down pub. Toilets disgusting, walls and doors flaking off paint. The toilet door didn’t lock and had graffiti on and paint flaked all away. The doors need revarnishing and this place needs a serious refurbishment Staff member was wearing a hoodie that said “not in the mood” very unprofessional if I were the manager she would have that taken off immediately. Food came out after 30 minutes and was wrong. Took 15 minuets to get it sorted out and replaced, chips cold chicken burger over cooked and nearly burnt. This place has seriously gone downhill. Staff need properly trained and kitchen need to read the spec of the meals as the meals and deserts were missing item. Waited at the bar to be served for 10 minuets, only one person on the bar whilst 3 other staff members stood talking. If I were a mystery shopper I’d give this the lowest rating possible

I’m glad I didn’t read reviews before visiting as I may well have been put off and that would have been my loss. Our visit was midweek and lunchtime and it was not too busy at all. I ordered the steak and ale pie with chips and peas and my wife had the 5oz gammon steak with fried egg, pineapple ring, chips and peas. It is important to note that this is part of a chain very much aimed at the budget end of the market and not a 5 star restaurant. Our expectations weren’t very high and we just wanted a convenient meal to save cooking at home. The portions were substantial, the chips were the best I had eaten out for many years and the peas were perfectly cooked and nice and sweet. My pie was much larger than I am used to and I could only manage half the pie crust and all the filling. It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal and we will certainly want to visit again.

Normally the food is fine but tonight dissapointed as my food the guy who brought it out had his thumb in the food it was like warm and onion rings overcookef

Here for breakfast with my son. Recommend the steak and eggs as they were great (again). Engaging host took time to speak with us. Really happy with the food, service, parking and personal touch.

5/5 stars great atmosphere great staff would love to come again next time I’m in Swindon best place I’ve been in Swindon.

Great usually for meals , we come roughly once or twice a month , but today ordered a steak medium rare and came out very well done , more consistency needed for a better rating 👍

Came to spotted cow for breakfast with santa. Firstly, after paying in advance in and booking a time slot. Without warning we arrived at allicated slot and was refused entry as the pub didnt open on time. So had to come back 1 hr later which then meant 1 child didn't eat or see santa as he had to to football training which is why we originally booked the time slot we booked so we would have time to eat. The manager Steve was very arrogant and argumentative This is the 3rd time I've been here since this manager has been in charge and i have had an issue with food and my bookings everytime, won't be returning whilst he is still there as his customer service skills need improving majorly. Our food came very quickly. But not surprsied as the pancakes and waffles were cold. No-one ever asked how our food was and we were never spoken to once our food arrived very unhappy. Left wishing we had booked somewhere else. Very disappointing as I've left not wanting to come back again.

great service with great speed food came out hot and lots of it! canr wait to go back staff really made our experience. went out of there way to make my daughter feel special

Worst meal I have had from a Hungry Horse pub. Went for Sunday lunch for birthday celebration. Food came out sporadically. Roast potatoes deep fried with centres obliterated, gravy more like lumpy custard and soggy Yorkshire puddings. The chicken feast was overcooked and dried out. What has happened? Would not recommend

Normally the food is fine but tonight dissapointed as my food was part cremated on the skillet with chicken pus atmosphere has dropped the staff looked miserable not the best experience plus i reserved a table they hadnt when we walked in there was no reservation on the table so poorest experiece

Used to come here often but this was the first time for a while. Walked in: - All main areas smell like wet dog - Toilets are filthy, in disrepair and stink of stale urea, toilet check sheet not completed for 2 days. - Threadbare carpets exposing dangerous carpet straps - wallpaper peeling off walls - Dirty marks on all the walls - Mouldy prints in frames and signs of a recent roof leak. The place is completely run down and dirty. Food was edible but my burger was dry as cardboard. Staff were pleasant and attentive but let down by the state of the pub. I know this is a budget restaraunt etc. But I left feeling like I needed to shower.

Had lunch with a friend & had a few problems with our food. Adam sorted the problem quickly & efficiently, so didn’t affect our experience at all. Service was great. All in all, would recommend to anyone who wants to eat out on a budget.

My dad had a medical emergency tonight at the Spotted Cow, he choked on some food and couldnt breathe, it was really scary. Luckily some off duty hospital staff were in the restaurant, but the Spotted Cow staff were also great qt helping. Thanks again, First Aid saves the day.

So it was my daughters 14th birthday today and I booked a table for 11 people. Additional family members wanted to come along last minute and when I told them this they were more than welcoming! They arranged a big table at the back to fit all of us (16 people) I completely forgot the candles for the cake and the member of staff told me not to panic and went and found some for me to use. The food was absolutely amazing as always and the food came out quickly and still piping hot. The staff member really was so lovely, checking we was all happy with our food, gave us napkins for the cake and cleared our tables so promptly! I never leave reviews but felt I needed to as this place is great value for money, staff are always so welcoming and friendly and also if you have a blue light card (Nhs,police etc) then you get 20% off food! So Thank you Spotted Cow for all your help and great service my daughter had the best time.

Very nice place, friendly staff and good food! Good for snacks and drinks and also good for meets with friends.

The spotted cow is a regular venue for us, reasonably priced family food. Yesterday was my sons 23rd birthday and Kyle was particularly helpful with the cake and generally making sure we had everything we need, not quite so helpful was the stroppy barmaid, who...

Normally the food is fine but tonight a full monty to put it blunt the chicken was iver cooked or grilled to much and the steak was like rubber so not good tonighy

We come here all the time. Landlord is friendly, Courtney and Kyle are very accommodating and the food is fantastic and great value! Love from Daryl, Shane & Buddy (woof)

Took party of 16, all staff and serve was amazing. Food came hot and and together. Absolutely can’t praise team enough !!! Super impressed !!

It was very busy, but the young man serving was calm and friendly and not phased dealing with all of the orders. Food was good and did not take too long to arrive. Service to the table was friendly and with a smile despite how...

New to the area Forth time here and not disappointed, definitely worth a visit ! It's my preferred destination for dinner in the local area .

Had a great experience this visit. The food was fresh and tasty and the staff were friendly, helpful and plentiful. High praise for the assistant manager Courtney and the general staff, Scarlett, Aimee, Josh and Courtney. Thanks for a great visit.

so disappointing , the manager was rude , the place is not clean and the standard of food is like fast food , not recommended at all

Arrived and first use the toilets, I’d advise you to go before you come. Then found a sticky table and went up to order food. Told 45 min wait, okay it was busy. There was an offer on 2 for 11.99 so we went for...

Walked in around 7.30pm (hadn’t booked) had to look for a member of staff & was told to sit anywhere that wasn’t reserved- proceeded to a table & took around 10/15 mins to choose our food- went up to order & pay & was told...

Great customer service Warm and welcoming staff the food was great Very quick service pudding are amazing Not everything was available from the menu but had large range of other food to choose from

Great service, huge portions and fun environment for kids! Highly recommend if you are hungry with kids in tow. It was a very busy Friday night but the entire team was friendly, fast and welcoming. Not sure the American Burger qualifies (as an American who...

Shocking food and shocking service, ignorant waitress who said she’d correct our food order which came out wrong and she never returned with the food, I complained when she collected the plates and she didn’t care. No explanation or apology!

We came to have a dinner with our family and found it as an amazing place with super friendly staff. We was attended by Gustavo! Would like to send “Big Thanks “ he’s really professional and very nice guy. We spend amazing time and would...

Went for a meal last night with my friends due to birthday celebrations, I ordered a chicken tikka masala and wow that was very nice, I also ordered a side of chips to go with it as I like to dip the chips in with...

Had two nice hot English breakfast. Tea and toast.. Was a busy morning for breakfast and all came out hot and did not have to wait long.. Shall be going back for another breakfast soon . Manager and staff member were welcoming and friendly ,...

Rude staff Food not bad but to be treated so appallingly for asking if an autistic child can have ice cream seerate to her brownie she stormed out on me leaving no one to complete my order

I came into you pub this evening for a meal & really wish I hadn’t bothered, I sat at table 13 and waited an hour or so for our food to arrive , this itself is not acceptable seeing as hardly anything seemed to be...

We have been going here once or twice a week since we moved to Bradbury Park last August .last Wednesday and this Tuesday 22nd the meals were not a good as they were . Quality seems to have dropped and chip portions have halved might...

Disgusted by the service here on a Sunday evening. Upon entry we spent a good 5/10 minutes deciding what we wanted, when we went to order it seemed we was in the wrong and was told we cannot actually order food for 15 minutes. Not...

Absolutely awful experience and I haven’t even got my food yet! First of all we actually tried to have dinner in ANOTHER hungry horse in Swindon, however they didn’t have any of the menu items we wanted. We drove over to the spotted Cow and...

Short staffed so not surprised that things were not as normal but 1 hour wait for an inedible steak is beyond funny. Will seriously reconsider coming here again.

Went with a group of friends very clean, fast service pleasent staff great night out. Cheers for everyone !!!

I came with grandchildren. Anyways a friendly greeting And table clean and available.. Was busy but staff friendly efficient and foof was hot and not too long to wait with the place bring full happy to wait for nice hot fresh cooked food . And...

Came to spotted cow with club card vouchers to use. Firstly, after paying £45 in vouchers for a £49 order, the barmaid advised I had £9 left to pay. Without warning, I had paid money from a voucher that I could no longer get back....

visited the spotted cow at lunch time today (7/4/23) with my family and 2 children we was greeted by friendly staff the table was ready the restaurant was busy but our meals came out very quickly hot and the staff was very accomadating checking our...

Staff are fantastic, friendly, and welcoming. Amazing food with plenty of options on the menu to choose from good portion sizes and very, very good value for money.

Great value for money. Staff are really friendly and inviting. Special shout out for Courtney who makes you feel very welcome.

Decided to try curry day usually do steak day but time for a change. It was hot and plentiful and the wait was not long Quick service friendly and welcoming as normal. Looking forward to more visits

The rating is for the food mainly which I simply cannot fault every time I go here. Amazing prices, big portions, and always delicious. I had the burger crown as the burger I wanted was sold out and almost had to roll myself home! I...

We have been here several times in the past and had no complaints whatsoever but today was shoddy in all ways. The table and seats were sticky so perhaps we should have left then. We placed our orders but when they eventually came (they took...

Had an amazing time great food and a great collection of drink to choose from and staff were very friendly top notch

As we are working and staying in swindon two nite of the week this pub is great. Very welcoming staff great food I would recommend with out hesitations

For a hungry horse I was hugely impressed. Great value for money with fantastic friendly service! We Will be back!!

Came for lunch with the family, as always got a warm welcome. I got seated in a quiet bit of the pub so we all could talk without shouting over the tables in the pub. Food came out hot and tasted good. The bar service...

Come to the spotted cow on a regular basis and the food has always been amazing! Staff are always happy and welcoming and always ready to help :)

Lovely to see a nice busy warm atmosphere awaits as always. Staff friendly and helpful. No waiting seated quickly and food hot and plentiful. A must to visit gets better on each visit very much improved since new management arrived.. Looking forward to Christmas Day...

As always the food was amazing tastes and looks great, welcoming and friendly pub great for kids as they eat for £1 Monday happy days just great value all round.

The best steak I’ve ever had by chef Brendan I requested a drink for him as great food !! Very family friendly !! Couldn’t recommend a getter place for vibe or food!!

Monday afternoon went for food and it was steak offer. We ordered two steaks and they were cooked just as we ordered. Peppercorn sauce was a nice accompiant. Good was hot waited right amount of time to know cooked fresh and not rushed. Nice atmosphere...

My partner had the bacon cheeseburger with an egg and fries, I had the Korean chicken burger with chips... Oh my goodness we were both surprisingly delighted... My Korean burger was especially tasty, the staff were all very friendly but professional... We will definitely come...

We had a meal this evening at the spotted cow and Flori/flo was an amazing waitress attentive , smiley and a real pleasure to be served by! A credit to the establishment. Thank you for making the evening enjoyable!

No cheese for any meal! I mean pretty much every meal has cheese with it so how could they run out. So we had burgers without cheese & chicken New Yorker without too, one rasher of burnt bacon on dry chicken! It was awful, I...

Took my grand daughter for a lovely meal as not seen her for a month. The new menu had a good choice. We were met and seated by the manager which made a nice change and I ordered and the food came out hot ....

We come to the Spotted Cow regularly as a family. Always great food, always great service. Polite and helpful staff that always go the extra mile for their customers. A special shout out to Courtney and jake who are fabulous! My elderly father looks forward...

What a wonderful breakfast, served by an amazing waitress Flory, who was very apologetic when it was realised that the new manager Steve had missed one of the breakfasts off the order. Flory then ensured that it was done ASAP. I believe he needs more...

The new manager Steve didn't know anything about the tills and ended up mucking up our order by missing off one of our meals. (Would have thought a manager would have had previous experience in the job) Flory however was amazing and had the missed...

Great service, our food was served within 10 minutes, the manager at the till told us about the 2 for one deal and our food was to a high standard.

Had both lunch and dessert here and both were really good. Tasted great and we were all very full as the portion sizes were good - with nothing wasted. Maybe we had summer staff, but there were some training needs: we were offered numerous bits...

Came in for a meal and a few Drinks with the wife and the meal was spot on tasted and looked fantastic plus value for money was good left with a full belly and smiles on our faces.

Had a really good time at the pub came in with some friends we had some food which everyone enjoyed out side in the lovely garden area after we moved in side to play some pool and drinks. The staff was friendly, service was quick...

Lovely evening, food was amazing! And customer service brilliant especially Flory -she deserves a medal

Came into the spotted cow for the first time in a few years and it’s really improved. Staff are really friendly especially flory who was our waitress she was amazing and food was fantastic. Would recommend it to others.

Lovely family pub lovely food and Flory is a legend a lovely lady. A lovely Saturday spent with family in the sun x

Received fantastic service from waitress Flory who was so attentive, food was delicious, will be coming back again definitely.

We come here once a month as a work day out. This time I had a slight problem with my quadzilla burger but due to working as a chef for 20 years I didn’t want to complain. The manger overheard me talking to my friends...

My family and i visited the spotted cow for my brothers birthday and loved it.the food is always good,plentiful and affordable.i must give top marks to our waitress flory who always provides service with a smile and nothing is too much trouble.well done

The food and drinks were really nice. Flory was our server and He and the rest the waiting staff were very friendly. Would visit again!

Have just visited this pub again after previous visits. My god, its gone down hill rapidly. Green king. Get a grip and sort this out of date decor and menu out or you will loose even more customers. Hardly anyone in and still waited 35...