Swan in West Berkshire

Visited recently for a pub quiz, quizmaster Charlie smashed it. Lovely evening

Food order took an Hour and half for some on our table to get served

We visited this restaurant as a pre-booked group of 14 colleagues, arriving at 1 pm on the day of our reservation, which had been made two days prior to ensure everything would be ready. Unfortunately, our experience was far from what we had hoped for. Despite our advance booking, we encountered significant delays. Multiple inquiries to staff about the status of our food were met with vague responses and no clear updates. After waiting an hour and a half with no food in sight, and seeing other people be delivered their meals after we had arrived. I had no choice but to request a refund, which I now have to monitor as it has not yet been received. The lack of preparation and service for a pre-scheduled group was both disappointing and inconvenient. I hope that this review encourages improvements for future guests.

Such a lovely country feel pub. Staff are always warm, welcoming and very helpful. Food is always lovely and you don't have to wait too long for food service. Highly recommend them to anyone

Fantastic!! I would gladly visit again! This is by far one of the friendliest and welcoming places I have visited for a while!!

Good place for relax and see friends! Nice service from Scott! 🤩

Lovely staff! Really enjoyed the nice relaxed atmosphere of the venue!

Food was a bit dry, chicken burger and hunters chicken. No bbq sauce with hunters, or mozzarella or cheddar. Immi, Ellie, and Kieran are running the place and rushed off their feet and doing a great job, as it has been quite busy. They deserve a commendation. We won't be rushing back

Very friendly staff, high quality food and family-friendly environment

Great service from Scott & Sadie, waiting at the bar to serve us when we walk in and always remember ice!

Visited with my father in law, great atmosphere and was served by a lovely man named Michael

Lovely atmosphere and great food. Quick service too and we had our drinks served by Michael. He was very friendly and attentive to all of our needs. Thank you Michael and the rest of the team! We look forward to our next visit!

Food and drinks were great, with particularly great service from Michael!

Me and my partner recently had the pleasure of visiting the Swan Inn, not knowing what to expect we were pleasantly suprised at the entire atmosphere of the pub. Servers were very friendly and even when i had a minor issue, this was dealt with swiftly and professionally by Michael! Would definitely recommend the Scampi and Chips and the Sherry Trifle Cheesecake was delicious! I'm definitely coming back

Went for some food and drinks with my friends, food was very lovely as well as excellent service from Michael who was very kind and welcoming behind the bar.

Very good service, helpful and quick! We were here with our family and the food was delicious! Thanks to the helpful staff we were served instantly, special thanks to Imi and Michael and to the cheff as well!

Been here with friends and family. Lovely atmosphere, great food, the staff were friendly, very helpful and accommodating. Highly recommended. Thank you Michael.

Lovely place to eat and drink with family. Front of house staff (Imrae and Michael) were particularly friendly, I cannot recommend this pub enough!

I recently visited the other day and had great food and service from here! The waiter Michael was particularly welcoming and ensured I had a pleasant experience!

great pub, special mention to michael who was a fantastic server

Michael served us. He wasv ery helpful, pleasant and welcolming, as are the staff in general. Nice atmosphere, though it can get very busy on hot summery weekends. Dog friendly pub.

Lovely old pub, beautiful food, reasonable prices

Amazing pub! Great game of balance a coin on the lemon.

My local pub just down the road. Great vibes. Friendly staff! Juke box Mondays are a scene. That Scott is a top tier lemon and Lucy is a great second Lemon.

Delightful pub with excellent service. Scott is a good all round Lemon 🍋 Lucy is also a top 🍋

Lucy was amazing, what a shame she's off to Uni. Scott was top Lemon! 🤪

I've eaten at the Swan with my family twice, and we've enjoyed both visits. I've had fish and chips and the cowboy burger, and both dishes were delicious with very generous portion sizes, especially considering the good price (I think the burger was about £11 and came with lots of fries!). Staff friendly and polite, and nice general vibe. Parking is paid but taken off the cost of your meal if you're eating.

Mega mixed grill is massive. Great value for money with friendly service.

First visit to the Swan. Excellent service from David. Very helpful indeed. Food great value and plenty of. Will visit again when I’m in the area.

We had a delicious lunch here today. The bar was busy, but we still enjoyed a peaceful table at the bay window in the restaurant. Service was great, including an amazing act of kindness of offering to return a misplaced jigsaw puzzle piece to us after we had left! Thank you so much to Imi!! 🫶🏼

I was charged £1.22 service charge on 1 pint. When telling me the price he neglected to mention that.

Great service , great food and drink at affordable prices Charlie and colleague super friendly

Scott and Ellie are fantastic, Scott's food in particular is very good. a big noticeable difference in food from Tuesday to Sunday.

Brilliant Scott and Ellie looked after use we went with 6 clients with learning and physical disabilities they couldn’t have done more and the food was delicious, served fast and a really good price

Lovely atmosphere in the pub, food came very quickly and the roast was delicious and very good portion size! Staff were very friendly and attentive, overall a lovely visit and myself and my partner can't wait to come back! We are also now aware thanks to the lovely staff of the quiz night on a Wednesday and live music on a Friday which we can't wait to pop in and experience. We also enjoyed a game of pool on the high quality pool table before our lunch which made the trip even more enjoyable!

Visited The Swan as I was in the area for work. Lovely pub grub and reasonably priced, with a warm and friendly service. Great choice if you find yourself in the area.

Fab food and a great meal out thanks to our server Ben! Definitely coming again!

Marvelous stop at the Swan, Thatcham en route home, great service (thanks to Poppy and team) with piping hot food swiftly delivered to table. Great value (I'd recommend the steak and ale pie 🥧)

I came here for my birthday lunch with family a few weeks back and the food and service were exceptional. Today, myself and my partner went there for a roast Sunday lunch. The food was fantastic, full of flavours, especially the POTATO! 5* every time and will always be coming back! Thank you all at the swan!

servers michael, hayley, charlie and ben are always fabulous, always smiling, amazing customer service, warning: bring a tissue down to the swan cause michael always has drip. #mogged

Food is really nice with a great atmosphere and lovely staff, especially Ben who is great to chat too

Succulent chicken. Lovely crispy potato Nice chilled environment

Great atmosphere, good service and saw a bartender (ben) take responsibility and kick out a rowdy patron who was causing trouble for some people I was with, which is always appreciated. Overall good experience, probably the best pub in thatcham

Carrots, orange and muchsrooms were bare lush. Michael and Amy carried 😮‍💨

Love the relaxed atmosphere at The Swan. Very welcoming and drinks are always tasty. Definitely going to try pineapple in my rum next time!

Really great food brilliant bar staff and waitresses especially 🍍 pineapple great atmosphere would definitely recommend to my freinds and colleagues.

Bar person Charlie looked after us so well, making sure we had what we needed with a smile!

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food was 10/10, i’ll be returning and hopefully i’ll be accompanied by the best waitresses and elephants. I 100% recommend this pub!

The food and atmosphere is onpar with the elephant in the market x

What’s more to ask for than a great local…..food, atmosphere and more importantly the team! As for David ‘the pickle’ quizmaster, you bring us joy each week!

The banoffee tart was amazing. Strong taste of banana but not overpowering. And service was lovely.

Visited whilst moored on the canal - lovely location and fabulous service. Steak was delicious and it was excellent to have the choice to make meals 'lighter' for smaller appetites. Chocolate Fudge Cake was amazing! Returning to the canal thankful that we don't need to eat a banana for dinner again!

Food is ok but the chef is very unaccommodating to minor requests of menu. Quite a lively pub with a large outdoor seating area. Stayed at the accommodation on site, rooms are very clean and tidy although shower in the bathroom very small. Main problem with staying overnight is the Swan is right next to Thatcham railway line and station so you get a lot of noise from the trains until late at night and early in the morning, not ideal for a good night's sleep.

Awesome food! Fantastic service from all the chefs, Amy & Danny, huge garden,dog friendly and parking is redeemed at the bar with a purchase! Great selection of cider,and awesome burgers,great afternoon!

Great food and service as a birthday treat for me as i work into the industrial estate over the road!

Went for a meal with my boys, food was of an excellent standard. The premises were clean and tidy. The staff? Absolutely warm, welcoming, helpful and polite. Photo is of their Chocolate Fudge, served either warm or cold. I opted for cold with chocolate ice-cream, outstanding! 😋

Went for a night before a wedding. Cosy and comfortable ans accomodating.

Stayed here while working down in Aldermaston the atmospherewas great and the food and beer was bang on. Hats off to Amy,Lucy,Charlie,Poppie,Jean,Marie,Kieran and Ruby and the rest of the staff for doing a great job and been so welcoming. If I'm ever in the area in the future I'd definitely stay again.

Love the swan. My local and will keep coming back. Danny is doing a great job!

Really nice food at great prices. Definitely going to go there again.

The service was great and all the staff were so kind

Ended up here by accident as we were looking for another place called the Swan. Food was okay, no frills but it's what you can expect for the money. You need to pay for the car park and the app is terrible.

Stayed in the rooms for 4 nights. Check in and out was really easy, really good atmosphere in the pub, staff are super friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble, even when the football was on. Evening food was always hot and tasty, especially the steak I had. Yes, it's typical pub food, but was to a really good standard and the portions were a good size. Same with the breakfast, hot, good portions and always very polite and friendly service. Could not fault the staff, 10/10.

Food was slow to come out, Closed kitchen because they were busy

Great weekend , stayed 2 nights breakfast good and service

Good food, good service. Was served by Hayley and Lucy; will be coming back

Good food whilst sat in the lovely beer garden.

Excellent well run pub. Great food, wonderful service, brilliant staff and very reasonable prices. Highly recommended.

Had the doner & chips, the meat portion was very small for the price. Knowing how cheap doner meat is I would have expected a lot more. They were short staffed and we turned up on a Friday lunchtime just before a table of about 20 noisy pensioners so service was slow. I thought the bar smelled stale and seemed to have smells coming from the toilets. Room for improvement, could be a great pub with some attention to minor points. UPDATE Danny from the Swan was in contact afterwards and made us very welcome on a return visit. Service was very quick and the medium rare steak was cooked perfectly. To get a steak cooked properly in a pub is unusual, the food was great, the chips perfect, service amazing. Will certainly go back as I couldn't fault the much improved food. I have updated my 3 star ratings as a result, due to Danny and staff providing a great dining experience.

Lovely food, excellent service and reasonable prices. Great visit, will come back. Well done Amy,Scott,Lucy,Ben,Elle,Danny, Lauren and Mark

Very nice staff and my server was kind, food was good and atmosphere was calm.

Hayley is the bestest bar staff ever. Such a warm, welcoming, outgoing personality that really makes it a pleasure to be servedby her. Nothing is ever too much, always so friendly and bubbly, such a treat to be served by her. Thank you Hayley, you are the best!

Great place great food apart from the caesar salad was lacking, really needed parmesan shavings

Great place! Had a great time with the family!

Everything was great! The food is typical pub food, really good. 🐍Draco🐍 & ✨Lucy✨ were very nice!

absolutely fantastic. waitress karen very attentive. food delicious and plentiful. will certainly be back and soon.

Fantastic meal & service as always from The team at The Swan - thanks to Amy, Hayley, Lauren & Kieran 👍😀

Nice pub inside and out, food was decent, not bad all round

lovely service, really cool friendly staff, always feel welcome and food and coffee is amazing ❤️

Was very nice atmosphere, Beth was a very good service towards us.

Was lovely , staff are lovely and the dogs were very welcomed.

Had a lovely family meal here and the whole team made us all feel so welcome big thanks to Amy, Beth, Hayley, Draco, Lauren, Kieran and mark.

Travelled from Suffolk to meet a friend who moved to Thatcham.....saw web site of this place and looked nice. Firstly, why charge to park here....if it was likely to be used by shoppers I might have given it a bit of leeway, but no shops nearby. Yes, it can be reimbursed if you spend Over £40 but if you have no change the app is an obscure one. Next, even though table booked, getting noticed to be shown table took 20 mins as only bar staff (busy serving crowds) were available to ask. Next you have a choice, order on the app. or at bar, so judging by the impending wait ordered, from experience trying to find table, on the stupid app., oh, then have to pay on line!!!! So no reimbursement of car park now then! Food was average, staff were okay but not a pleasant experience all round. Definitely not my kind of place, and judging by similar experience of their pub in Bury St Edmunds, (pay for car park there as well!! ) this may be par for the course in all there pubs. Won't be Marston's anywhere again. Had planned to book a room on next visit but definitely will give this a miss.

Excellent food and drinks, amazing bar staff especially Beth. Always happy with a smile on her face.

Very friendly service. We had food which was hot and tasty. It was Friday evening and busy so we took advantage of ordering drinks to the table which worked really well

Had a great last night. Also a big shout out to Saedi. What truly sets Saedi apart is the personal touch she brings to her interactions with customers. She remembers their favourite drinks, asks about their day, and makes everyone feel like a VIP. Her ability to connect on a personal level with guests makes every visit to The Swan memorable.

I love this pub. And I love their cask ale—Sea Fury. I encourage you all to get behind it. Friendly staff, great banter, good food and clean. Hard to pick a standout bar staff but if I had to it would be Beth. She is stellar at her job and a damn good giggle.

Dined here once and remember it being very good food and good value for money.

Friendly staff, good menu choice & fairly quick service.

Lovely pub with lovely food and the service from Beth is amazing 100% recommend

Edit.. Hayley has been extremely courteous and helpful regarding this issue and I am grateful to her communication with me. The car park is owned and run by a separate company and not The Swan Pub and so I would simply urge people to be aware of the charging now in place … therefore I have changed my star review from low to high simply to reflect this in a fair and genuine way .. my only reason for going with a four is because I didn’t eat and therefore cannot comment on this aspect. Thankyou Hayley . Very disappointed I stopped here to raise a toast to recently passed father as we used to drink there years ago, got home to. £100 parking fine. No one told me there were parking charges. Will never return.

Went in on a wet Tuesday night, but the welcome was warm and friendly. The food was typical pub grub but it was hot and well prepared and presented , my 2 female companions couldn’t finish their mains as they were full. The staff were engaged and caring, compliments to Ian our server and Scott the chef. All in all a relaxing way to spend an evening.

Good value for money, friendly staff, nice environment

Outstanding service and venue! Beth on the bar and Scott in the kitchen were epic!

Thank you the whole team for today mon 25th for a great afternoon but a sad one really appreciate it we will be back not under same circumstances many thanks

Very nice, no bookings, great roast 👊

We had a really lovely time for my brothers 30th party. The staff were extremely helpful (Beth and Hayley) and attentive. The food was yummy (chef Kieran) and well priced. Thank you for a great evening and for being so friendly and helpful! We will be back soon!!

Well presented traditional pub, food was very tasty, staff very welcoming and the room I stayed in was nice, clean and tidy.

Great service, great food, nice and tidy

Beth I'd the absolute best bar tender I have ever had. Attentive funny and madr the best cocktails 💯💯💯