The Bear in Wiltshire

Fantastic pub. And the Best breakfast in Town 😍

Nice place, friendly landlord, great Wiltshire food. Probably go again before leaving for Germany

Fairly average, very loud and noisy as one would expect. I think the main thing that ruins this establishment is the type of people it attracts. At least the person behind the bar was relatively pleasant

Lovey meal at the Bear. Mr Maker said the bakon was lush for the bear breakfast, which was great value. I had the curry from the specials 👌 delicious. Lived the decor and swing painting byba local artist Ian Macdonald and Jacosta, who has many murals round Swindon and I always loved his work. Sadly Ian McDonald is no longer with us, his quirky images brought a smile being pastiche of famous pictures brought up to date, Ophelia with a mobile phone, pinocchio - but I loved his gauche birds especially the humming bird and kingfisher. Great ambience, food and fab welcome from the staff. The front of the bar is converted to a cafe, and very good value compared to other places in Marlborough. Give it a try you will be pleasantly surprised. Didn't stay at the hotel.

Popped in for breakfast after staying overnight in Marlborough at a different Inn. The food was delicious and very good price. £1.50 for a mug of tea! My husband and I had the children's breakfast which was very generous as usually full adults meals are too much. Lovely staff , very friendly and a very nice atmosphere with Christmas music playing in the background. All in all an extremely pleasant way to start the weekend. I would definitely go there again . Highly recommended.

Had breakfast at the bear this morning. If you want a full English in Marlborough I would definitely recommend it

Love this pub. It's the best pub in Marlborough. The locals are friendly as are all the bar staff and you are immediately made to feel welcome. It's got a good selection of beers and if you're hungry the café in the courtyard is excellent for breakfast and lunch. I can't fault this pub.

Watched Humdinger here the night of Marlborough Mop. The place was heaving! Bar staff were really struggling and not keeping up, only serving locals and ignoring new people, I waited nearly 40 minutes for a drink. The toilets are in a really odd location, so you have to squeeze through everyone queuing for the bar to get to the back, where there are only two female loos. Not designed, set up or staffed properly for such a busy evening. The band was excellent though!

I've always liked Arkells beer and was presently surprised when we popped in for a pint or two of 3 B's that they had a live band playing rock music in the top bar. The beer was excellent and the band were brilliant. Only fault I have is that the live band was not advertised outside and so it was only pot luck that we found this pub.

Excellent party night. Lovely people.

Great overnight stay during our mountain bike trip. Great hosts. Great breakfast.

Lovely place to stop for a cold beer 🍺

One of the worst places to stay, rooms in the worst condition, windows 100years old whit no double window very noisy from the window and the pub under , no parking . Definitely a big risk to leave that place whit a skin disease from the bathroom or the sheets. Wouldn’t recommend even for a night, better sleep in the car. The barman tried his best to help whit the check in after serving all the drunken loyal costumer’s. I really don’t know how they are allowed to operate on this low standards. Very disappointing.

When we arrive the owners told us we hadn't booked, they later found the booking after causing a bit of a panic. It is impossible to sleep in this place because they play incredibly loud music. This was audible in the room when we arrived at 6pm, by 10pm it was deafening and the room vibrated with nightclub volume music and singing. This isn't a hotel, it is a horrible experience to be avoided, but for which they have the audacity to charge money.

When we arrived the landlady couldn’t find our booking. Once she did we were shown to our room by a friendly barmaid. When we returned to our room at around 10 the music from a live band in the bar was so loud the floors and windows of our room vibrated. When we called downstairs to ask when the music would stop we were told at midnight and were also told that our room was cheaper because of the noise from the music and that if we’d read the website we’d have known this. I have since looked closely at the website - Yes it does say it might be ‘a bit loud for some of are (their typo, not mine) guests’ and they suggest that if we have a problem with this we should talk to them beforehand and they will find us a quieter room. Judging by the fact that I can hear every word they’re singing below me, I don’t imagine there is a room in this pub that is quiet enough to sleep. It seems to me entirely fraudulent to even rent out rooms on nights when there’s going to be a band - NOONE could sleep through this. And to have a one line disclaimer on the website is just absurd - most people don’t book directly through the website, so won’t have seen this anyway. Whatever it says on the website it’s simply not acceptable to rent out a room that’s impossible to sleep in. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS AS A PLACE TO STAY.

We unfortunately booked a room here for the night. The pub plays incredibly loud and awful music with yelling/singing late into the night. Quite impossible to sleep. I would pay the price of the room not to have to stay in this awful pub.

Great welcome and fantastic feel about this old English Marlborough location. Updated rooms and lively over the weekend so be prepared to join in! They went above and beyond to keep my motorbike safe in their small courtyard so I'll always be grateful for that little bit of extra care. Great team and cracking landlady and landlord!

Great place. Kind staff. Would definitely stay again.

No ensuite toilet in room, so trek down the corridor during the night a bit of a bind-everythings a bit shabby chic,if you like that kind of thing.

We got a double room in that hotel and it was a beautiful surprise with beautiful people. Ian and Abbey were absolutely lovely, telling us about the history of the building, places to visit. In the we had breakfast at their cafe which was tasty, rich and nice girl behind the bar. We absolutely loved it. Probably one of the best pubs in Marlborough if you are looking for authenticity. For us was the best option anyway! Room was comfy, big enough, lovely shower. But the owner and workers were the best. They have a jukebox and you can play ANYTHING. They have all the music you can wish for. Felt very welcomed.

Ok pub but there are nicer ones in the area

Not the nicest pub in Marlborough but probably the cheapest. Only popped in for a drink so cannot comment on the food or rooms which from photographs appear good but alas the bar is very worn. The barmaid was cheerful but nothing else was.

Superb value and suberb quality breakfast, friendly staff and really good food. Nothing was too much trouble and there were lots of options to suit every taste. Would highly recommend!

Had a lovely experience at lunch today, all round. Great food and very friendly service. Tasty and generous burgers, and surprisingly good cauliflower bombs as a side. Can see why this is a local favourite.

Really enjoyed my visit here. Staff were very helpful and friendly and the burgers excellent as was the breakfast. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend

Came to the Bear as we had two dogs with us on a Saturday night and they have a lovely family room, with wooden floors and nice and bright. We hadn't realised as new to Marlborough, that they had just taken over the food side of the pub 3 days ago, from being based in another pub over the way. They could not have been more helpful!! Listened to the fact that we didn't want to be rushed and where nicely chatty, without being intrusive. We had travelled to see an old mate to see if moving to the town was a good move, and if this is the standard of food and service, then the answer is yes! What we had, was 5* food and service, although was a little disappointing that there were no starters because of this early take-over - just a range of incredibly good burgers (beef; chicken and veggies)that we will definitely return to on our next visit.........and yes, we are going to move there!!

Vile. Just vile. Staff seemed fine so no problems with them. The food was a different matter.. Fish was tasteless and coated in a brown fatty something or other. Chicken was dry as a bone. Salad looked like it was a decade old. We left after a few mouthfuls. Might as well of chucked 25 quid down the nearest drain. Also I know this is only a small boozer but there could of been a lot more choice. I considered syphoning petrol out of the car and swilling it around my mouth just to take the taste away. Avoid like you would avoid a rabid dog approaching you..

This is THE best pub to get a steak. I’ve been to many posh nosh restaurants, but The Bear does the best steak I’ve ever had. 10 stars !!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Having worked in Marlborough for many years and have had the occasional drink in here, tonight is the first time we have stoped by to eat. We were not disappointed! Friendly staff serving and excellent burger with lovely onion rings, a real treat. Fish and chips nicely cooked. Super food, fun atmosphere and excellent value. We will make this a regular stop now.

We’ve never visited the Bear before but were tempted in by the signage outside advertising good steaks from Andrew’s butchers just down the road. On entering the pub we found the bar lively with happy locals which is always a good sign. The restaurant area was quiet but felt connected. My wife and I both had the ribeye steaks and they were excellent. Pleasant and friendly attention from the owner and chef made our visit a good one. Would certainly recommend!

Met friends for lunch here and although a limited lunch menu the food and service were very good. Nothing was too much trouble.

Called in here twice while on holiday Good friendly local serving the best lager in town. I had the fish and chips and my partner had the burger which were both excellent. Can't wait to return

Popped in here for a quick Sunday drink, it's not posh but it is welcoming with equally friendly locals who happily opened up conversation. There is a seating area for food but we did not have time and just had a drink, which was lovely; we will return.

Had a great stay at this pub, large comfortable room which was pretty quiet considering the live music being played in the pub. I didn't need the earplugs provided. Good range of beers. Great breakfast a proper full English and plenty of it.

Hi Iain & Liz We just wanted to say thank you so much for making our social event a success at The Bear. The food was great, you had set up the room really well, the waiting staff were excellent and you met all our requests and requirements. It was great to have the room downstairs at the back of the pub to ourselves, which made the evening nice and private. Looking forward to next year.

I have stopped here for 4 weeks consecutively, I had the same room throughout,lovely room well presented and spotlessly clean. I was a bit sceptical after reading some of the reviews but can't fault it,good food, friendly staff and accomodating. It is a high Street hotel and popular with bands and karioki some evenings which stop promptly at 11, so no big issue 😎 Would recommend to all normal people ! BTW, my room was 12. W Smeeth

Dropped in to sample the ales. Three on but not really to our taste. Always busy and friendly place.

Lovely rooms and very friendly, down to earth staff. The bar is also great craic with good live music and open late.

Food took over 40 minutes to arrive and was very disappointing when t arrived. For the best part of £30 we got a mediocre fish and chips, low quality scotch egg and a slightly stale sandwich with soggy salad. Staff were fine but for the prices, the food was way below the standard it should be.

Nothing really bad but it's just a pretty basic Sunday lunch. The sweets tasted very manufactured and were just OK

Een heerlijke lunch gehad. Vriendelijke barkeeper. Snel en goed eten gehad. Alleen de chili con carne is erg heet. Smaak was wel goed.

A really nice welcoming pub, with good freshly cooked food. Meat comes from the local butcher. Great place for either a quick lunch or relaxed evening dinner.

A warm welcoming atmosphere throughout, The food was delightful, very tasty, with a extremely well presented beautiful freshly cooked surprise on a plate..... the hosts were a delight to meet with a welcoming greeting that reassured our welcome and presence.