The Castle and Ball in Wiltshire

I was looking for short notice Sunday lunch for 4 and as our friends were staying here we decided it was the right place. We have Sunday lunch often and would have chosen somewhere out of town if they hadn't have been booked up. I was not impressed with the offering here. It was OK but knowing what I could have been served elsewhere I was disappointed. Not enough meat. Everything was already on the plate...I would expect a big dish of steaming veg separately....but no...just 1 floret of broccoli I slice parsnip.a few bits of carrot. Not what I expected and to be honest....a bit embarrassing as I was treating them. Sorry. We often stop by door coffee and cake but won't be having Sunday Lunch again.

We had the Feta, Pear and Hot Honey open sandwich for lunch and it was delicious. A little pricey at £9. Good service. Nice quiet ambiance.

Popped in for a quick lunch. Food was excellent and served quickly. Service was good, staff very polite. Will definitely come again

We met up with family to have Sunday lunch in the restaurant. My cousin had fish and the rest of us had trio of roasts at £17.50 a head. The roasts were very disappointing, the beef, pork and turkey were tough and the vegetables sparse. We were expecting a separate dish of vegetables as there were so few on our plates, but that did not materialise. The ambience is good, the service was fine. If we meet up again in Marlborough, the Castle and Ball would not be our first choice for a meal though. We did not feel that we had value for money.

Just had a Sunday lunch, it was advertised with Rosemary and Garlic roast potatoes and literally they had opened a bag of frozen roast potatoes and put them on the plate. The pork had no flavour whatsoever and I'm sure the broccoli was also frozen. When you are paying £16 for a dinner you don't expect to have frozen food, totally unacceptable. When I complained they just shrugged their shoulders, not interested at all.

We four were well looked after. However my chicken breast was ridiculously tough and my son in law found his type of chicken was tough too. Other dishes and drinks were good, as expected

First of all I would like to stay that the staff were lovely. Welcoming and friendly and couldn’t be faulted. But the state of the rooms for the amount of money charged is really unacceptable. Extremely mouldy windows. Peeling wallpaper. Damaged furniture. I think the room must have been above the toilets because a hand dryer was going off every 10 minutes and doors banging below me. The rooms could be beautiful but clearly this place has had no investment for a long time.

My husband & I visited here last week when we came to Marlborough. It is situated right on the main road & we found their prices very reasonable as you can get 2 Mains & 2 Drinks for £25. The staff were very friendly & the service reasonable. The pub is very old so very nice to look around.

It's a coaching inn, charming cranky comfortable good breakfast

Excellent friendly staff and very helpful. Room was spacious and quiet with lovely facilities.

Stopped in for dinner and food is highly recommended. Thank you.

Stayed in this hotel a number of times now as I work for Green King . I love this hotel for its location, great food and lovely rooms. The staff here are especially friendly and go out of their way to make sure my stay is a good one. Claire is super friendly and went all out to give us our favourite room which means so much to us. Greg is another member of staff who goes all out and can’t do enough for you. Nothing is too much trouble. If I had a hotel with staff like this I would know it’s in great hands and customers would keep coming back.

Nice to stop for a drink, sit outside, and watch the world go by. Food is mediocre, usual frozen pub grub, and the service at the bar is slow.

Being after an earlyish dinner, we popped into this pub and only just managed to get a table. There were some people sat at the tables who weren't eating meals (and didn't order any) which surprised us. There are clear instructions to find a table and then order at the bar. Which we did. We didn't have any cutlery in the table container but I managed to track some down while me wife was ordering our meals. And wine - a NZ white and an Australian red (both very nice). My wife's lasagna was ok but she wasn't a fan of the garlic bread accompaniment (it was that or chips - which she doesn't eat). My fish and chips didn't have many chips but it was a large piece of fish. It was tasty. The chips were a touch on the cool side. A pleasant enough place to eat.

Had a nice cuppa tea and a slice of cake. Cake was a bit dry, though.

We went there for lunch. Roast pork with Jasmine sticky rice is delicious.

Went to restaurant here for a quick bite over the weekend and it was delicious!

Called in for lunch on our way to Cheltenham Great meal, good price and nice staff.

We have visited the hotel a few times always happy with staff friendly and professional service great hotel room and food but today we were dealt with by the lovely Clare on reception who surpassed all expectstions so a nig thanks to clare fir dealing with us with humour and making our stsy here even better ..green king very lucky to have her

A lovely Greene King pub in the centre of Marlborough! We needed a quick bite before a show, the service was friendly and quick, the food was hot and fresh and there was an excellent drink selection. Would definitely recommend a stop here!

Delightful hotel in great position with very good team of people - easy to park,great food and facilities ,lovely comfortable room

This a local venue for me now and have been in several time but yesterday was above and beyond in terms of customer service. Ben and the lady that served myself and my friend are a credit to hospitality staff. Thank you and well done!

Visited for rather a late Sunday lunch which might possibly explain why my roast beef dinner comprised only one rather large undercooked parsnip and one tiny broccoli floret! Generous portion of beef though.

Nice enough pub with it's own parking. Friendly staff but Sunday lunch was disappointing. We have the Mushroom wellington which basically was a "pie" the roast potato's were soft and the "seasonal veg" had to be asked for. I would back for a drink but not for food.

Lovely clean room, good choice at breakfast, friendly staff, great location, lots of shopping and very friendly shop keepers. We will return thank you for a wonderful stay.

I took my grandmother for a day out in Marlborough and while looking for a place to eat lunch, came across this delightful restaurant. Service was a amazing, food reasonably priced and well presented and the decor was quintessentially English. All of this is a nice bonus, but also pointless if the food isn't up to standard. Luckily, the food more than surpassed my expectations. I had the crispy chicken and a side of seasonal veg and it was heavenly. The crispy chicken was probably some of the best I've had and gravy served with it........wow. My Grandmother is 90 and doesn't eat a great deal, but she loved her grilled salmon dish so much that she vanished the whole plate. I haven't seen her enjoy a meal like that for many years. Overall very highly recommended.

Lovely coffee and excellent service, reasonably priced.

Looked after by a lovely girl called grace on Sunday for lunch, very polite and very helpful made sure everything was perfect for us, definitely will return, thank you grace!

Lovely experience the staff were very polite and friendly they catered for sixteen of us in one party with no problems very professional 😊

They hosted a family event for us and were very accommodating. One particular staff member (manager / restaurant manager) worked really hard to make our experience more pleasurable. Hats off to her as she was like a one-lady-show 😅. Quirky old fashioned hotel with very comfortable rooms. Good food.

Good value for money and had a good weekend stay there. Food is excellent. Worth the £12 extra for breakfast - recommend eggs royale. Dinner also excellent - they are busy so book. Recommend the sea bass on scallops and king prawn and pea n mint risotto. I have never seen such a hard working young waitress - she should have a bonus!

Good value and buzzy atmos in main bar (formal restaurant seemed less so). Basic chain pub grub, but generally well done (crispy squid starter a little anaemic) with friendly service and good prices.

A superb weekend break from checking with Claire who was welcoming and informative about attractions in the town and surrounding area. Our room was comfortable, well equipped and spotlessly clean. The menu provided a wide choice of meals and breakfast was superb.

Very convenient centra location in the heart of Marlbough. Car raking on site is ideal. Nice shoes and eateries with walking distance.

Nice food, a good selection of drinks and friendly staff. Just what you need when on a business trip.

Whilst this pub is right in the heart of Marlborough it is far from the standard one would expect for a town centre pub. We ordered through the app, 20 mins later I had to chase out drinks, they eventually came out 35 mins after we ordered and had a drink missing. The food wasn't up to the usual Greenking standard, it was luke warm and the roast potatoes weren't crispy and tasted like they'd been kept warm for several hours. I won't be visiting here again.

Had a wonderful meal there after dancing at the Town Hall!

Didn't stay, just enjoyed the food.

Absolutely atrocious. Booked for 15th Feb as a Valentine treat but wished we hadn't. First they hadn't reserved a table for 2 for us even though we'd booked 3 days earlier. Ordered 2 sirloins...I think mine was cut from the cows anus...it was completely inedible...just rubber and fat. The waiter asked how my steak was...I said it was awful and full of fat...he replied "apart from that is it ok?" When I complained again he offered us a free dessert! I handed it back and was then told that they had a bad batch of steaks and were sending them back. Why were they still on the menu then and why did they let us order a steak they knew was awful? It was the worst steak we've ever been served ANYWHERE. Our Valentine's night out was completely ruined and we'll never go there again.

Always enjoy our fortnightly visit to the Castle & Ball. We usually go for the 2 for £25 meal and drink deal which is excellent value for money . Staff are friendly and helpful. Very easy for parking at the time we come here which is after 6pm.

Full marks for accessible car park and a great friendly welcome with Naomi.. Our room was large with a good view of the High Street and it was quiet !! Breakfast was a delight with a very good Continental Selection followed by equally good Cooked Fayre. Evening Meals were excellent!! All in All we found this establishment a very Pleasant Place run by Graig & Gilly with help from their EXCELLENT STAFF

We staid just the one night and found the room really cosy and full of character. The staff were friendly enough and the breakfast was very good. All good ingredients and an all round pleasant experience

Fantastic staff Naomi Ben Toby and Claire couldn't do enough for you, our host's Gillian and Craig so lovely, couldn't fault the food or accommodation, all the other staff unsure of their name's very accommodating.

Well the castle certainly didn't play ball tonight. Ordered 2 meals, a sirloin steak and a lasagne Both had to be left Steak was very tough and was cold the chips only lukewarm the salt grinder didn't work it was replaced but the replacement didn't work very well either. They refunded both meals at least but it's not really what you want when you go put to eat .

We stopped for coffee and enjoyed the atmosphere so much we returned for lunch! Wendy, the member of staff serving, was so professionally friendly and helpful, you felt you knew her. You could tell she cared! This added in making our experience special and after doing some shopping, we returned for lunch - which was excellent, and very good value. Parking on site. We spoke to Claire on the hotel reception, and will def come and stay in the future. They seem to be a really close team - and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you Wendy - and Claire!

Absolutely disguted at the blatant arrogant attitude of the young lad that served my food on Wednesday lunchtime. I politely asked him to check if the food was vegan and he rolled his eyes and glared at me. Human beings are herbivores and we should never be made to feel uncomfortable for wanting to live a healthier more compassionate life. They have also blocked me on Facebook instead of apologising so I will be seeking legal action now. If you have a large group they will go where the vegan feels safe. If you have food allergies you are not safe here.

Visited this hotel for dinner on two nights when staying elsewhere in Marlborough. I've always found the staff here to be very friendly and attentive and the building has atmosphere and character. It's a fairly standard Greene King menu, but the food is good and reasonably priced.

Lovely meal, really enjoyed it. Had the risotto with fish and prowns which was light but filling and hubby had the gammon which he said was great.

Even though we only wanted a cup of the coffee, the welcome from the friendly staff and the efficiency of service was as if we were spending a fortune. A nice old-fashioned establishment with a great atmosphere. The freshly made coffee was very tasty and, an added bonus; it was dog friendly. It was a shame we were driving back to Kent and could not stop for a meal because the menu looked very good. Will see if we can stop next time we are in the area.

I thoroughly enjoyed my four days at the Castle and Ball. Perfect location, reasonable price, spacious room, free car parking, great food and lovely helpful staff. Two highlights - the cleanest bedroom and bathroom I've stayed in anywhere at any price. It was truly immaculate. And a fresh cooked breakfast to order including the best quality bacon ever. Yes, so the the floors creaked and occasionally you could hear other guests - for goodness sake, the building is hundreds of years old! A great experience and rest assured I will be back! Loved it!

Simply the best mushroom chilli ever, veggie food at its best. We'll be back for more!!! Love this pub in general, the staff especially...

I stay at the castle and ball for a year and a half working away. In all that time I never had any complaints . The staff are all fantastic and will go out of their way to make your stay comfortable. A credit to the green king .

We had a weekend stay here and can not praise the place enough clean rooms amazing food and great and friendly staff many thanks

We stayed 1 night for B & B at the Castle and Ball and couldn’t fault it. It’s an old coaching inn with character. The room was comfy and warm, the staff were very friendly and helpful offering to print off maps of Savernack forest and the breakfast choices were great. We would definitely return .

Grateful to find somewhere for 9 of us to eat after a very long walk on the downs. Good food, quick service, perfect for what we needed. Would recommend.

We have visited the Castle and Ball to eat on a few occasions over the years. Staff have always been pleasant and food good. We thought we'd give it a try again for our regular Wednesday night dining out. We didn't book since there usually is no need on a Wednesday. I parked the car in their car park and went in to enquire about a table whilst my wife waited. We wanted to eat in the dining room and as I walked in I could see that whilst there were two or three couples already dining, there was plenty of space. I thought wrong. An officious member of staff said 'Are you a resident?' to which I replied No. "I'm sorry then you can't sit in the dining room".. I was shocked. She offered another table in the main room which was so small it wouldn't have been suitable. I questioned her again about why we couldn't sit in the dining room. She then relented and said she would go and ask somebody about it. A few minutes later she came back and said 'I'm sorry but we've got a busy breakfast tomorrow and all these tables are laid up for breakfast. Being 'laid up for breakfast' means they've put a knife, fork and napkin on the table. You can only imagine how I felt about this kind of customer service. Too lazy to make up one of at least ten empty tables in a dining room, for two customers to dine in! All I could say was 'Ok we'll go somewhere else'.. 'sorry about that' she said as I walked out. We went to Dan's in Market Street, spent our money with them and had a fabulous meal with great service (see separate review) It gives me no pleasure at all to post a negative review, but there are at least two staff at the Castle and Ball who need to be given some lessons in customer service and how to how to run a successful business. The welcome we were given was utterly abysmal.

Large Greene King pub with accommodation and its own carpark. Nice pub with several dining areas. We had a Half Chicken and a Hunters Chicken. Both were absolutely delicious and of ample portions. Excellent meals, highly recommended.

Very tasty food served my nice and helpful staff , the fish and chips is good so is the lasagne but the fish risotto is the best, cooked to perfection , the castle appears to have a local following of ladies that lunch which is a good sign .

Outstanding !!....... friendly, spotlessly clean, delightful room, great food, fab location, what more can I say apart from a Huge Thank You to Imogen, Naomi, Elisha and all the team for making my two night stay a true delight. Huge pat on the back for all the amazing staff and management......I can't recommend this little gem enough !!!

We booked a total of 5 rooms from superior to a single occupancy. Our visit was to celebrate my birthday and our first wedding anniversary. Allocated room 4. This is a large room overlooking the front of the building. Secondary double glazing installed. Very hot...

Thank you for an excellent meal! 7 adults and 6 children under 7. Good food. Well proportioned children's meals. Quick. Hot. Exemplary service. Without doubt one of the best large party restaurant meals we've had. The highlight of our family get together.

Booked a table for my partners birthday unusually we both ordered fillet steak one with the turf which I think had swam away the second with a Stilton mushroom and pepper corn sauce which was on the steak not served separately. Both steaks were tuff...

We stayed at The Castle and Ball for a post Christmas getaway. Checkin was fast and very welcoming and friendly. We were given a free upgrade to a suite without even asking which was a lovely gesture. The room was huge. Its a very old...

Just moved to Marlboro after spending the last 30 years in the hospitality business. The customer service here is appalling especially the young female duty manager who I spoke with yesterday. A complained nicely about the size of the soup portion, in which I has...

So disappointed in the Castle & Ball Marlbough, really poor quality lunch, 2 out of 10 the lowest grade ever. Will not return for food

Busy midweek pre-Christmas morning in Marlborough. Cafes were full so dropped in to the Castle and Ball. They were busy but plenty of space. Meeting up with some friends we had coffee then brunch. Coffees were the usual machine selection but the brunch menu was...

29th November went with friends to have a Christmas party WOW what a brilliant time and amazing food, staff were great and friendly and let us have fun(we were a little bit mad but all enjoyed the atmosphere)thank you to my friend Caroline (housekeeper)for organising...

We had lunch is this pub off the high street, has a car park behind with free parking which is a bonus in this town, entrance is off the high street through the doors (tight). Staff were very friendly, decor standard pub, and food also,...

5 of us enjoyed a lovely family lunch at the Castle & Ball this week. It was our first family get together since Covid & since losing a dear family member. A lovely spot for our 3 ‘older’ (elderly) family members to meet up. The...

Went for a meal with my partner just to cheer ourselves up. Clare on reception is always happy and cheerful. Unless very busy. Toby keeps an eye on the tables for when you want to order. Lovely guy. Imogen delivers the food and good cheer....

The hotel is positioned in the heart of Marlborough high street. A beautiful, historic Old Town. The staff are friendly, the rooms are clean and the breakfast is delicious! All in all, great value.

This was a family 21st birthday celebration. Spoilt by a very rude female bar staff that refused to serve due to no ID (which is fine) but her rudeness and refusal to accept passport photo ID once sent and snatching of a glass off the...

Apparently it has been refurbished recently....not sure where! The bar area seemed very scruffy & I swear the carpet was there in the '80's! Generally looked in need of some love...hope the rooms are better. Staff were friendly & helpful. I definitely wouldn't rush back!

We were greeted by Jenn who was so helpful with our selections on the menu. And the the food was just what we were desiring!

Staff make or break a place. Shout out to everyone. Simon1, Simon2, Mel. James and last but not least Wendy. Pop in for a quiet drink and a chat with staff who always have time to chat and explain the menu. Lunch menu is

We had visited nearby Avebury and on our way home, we stopped for a bite to eat at this cosy place with friendly staff and comfortable seating. Lots to choose from off the menu... Food is paid for when ordering drinks at the bar. After...

On Tuesday September 13th we decided to eat at the Castle and Ball . We ordered our main courses which were satisfactory followed by a crumble tart with custard. The custard arrived in a separate china gravy boat style pourer which was fine. I poured...

Staff are super friendly and accommodating. We were looking for a dog friendly place to have a coffee and as there was a chill we didn't want to sit outside. Dogs are Very welcome and treated equally as there human counterparts. Very clean, well presented...

Stayed here for a three day weekend break 2nd September to 5th . Had a great stay the room was nice and spacious with all the facilities you would expect . Breakfast was very good and we ate here several times over our stay and...

We used this as a base to have a couple of days walking. So having the use of a free car park, good food and ale was the perfect place the stay. The breakfast had every option expected, great vegan and vegetarian options, and the...

Works well and it is what it is .. Budget brewery owned chain .. clean rooms and helpful staff, bathroom could be updated with thermostatic shower etc and breakfast updated with fresh and veggie options. Parking good and well situated. Good enough and would stay...

Just had a one night stay at the castle and ball marlborough.would like to say how friendly and professional all staff are.rooms all clean ,well equipped.

We had an evening meal in this establishment earlier this month. The atmosphere within was pleasant and the front windows look out onto Marlborough's wide high street. My rump steak was an on the tough side and slightly gristly. I expected better. However, my main...

Called into the castle and ball fir some lunch we have visited Malborough on the market day tho never had lunch.. tho today sat 25th we did omg the food was 😋 and the pudding very moreish thank 😊 you to the staff for very...

We had a lovely family dinner last weekend at the Castle and ball. I had an Ultimate hunters chicken, what was very tasty, juicy chicken, lots of tasty sides and extras. The waitress was very nice and helpful.

Great food and great staff. Can’t wait to go back again soon. Thank you to Craig and Claire for being so helpful. Thank you very much.

Love the food here. It is quite homely, reasonably quick and very tasty. Nice pub with nice atmosphere. Eat alone whilst away on business loads and it has become a favourite whilst in or near Swindon. Better than the town centre and in a lovely...

The stay was fantastic, we had to stay while we had builders working at home. The room was very clean with wibbly wobbly floors, it was great. The staff made us feel very welcome from the front desk to the waiting staff and housekeeping 😊...

Just got home from a three night break at the Castle and Ball Hotel in Marlborough. The hotel was very clean and offered a good selection of food for both breakfast and evening meal. What made the trip even more enjoyable was the warm welcome...

Just come back from a 3 night stay at the Marlborough Hotel The staff were amazing especially Naomi Emma Mel Craig and Simon They couldn’t be more helpful advising us the best places to go etc Annette Amor

We’re literally sitting right now waiting for our 2 kids to finish their 45 minutes of wait burger and nuggets. We have arrived at 11.30 and used an app to order 2 brunch and 2 kids food with drinks. Order was completed and paid using...

Stopped by for a late lunch today during a busy bank holiday Monday after a long walk. Good food which was served quickly - and outstanding service from Mel from start to finish. She seated us, took our order, served all of our courses, drinks...

We stayed at the Castle and Ball after riding our bikes from London. As we were arriving close to the time the kitchen was closing we rang ahead to see if they would be able to keep it open for us and they couldn't have...

Came in for dinner, lovely food and very attentive staff. I just want to thank Keira and James for great service. We will definitely be back.

We had lunch here yesterday. Fish & Chips and Lamb Hot Pot Pie with Mash & Veg. Both meals were very nice, plentiful and lovely and hot.... I hate hot food served lukewarm! Staff were polite and helpful. We would happily eat here again.

stayed here many times all ways good nice rooms book direct for best deals staff all ways very helpful

We came here on recommendation from someone who praised the good service, and we found this to be the case - the staff were attentive and efficient. We had the gammon steak, with scotch egg and pineapple, and the beef and ale pie. The pie...

Quirky and very interesting building. Our room was fabulous, the staff were very friendly and helpful. We had lunch which was delicious and very reasonably priced, there was also an excellent choice for breakfast. Overall we had an excellent stay.

The service was good, however the food was terrible. 3 Roast dinners were ordered in our party and not even the Yorkshire pudding could save the dinner. The Beef was not Pink as described, but so well done it was bordering inedible and also very...

We have just returned after a weekend away and I cannot falter this hotel. The waitresses are a credit and can’t do enough for you. We had both are evening meals at the hotel and breakfasts and I could not fault the food and service....