The Optimist Bar & Kitchen Uplands in Swansea

I’ve never left a review before but this was too dreadful not too! Horrendous customer service after we ordered over £90 worth of food, delivery driver delivered food to the wrong address with nothing to let us know it had been delivered! When calling to request a refund I was told that I’d made a mistake and to double check with my house and that I should’ve contacted them earlier (even though we waited the allocated delivery time -1hr) We were then hung up on by a member of the team whilst we were attempting to claim our money back 2 hours after our delivery with no food! If I could leave a lower review I would! I suggest no one risks wasting any money on this terrible/rude business!

Apon arrival we waited 20 minutes for a table despite their social media accounts stating they were not taking bookings a table of 4 jumped in front of us because ‘they had booked a table’ service was very slow when the food arrived the whole table felt like everything was undercooked to the point where the sausage was sent back for being raw in the middle. Even the replacements was still anemic. No real apology given just can I return the sausage to show the chef. Quite overpriced in general and left feeling unimpressed.

Would highly recommend. Had a Japanese take away and it was spot on. I had the duck donburi which was really nice personally could have had a touch more chilli but that's a personal preference. I also had the pork gyoza andcthey were very tasty. There was a large group of us and everyone commented how nice the food was.

I had one of the best burg in this place. The flavour was delicious plus they fold the food in an aluminium paper what kept my burg hot for long. The chips and the drinks really nice as well. I had an delicious cocktail with fresh basil. I would recommend.

Booked a table for 19:30 .. arrived on time looking forward to a smoking griddle burger. Was told Our table wasn’t ready and in fact they were fully booked (even though we had booked a table earlier on that evening). We were told to wait in the bar area which was no problem as they were clearly busy. When we asked 15 mins later how long approximately we would have to wait for our table we were told “he didn’t know and we would have to wait and see” We left soon after as he failed to make any attempt to explain what had happened / when our table would be ready / whether we even had a table. Awful service. Awful attitude on the staff member. Won’t be going back.

We went for our lunch. My wife and I had the Welsh rarebit which was really tasty. Delicious topping of cheese with beer and mustard. My Daughter and Husband had an all day breakfast which they enjoyed.

Please stop playing whiney music so loudly in here guys! My ears were crying. Service super polite - nice chicks.Breakfasts were great! Tea, coffee, smoothies - all sound. The French toast was so good that Im pretty sure its the same french toast you get for breakfast in heaven. The french toast that beautiful angels bring to you and you can eat as many pieces as you want and never get full. Volume down to four, french toast up to ten please!

Thank you so much for hosting the Irontriswim night out. A great night was had by all and the Tapas was fantastic. We have always loved the optimist but this is the first party we have had there.

We popped in to try the pancakes and they were unbelievably tasty 🤤 not had anything like them before! Definitely the best in Swansea 😍 The staff were also really welcoming and warm! Would definitely recommend a visit, 100% coming back

No customer service skills whatsoever. Had 2 Taco lunches which were ok. After we finished my friend ordered a second coffee. The waitress (who was more interested in looking at her phone for most of the time we were there) spilled a cup of coffee over my friend legs as she was putting it down in to the table. She apologised, brought a large toll of blue paper to the table and then left us to clear up the mess!! She made and delivered a new cup of coffee but there was no concern for my friend whose trousers and socks were soaking wet as the coffee had run down into her boots.After a while when they were not forthcoming, I suggested that she should receive the coffee as a complimentary one. They looked at me as if I had two heads. “ you want your money back?” I said it was the least they could do and they get her her £2.50 back.To top it all we overheard the waitress talking about us to a member of the kitchen staff whilst sitting behind us. The staff need some customer service training. Not very Optimistic that we’ll be going back.

I used to visit here all the time. I don’t anymore.My favourite thing to eat here was the duck in boa buns. They don’t serve those anymore. Maybe for good reason as the final two times that I had them the buns were hairy. Not like natural hair. You know like fluff. Like off clothes that kind of fluff. So I stopped going for a while.The next time I visited was on a ‘Burger Friday’ and it was actually quite a nice night. The burger was nice enough, however, it tastes and looks identical to the ‘Five Guys’ burgers sold in Wind Street. This could be a good thing for some.Anyway, the thing I have started trying here instead of the duck is the chicken taco. I’ve had these about 3 times. Every time it was awful. I’m not sure what cement tastes like but that is how I would describe the taste of the chicken. The taco is also pointless as the chicken is not wrapped in it and the taco you get is too small to put the chicken in anyway. No shape.What I will say about my most recent visit, however, besides the chicken still being bad is that I had the best Long Island Ice Tea that I’ve had in a good while. Good job. Clean your menus.

Food is delicious and live music is always great at the Weekend. Love the pancakes too. They’re the best I’ve had!

I lived in Uplands for a long time and The Optimist is THE place to go whether it's for a morning Coffee, brunch or late night cocktails!

Eaten here numerous times breakfast is amazing quality and taste. Had various options.. full breakfast, avocado with poached egg and veggie breakfast always tasty amazing food and a treat. Little pricey at £8 but we come indeed a month and love it.. cant fault it.

Visited the Optimist and had an awful experience. Nothing available on the menu, and the staff seemed totally overwhelmed. Complained to the manger, what a bad attitude to customers, never again.

Visiting Swansea Uplands, i took a stroll and The Optimist Bar & Kitchen caught my eye. With its slick exterior.

Well priced, decent quality brunch food. Even when busy it’s still a relaxing place to eat and drink. The French toast is spot on!

Took my husband here for breakfast. I had a veggie breakfast and he had maple pancakes. Absolutely delicious. Staff were attentive and ambience was nice. Will be back.

Ordered 2 breakfasts and was really disappointed with what we got. Poached eggs were terrible and the piece of toast was so small it was hardly worth having on the plate. I will day the coffee was good but expensive.

Pretentious and misses the mark. Nice sounding breakfast brunch light snack menu....well presented poorly cooked. Uninterested staff. Cakes and doughnuts left uncovered perched on the end of the bar. As a result were stale and dry. To many better places around to warrant another visit.

Love this place for gluten free and vegan brunch. My only complaints are that the menu does not have so much choice for both gluten free and vegan in the evening time.

This place was recommended to me by my friends daughter Charlotte I who works here, when she heated that I was looking for a breakfast in the area:)

Can’t really fault the brunch, great innovative menu but the service is very substandard. The tables are never wiped clean, the crockery received are dirty, the floor has remnants of previous breakfasts past... even the menus are dirty! The sugar containers are empty - it shouldnt be too hard to keep the front house tip top?

Attente à prévoir même en cas de réservation... les burgers sont bons les frites aussi mais tout se paie séparément (burger 8,5£, frites 2,5£,...).

Called here as my daughter was visiting Swansea and she had heard about this place on social media whilst talking to friends. The atmosphere was relaxing, staff friendly, service was good and the food was freshly cooked to order and delicious. My mother-in-law who never eats much cleared her plate. Would recommend this place for brunch.

I have visited the optimist a number of times recently and have found it to be an absolute gem to study! Staff don't seem to have any problem with this use at all, including using the plugs as long as you buy something sufficient for the amount of time you are there! The coffee is always lovely, would recommend trying a coconut milk cappuccino! The atmosphere here is always so great. Food is also decent if a little pricey but I aware I am on a student budget! The kickstart bowl with a side of halloumi is banging, as is the eggs benny hash!

Place and staff were nice enough but the food was lackluster in taste and structure. My pizza was soaked in oil and nothing stuck, basically soup on a thin piece of bread.

Called here for drinks on a busy Saturday night as I had heard a lot of people talking about the place. Fantastic music!! Very young and shallow clientele. Pricey drinks.

Our first visit and will definitely return great choice of food. Good size portions. Friendly service

Enjoyed a wonderful gf veggy breakfast and my friend had avocado. Always friendly service, chilled atmosphere and great tasting food ❣️

Well, what can I say. My fourth visit last night and it gets better every time. If you are coming down for Smoking Griddle burgers, which were out of this world! You must stay overnight as the breakfast and brunch menu is the best. 2 for £12 on cocktails last night and the Pornstar Martinis were stunning. Superb presentation of drinks. The staff were friendly, prompt with service and efficient when dealing with customer demands, especially from one larger table who had to wait a little longer for there food, which is expected as it was a table of 12! Doubt they would want to eat there food at different times. Fresh, tasty food every visit with a modern, fresh and welcoming environment to enjoy quality family time, catching up with friends or listening to some fab live music on the weekends. I love The Optimist and being there with good food and good company makes me feel a little more Optimistic about life. Ooooh, getting a bit deep there, but The Optimist is my favourite place and next time I am there I plan to stay there as long as I can until I get kicked out! Thankyou so much for making The Optimist in the Uplands and well done to the staff who work so hard to make it a success. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Had been hearing lots about this place recently and thought we should give it a go. We were treated to a great evening of cocktails, relaxed atmosphere and most importantly lovely food. The staff were great and friendly. Will definitely be visiting again.

What a wonderful place to spend a rare evening out. From the moment we walked into The Optomist we were made to feel special. Warm friendly staff were very attentive but not intrusive. The food was utterly delicious as were the cocktails. We loved our time at The Optomist and will be returning very soon.

After seeing the pictures on social media I was again tempted here to give the Optimist a second chance after the first disappointing visit.

Had a really lovely breakfast here a week ago. Staff were friendly and the breakfast was fresh and tasty. Only one thing and it is just a bug bear of mine, I could have done with a slightly runnier yolk in my egg, nevertheless the egg was still good and I ate it all. Will be coming here again

With amazing coffee and a whole menu of unbelievable food you're spoilt for choice at The Optimist, the menu is also updated regularly. It is by far my favorite place to eat/drink/socialise/hold meetings fits all. You can even stay into the evening on the weekends with live music playing and cocktail offers on. Special mention for the eggs benny hash and the PANCAKES!!!

Visited the Optimist today for a catch up with my mum. Lovely and relaxed atmosphere and lots of choice on the menu. We decided to go for the pancakes after seeing them on Facebook and they were goooooorgous. Highly recommend xx

Had the vegan taco off the brunch menu which is essentially a tortilla layered with a beautiful pickled salad with what I think were fried cauliflower florets! After nearly two years on a plant based diet this dish is possibly one of the best, tastiest meals I have had to date, can't recommend it enough to both vegans and carnivores!! My wife had the brunch taco which was a similar concept except consisted of avocado and fried eggs. Lovely relaxed environment and very polite helpful staff

Visited the Optimist for a team night out/ leaving do. The Smoking Griddle were there that night and served the BEST BURGERS EVER!! Soooo good. Great drinks and live music to boot. Great night. Highly recommended.

great coffee wrap and probably the best double espresso anywhere in Swansea we tried the pop-up kitchen burgers Saturday really really good

Epic burgers, great music, good bar/selection. Uplands is the place to be in Swansea nowdays, and the Optimist is fast proving to be the pick of the bunch!

Superb burgers in an excellent bar.The overall dining experience was superb, the ordering process was very efficient and the food was delivered by the friendly staff very quickly. The owners have created a friendly, cosy atmosphere in the bar and the drinks with the food was top class.

What an amazing welcome from all the staff, great canapès..all in all 5 stars..very relaxed staff helped make the day memorable Thank you

Went for breakfast this morning The Optimist has a very light and airy feel very modern decor with a selection of tables xx The staff are very warm and friendly nothing is too much trouble. The food is amazing I had pancakes with maple syrup which were the best ever tasted, Molly had pancakes with bacon and syrup and Grace had full breakfast which was fabulous all food was hot well presented and very tasty. We had 3 lattes which were stunning this place is well worth a visit will definitely be back xx

A lovely effort made with the mini chalkboards on each table with the booking persons name and nice atmosphere even without a crowd. The menu wasn't great but more like a couple a sharing platters and tapas.

I appreciate nothing more than a quality brunch and fine coffee on a lazy Sunday afternoon and having tried many of the fantastic coffee culture cafés and restaurants in the South Wales area I decided to try somewhere new that appeared to fit the bill.

The Optimist is a popular choice with residents and visitors to Uplands alike. Lively, approachable ambience, relaxed seating and truly delicious and decadent home made doughnuts, cakes and other sweet treats to wash down with a fine cup of coffee.

We have been to the Optimist a handful of times now and when we have been we have always had fabulous care as well as delicious food. We have tried the cooked breakfast and the vegan breakfast, along with the pancakes. The food has always come arrived to our table within half an hour which is a fabulous time as we are not in a fast food restaurant, and when it has come it has always been delicious. We have also attended one of their nights when the pizza boys have been there which was also a pleasant experience. The interior is quirky and cool and the staff have always been so so friendly. We love the optimist and can’t wait to go back for more. Thanks guys! & we hope this review helps others.

Came for Sunday brunch with my family. This was my second visit. 2 of us enjoyed the Eggs Benny Hash which tasted great though the portion size was rather small given the cost. My partner had the optmist full breakfast. Again tasty but the bacon would have been better if it were more crisoy and the portion of baked beans was too small. The Coffees and mocha we had to accompany were fine. We bought a piece of chocolate cake to take away and again were disapppointed by the portion size.

Great service. Lovely venue for couples and small groups. Ambience is great. Food is of good quality and offers plenty of choice.Will go again soon.

My son who is a regular customer brought me here this morning for breakfast.it was my first visit here and certainly won’t be my last.lovely service,nice cuppa and the American pancakes with bacon and maple syrup was absolutely delicious.see you again soon xxx

I have been meaning to try The Optimist for sometime and I wasn't disappointed. There were 3 of us all with young babies but we found a table and managed to get our prams in OK.

Great coffee and food. Made even better when 'The Pizza Boys' arrive and bring their pizza. Makes The Optimist a must go.

We went to the Optimist for the first time,and were made to feel very welcome,in a very modern and well decorated restaurNt.Quite noisy there as it was extremely busy.We only had some deserts with coffees,but will definitely go again.

My wife and I came here for a full Welsh breakfast on a Sunday morning after having stayed at a lovely apartment round the corner. Tasty, filling and plenty of it - and reasonable value too. The place was absolutely heaving so we were lucky to get a table at 10:30! Will certainly return.

Tried to overcharge me for drinks, also when I popped my head in to the ‘female’ bathroom to check on my girlfriend, the overagressive bouncer told me to mind my own business and that if I showed attitude, I would be thrown out. Absolutely horrendous

Came here for tapas and drinks on a Saturday evening, we were offered the Christmas tapas menu and ordered 9 dishes between the 4 of us which was plenty as we were not too full to carry in drinking! Service was great, staff were friendly and served delicious cocktails. By the time we left a DJ was setting up and the place quickly filled up. Thoroughly enjoyable evening with friends.

Popped in this funky little cafe in the Uplands for a quick coffee stop with my better half. Really stylish, really clean and staff super friendly. The latte was awesome and the cake they had was from The Cake Box and it was amazing (really recommend the white chocolate and raspberry cake!) Really reasonably priced as well. Definitely need to stop by here if you're in the area

This is a lovely place which resembles a cross between a bar, cafe, chill out meeting place and restaurant. The food is served throughout the day even if your lunchtime is actually 3pm!

Visited with a friend for lunch. Nice atmosphere, lovely staff. I had the pork boas and they were delicious! Wish it had been a bigger portion for the price though. My friend got the katsu and was initially given the wrong order, but that was quickly rectified and the staff were very apologetic. Will definitely be returning

I ordered a deluxe hot chocolate and a pork ramen. WOW. The hot chocoate was actually a cold chocolate. That thing definitely couldn’t be called ramen at all. The restaurant either don’t understand ramen or they try to differentiate themselves from proper Japanese food in a bad way. The miso soup wasn’t a miso soup, it was a soy sauce based soup. The reman wasn’t reman, it was an egg noodles. They even put a porched egg on top of the ramen and the whole thing was presented in a pasta plate ......... Please can the restaurant either change the name of that dish away from ramen or just concentrate on doing British food. Huge disappointment.

We came here for brunch as a big group (7 people) and we were lucky to get a table very quickly. Unfortunately it only had 6 chairs and we had to wait a fair amount of time before they brought they brought the 7th. We ordered and paid at the bar but drink options were limited as they had run out of several things. Our drinks then took ages to arrive and the food was luke warm at best when it came. Nevertheless it was a nice place, food presentation was good and staff were friendly enough.

Delicious coffee. Lovely lunch even had breakfast there Also nice stop in the evenings for glass or two and snack Staff also very nice

Not much more that I can say other than it was the best vegan breakfast that I have had so far in Swansea - and I have been doing the rounds! Haha.

Visited in the evening. Options was very limited. Waitresses/ bar staff were pleasant but menu was very limited. On arrival of food we felt the quality was poor and undercooked. Other parts of the meal were over cooked. Food was largely inedible. Would visit again for a drink but not for food. Left feeling hungry and made a sandwich upon my return home. Thank you please x

Visited on a Sunday - really busy and still consistently good food and service. Staff really amenable. We will continue to visit!

Lovely coffee and delicious brunch - had the Garden Brunch, which consisted of sweet potato pancakes, field mushroom, wilted spinach, vine tomatoes, beetroot hummus and spiced chickpeas. Really different to anything I’ve tried before and I will definitely return again.

Great venue, and location in uplands. Have been leisure with family and friends. Customer service was great and really helpful. There was a great variety of food to choose from and at a good price.

Great venue, Have been here for both business meetings and leisure, No matter what time of the day the customer service is fantastic and very 'optimistic'.

Lovely place to have lunch with friends or to get a coffee and do some work. The food is also really lovely and the staff are super nice.

We visit quite a few cafes on a Sunday because we take dad to church! Anyway we called in for breakfast today and sat in the sun out the front, ordered two breakfasts ( one each) and two pots of tea! Breakfast came and it was fantastic I can say with all of my heart thank you! It was delicious! We will be returning xxx

I have been a returning customer at The Optimist since day one and can’t speak highly enough of the food, the service and the overall atmosphere. The pancakes are a must and my children in particular enjoy the vegan sweet potato version! The atmosphere in the night is great and the cocktails are amazing as are the sharing platters and acoustic nights!

Had wonderful coffee and cake during the day. Sat in the courtyard with friends and chatted and enjoyed the sunshine. Returned Saturday night - very busy, which was great to see - but the music just kept getting ratcheted up until we couldn't hear ourselves think. Loud music is great in a dance club - but not in a bar where you want to talk and have a laugh. We left, bought some beer in the supermarket and went home... a shame because this is a great little bar.

Very nice food, very filling. Lovely polite staff. Definitely will be returning. New favourite place!

One thing I hate is any business that treats its customers or potential customers with contempt. This seems to be one of them as we turned up hoping for a meal and looking at the opening times on the door we noted it closed at 1130pm.

This is the second time I have visited. The first time took an age for service, drinks and food but I gave it the benefit of a second visit. I know all food is cooked fresh to order BUT we ordered from the bar ourselves having waited for a waitress, then had to go back to the bar as they'd obviously forgotten our drinks, we've now been Sat here for 45 minutes waiting for food. For a place that only has a small menu and about 40 customers it's not good. I would not come here again or recommend.

i cannot recommend The Optimist enough for their afternoon tea. On booking, they were more than helpful with accommodating of very few things we wanted to change from the original menu. On attending for the afternoon tea we were greeted by a friendly member of staff and offered tea and coffee and then braught out afternoon tea. Nothing has every looked so appealing! You could see straight away that everything was homemade and fresh. The variety was the best yet and every item of food was outstanding... adding that the warm scone and scotch egg was the best ive ever had. Recommend everyone to try and i will definately be returning soon! Great value for money also! I love trying out afternoon tea's and ive had my fair share but this one was by far THE BEST YET.

Called for a coffee. Staff friendly, coffee excellent. However, it was very grubby - stains on tables, floor dirty, ground in dirt on table pedestals, seats and cushions very stained......whoops!!

The food I ordered (French toast) was tasty, and filling. However, the portion size for the beans on toast was poor. One piece of bread and 2 table spoons of beans in a little jar....

Took a friend out for her birthday. Was pleasantly surprised with the menu, it covered most bases including gluten free and vegetarian. Service was friendly though could have been a little more proactive (bought tap water to the table without having to order it). Food was excellent, portion sizes good value for money. Coffee was perfect but kir royale price was a bit steep for the size of the glass.

Don't have the cured salmon, more salt than the dead sea. Sent my meal back sadly and the quinoa was super cold and salty too. Although my mate had delicious garlic mushrooms on toast. I wish I hadn't been too late for breakfast so will try again.

Visited for the first time today for a late breakfast with my father, smart venue friendly staff looked promising.

Really love the decor of the place and the atmosphere. The food is delicious, maybe slightly expensive but definitely worth it! Service wasn’t amazing and maybe the menu could be extended a little! However will definitely be returning for another brunch

Came here for evening tapas last night and it did not disappoint. The vegan food choices were outstanding and even my meat eating friend stuck to the vegan options so that we could share everything and she enjoyed it all. Atmosphere was great and staff were lovely. As a vegan the only thing lacking was suitable wine options. In fairness the waitress was really helpful and went above and beyond in trying to find out for me what i could have but unfortunately had no joy. For such a good vegan menu it would be great to see suitable drinks too. Will definitely be back!

We came here Easter Sunday based on the trip advisor reviews and it did not disappoint. The food was SO good and probably the best sour dough bread ever. Really recommend the avocado/chill/feta on toast. Portion sizes were really good value too and the staff were very friendly and chatty. If I lived in this area it would probably be my local go to brunch.

Popped in last week around lunch time on a Wednesday. Nice chilled atmosphere, love a brunch spot where you can chill out on the sofas and read the paper!

I visited the Optimist last week with friends, we arrived about 11.40am on a Friday and it was very busy. We perched at the back on the stools until a table became free as they were not comfortable to eat on.

Visited a couple of times previous just for a quick coffee, this time we stopped for a bite to eat and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I went for theThai green curry which was delicious. Always enjoy our visits here, friendly staff and helpful in a comfortable setting.Keep up the good work L.

Coffee is naturally sweet and at a good temperature, the homemade pancakes are delicious! (Really, really good) Acai bowls are creative and filling, all food lovely presented and tasty. Modern and relaxed atmosphere, worth a visit...

Lovely furnishings and a pleasant ambiance spoilt by a terrible barman. He was rude and even barged into my friend without apologising. The food was nice but I don’t think I would go back because of the horrible chap

Met an individual for breakfast to discuss some business matters. The food was lovely, as was the service; very friendly servers and the managers were great too.

I went two times and it was perfect.The best brunch in town!!! I totally recommend it to everyone, you will love it.

Ramp removed to build terrace but not replaced. No disabled access. Went with son to see if suitable for Mothers day. Expected new restaurant to be fully accessible but not the case.

Probably the worst presentation of food I have ever had. Coffee slopping in the saucer and luke warm. Cheese something on toast or as it is known wealsh rabbit was presented with Tired salad, inedible soggy presentation.

Firstly when you enter a restaurant you should be greeted or seated. That doesnt happen often at Optimist, I have eaten here three times and only once have I been greeted when entering. The food at the optimist is great, the food tastes amazing. BUT the service is beyond slow. If you order expect at-least a 20/30 min wait. This is rather bad, but you have to be understanding of the fact that they are a new restaurant so they're I guess finding their feet. I would recommend this restaurant for brunch, the brunch menu is easy hipster and affordable.

Very expensive for what you get however the breakfasts are nice.Went for Beaujolais Day and food was very disappointing. Would go again.

My basic meal - poached eggs on toast was fine as was my friends Chicken/bacon sandwich. However my other friend had the falafel and chickpea salad which was awful. Dry and stale.

The hubby and I came here for breakfast as has heard good reviews. And certainly did not disappoint. Absolutely stunning breakfast with locally sourced produce. Would highly recommend. Probably best breakfast so far!!

Food was over cooked and burnt to a crisp, drinks were flat and the waiter was rude and unprofessional! Would get better customer service and food a few doors up in KFC! To top it off, staff were seen eating food whilst preparing! Will never ever return here even if they paid me.

Food was really overpriced and didnt feel there were a lot of vegetarian choices! The service was poor, we not only waited ages for our food but found the servers rude as well. Have heard the lunch menu is better though, as we went for dinner.