The Rat Trap in Swindon - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Decided to try food at the local pub and was very very pleasantly surprised. The portions were massive and very affordable for what it is. Massive specials menu, of which I had the vegetable chilli with chips and rice. Would go back any time, highly recommend!

Lovely atmosphere. Great staff really pleasant. The portions are massive. I had the 8oz sirloin today and it was done just how I like it. Nothing is too much trouble. Well worth a visit!

Came here today to try their Sunday lunch with the family. Very accommodating for my gluten free daughter and had a good Sunday menu with lots of variety. I had the lamb served in a giant Yorkshire , very tasty and was served with a good selection of veg , crispy roast potatoes , stuffing and a large pig in blanket . The staff were also lovely and very welcoming and the restaurant part of the pub was very cosy and had a relaxing atmosphere. Would definitely recommend .

Went for their special curry night, wide choice of curries for less than a tenner, great price. I had thai green chicken which was very flavoursome and loads on the plate. I added a poppadom which was a good choice, freshly cooked. The rest of my table had rogan josh chicken and Rat Trap burger which they really enjoyed. All food was hot and good value. The staff were friendly and efficient and the atmopshere was good there too. Will definitely be returning. Thank you.

Today i decided to try The Rat Trap, haven’t been there since it was taken over. The food was absolutely amazing, very welcoming by all the staff, lovely atmosphere, very impressed by the new updates they have made I ordered a mixed grill, came out very quick, excellent quality for money value, nothing too much trouble, will definitely be returning, Well worth the visit , highly recommend it

I came for a meal on the weekend and the food was amazing. I was amazed by the customer service and the rules put in place to help prevent the spread of corona virus.

Rude and Sarcastic Landlord.Went there for a meal and me and my partner are both exempt from wearing face masks.I showed the landlord my card and said I was exempt and my partner said the same.The landlord then said “ YEAH SO AM I “ as he walked out, utter disgrace to treat a person with a disability like this. I will never be going back while he is in charge.Arkells wake up and audit your staff .If I could give 0 I would and that would still be too much Stay away people take your custom to a pub what welcomes its customers.

I am not local and last night was in the area with a friend , the service was exceptional , the staff were friendly and very attentive , the food was lovely my friend had the chicken madras and was amazed at the flavours I had the steak and it was cooked to perfection. Thank you

Excellent food and service. Covid safe environment but still kept a friendly personal atmosphere. Good beer and better food definitely worth a visit.

Visited the Rat Trap today for the first time in years, we called last minute to try and get a table outside after first of the restrictions lifted and the guy on the phone was very helpful and although fully booked penciled us in and explained if there was a booking that didn't show they'd let us have the seat.We arrived and the waitress was so kind and friendly and let us have a good table that had not been occupied. Everything was clean and all staff friendly. We both had the bacon cheese burger, and although the burger it's self wasn't the best (had almost a fenugreek taste) the portion size was excellent and the chips and especially the bean salad was delicious

We arrived without a booking but managed to blag table 5 outside. We ordered chips and IPA. The IPA was excellent, I’d definitely recommend it. The ordering system is queue coming into bar in a one way system, which works great. It’s a shame when the sun went in it took the heat with it as it was soon freezing!

Went to the Rat Trap for lunch on Wednesday (last supper before lockdown). We were the last people in there and saw them cleaning the tables, etc after everyone had left. The standard of cleaning was exceptional by the staff, even the landlord was steaming the chairs, etc ready for the evening trade. We were very inpressed with the high standard.The food was lovely as well, and service, using the red/green sign, was very good, and very friendly.Well done to all!!!

Lovely home cooked food at reasonable price made for a very enjoyable Friday lunch with friends. Portion sizes very good which meant we were too full for pudding but value for money. They're following all social distancing with one way system and helpful barmaid and waitress providing table service.

We had a visit to see the new smaller menu ,not such a good menu for us to pick from never mind .Our meals were good as always.We will be eating here again in the near future.

Been here quite a lot over recent years & have never really felt very welcomed here. The staff are rarely very friendly unless you are one of the customers who prop the bar up regularly.Strange ‘small town’ ambience - feel like you are being stared at and listened to by other tables that are far too closely spaced.Food portions have become significantly smaller - they seem to think they can just cram extra side salad or a big dollop of coleslaw to fill the plate, then fob you off with a tiny portion of lasagne or chilli con carne hoping you won’t notice. Also the quality of some dishes is much worse than previously, seemed to be mince out of a can instead of fresh. Also more beans than meat in the chilli. Think we’ll give this place a rest for a while til they get their act together. In fact, probably won’t bother going again! Lots of places are cutting costs due to Covid but this is a bit too far if you want to keep regular diners.

Had an amazing meal at the ratrap, would definitely recommend. Amazing food and hospitality as always.

Great place always get excellent sevice here, staff and owner very friendly, food is always 10/10 well done to you all, atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable, see you all again very soon.

Went to the Rattrap today for lunch and I have to say the food and staff were lovely , great value and always a pleasure as usual

Went here on the Monday to take advantage of the 'eat out to help out scheme' and the meals were very nice. We were somewhat disgruntled to learn that this pub vastly inflated their food prices recently which I presume to make more money out of the customer and the Government. Sort drinks and alcohol prices have also increased very recently. Shame on you Rat Trap - greedy!

Couldn't have picked a better option. Bit nervous about going out for the first time, but needn't have worried. Everything well organised and made you feel comfortable. Food and service was great and we will definitely be back soon.

This was the first time for us . Really great food !! Great portion sizes . Lovely staff . Can’t wait to come back . Everything was set up well arrows and well spaced tables and hand sanitizer on all walls and on tables too.

We had a revisit to we what it was like after lockdown , it was only the spacing of tables and arrows on the floor .With sanitiser every where , the food was just the same as before with good portions and well cooked no change there .

I've visited a couple of times at the weekend and loved it both times. The food is lovely (I had Steak one night - cooked to perfection and chicken stilton the other day). Not only the main meals but the desserts are also great, the homemade white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake was delicious! I'm always full after meals at The Rat Trap as the portions are a great, generous size. The service is great, all the staff are really friendly, welcoming and will always fit you in even when they are busy! There is also always a great atmosphere at The Rat Trap. The pub has great social distance measures in place, seating spaced out, screens at the bar where you order and plenty of hand sanitizer stations. If going to the pub is not for you at the moment then I would highly recommend the takeaways. They are freshly made and served ready for you to pick it up. The portion sizes are the same as eating in and it is great value for money. Not only this but they offer takeaway drinks too so why not treat yourself. I would 100% reccomend this pub to everyone and I'm sure there will be something everyone likes even with a 'limited' menu. The weekly menu is put on their Facebook and Instagram so definitely check that out and see what you fancy! Thanks to all at The Rat Trap for their continuous hard work and lovely meals!

I’ve had a few take aways from the rat Trap during lockdown. All have been brilliant. Staff and food are amazing. Social distancing is brilliant hand sanitizer always available. Can’t wait for the 4th of July to come and visit you guys inside again !!!

Great food and service from Mark and his team. We have had several takeaways in the last few weeks and been very pleased every time.

We had the takeaway Sunday roast. During this time of lockdown, social distancing was maintained and the food was well packaged and still hot when I had walked home. Our daughter summed up the food when she said it was “amazing”. Well done to the team for keeping going during this tough time. We’ll see you back inside when it’s all over!

A delicious takeaway Sunday lunch We had roast lamb . Well prepared , hot and fresh. Sensitively served. Highly recommended. We will be back.

Just had fish and chips from the Rat Trap it was delicious.... the takeaway service is well managed Excellent service well done to all the staff in these difficult times... Will definitely go back for more 🙂🙂

Great food supplied as a takeaway during these difficult times in a friendly (as always) and safe manner. Freshly made and still hot by the time we opened it up back home. We will be back for more.

Great takeaway during lockdown will definitely be getting another one soon, great service from mark and his colleagues

amazing collection service available during lockdown, amazing food, amazing quality and brilliant price. Very impressed with the social distancing adhered to upon collection.

We had a pork and Lamb roast today. It was hot tasty and well worth the money. Thank you Mark and the team

Four of us all enjoyed a lovely home cooked Easter Sunday lunch today plus one Lasagne & chips. All delicious and they provided a great take away service. Well done to all the staff at The Rat Trap we will be ordering again and would definitely recommend!

Hats off to Mark and the Team for producing yummy takeaway fish and chips. Well worth it. Thanks guys!!x

Had a lovely family meal for my brother and partners leaving do before they go travelling europe.totally recommend this place.

me and 3 friends decided to come here based on previous reviews and we were not disappointed. Food was brilliant bar staff we’re extremely friendly, waitress was polite and efficient landlord fun and outgoing. Will definitely return.

Having read the great reviews I expected more? It’s regular pub grub. Staff are super nice though.

Not having been here for a while decided to revisit. So glad we did, the food was excellent and the staff very helpful and friendly.

Stopped off here for bite to eat from M4 .. husband had sirloin steak topped with Pate and I had the vegetable lasagne . Wow ! Homemade coleslaw was amazing too. Good quality home cooked food my only complaint was there was too much !! Rolled myself out but will be back ASAP !! Staff all friendly too :-)

My most recent visit here was unfortunately for a wake however I felt the need to review as the service received was very caring and considerate in the circumstances, the buffet that was put on was delicious and the new function room was the perfect intimate venue for a wake. I would highly recommend

Me and my family often come here for dinner on a Sunday afternoon. The portions are always veyy generous, and the friendly staff are always more than happy to cater to any requests.

One of the most fantastic places in Swindon. We often come here for weeknight tea and Sunday lunch. Mark and his staff could not do enough for you, and always make sure everyone is catered for. Having read recent reviews I cannot understand why anyone would think the portions are small - if you ever want more of anything like gravy or custard, mark and his team are more than happy to provide it. The prices are reasonable and always good value for money. The addition of the function room and the renovated bar and lounge create a warm and cosy atmosphere, keeping that local feel. I couldn’t recommend this pub more if I tried!! Would give it 6/5 if I could

My steak was very gristly and stone cold, I informed the barmaid who called Mark the owner/chef out to me. He never apologised, he was rude and confrontational. I would never eat there again. We used to eat there every 2 weeks and it’s not cheap!!. We’d always have a sponge pudding too but custard was so limited it was embarrassing!! They still have Christmas Pudding on the desert menu at the end of January!!!

My friends and I started going to this pub about 18 months ago for our monthly lunch out when our other venue was closed for a wedding. We were so impressed with the meal and the staff and atmosphere that we have now made it our permanent place to go. We recently had our Christmas meal there and it didn’t disappoint. Generous portions, beautifully cooked and presented. I am returning for another this weekend with my family. Cannot recommend highly enough.

We ordered a large fish and chips and a bacon and beans jacket potato, good sized portions of nice food. Friendly bar staff, a young chap and a young lady called Sam ( I think that's her name).

My partner's mother unfortunately passed away last month. We had her wake at the Rat Trap. We meet Mark the manager a week before the occasion, he made us feel like we'd know him for a long time. He was so very helpful and he and his staff made the event go without a hitch. We'd highly recommend the place for any occasion.

why does your menu change depending on the time of day if you want a nice meal go in the rat trap in the day, if you want a standard meal go in the evening you order the same meal its aways different why they can't get it the same I do not know

The lasagna and garlic bread I had was very nice, was hard to choose from the great choice on the menu. The service was outstanding and staff very friendly, I will be visiting again to work my way through the menu!

Fantastic lunch.Great staff and service.Real home cooked food.Best I’ve had in Swindon.Sam the barmaid was amazing and so helpful .

First time visit after reading reviews and was pleasantly surprised by the standards of the food. A good menu and the daily specials were excellent too. We all had ate different meals and everyone agreed the food tasted delicious. The staff were so friendly and we have decided to make a return visit very soon

I had the BLT burger and my MRS had the chicken and Brie very nice pub everyone was very friendly would come back

We visited as usual ( once a week for food), we ordered a fish and chips and a chilli jacket. Both were excellent, the fish was a large piece of cod cooked perfectly and mine was the chilli jacket again excellent. For a sweet, my wife had Trifle again no problems. The young lady behind the bar is excellent (Sam ) so friendly always happy to help !!!.

Visited with friends. Had a fantastic meal. Excellent quality and quantity. Staff very welcoming and friendly. Couldn't do enough for you to make sure you enjoyed your evening. Lovely and clean. Very nicely decorated. Would highly recommend a visit.

Always great food and service and good price lovely relaxing atmosphere useally go once a month 100 times better than the pub down the road

Fantastic lunch at the Rat Trap , highworth road ,Stratton. Cheese burger with bacon ,chips ,salad such a large portion. Will be back as it was excellent.

Had a Meal here tonite another nice time with family, staff friendly as usual Good service good atmosphere food arrived on time very enjoyable Would recommend

Myself and 4 family members visited the Rat Trap to celebrate my nephew having completed 3 weeks of intensive chemotherapy. Our main meal was excellent and 4 of us enjoyed lovely puddings. However, my nephew was unable to have one as having had chemotherapy treatment, he couldn't have anything sweet. I asked the staff if there was any chance of cheese and biscuits (which isn't on the menu) and she said she would see what she could do. Mark the landlord took on the challenge and raided his own supply and presented a lovely plate of cheese, biscuits and salad. How brilliant was that!!

Hadn’t eaten at the Rat Trap for a while but decided to give it ago again following reviews on tripadvisor. My wife ordered fish and chips, which was very boney and greasy. Tartar sauce was from a sachet. I ordered steak which was over cooked (I ordered medium rare, came well done). On a positive note the decor had been recently refreshed and there was a new function room.

Lovely atmosphere, great gin selection... food was stunning, just a shame the sauce selection is cheap and nasty and spoils a perfectly good meal

Have not visited here for about a year. Phoned up around 3pm today to book a table for 2people for around 6pm. Glad I did because by 6.45 it was almost full (surprised me being a Wednesday evening). Menus are on the tables but there is also a great selection on the "specials" boards near the bar. We ordered steaks, rump/jacket potato for the wife and sirloin/chips for me. We both had the optional pepper sauce. The steaks were cooked perfectly (medium rare). The meals came with mixed salad and really crispy onion rings. Spot on! After a short break to let the main meals settle we looked at the desert menu..........wife had the apple/mixed fruit crumble with ice cream and I had the chocolate fudge cake with cream. A nice way to finish the evening. Service was friendly and efficient given the number of people the staff had to cater for. Together with drinks the bill was around £46. Would definitely recommend,but suggest booking to guarantee a table ( and to find out the opening times unlike a previous reviewer who turned up to find food was not available between 2 and 5pm and unfairly gave it a 1 star rating!!)

Celebrating a birthday with friends the food was amazing best scampi ever, all meals were cooked to perfection, feel so at ease here, lovely staff, the owner is so welcoming (little crazy with his shots) highly recommend this place keep up the good work Mark, see you soon.

We were very disappointed as we drop to eat at this restaurant and it was not mentioned on the website that food is not served between lunch and dinner.

Very good food ,sensible price very good service

Staying in the area, I looked on Trip Advisor to find a well recommended place to eat and liked the look of The Rat Trap. Huge pub with plenty of parking and lots of outside seating. I ate inside and chose from the main menu fish and chips. It was pensioners Monday and there were plenty of people taking advantage of the cut price offer. My fish and chip meal was outstanding. A huge chunk of well battered fish came with a pile of chips and peas. Also on the plate was a delicious rice salad, coleslaw and a garden salad with kidney beans, sweetcorn and peppers. My only grumble was the fish was full of bones but it was very tasty fish. The Rat Trap is on a busy road in a built-up area but the pub itself is welcoming and the staff friendly.

Sharing a birthday meal with friends and once again our food was amazing, The charismatic landlord always on hand to make you welcome and the bar staff and waiter couldn't do enough for us. The best .

What a great place. Fab food and fantastic host and staff. Well worth 5 stars and we'll worth a visit

We’ve work all over the country 30 + years. The rat trap is an oasis good beer great food. And better still great company. We’ve stopped on and off For a couple of months. Always feel very welcome but the food is second to none. Very filling but good quality with a varied menu to

Visited last Friday and again on Father's Day, both were lovely large meals, friendly staff, short wait times for meals, overall great meals & great service. Father's Day they even fitted us in later in the day as fully booked and Roast and Lasagne were lovely served with a smile! For good pub food would definitely recommend a visit.

Great for Sunday lunch or an evening meal with friends. Good food and atmosphere. Staff efficient and friendly

We are regulars at The Rat Trap we ordered a Fish pie and a Chilli jacket, the food soon arrived. The fish pie ( new on the menu ) was lacking in flavour but my Chilli was ok as usual. The meals are large for the price.

Second time We have been here with the Family. The Staff are Amazing so Accommodating and always have a Smile. Food is Lovely. Never had a Bad meal.So much Choice. Always something really different and interesting on the Special Board. Next time I need to try the Gin! There collection looks Brilliant. Would go back again and again.

Popped in on the way passed good atmosphere, a good pint of Guinness and an excellent steak. Would highly recommended.

Actually much better! Chose a fish dish off the specials board (unusual for a Monday). Great Sea Bass in prosciutto on a bed of samphire, broccoli, onion and new potato. Would highly recommend if you like good food and are looking to save yourself a few bob. Not fine dining but excellent, value for money great food.

Despite advertising that dogs are welcome we were not allowed to sit in the restaurant so had to sit in the bar where it was freezing cold.

Food very good, normal bar range plus specials board service 40 minutes which is excellant as pub very busy.

Great food (you won’t get a better roast in Swindon) and lovely friendly staff. Also, the garden is great in the summer

Visited the Rat Trap with a few friends yesterday evening. 3 of us had steaks and the other 2 had burgers, all of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Food was lovely and the staff were very welcoming. Would recommend.

We revisited again, we ordered a steak and kidney pudding and a scampi and chips with a strawberry cheesecake with cream to follow. All were delivered after a short time and were as usual excellent. The food, as usual, are large portions, give it a try you will be surprised. Just one thing the burgers come with thick toasted bread, not a bun ( not to everyone's liking, Mark the landlord is from up north maybe that's how it is up north ).

We are staying in the area for the night to visit Bath and visited the Rat Trap to watch the rugby and have food. What felt a bit intimidating at first, walking into a very locals bar, was a really lovely afternoon! Everybody was friendly, offering us seats in a busy bar and really welcoming. Great prices and great food, staff very accommodating in letting kids eat first before our meals came out and they were all piping hot and delicious! Very glad to of found this pub during our weekend stay!

Lovely meals lovely friendly staff We go to the rat trap most weeks and the food is always lovely never had a bad meal ever

Had a revisit tonight we both ordered a jacket potato, a Chilli one and a bacon and mushroom one. Both come with a side salad which is plenty unless you are really hungry. Both arrived with plenty on the plates. For a sweet, my wife ordered a honeycomb cheesecake with ice cream, again no problems there.

Have visited the Rat Trap a few times now including last Tuesday for a normal meal and last Friday as part of a group for a Christmas meal and meals are always nice. Portion sizes are good, service is very good even when the waiters/waitresses are rushed off their feet and the pub has a friendly welcoming atmosphere.

Have been here on numerous occasions and have never had a bad meal, each time you get ample servings sometimes a little too much but in a good way, the atmosphere is always good along with the service of the waitresses who are polite each time

Have been here plenty of time and usually but not every time had good food and service. Today was poor by any standards, firstly the order was wrong or so it seemed, we were sat at Table 15 and out comes our food firstly we were told its for table 12. Then when we got it the food was wrong had coleslaw which i had asked to be removed. The other meal the fish was severely over cooked to the point of being dry and brown. The burger was dry and tasteless.

Great visit to this traditional and spotlessly clean pub. Food excellent in quality and generous portions. Relaxed atmosphere and friendly and efficient staff. We’ll be back for sure.

We stayed at a B&B; just a stone throw from this pub and were advised to try it.

If visiting Swindon Supermarine, this is the nearest watering hole but is over a mile in foot. Arkells Ales are on tap and the reason the pub got it's name is worth noting.

My friends and I choose the Rat Trap to meet for our Birthday Lunches, . .

Clean and tidy staff friendly and helpful not a lot of choice on the menu went for scampi chips and peas and grilled chicken breast chicken breast was tough and bacon sauce was horrible peas were brown did not taste like garden peas. Not worth the money.

Me & my partner went to The rat trap Stratton on 8.9.2018 for a special meal has we have been together 7 years tomorrow ,And the meal was very very nice, We both had a 16oz steak with chips and onion rings & peppercorn sauce , It was cooked very well, So if you fancy a nice meal go to the THE RAT TRAP STRATTON , Staff are very friendly & very helpful ,we both will be going there again Thank you to the cook & staff x

Treated the family to Sunday lunch, very impressed. Giant Yorkshire, generous portions & Gravy best around.

Bubble squeak eggs bangers..pizza garlic bread..yummy...well worth a visit good food good price.. Thanks to the staff xx

We had a really nice evening here tonight.

Yet another very enjoyable evening with family, From the friendly reception from the bar staff happy waiting staff to one of the chefs helping to take his excellent food to all of us ( 14 ) well done to all keep up the the good team work !!

when we visit Swindon we 9/10 times come in this Pub

Lovely clean pub and friendly staff. The food is freshly cooked and tasted great. There was a nice atmosphere and looking forward to going back at the weekend

We visited the Rat Trap with a family group. The meal was great, and I paid the bill at the end but we stayed on still chatting. Ten minutes later, the landlord and server came and asked me back to the bar to discuss the bill. It turned out that I had been accidentally overcharged; I hadn't realised this myself at all. They discussed the fault and gave me a refund of the difference. Thanks very much for this excellent and honest customer service.

You are greeted with a friendly smile and a very different menu. Whilst there are the firm favourites like steak, pie and chilli, there is also a selection of home cooked specialities. The food delicious and there is plenty of it.

Myself and my family went for Sunday lunch proper home cooked food, service was spot on with friendly staff the recent re decoration and new colour scheme looks great , we will be back again :-) The Stacey family

This is one of favourite places always a good meal and plenty of it . Tonight we had a Chilli jacket(£6.75) and Mixed meat ploughman's (£9.50 )with extra chips (£2.50 ). All were just as usual ,large portions and tasty.For a sweet my wife had a Raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake (£4.50 ) , again a large portion and really nice.