The Spotted Cow

Featured reviews

• K

  k curtis

  ·1 month ago

  “⭐ Absolutely horrendous experience – avoid! I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a meal this bad. We visited the Spotted Cow in Swindon and ordered the Full Monty mixed grill and fish & chips. The mixed grill was disgusting. I specifically asked for my steak rare, but it was so badly cooked that it was ice cold in the middle. That isn’t rare — that’s practically uncooked. My wife had the fish & chips, and if the piece of fish had been any thinner, there would have been nothing left except the batter. To make matters worse, we ordered a Coke and a Dr Pepper, and both were so watered down they were practically undrinkable. The cleanliness of the restaurant also left a lot to be desired, and the staff appeared to have had very little, if any, customer-service training. There was no real effort to make the experience better. I can honestly say this was the worst meal I’ve had in Swindon. With so many better places to eat locally, I certainly won’t be wasting my money here again. Save your money and go somewhere else.”

• T

  Tiffany Collins

  ·1 month ago

  “Unfortunately, our visit to The Spotted Cow in Swindon was extremely disappointing from start to finish. We arrived at 19:40 for our 19:45 booking. When we arrived, the lady at the front of house barely acknowledged us. We explained that we had a booking and gave her the name, only to receive a wave of the hand towards the restaurant and a dismissive “yeah, just sit wherever you want” before she walked away. There was no warm welcome or any sense that our arrival was of any importance. Things unfortunately didn't improve once we were seated. When our food arrived, we were surprised to find that there were no knives or forks at the table. I asked a member of staff for some, only to be met with a point across the restaurant and a blunt “yeah, it’s over there with the sauces.” Rather than someone simply bringing cutlery to the table, we were left to go and get it ourselves. It may sound like a small thing, but combined with everything else, it added to the overall impression that customer service was simply not a priority. Both of our children ordered roasts, while my partner and I ordered a mixed grills. Sadly, none of the meals were cooked to the requests we had made. The food was extremely dry, and the gravy was lumpy, making the meal very unpleasant. This wasn't a case of simply having different tastes or preferences—the food genuinely fell well below what we expected when eating out. We had also ordered drinks, but my partner's Guinness tasted awful and was left largely untouched. We decided to speak to a member of staff about both the food and the Guinness, giving them an opportunity to address the issues. Unfortunately, the response was simply “yeah, sorry about that,” before he walked away. There was no attempt to ask what was wrong, offer to replace anything, rectify the food, or even show any genuine concern that four customers had just had such a poor experience. That, for us, was the most disappointing part of the entire visit. Mistakes and disappointing meals can happen in any restaurant. What matters is how those problems are dealt with. On this occasion, there seemed to be absolutely no interest in putting things right. From the moment we arrived, through to the lack of basic service, the poor-quality food and drink, and finally the complete lack of response when we raised our concerns, we were left feeling that our custom simply wasn't valued. We left extremely disappointed and, unfortunately, based on this experience, we wouldn't return to The Spotted Cow or recommend it to others.”

• K

  Ker

  ·1 month ago

  “Visit fairly often for lunch. As its cheap and cheerful. You know everything is microwaved (Ding food) so don't go expecting amazing food,it serves a purpose, and as long as you know that,that's fine. I usually go for a steak, and to be …”

• J

  Joanne Paget

  ·1 month ago

  “Called in for a bite to eat. Food was good, as in what we expected, but the plates were cleared, so no problem. Attentiveness of the team was very good.”

• B

  Bbk 420

  ·2 months ago

  “Amazing place, went to eat for a birthday meal and was greeted by unfathomably amazing service. Food was absolutely to die for. Went back the next day for a Sunday roast. Its my new local go to for drinks and/or food. Made a reservation …”