The Goddard Arms

Guesthouse

We made an impromptu visit with friends on Sunday lunch time for a roast. Food is good and really good value. Staff were very friendly and service was quick considering how busy it was, which we all each commented on at the time. Would definitely recommend.

Varied menu fair prices nice wine + friendly bar staff.

Great value for money. Lovely food and they turned the music down for my mum.

Lovely place, very clean, georgeous decor and super friendly staff. Toilets are so clean and we'll kept, will definitely visit again 😊

Good £6 lynch menu. The chicken and bacon salad was lovely.

Good good nice atmosphere.

Friendly bar staff goid choice on menu s great wine list good cocktails friendly atmosphere sky sports too.

Visited the pub last Thursday to meet with a colleague for a few hours, we were looked after beautifully by the staff! Lovely pub with a perfect atmosphere for us to work in.
We also enjoyed some great food — worth a return visit for the delicious lasagna!

Ended up there after the place we had booked had 40mins delay on food. The staff was so polite from entering the place, to leaving everyone greated us or wished us lovely holidays/good evening and thanked for coming in!
The food was ready really fast and it was extremely delicious. They were very organised. The toilets reminded me of the national gallery, so posh looking! The pub has multiple massive barque carved mirrors and high ceilings by the bar, section with a fireplace and all together this makes the interior exceptional. So glad we ended up there at the end, won't be our last time!

What a fantastic pub.
love it here 😁
The best bit — the staff
They are absolutely fantastic.
They are the reason we keep going back.
Thank you Scott, James, Suzi, Taylor and Harry.
Love our chats and the fact you make us feel so special week after week.
😁

Amazing staff and the best food in Swindon.

Had a great visit! Our new fave place when passing through! Great sport viewing to keep the Mr. Happy and plenty of gin to keep me amused. Staff were really accommodating and nothing was too much trouble. Food was served quickly and great value for money, Well worth a visit.

Really good food and service. Felt very looked after.

Been served by most polite and respectful barman I think I've ever met brought him two pints defiantly recommend this place and ask to be served by jack danaher.

Had a lovely meal this evening for my birthday. Great service and friendly staff… Special mention to Jack. Customer service at its best. He is a real asset. And thank you for the birthday shot. I need to know the name of that! Mango schnapps of some sort 😋. Fab evening and we'll be back! xx.

Very good with the COVID restrictions, unlike most places, and very friendly staff. Cery quick service.

Myself and my husband came here last night for a meal and we was not disappointed, The staff were so friendly, polite and just in general fantastic and the food was absolutely amazing one of the best meals I've had out in a while, we will most definitely be coming back.

I ate dinner here with a friend last night and both the food and service were brilliant. The staff were so attentive and friendly :)

Food was cooked perfectly, drinks were great and all the staff were safe, helpful and lovely. Will always go back to the goddards.

Fantastic staff, my step son works there, amazing service and lovely food.

Food was amazing staff can't do enough for you very safe they are taking every precaution to keep people safe. Every table and chairs sanitised when people leave.

Lovely place. 4 of us went. 2 of us had finished our lunch before the other 2 got theirs! nice meal when we got it.

Busy & great atmosphere in the bar.
Clean room, lighting not the best in room 1
Huge bed but pillows were too soft not the best I’ve slept on
No net curtains in the bathroom with a toilet beside the window
Great shower though good pressure and hot
Great breakfast nicely cooked & tasty although Sunday was not too well organised by the staff on keeping the buffet, coffee bread & fresh orange topped up
A pleasant stay for two nights.

Great music and atmosphere.

Good service by friendly staff and a delicious meal.

Lovely venue The Vault for private parties. Buffet was delicious. Great for surprise celebration.

Chips were nearly raw. Steak was really bloody when asked for it medium. Ate top of crumble when I got to rhubarb it was like wood, told waiter who offered refund as I didn’t like any other desserts, 5 mins later was told by another member of staff couldn’t have refund as had eaten some! Not impressed.

Dont expect much and you wont be disappointed! room was ok the window sill was dirty tho very noisy at night… lots of drunken kids screaming and shouting all night hope Gemma can now breathe!
on the plus side the staff were lovely, friendly, helpful and obliging. Breakfast was good.

Been coming here fairly regularly now, since my partner has said it’s his fav drinking place in Swindon.
There’s always a great atmosphere, & always busy (which means it’s a popular place)
Every time we’ve eaten, the foods been fabulous, never have to wait too long & always tasty & hot!
The bar team are friendly & fast!
We were actually here last night (13th July) & was looked after extremely well by a lovely waitress, Jess!
Thank you Jess, for a 1st class service!
We will be back again, to work our way through the menu.

Good atmosphere, good service and a very friendly place.

Room small and dirty.
Evening meal poor and tasteless.
Sleep disturbed noisy very noisy.
Breakfast toaster caught fire twice.
Asked for crispy bacon it arrived still folded only cooked on one side.
Sausage not cooked in middle.
Eggs asked for scrambled got fried.
Stay not enjoyed at all.
Dont know who was cooking this morning 8/9/18 but really need to review their standard obviously not working to HACCP we left in a hurry. Will not stay again. 2 of us now have upset tummy.
Reported this and sent photo's.

Nice big town centre pub, up market from yer boozer. We came 40 mile down I Gloster' for a club meeting. Recommended.

Why have I only just discovered this place? Excellent food, really interesting bar — not like some trendy wine bar, just a really spacious, inviting bar and large seating area. Will definitely be visiting again.

We went here to meet family members, I ordered Sausages and Mashed Potato with Baked Beans. The Sausages were lovely but were sorely let down by the 'fake' Mashed Potato, reconstituted Mashed Potato tastes nothing like real Mash and was a solid, lump that did nothing to compliment the lovely Sausages. The beans had obviously been reheated in the small jug they arrived in, possibly in a microwave oven, leaving them dried out. The breakfasts are a different story, they are very nice and well cooked, if the main meals were as good as the breakfasts this pub would be right at the top of my list of places to eat.

Lovely place… Comfortable room, great food, welcoming staff including the cleaning staff who are a laugh and easy to chat to… Thank you and I'll be back!

Busy pub with what looked like good food. We only stopped for a drink and the service was incredibly slow. The beer garden was also filthy.

Good clean spacious surrounds, pleasant atmosphere for food and drink. Good food if a bit stingey with the chip portions. Overall nice pub.

Nice venue. Recently decorated. Didn't feel warm. Cold blue and green colours. Very large. Polite staff. Beer and coder selection not vast. Some interesting choices though.

We had a lovely and extremely reasonably priced afternoon tea on Saturday afternoon. The staff were very attentive. As soon as we parked in the car park a waitress explained that we had to pay but could get a refund at the bar. We were then shown to our table and waited on hand and food. We got extra cups of tea and biscuits from the friendly staff. At only £8 the afternoon was a bargain.

We sat outside in the bar for some ciders in the sun, it was busy but managed to find a seat, a good sized garden. We were served quick at the bar. The bar itself is in the middle of town so ideal location (old town)

It’s a nice pub. Don’t expect to be blown away by the food, but it’s perfectly fine if you’re just after something to accompany your drinks. There’s always a nice atmosphere and a good mix of young and older customers. It suitable for everyone. Kids are allowed until 7pm (may have changed? ), so if you do have them with you, don’t leave it too late to order food. Plenty of seats inside and out, and a nice place to spend a few hours.

We stopped here for a meal on a visit to Swindon for a business meeting nearby andcwere really pleased with our choise. The atmosphere and service were excellent. My meal was a little disappointing, dad the "super food side salad" was nothing more than lettuce, tomato and cucumber which, due to being under the hot lamp was basically cooked. However we returned later for tea and cake and were much more satisfied. A good find.

Bar staff were very friendly, prices are very cheap, possibly one of the best pubs in Old Town! It's big too with a big beer garden so even if there's a lot of you you'll be fine!

Nice atmosphere but the Lamb Shank was dry and the mash like instant mash. Also my friend who ordered had her order messed up. Reasonable value though.

Went here for lunch on Saturday with the family. We were not that hungry so we just ordered chips, garlic bread and a sandwich plus drinks came to £28 … not a cheap lunch time. Not good value for money. The sandwich we had hope to share was just one half of a bloomer plus lettuce leaves and small pot of chips! Garlic bread was slightly burnt, portions small and service was quite slow. Don't think we will be eating here again. Not good value for money.

All I had was coffee which by my standards was perfect. I did have a browse of the menu, prices were inviting. I'm looking forward to returning for a meal. Look out for the next review.

Great drink selection. Lots of seating areas for a quieter drink and a chat. Can get busy but great atmosphere over the weekends.

Brilliant breakfast in Old Town at the best price. Nice coffee but could be served a bit warmer. Service gets better & better. Lunch & dinner not up to much. Nice cosy relaxing place though. Good for kids — with colouring in. Good parking behind for drivers.

Love this pub. Made me a cocktail not on the menu. Cheeky!

Took a group here on a Tuesday evening. Arrived over the course of an hour and took maybe three or four tables. Food and beer selection was good and reasonably priced. Service was hit and miss. First people to arrive and order actually recieved their food after the last people to arrive and order had recieved theirs. Everyone ordered in small groups or individually so there should have been no waiting or "managing" of the order. Also can't cope with requests for doggy bags…

I love this place for a cosy drink or breakfast on a Saturday. Went there this Sunday but the good isn't as good as it used to be. The roast wasn't that great. Potatoes and gravy were lovely but the meat was not good. I ordered beef which tasted like BBQ/burnt ends. Doesn't really work with the traditional roast trimmings. I think maybe it's better for thee standard pub food such as chips or sausage and mash.

Relaxing place to enjoy rather fabulous food expertly presented at sensible prices and a good selection of ales.

The Goddard Arms is a seriously impressive building and venue. Outside it has an understated simple grandeur in its ivy-decked brickwork, vaguely reminiscent of old stately homes. Inside, the place is absolutely huge on the public meeting place level, although the layout hides that with the way the space is divided into many chambers and areas. The staff are generally numerous, attentive, polite, and young. Somehow though, this youthful professionalism lacks personality and character — as if they were the staff of a hotel or supermarket, rather than the 'hosts' of a public house. The bar boasts a truly impressive range and variety of gins, in addition to the usual range of drinks. They also have events to celebrate real ales and cider, with a wide and pleasing menu for such occasions. What the Goddard is most renowned for, however, is a large menu of filling and tasty pub food. It's not a gastro-pub, not quite, but there's plenty of options of good, homely food, with generous portions, and more tabled seating than most restaurants.

Lovely friendly ambiance, but the food is poor! Sunday roast is re heated and meat tough. I had a lunch of chilly prawns which were served lukewarm and hardly any prawn on the skewer with just a few bits of greenery. Not impressed — it's gone downhill to how it used to be.

Busy on the weekends but acceptable wait to get served, much quicker than some others nearby. Good beer choice. Popular for a reason.

Food is good for the price. Great selection of spirits and often good ales on. Great place for meeting friends for a catch up.

Great place. Great food. Great beer garden. Great customer service. Rooms clean and tidy.

It gets rammed on weekends but they keep great beer and it has a huge beer garden with a covered section for those rare rainy days in Swindon, well worth a visit.

(Hotel room review) I have stayed at the Goddard Arms twice and the service has been excellent both times, especially the second time. I was staying alone so I was a little nervous but the man running the bar was very polite and kind which made me feel better. The rooms are clean and suit their purpose. The tea, coffee, and biscuits are provided and the bathroom was good. The rooms are quiet at night, which is not the case everywhere in Old Town. Breakfast is included up until the pub opens for non-hotel guests, but I was meeting friends for breakfast here so waited until opening time. The staff had no issue with my included breakfast being later than the official time. I will definitely stay here again next time I am in Swindon.

Nice hostelry, kids meal value for money, sharing Nachos not good in my opinion. Very little cheese, too much guacamole, salsa and inferior nachos. Will not but buy them again. We did take them back and they are more cheese but still not good. Venue lively…

Stayed there for only 1 night, staff were friendly and helpful. The room we had was clean and comfortable. If you are tall though I would make sure you don't have one of the rooms at the top my daughter is 5'8" and her head was almost touching the ceiling lol. The pub is very lively and food is good.

Booked the breakfast area for a private party and on the whole a good experience! Nice food and the catering/kitchen staff were excellent. Only down side was the rudeness of the bar staff and the attempted tidying up around us when the party was still going, also our agreed finishing time was changed with no more than 60 minutes notice.

It was ok but need more staff in the morning waiting a long time for drinks to the table and food.

A very chilled atmosphere with a great range of food for a small pub menu. A wide range of drinks, including guest ales, at very rewsonable prices. Friendly welcoming staff made the visit worthwhile.

The worst breakfast ive had in this country. Baked beans were fridge cold, eggs solid, sausages reheated from day before. Green streaky bacon? Waited 45 mins for a coffee which never turned up when the bar was empty. Only give one star cos you cant give none. Avoid!

Lovely old pub in the centre of old town of Swindon. Very friendly staff, delicious food and very reasonably priced. It has it's own car park at the back.

Lovely downstairs in the bar. Good breakfast selection. Staff very helpful. Rooms upstairs in need of tlc especially the bathroom in our room.

A nice Pub with typical English food.

Nice pub, charges for car park (refundable when you order drinks/food inside)

My favourite pub in Swindon!

The Goddard Arms is a great place to meet up with work colleagues for a few drinks — it's the choice of place in Old Town for leaving drinks and socialising. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed and good for being able to talk to people. It can sometimes get a bit crowded near the bar area and they don't always have enough staff on the bar to cope with the demand. The garden area is nice when the weather is good and has plenty of space so that groups aren't on top of each other.

Good place to have a drink, eat something and don't go bankrupt while keeping a decent quality.

Good prices, amazing in the summer for some outdoor garden drinking.

30 of us ate a Christmas meal at the Goddard Arms in December 2015, the staff are friendly the food (albeit the Christmas) menu was good quality and all came out at the correct times. The drink selection is very decent with a number of guest ales and different lagers from around Europe.

Good for sports, slightly rough around the edges, but the drinks selection is copious and service is quick.

A typical English pub, great atmosphere, excellent. The rooms are very nice, good food (menus types pub), quick service and breakfast royal (full english breakfast).