Swan Inn

Not had food here (yet) but surely the nicest pub setting in Newbury. Gorgeous garden area with its own little stream and plenty of ales on the list to choose from. Free wifi is also very helpful for those working from the pub days we all have!

The venue is a nicely preserved and updated farm, with a large beer garden (including a stream) and plenty of parking.
Service and food quality /​preservation were average, but for an establishment which charges a premium over and above «pub grub» I found the menu a little limited.

This pub is in an amazing setting on the outskirts of Newbury. The pub is made up from a mixture of barns and farm houses cobbled together. The result is very picturesque. The best part about this pub though is the beer garden /​dining garden. This has to be the best beer garden I have seen, with a lovely brook running through middle and water/​marginal planting which looks amazing.
The staff are very efficient at carrying out your meals from the main building, across the bridge, to your outdoor table. Inside there are plenty of windows to look out onto the garden.
We had a dog with us and the waiter immediately brought out a bowl of water (silver service style), so they were very dog friendly.
The menu was really good featuring local produce and a variety of cuisines. The restaurant is a little pricey but this does reflect the amazing setting and garden.
Make sure you sit int he garden or grab a window seat inside.

Called in on spec for lunch on our way back to the Midlands en route from Dieppe Newhaven ferry. Having spent a month touring France, I can honestly say that the Swan beats anything we found there. The service, led by a young restaurant manager was superb, friendly, very professional, and 100% customer focused. The quality of the food matched the service, simply outstanding. Anyone who thinks this is overpriced should see what you get for your money in mainland Europe! Local beers were excellent, and the staff were very knowlegeable about them. Every pub that wants to be a top quality pub restaurant should send its staff to visit The Swan to see how it should be done, as this place suceeds where so many fail. Newbury residents are very lucky to have such a fantastic venue on their doorstep.

For somewhere to soak up the sun over a few pints of Badger ale, this place is hard to beat. But food is irritatingly overpriced.
Went for the fish sharing platter (£15), which consists of a fishcake, 3 slices of smoked salmon, and a handful of crayfish tails. A slice of toast is thinly spread with pâté (yup, they even spread it on for you), and it comes with a plain tomato salsa and some sort of cream/​mayo stuff, and 4 types of bread! Tasted good, but a £12 dish at best.
My wife had the spring veg platter (£6.50), plus a side of chips (£2.75). This ‘platter’ consists of three WHOLE RAW CARROTS with three dips (pesto, hummus and blue cheese) served on a chopping board.
The kids had a cheese tomato flatbread — pizza to the rest of us — and chips (£6) and burger and chips (£6).
I suppose there’s a premium on the location (it’s on the site of a monastic bakery with a stream running through the middle of the beer garden, and has been a pub for 800 years). The staff are all very good and well-​trained, and the ale is in excellent condition.
With drinks the bill was a hefty £52 for a meal that was 90% prep/​10% cooking.
Restaurant priced pub grub.

I went there for a work lunch today and I was very impressed by the cleaness, politeness and the friendlness of the staff of the pub and restaurant. The food was very good and the starters were lovely selection with a twist of «shared» sections for 2. The big eye opener was the main course hugh portion presented in front of me and others. None of us argued with that suprise… overall have a nice time with generous food and drink.

took my colleagues here for a quick lunch and wasn’t disappointed, as I expected from past experience the food was good, arrived quickly and service was good. the bar and restaurant is recently refurbished and is clean and bright. the garden is lovely in the summer and they have their own carpark. my colleagues were so impressed they will be going back.

Fairly standard pub grub, family-​friendly environment.
Food orders are taken at the bar and brought to the table along with a good selection of condiment sachets. Meals come in three sizes, so if you want a smaller meal (or for the kids) they eat from the same menu.
The day we went they’d had a rush on and were out of chicken and prawns, but the kids loved the meatballs and spaghetti.
Good size car park, and near the ten-​pin bowling (where we’d worked up our appetite!).

We love this place, last christmas 25 of us went there for our christmas lunch.
There was plenty of food and lovely home made alternative choices. The staff are really friendly and helpful.
The Swann stocks real ale with very interesting names.
This year we are visiting them again, and this year they have had a huge refurb.
Great location, and in the summer you can sit outside by the river.