The Royal Wootton Bassett — Restaurant in England

We visited the Royal Wootton Bassett pub yesterday to try out the new tapas-style menu. We were looking forward to something a bit different and hoped it would be an exciting change.

The first thing we noticed was that the menu wasn’t very user-friendly. It was unclear how to order, and the formatting made it difficult to distinguish between starters, mains, and desserts. The layout and font could definitely be improved to make it easier to read — it felt a bit outdated.

On a more positive note, the décor inside the building was nice, and the seating was comfortable. We were seated in the conservatory area, which was warm and pleasant overall.

As for the food, I ordered a seafood-based menu: a prawn curry followed by a prawn tapas dish. The food initially tasted good — spicy, as described — and everything seemed fine. I followed up with a sticky toffee pudding for dessert, which was also enjoyable.

The service was attentive, maybe even a bit too much so. We were only there about 30 minutes, but staff came over several times asking if we were ready or needed anything, which felt a little rushed.

When we asked for the bill, the waitress pointed out the gratuity options on the card reader — 10%, 20%, etc. I chose the 10% option, which added about £8 to a £75 bill. It felt slightly pushy, especially when I was trying to mention something about our experience.

Unfortunately, the evening took a turn after I got home. I became violently ill and was sick for several hours. I strongly suspect the prawns I had were improperly prepared — likely not fully defrosted before cooking. This morning, I’m still feeling unwell, dizzy, and nursing a sore throat. I've been drinking water and trying to recover, but it was a rough night.

While the food was presented well and the atmosphere was generally nice, I think it's important for others to be aware. If you're considering the prawn dishes, I would advise caution — in my experience, it led to food poisoning. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and appropriate action is taken to ensure food safety standards are...

We went to eat at the Pub at lunchtime after attending a funeral for a dear friend. We were a small party made up of different nationalities who had travelled a long way from different countries for the cremation. Yes it had been a last minute booking as we had been let down, but we expected a much better customer service. Instead we were made to feel that we were an annoyance- the table did not have the right number of seats .. when we asked to move to another or move the table and add another seat, we were told curtly not to block the servers moving around the table which would be impossible as there was masses of space. We were given menus but when we were ready to order, once again we were told with indifference “didn’t we tell you there are items we don’t have (because we have been off for Christmas)” .. so you can’t have x) and y) and z) etc only. When one of the guest asked if we could have a side salad - No! She had to ask what she could have after a while .. as there had been no offer of ‘we don’t have salad but we could do “this” for you, would that be good?

The sharing tapas starters were small which was disappointing.

I will say The food itself was tasty, which was a blessing and a credit to the chef.

Overall as an advert for English hospitality at a time of loss this place was awful and I for one was embarrassed that we had gone there and have no intention of setting foot in...

Our first visit a few weeks ago was lovely food, great service. Today the conservatory air con was ice cold. I discreetly asked if it could be adjusted as worried my food would go cold quickly. The owner manager was stood next to our table for some time talking rather loudly, so much so our waiter struggled to hear our order. Our food came and was piping hot. The owner manager came to our table. Then said I’m moving you to another table. I said no it’s okay we’re fine we’ll eat our food then go. He then said I can’t have you sat here winging and moaning in a disrespectful tone. I was offended by his comments and repeated winging and moaning saying back don’t ever that to me again. He said you’ll be leaving before you finish your meal and accused me of being rude. His body language and tone were aggressive so we left. On the way home I rang The Royal and asked to speak to him he was still rude and aggressive asking what I wanted. I said I wanted an apology for being accused of winging and moaning. It was clear that his hospitality skills are non existent and he can’t possibly in any way be at fault. Had he showed a little humility I would in time have considered revisiting the establishment. However on my experience today I can not recommend The Royal as the owner manager has zero people skills. Which is a shame as the staff are lovely and...