These days it certainly feels like humble old Swindon is in full swing, with more bars, clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues seemingly opening every other day. With the breakneck pace of new openings across the city, it can be difficult to stay on top of what's good, and where's worth hitting up. Here's your round-up of the newest names in Swindon for you to try out at the weekend.
While some of us may be reeling from the recent closure of the Swindon Bus Station Cafe, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of newer options to keep us satiated. For those looking for gut-busting, classical Italian fare without having to worry too much about the inevitable waistline expansion, the new eco-Italian spot Broccoli serves up all of the rustic classics without any of the ensuring guilt. The restaurant is located in The Crossing at the Brunel Shopping Centre and focuses heavily on local ingredients, fresh produce and vegetarian fare. Definitely worth a look in at the lunch hour.
For something a little more traditional, the newly-opened Katie's Kitchen food stall in The Crossing offers up a surprisingly stylish and trendy space to gorge on breakfast baps and jacket potatoes. This is 2018 of course, so the fare on offer is certainly a grade above what you'd expect from a run-of-the-mill panini stand, with high-quality ingredients and seriously Instagrammable burgers on the menu too.
If you're looking for some entertainment options to enjoy while your food is settling, there are plenty of new spots in town for you to take your pick from. If you fancy some high-octane thrills to help you work off those calories, your best bet is the brand new City Mazes Escape Room, which features delightful-sounding mazes as Hostage Hostel and Atomic Agency for you to explore. Escape rooms seem to be all the rage across the UK at the moment, so it was only a matter of time before Swindon got its very own offshoot of the hugely successful London-based escape room chain. There are few better places to spend an adrenaline-filled afternoon with eleven of your closest friends.
If it's something a little bit more relaxed that you're after, then Swindon has you covered. The new Buzz Bingo venue out in Greenbridge Retail Park is an ideal place to enjoy a revamped version of a classic British past time in a trendy and airy setting. The place is far from your average old bingo hall, having been recently done-up to the more discerning tastes of today's millennial trendsetters, with a menu featuring such hipster staples as pulled pork burritos, pizza fries, and Philly cheese steaks. The kicker is undoubtedly the drinks menu, which offers ludicrously cheap pitchers of beer, bottles of Portuguese wine and health-conscious cocktails, making this an ideal spot to start a night out in Swindon. The fact that the place is open until 4 am means you can probably end your night there too.
If the amount of new openings in Swindon represents one feeling, it's relief that we no longer have to get the bus to Bristol for a decent weekend out.
