With fantastic seafood and farm produce, the city’s culinary scene is vibrant and fresh with cool cafés, food markets, fine dining and cuisines from across the world. Here are just some of the best places to eat in Swansea.
Places to eat in Swansea
Restaurants
From BBQ joints to Far-Eastern flavours and elegant Italian recipes to Jamaican spices, we’ve rounded up the best eateries in town in our dedicated Swansea restaurants page.
Cafés
The highest-ranked coffee shop in Swansea via TripAdvisor, Mumbles Coffee is based in Oystermouth at the far end of Swansea Bay and a 15-minute drive from our Swansea Waterfront hotel. It’s the perfect half-way stop if you’re cycling the Swansea Bay, with lush cakes, wraps and sandwiches and a wide range of hot drinks. A simple, cosy space that’s also dog-friendly, you’ll find Mumbles Coffee in an arcade off Newton Road – or you can follow your nose and the roast coffee aroma.
If you need your caffeine fix closer to the action, The Cwtch is a cool café near The Quadrant shopping centre in St. David’s Square. It’s well known for its freshly made cakes and coffee, as well as its Welsh breakfast featuring cockles and lava bread. There are also plenty of gluten-free and veggie options on the menu that spans breakfast, lunch, hot drinks and cakes. Oh, and cwtch means cuddle, snuggle or hug – a pretty fitting name when you’re enveloped in a flat white and slab of carrot cake.
A non-profit organisation, the Square Peg Coffee Shop gives any profits away to the local community and has built up a strong following across its two branches in Mumbles and Sketty, which is just beyond the cool Uplands suburb. The coffee is worth travelling for, as they host a guest roaster each month alongside their regular Clifton Coffee beans. They also serve up a solid breakfast and lunch menu including plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.
Part of the Dylan Thomas Centre, the 1825 Coffee Shop is a real hidden gem, serving up everything from spiced pumpkin lattes to halloumi and beetroot burgers. The coffee is freshly brewed using their special Dylan Thomas Centenary blend, while the fully licensed café also serves up speciality ales, lagers and ciders. Open Monday to Friday from 9am-4pm, make sure to grab a seat in the courtyard if it’s sunny and take advantage of the free newspapers and Wi-Fi.
Food markets
One of the coolest Swansea suburbs, Uplands is home to several highly recommended bars, cafés and restaurants and also hosts the Uplands Market on the last Saturday of every month at Gwydr Square from 9am-1pm. Selling everything from farm-fresh produce to artisan chocolates and rare foods and spices to arts and crafts, it’s a vibrant market that’s well worth visiting for a break from the high street.
The largest indoor market in Wales, Swansea Market is home to over 100 stalls spanning fresh fish to personalised gifts. Open six days a week and closed on Sundays, the market has remained a traditional shopping experience in the city for over a century and is just a five-minute walk from our Swansea City Centre hotel.
