La Carbonara restaurant in Swindon reopens after revamp

The outpouring of sympathy and support that Sue and Lino Goncalves received when they announced the closure of La Carbonara after 16 years in charge persuaded them to bring it back as soon as possible.

The family-run business on Westcott Place closed due to family health reasons before Christmas, but with those issues now on the mend, the restaurant has been revamped and reopened.

A repainted exterior, redecorated interior, new garden seating area, revised menu, new bar area with Peroni, Moretti, Amstel, Thatchers Gold, Guinness on draught, and a lack of 'La' in the name are among the changes made to Carbonara.

The Carbonara restaurant has been redecorated (Image: Dave Cox)

Lighter lunches with small pasta and pizza options are now available, and most of the familiar favourites remain on the menu while other dishes have been dropped.

Staff will do all they can to accommodate customers’ wishes if there’s anything else they want to order.

Chef Lino said: “We missed this so much. I’m addicted to working hard to bring people food that they love, it’s the thing I enjoy doing the most.

“Seeing all the feedback and reviews saying they missed us broke my heart.

"Swindon has been very special to me and people have supported us for years, so I want to give something back to them.

“Everyone has come back with smiles on their faces.”

New appetiser and seafood sharing platters have proven popular since the restaurant reopened on August 16, as has the chef’s recommendation of Filetto Rossini and specials like the sea bass fillet with mixed seafood.

Carbonara has been given a new coat of paint (Image: Dave Cox)

Lunches are available from 12pm to 2.30pm, the bar area stays open until midnight, and dinners are served from 5pm to 10pm.

Sue added: “We want to try to create something on the doorstep where people can pop in for a coffee, a light lunch, or a drink during the day and have a meal in the evening.

“A lot of the regulars have returned, given us hugs, said they were sad when they heard about the closure, and thanked us for reopening. It’s heartwarming.

“We didn’t realise how much people had invested in the restaurant.

“We want to say a big thank you to them for all the support. We couldn’t ask for better customers and we hope they like what we’ve done.”

Call 01793 527944, or visit the www.carbonaratrattoriabar.co.uk website or Facebook page.

The Carbonara restaurant in Swindon has a new garden seating area. (Image: Carbonara Trattoria and Bar)