Los Gatos tapas bar in Old Town, Swindon marks 20 years

Los Gatos, the tapas bar in Swindon's Old Town, was marking 20 years in business, Swindon24 reported on 10 April 2026. It first opened in 2006 in a small former cafe unit on Wood Street and later moved round the corner to Devizes Road.

Original owner Phil Saunter, who founded it with Shareen Campbell, told Swindon24 he had spent 20 years in the semiconductor industry before being made redundant. After travelling to Spain and looking into the idea, he found Swindon had never had a tapas bar.

He said: "Didn't start out with the intention of necessarily opening a tapas bar… I'd always loved cooking…"

What were the early days like?

The first weeks were very busy, with bookings kept as handwritten notes because there was no formal reservations system.

On the move to Devizes Road, Mr Saunter said: "Without telling anyone… we negotiated the lease… and then one weekend, we moved around the corner."

Sherry tastings were brought in to make the bar stand out, and Mr Saunter became a qualified sherry educator. He said staff were paid more than the minimum wage and shared tips equally.

"We just wanted to set up a place where people could enjoy themselves… and it just worked," he said.

What changed later?

The report said the Covid-19 pandemic was a turning point for the original owners, though it gave no date for the change of ownership. In 2022 a £1 million refurbishment expanded Los Gatos into a 120-cover restaurant.

Source: Swindon24.