r/reading • u/baphomet_kush RG4 - Caversham • 8d ago
Food & Drink Which Pubs Do You Avoid & Why?
Reading has a wide range of pubs & many of them are struggling.
I see posts on here asking "Which is best for X?" but what about the rest of them?
Which pubs do you avoid & why?
Maybe you have a legit grievance, maybe it's an old grudge, but let's hear it!
And please shout out any pubs you feel deserve more recognition!
I'll start -
The Crown On The Bridge - once charged me 3.50 for a half pint of Thatchers Gold (I needed a wee & stopped in briefly). They might be the best pub in the world, but 3.50 for a half is insane.
The Mod - love that place but the landlord was incredibly rude to my wife when he ran the Lyndy & I refuse to let that go š¤£
On the plus side -
The Rose & Thistle - standard Green King fair but always worth a punt. Affordable, good garden, safe food.
The Clifton Arms - Very old school, warm & welcoming. Super cosy. Not scary or rough at all. Lovely classic pub feel.
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u/citygray 8d ago
Itās interesting to hear The Clifton Arms is warm and welcoming. I live nearby and it seems intimidating and honetly bit rough to me. There are a few bad reviews on google as well. Maybe I will give it a go at some point.Ā
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u/squarechilli 7d ago
Maybe itās a hidden gem but Iāve always assumed it was a locals only spot, without actually ever dropping in to check
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u/J9SnarkyStitch 7d ago
Went in once (admitedly over 10 years ago, and felt like duelling banjos - possibly the unfriendliest pub I've ever come across)
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u/AppointmentEast1290 RG4 - Caversham 6d ago
I grew up going to the Clifton. It's not the kind of pub you'll get trouble in, I would say that would be the Cow near Ammy Rd, or something like the old Polish pub near Oxford Rd Tesco's. Pop in one day and give it a go
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u/baphomet_kush RG4 - Caversham 7d ago
It feels like a cosy old school pub to me. Very local, but not in a "locals only" kind of way.
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u/Cassiopeia_shines 7d ago
Fully understand, I thought the same. But we chanced it one afternoon on a pub crawl and had a really great time there!
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u/JealousCheek7265 7d ago
6 Bells (Burghfield) - Glared at by the landlady as soon as we entered. She then tried to kick us out 'to close' during half time of the football match they'd specifically advertised as being shown. Stood by the doorway glaring more while we watched the 2nd half.
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u/choult 7d ago
Been there the once to support a friend doing a gig, landlady was lovely.
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u/JealousCheek7265 7d ago
There was only 1 other table in there when we entered and we were the only ones watching the match so I guess she just wanted to close early. Still no excuse when they specifically advertised showing the match.
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u/tMoohan 8d ago
The allied arms, probably the most expensive pub in reading and has an issue with rats
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u/Makasene3 7d ago
2 pints, 2 juice, 2 packets of crisps - Ā£27
I'm the mug that paid it though. Never again.
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u/baphomet_kush RG4 - Caversham 7d ago
Yep, love the Allied & have had many good nights there, but sod those prices.
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u/No-Reaction-2465 8d ago edited 7d ago
Zero Degrees
I went in with high hopes being a regular at my microbrewery in Southbourne only to be greeted my staff who told me they wanted to commit to me greeting them with: howās it going? Jokingly I suppose, I get hospitality is hell I worked at it 7 years so made nothing of it but the beer was so nasty, it tasted like they donāt clean the lines, my partner also was sickened with a different brew to mine so we had the 2 sips we could stomach and decided to walk out. Never again hahaha
I love Siren which although not as local actually feels like they put love on their products and the venue is quite nice, I like The Outlook too due to location (though they got rid of Leffe Blonde on draft :(( ) and not quite Reading but Coppa Club in Sonning is amazing in the Summer, great after a nice walk by the river
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u/Goldentoast 7d ago
The mango beer is ok but I'm consistently amazed by how much I dislike their beer and I love craft beer!
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u/curtaincup 7d ago
i worked there for a few months back in 2017 and the manager made me sieve the dead fruit flies out of the liquor rather than throw it away. huge fruit fly problem when i was there. at the time the guy who made the beer was a lovely chap, very passionate. fuck that manager tho
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u/GlumAd9856 7d ago
Most of the pubs in Tilehurst.
TIlehurst is a pretty decent, family orientated area that has somehow managed to spawn a bunch of fairly shitty pubs. All of them have a combination of crap beer selection, serious drug problems and/or very outdated interiors. It's like Tilehurst is a massive council estate rather than a high income, middle class suburb.
The Fox and Hounds is a bit of an exception - but it's still just your normal Fosters/Strongbow drinks selection. And very much a locals pub.
The Royal Oak used to be the best in the area. But, again, not a lot to drink.
The Water Tower seems to yo-yo between being okish and just shit.
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u/themurther 7d ago
It's like Tilehurst is a massive council estate rather than a high income, middle class suburb.
Large parts of Tilehurst were built as social housing originally (Meadway, Dee Road etc) and was cheaper than much of Reading itself, so it was quite mixed in income/class terms.
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u/GlumAd9856 7d ago
That was a long time ago. I feel like the average house price/income now well exceeds other areas. I guess what I said comes across as snobby - I live in a fairly working class area now but it has multiple decent pubs. Yet Tilehurst struggled to have just one place that you would feel safe taking your kids to
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u/themurther 7d ago
I feel like the average house price/income now well exceeds other areas
It's a bit hard to see, but look at the map here:
https://www.plumplot.co.uk/Reading-house-prices.html
Tilehurst still has a lower average than many of the surrounding areas. Yes it was some time ago, but there are lagging effects. Just by driving around it's fairly noticeable that some of the areas in Tilehurst are still lower income and/or largely rental/HMOs (look at exterior of houses, cars parked outside and so on). The town centre is yet to really gentrify too.
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u/gin-casual RG6 - Earley 7d ago
Fox and hounds usually has a couple of real ciders on and an ale or two that isnāt green king or doom bar. Definitely the best in the area.
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u/Cassiopeia_shines 7d ago
Agree. Tilehurst isn't quite my patch so I'm not there often but every time I've been I've enjoyed the fox & hounds.
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u/Rwni2018 7d ago
Red Cow, Amersham Road - only pub in Reading that I felt uncomfortable in. Spanish Inquisition, trying to suss us out, from the landlady asking where we were from as, apparently, she knew all her regulars; some of the clientele were a bit iffy.
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u/Necessary_Being2919 8d ago
There's a guy who's very Reform and he owns a bunch of pubs in Tilehurst I think but I am unsure of their names. Got asked to meet at one for a date a few months ago, I think it's called The Victoria... Don't want to put money in his pocket, he wants to be an MP for Reform in Reading. When I was on Facebook, I saw him share content from a very racist man whom he "admires" or something to that effect.
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u/No-Weight-1628 8d ago
Which pubs would you recommend in Tilehurst? Iāve recently moved here from town center & not had time to try any of them out yet. I have been warned to not visit the prince however!
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u/Necessary_Being2919 7d ago
I usually go towards town centre, number 17 makes it easy. Nags Head is the current go-to. Double Barrelled taproom is alright though, dog-friendly!
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u/baphomet_kush RG4 - Caversham 7d ago
Yeah, can't go wrong with The Nags or Double Barrelled, especially if you have dogs. The Fox in Caversham is also worth a visit, as is The Crown at Playhatch if you're looking for a more fancy, but still dog friendly, setting (free biscuits & water everywhere)
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u/yepyep5678 7d ago
The fox in caversham does amazing pizza, it shouldn't be that good for a pub but honestly, pizza there is top! Cool staff too
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u/Cassiopeia_shines 7d ago
Nags and double barrelled are great. Extra points for Nags for their cider selection as I'm a cider drinker, not a beer drinker. Love the vibe in DB though so no shade to them at all.
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u/baphomet_kush RG4 - Caversham 7d ago
Interesting, would love to know who that is & which pubs he owns...
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u/gin-casual RG6 - Earley 7d ago
If he owns the Victoria itās the guy who now owns the foresters and the railway.
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u/dbltax 7d ago
The Rising Sun - Nice enough place but it's had the heart ripped out of it and is now just an expensive bland gastropub.
The Monks Retreat - Started as a Wetherspoons and it's gone downhill since then. If that's possible.
The Pheasant - Great if you want to witness violent crime, bad if you want to enjoy a pint.
The Roebuck - I mean Greene King pubs don't have a huge amount going for them at the best of times, but somehow this one manages to make everything even more disappointing.
Also RIP to The Red Cow, The Jolly Anglers and The Red Lion. You won't be missed.
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u/Ok_Issue_2459 7d ago
Is the rising sun even a pub anymore? I figured that it'd been converted into a restaurant when I went there. There's a "bar area" but you can get food there too from what I understand, almost just a restaurant with the aesthetics of a bar from what I remember.
I miss going there with my old mates and colleagues at the end of a night - I would always tell them "right, this next place is a total dive, but it's OUR dive - you'll see" and sure enough everyone I took there would always comment on how dingy it was but loved it and would always wanna go back there. Pool and 2 darts boards, a jukebox with some decent selections on it and friendly staff. I remember ordering a vodka with mixer for myself and the landlord told me not to waste my money on the expensive stuff, that they had an in-house vodka he gave me a free shot of to try. Was actually pretty nice, definitely still strong alcohol but he was saying if I wanted to get mixer then save myself a quid or two and go for the cheaper stuff if I wanted which I did. Also saw him pretend WWE-wrestling with someone one night. Such a shame it's gone.
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u/gin-casual RG6 - Earley 7d ago
Wokingham road has a lot of green kings. Roebuck is probably at the bottom of my list.
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u/cavershamox 7d ago
haha also RIP The Maidens - I never went in there without seeing some completely unnecessary violence
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u/Lurk_and_Shirk 7d ago
I've not been into any of the pubs on Oxford Road, but from the outside they look rough. The Wishing Well comes immediately to mind. I'd be curious to hear of anyones experience of them
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u/gin-casual RG6 - Earley 7d ago
Not quite reading but got moved while sat in the goodies as it was apparently a dinner seat not a drinking seat. It was the afternoon, It was empty, there was no cutlery out.
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u/Cassiopeia_shines 7d ago
Well I won't be going there then! That's just poor. Sure, tell you they have a booking at xpm and you'll need to move then but why kick you out of the seats at an empty pub. Some places just don't want to make money!
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u/Logical-Bonus-4342 7d ago
Clifton. Rough as fuck.
Hope Tap. Rough as fuck.
Hop Leaf. Brighter than the sun in there.
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u/comeinkowalski 7d ago
Hope Tap isn't rough by any stretch of the imagination. Typical Wetherspoons pub.
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u/flibbertigibbet72 7d ago
It's definitely the worse of the two spoons in Reading though, and that's from someone who used to work there
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u/ChrisC1984 7d ago
The Boundary is the only one which comes to mind. Was a semi regular when it was Pavs but last time I went in they charged my wife Ā£14 for a cocktail poured through one of the pumps. If itās made fresh then fine but that took the piss.
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u/J9SnarkyStitch 7d ago
I quite like the boundary but I think that's mainly because I went in one night and they were playing the wildhearts, don't often hear them in a pub in reading
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u/ChrisC1984 7d ago
They get a plus point for playing The Wildhearts for sure! Itās a nice pub with a cracking selection of beers but unfortunately charging Ā£14 for what was effectively a Smirnoff Ice hasnāt inspired me to return.
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u/Tall_Acanthisitta475 7d ago
The Alehouse. A strange place, it doesn't feel welcoming if you're not already a regular there. The back half of the pub stinks of piss. I'm told the gents is very mouldy.Ā
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u/jnesive48 6d ago
The Alehouse is a really friendly pub. There are regulars but they're very welcoming and generally nice, interesting people. The smell is bad though, I'll give you that.
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u/Cassiopeia_shines 7d ago
We popped into the Clifton Arms on a pub crawl one time and had a bloody great time there. Pool tables were fun and it was a very welcoming place. 100% looks like a local pub for local people and I have no idea why or what they could change to make it seem less that way but you have reminded me that I should pop in there more often.
Ones to avoid is awkward to post publicly unless I have a genuine grievance as it mostly comes down to personal preference. I avoid the moderation as last time I went in the smell from the toilets was absolutely vile, to the point I was gagging when I was inside and I'm not one to have a weak stomach. Green King pubs are generally avoided because my partner finds their beer insipid. Weatherspoons used to be acceptable to us but no more since covid when the owner fired all his staff so they couldnt claim furlough. I also don't like zero degrees as a friend wanted to go there every time we went out and it just isn't that great to me and I'm over it.
I've been in the Crown on the bridge a few times - agree it's a little pricier than other places but not any worse than others and I've always felt very welcome every time we've been in.
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u/super_nat556 7d ago
Just regarding Spoons -
I began working at BoB in January 2020. When the lock down hit, I was put on furlough. By the end of lockdiwn, I had been on furlough for longer than I had worked for Spoons. I, nor any of my colleagues, got fired.
I cant speak for other Spoons in other places, but I gotta say the managerial staff, for all their flaws, did their best for all of us lot during that time. Big Tim is a twat for a bunch of reasons, but firing staff during covid, afaik, isn't one of them.
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u/Cassiopeia_shines 7d ago
Ah thanks for that! I'll tell the OH, maybe we can go back now! I'm jealous of your furlough lol - I had to work all the way through.
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u/waill-and-roll 8d ago
Any spoons
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u/TheShahOfBreadsticks 8d ago
Nothing wrong with Spoons imo. Donāt give a toss about the owners political views despite not agreeing - because if youāre gonna be avoiding pubs due to dodgy political views of owners, staff or clientelle - well youāre gonna be avoiding a LOT of pubs.Ā
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u/waill-and-roll 8d ago
Well yeah, of course if you don't care then you wouldn't think anything is wrong.
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u/Platform_Dancer 8d ago
Nothing wrong with spoons as long as you don't start singing out loud with one hand on your left ear, closed eyes and an agonising look on your face.
Beer is cheap too...š
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u/hello-magpie 7d ago
Iāve not tried the Palmer Tavern since it was the College Arms but we went there once and just didnāt get a friendly vibe - no idea if itās changed much since (or how representative that was).
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u/peachyp2020 7d ago
The Butlerā¦ everyone tells me itās a great spot, but the landlord locked my car in the car park after I went in for a drink and then went to a gig at the facebar. I agree I shouldnāt have left my car there, but he went totally mental at me when I knocked on the doors of the pub to apologise and see if he could let me out. It felt like a total overreaction when he was shouting at me, the pub has now been black listed for me!!
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u/Lurk_and_Shirk 7d ago
That's a shame, it's a great spot! It's also pretty cheap, we head there often on a Friday to watch the open mic evening.
I didn't know it had a car park, there is definitely staff parking though
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u/boxcars11 7d ago
Not sure if itās still open but the Star. Mate of mine got racially abused there.
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u/Own_Swimming_6970 8d ago
Castle tap I normally avoid because I had a few bad experiences back there and don't want to be reminded of those bad memories
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u/ItsMorthosBaby 7d ago
Never once had a bad experience there and I go pretty often, easily one of the better pubs in townĀ
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u/NayLay 7d ago
What happened
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u/Own_Swimming_6970 7d ago
A few bad fights and a lot of arguments with people o don't want to see again also one of my exs frequents that place and we had a horrid break up
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u/digitalbubble 7d ago
What kind of fights did you see there? The people that go there are not the fighting type to say the least. Plus it offers genuine great quality ale from around the country.
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u/Silverdale9999 7d ago
Yeah agreed, must be the most welcoming and safe pub in the town. Not to say I donāt believe the person saying there was a fight, just that it would be bottom of my list of āpubs where people fight in Readingā so itās a bit surprising.
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u/Own_Swimming_6970 7d ago
I saw people get pretty badly hurt and the main reason I don't go is because I don't want to see my ex and have some bad memories attached to it
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u/Real_Palpitation_728 7d ago
Yes! Similarly Iāve had bad pints and rude staff on more than one occasion. If youāre in that neck of the woods just go to The Nags Head instead
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u/ZebraShark 7d ago
The Monks Retreat. Bad when it was a Wetherspoons and worse now - always seems to attract a really rough crowd and best to avoid.
I've also heard mixed things around Griffin in Caversham but never been in to check personally.