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Latest Update: Cafes and Coffee Shops expanded. To StartIn Caversham
Further Afield
And Finally ...» Food Poisoning! Reviews and AdvertsDiners: just to be clear, all the comments on this page are our own honest, independent, personal opinions. No-one has paid to be included on this page. The only adverts on this site are in the form of banners. Owners: we do try to visit as many places as we can, but there are limits to our time, our budgets and our waistlines! If you would like to advertise on this website - and you should, it's very popular! - please see our advertising page for more details. A few words about eating outWe're pleased to offer the following selection of places to eat and drink that we've tried and enjoyed or that we've had recommended to us by friends whose opinions we trust. We've included some takeaway recommendations too. Obviously, the normal caveats apply - just because we've had a good time at these places doesn't guarantee that you will. One man's meat is another's poison and all that. However, these aren't whimsical (or paid) selections, and we hope you'll find them helpful if you're looking for somewhere new to try. We've been rightly taken to task for (inadvertently) not catering on this page for those on a tight budget. To make amends, we've started putting some prices on our comments, and we've added a selection of recommended 'Eating Inexpensively' restaurants and takeaways as well. Let us know if we've made any mistakes or if you have any suggestions. We've also started putting dates at the end of the entries for places you'd go out to for a meal, referring to when we last visited a place. (Entries without dates all refer to sometime in early 2008 or 2007.) Finally, we'd just like to say that the catalogue of problems facing pubs is taking its toll around here just as much as it is anywhere else in the country. The consequences of their loss will be felt for decades to come. If you can support the area's pubs do so and do so now. Once a pub goes it rarely comes back.  In CavershamCafes/Coffee ShopsThe Caversham Court Tea Kiosk will be re-opening for the season on Thursday 1 April. Opening times are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1-5pm in April, May, September and October; 1-6pm in June, July and August. This year there's a new coffee machine to go with the home-made cakes ... Any regular visitor to Caversham centre can't have helped but notice that the newsagents that has been on the corner of the precinct for donkey's years has now been replaced by a Costa Coffee. Funnily enough, it's just like every other Costa Coffee. So, that's exciting then (not). Just around the corner in the precinct there's another coffee shop (the Caversham Cafe) that's not a part of a chain. They serve great tasting coffee (and other drinks) and a decent range of basic but good food, at brilliant prices. One contributor to this web site used to sit in this coffee shop 30+ years ago ... and that kind of longevity only comes with being good at what you do. And while there's no guarantee that we'll all be here in another 30+ years, we'd be willing to take all reasonable wagers that the Costa Coffee place will have gone long before then. Support a reliable part of the community - (and Warings Bakery also does coffee on the other side of the road) - or give money to an impersonal multinational chain. It's not really that hard a decision. In Prospect Street, we've been reliably informed that the independent cafe Delicious is worth a visit, with everything freshly made. Sounds good to us ... Restaurants and PubsThe Peking Palace on Prospect Street is a long standing favourite of ours and we always get a good meal there. And we've never found a Chinese restaurant to better it anywhere, apart from maybe one in Cheltenham ... but that's another story. If you fancy an Indian meal, the Raj Tandoori at the top of Caversham Park Village is reliable enough; the parking's easy, the service friendly and the prices not bad either! The Village Tandoori, just over the way near the Black Horse pub, isn't that promising to look at perhaps but, again, the food's never let us down. (Spring 08) Also worth a visit is the Valley Tandoori Restaurant in Farnham Drive (Caversham Park) - which proved busy and friendly when we visited it recently. We were particularly impressed with the friendly staff - who helped make it a very pleasant evening. (Nov 08) The Picasso tapas bar on Bridge Street is the real deal - run by a charming Spanish family, and is also recommended by our friend Sonia from Rioja! (Praise indeed!) It's done us well on many occasions - but remember to book ahead. If Italian is what you fancy then Quattro (formerly Nino's) on Prospect Street is pretty good - again, never had a bad meal there. If we were going to criticise it we'd say it can be a bit cramped at times on the elbow-room stakes, but that's about the only fault we can find. It was well reviewed in the Reading Evening Post in October 2008 too. (£52 for two starters, two mains, three rounds of drinks) (Nov 08) The Kyrenia Greek Restaurant, also in Prospect Street, has become something of a favourite in recent times. Busy and friendly - with great food and a good wine menu. Just for a drink, the The Griffin is always reliable andthey have a regularly changing guest real ale which is always a good thing. There's generally a good atmosphere and lots of people eating. The food is good too, though it must be said we've had more lunches there than dinners. Sitting outside the back on a decent summer's evening can be particularly worthwhile. Venturing over Caversham Bridge, The Moderation has been thoroughly overhauled since its 'bad old days' and jolly nice it is too, although perhaps in a more wine-bar-y kinda way than what you might think of as a traditional pub. (But then, since the smoking ban, just what is a traditional pub?) Good beer, well priced and nicely cooked food with regular themed 'specials' nights, and great to see a decent bourbon behind the bar! (See also the mention below about special offers.) Perhaps surprisingly, there's quite a nice little courtyard-style garden there too. (£often very cheap!!) (Aug 09) For something different again, The Standard even further along the Caversham Road is always reliable - a big menu of Nepalese (kind of Indian-style) dishes. Perhaps not the greatest place for atmosphere, mainly because it's pretty big and often very busy, nevertheless we've never been let down on the food front. TakeawaysA few places we use for takeaways - after all, you don't always want to eat out. Let's start with the traditional - fish 'n' chips. We tend to go to Ready Tasty more often than not: never been let down there. OK, on a busy night sometimes it isn't actually ready, but it's always been tasty. They're to be found in the parade of shops on the Henley Road, opposite the top of Donkin Hill. Someone once wrote that you get the best fish and chips from Chinese takeaways - the Chinese StirFry Caversham takeaway opposite Waitrose in the middle of Caversham seems to confirm this. The staff are friendly, and they do fine Chinese food as well. The Peking Palace (see above too) also do great Chinese takeaways (no real surprise there). For a pizza, we've been well served by Geezers. Yes, true, it's a bit of a naff name maybe (ok, an extremely naff name), but we've had some cracking pizzas from them, so we reckon they're well worth the trip up to the shops in Emmer Green - the row where Budgens is (Milestone Precinct, but you knew that already). Eating InexpensivelyWe suggest checking with all of these places first as offers do change over time. With the current economic climate there are more and more bargains to be had too, so this is by no means an exhaustive list.
Further AfieldNOTE: We've added Google Maps links to the entries below to help you find them easily. Google being what it is, it's not perfect! For some entries - Midgham/Woolhampton for example - you'll get more than one location showing on the map, albeit close to one another. Quite how or why this happens we don't know but, hopefully, it should be obvious where to go when you get there. Binfield HeathThe White Hart, on the road down to Shiplake Cross from Binfield Heath, has had an iffy history over the last 10-15 years but we were really, really pleased that we called in the other night to try it out. We eat out a lot. Most places are fine. Very few are exceptional. However, Machy Damen is doing some really good things here, bringing her Dutch culinary skills to bear on top quality ingredients, with a result that was a real cut above the normal. It's been very nicely refurbished too and the overall atmosphere - helped by very friendly staff - is as welcoming as you could hope for. They're closed Tuesdays but otherwise there are various specials available - set menus at just £12.50 on Mondays; 'Pot's Evening' on Wednesdays (which is what we enjoyed) and Ladies Day on Thursday. On Friday they're open all day, including for afternoon tea (with free cake!) and/or evening cocktails and wines with free nibbles, and on Saturdays there's food available all day, and soft drinks, tea and coffee (and free cake) too. We were genuinely impressed. Heartily recommended. (It cost us about £50 for two but that's going to vary quite a bit depending on what you pick, what day you go and so on.) Update: we've since been there again as a party of four and, once again, outstanding - we, and the friends we took along, were really impressed. (Nov 09) Crowmarsh GiffordThe Queen's Head in Crowmarsh Gifford is an unusual one - it's a Thai restaurant and a pub, with the pub part run by the Thai owners too. (Unlike some other places, where the Thai restaurant element is a concession.) We reckon the Thai food here is excellent. This is part of a small-ish family owned chain, and they also have places in Henley, Twyford and Oxford. They are all very reliable but of late this one's had the edge in our opinion. And the Fuller's beer is no bad thing. A friend of ours is quite a keen fan of Thai cuisine and he rates these as having the best menus he's ever tried. (We reckon on about £35-45 for two - starter, main course and a couple of drinks and coffee.) (Sep 09) Exlade StreetThe Highwayman returns! We're very pleased to say that The Highwayman once again is a pub worth making the short trip for. This used to be a real favourite of ours (some 15 years ago or more) but it's been through loads of owners and incarnations since then and, frankly, none of them have been any good. However, we heard there were new people there, popped in for lunch and it was very nice. OK, we just had some baguettes, but the 'mature cheddar' geuinely was mature, and BLT featured some properly tasty bacon. (Trust us, we've had an awful lot of bland pub lunches and this made a really nice change.) So, on that basis we'll be heading back for dinner as soon as time permits, and in the meantime we wish Evelyne and Paul every success. Update: Since writing the above we've now been back as a party of five for an evening meal and an excellent time was had by all - it's as simple as that! So, whether you're looking for a lunchtime snack or an evening meal we can now recommend it for both.(Nov 09) Gallowstree CommonYonks ago, we used to call in to The Reformation every now and then and it was fine if unexceptional. Recently we went there with some friends and had a thoroughly agreeable evening meal - good value too. We noticed the 'Newcomer' award behind the bar and our razor-sharp minds took that as a sign the team running it were new. We'd agree that they're doing a good job! What you'd probably think of a 'typical' pub fare, but that's not in any way a criticism. (Group of four - £100: including three starters, four mains, two deserts, drinks and the tip.) (Aug 09) Goring / StreatleyIf you are ever in Goring and fancy what we all know as 'an Indian', then Masoom's Tandoori is the place to head for. We've had four or five good meals there (the most recent time as a party of four) and it is definitely a cut above the normal. It was (deservedly) popular, even on a wet Tuesday night, so we guess we're not the first to find it worth venturing out to. The menu included several unusual dishes which is always nice to see, particularly if you eat out quite often! (Group of four - about £30 a head including two courses each, drinks, coffee and the tip.) (Jun 09) |
 HaileyJust off the main road to Wallingford, you can find Hailey, and there you'll find the King William pub. Apart from one of their excellent summer barbecues and a couple of summer sandwiches outside (the view is great on a nice day), we'd not eaten here for a long time. (We used to but we've just been trying other places of late.) Anyway, we're pleased to say it's as good for an evening dinner as it always used to be. It's a great place - very 'old fashioned', with no music, no fruit machines and a nicely relaxed atmosphere. Civilised. (About £90 for two starters, four mains, two puds, eight drinks and three coffees.) (Oct O9) Kidmore EndThe New Inn in Kidmore End has (relatively) recently been taken over by three villagers and that's the kind of development we think it's important to support. So, when we read about the changes we were keen to try it - and it's nice to be able to report back and give it a whole-hearted recommendation. We went there on a quiet Tuesday evening and enjoyed a very nice meal - with friendly, helpful service. The decor is pleasant and the tables a nice size and sensibly spaced - none of the overcrowding you sometimes find. When we were there it was very quiet but that didn't mean desultory staff which can often be the case when it's a slow night. The menu offers a not huge but good choice and it's not pretentious, and the prices are very reasonable. And if the food we had is anything to go by, the ingredients being used by the chef are top notch and expertly cooked. One insider tip: other than in summer perhaps, we'd suggest avoiding sitting near the glass door (with the fire exit bars on) towards the back of the restaurant area, as this seems to be the main route to the accommodation and would be a bit disruptive if you were close by. (See also the mention above about special offers.) (Oct 08) KingwoodThe Unicorn in Kingwood, on the edge of Sonning Common, on the right and on a bend as you head out towards Stoke Row, was closed for a while a few years back. (It has the misfortune to not be marked on the OS maps for the area - unusual for country pub.) Over the last eight or so years Tim and Steve have been running it and doing an exceptionally good job. The pub is a real centre to the community - and a fine place to eat and drink to boot. Now, sadly, they're moving on at the end of August, citing sheer fatigue as the reason. We'll miss them - and of course we wish them well. The new landlords, Paul and Jane Knight, have a tough act to follow but we hope it works out well for them too. (Last Update: Aug 09.) Knowl HillThe Novello is a true freehouse, on the A4 to the east of Reading, on your right as you head towards Maidenhead and just after you go through Knowl Hill. Since it was (extensively) refurbished a while back it's always been very reliable for lunch and always has good, frequently changing, beers on tap. It's recently been taken over by the people who used to run The Cricketers, just up the road in Littlewick Green and we're pleased to say it's still a good place to drop in to! (Mind you, The Cricketers was always good too.) About 17 quid for two light lunches and two drinks. (Feb 09) Midgham / WoolhamptonIf you find yourself out along the A4 to the west and feeling peckish, you could do a lot, lot worse than stopping off at the Coach and Horses. It's on the north side of the road, between Woolhampton and Thatcham and easy to miss if you're not looking for it. We met some Newbury-based friends there at their suggestion, at 7pm on a Wednesday and the place was already very busy. If that's not a good sign we don't know what is ... and it lived up to its promise too. An excellent landlord and good staff, a wide-ranging menu that covered the ground between 'safe' favourites and things a bit more adventurous very sensibly, a chef and kitchen staff who certainly know what they are doing if our four meals were anything to judge by, and what can only be described as fair pricing. You can't really ask for more. (Feb 08) PlayhatchA local pub that's very much a food pub is the very busy Crown at Playhatch. We can't say it's a great favourite of ours because a) it's so popular it's often verging on uncomfortably crowded and b) it's pretty well lost any bar/pub feel, being so food-oriented. That said, the food has always been good and we - and it seems lots of others too - often use it for business-related lunches. The Shoulder of Mutton in Playhatch was, many years ago, a regular favourite. Landlords changed and it took a nose-dive and we hadn't been back for a long time aside from an enjoyable but one-off 'specials' evening over a year ago. A more recent visit on a regular mid-week night was definitely made with high hopes but some trepidation ... but we're happy to report that we enjoyed a first class meal. The service was friendly and the (limited) menu a reasonable mix between the unusual and the more familiar. Everything was well prepared and well presented, and you really had the feeling that the ingredients had been sourced with care too. As a nice bonus, they also run a customer loyalty scheme which looks to us to be quite generous. Since this visit we have heard from a friend who normally knows what's what that it can be a bit of a so-so experience on busy nights ... which might be worth bearing in mind. (Jul 08) Both pubs are on the road to Dunsden, on your left once you've turned off the Henley Road. ReadingIf you're after a top class but unpretentious dining experience in town then you really can't go wrong with Pepe Sale, an excellent and well established Italian restaurant. It's on Queen's Walk, which is the hotel/Oxford Road side of The Butts, on the walk up from the road to the Hexagon. No, you're right, that's not the sexiest of locations. However, once you're inside it makes no difference, it's very handy for parking (right above) and, of course, it's perfect for the Hexagon. (Indeed, they do a special theatre menu for Hexagon-goers, with quicker-to-prepare dishes to ensure you make the performance in time.) Whatever you're eating, and whether you're in a hurry or not, the service is friendly and the food is great. A favourite of ours in town, and one we've been back to several times over the years. (Meal for two and drinks from the 'theatre' menu, £40.00.) (Apr 09) Rotherfield GreysThe Maltsters Arms does great food at good prices and the staff are excellent too. Whether we're looking for a snack or a full blown meal, this pub has proved a totally reliable choice time and time again. If we're trying to think of somewhere to take someone that we can trust to be good without a shadow of a doubt, this is the place we always pick. It strikes the right balance between somewhere for a drink and somewhere to eat and the prices are average for around here. It's a good place to visit on sunny weekends too - it has a decent children's play area out the back. It is deservedly popular - book on popular nights. (Spring and Summer 09 and any number of times for years back.) Rotherfield PeppardWe've been meaning to try Ruchetta since it opened and just never managed to get around to it ... until now. This used to the 'The Dog' and now describes itself as an "Italian Restaurant & Country Pub" which might sound a touch incongruous, but is right! You don't need to eat to drink and there's real beer on tap. However, if you do eat we doubt you'll be disappointed. The menu is a nice mix of what we'd describe as the kind of Italian dishes you'd expect and dishes that are less, well, Italian. The service was just right - not too quick, not too slow, and the meals we had were all excellent. (And the portions are generous too.) And finally, if - like us - you recall 'The Dog' as being a bit tatty then don't worry - it's been extensively and very nicely refurbished. (About £115 for four of us.)(Apr 09) »» Show Map - Ruchetta (Google) Just across the road from Ruchetta is the Red Lion and we've recently had a good meal there. The menu isn't wildly adventurous or fancy and includes such good old staples as ham, egg and chips (but with local ham). However, that's no criticism and the standard of the food and cooking we had was very good, and the prices very reasonable. Unusually, they also do a vegan menu that's better than many a 'fancy' place can offer by a considerable margin. (£70 for four mains, two puds, seven drinks and two coffees.)(Aug 09) »» Show Map - Red Lion (Google) RotherwickAware, as we are, of our 'north of the Thames' bias with most of the places on this page, we were keen to add this one as it is very much south! In fact, it's heading down Basingstoke way. So, if you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods, you could do far worse than check out The Falcon. Unusually, it's Portuguese-run, and the menu has both traditional pub fare and some more interesting-sounding dishes from Portugal. We've had a couple of business lunches there lately and the food's been great, the hospitality excellent. (Nov 09.) SatwellThe Lamb at Satwell has had a very mixed history. Some 15 years or so ago it was run by Australians and it was casually excellent. Since then there've had at least one fire (and lengthy closure as a result), several different landlords and very mixed fortunes. Not long ago it was one of Worrall Thompson's places and while we've nothing personal against him or any other 'celebrity', we are naturally averse to going anywhere which has a 'name' associated with it - you're sure to end up paying for the dubious privilege. Anyway, it's now independent again and we had a very decent lunch there the other week. It's very small and you need to book - we were there on a Wednesday and it was full very quickly. Also, it's not a place for a 'bar snack' - it's very much a gastro-pub. However, if you fancy something more substantial midday it's one to check out. (About £50 for three people including one drink each and coffee.)(Dec 09.) »» Show Map (MultiMap / Ordnance Survey) ShiplakeWe've struggled to describe the food at The Plowden Arms, at Shiplake on the road to Henley. We're tempted to say it's 'simple fare, well cooked' but that doesn't sound quite right - it's sounds vaguely patronising, and we don't mean that at all. What we mean is that it's not 'mucked about' or pretentious food; they offer a good choice of meals, reasonably priced, cooked as they should be using good quality ingredients, and served by a very friendly staff. There is so much over-priced dressed-up mediocrity around, coming across The Plowden Arms made a very, very welcome change. Again, it is very popular on the nights you'd expect - and sometimes the nights you'd wouldn't expect it either. So, booking is advisable. The garden's quite good too, despite being by the main road ... if you should ever get lucky with the English summer weather.(Aug 08 and several times after; most recently Sept 09.) Stoke Row / Witheridge HillIf you can find it (!) the Rising Sun at Witheridge Hill (near Stoke Row) is well worth a visit. We've been there on and off over the years and have never been let down for either lunch or dinner. Our most recent visit - December 2008 - was an enjoyable dinner for four. (About £100 for four of us.) Since then, some fellow pub enthusiasts have been two or three times and report continuing high standards. (Dec 08 / Oct O9) White WalthamThe Beehive in White Waltham is worth the drive. We'd often been by it and noticed how popular it seemed to be, tried it last summer and were very impressed. We tried it again the other week and yep, it's a good one! It's one of those places with a small menu that's really well done rather than a huge but mediocre selection. Good service from friendly staff too. We'll be going back. (Four drinks, two mains, two puds - about £50.)(Feb 09) Food PoisoningAnd finally, yes, food poisoning. What a lovely subject ... A few times we've been asked about this - along the lines of 'with all that eating out you do, don't you ever get a dodgy one?'. And the answer is, very very rarely. Looking back over the last decade and more, one of our team had a severe food poisoning from a 'chef's mayo and crab sandwich' in a four star hotel in London. One had a bad time after a Coronation Chicken sandwich in a local pub that's long since changed hands. We can think of one time when we felt just not quite 100% after an Indian meal in Twyford (place in question now closed) and we did have a dodgy piece of fish once from a takeaway in Caversham - over a decade ago. And that's it. Now, given that between us all the team eats out at least twice a week, and has done so for donkey's years, in our book that's a very good argument in favour of being relaxed about eating out. Standards are high. |
