Very nice and cosy interior with mixedhigh/low tables and a Chesterfield group. Just 3 cadks and few taps of the bore beers, a bit dissapointing. Interior worth visiting but beerwise you would not miss a thing if you keep on walking.

I’ve passed this place by on countless occasions and never ventured in, always assuming it was full of the standard macro-brews, but following it’s appearance on RB, I thought I’d give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. An interesting selection of real ales friendly staff and a pleasant interior - more geared to eating than drinking though.

This has always been one of my favourite pubs in Reading. It only serves 5 real ales (not bad I know, but nowhere near the Nag’s Head, Hobgoblin or Retreat) but they’re well kept and change regularly - generally focusing on local breweries. Hogs Back T.E.A. always seems to be on. There’s also your usual macro swill on tap. The staff are friendly and cheerful and the clientele pretty laid back. The food (poshed up traditional pub fayre) is pretty decent in term of quality, size of portions and value for money - I’ve not had a bad meal yet. It’s a very laid back, welcoming sort of place, with a small patio which unfortunately overlooks one of the busiest roads in Reading. You could easily chill out in here all nights with a few mates, although it’s worth noting that, when you’ve exhausted the choice of ales here, the superb Retreat pub is 10 seconds round the corner, and the Eldon Arms is only a minute away. What a superb little cluster of pubs!