please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Cosy olde worlde pub - excellent Guinness and a good selection of ales. Friendly staff. Food was ok but nothing special but in their defence it was a match day and the kitchen was very busy. About 30 minute walk to the stadium. Will definitely call again if we're in the area.
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Couldn't bare to eat at the Holiday Inn... so programmed Sat Nav to the nearest pub.
On the otherside of the Motorway, I know need to work out if it is close enough to walk to for my next visit.
Food was all home cooked and excellent. Land Lady made a stranger feel very welcome.
Several beers on, but I couldn't miss a Timothy Taylor Landlord - perfect.
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Nice old pub just the other side of the motorway from the Madejski Stadium and probably the nearest pub to the ground. It has a number of small rooms and fairly friendly staff. Beers on were Fullers London Pride, Loddon Hoppit, Wadworth 6X & Timothy Taylor Best Bitter & Landlord. Cider is Westons Stowford Press. We sampled the food, which was above average. There is a couple of large outdoor seating areas towards the rear near the car park, whilst locals use the front entrance as their smoking area. Also at the rear, are a few large dogs, kept in enclosures, but seemingly well kept. Not a bad pub, that could be used as an alternative to Reading pubs on matchdays (both football and rugby).
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Found this pub by a lucky satnav accident! Good beer and homemade soup! Lots of interesting pictures and documents on the wall. A proper old pub!
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The beer is good, but is way overpriced for Reading considering it is a free house. I can only assume the pub is taking advantage of there being little local competition from other pubs in the immediate area, and also due to it being en route to the Madjeski stadium it's a very convenient stop off for sports fans who aren't too bothered about prices on an already expensive day out. Although the ale is good, many customers seem to prefer keg beers, so perhaps the prices also allow for wastage of real ale. It would not get away with these prices if the pub was in central Reading !
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Went in on Wednesday evening in December, A pleasure as always. The landlandy made us feel very welcome and we again had a great pre-Xmas meal in their restaurant area. 5 Real Ales on tap including the very rarely seen, outside Yorkshire, Timothy Taylor - Best Bitter. I had Wadworths - 6X on my visit and it was of fine quality which is down to the care and attention of the bar staff. Keep up the good work.
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The London Irish Rugby Team, Supporters and Followers all visit this great pub not only does it have FOOD and BEER it also has the infamous London Irish Mascot sadly Digger is no longer with us but one of his offspring followed in his step and Mr DOYLE is now the Irish Woolfhound that leads the players on the turf at the MAD STAD
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Having lived in Reading all my life, and having been a keen real ale drinker and CAMRA member, I am so surprised to have only discovered this pub during late 2010. This has quickly become a meeting point for my friends and I, as it is fairly central for us travelling from places such as Wokingham and Mortimer. The ales have always been kept really well. Some ale fans may see the selection as standard, but you can give me a well kept pint of Pride, Landlord or a Loddon's beer any day, over a badly kept pint of something less well-known. I felt comfortable here from the first time I visited, and have eaten food twice as well, finding the it of a high quality. Really looking forward to visiting here with family during the summer, as the area at the back looks very welcoming for a summer's day. If you have not been here and are travelling through the area, I would recommend a visit. If you are local and are not supporting this pub then shame on you. Give it a try! One more thing - the comments on the wall in the mens toilet certainly made me smile, but I will let you discover that one for yourself :-)
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Just love The Swan. Beer always well-maintained, food always good and staff are friendly and give you a warm welcome. Suffered heavily from the disruptive (yet-necessary) M4 J11 roadworks but now it's largely over, people are flooding back...pity as I liked the peace and quiet :-)
Agree with Beer-Spotter's comments...we had a superb Christmas meal there too. Highly recommended - a good reliable pub
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First visited this pub a couple of months ago and was so pleasantly surprised we've been back many times since. The pub has a main bar with 'Outriggers' room overlooking the front of the pub and another bar for the excellent restaurant. 5 beers have been on handpump each visit and are lovingly looked after by the landlady. Currently serving Loddon Hoppit, Ferrymans Gold, Wadworths 6X, Fuller London Pride & Timothy Taylor Landlord. You are always given a warm welcome and last night we had a fantastic gut-busting Xmas meal including some local sourced cheese. The patio area at the rear looks a great place to while away the summer nights too, can wait brrrr!
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Beer has been good on my recent visits - if a tadge on the pricey side. You can get a bus (72) to the pub and it is (or will be once the horendous roadworks are complete) not to far from the Madstad. Licensees have been running this place for ages and must be one of the longest serving in the area?
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Front steps a little difficult for an elderly member of our party to negotiate, but this is a cosy traditional pub, with an excellent choice of beers; the local Loddon Hoppit and Ferrymans that I tried were in excellent condition. Food was also great with very generous portions, and staff all friendly and efficient. Landlord also an 'Exiles' supporter - as evidenced by 'Mr.Doyle' in the rear yard - what more could you ask? Worth the battle through the roadworks on the nearby A33!
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Quite impressed on my first visit, a good range of 5 ales (nothing massively out of the ordinary choice-wise) served well - my Tim Taylor was nice. A bit pricey though, over �3.
Inside is nice - reminded me a bit of this pub's namesake over in Arborfield.
Some unusual stuff to be found outside, lots of hanging baskets and the kiddie-pleaser, 'Jumbo's House', the mutt - sorry mascot - of London Irish.
Worth a visit, will be back again soon.
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