please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
friendly local pub with a good selection of ales and ciders.
large garden at the rear so great in the summer.
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Good selection of local brews as well as others. West Berks - Good Old Boy on last visit. Lunchtime food ok but nothing special. Well worth a visit for the beer though.
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10 minutes from the station. Good Old Boy, Hullabaloo and Landlord available last week when we visited. Reasonably busy at lunchtime with both drinkers and eaters. Beer was in great nick - �3.30 a pint.
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The West Berks GOB here is one of the best kept ales in the area. Sadly, prices are up again to � 3.30 now, but that's the going rate for Theale. If only this village had a freehouse.
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I always visit The Crown when I am in Theale and have not been disappointed. Great pint of West Berkshire's Good Old Boy (�3.10 - maybe a bit steep, but I didn't mind paying that for good beer these days). Noticed that they were about to organise a bus tour of the pubs in the forthcoming CAMRA local Ale Trail so there must be a good interest in the beer! Three drinking areas with high tables for serious drinking and low settees for a more "relaxed" approach! They even have their own Chinese take-away ! Best pub in town - discuss!
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Very much a locals pub. It has to be said the locals do like to imbibe! Real ales were Tim Taylor (Landlord), Loddon and West Berks brews, so 2 local beers and they were in tip top condition. Must have one of the hardest working landlords in the business who really did seem to care about his pub.
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Lively mix of football-watching and Chinese-munching customers on our arrival. Very decent beer, good choice. Seems to be all things to all men and making a pretty good job of it. Only downside would be the two overdosed-on-E-numbers kids howling at customers through firstly a window from the staircase, then through an open door from the Chinese. They need dosing up with a pint of Benylin each, I think.
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New landlord / landlady have really turned this place round and it is often the busiest place in the village, which was not always the case. The in house Chinese Take Away is great value and eating in with your pint is the popular option. Nearly always 3 cask ales on - West Berks Good Old Boy + Bombardier, then the third has alternated between TT's Landlord / St. Austells Tribute / and Misc. Loddon Brewery Ale. Regular bands at least once a month, and a fortnightly Thursday night quiz add to the buzz.
I must declare an interest here as there is an Open Mic. Night which I'm heavily involved with - First Wednesday of each month - Come and have a go !
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Tried the Crown again recently, and it seems to be the most improved pub in the village by some distance.
When I called in around Xmas, they had the excellent West Berkshire Brewery's Good Old Boy still on draught, as well as Timothy Taylor's Landlord, a very fine, pale hoppy ale. Both very nice.
The pub had had a thorough facelift since the new people arrived, and is far more welcoming and homely than it used to be. There is now a Chinese takeaway attached to the place, and the landlord seems very keen to try new things.
My view is that this is the best pub in Theale, along with the Volunteer.
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Theale has at least 6 pubs and isn't really big enough to sustain them all. This is one of the better ones and the owners are making an effort.
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The new people in charge are making a real effort in here. It's been spruced up, the big garden at the rear is now more easily accessible. There's three beers - currently GK IPA plus a couple of guests, usually from a local brewery like Loddon or West Berks - which have tasted good so far. Food is now also being rolled out.
Positive signs initially, am hopeful that they're in for the long haul and can make this place a success. Worthy of a detour for a beer at present.
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More Ale Landlord! If anyone can restore this old beauty to her rightful place this man can - Good luck big fella!
TheTT - 18 Jun 2009 05:06 |
This is a fantastic pub. The new landlord has done a great job of getting this pub opened despite the problems left by his predecessor. This pub should return to it's previous status of the "Best pub in the village".
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West Berkshire Good Old Boy is still on alongside Bombardier and Greene King IPA. This seems a nice enough building from the outside. But the interior is still a little rough around the edges. At least it was open on a Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (unlike The Lamb and The Fox & Hounds).
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I just wanted to add a quick update on here for those showing interest in the fate of The Crown. My partner and I are just about to take over at The Crown and intend to provide some TLC to the building prior to opening in early April.
We fully intend to keep the West Berks 'Good Old Boy' and probably extend the range of Cask Ale a little, add some food and atmosphere and generally invest as much time and energy as we can muster to bring the pub up to its full potential. We look forward to welcoming old and new friends.
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What has happened to this pub? I drove past recently and it appeared to be closed.
Use to be a good pub.
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I hear there is to be a change of licensee in the very near future.
Let's hope they can keep up the quality of the ale with a bit of TLC to the interior. If they can manage that they'll have a good pub on their hands.
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Serves a very good pint of West Berks Good Old Boy, so worth a stop for that.
The inside is a stuck in the pre-smoking ban era, could do with a spruce up. Usually has some newspapers available, as well as SKY so a good place to watch the footie or just drop in for a quiet pint.
Client�le can vary considerably, some of them have Tourettes judging by their potty-mouthed howling and are best avoided. Shame, as they let the place down occasionally.
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the best thing about this pub is Christine the Roscommon Queen, who works behind the bar and makes the pub.
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Beer enthusisasts should support the Crown for selling the excellent West Berkshire Brewery's "Good Old Boy".
The pub itself is OK, depending on who's in at the time. It's a good place for watching football, and it's normally pretty busy and lively, especially later on in the evening. Decor is a bit 1980s.
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Great for pint in front of the test match.
Merv Hughes - 5 Nov 2004 12:40 |
double vodkas for �2 is a bargain and its not bad to watch the footie down there but the pub seems to lack atmosphere.
L Bartlett - 6 Oct 2004 11:36 |
Unwelcoming with an objectionable drunk harrassing customers on my only visit. Would advise people to avoid.
R Charles - 21 Jan 2004 20:19 |
Liveliest pub in the village, but turns into Pikey Central on a Saturday night when all the straggly-moustached Blossom Square council estate denizens pile in
Jelly - 16 Dec 2003 22:50 |
