Bar 38, Reading

Nice, relaxed atmosphere, slightly older crowd than some of the bars (late twenties -thirties crowd) Reasonably inexpensive (some offers rival the student pubs) crap music and proximity to Brannigans (taking some of it's overspill) mark it down a bit.

27 Jun 2005 19:04

Brannigans, Reading

Brannigans is the epitome of all that is awful in drinking in Reading. From the aggressive bouncers to the awful, tarted-to-the-nines under aged slappers and half-a-pot-of-wella wearing sex offenders, this is one of the worst places to wind up of a night out. Playing unispiring, insipid house music that is a good few months out of date, your chances of escaping without a)a desperate divorcee attached to your face b) a squaddie's knuckles embedded in your face, or c) VD are pretty much nil. Avoid like the plague.

27 Jun 2005 19:03

The Purple Turtle, Reading

The Turtle is a Reading staple - and for a good reason. It houses all the people trying to be seen - the weird, the too young, the "alternative" (all dressed in matching face piercings and silly hair, naturally). For your "normal" drinker, the atmosphere can be awesome, and you can meet and hang out with some really cool people. It can also be utterly awful, with so many try hards and kids at the weekends clogging up the (surprisingly expensive) bar. It's a total lottery what you're going to get - but whatever you do, don't dress up!

5 Jun 2005 11:17

Pavlov's Dog, Reading

This pub has become much better in the last year. Yes, it's a schoodent place, but it also has an ace jukebox, generous gaming machines, and a friendly staff. The clientele is pretty mixed these days, too, so you never know what you might find...it's a brighter and much less sketchy version of the turtle. I'd say the biggest downside is that when it's packed, the staff do take longer than they should to get to you. But I'm still there most weekends. Recommended.

5 Jun 2005 11:15