Pubs in Reading

Located east of the town centre on Auckland Road, The Roebuck does the pub essentials well. They offer a decent to impressive range of beers, ales, ciders and lagers and do a fine line in pub grub. Factor in the beer garden, pool table, jukebox and board games and you have a winning combination.

On the banks of the River Kennet, a mile or so from the town centre, The Fisherman’s Cottage is a nautical-themed pub that pulls over a dozen ales, lagers and ciders with regular guest beers. The real highlight is their decking overlooking the water, which becomes a real sunspot in summer and is the perfect place to enjoy a burger and a cold pint. 

You can’t get much fresher than drinking straight from the conditioning tanks behind the bar, making Zerodegrees one of the freshest drinking experiences in Reading. Brewed onsite, their range of five beers – including the tangy Mango Beer – are best enjoyed with one of their homemade pizzas. With three floors to choose from, and two balconies overlooking downtown Reading, the Bridge Street pub is rightly one of the most popular in town. 

An award winning pub that prides itself on its selection of hand-pulled ale and cider, The Nag’s Head is a beer drinkers paradise. Make sure to check out the chalkboard on the way in for the week’s specials while the hundreds of beer mats that decorate the walls and ceilings hint at the bar’s heady reputation.

Located on Russell Street, the pub also does a good line in food including their Sunday roast.

We can’t imagine there’s much of a market for it, but if you’ve got the taste for mead – the medieval forerunner to beer – then you’re in luck, as The Alehouse serves up actual mead, a potent mix of fermented water and honey. They also pull pints of more recent beers from microbreweries near and far, but get down early if you want to secure a seat or table as the small pub fills up fast during weekends. 

Where some pubs begin and end with their beer selection, The Castle Tap fits a lot more into its remit. Alongside a robust selection of cask, keg and bottled beer, ale and cider, it has a strong gin and whisky collection and also offer cheeseboards to complement your drink. They also have a range of entertainment, including books and board games, a dart board and all the big sporting action across several TVs.