Monks Retreat image

Monks Retreat

Restaurant Bar Pub

A large menu of British pub eats & sports on TV offered in a casual setting with sidewalk tables. People often mention staff, good, order, service, burger, atmosphere, great, nice, time, friendly,


Address

160-163 Friar St, Reading RG1 1HE, United Kingdom

Website

www.greatukpubs.co.uk

Contact

+44 118 907 6371

Price rating

$ $$$

Rating on Google Maps

3.80 (1.3K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Wednesday: 9 am to 11 pm
  • Thursday: 9 am to 12 pm
  • Friday: 9 am to 1 pm
  • Saturday: 9 am to 1 pm
  • Sunday: 9 am to 11 pm
  • Monday: 9 am to 11 pm
  • Tuesday: 9 am to 11 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: staff (21) good (15) order (11) service (11) burger (10) atmosphere (9) great (9) nice (8) time (8) friendly (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Alex K. 2 years ago on Google
    This is an ideal place to be if one is sports-minded and enjoys watching a match on the telly. There are many screens in this place, so one is not likely to miss a goal or a try. If one wants a more quie, atmosphere, the area downstairs was less crowded. I don't know if this is always the case. The burger choices are really nice. I decided to try the vegan burger and it was really nice. I recommend the vegan burger and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The members of staff who took our order was really friendly and enthusiastic. He stated that he had only started to work there, but he appeared to be extremely confident and knew the menu. One has to order upstairs and there was not an overly long wait for the food to arrive.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Jackie S. 1 year ago on Google
    Not good! We waited a long time for a jacket potato with cheese during a very quiet afternoon. The baked potato had been more microwaved than baked. The worst part was the synthetic burger cheese slice on it rather than grated cheddar. No side salad either, just a sorry looking potato with a slice of orange burger cheese. I'm happy to wait for a decent meal, but this wasn't worth the long wait.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 MarkUKInsects 2 years ago on Google
    Nice simple, good value pub food. Sensible veggie options. Staff really pleasant. My only very minor grumble was we asked for food recommendations, but the guy has only been there a few weeks, so had not tried much of the food yet. But on the plus side, it was honest of him. I'd rather he said that than BS. Nice to see Hogs Back TEA :-)
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Michael L. 1 year ago on Google
    Is it really worth opening the doors? Flat beer for what beer they had. Empty fridges. Was quite the pointless visit. Staff didn’t seem to know what they were doing and the moody blonde guy behind the bar well, a lesson in grace and decorum wouldn’t go a miss; wrong industry for this one!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Alex C. 1 year ago on Google
    Absolutely horrendous. 1 member of staff serving at snails pace. Ordered breakfast which took an hour. Do not recommend at all In response to the comment from the pub we were not told there was a wait on food. Others in our group were but this was after we had already ordered and had already been waiting 30 minutes at that stage
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Amber R. 1 year ago on Google
    staff really rude, no customer service skills. Jamel was the only member of staff welcoming customers and attending to our needs. all other staff very rude and moody. Wanted food but was kept being told kitchen was closed every time we asked. Should of been more prepared for the football and festival.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Deborah D. 2 years ago on Google
    Ordered drinks on the app that never arrived - the barman said the money would be refunded to my card. Refund never came through. Have emailed to ask them to look into it - not even had a reply.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Zsofia B. 9 months ago on Google
    This pub belongs to the Stonegate group. The service was pretty fast, and the prices were great. Possibly, it's the biggest fish I've ever had in a pub.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 MOODY R. 2 years ago on Google
    Considering this is no longer a wetherspoons, they've managed to keep the same busy atmosphere and roughly similar pricing. Love popping in here for a pint or two!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 jennifer k. 1 year ago on Google
    Lovely pub! Has so many deals on food and drink you can’t go wrong! The food is amazing came out on time and I personally enjoy the two for one cocktails!! They’ve got lots going on this week for the jubilee as well! Looks like a lot of fun!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Elisabetta R. 1 year ago on Google
    This was simply amazing! I loved the pies. The staff was supernice and this place warmed both my heart and my stomach! Thanks so much! Really!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Terry F. 10 months ago on Google
    Reasonable price for drinks and food. Good service. And they played some reasonable music, including the very good Denis by Blondie! A thoroughly enjoyable evening!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 KC 2 years ago on Google
    Really enjoyed an evening out here recently, staff on point, served fairly quickly. Guards stationed by the door were lovely and polite. Good atmosphere all round.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Sarah J. 1 year ago on Google
    OMG.... what a nightmare of an evening. Ordered food for 6 people, including puddings and a side dish with the smothered Rump. All sorted and waiting patiently for our food to arrive. Eventually it arrived up and waiter didn't know which steak was cooked med /rare and well done. Had a little hissing fit when asked.... side dish of onion rings arrived..... only 2 on the plate. When asked the waiter apparently they ran out. Asked for a refund and the waiter stormed off. We also had one meal missing. Long story short I had to queue at the bar to query and eventually got a refund for missing meal, my cold meal, pudding and some other bits. Good luck if you go there this Easter weekend! We deserved a whole refund and a voucher to return for a free meal to apologise for the very bad customer service.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 josh e. 1 year ago on Google
    Incredible location! Came last night for drinks, had some amazing cocktails and DJ Stef was amazing! Pub was busy up by the main bar which was a repeating sight considering this pub has been really quiet in the past! Definitely going to make this my weekend go to at least for pre-drinks!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Sue W. 1 year ago on Google
    Food was fine for the price. The ladies toilets are appalling. Out of four cubicles, three had no locks or broken locks. The three toilets that could be accessed ( two of which had broken locks) would not flush properly. Hourly record of cleaning not updated for 9 days.

  • 1/5 Ijaz R. 1 year ago on Google
    ⚠️ Be aware⚠️ Nothing is Vegetarian or Vegan or pescetarian. I was told by staff they use same fryer to fry Pork sausages as well fish and vegetarian. They are happy to advertise V Ve on their menu but staff tells you different. Wonder about their food safety and cross contamination training. Hopefully no one walks in with allergies🤞🤞

  • 5/5 Rick 10 months ago on Google
    Visiting Reading for 3 months. This is our favorite place for a steak and jacket. Very friendly staff. Service is fast, even when crowded. Prices are better than others in this area. Clean and nice atmosphere. Outside seating nice to enjoy a drink.

  • 5/5 Simon B. 1 year ago on Google
    England v Iran Booked a table, which was easy to do on line, watched the game there. I’ve been drinking at that pub for years. The current manager, tall dude with beard, has the place in order. No daytime drunks, the bar team all working together and polite and helpful to all, a good atmosphere…….. excellent experience. Nice one Monks. I’m deffo booking again.

  • 3/5 Liz S. 1 year ago on Google
    4 of us went into monks retreat on off chance for food and to watch England match. We didnt have a table booked but staff went out there way to get us a table near a TV. This was great. My only complaint would be the food. Had to wait about 45 minutes or more then it was cold. We mentioned this to one of the staff and they removed our meals and brought us 4bmore this time hot. But I do think on busy night when football is on they need more staff to get the meals out. This would run a lot smoother and get less complaints I would return for a drink but would rather go weatherspoons for food

  • 4/5 David B. 8 months ago on Google
    Just in for a cheeky pint but thought it worth reviewing. No time to eat or properly hang out but reckon I would if I could. Old school pub layout but with lots of space. It’s a big bar too.

  • 3/5 Paul D. 9 months ago on Google
    Went in on a Saturday, quite busy food was lovely lady serving she was brilliant singing away, so nice to see someone happy in their ? The only thing that let the place down was their were 3 people stood talking behind the bar talking about things nothing to do with work and the toilets were disgusting someone could have cleaned them and paper in them for the customer apart from that it was brilliant ?

  • 2/5 Linda E. 11 months ago on Google
    Friendly pub with good helpful staff. The experience is sadly let down by toilet facilities. The male toilets had two urinals out of use and the cubicle toilet was not flushing properly. This was not a new problem as has been like this a while. General maintenance needed. Would expect better.

  • 5/5 Linden B. 8 months ago on Google
    Turned up late, not a problem for food, decent selection of beers, nice welcoming greeting, food was great, thanks for everything

  • 4/5 Rohan j. 4 months ago on Google
    Decent place to have a pint or some cocktails They have martini on tap Food is amazing and delicious Tooooo many options for Gin

  • 5/5 Odie M. 5 months ago on Google
    Looking for a place to eat on a Friday night that was still serving regular food after 9pm. You order through an app at your table and they bring you everything. Great experience! The food was good. The music was good. The service and atmosphere were good. I would recommend to anyone passing through Reading.

  • 1/5 Rob H. 4 months ago on Google
    Had the worst curry I’ve ever eaten here. Would have rather been served a cold microwave meal from tescos, as this was just a much worse one of these. Also bought a Pint of Peroni and a Lager Shandy which somehow cost 11.50? Food used to be great here, but now is very bad. One of the quieter spots for atmosphere, so appreciate that

  • 4/5 Alex M. 5 months ago on Google
    Decent enough pub in the town center. Drink selection on tap is good but not amazing. Shows live sports which is nice. Lots of booth seating which is also really nice

  • 5/5 Leilah W. 5 months ago on Google
    Me and my sister visited this place and had a great time, great food lovely atmosphere and staff was friendly and welcoming; the bartender who served us, Nicola really stood out. so friendly very funny and super fast and accurate service. will be coming back!

  • 1/5 Jack H. 1 year ago on Google
    Rude ignorant and incompetent team. Lovely lady who served me at the till despite being lovely continued to have a conversation with someone else meaning ordering food for one person took ten minutes, I had to show the dish I was after because she couldn’t find it on the till. Kitchen is advertised to be open till ten pm and I have proof of this on their website, wasnt told at 9pm when I ordered mains the kitchen was closed at 9…. Manager on duty rather than apologise and acknowledge the error on the website was rude and abrupt for absolutely no reason when I informed him it was advertised differently as I would have ordered sooner. Maybe train your current managers before hiring another one or hope that your new deputy can be polite. Won’t be returning

  • 5/5 Brett M. 1 year ago on Google
    Very quiet when we went in (about 8:30 pm on a Wednesday), but friendly staff and a good range of beers. There was footie on TV but it wasn't overly loud so you could still have a conversation. Will visit again next time I overnight in Reading.

  • 4/5 Colin P. 1 year ago on Google
    Good Atmosphere , Good Pint Fast Friendly Service. Food was Served quickly was of very high quality and tasted very good. Quality food and Beer very good value 👌.

  • 5/5 Shamik M. 1 year ago on Google
    The 2-for-1 cocktail offer was good, but the quality of cocktails made it even better. Food was also excellent. Great place to hang out, or go catch the game.

  • 1/5 Keith M. 1 year ago on Google
    Food service was slow the lasagna was swimming in sauce like soup the burger was tinny the chips where half cooked and you could count on one hand the amount of chips you got and menu said premium drinks festive burger £10.29 then the barman said they put their prices up so the menu said the wrong price. I will never go there again needless to say I got a full refund

  • 3/5 Jim R. 1 year ago on Google
    After hard days work wanting full works steak with all the trimmings Kitchen staff haven't a clue no sauce only 2 onion rings no topped mushrooms or cheese. Very disappointing but bar staff made up with free pint still not the point if you pay and want something it should come with it. Nice piece of steak tho. Serious lack of management is all i can say.

  • 1/5 Angela R. 1 year ago on Google
    Bad treatment from the chef, rushing us to order even though there were another 4 tables with people. My burger was completely burnt from one side, and the plates where greasy and dirty. I will not come back.

  • 4/5 Derek M. 1 year ago on Google
    Enjoyed this venue within easy reach of Reading Station. Pleasant atmosphere, great selection of beer, very nicely cooked food. Pity I had to paddle to use the toilet.

  • 5/5 Matthew S. 1 year ago on Google
    Other than spilling my coffee all over myself, the team dealt with it incredibly well, food was great. Met the new Manager, great to hear all his plans for the monks, definitely going to bring my mates here!! DJ on Saturday, hope that Michael is working too as he is a fitty 😍

  • 5/5 nicola t. 1 year ago on Google
    Came in for breakfast this morning, was delighted by how friendly josh is very helpful and personable.breakfast was perfect. I don't know who cooked it but 10/10 from me. What a fab experience... well done all

  • 1/5 Wendy B. 2 years ago on Google
    Genuinely the worst quality cooked food and worst customer service that we have experienced in the United Kingdom. Man that served us made a vomit noise when taking our order as he did not like our choice. Completely out of order and unprofessional. He took over 5 minutes to put a simple burger order through and hence appears to need retraining. Then our order was delivered by a very moody waitress who when I asked her for sauces, was told to get them myself. My English Breakfast was burnt to a crisp. Literally black sausages, so black that we had to ask for new ones, only to be met with a grunt and then delivered two more burnt sausages. I was especially shocked to see burnt toast on the plate. We left feeling like we had wasted our money and felt like a burden rather than customers. We were planning to order dessert, but based on the terrible customer service and low quality food, we couldn't even finish our meals and decided not to waste further money on a pudding. We also noticed that staff were more interested in sitting around and talking to their friends, rather than serving. All staff appeared depressed, moody, and all together like they didn't want their jobs and indeed they should be replaced if customer service levels are ever to improve. New chef needed that can actually cook.Terrible on every level. AVOID.

  • 4/5 Mike C. 2 years ago on Google
    Has the feel of a small local pub but it is actually quite large and right in the center of Reading and near the station. Perfect for meeting friends who don't live locally and have to get the train in.

  • 4/5 Harry M. 2 years ago on Google
    This lovely pub was refurbished recently, sadly losing those near life-sized robed monks who had been gaily swinging from the ceiling. The food and service are good and the wait time reasonable. I have enjoyed quite a few of their dishes. If you fancy a good 'pub grub' fare, give them a try!

  • 3/5 David L. 2 years ago on Google
    It’s sad to say that a nicely renovated Pub looses based on the food quality. We‘ve had a broad choice of classic Pub food and none was particularly appealing. The burger looked like from a 99p place and the others weren’t winning on taste, texture and presentation either. This is no rocket science - get your quality in order and this will be a Pub well worth to recommend. Especially with the competition so close by. We decided to leave and get our next drinks elsewhere. I cannot say that the staff was unfriendly. Both ordering and serving was as you would expect.

  • 3/5 David N. 2 years ago on Google
    Decent pub in the centre of Reading close to the rail station. Good range of ales and lagers. Also varied food menu. Loads of screens showing latest sports.


Call +44 118 907 6371 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Food
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Spirits
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Food at bar
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Seating
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✗ Delivery
    • ✗ Takeaway
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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