The Crown Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was glorious. I can highly recommend the bobotie (South African beef mince dish) and the pistachio ice cream is divine!!!!"
• "The most dankest ever bbq platter and squids was a treat on my taste buds oooo lala."
• "The food we ordered was of a very high standard."
• "We had superb food here the other day, the fish dish of sea bass was excellent and the pie was delicious."
• "Food was incredible, staff were so lovely and friendly and nothing was too much trouble."
• "Food was superb."
• "The Ribs, the Churchill Burger, the Hout Bay Salad, the Moules Frites, the Sea Bass, the Confit Duck, the New York Strip and the Hillbilly are all great."

Cons:

• "Three of us had a main course of pork belly and it was very chewy and no crackling."
• "Food was very expensive and not worth it, steak was tough."
• "For mains I ordered 'lobster Mac n cheese' (no lobster found by the way) the dish was watery, and after a couple of mouthfuls, I knew I had eaten something off and went to the bathroom to throw up."
• "The food was good, but 2/4 of our party members received food poisoning from the ribs served."
• "Food was so oily I couldn't eat it."
• "The food was greasy."
• "The large pan of what turned out to be Yorkshire pudding looked like a huge pile of mud pats."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff is very friendly and helpful."
• "Staff very friendly and helpful and happy to have young children there."
• "Very friendly and welcoming staff."
• "Our server was Raza who was very welcoming and very good at his job."
• "The staff were all very friendly and polite."
• "The gentleman in charge of food service was brilliant, friendly, attentive, efficient & the patience of a saint!!"
• "The staff are so kind and friendly, the food was delicious and they have a vegan menu, which our friend enjoyed."

Cons:

• "Table service not brilliant, don't listen due to being busy."
• "Seemed friendly enough if a little disorganised when we visited but then cancelled our booking for a funeral tea days before the event."
• "After having lots of previous meals here and 2 previous Christmas Days here we booked again. To be honest it was the worst meal I have ever had and the service was appalling."
• "The service was poor, as a result of what little staff there were."
• "The staff were rude."
• "The service was poor. We had 2 or three people serve us often with long waits between."
• "We had to get up to look for staff to get information and attention."

Location and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "Lovely location with friendly staff."
• "Gorgeous location, welcoming atmosphere, comfortable and relaxing rooms."
• "Beautiful place inside, lovely garden."
• "The Crown pub in Reading is a true gem."
• "The beer garden is lovely, it must be great in the summer."
• "The atmosphere was spot on. The decor is great and it feels like a proper country pub."
• "The outside area is beautiful and relaxing to sit in. The garden is well thought out into little sections so it feels cosy and intimate."

Cons:

• "The atmosphere was like being in a large canteen. A very pretty pub but I would never go there again."
• "The crown is a crowded, usually quite noisy pub and restaurant."
• "A bit of a soulless bar with naff, aspirational interior decor and ornaments."
• "The ladie's floor (and basin surround) was so wet it was dangerously slippy."
• "Whiff of cigarette smoke from nearby table was fortunately light and brief."
• "The only downside of the evening was where we were sat. It seems like there don't have many smaller tables."
• "The beer garden provides a serene and tranquil escape, making it the perfect spot to enjoy a refreshing drink or savor a delicious meal while basking in the sunshine."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Not the cheapest pub around, but you get what you pay for!"
• "Great mix and affordable menu and all tasty for what we had."
• "No half measures with the portions and very reasonable prices."
• "Excellent food and good value for money."
• "Good value for money at £15 as much as you could eat."
• "Prices are excellent."
• "Prices are excellent and the surroundings are fantastic."

Cons:

• "Not the cheapest pub, especially for soft drinks (£6.30 for two halves of draught coke!, a coffee was only £2.50)."
• "Overall it was a poor experience. We sat in the garden and had to ask three times to have the table cleared."
• "Price is medium high imho."
• "Very pretty pub, however it is i feel at the top end price wise so be prepared to spend a bit more."
• "6 pounds for a pint of draught beer is expensive for a country pub like this."
• "Expected much more considering it costs £14.50!"
• "Overpriced Sunday roast in lovely setting. Toby carvery at 1/3 price is better."

Accommodation

Pros:

• "We were greeted warmly, the rooms were lovely."
• "Bedrooms are 'shabby chic' but very comfortable."
• "Rooms are lovely."
• "Our room was lovely and spacious enough with a luxurious bathroom."
• "Rooms which are well appointed and comfortable are a bit quirky, I imagine they are converted stables."
• "Rooms are comfortably, & well positioned in the garden - very quiet!"
• "Rooms are exquisite."

Cons:

• "Accommodation very clean...comfy bed but needs TLC...dark room...cant lift blind for daylight as on show to passers-by."
• "Also there is a porch light outside the door that you can’t turn off that shines too brightly even with the shades pulled."
• "The accessible shower had no anti slip mats or sufficient, adequate handrails to support wheelchair users."
• "So much to write up about! Most disturbing to us was when we pulled the bed sheets back there was about a dozen short curly black hairs in the sheets."
• "The toilet cistern had only a trickle feed and took 10 minutes to refill."
• "The rooms are a specially build block separate from the pub and across one of the best pub gardens I've been in."
• "The ladie's floor (and basin surround) was so wet it was dangerously slippy."