Pepe Sale Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Their duck with sultanas and honey and wine sauce is one of the best dishes I've ever had."
• "The food was delicious, really recommend the tiramisu!"
• "Really good, authentic Italian food."
• "Some of the finest steaks I have ever tasted, I will be sure to return on a Friday/Saturday to try the suckling piglet."
• "Amazing food, super simple and very delicious accompanied but lovely wines from Sardinia."
• "Homemade, flavourful dishes and friendly service at decent price."
• "Food is always fresh and the portions are very generous."

Cons:

• "The food lacked flavour and was well below standard."
• "Then for main was some very well cooked liver but with balsamic red onions was not a winner the vinegar overpowered everything that was good with the liver."
• "food was okish, ingredients were good but food was lacking flavour."
• "The prawns were overcooked and the tiramisu was quite bland."
• "The Spaghetti Chitarra was bitter and overly garlicy, both were not finished."
• "The salads and starters we ordered were not that great and felt soul-less."
• "Wouldn't recommend the spaghetti bottarga (mullet roe), there wasn't any bottarga detected at all."

Service

Pros:

• "Service staff are polite and helpful and always ready to make you feel at home."
• "Friendly, personalised, service by the staff who have worked there long enough to recognise and remember annual visitors."
• "The service was excellent and the restaurant had a very warm and welcoming ambience."
• "The staff were friendly and humorous without being overbearing."
• "Staff were friendly and inviting willing to chat."
• "Every request was dealt with efficiently."
• "Service was brilliant and quite quick despite of how busy the restaurant got."

Cons:

• "We decided to leave after another 20 mins and no order taken."
• "The staff had no idea regarding what was available on the menu."
• "Service poor. Very disappointing."
• "We were pretty much ignored by the staff once they realised we hadn't enjoyed the main course."
• "The staff seemed unaware of their menu."
• "There was no communication between the two waitresses which led to a lot of mistakes."
• "We waited nearly 20 minutes for someone to take our order."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "Ambiance is more like sitting in a local restaurant abroad rather than in the middle of Reading."
• "Great atmosphere and surroundings."
• "The entire atmosphere in this restaurant feels more like visiting someone’s home."
• "Very nice, romantic atmosphere too."
• "They've got a very large basement with a beautiful atmosphere."
• "Atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and friendly."
• "Good range of wines and a lovely ambience."

Cons:

• "The owner is not friendly. Very political and insulting."
• "The owner was so loud and brash it was almost like he wanted everyone to hear."
• "Not the best location behind Hexagon theatre. I wouldn't bother to go here again it's quite un imaginative and the decor isn't great."
• "The experience was slightly surreal as we were told to sit in the reception area and browse the menus before being seated."
• "Not much ambience for a date! It's quite bright in there, no candles, lots of tables stuffed together."
• "The place smells mouldy/damp, which for me usually ruins the experience."
• "On arrival was greeted by a grumpy woman who said 'do you have a booking' as it was fairly empty we assumed tables were available."

Value

Pros:

• "Called in early doors after a quick Google for somewhere good to eat. I quoted my work allowance limit and I was generously fed and watered to the penny."
• "The price was very reasonable and I will certainly be going back."
• "Prices were reasonable for the quality and quantity received."
• "Amazing food at a very reasonable price, I'm always impressed every time I go."
• "Prices are excellent and the quality of food is outstanding."
• "Food was properly cooked and so delicious!"
• "The food, though a bit overpriced, was great."

Cons:

• "Personally, for the food, I thought the bill was outrageous."
• "However this delicious food and wine doesn't come cheap, and plastic sleeving on the menus and wine lists don't fit the old-fashioned dining atmosphere."
• "Incredibly expensive food for its content / size of portions."
• "I really don't understand how a restaurant like this can have such a high overall grade. The food quality is poor, the prices are way too high."
• "The food was okay but a little over priced."
• "Bit pricey though."
• "Over priced for the small plate of food."

Management

Pros:

• "The owner / chef takes a personal interest in diners, often visiting each table and taking orders."
• "The owner was welcoming and attentive throughout."
• "The owner of this place is the best thing about it."
• "Lovely, happy owner, great atmosphere and surroundings."
• "The owner was charming and made us feel like we were the only diners in the restaurant."

Cons:

• "If you're thinking of visiting this independent Italian restaurant for any event DONT! AVOID AVOID AVOID"
• "The owner is not friendly. Very political and insulting."
• "The owner was so loud and brash it was almost like he wanted everyone to hear."
• "First the owner comes up to us as soon as we sat down to tell us we have to order fast because the chef is about to leave."
• "Lastly when it came to the bill he was extremely rude and even told us to never come back to his restaurant."
• "The manager wasn’t very friendly either, he apologised but kept it on the defensive like it was our fault."
• "I witnessed all of the incident from the last review and was shocked by the arrogance and tone of the owner."