5 stars is not enough to express how much I love this venue. I have been to the Shoulder of Mutton several times for dinners or lunch and had a great experience every time (which is why I keep coming back!) The servers are always lovely and the food is top notch, all set in a lovely location which is easy to get to but feels cosy and private once you’re inside. It’s also reasonably priced, which can be hard to find in Reading. The venue is really versatile and perfect for date nights, midweek meals, big events, and everything in between. My husband and I like it here so much that we even asked them to host our wedding reception (partly because I could think of nothing better than eating their melt-in-the-mouth mutton dish on our wedding day), and if I thought the service had been good previously then they really took it to another level for the wedding! The owner/manager Wendy was incredible and met with us several times to lay out all the details and make sure everything was exactly as we wanted. In the run up, she helped our family set up all the decorations and added some gorgeous finishing touches of her own, like having flowers in the servers’ hair that matched our table decorations, that we never would have thought of ourselves. Chef Alan’s custom dishes for our wedding menu were every bit as delicious as the normal menu and every single guest loved their food, right down to the pickiest of eaters. He is as skilled in the kitchen as Wendy is in front of house. I have always heard that no matter what, something will go wrong on your wedding day and that you should not dwell on these, so I was fully prepared to make some compromises and was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to. Every member of staff worked exceptionally hard to ensure we had the best day possible, reserving a plate of canapes just for my husband and me, changing plans quickly to serve dessert in the garden instead of at the table when speeches ran over, and making sure I always had a drink to hand when I needed one! Their efforts really contributed to the most perfect day we could have imagined. I have so many good things to say about this restaurant, but I will end with this: The Shoulder of Mutton has always been one of my favourite restaurants in the area and it is even more so now. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone I know and, if you’re reading this, to you as well.
Katie Hudson
The Shoulder of Mutton hosted a funeral tea after a service at Reading Crematorium. It's a lovely local pub that goes above and beyond to provide a personal service.The food was tasty and bountiful and suited the (mainly older) group of people that came along. Everything was clearly homemade with love. The quiches were particularly good!We were lucky enough to have the pub to ourselves on a sunny day so were also able to take advantage of the garden.One final comment. If you're considering The Crown or the Shoulder of Mutton then please go with the Shoulder. We were badly let down by the Crown, and they didn't really seem to care. The personalised service we got from a owner-operater (over the Crown chain) was clear, and their food is also A LOT better.
Steve Potter
Nice place lovely pub garden and food was really good will go again
som1810
A big thank you for the splendid show you put on yesterday. You now have nine committed supporters of The Shoulder of Mutton!
Roam68672705073
On arrival we were told to sit in the conservatory as inside they couldn’t cope with 6 people at one table where we were bombarded by wasps. We were then told that ‘the shoulder of mutton’ the pubs main was not available, also we were told that no ham was available and was being replaced with bacon. Service and food arrival was very slow though the waitress was lovely. For dessert, ordered creme brulee and once again not available. We were a group of pensioners with limited income out to celebrate the birthdays of a 83 and 79 year old. We will definitely not be going back to this establishment.
Sharron Bolton
Lovely bar staff/waitresses. Friendly & helpful. Good service. Was a bit warm in the conservatory to have a Sunday roast but still enjoyable. Bit of a wait for dinner but not a problem.
Marco Simone Zuppone
I used to go to this restaurant years ago and I returned there yesterday for dinner. All really nice and fresh. P. S.: Bruscetta does not make sense in Italian.... Bruschetta is the correct spelling.
Region Ad
Amazing food, really.The garden is Heaven!Food a tad expensive and a bit late, but was busy indeed so it's fine. :)
Margaret Horne
Wendy and Alan provided a very memorable party for myself and 24 family members. They made wonderful food and gave excellent, friendly service. Everything was perfect, I can't praise them highly enough. Many thanks Wendy and Alan.
Leo Whyte
Nice evening social BBQ. Only downside isn't didn't manage to equally have enough food but think there was a mix up with vegetarian needs. Nice beer garden
I went with my family, we had Shoulder of mutton and a few other dishes. Food was very delicious and fresh. Definitely we'll go again.
lizwinney62
I very rarely write bad reviews. It is always better to deal with problems face to face. However, we didn't get past the booking stage. I tried to ring the pub to book a table but when there was no reply I decided to go with the second option on their website and emailed them with a booking request. Having not heard back by the next day, my husband rang and spoke to someone at the pub about our request. There was no record of our email, apparently, so the booking was then made over the phone and we thought nothing more of it. Not long after this conversation, my husband received a call from the person he perceived to be in charge. She was quite abrupt with him and said there was no email. We must have emailed a different pub of the same name. Then said' we don't like people emailing us' and that it was quite clear on their website that this was not their preferred choice. My husband made the point that that was not the case and that the onus was on them to change their wording on the website if that was how they felt. Again, the booking was confirmed and we thought nothing more of it. Today we got an email cancelling our booking due to them being busy!! Fine...but then insinuating that my husband had been very rude and had lied about the website wording. The whole attitude of the lady in charge has been most unpleasant and we would not dream of returning as customers in the future. A very strange attitude to customers! I have emailed the pub with a screenshot of their website, for their reference in the future. VERY DISAPPOINTING
Reachforstars
Apologies for not writing our review sooner! We had the pleasure of The Shoulder of Mutton hosting our child's christening reception back in March. We had over 40 people so for quite a small venue they done absolutely fantastic, spot on with the food and general hosting. We cannot express how pleased we were. The venue itself is beautiful and a good, cosy and personal size. The gardens are beautiful. Inside is clean and welcoming. They have a new fire as you walk in which makes all the difference! Very friendly owners and staff. Food arrived all at the same time HOT and amazing buffet choice. Once we had run out of a dish, new food was bought out and it was baking hot. We also had some additional dessert treats bought out for us such as cream and strawberries on scones (I think it was). This was a beautiful touch- thank you. Food that Alan cooks is faultless and delicious. After the christening we had so many compliments from family and friends on the venue and food. The few waitresses they had working on the day to help us were absolutely spot on, could not fault at all. Helped us bring our presents to the car without us having to ask them. They handed around prosecco all the time to our guests. They also cut the cake for us and handed out to everyone. They were so friendly also- real gems to the place! Brilliant place for a reception or party especially if you want something personal like we did. Would rate you guys 10+ if we could- thank you honestly so much for a wonderful day and for accommodating us all!!
SteveandDiLondon
The Shoulder of Mutton was recommended to us by several people for a family gathering after a funeral and they weren’t wrong. The ‘limited’ menu offered to large groups was way more than adequate, considering we included fussy vegetarians, a vegan, and my own severe food allergy. The owners and staff were wonderful; they’d been dealing with a broken freezer and a poorly little boy but still managed to be totally accommodating with a great sense of humour, and the food was absolutely delicious - the desserts were beautiful! I can genuinely say that it provided a really nice closure to a very sad day and I’m looking forward to returning - maybe for the famous Sunday Lunch - in happier circumstances.
Linda Parker
Really nice food. Fresh far to much people took doggy bags home.
5 stars is not enough to express how much I love this venue. I have been to the Shoulder of Mutton several times for dinners or lunch and had a great experience every time (which is why I keep coming back!) The servers are always lovely and the food is top notch, all set in a lovely location which is easy to get to but feels cosy and private once you’re inside. It’s also reasonably priced, which can be hard to find in Reading. The venue is really versatile and perfect for date nights, midweek meals, big events, and everything in between. My husband and I like it here so much that we even asked them to host our wedding reception (partly because I could think of nothing better than eating their melt-in-the-mouth mutton dish on our wedding day), and if I thought the service had been good previously then they really took it to another level for the wedding! The owner/manager Wendy was incredible and met with us several times to lay out all the details and make sure everything was exactly as we wanted. In the run up, she helped our family set up all the decorations and added some gorgeous finishing touches of her own, like having flowers in the servers’ hair that matched our table decorations, that we never would have thought of ourselves. Chef Alan’s custom dishes for our wedding menu were every bit as delicious as the normal menu and every single guest loved their food, right down to the pickiest of eaters. He is as skilled in the kitchen as Wendy is in front of house. I have always heard that no matter what, something will go wrong on your wedding day and that you should not dwell on these, so I was fully prepared to make some compromises and was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to. Every member of staff worked exceptionally hard to ensure we had the best day possible, reserving a plate of canapes just for my husband and me, changing plans quickly to serve dessert in the garden instead of at the table when speeches ran over, and making sure I always had a drink to hand when I needed one! Their efforts really contributed to the most perfect day we could have imagined. I have so many good things to say about this restaurant, but I will end with this: The Shoulder of Mutton has always been one of my favourite restaurants in the area and it is even more so now. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone I know and, if you’re reading this, to you as well.
The Shoulder of Mutton hosted a funeral tea after a service at Reading Crematorium. It's a lovely local pub that goes above and beyond to provide a personal service.The food was tasty and bountiful and suited the (mainly older) group of people that came along. Everything was clearly homemade with love. The quiches were particularly good!We were lucky enough to have the pub to ourselves on a sunny day so were also able to take advantage of the garden.One final comment. If you're considering The Crown or the Shoulder of Mutton then please go with the Shoulder. We were badly let down by the Crown, and they didn't really seem to care. The personalised service we got from a owner-operater (over the Crown chain) was clear, and their food is also A LOT better.
Nice place lovely pub garden and food was really good will go again
A big thank you for the splendid show you put on yesterday. You now have nine committed supporters of The Shoulder of Mutton!
On arrival we were told to sit in the conservatory as inside they couldn’t cope with 6 people at one table where we were bombarded by wasps. We were then told that ‘the shoulder of mutton’ the pubs main was not available, also we were told that no ham was available and was being replaced with bacon. Service and food arrival was very slow though the waitress was lovely. For dessert, ordered creme brulee and once again not available. We were a group of pensioners with limited income out to celebrate the birthdays of a 83 and 79 year old. We will definitely not be going back to this establishment.
Lovely bar staff/waitresses. Friendly & helpful. Good service. Was a bit warm in the conservatory to have a Sunday roast but still enjoyable. Bit of a wait for dinner but not a problem.
I used to go to this restaurant years ago and I returned there yesterday for dinner. All really nice and fresh. P. S.: Bruscetta does not make sense in Italian.... Bruschetta is the correct spelling.
Amazing food, really.The garden is Heaven!Food a tad expensive and a bit late, but was busy indeed so it's fine. :)
Wendy and Alan provided a very memorable party for myself and 24 family members. They made wonderful food and gave excellent, friendly service. Everything was perfect, I can't praise them highly enough. Many thanks Wendy and Alan.
Nice evening social BBQ. Only downside isn't didn't manage to equally have enough food but think there was a mix up with vegetarian needs. Nice beer garden
Restaurantji Recommends
I went with my family, we had Shoulder of mutton and a few other dishes. Food was very delicious and fresh. Definitely we'll go again.
I very rarely write bad reviews. It is always better to deal with problems face to face. However, we didn't get past the booking stage. I tried to ring the pub to book a table but when there was no reply I decided to go with the second option on their website and emailed them with a booking request. Having not heard back by the next day, my husband rang and spoke to someone at the pub about our request. There was no record of our email, apparently, so the booking was then made over the phone and we thought nothing more of it. Not long after this conversation, my husband received a call from the person he perceived to be in charge. She was quite abrupt with him and said there was no email. We must have emailed a different pub of the same name. Then said' we don't like people emailing us' and that it was quite clear on their website that this was not their preferred choice. My husband made the point that that was not the case and that the onus was on them to change their wording on the website if that was how they felt. Again, the booking was confirmed and we thought nothing more of it. Today we got an email cancelling our booking due to them being busy!! Fine...but then insinuating that my husband had been very rude and had lied about the website wording. The whole attitude of the lady in charge has been most unpleasant and we would not dream of returning as customers in the future. A very strange attitude to customers! I have emailed the pub with a screenshot of their website, for their reference in the future. VERY DISAPPOINTING
Apologies for not writing our review sooner! We had the pleasure of The Shoulder of Mutton hosting our child's christening reception back in March. We had over 40 people so for quite a small venue they done absolutely fantastic, spot on with the food and general hosting. We cannot express how pleased we were. The venue itself is beautiful and a good, cosy and personal size. The gardens are beautiful. Inside is clean and welcoming. They have a new fire as you walk in which makes all the difference! Very friendly owners and staff. Food arrived all at the same time HOT and amazing buffet choice. Once we had run out of a dish, new food was bought out and it was baking hot. We also had some additional dessert treats bought out for us such as cream and strawberries on scones (I think it was). This was a beautiful touch- thank you. Food that Alan cooks is faultless and delicious. After the christening we had so many compliments from family and friends on the venue and food. The few waitresses they had working on the day to help us were absolutely spot on, could not fault at all. Helped us bring our presents to the car without us having to ask them. They handed around prosecco all the time to our guests. They also cut the cake for us and handed out to everyone. They were so friendly also- real gems to the place! Brilliant place for a reception or party especially if you want something personal like we did. Would rate you guys 10+ if we could- thank you honestly so much for a wonderful day and for accommodating us all!!
The Shoulder of Mutton was recommended to us by several people for a family gathering after a funeral and they weren’t wrong. The ‘limited’ menu offered to large groups was way more than adequate, considering we included fussy vegetarians, a vegan, and my own severe food allergy. The owners and staff were wonderful; they’d been dealing with a broken freezer and a poorly little boy but still managed to be totally accommodating with a great sense of humour, and the food was absolutely delicious - the desserts were beautiful! I can genuinely say that it provided a really nice closure to a very sad day and I’m looking forward to returning - maybe for the famous Sunday Lunch - in happier circumstances.
Really nice food. Fresh far to much people took doggy bags home.