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4,5

Based on 932 opinions finded in 2 websites

4.0Ambience4.0Cuisine4.0Price4.5Service
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Nº 180 in 673 in Reading

Nº 10 of 35 Indian in Reading

CUSTOMERS TALK ABOUT DISHES WITH.. crabcookedmangomeatfishcurryspicyricechickenlambbeautifulmustonionporkladybellyprawn

comment_iconOpinions

Clays is one of the most authentic restaurants you’ll find in reading. The restaurant is well seated and spaced so you don’t find yourself on top of one another. Food is exquisite. Full of flavour colour and clearly cooked with love. The meal consisted of two starters (highly recommend the prawns and pork belly) two curries, one rice and breads. Very friendly staff and wonderful to talk to the owner (don’t forget to offer little shots of the masala soda!!) x overall a beautiful evening out. Clays is on the pricy side, but you really do get some memorable tasty food from the evening. Highly recommend

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Trip776168 . 2024-04-06

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Unlike your standard Indian food. True authentic delicious cuisine. Amazing food, amazing staff and amazing owners . Will be back for sure. Had a lovely birthday. Thank you! Mel N

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Mel . 2024-03-31

MORE AT Google

Really enjoyed my meal at Clays! Some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. We got a few starters and mains to share between us - with the chicken dish being my favourite. Service too was also great! Very friendly and efficient staff. Will definitely be back!

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Liam Cutler . 2024-03-29

MORE AT Google

It's still alright but I feel it was better in the previous location and unfortunately the costs involved have had a slow but negative impact on the food. Portions have become a bit stingy, which isn't great when you're trying to share with more than two, and consistency hasn't been great recently. Our go to chicken livers have variously been over cooked or salted. Hopefully it's just a phase as this was the place to go.

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James Dashwood . 2024-03-24

MORE AT Google

We ate at Clay's for the first time last night. The food was great, but overpriced given our overall experience. We booked via the restaurant's website the day before for 9pm - the only available slot. From the moment we were seated we felt rushed to order. Drinks and then food (starters and mains) arrived quickly, but we were only midway through main courses - food still on plates, knives and forks in hand - when a waiter came to ask if we'd finished, and the same thing happened twice more! We weren't offered a dessert menu, and the bill was produced the instant the table was cleared. The staff were clearly keen to clear up at the end of what was obviously a busy night, but why offer a table at 9pm if you don't really want customers at that time? We were out of the door by 10.15. For these prices (the best part of £80 for starter, main and 1 drink each) I want to feel like I'm eating in a restaurant and not grabbing a quick bite in a fast food joint.

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Victoria G . 2024-03-23

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The restaurant was very busy on a Friday evening and there was a great atmosphere. The staff kindly reset a table so that we could have a round table. The menu offers authentic Indian dishes and our food was delicious and very good quality.

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KTP310 . 2024-03-16

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We have visited on a monthly basis since Clay's opened and have never been disappointed. The food and service are of a consistently high standard. There are few places offering such authentic Indian food. (Note: if you are looking for typical anglicised Indian/Bangladeshi food, this probably isn't the place for you.) Also, the place is spotlessly clean – including the loos.

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LondonSkitripper . 2024-03-15

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The food was average and overpriced. The service was ok but nothing special.

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Jo G . 2024-03-13

MORE AT Google

6 of us went here based on the excellent reputation and we weren’t disappointed. We all shared starters and mains so we could try as many dishes as possible- I’ve eaten dishes here I would never order and loved all of it. The cabbage and cauliflower starters were insanely good (& me a meat first kind of guy) as well as the pork belly, and of the 4 different mains, the mutton was really good, but the venison was superb. It’s the depth of flavour these dishes had - some spicy, some lightly spiced but nothing too hot and with lots of other flavours coming through to make the food really interesting. Oh and rhetorical wine selection was great also - as I’ve got older I need to choose - beer or curry (I can no longer do both!!) - and wine is a great compliment to curry if you choose the right wine - which we could!

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Mark Lillywhite . 2024-03-10

MORE AT Google

Not impressed! For what is meant to be one of the best Restaurants in Reading I thought is was well below average let alone one of the best. We arrived slightly early and was told the table was ready (Great). The starters were very dry (Chicken Livers and Pork Belly) and would have benefited from some Raita or similar (Which we asked for and was given, although no cucumber in the raita so it was just yoghurt) The crab Doughnuts were unavailable (No crab I was told). And the chicken livers should have come with a roti or crisp bread, or at least the waitress should have suggested as much as it was a lot of just dry Chicken livers to have on their own! (We saved the majority to go with the main course in the end). The main courses tasted good, but far too expensive for what they were, I had just 4-5 tiny pieces of chicken in my curry and the lamb mince biryani had very little mince at all in it! (And mince is not an expensive ingredient) as for the Prawn Curry, well it was more a question of find a prawn! Still feeling like we could eat more, we ordered two desserts, the Rice Pudding was an odd consistency but edible, the sponge, apricot and custard dessert was in fact just a bowl of custard with two small maraschino cherries in, the sponge and apricot was no where to be seen. It was my birthday and I persuaded my parents to come here, expecting something great as we all love food from the Sub Continent and were all left very disappointed. The service was ok, although a long wait between starters and mains, but the location is very noisy and we couldn't even hear each other across the small table. I certainly won't be making an effort to return as there are far better options in Reading and Caversham for similar food. - Very disappointed!

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Tudor K . 2024-03-05

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Amazing food - the 2nd time we've been. A shame they've taken off a couple of the "odder" dishes but for me that removes the authentic element of it. Bring back the goat curry! Everything we've ordered was great. Cabbage pakora - so so tasty! For mains: I would recommend getting a Biryani to share between 2 and getting another main to share. We opted for the Keema Biryani and Dawat chicken + a couple of sides and bread. Around £90-100 for Starters, mains and a pudding to share

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Mike Longson . 2024-03-05

MORE AT Google

One of our favourite restaurants

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John Baish . 2024-03-04

MORE AT Google

The worst dine in experience I have ever

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Amit Munjal . 2024-03-02

MORE AT Google

Great atmosphere and ambience. The service is brilliant and the food is amazing! The flavours and taste are very authentic. Good portions and reasonably priced. The bar is fantastic too.

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Abhijeet Vardhan . 2024-03-02

MORE AT Google

Overall, we had a very nice experience here however, the menu is quite limited and in our experience the service was very very slow. The food itself was very tasty and I enjoyed what I ordered. However, others in my party were left feeling that the meal did not live upto their expectations. I’m not sure if I would visit here again as there are many restaurants of similar in the area. However, I would recommend it for others to try.

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SueS736 . 2024-03-01

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Plenty of people have written about the food and it is all true. It is really very good. My first choice beer was not available, so I elected to stay safe and order a beer I knew - Loddon Beer which is brewed a couple of miles away. However there was something wrong with it, the taste was more than a bit off and the smell was off too. The waitresses agreed and gave me a different beer. I don't know if by that time I had lost my way with beer or not, but whilst it was better it was not great. My friend was driving, but had a sip of both. His opinion was that the pipes needed cleaning. Would have been a 5 star review otherwise.

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ianfV8876QQ . 2024-02-26

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Unfortunately never got to try the food. We’ll never go back and all our guests won’t either. One of our guests was violently ill so we couldn’t make our booking. Clays charged me £80. I called them and explained I am unemployed and in dept and my guest had an ongoing illness but they wouldn’t return me the £80. Real shame but they’ve lost 6 customers plus all the people I’ll tell of my experience.

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Mr Thinker . 2024-02-18

MORE AT Google

Pros: attentive staff, restaurant size, cutlery, paratha. Cons: prawn starter not appetising unfortunately. Swimming in butter and no other detectable flavour. Chose the chicken dawat based on description and image. Looked nothing like the image. Taste was bland bordering on salty. Go to alot of Indian restaurants and besides the paratha, pilau rice and staff, this wasn't it.

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Hazel eye . 2024-02-16

MORE AT Google

Been coming here for years and it is delicious. The taste of the food is the best Reading has to offer. Service is professional and friendly. Great atmosphere and environment. Only thing I would say is that you pay a lot of money for quite small plate of food in most cases.

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Chris Ellison . 2024-02-11

MORE AT Google

We just had a brilliant meal at Clays. The food was superb, really different from standard Indian restaurant style, with distinct flavours, and unusual dishes. Service was spot on and the place had a good buzz. We will definitely be back and we’re already looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. It’s not cheap, but it’s good value for excellent quality food.

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Lucie T . 2024-02-03

MORE AT TripAdvisor

I've now had a couple of meals at Clay's kitchen, both of which have been excellent. The food is delicious and really high quality. The service is fantastic and the team are super friendly. Highly recommend!

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Emma Thomas . 2024-01-16

MORE AT Google

Having had many excellent meals at Clay's so decided to try their Christmas feast on Boxing Day. This was the most delicious food, great value, excellent ambience and wonderful service. Would definitely recommend it next year (and we're already planning to go again!)

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Reallara . 2023-12-26

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The decor was nice and staff friendly and the food was tasty but it was way too expensive for what it was I actually had 4 bits of lamb in my small bowl. I had a better meal at Calico the night after with friends and that was alot better plus good value. Can't say I'd be rushing back.

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Sightseer05298094314 . 2023-12-17

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Recently visiting clays I had such a wonderful evening. It is now my favourite restaurant. The one thing that truly sets it above any other is the sublime service that I received from Sara who catered for our every need. I will be returning soon!

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Fergus Jones . 2023-12-16

MORE AT Google

Just had an amazing meal at Clays. We had starters and main courses, everything was delicious and good portions too. The staff were friendly and really attentive. All in all a brilliant meal out.

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Kate Poels . 2023-12-14

MORE AT Google

Excellent food, brilliant flavours and interesting menu. Probably the best place to eat in Reading...

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Craig Atkins . 2023-12-11

MORE AT Google

Clay’s is our favorite date night restaurant, and we were thrilled when they moved to right round the corner from our home. The new space is beautifully decorated and the food is better than ever. It’s not for those looking for a classic ‘British Indian’ meal of tandoori chicken or a korma, because it is truly authentic and a fine dining experience. Having travelled in India I can say this is better than anything I ate there without question. I’d highly recommend coming with a group and ordering a few small and large plates to share so you can try everything! We’ve worked our way through the regular menu and have loved every dish we’ve had.

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Lexie N . 2023-12-10

MORE AT TripAdvisor

This is the first time we’ve been to Clays kitchen. Wow, amazing food, lovely restaurant and great staff. We’ll definitely be back.

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daniella t . 2023-12-10

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Fantastic food. Our no. 1 restaurant by miles. We’re very lucky to have such a gem in Caversham!

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Tom Hughes . 2023-12-10

MORE AT Google

Amazing food, great staff, beautiful environment- can’t wait to visit again!

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Karl Taggart . 2023-12-10

MORE AT Google

I dined at Clays two weekends running last month, one with my parents and once with my in-laws. Between the two occasions we managed to eat most of the dishes on the menu, as we chose a starter and main course each and shared. Everything we tried was delicious, but the chicken livers and pork belly really stood out and I would happily have eaten just those. The dishes paired well with the mango beer (which is brewed specially for Clays). Service was attentive, in spite of the restaurant being busy. The new location is lovely - brightly decorated and with a buzzing atmosphere in the evenings. We’ll be back soon!

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uzambassador . 2023-12-10

MORE AT TripAdvisor

food is over priced and does not taste delicious. does not make sense for high prices.. owner of the hotel is hilarious..

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srinivas bharadwaj . 2023-12-09

MORE AT Google

Stunning food, very inventive. The room could use some attention to make it less draughty. But the food and the service make it not so important.

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Luke Robinson . 2023-12-09

MORE AT Google

Amazing food, very friendly staff. If you like Indian food that’s the place to come 😋

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Libor Males . 2023-12-09

MORE AT Google

Biryani was ok but prices are crazy !! Quantity was also less and I was shocked when they said they don’t serve side dishes without taking main course. I mean which Restaurant does this ? Waste of money to have an average quality food, ambience is good but not worth it.

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shabana mokashi . 2023-12-08

MORE AT Google

The most authentic Indian food I have tasted outside India

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Andy McCrory . 2023-11-26

MORE AT Google

Booking a month in advance to avoid disappointment! Great food. Brilliant atmosphere. Nice and busy for a mid week night. Great choice of food and brilliant local suppliers, some fantastic local beers too!

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Mitchell Jones . 2023-11-19

MORE AT Google

Absolutely amazing food, could not recommend highly enough.

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Ellen Oliver . 2023-11-13

MORE AT Google

Six of my family went to Clay's for lunch, today, Sunday. We ordered 5 main dishes, including all 4 of the interesting ones from Assam plus 2 side dishes, lots of rice and 2 baskets of assorted roti. It was all absolutely delicious. Later we asked for more rice and all the dishes were scraped completely clean. We managed to share some ice cream and sorbet, then chai and green tea. It was fun to share all the dishes and taste some of everything. Really authentic and all perfectly spiced. Best food I've tasted outside India. Will certainly go back.

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Maureen Blake . 2023-11-12

MORE AT Google

Massively overpriced, poor quality and made to feel awkward and was questioned when my grandad asked to remove the 12% service charge. Really dissapointed as had been excited to try this restaurant for a while. £20 ish for a worse than average curry.

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Emily B . 2023-11-12

MORE AT TripAdvisor

I had read good reviews online about the food here but was so disappointed... the starter was so salty I couldn't finish it, and my lips were hurting! My friends starters were ok except the paneer which was quite an odd texture. And the biryani I had for main was fine but nothing special. Honestly not a great meal,and I couldn't believe how expensive it was! Really wouldn't recommend

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Kiri S . 2023-11-11

MORE AT TripAdvisor

There are many more options on the menu I hope to try one day.

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Todd Liebenschutz-Jones . 2023-11-11

MORE AT Google

Came here to celebrate a birthday having read good reviews. Paid a lot of money for average Indian food so was already intending to make this a one off visit, and then we were asked to stop celebrating as we were making to much noise...

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kirinorth . 2023-11-10

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We had been to their first store closer to the oracle and this was our first time to the new location. The atmosphere was great and quite busy but the quality of food was as good as ever and authentic Indian taste. Definitely on the pricier side but we were celebrating a special occasion so it was worth it. The service was great and attention by the owner team nandana continues and that's a nice touch.

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Deepak Ravindran . 2023-11-10

MORE AT Google

The food was quite nice but it was massively overpriced and our group of 10 (who were speaking at the normal volume for a group of 10) were told to keep quiet, which massively ruined the dinner vibe. Wouldn’t really recommend to be honest.

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123456jessica . 2023-11-10

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The paneer balls were OK, but the sauce was bland, also for £17,50 would have expected them to be solid paneer and to have 6 not 4, The Indraha had good zing, but were approx 2x3x0.2cm in size and was quite oily. The baghara rice was no different to plain rice I have at home. The mixed paratha portion was half what we expected and there was no hint of methi in the "green" one. First time I've ever left an Indian restaurant hungary. The red wine was good, but price started ar £27 (merlot), want decent choices sub £22 and know it's possible. Service charge automatically included £84 for 2. It's a nicely decorated place, with tables nicely spaced out and it's colourful with happy service.

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Helen W . 2023-11-07

MORE AT Google

The paneer balls were OK, but the sauce was bland, also for £17,50 would have expected them to be solid paneer and to have 6 not 4, The Indraha had good zing, but were approx 2x3x0.2cm in size and was quite oily. The baghara rice...

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helenw268 . 2023-11-07

MORE AT TripAdvisor

I was shocked by the service. Waiters dropping drinks and sauces and even my friend’s iPhone when serving. Constantly on our case to hurry up and extremely rude. Owner is arrogant and condescending. I would say save your money and go to Quattro next door who serve great food and care and respect their clientele!

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Nikki . 2023-11-04

MORE AT Google

Whilst the food was ok, mediocre really, the service was appalling. Made to feel unwelcome from the start as a friend was 10min late for the table, with constant reminders that we only had the table for 2hrs. The main courses were served 15min apart...

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Stay47500159863 . 2023-11-03

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The flavors and ingredients were amazing and the meat melted in your mouth. Service was incredible. Defiantly raising the game here!

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David Paton . 2023-11-02

MORE AT Google

Super friendly, very accommodating authentic Indian restaurant - hosted a party of 16 on Saturday 21st October and every guest said it was the best Indian food they'd ever had. No overly sweetened/sugared generic british/Indian curries, but plenty of real Indian recipes handed down through...

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jordanbarryw . 2023-10-23

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Super friendly, very accommodating authentic Indian restaurant - hosted a party of 16 on Saturday and every guest said it was the best Indian food they'd ever had. No overly sweetened/sugared generic british/Indian curries, but plenty of real Indian recipes handed down through families. Food was exceptional, the setting is well thought out and has a great feel to it, accessible parking just round the back and the staff/atmosphere were a pleasure to be around. Will definitely be visiting again - thanks to all the team.

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Jordan Barry Wild . 2023-10-23

MORE AT Google

Superb, delicious n tantalising authentic Hyderabadi Andra Pradesh food Great hosts n lovely atmosphere to enjoy the food Well done

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Shaikh Anjum Javaid . 2023-10-22

MORE AT Google

This is a fantastic restaurant which provides an excellent range of Indian food that provides a most enjoyable experience for those coming here. The dishes are there to give you a taste of Indian food that stands out from most restaurants by presenting a number...

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SGFish . 2023-10-22

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Service was very good and all the recommendations were excellent. My only criticism is that some of the curries were a little over seasoned. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable evening. One last thing... try hard to not sit near the back of the restaurant. When people arrive or leave through the car park entrance at the back, there is a really cold draft that blows through and makes it very unpleasant.

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Geoff Richardson . 2023-10-20

MORE AT Google

Food was 9/10. Drink and service probably 10/10. Absolutely delicious, our waiter (will add name) was really impressive.. My mother in law is Hyderabadi and this is very authentic.

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Richard Scott . 2023-10-15

MORE AT Google

Service friendly and nice decor in restaurant. Portions were decent but unlike many other reviews I found the curry nice, but nothing to write home about - and certainly not worth the prices which were solidly on the expensive side for curry in Reading. It's for this reason it gets 3/5 from me.

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Henry Wright . 2023-10-15

MORE AT Google

Great place to eat in Caversham!

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Larisa . 2023-10-13

MORE AT Google

Not your average Indian. It is miles ahead of any other Indian we have been to

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Yvette Rowlands . 2023-10-12

MORE AT Google

Food was good and tasty. Tried tomato pappu and aloo fry with steamed rice.

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Prashanth Mohan . 2023-10-11

MORE AT Google

Just moved to the area and heard great things about this restaurant with a lot of hype. The menu looked interesting, including the specials and struggled to choose. However the food when it came was average-good, not exceptional as we had hoped. Sizes were small and prices were high. Crab donuts starter were a highlight. Service was exceptionally slow. We had to order crackers in-between main and starter and we did get an apology for the slow service. Thankfully we weren't in a rush but it wasn't very busy so I would worry about waiting time on a weekend. (We went on a Thursday). Would be a 3 star but our waiter ETHAN was absolute highlight so have pushed it to 4. Other staff seemed young and inexperienced but this guy had great chat, knew the menu and wasn't scared to give his own recommendations. I couldn't believe it when he told me he was only 17 when I asked. This guy will go far. Probably wouldn't be in a hurry to return but a fairly nice evening nonetheless.

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Holly H . 2023-10-07

MORE AT Google

Food and service was excellent. We had 2 main dishes off the special menu both of which were superb. Service was also exceptional.

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Paul Siddle . 2023-10-06

MORE AT Google

Fabulous food, amazing staff and good selection of Indian food and wine.

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Gabriela Fok . 2023-09-29

MORE AT Google

Rice was a bit hard, lamb was over burnt but otherwise we enjoyed the party

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Srinivas Vanka . 2023-09-29

MORE AT Google

We celebrated our engagement anniversary today. The food was great. Loved the paneer and the basket of rotis. The shrimp was also very good

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Maria Mirza . 2023-09-29

MORE AT Google

A little gem in caversham. This is not your typical Indian restaurant so beware. The food is sensational it is flavoursome and just so delicious.

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393birgitt . 2023-09-20

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My table experienced every single excellent and terrible review from the past six months in one sitting. The food was very impressive but almost tried too hard with one too many ingredients in each dish. We all had different favourites but agreed the Scotch egg...

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Oxford-Punter . 2023-09-18

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Disappointed with the Managements attitude and flexibility. Whilst I fully appreciate the nature of the menu is unique and catered to certain tastes , the management were totally inflexible and non open to constructive criticism. The waiting staff were excellent, friendly and accommodating, perhaps the...

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boofhead100 . 2023-09-08

MORE AT TripAdvisor

If you’re looking for cheap South Asian food don’t come here. However, if you want to try some of the best food around, this is it. Flavours were delicate and rich. Every dish offered something new. The restaurant isn’t cheap but it isn’t astronomically expensive either. A great addition to Reading’s restaurant offerings.

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Sam Hargreaves . 2023-09-08

MORE AT Google

Excellent food and service, parking out back, a bit pricey for the experience though.

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David Hampton . 2023-09-03

MORE AT Google

Spur of the moment decision and we were rewarded. Sunday lunch menu with delicate flavours. Shrimp biryani was excellent and small plates were fab, particularly the butter chicken croquettes and crispy chick peas. No space for dessert but we made some and we’re not disappointed....

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Berkshirebabes . 2023-08-13

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Dreadfully overpriced, food mediocre. Real ale colder than lager. Terrible din £113÷ for three. Will never return. Rubbish.

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Vincent R . 2023-08-12

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We’ve been meaning to try here for a while as we live round the corner but didn’t get the chance to until tonight. The food was out of this world - we went tapas style and ordered three starters, one curry, one bread basket and...

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46giorgial . 2023-08-09

MORE AT TripAdvisor

This restaurant is out of this world! Unless you know authentic home cooked Indian food, you’ll won’t recognise many dishes on the menu, but you don’t need to worry because everything you choose will be incredible. From the authentic popadoms that melt in your mouth...

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Fiona M . 2023-08-06

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Food too salty so it all tasted the same. Cauliflower dish highly recommended by the server was inedible as it was so salty. Really disappointed. Waste of money as it is expensive. The restaurant is also far too noisy making it difficult/impossible to have a...

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MaryLewis125 . 2023-08-06

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The food unfortunately did not live up to expectations, the service was good but overall an underwhelming experience. The atmosphere was very noisy and quite unpleasant at times probably because of the hard surfaces. I am not sure what Jay Rayner had but it was...

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keithaV935FO . 2023-08-05

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Too much salt and too much oil. Over priced

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Iain Hitchcock . 2022-04-30

MORE AT Google

Lovely food, great staff. Little disappointed with the lamb clay pot biryani, it was lacking flavour. The rest was great.

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sulakshana joseph . 2022-04-29

MORE AT Google

Me and my wife visited this lovely independent Indian restaurant on a Wednesday evening for our wedding anniversary. We did book ahead which I would advise to do if possible. We had the Cabbage pakora and Gobi Manchuria to start followed by Chicken thighs cooked with tarmind leaves and onion (Chinta chiguru), Tofu in Spinach (Achari palak tofu) and Hyderbadi style drum biryani with Mutton kheema for mains with a raita and a mixed paratha basket. All this washed down with a delicious mango lassi and masala chai. Service was attentive and warm and we thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes and they all felt distinctive and very authentic. Loved it and we will certainly be back

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Usmaan Hussain . 2022-04-28

MORE AT Google

We really enjoy Indian food from the more traditional curry houses through the Michelin Starred restaurants in London. Since moving to Reading, we have struggled to find something to match up until we tried Clay's on recommendation. It must be one of the best Indian restaurants in the country. The quality of the ingredients and the way they're treated mean the flavours are so powerful yet refined. The menu reads as quite unusual but the flavours are very familiar. Finally, the service was simply outstanding from the whole team. Highly, highly recommended!

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Jai Dattani . 2022-04-27

MORE AT Google

First visit, as they are heading to Caversham so wanted to try after hearing great things. Absolutely fantastic. Authentic, friendly, incredible food. Cannot recommend enough!

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Lee Buller . 2022-04-24

MORE AT Google

Really pleased to have come across this restaurant in Reading! There are two floors with snug seating so I'd suggest booking in advance, especially for groups. Most of our group was vegetarian so there weren't that many options to choose from, but what we did have was authentic and delicious. Manchurian for starters was a bit too salty, but the paneer kofta balls for mains are the best we've ever had! My partner eats meat and he had the village lamb which as other reviews say, is out of this world. It goes without saying the Biryani was exceptional. Overall very nice place and ambience but I gave 4* for limited veg menu, small portions and being on the pricey side. They could consider giving hot hand towels and mints/chocolates at the end. We hear that they're planning to move to a bigger premises soon so look forward to visiting there!

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NiKitA THAKrar . 2022-04-10

MORE AT Google

Just not good, just not goood… stop being so foolish….. they need to improve customer experience

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Sagar Desai . 2022-04-10

MORE AT Google

The best Indian restaurant in Reading! I'm quite fussy with my Indian meals and this restaurant is amazing. Taste of every single dish is incredible. My husband and I especially love the Venison Bhuna, it is just sublime. Staff are very attentive and we have an amazing time everytime we go and even when we order the home delivery food. Simply superb! 💕

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Zafia Khan . 2022-04-02

MORE AT Google

It was nice visit had some great authentic Hyderabadi dishes but very limited. Starter were soo good.

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Rajeev Nilay . 2022-03-28

MORE AT Google

Food was absolutely amazing - all three dishes tried were tasty, mouth-watering, the spice was just right, lamb and chicken were succulent, full of flavour. Staff were friendly and attentive. Definitely a gem well- worth finding.

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Nerise Sallie . 2022-03-27

MORE AT Google

Overpriced sides and everything was so salty I couldn't finish. Pity.

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Graham McCann . 2022-03-21

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We were attending a gig around the corner and had an hour or so to spare and wanted to eat and just happened across Clay's.Great experience - quick, attentive, friendly and informative service and the food - oh my word, the food - quite outstanding and with many, many things we'd never heard of and itched to try.We settled for four small plates and a mixed bread basket (John's Basket, named for their first customer) and it was outstanding. Cauliflower in a jaggery-and-tamarind sweet and sour sauce, nicely caramelised, crab-filled doughnuts in a spiky and spicy thin red sauce, chicken livers and belly pork - all beautifully cooked and amazingly flavourful.Not the cheapest - around forty quid for what we had, with a lemonade and a water - but we'll definitely be coming again the next time we're in Reading.

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henrikk2013 . 2022-03-13

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Interesting Asian fusion cooking. Pork belly very tasty

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Bob Cox . 2022-03-03

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Delicious food, cosy atmosphere and lovely staff.Yes, I agree with the comments that it’s a bit pricey which will make it more an occasional rather than regular venue but with the cost of everything rising at the moment I’m thinking anywhere independent will need to charge more.Thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to going back.

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Visitor030313 . 2022-02-27

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Lovely staff but not that impressed with the menu.

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Andy Freebody . 2022-02-23

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We were recommended this restaurant by some friends. The atmosphere is intimate and friendly. The menu is relatively short compared to alot of Indian restaurants and the dishes were all quite different but well described. Our waitress helped us select some small plates as starters which were excellent and the highlight of the meal. We had the cabbage pakora and the cauliflower both of which were absolutely delicious. In retrospect we ordered far too much food for the main course. My daughter had the lamb biryani which was the only disappointing dish - it was very dry, the meat was tough and there was too much rice. The other dishes were very good although I found them far too salty which spoilt it a bit for me. They kindly offered Tupperware pots so we could take the leftovers home. I saw alot of customers leaving with 'doggy bags' so it is clearly easy to order too much. The staff were excellent, very attentive and charming. I gave it a 3 star rating due to the saltiness, disappointing lamb biryani and the price which felt expensive for what you got.

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Frances L . 2022-02-13

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I can tell you how good this restaurant is by letting you know that in having to meet a friend between Exeter and London we chose Reading, because this restaurant is stand out good. We’ve eaten here once before, it was as good if not better this time and we can’t wait to eat here many times in the future. Several stand out dishes amongst a meal of perfection, crispy cauliflower, king prawns, carrot side dish, monkfish curry, the pork belly and an excellent bottle of Mersanne. It seems to be booked out from 5.30pm so reservation essential. This recommendation is again given without reservation.

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LondonNifty . 2022-02-06

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Amazing food and impeccable staff. Try the village style lamb, what a treat! My go to place for some proper Indian cuisine!

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Ionut Vlad . 2022-02-04

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Fantastic authentic menu and the food did not disappoint. My parents are from Andhra Pradesh so know what Andhra food is and they loved it. My dad even said as we were leaving “this is proper, authentic Andhra cooking”. I thoroughly recommend the Gobi Manchurian; Chicken livers and especially the Chepala Pulusu, it really is like mum makes it!

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Saranya82 . 2022-01-28

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I don't understand why children can't share with parents. Below point mentioned on their website Unfortunately, we do not allow children under the age of eight years old at the restaurant as we do not offer a children's menu. We are also unable to accommodate pushchairs.

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Harinarayanan Srinivasan . 2022-01-21

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We had read a number of reviews about this place and finally decided to give it a go. We are an Indian family and cook a lot of very varied Indian food at home - we hardly ever eat at Indian restaurants, as the majority don't serve authentic food. We went in with high hopes and expectations...The dum biryani is more theatre than taste. It was dry and the rice stuck together. I've cooked better biryani at home and if you have real Hyderabadi biryani, well...this is a poor shadow of that.Oddly, the vegetarian food was better. The dal with raw mango was very good and the beetroot chapati as well. The lassi was like kulfi - never had lassi like that anywhere in India.Clearly much better than the average Indian takeaway, but, for us, it didn't live up to the hype.

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WitNit . 2021-12-29

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The food here is absolutely amazing. We started getting their vacuum packed meals during lockdown and they were so good we were excited to go and eat in the restaurant. We were not disappointed. The menu is creative and so tasty. The service is informal, warm and friendly. Genuinely an incredibly pleasant dining experience. This is my top recommendation for dinner in Reading.

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Ross . 2021-12-20

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After having the delivery from Clays several times we finally had a meal in the restaurant this week and it did not disappoint. In fact some of the dishes we ordered were an absolute revelation. Forget everything you know about Indian food and got to Clays. Its not just the best Indian food, its up there with the best food you will ever eat. Cooked with real skill and creativity. The flavours and ingredients are like nothing we’ve every tasted. My advice would be to go in a group of four or more so that you can sample each others dishes. And be brave and order something you’ve never heard of. A ‘normal’ curry will never be the same. Bravo Clays. Outstanding!

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Herindoorsandme . 2021-12-18

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The food here is absolutely superb; incomparable to anything one might consider from a 'typical curry house'. The restaurant itself is understated, but the food is presented well and to taste it is heaven. It will change your view of 'Indian' food completely. With bigger stomachs, we would have gladly ordered everything on the menu and I fully intend on going back to try and finish it off. Get there soon, before everyone else does!

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charliecE9513MU . 2021-12-15

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