Jazz Cafe Reading in West Berkshire

A perfect venue for my 40th birthday party. We did not need to worry about any aspect of the planning or the night itself. The event was unique to my wishes and the rest was without stress - just full on fun. I’d recommend the Jazz Cafe to anyone.

We had my husband and his brothers joint party at the jazz cafe Saturday evening and what a fab evening it was. The communication on the lead up to the party was excellent, bar staff were fantastic on the night, we used the resident DJ who played some great tunes and was very friendly, I would highly recommend this venue for any upcoming functions you may have.

Wow, wow, wow My husband & I, family, and friends had a fantastic evening. The live band and DJ were amazing and everybody commented on the great atmosphere! A big thank you to all the staff, from the guy at the door, the catering and bar staff were all so friendly and helpful. The total number of guests was a final count of 76. We had extra help with the welcome drinks, staff to serve our guests drinks and laid out great finger foods which was plenty! Thank you so much for your help and advice over the months, it was truly a memorable evening for my husband’s 60th Birthday party. The Live music and DJ was spot on, the perfect selection for dancing the night away with family friends of all ages. We had Jazz, Motown, R&B and even some reggae & bhangra for all to enjoy. Thank you so much, everybody have said how the whole evening went to plan and will be cherished and never forgotten ❤️

We celebrated my husbands birthday. A perfect night out! The whole atmosphere was fabulous. Lively and very friendly staff. Food was delicious and the band was brilliant. We danced the night away.

Buena música en vivo de 9 a 2 en The Jazz Cafe, Millenium Stadium Reading. Casa llena para una noche de fiesta salvaje.

went there for an Office Xmas party. The food was good - but the music and sound system were both a dissapiontment.

Great venue for dancing but do eat before you go!food portion sizes are so mean. Food is so basic. The Vegetable portion size was five small cubes of potatoes, thin slice of carrot.Ridiculous. Unfortunately the barstaff’s knowledge is poor too. Offered me an ice bucket for red wine and served our friends who purchased a full bottle of wine a bottle which had already been opened and used!Fortunately they noticed as soon as they put the bottle on the table. The other annoying thing was that if you left your table to dance your glasses were cleared away although you had a bottle of wine on the table and a jug of water! You just felt that the staff wanted to tidy up as quickly as possible.

We booked a party for October back in May. This week we contacted the club to pay the balance for them to call us back and inform us they had double booked and we no longer had a venue. No solutions were offered at this point just deposit returned. We weren't very happy about being left with no venue for 65 people three weeks prior to the event and called them back At this point they agreed to help find an alternative venue and to cover any costs that were additional as this was due to their error However once an alternative venue was found and it became clear the additional costs would be over £800 they have now refused to offer any assistance, denied saying that they would and basically just left us to it. What an appalling way to treat customers who booked an event many months before. The lady were dealing with was next to useless and we will never use this place again. I hope this review will save others wasting their time and the additional stress that we have received

We called in after shopping in The Oracle and were made very welcome and comfortably seated straightaway. A great two course lunch followed, the food well-presented and accompanied by a perfectly chilled Picpoul de Pinet. Huw, the duty manager,took good care of us throughout. We will be back.

we had a festive works evening last Saturday evening we paid £46.30 per person which included a 3 course meal, unfortunately the food was really bad to the point of embarrassment I myself had ordered turkey dinner and could not distinguish between the solid lumps on the plate whether it was vegetable, turkey or potato I tried hard to cut the food into pieces I thought that may help to see what I was eating but I couldn't get the knife through the lumps so in the end I gave up trying to eat, those that did manage to eat some of their food said that everything tasted the same and those that had the fish sent it back to kitchen as inedible

Looked for a venue to have a party for my “significant” birthday and Jazz Cafe ticked all the boxes. Booking was easy, had nice choice for buffet and lovely office ladies Joy and Vani were always quick to respond to my queries leading up to the event. Venue was nicely laid out on the evening,and Claire and her bar team on the night were just fabulous. A great venue, good location, excellent value for money I would happily recommend The Jazz Cafe as venue for variety of functions. Thanks guys - you were all fantastic 😊

This is a nice Venue for small or larger groups. Not quite right for intimate couples type evening. The welcome and service throughout the evening was excellent. The two course meal was okay put not up to good pub cooking standard. The live music and dj were both very good. Bar prices are quite high but wine very reasonable. Would return another night for the right music. Might not bother having dinner next time!

We were on the £34.50 two course fixed price menu. My mackerel starter was described on the menu as coming with 'warm new potato and creme fraiche, garnish with watercress and a hint of horseradish dressing'. What arrived was mackerel, some lettuce leaves and a thin slice of baguette, there was no sign of the warm new potato, creme fraiche, watercress or dressing so that was a disappointing start. My spinach and goats cheese tart for main course was very nice but the 'selection of vegetables' to go with it was just sliced carrots. I wouldn't recommend coming here for the food ... We had expected live music to accompany our dinner and were asked to arrive by 7.20pm. In fact there was no live music until 9.30pm but when it did start it was very good. The staff were friendly but we were at our table for twenty minutes without anybody offering us a drink and in the end I had to ask a waitress if we could be brought a bottle of wine. Later in the evening people were enjoying dancing to the music and there was a great atmosphere. The music wasn't jazz so be prepared if that's what you were expecting at a Jazz Cafe! This was our first visit but overall I don't think we'll be back. The food needs to match what is offered on the menu and it should be made clear that 'dinner and live music' doesn't mean both at the same time.

Adequate place, but completely soulless corporate vibe despite the name. They desperately need to get a new logo (attached image is their current one).

A lovely venue for our 60th birthday party for friends and family. Our Party was booked back in Feb 17 was told DJ Equipment could be used, Kitchen could be used for basis, not cooking which we fully understood. - as you do Vani and the management were very polite in order to get our deposit. When we finally paid the balance - Vani then told us we could not use the DJ equipment free it would cost £100 and also if we wanted to use the Kitchen it would cost £100 - bit of a rip off, considering we paid out a lot for the venue. On the evening we arrived as agreed with Vani @ 18.30pm to set up - was met by management and staff moaning that we had arrived too early. Management need better understanding of customer relations. Vani tries hard to please the client, was told the day before that we would have use of a microwave for the evening - was not told it would be in the kitchen and no one could go in, she also told me that my host for night was a lady called Sofia, but when we arrived this arrogant rude man approached us and said he was the manager on the night very rude, the poor lady that was suppose to help us did not even get a look in. As for his customer his skills , this needs to be relooked at ASAP- better training. Sadly in front off all my guest the manager was going around with either a mop and bucket or a dust pan & brush clearing up all the time - how embarrassing in front of my guest. The bar staff took my guest wine glass of the table in front of her without even asking if she had finished the bottle of wine she had purchase from the bar. Being a 60th party no party, they did not even want us to put up decorations or balloons. To top it all the manager was even stopping my guests from going outside to have some fresh air or have a smoke. Lovely evening but sadly let down by management and Bar staff Personally I would not use them again - A Very different agreement before you paid your deposit and when you have paid your deposit and balance another set of agreement is given to you. Literally you are paying a lot of money for a Shell.

We spent an evening here with friends and had a really good evening. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the staff very friendly and attentive. The food was tasty, nice and hot and good size portions. The band was really good and the house DJ played good music. The dance floor was a good size so plenty of space for everyone.

Habíamos pedido una comida para un grupo grande de personas para celebrar un cumpleaños. Fue mi primera vez aquí y tenía ganas de saber que era un café de jazz. La banda eran buenas. La comida fue una decepción tras decepción. Personas en mi grupo pidió el salmón, cuando llegó tenía chorizo por todas partes. No estaba en el menú donde esta experiencias. Cuando le dije a la camarera que no comer cerdo, dijo su chorizo. ! ! ! Cielo arriba. Una vez que finalmente dimos cuenta de donde proviene de ella chorizo Ofrecer una disculpa por medio de una bebida gratis. Terminé en el pollo, pero con que era insípida. Indique qué viene con la comida, así que los clientes pueden hacer elecciones informadas y, por favor, formar a su personal para saber de dónde proviene la comida. Este también era bastante chocante para un miembro de nuestro grupo que pasó a ser un musulmán. Sólo volvería a comer allí de nuevo si tuviera la seguridad de que el menú era clara y que el personal sabía lo que estaban hablando.

No sabía que existía hasta este lugar fueron invitados por amigos a unirse a ellos para celebrar la Navidad. Es parte del estadio Madejski. He observado el rugby allí muchas veces, pero nunca me di cuenta de este lugar. Este es un lugar muy amplio y las mesas no estaban apiñadas de optimizar el espacio como es la práctica habitual de muchos establecimientos en esta época del año,

Friendly welcome, easy to get a beer, food was very good and decent band. It was a good night and decent value too.

El servicio no era genial para ser honesto - parecía un poco desorganizado, y algunos del personal detrás del bar eran un poco arrogante - no todo a unos pocos.

Estoy muy impresionado con el café de jazz. estoy seguro que soy uno de muchos recepciones venideros. todo fue llevado perfectamente. Todo el personal era muy profesional mención especial a vani que cumplió todas mis necesidades, era rápido y aseguró que era justo lo que queríamos. La comida tenía muchas felicitaciones, nos decidimos por un menú pero los 3 campos eran increíbles. El personal era muy atento durante todo el día. El lugar es una pizarra en blanco, así que puedes hacer lo que quieras. tuvimos un tema rojo y blanco y se veía genial. Muchas gracias a todos! ! !

Un lugar encantador para nuestro 60 cumpleaños para amigos y familiares. Fantástico personal y DJ Excelente, conseguí la fiesta.

Having been a frequent guests of the Jazz Cafe many years ago, I felt apprehensive about booking this venue for a private party. But when I stepped back in, I knew it was right. The Events Manager could have done a better job at helping me arrange my party but don't let that anyone put you off. The manager on the night, Tony was superb as were the rest of the staff. I devised my own menu and the chef did a great job!! I hired The Chain Gang who are a local band and one of the Jazz Cafe regulars - they were absolutely awesome - my guests couldn't stop talking about them. My 50th party was a complete success and I'd do it all again next week. Highly recommended!!

Attended a tribute dinner show with an Elton John act on Saturday. The staff were very courteous and efficient and the act very good. The menu was somewhat limited with just 3 choices for main courses but the chicken dish served was perfectly acceptable. The price of £4.50 for 2 courses and entertainment and wasn't great but ok. What it fell down on was pure atmosphere. The dining area was chilly, very dark and tucked away at the side. Viewing was almost impossible from some seats. The room was also crowded with non diners and a private buffet party which included a few children. Overall it was an ok evening but not a venue I would rush back to for such an event.

The food was like gloop, dry and tasteless and disgusting. They later apologised saying the food delivery had let them down they had to source the food from local stores last minute. The venue was like a meeting joint. The band were not very good at all, you couldn't dance to. They apologised explaining the chef had a problem, but didn't offer money back on the food, only return tickets to suffer it all over again, no thanks. But they wrote several rather rude emails after admitting the food was poor. If you want an embarrassing night out with friends this is the place to take them. Oh and should you want to eat cardboard and not dance and waste £150 I recommend this joint!

We went go the Jazz Cafe because I bought my partner a 'unique places to dine' voucher from Virgin gift experiences for Christmas. The food was enjoyable but not fine dining. We were looked after incredibly well by various waiters/waitresses and bar staff. The band playing on the night we went played more pop than jazz but they were great all the same. The music, dancing and fun atmosphere really made our night and we would return just for that!

Prawn cocktail served in a cabbage leaf - that says it all. For my main I was expected succulent belly of pork on mash potato with green beans. Instead it was a thin slice of dry belly on a tiny bit of mash and over cooked green beans. We ate it since we were hungry but this is not a place to come for food. The saving grace was the band. We had a laugh and made the most of the night but we will not be returning.

Food was tepid, chicken slimy, salad tired, what else could be wrong? When complained just got a shrug of shoulders. Avoid unless dizzy with hunger

I came with my husband to see FunkLab. As soon as we arrived we were looked after, the customer service is excellent.The food was very good, and again we felt look after by the waitress.The band were great, as soon as the meal was over the dancefloor was packed! Everyone was up dancing, it was a really good atmosphere. I just wish I lived closer as I would definitely return! It would be a great night out with a group of friends if you want a meal, a few drinks and a boogie!

Came with 45 of us for a sit down (Pre-ordered) meal. Service and food was great although Turkey was a bit dry, great staff at bar and to table, good selection of wines and a good band with everyone up dancing. Good value for Reading and although a little out of town you could spend the whole evening here and have drinks, food, dancing and music.

The company I work for had our Christmas do at the Jazz cafe last week.I am a vegan so thought i'd ask what could be done for me as there were no options on the menu. I had a very nice meal. (Soup, veg curry & rice with naan bread & fruit salad)I was very impressed with the food. Everyone was happy with the food they ate.The live band were really good. The staff were friendly and helpful.I would recommend this venue for parties or any kind of function.

I went to the Jazz Café on a Company Christmas Party and was very surprised at how good the whole evening was. I am always sceptical about Christmas Party Meals as they are produced on a massive scale, however here the food and service was excellent. The venue is nicely set up and the entertainment was very good. I would come back to here again.

We had problems from the outset, having received a gift card showing a redemption of £39 at any of the participating venues.I booked a table for two at £39.50pp believing the Jazz Café would honour the redemption on the voucher but they wouldn’t. We agreed a redemption figure of £16.50 pp equating to cost of entry without food and glass of champagne.Our serve time was at 7.45pm. No Music. No Band.The candle on the table was not lit and the cutlery was back to front. 2 salt cellars – no pepper. Small details but any restaurant charging £40 a head should be getting these details right.We ordered a starter and main course and the fare was equal to self service quality normally provided at motorway services. When we asked to order desert, we were supplied a different menu to the one we first ordered from advising a third course would be charged for, effectively pushing the price up to £45 a head. This is stipulated on the website but not when you book.The saving grace was the band, when they eventually started playing at 9.30pm, were excellent and the club came alive.

We went there a few times including my son's birthday party. It was handled brilliantly. I would suggest anyone planning to go for a dinner and hosting a party to talk to the owners who are very helpful in accommodating all the request. The food is nice and staff very friendly. Well done and looking forward for many new events from you guys.

Had a good time celebrating my brothers birthday. Good music and food, staff were helpful and a great atmosphere

We recently hired out the Jazz cafe to host a big joint birthday party, ages ranging from 15 to 81! Everyone had a Fantastic time! The organization etc was really good and the bar staff on the night were great. Also thanks to Vani for all the help from beginning to the end.

WoW!! What an amazing place. We were celebrating Our daughters First Holy Communion, so we hired The Jazz Cafe. They were really accommodating from the off. Allowing us to have a bespoke buffet menu, to suit our budget perfectly. it looked amazing and tasted fantastic. The inside venue was in excellebt decorative order, clean and very spacious. There was ample parking outside and very easy to get to. There is a lift inside which made it completely accessible for wheelchair users. On the day the staff were really attentive and made sure everything ran like clockwork. We hired our own external sound system, but did have the use of the the stage. It was a fantastic day, massive thanks to Vani and the team for everything! Highly recommended venue

We came here for a family members 40th birthday party and had a great time. It was hired exclusively so not sure if this made a difference but everyone had a great time. Bar prices were reasonable and the staff were nice and it made a nice change to listen to Jazz music for an evening. We stayed in the Madejski hotel which is perfect if you are coming here, not even a 5 minute walk door to door, it's just round the front of the stadium. Would go back to see what it's like on a regular evening for sure.

My partner and I had M&S experience voucher given to us for Xmas.It was an experience! The worst we've ever had!! We had travelled all the way from torquay. Thought we'd make a weekend of it. We to had to wait at the bar until the right time to be seated. Everyone seemed to be seated at the same time so staff didn't seem to be able to cope with the orders. We sat for five minutes or so with no menu to look at. A waitress then asked if she could take our order! Once e got a menu we were disappointed with the lack of choice. We paid for the olives bread etc. Bread was cold cheap tasteless olives. My partner had stuffed chicken dry with a few over cooked vegetables. Dauphinoise potatoes were a joke. So dry and looked like it was the last scraps left in the pan! I chose the vegetarian option as I didnt fancy anything else. Didn't think they could get it wrong! How wrong was I? It was awful! Meant to be stuffed aubergine again with Dauphinoise potatoes. There were hardly any on my plate Hartley any other vegetables.we called the waitress over she took. Them away immediately replaced with two colder versions slightly more on the plates.my partner ate his. Mine I tried but it was so bad. The aubergine was like leather. The stuffing came out in one lump on my fork. The potatoes were dry and cold. I put my knife and fork down. A waitress came not to ask about the meals but to clear away. She said to me finished? I said I can't eat it, is disgusting she went. We waited hoping someone would come over. That didn't happen. By now the music was in full swing and I'd gone past it. I went up to whom I thought was the manageress. I had to shout to be heard. I explained she asked if I wanted another meal or a sweet. I didn't want either. I asked could we have a bottle of wine. She agreed. I asked for white. WE had to wait ages for this. When it came out was red. Again I had to go up to her to get it changed. Again we had to wait ages with no drink! Eventually she brought it over. By now as you can imagine we weren't happy. My partner thought me not having a main and all the inconvenience we should at least have a better bottle than the house which we tasted and was like the cheapest wine ever. Again we called her over and explained. By now the night was well on its way. We hadn't had a drink in nearly two hours. We asked if we could have the sparkling rose? She went off then came back and said we couldn't have that particular one but the house one which was a pound cheaper! We offered to pay the pound so we could have the wine of our choice. She dissappeared.whilst we were dancing a man beckoned us off to follow him outside in the foyer. More time with out a drink now we are missing the music! He wanted know our problem. He was the manager! We explained and asked if he thought we were being unreasonable under the circumstances. He agreed we weren't. We went back to dancing, still not had a drink. He then beckoned is off again. We felt very embarrassed! He explained the wine we wanted they didn't have! We explained to him how our entire evening had been ruined. That we had come along way for this experience. I was close to tears! I suggested we just have individual drinks from behind the bar to the same cost of the wine. He was reluctant but eventually agreed. We both went to the bar. I ordered mine and wad asked to pay. We explained but was told I couldn't have the drink so it was taken off me. By now I was feeling angry I just wanted a Drink. I had to find the manager myself for him to tell the barman to let me have my drink!!! We were sOh disgusted with the whole affair. I drank my drink rang for a taxi and went. Whilst waiting for the taxi, my partner spoke to the manager who said he hadn't done his job right. You're telling me. Even if we won a free evening there, we would definitely not go!!!!!

Built into the North stand of the stadium this is a comfortable large bar and is an ideal meeting point for pre or post drinks on match days

I went here a lot some years ago and have started going again. All I can say is that it is a wonderful place to go. From the marvellous welcome on the door, through to the genuine goodnight when you leave you feel that all staff involved want you to have great time. The food is good, the waiting staff keen to please and the music brilliant (obviously check in advance that it's your thing) we recently saw Funk Lab a brilliant fusion outfit and the DJ played really appropriate stuff in the interval. Interesting that when we went on a 'rock night' he played totally different but still completely appropriate stuff. We've looked at the diary to go again a few more times this year. Ps - you can book the hotel if it isn't a match day and so no driving as you can walk 3 mins to the club ( it's all part of the stadium)

Visited the Jazz Cafe on NYE, friends booked this on our behalf and wasn’t sure but was pleasantly supprised.I have never been before but have heard of it as watch Reading at the stadium.We arrived after 9pm and was greeted our friends had booked a table which was great, the bar had lots of choice and never had to wait to long.The music was great, the band played till after midnight then a disco which worked really well.A very enjoyable night and would recommend great for groups.

The venue is a good size, decent decor, the bars massive, well stocked, theres a good amount of staff working behind the bar so your not waiting ages to be served, the age group is mixed from what appears to be 25 upwards, theres disabled access to the club via a lift. The band was brilliant (funkline), great musicians playing soul and funk from the 70s upwards. Dinner was basic bistro / gastro pub like food but very tasty, will be going back to check out more live music. check this place out.

Had a nice sit down dinner with a couple of friends last month & must say that it was a really nice wonderful experience. The ambience of the place is really nice & soothing with a lavish bar and the dinner tables are well spaced unlike other places that tend to get cramped for space & lack privacy. The place was a perfect balance between being nice & spacious & yet not too large to lose the impact of an inclusive feeling ambience. The entire staff was both professional & polite from the moment we stepped into the place. What we also liked was the option to pre-order your meal during booking,which was a great plus for us as it allowed us to have a more relaxed non-interrupted evening. The food was good and arrived on time & was well presented. The band on the night was really nice as well and belted some real nice numbers to lift the mood even higher. Even the DJ who played in between the band breaks & after the band finished was really nice & had a good sense for what the crowd wanted. All the guests on that night seemed to have a real good time with the music & the option to shake a leg on the dance floor. Overall wonderful place & would definetely recommend to anyone who wants to have good food, good live music & some dancing..all packed into one night. Thumbs up for the ambience, music, food...would definetely go back again soon...

I booked a private party at the Jazz Cafe and couldn't have been more pleased. The staff were so helpful in the run-up to the evening, answering all my fussy emails and phone calls. The DJ was great and stuck to my incredibly bossy set list, following my instructions but adding his own expertise and judgement. The evening ran smoothly with snacks being topped up and quick service at the bar. Everyone was so lovely and at the end of the evening even took all my presents back to my hotel room. Such a convenient location as well, with good parking and special rates at the hotel next door. Highly recommended.

Was at the Jazz Cafe for a recent company event. The food was disappointing to say the least (after I'd added salt and pepper to the risotto it tasted of salt and pepper; this was a great improvement) and came in tiny portions. Service was glacially slow and though the meal was meant to start at 7pm some tables were still getting their main course at 10pm!The band was good, but more disco than jazz.

Spent New Years Eve here with some friends, having been here a number of times before on an ordinary Saturday night. For New Years Eve no food was available and the doors opened at 9pm. The idea seemed to be that you could eat before going out and spend some time with family if neccessary! That seemed a good plan so we ate earlier and arrived at about 9 45pm. We had reserved a table which was ours for the night, or could have just paid an entrance fee and stood at the bar. Reserving a table was a good idea as it was quite busy. The live band were good fun playing a variety of music to dance to and the disco was good too. Staff here are always nice and New Years Eve was no exception. Bar was busy but there was no lengthy wait for a drink.If you do go on an ordinary night we always find the music good and food excellent. No complaints from us!

Do not be mislead and think you will be spending the night in a jazz club, because the title of the club is misleading, more like a bad wedding band doing boring covers would be more apt!We were part of a large party for a friend's birthday and due to the fact that the music was a migraine-inducingly loud it was impossible to even speak to your next door neighbour without shouting tot he point of hoarse. Why, oh! why do you have to have the music so loud? It was totally intrusive and actually ruined what could have been an excellent evening, not everyone wants to be dominated by it... Also the accoustics of the room just with people talking drowned out normal conversation was impossible without shouting, maybe some soft materials in the room would not go amiss to buffer the noise?On a plus note, the staff were excellent and very efficient and nothing was too much trouble, the food was average but perfectly edible, but nothing to write home about, I had the veggie tart as a starter and the moroccan lamb with too much cous-cous, the lamb was a bit dry and some salad would been nice.All in all the music volume destroyed it, whilst I realize that the clue is in the name of the club I would expect the volume to be bearable, if I were invited again, I would probably give it a miss.I

Great night at the Jazz Cafe - atmosphere was brilliant, a great venue for a fundraising event. Food was good, as was the service.

All enjoyed the food- lamb was to die for. The band were fantastic, never stopped dancing, service was great too. Enjoyable night for 19 of us, will deifnitely be going back there, would highly recommend

The location is perfect for a wide ranging guest list of my family and friends that travelled from all over the place. Easy to find plus loads of parking which is a real plus these days. From the moment we arrived the staff were fabulous and made our party run as smooth as is possible. The club has a great lay out and is exstremely clean, with very nice furnishings. Two of my friends are already planning their own parties at the Jazz Cafe because they were so impressed by the whole experience. I can not praise it enough.

Visited for an evening party with work. Paid £34.50 & was hugely disappointed with quality and quantity of food provided for that price. Tiny portions, no bread or salad offered.Very noisy seating area and I definitely won't set foot there again!

£34.50 for 2 courses and entry. Don't bother - the food was absolutely awful. £10 entry without food would have been much better. My fish was barely lukewarm, my husband described his algerian beef stew as 'like a school dinner, but worse'. Of our party of 30, no-one enjoyed their dinner. Told our (pre-ordered) dinner would be at 8, the first course arrived at 10.20pm. The music was fun to dance to - a big live band, not particularly brilliant players, but lots of 70's disco for strutting your stuff. Drinks were pricey - average about £5 per drink.Average age was around 40-45 I would say, so did suit me that it wasn't full of teenagers. It was good fun for what we needed - a venue for a 40th party - but I wouldn't go again, and I certainly wouldn't eat there.

The staff were very welcoming to all party guests, the bar is well designed with tables and a dance floor. The DJ, which I assume was included, did make a few questionable choices of songs, including some old Justin Timberlake hits and some Madonna. Fortunately guests were able to make requests so this was not a problem.Drinks are a little expensive but this was expected and we really enjoyed our night.

My husband booked a surprise weekend which included a night at the Jazz Cafe in Reading. I will try to be constructive with my review for those of you considering a visit.Location - The Jazz Cafe is on the side of the Madejski Stadium, there is ample parking, it's easy to get to by car and the Millennium Hotel is just a few minutes walk the others side of the Stadium if you want to stay - see my review of the Hotel if you're interested. Cost - The cost of the night, excluding drinks, was £34.50 per person for a 2 course meal incl. entry to the club which would otherwise be £5. Drinks were quite expensive, hotel/London prices but a good range of choices.Food - for the price we expected good quality but sadly we were very disappointed. The choices were limited and there was at least one dish unavailable off each course. The portions were small and poor quality. We both ordered the prawn cocktail which was very poor, served on one lettuce leaf with some chopped tomatoes, about 5 small prawns which seemed pre frozen and tasteless and one slightly larger prawn in the corner of the plate, tail on and chewy. The sauce was a standard ketchup/salad cream style mix and there was a half slice of buttered brown bread which was clearly a cheap shop bought loaf. It was served on a square back plate which clearly highlighted the chef and waiters greasy finger prints and dishwasher stains.For the main course we both chose stuffed chicken, it was dry, served with minimal cold veg and dirty carrots. The two new potatoes on the plate were OK and the stuffing in the chicken was moist and edible but the dribble of sauce was cold and flavourless.There were options available at an additional charge such as olives and bread. The table next to us ordered cheese cake and cheese and biscuits which were approx £6 each. We didn't order so can't comment on quality but were not impressed by the look of them.We did get a small jug of tap water on the table for free without asking.Service - bar staff were friendly, doorman very welcoming. Waiter was unenthusiastic, hard to find and looked bored.Entertainment - I am a lover of live music, especially Jazz and was excited to see a live band advertised that boasted jazz, funk and blues in their repertoire. The female singer was good but could hardly be heard over the loud and occasionally flat "brass" band and drums behind her. The male singer was also good but more Caberet singer than Jazz singer. More disappointingly the set was mainly covers including elvis, when they moved into a commercial funk or blues song and upped the pace they were OK but not what was advertised. If I was on a girls night out or had paid £5 entry for a good dance to a live band this would have been fine, but as a Jazz band in a Jazz Cafe this was wedding singers at best.In between sets, the DJ was OK but not the best, music was OK but the mix was ridiculous and not in keeping with the night, slipping the occasional Pop song, Jessie J, in with awkward passes.Would I recommend the Jazz Cafe? For food, definitely not, for entertainment, yes for a boogie but no if you want real Jazz. It is open until 2am.

We were giving one of those experience vouchers for Jazz (cost £39.50 for two people). Entry in December is £12 each but our voucher entitled us to a glass of sparking wine - so the voucher is poor value for money at this venue. Please note entry is cheaper in other months so would be even worse value for money. When we booked the date, we also booked a meal (£24.50 each). As it was December there were crackers on the table and also paper napkins but at least the table cloth was cloth. The starter was reasonable (roasted peppers on ciabatta) but the main course was very poor (stuffed turkey breast), the turkey was very chewy and tasteless and the roast potatoes very poor. The music had no Jazz (my only reason for wanting to go there) and going by the rolling schedule of bookings very little Jazz was ever on. This rolling schedule annoyingly went back to November the 3rd (we went on Dec 22nd) - they really need to update far more frequently. The music was too loud to hear the singer very well.There were only 27 diners despite room for quite a few more but some people turned up just for the music and drinks some of whom left before us and we left at 12:00 despite the music going on until 01:30.The only saving grace this place has is that the stadium is well signposted, not far from the M4 and there is plenty of parking right outside the venue.

Brilliant place to have a Xmas Party. We just had our work Xmas party at the Jazz Cafe for 130 people and it was absolutely fab. Staff was great, food was really good ( only had a finger buffet ) but there was plenty to chose from. DJ was grand, played a good music all night as we requested. Everything was per-organised and went smoothly!! They are fab/very prompt at responding to the emails. I had a quote within an hour :) Dave was a star and was there on the night to make sure we are satisfied with everything. We had such a great time that we had to be asked to leave after 1pm on Tuesday night because no one was leaving!! :) They met all our requirements and would highly recommend to everyone.

Just celebrated my 40th birthday at the Jazz Cafe with 17 friends. Dave the manager was nothing but obliging with all my requests to ensure everything went smoothly. Pre ordered all the food and drink/wine in advance and Dave personally poured Prosecco on our arrival. A list of our food orders were supplied on the tables and a great touch was the food being served by the guests name. Food was excellent and all served hot. Great atmosphere with the live band Mission Impossible, we were on the dance floor all night from 9.30pm even those who are a little more reserved! I just relaxed and enjoyed the night. Thanks Jazz Cafe.

Not informed on arrival that the rat pack tribute band was cancelled and were not showing. Only Found out later on in the evening when substitute singer was on instead. I rang the venue the night before and left a voicemail message with my number trying to amend my booking and my voicemail was never returned! The manager customer relations was very poor as his answer- well it was posted on the website and Facebook! Yeah right ! I don't go on Facebook and did not need to go on the website at all !Waitress said that the groupon deal was a starter and a main meal and set up a tab for me as I wanted to pay on top of my groupon deal for a coffee one pudding and one diet coke . Not fery happy as i wanted to pay as i went but she said it was better . When it came to pay I was given a bill for £16!!! A service charge to the groupon deal was added on top of £9.00 !! I refused to pay £16 for a coffee a diet coke and one pudding and then was told that the starter of garlic bread was not a starter but an appetizer so was extra and not included as a starter . It did not help that the waitress who did not have English as her first language got it wrong and did not explain it correctly . At this stage I paid for the coffee pudding and diet coke and was told that the tribute singer was coming back on ! When I complained about not being told earlier when I arrived that the rat pack had cancelled . Well my advice don't set up a tab! You will be chrarged an extortionate service charge ,Ring and check that the acts you have paid to enjoy are actually turning up , check what is part of the groupon deal. I could go on and on but after the tribute Michael buble we left after one hour. A poor night very bad customer service a big let down on what I thought would be a good evening . I will not be returning to this venue again

My husband and I decided to come here as we had a M&S voucher and chose Jazz over comedy. We chose to have a meal as well as enjoying the entertainment. We were given a table near to the live band after we had got a drink from the bar and chose to have three courses. The food was generally good and tasty although there were a few minor criticisms which could be rectified easily. For example there was not enough toast to go with the portion of pate we received and My chicken was a little over cooked however it was presented very well. The waitresses were attentive and service was good. The atmosphere was really good with people dancing quite early in the night. The band (Soul Town Groovers) was great. I was not too keen on the first set but was ideal for people still eating their meals as it was just the singer and a keyboard player. The second and third sets were brilliant as they consisted of the full band and they played a wide variety of songs. I would happily go and see them again in the future. A good night out. Just beware that a service charge is added to everything including drinks if you order them at your table. Drinks prices were just above general pub prices. I do hope to visit again as it was a good night out. You can also book a room at the hotel on the other side of the stadium room only for £60.

Being jazz lovers we have been intending to visit this venue for some time so when a Groupon offer came up we decided to buy one - ‘one course for two and a bottle of Prosecco for £25’. Looking at their website the Prosecco was £23.50, can’t be bad!We decided on the band we wanted to see but when I rang to book was told that they were full with Groupon’s that night and had extended the offer, so we had to take the next date offered. The website says you must arrive 15 minutes before 7.30pm, the sit down time, obviously to sell you as many drinks as possible - that was no problem, we could drink our Prosecco. I pointed out when we booked that we would rather arrive later, 8 to 8.30pm, ‘oh no you must arrive at 7.15pm’, was the reply. I enquired about the menu, was it a special ‘Groupon menu’ as is often the case with these offers, ‘Oh no you will have a choice from our ‘Fine Dining Menu’. Great we thought.At 7.20pm we walked into the club, about a dozen people of all ages were sitting around in their coats. Our bottle of bubbly was brought, well chilled, about the same temperature as the room. The menu was limited but we chose soup and smoked salmon for starters and chicken and pork dishes as main courses. I enquired of my partners leek and potato soup - ‘luke warm and weird’ was the reply. It tasted just like a well know brand of stock cube - it was thin, watery and pretty disgusting. My smoked salmon was fine. By this time the place was filling up, most sitting around in their coats sipping their Prosecco and ordering from the ‘Fine Dining Menu’. My pork loin steak with a red wine sauce arrived. The meat was dry but flavoursome, the green beans and carrot wrapped in a leek leaf were on the raw side of à la dent and inedible, at least the potato was edible. The sauce, which was very much needed to make the meat palatable tasted as if it had come out a bottle. My partners chicken was dry and tasteless with a very bland cream sauce served with the same inedible beans etc. When asked by our young waiter what we though of the meal we told him, much to the amusement of our fellow diners.The dessert menu didn’t look promising so at 8-30pm we ordered coffee which fortunately was hot. After a few tuning up bangs from the drummer and raspberries from a saxophonist the band announced that they would be starting about 9.45pm! By 9pm the very efficient staff were still buzzing around serving drinks, customers were still sitting around in coats and a few band members were noisily setting up. We left for home, looking forward to warmth and a glass of brandy. Sustenance not punishment was what was needed. An interesting experience, no wonder they had to do Groupon offers! We will seek our jazz experiences elsewhere in future.

The Jazz Cafe offers live music & good food with ample parking and a great mix of people. I've been to the Jazz Cafe many time sometimes to eat sometimes just to have a drink & listen to the music & have a dance. It is always friendly easy going with a great dance floor. The food fits with the prices and offers a fairly unique experience as there are not many place when you can eat with live music being played. Well worth a visit.

This is a good place to go if you want to enjoy an evening with dinner, listening to live music. It presents itself as a select and up-market sort of place although it lacks the sophistication that you'd find in an equivalent London venue. But there again, you'd be paying a bit more for that.The food is good; nicely presented in the fine dining style although it is actually not up to that standard. Nevertheless it's perfectly edible. For us, service was prompt, courteous, and with the right amount of attentiveness. The live band was good and we had a great evening. We'd probably go back... especially if we got another of those discount deals!

Having eaten here several times over the years, I used to think of the Jazz Cafe as the place to go on special occasions; including my birthday and hen night.The food was always fresh, well presented and worth the slightly higher prices they charged. However, our most recent visit was not all representative of the previous experiences I have had. The service was varied, the food, how very disappointing.Being a vegetarian I had limited choice of what I could eat. Before I ordered a Mediterranean vegetable terrine I asked what vegetables were in it, the waiter didn't know, but once I prompted him he went to the kitchen and asked. I was disappointed by what I received, a luke-warm tasteless omelette with a luke warm selection of vegetables. My husband was also under-whelmed with his meal. The deserts were also under-whelming - I also found it disappointing that when asked what cheeses came with the cheese and biscuits he replied, 'a selection', but then didn't offer to go and find out. As always, the success of the evening was the music; I danced all night!!!I would come here again, but only for the music.

We went to the Jazz Cafe with an M&S Experience Voucher and were very disappointed. Upon arrival we were told to go to the bar and then we would be seated. Expecting the ‘fine dining’ experience I was a little confused and even more so when I asked what single malts they had was only offered Glenfiddich or Jameson’s (?). We also noticed how cold it was but thought that it would warm up later but it didn’t, obviously the a/c was on very cold which for late September seemed inappropriate. When we were presented with the menu it seemed a bit limited and again didn’t seem to match this ‘fine finding experience’ that is advertised. We ordered olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crusty bread to start off with, which when presented seemed strange as we normally have it served with the oil and vinegar mixed not in separate dishes, which is how it was served here. I then ordered goats cheese and my wife had soup followed by chicken and rib eye. We ordered a nice Rioja to wash it down with which took the waitress about five minutes to open as she kept trying to unscrew it before finally realising it had a cork (what will they think of next?). The wine glasses were odd too, not odd weird but odd, in that they came from two different sets, this together with paper napkins still didn’t seem to be ‘fine dining’ to me. The goat’s cheese was advertised as Breaded & deep fried with chutney & salad garnish but had not flavour and was a bit greasy. My wife enjoyed her soup which was nice and hot which helped considering that the a/c was so cold. The rib eye which was advertised as Char grilled rib eye steak with sauce vierge served withpotatoes and a vegetable parcel was extremely fatty and sinewy so not recommended and when I asked for some English mustard I was told that they didn’t have any mustard at all, of any nationality. My wife’s chicken stuffed with spinach garlic and cream cheese drizzled with a white wine and chive sauce, potatoes and vegetable wrap was tasty but at the same time quite dry. The vegetables that were served with both dishes consisted of four small sautéed potato squares and a little bundle of ‘al dente’ carrots and beans wrapped in a piece of leek. I must say that I do enjoy ‘al dente’ vegetables but these seemed to urge more to the raw side rather than the cooked side of ‘al dente’. Both dishes were topped with a teaspoon of salsa and a sprig of chives. The choice of dessert was an apple flan, treacle tart, chocolate cheesecake or cheese and biscuits (with or without a glass of Port). I decided to try the cheese and biscuits (without the Port) but my wife decided to abstain. To be honest this was the best part of the meal; a nice pot of chutney and a nice selection of cheeses, nothing special but tasty.The band that was playing, Soulside, was very good however if you are sitting in the restaurant you can’t actually hear any lyrics because you are sitting behind the speakers, which are directed at the small dance floor and bar area. It reminded me of standing outside of a school disco, you can hear the beats and the muffled sounds but that’s all. So when they tell you have the table for the entire evening that isn’t really an advantage.The staff was not attentive at all. Firstly it was difficult to get hold of any and secondly at no point did anyone ask us, not even when we were paying, if we enjoyed the meal or if everything was ok.If this is a ‘fine dining restaurant’ then I’ll eat my hat, but with mustard preferably. Sorry Jazz Café, we will not be returning due to the quality of the food, the service and the position of the tables.