Szechuan Inn in West Berkshire

Have just been with my family, a group of 8. To put a long story short, food was cold, too sweet and overall unedible. Most waiters were ok except when they messed up my fathers order twice. Service was ok except for when they practically threw the plates of food on the table without saying what they were. There was also a rather loud and obnoxious group that were not even told to be quiet. I think I’ll give this one a miss in the future as the food is not settling very nicely

Service terrible bad tempered staff. Meals were brought out in shifts not all at the same time. Bill not itemised Very disappointed

Incredible food and excellent friendly service. Have been coming back year after year for a decade for the set menu. It’s a shame it’s not busier.

Read good reviews about this place, so the wife and I booked a table. What a disappointment, spent over £80 on what can only be described as very expensive and very poor quality food. Our first and last time, back to the Kung Fu in Newbury.

Fantastic food, excellent service. Love this place to bits.

Just went about a hour ago to pick some food. Well, food is about quality, taste and presentation. This one hasn't any of those qualities. Ordered "special chop suey " that came floating in sauce like in picture, prawn chow mein, and spring rolls. The chow mein is inedible, tastes like nothing, the spring rolls smell a rotten vegetables, disgusting and the chop suey is ok but half of it is sauce. There is no way to recommend such place. It is AWFUL! Worse Chinese restaurant I ever seen. Now I'm eating cup noodles. Waste my money for nothing.

Very friendly staff, family run place that take great care in the service they provide. Great food selection.

I’ve just been and collected my order. Plain chow mein and 4 vegetables spring rolls. Both were disgusting, the chow mein was swimming in sauce and tasted vile. The 4 spring rolls looked like they had been thrown around the kitchen before frying. They were burnt one side and soggy the other. I won’t be going back there again.

Haven't been here for a few years, but we went last night, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The service was excellent, and we were not rushed at all. The food was excellent and we ate too much (as usual!) We will definitely return. Highly recommended!

The best food I ever had - memories when my dad took me there almost 20 years ago. Incredible !!

Been here many times before but no for a few years, but it’s just the same service and quality as I remembered, the people were amazing and looked after us very well, even celebrating my daughters 18th birthday too. Would highly recommend.

Food came burnt and lacked flavour

Visited with friends and was greeted with a friendly lady who took us to our table. The food was delicious and the service was brilliant. We highly recommend the black bean sizzling beef and fried rice! We will be visiting again.

The meal was lovely, food was spectacular as always. However the organisation was poor. There was lots of staff not knowing what to do, towards the end it became more comical than annoying. Besides this the restaurant was good, a great traditional Chinese restaurant.

Lovely place to eat and made to fill so welcome, would go again. Trevor

Food was mediocre, a lot of it seemed to be microwaved and the cucumber/spring onion was soggy suggesting it was defrosted. Duck was dry and not enough for the 9 of us dining. I'd heard this restaurant was amazing, it might have been years ago but I wouldn't go back now. Everything from the chairs to decor needs updating and wiping down as it all felt sticky. Very disappointed and the service was dire, had to keep asking to be served.

Love this place food is always fantastic and didn't disappont. We visited as a table of 4 for a birthday and enjoyed so much. Thank you!

Great set menu, everything you’d ask for from a Chinese restaurant. Would highly recommend and plan to come again for multiple occasions

The guy who took my take away order got it wrong. When I told him , he got angry and insisted I had asked for the wrong dish. Very rude and also patronising. I will not be going back there.

Duck was amazing 🤩 kind staff sweet and sour chicken balls were sooooooo good Quick service amazing shredded chilli beef Over all amazing 🤩

Very disappointed had the special set menu, food tasted like it had all been frozen and reheated, sauces were thick and gloopy and everything was very sweet, asked for some fresh cucumber for the pancake rolls and was told that the cucumber comes pre cut and frozen and doesn't defrost well, just awful.

We hadn’t been to the Szchuan for sometime but was really looking forward to it. I think the chef may have changed as it was good but not fantastic as normal.

Overall happy with the food, service and atmosphere.

We came here as a family to have an evening meal. We booked a table at 8pm, and had to wait on arrival to sit as we were the second sitting. It was 8.35pm before they took our food order. They did try to keep things moving but it was a late finish. We ordered the mixed set meal and the food kept coming. We don’t live locally and I thought it was quite good value for the quantity of food. The food was not always hot as it came out, and generally was quite sweet. The staff tried very hard and were very friendly.

Food was good, cashier had no banter and looked like he didn't want to be there

This restaurant can't get enough praise for their food and atmosphere . Every dish was cooked fresh and the tastes were amazing. The restaurant is clean and tidy with lots of space around the tables so you don't feel crammed in. The waiters are all kind and make your custom feel valued. Also, there is no service charge ! I have been twice and will return soon. 👍

Our first visit to this fine establishment. After entering Thatcham from Newbury concerned we had somehow taken a wrong turn into Gaza from Israel we located the restaurant. It was super busy, a good sign, but we were politely received despite our lack of booking. We had mixed, Aromatic Duck and then our mains. Everything was delicious and the arrival of the food nicely spaced and not rushed. All the staff were attentive and the atmosphere was vibrant, kicking for a Saturday night. Not a place for romantics so much but if you’re after a bit of a bubble and enjoy people watching whilst having your nosh it’s the place for you. Escaping Thatcham at turn out time was interesting but it won’t put us off returning. A special mention goes out for the owners Barnet. Yeh baby.

Lovely friendly restaurant 😋 we've been coming here since it first opened many years ago, bringing all our family and friends here for good food.

Booked for double birthday, party of 7, nice big table and plentiful prawn crackers before we ordered. Super friendly staff, one in particular (presume owner) was so cheerful and made sure everyone was having a good time. We went for a set menu, blimey, so much food! Starter selection was good, although not keen on the crispy basket things, not my taste. Duck was good, pancakes a plenty so didn’t run out. Nice breaks between courses as well so you could let the previous one go down before the next. Main dishes were great, the Thai curry was fantastic as were the king prawns. So much food there was enough left to box up for the teenagers dinner the following day. Meal was finished off with an ice cream with umbrellas and candles for the birthday people, and everyone in the restaurant was encouraged to sing along (courtesy of the owner!). Embarrassing? Maybe if it had just been us celebrating but it seemed every table in that night had a birthday so it was sung at least 5 times, all good fun!

Was saying at a local Travelodge over the weekend having travelled down from Scotland. Read the reviews and thought it sounded tasty - very disappointed - curry sauce thick and gloopy - chicken chow mein was tasteless - prawn crackers tasted stale - not what I expected at all from reading the reviews - it was Takeout not sitting in restaurant!

On behalf of my brother, he had a takeaway two and a half weeks ago and has been ill ever since. Tests show that he was infected with campilabacter from sweet and sour chicken. Eat here at your peril

We used to go to the Schezwan a fair bit but haven’t been for a while. Last night we decided to have a take away and was ultimately left disappointed. The prices seem to have increased a fair bit, but portions have pretty much halved. The food we received was absolutely doused in oil, so much so that we couldn’t eat most of it (curry, satay, black bean) we didn’t even get a complimentary bag of prawn crackers or bottle of drink like we used to after spending near on £70. Unfortunately have been put off by the place now and has gone right down hill. Will not be back.

Wow! Haven't been here for years but it did not disappoint! Fabulous food and the staff were brilliant and very helpful! Can't recommend this place enough!

They are always so friendly and happy to help. I had a small issue with an item in our takeaway tonight and they were really lovely and swapped it for me. We always get our Chinese food from here and will continue to do so

We have been frequenting Szechuan Inn over the past 5 years and it has not let us down on each and every occasion. Service par excellence! I have not posted the photo of main dish but my firm favourite remains Bok Choy in garlic & oyster sauce with steamed rice.

Not had a Chinese meal in 3 years so this was a real treat. Food was excellent and staff very friendly and attentive

Great service, delicious food!! Manager great, you can really see he takes pride. This is our first visit, many more to come

Great service, friendly staff. The food prices we looked at online had increased significantly when we go to the restaurant. The Peking Feast was 17.95 pp on the website, we turned up and the prices had increased to £24.80 pp, the food was just OK. For such an increase in price I would expected better quality.

Speedy service, excellent food and staff always friendly.

Very greasy, waited ages for food. Not very friendly staff.

The staff are so friendly and service it’s amazing, the food is delicious I love this place so much. I definitely recommend the set menus so you can get a bit of everything. I would go here everyday if I had the money.

On Sundays they do a buffet which was £17.50 per adult. Since covid, the buffet has been table service only but you can still order as much as you want. The food is really tasty, particularly the satay chicken. The restaurant itself however is very outdated and could use some TLC.

Been coming to The Szechaun for many years and always had a great meal but Saturday 11th March ten of us visited for a friends retirement , well the starters were good and then we were all excited for the duck well if that was duck I must be an magician as it looked and tasted like pork ! we had had to ask for more as there was not enough for ten people and then the main one dish only had one prawn each for us and as for the rest well must have been cooked in a industrial microwave !

Great food, great staff and great company!! Peking banquet with some personal choices, restaurants is happy to change some of the dishes to suit your tastes.

What a lovely restaurant and the food is out of this world, the starter platter had so many dishes and the smoked chicken and pepper prawns are the best I have ever eaten.

Best takeaway in the area… good choice, quick, nice people👍🏻 Try and support them in 2023+ as their power bills have increased 4 fold…

Come here every year without fail for birthday meals.. absolute corker of a place Best atmosphere and food in Berkshire without doubt

Gave atmosphere a 3 because it was so cold in there but the food and service was great

We were really looking forward to trying this restaurant - we phoned first and pre-booked with a man on their number for 7pm. Arrived just before 7pm restaurant was busy, woman who greeted us was irritable and off hand told us they had no record of the booking turned her back and walked off. A gentleman staff member approached us and gestured for us to sit while he sorted something, he proceeded to empty a small display table crammed in the centre of the seating area - this was not what a customer expects when they pre-book!!! We left and ate at an alternative restaurant and will not be returning to this chaotic establishment- so disappointed

Lovely evening at our own pace. Thank you.

Great food and friendly service. The duck is fantastic.

Great service, delicious food, flexible approach. Considering there were 16 of us all the food came out at the same time, and was hot. Nothing was too much trouble for all the staff.

Great service, delicious food, flexible approach and vegetarian friendly. Couldn’t fault the evening. Great value too.

It’s nice and affordable, I went there with my long distance boyfriend and they were very kind even made it very cute, love it there

Good service great food A1 as always.

Great service, very nice staff and very tasty food

Lovely atmosphere and staff are very attentive and accomodating. Food was good.

Excellent experience 40th Wedding anniversary outing to the Szechuan Inn restaurant. We chose the set menu for two as you get a very good selection. Definitely recommend.

The good bits, prompt pick up, generous portions, friendly service. On the other hand I felt the food was sugary in some cases and lacking flavour in other areas. Put it this way, if this is what I thought Chinese food was supposed to be like, I’d be tempted to not try it again.

Our fav Chinese and webe had a few!!!

A great no frills, great food restaurant. Always a pleasant place to eat, the staff are very nice and friendly and let you dine at your leisure.

Great food either as take away or eat in with friends

Absolutely adore szechuan ! We moved an hour away but still go there for our Chinese bc its just incredible

Because it was a Wednesday. Seemed to be the only place open. Busy evening. Lots of people dining. We ordered two set meals which came on a central sharing plate. Couldn't really see what we had ordered. The crispy duck with thin pancakes was tasty. Main course was enough food to fill. Took some home for following days lunch. £22.00 per person was sufficient set menu for 2. Wine at £24.00 per bottle was acceptable. Two people got tummy disturbance. Generally a nice evening. Don't begin to understand the bill and chinese language. However working the menu back it seemed accurately priced according to the menu. OK for an evening!!!!

Always a great experience, food is perfect every time

Very polite Staff. Food was generally OK but the place needs to be honest some cleaning

Worst food I have ever had from a restaurant. Everything was rubbery and obviously reheated!! Thieves

We ordered food 6/5/22 and it was terrible to say the least. Ordered curry, special chow main and chips: The bag when we got home was literally dripping in oil. The chips had not been drained, and were soggy as hell and partially cooked. The chow main was oil soaked and not from the chips. The curry and rice was okay. Never have I experienced poor food like this.

Just perfect haven’t been for sometime …meal delicious , will definitely go back again soon , don’t know why we have left it so long .

This place hasn’t changed a bit and we have been coming here for 30 odd years. Same friendly service and altogether great food.

Delicious and great service. Covid measures in place

Nice food hot and well presented friendly staff

I ordered fried dumplings and the meat inside was raw. Avoid!

i visited with my boyfriend today and i could say is an amazing!! the food was delicious and the service was incredible. The staff went above and beyond for an enjoyable evening.

I have been a patron now for some 30 years. Always excellent food and service. I visited last year 2021 with my then fiance, now my wife. We visited on Saturday 12th March 2022 The food was delicious and piping hot. The table service was first class, as always. A very warm welcome from proprietor and staff. The staff continue to wear ppe and tables are divided by clear plastic drop-screens. Super atmosphere, light background music, allowing conversion. We live 185 miles away, and happy to travel for the experience.

Been going here for years the best about Delicious food. Very customer friendly service Would definitely recommend10/10

Ray, what can I say about our waiter? Service 10/10, food 10/10, patience? Surprise surprise, 10/10. This place is the centre of the universe and Ray is our saviour.

We went in, were the only diners and they were happy for us to order takeaway instead. Super friendly staff and lush food. Shame about the shower curtain separator though...

Good food and lots of it. Staff very nice and helpful.

I've been coming to the Szechuan Inn for close to 25yrs, the quality of the food and the level of service has always been remarkable and today was no exception, this is the 2nd time during covid that I have been to the restaurant with...

Don't be mistaken, this is NOT a Thai restaurant. Cannot believe they claim that they can cook Thai cuisine! 😩 The Pekingese food was average.

Came across this Takeaway as I am new to Thatcham, went into the shop. smiled and said 'Hi' the man looked at me completely blanked, I said Hi again and he just looked at me. I started to order and he kept asking, what you...

Absolutely lovely food, and more than enough to share. The best chinese restaurant in Thatcham. Staff are polite and attentive, can't wait to visit again.

I’ve always been a big fan of the Szechuan, I drive from Newbury to Thatcham every time I want a takeaway. But last Saturday’s meal was sublime. I have always had a good experience, I wouldn’t go anywhere else (my in-laws love going when they...

It appears that the Szechuan take away has really got so bad I or my family will ever use them again. Telephoned my order through told 20 minutes, so went in after this time told meal not ready, did not know how long, counter staff...

Great experience!! Went yesterday for dinner, the food was fresh, so tasty, and served very quick! And best staff we have ever had in a restaurant! It's ne of the best chinese we have tried here in UK! Sadly we live a bit far from the restaurant but we will manage to come back again!!

Went out for a meal with 2 friends and Ray was our waiter. What a man, what a server, he wouldn’t allow a glass or plate to be empty. 10/10 for service and 10/10 for food. Jack Cram loves Michael Love.

Booked for an early evening meal. On arrival, we were made very welcome and it has to be said, there are Impeccable COVID precautions. The food was exceptional and very reasonably priced. Thoroughly recommended.

Really good place, definitely better than the Jade cottage next door I'd say. Food in the main is excellent, the mixed starters (hors d'oevers) are fantastic, the duck was not brilliant, I've had better, the mains were very good. Service was efficient, the ambience is...

GREAT FOOD. NICE STAFF. LOVELY PLACE. FULLY RECOMMEND XXXX

The food in this place is fantastic.There are so many dishes to choose from,but the quality and presentation is superb. The food is fresh and tasty the staff are great,we felt really at home here. I was in a large party of people the waiters were spot on,and in no rush to get you on your way. Great food great people really worth a visit!

Staff very good and dealing with COVID well - worth a sit down visit as an alternative to a takeaway at the moment

This restaurant is excellent. We went for a hen party of 15 people and the staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly. Our table was booked in advance and they rang to confirm the booking. The staff were attentive and efficient and didn’t make a single...

Good place to eat. Staff welcoming and fully COVID compliant. All tables screened of. Excellent choice on menu. Quick efficient service. Food was excellent and arrived in good time. Portions are good and prices are reasonable. All four of us enjoyed our meal.

Throughly enjoy our meal. Service was quick, food delicious.

Great food and service as always.

As always, phenomenally cooked food. Amazing sized portions for the feast options, you definitely wouldn't leave hungry. I have been going here for 15+ years and can never say a bad word about the food or the outstanding service from all the friendly staff, and...

Always good service and lovely food

Always great food, at a great price. This is the only place where we get Chinese food.

Wonderful Food with excellent Staff, would definitely come again. :)