The Botanist in Reading

What a massive disappointment. The food was good but the service was absolutely terrible. We ordered drinks first of all which took 10 minutes to arrive before we could even order our food and the place wasn't even busy! The starter then took another 45 minutes. Once we received our mains I asked for another drink but after 10 minutes we just went to the bar and ordered as it was quicker. The pita for the kebabs was rock solid and we weren't even asked how our food was during our meal for them to rectify the problem. Granted, when I said I wasn't paying for the pita they agreed to take it off the bill but with no apology or even ask why. Then when I did complain about the service I got an apology and they said they appreciated good and bad feedback but why not ask for the feedback?! They obviously just don't care and you can tell by the service. They still had the audacity to add a service charge which I asked them to remove. What a let down, especially when I took my partner out for a birthday meal.

Came here on a Saturday evening, they were quite understaffed and service was slow. Good live music though was too loud to have a conversation at the bar. We arrived a little earlier and were asked to wait in the bar, but I think the service staff forgot about us and we had to remind them a couple of times that we were waiting for our table. The food was tasty, though rice with the kebab was undercooked. Decent menu with variety of options. Drinks were really tasty and definitely the best bit. On the fence about whether to come back for another visit.

Absolutely great Cocktail making class with Rosie our bartender , small mixed age hen do had a great 2 hours learning about making cocktails and doing them ourselves . Great fun would highly recommend it

a tad more expensive than similar places. But they have a good menu, a variety of food offer. The atmosphere is amazing and the waitresses are really kind.

Fish & chips were great and the staff are absolutely lovely

Lovely meal excellent food and great Service. Thank you for chasing us when we left a bag too!!! Highly recommended

Sorry to leave a negative review, but I was a little irked by this place and it bothered me. Was recommended this bar and was impressed on entry - eye catching interior design, friendly host to take us to the bar stools, pretty packed. And then it went wrong. Now don’t get me wrong - I’m an easily impressed person. I was stoked to order the spicy margarita (as a margarita enthusiast, including spiced kind), what could go wrong? Spoiler: a lot. No salt on the rim? Okay, I’ve had a few spicy margs sans salt. No biggy. But then I smelt it - was baffled - tried it and wanted to gag. I’d spent over a tenner on jalapeño brine. I’ve no idea how this concoction can masquerade as a spicy marg? Safe to say we didn’t stay long, as I’d felt mugged with my icy brine. Other guests seemed happy enough so guess I just was unlucky

I'd booked for bottomless brunch on Saturday lunchtime, and upon arrival we were shown to our table and handed menus. Our waitress then left and nobody came back to our table for approximately 25mins so we decided to leave. It wasn't particularly busy so that made it even more disappointing. The 1st time I've been and we won't be rushing back after seeing similar reviews.

Friendly welcome. We walked out before ordering after being ignored for 20 minutes. Service poor compared to previous visits.

Spent ages with the menu - too much choice! Happy hour makes the drinks reasonable. Managed to take advantage of the Black Friday promo as well. Lovely food and drink. Nice feel to the place as well. Would recommend and will return at some point

Ordered the prawn skewer with chunky chips. Food was delicious. Staff was super friendly. Wish the menu had a few more options or at least an option for a side salad, but other than that, perfection. The environment is super chill and cozy.

Paige was the perfect waitress, attentive, knowledgeable and welcoming. Perfect Paige the waitress! Food was very yummy and drinks also delicious. Great Place to celebrate ;)

Food was fantastic, lovely ambience , great service by Paige who was extremely friendly and made our night + went above and beyond for our birthday girl !! Thank you Paige xx

5 min wait at the bar even though the place wasn’t busy . The live music was average at best . The bar man was rude to me for mentioning the fact that the girls stood next to me had been waiting quite a while . Maybe they should employ more staff as the time it takes to make the cocktails is quite long .

Great lunch today and excellent service from Paige - thank you - very prompt, friendly and helpful. Food good - including the famous hanging kebabs! Thanks to Paige and the rest of the team!

Very good restaurant with healthy and tasty food!

Lovely atmosphere and really friendly staff, felt well looked after. The food was really nice and came quickly

First time going here. Went with my wife over xmas. Booked the festive menu. Poor service. Waited for over 25 mins for a drink. Poorly staffed. Main course was poor. The hanging turkey and meat I liked the idea but the veg was very poorly cooked almost raw. Sticky toffee pudding had no sauce so was basically dry sponge with icecream! Felt like complaining at the time but decided not to dampen the xmas spirit. £100 the meal cost for two of us which is very dissappointing considering the quality. Would need some persuading to come back!

Service was impeccable and the food was excellent. Been several times and they haven't disappointed yet.

Food was good with very helpful personnel. Can be very busy during the festive periods.

so impressed with the food! Thank you to Charlie for looking after us! will be back!

I attended 2 weeks ago with a group of friends. We had a drinks table reserved. I am pregnant, so at around 5pm I ordered and paid for a bowl of fries from the bar menu. After an hour of waiting we followed up and let staff know that I am pregnant so would be grateful if I could get the food we’d paid for asap given it had been an hour and the order was simply a bowl of fries. Over the next hour we spoke with a large proportion of the floor staff working that night - no one seemed to be able to help, and no one seemed to care bar one waitress who ultimately got the issue sorted. I didn’t want to leave a bad review so tried contacting the restaurant to enquire as to how the Botanist could have such poor and irresponsible service (we let at least 4 people know I was pregnant) however, much like the staff at the restaurant, customer service also do not seem to care about this at all and never responded (contacted on December 15th). I would advise you go elsewhere as the restaurant is clearly having major issues to not be able to resolve a really very simple problem in less than 2 hours.

Company lunch, food was average, chicken burger was dry, cheese fused with the burger as it was left under the hot light for too long. However, the staff was great and cocktails amazing.

Alright food, nothing special from the service

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐: Food was great, good vegetarian options, people who serve are great, -1 ⭐: for the time it takes for food to arrive at your table.

It was okay. Food was average, service was quite slow

Great atmosphere very busy and very tasty cocktails. Food looked really good as well. Bar staff very friendly.

Busy and happening place. We went for Christmas dinner and it was really good.

Nice enough place but it was rammed. We couldn't get a seat, we could barely stand together. It was so humid and sweaty in there. We should have just left to be honest. Not their fault I guess, it is the season, but a wholly unenjoyable experience.

Loved the experience at a work christmas party last night, would definitely recommend

Fun meal - kebabs and Camembert Lovely cocktails Nice service by Talitha

My friend booked for bottomless brunch. Service has been DISAPPOINTING. Having to take my OWN glasses of the table, complain that wrong drinks were brought to table, asked plenty of times yet nothing changed. Asked for the manager and last 30 minutes have been quicker. Why does it take someone to be upset on their BIRTHDAY to make a difference. Service should be 10/10 at all times regardless.

Come out for my friends bottomless brunch and only the last 30 mins it picked up as we asked for a manager. I got given an onion that had penicillin on which I’m allergic too good job it fall out my burger and I seen it. Not happy at all!!

Extremely unorganized, food was nice however waited almost over an hour to sit at my table to the point where when our table was finally ready the kitchen was about to close, forcing us to order dessert with our main course and all 3 courses arriving at the same time. By the time we finished our main course, ice cream from our dessert was fully melted and the food was stale. Would’ve been a lovely experience if our table wasn’t delayed by over an hour

A great quiz night and the perfect way to start the holidays. Thank you for a fun evening and great drinks!

This place is amazing! The food was very good, I got a Korean Chicken Strips and a Sunday Roast, they were both good and fabulous thanks to all the waiters/waitresses For dessert, I had a sticky toffee pudding with Ice Cream and that was delicious too I can say I am very happy for Botanist Reading.

Nice place to have some food & drinks without having to shout. Great place.

Friendly staff but kept clueless by the management - they warned me when I entered at 3 that they'd close at 4 and even said that's fine I had an hour. I got a drink and went to order food only for the manager to rush over and say they weren't serving at all! Beer was average and not real ale. Large variety of cocktails but didn't interest me.

Way too loud and the food was quite bland.

Nice cocktails. Huge space inside. Live music on weekends

Very disappointing. Very noisy and rowdy. Staff seemed more interested in serving drinks than bringing food, despite booking ahead and deposit etc. No serviettes, water jugs etc. Took ages to sort out these simple important things. Small cocktails at full £10+ price. Food was OK once it arrived. First course took 1/2 hour from arrival despite booking ahead, with main course arriving over an hour after our arrival. Best thing was music, worse was the service or lack of it. Staff were rude at times too. No wish to return.

I have celebrated my birthday recently to the Botanist Reading. I just wanted to say a big thank you to team from the day I made the booking to the day I had my birthday dinner. Great food, great music, a big shout out to Grace ( who was serving us in the day) and to Matt ( bartender who helped me earlier on the day). I highly recommend the place. Not 5 starts as i noticed I was a bit overcharged, but just noticed days later.

Every time I pass by, I’m drawn to their decor💐 the floral wreaths are beautiful, and the skewers are unique and delicious 😋

Service was good, food was very delicious and creative as well with the hanging kebab. A little thing i find funny. I called in advance whether they could put candles on the desserts since it was my friend’s birthday on the occasion. I called twice, first time in the morning and the other time about an hour before the booking time. Both replied with yes that they could do that, and that he would leave a note for the booking.Turns out, once the dessert came out, there were no candles. I know the restaurant is not obligated to do any of that. It was just disappointing how they said yes to my request and didn’t follow through with it.

A good roast and a lovely atmosphere

Best pornstar martini in Reading made by Nathan

Nice atmosphere very friendly staff and lovely lunch

This is hands down the best bar/restaurant in Reading! Every time I walk in, I'm greeted with warmth and friendliness that makes me feel right at home. The staff are incredibly kind and welcoming, always making sure every guest has a fantastic experience. I always know I'll be taken care of with genuine hospitality. It's rare to find a place where you can consistently enjoy great vibes, excellent service, and a friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend to anyone in Reading looking for a standout place to unwind!

Food was great. Shame the service shocking. Definitely not worth the tip that was automatically added. Plates dumped on the tables. Miserable waitress who only showed interest when it came to us paying the bill. First visit. Not impressed. (Warning about the lava hot pans for the cookies would have been appreciated when they were delivered to save burnt fingers too!)

The atmosphere was fantastic, the staff was friendly and super helpful and the food and cocktails were fantastic. Definitely will go back again.

El botánico - Lectura Buenas primeras impresiones mientras camina por este bar y restaurante maravillosamente decorado lleno de flores y decoración de jardín de la vieja escuela. En 2 minutos nuestra camarera Paige estaba con nosotros tomando nuestra orden de bebidas. Teníamos una buena mezcla de sus cócteles pero los 2 que nos parecieron los mejores fueron los Plantpots (a base de whisky) y el Fruit punch (a base de ponche de ron). Comida fuimos a por 6 platos pequeños y tuvimos que tener uno de sus kebabs colgantes así que obtuvimos un Cordero kofta (que estaba delicioso) Los platos pequeños son geniales para la puerta y los cócteles que es exactamente lo que salimos para En las imágenes incluyen - patatas hassleback - Calamari (esto se cocinó perfectamente - Arachini que venía con una rica salsa de tomate - Gambas reales con un pan frito ligero - coreana barbacoa tiras de pollo (increíble) - Un pan de ajo gigante (esto era fresco y ligero) Para mí los mejores 3 platos fueron definitivamente el pan de ajo (uno de los mejores que he probado) Los calamares y el pollo coreano En general, tuvimos una gran experiencia en este restaurante y nos encantó el gran ambiente Presentación 8 Sabor 9 Servicio 8 Bang por $8 Elección de menú 8 Vibe 8 Decoración 8

Tuvimos nuestra celebración después de la boda en The Botanist Reading con nuestros amigos. Rápido proceso de reserva, gran ambiente, comida sabrosa y excelente servicio. Gracias especiales a Eliseo, Talitha y Charley por cuidarse bien.

I made a reservation and upon arrival I was asked to wait at the bar because our table wasn't ready. We ordered two drinks and the barmen asked us to pay for it, which I did. The host informed us that the table was ready and we moved to the table with our drinks. We placed the food order and waitress brought us the appetizer. We were having a conversation and about 40 minutes later I asked the waitress: When are we going to get our food. She responded rudely "I thought that you are going to have your appetizer but NOW I know what we should bring food" There was only one calamari left on the plate. Nobody ever has responded to me like that. At any restaurants waiters check in on guests and ask if anything is needed etc. When we asked for the check they bill had 2 drinks that we already paid for in it. I asked the waitress to remove it since we already paid for it at the bar. I even showed her the transaction on my bank app, since the barmen didn't give me the receipt. And she responded that barmen claims that my payment didn't go thru, which he never mentioned when we were sitting at the bar. She called the manager and he removed the drinks from the bill and apologized for misunderstanding between the barmen and the waitress. Overall this wasn't a pleasant experience.

Talitha was very attentive, we loved the venue, the food was fresh and tasty. We had such good time thanks to Talitha and everyone else at the botanist. :))

Paige era un servidor excepcional! No puedo recomendarla lo suficiente. Muy amable y atento. Tenía un encantador brunch sin fondo

Gran comida y ambiente, colgando kebabs son particularmente grandes. Bebidas y música en vivo también encantador. Recomendar una visita

I just came in for a small dinner, it was fairly busy. I was worried that I would t be able to get a table. My server Paige found me one and was really friendly/helpful. She did check backs when needed. I will definitely come back again

Great food and lovely service by Leigh and Grace. The pornstar martini is amazing alond with the hanging kebabs. Would definitely recommend.

Always a good evening at the Botanist. Thank you to Leigh and Grace for being so attentive and helpful with menu choices!

Really enjoy going out here, it’s my go to place in Reading. Great service, really accommodating and lovely atmosphere. Dog friendly too… bonus. Great live bands

We had a great meal, food and service were fabulous, Charly was an amazing waitress, energetic and enthusiastic, such a great night.

Fantastic spot for bottomless brunch. Wen first thing on a Saturday (guilty as charged) and had the place to ourselves. Cocktails were great and served promptly, they don’t mess about. Chicken club sandwich was awesome, Veggie burger was highly rated, and on the chef’s suggestion I had the shakshouka which was heaven paired with a Bloody Mary! All decent portion sizes. Great decor inside, and would look even better at night imo. Give it a shot!!

We had a group dinner here for work. The food was nicely prepared, tasted fresh, and it was good. The service during the dinner was great at times, but then other times it was slow. We had ordered one last round of drinks, but it took around 20 minutes to get a few pints of beer, and by the time they arrived we were ready to leave for the evening. I get there are blips in service, that's why I would come back and try it again.

Very good service. Good food. We had to send in our orders in advance, so I don't know how the waiting time would be if it were a spontaneous order. But with pre orders, there is literally no waiting time which I liked.

Loved the service here, they made us a cocktail to what we requested and it was delicious. The food was also really tasty, will return.

Really tasty food and loved the live music, best part was the fried chicken for sure

Great atmosphere, great food, and fabulous cocktails. Our server Naomi was super attentive. Definitely coming back and would happily recommend the bottomless brunch

Cozy place, interesting decoration and delicious cuisine!!! Cocktails are also good. I recommend this restaurant.

Lovely Sunday Bottomless Brunch, could not fault our visit today. Decor and atmosphere were comfortable. Cocktails were very well made - layers of delicious flavours and really moreish. The food was also great, fresh & tasty (we had a burger & goats cheese salad) with the added bonus of being prepared by a singing chef! Service by Talitha (lovely blue hair) was fab. She was genuine, friendly, knowledgeable and we never felt rushed - we were more than happy to pay the added service charge. The Bottomless Brunch was a thoroughly pleasant experience and overall great value for money. Would highly recommend. We will definitely be returning. Thank you.

Went last night just for date night. Easy to book. It was lovely, food was amazing and there was a lot to choose from, drinks were great, staff were very attentive and all had smiles and personality shone through, it was fabulous. Thank you! We will be returning :)

Brilliant venue, great cocktails served by friendly staff! The food was perfectly cooked so thanks to head chef Jake and his team. Will definitely be coming back.

Was ok... Sticky tables and sweet cocktails. The bar team were lovely and friendly though which I always appreciate!

We came for Sunday Roast but me and my husband were very disappointed. We wetting 40 minutes for the meal and the food was without any flavour. West of money. The stuff sitting all together, chatting and ignoring the customer. Never again there. Very poor quality of food.

I have to start by saying the venue itself is super cool. The design and feel is cute and rustic, and the attention to detail is some of the decoration is lovely. The food is also great, I really loved the Mezze starter, and the Korean Fried Chicken side was delicious. The main hanging kebabs we nice and we got the 3 sharing one with a file of chips which were also delicious, that came with a sweet chilli sauce which was amazing! The raspberry cheesecake was also really nice. It's not massive but a good sweet treat after a big meal. The lemonade and elderflower mocktail was also very nice. Price wise is not cheap but the food and venue itself are really nice so I would say its not unreasonable for what you get.

My family and I came for a birthday meal and it was amazing. Ambiance was good and the food and drinks were really nice. Grace and Charlie provided excellent service and made sure we were okay throughout the meal. Would definitely recommend this restaurant!

Came in for the first time for a few cocktails after a horrible bottomless brunch elsewhere. The cocktails were absolutely gorgeous, lovely atmosphere inside and the staff were very helpful and very friendly. Surprised to find that you also do bottomless brunch, we booked in to visit again next month for that while we were there and we are very much looking forward to it after such a positive experience yesterday :)

The place is great and warm, I liked the decor, and the food is very delicious.

Friendly place reasonably priced and a different environment with all the decorations... great food and drinks

Slow service even though it was quiet...

To give a fair review, there were positives: the food was really good; I had the fish and chips and the fish was fantastic, those on my table all also seemed to enjoy their food. For the most part, allergies were taken really seriously and there's clearly some good training that's happened. What wasn't so good: The waitress dropped a stack of plates on one of our table as she was clearing them away. One of the side dishes was to come out with the main, but didn't. I had to go chase this up. It eventually arrived after we'd all finished our meals. In summary, the food was good, but the service was not. There were good elements of service, but overall the bad detracted and distracted from the good.

It was a bad customer experience today at The Botanist , because when we arrived there was no one to attend us and the waiters didn’t even bother to look at our table and we felt awful and before wasting our time we just left the hotel.

Came for a friend’s birthday this evening and was very happy with the service we got from Grace! Thanks for being so attentive

Went in for lunch and waited a very long time (30+ minutes) to get any service and even then drinks didn’t arrive till after the food. One of us had a spicy margarita which was quite awful, can make them quite easily at home and they are much better. Food was pretty average and the burger was burnt, certainly nothing worth the wait. Men’s toilets were flooded and the table was sticky. Have given them a second star only because they realised how bad it was and didn’t charge us for the drinks .

Really great restaurant! Yummy sea bass . Interesting cocktails- good service . Will certainly go back .

My wife and I had a great meal at the Botanist, with a really good menu to choose from, our waitress Paige was first class. We will definitely be going back.

Very good food, reasonably priced. Definitely worth a visit.

Was hyped by the reviews and pictures on the google, but wasn't happy with Food and service to be honest. Ambience is good but not great. Would recommend for a trial may be you might like it for the ambience.

Had the best time with such a big group the team were amazing. Greatful for their patience. food was amazing and the atmosphere was amazing

Went on a busy Saturday night and enjoyed the live music, cocktails and company. Great venue.

Me and my partner were out for a celebratory dinner. We were sat down at our table pretty quick after turning up however, we were then say waiting for over 25mins before anyone came over to take our order for food, let alone drinks. The food was great when it eventually arrived but I ordered a drink just as the food arrived and it never turned up. Once we had finished our meal we were then sat for around 30mins with all the empty plates and glasses on the table and no one bothered to come over and check on us or ask how our meal was. We tried getting the attention of a waitress and the all storm past you without looking. When it then came to our plates getting cleared we asked for he bill immediately as we didn’t want to spend anymore of our evening here. Such a shame as we have been to the restaurant in bath and it was amazing so that’s why we wanted to come here. I now feel that we won’t be returning.

A nice place to chill with friends, or to go on a date. Ambiance is rustic and cute. The cocktails are amazing and food is good. A bit pricey but it's worth the price, specially when there's live music.

Excellent service from Charlie when we turned up in dribs and drabs not actually knowing how many would arrive! The food was very good too.

Came in here on a whim and left on a high. Great service even though I discovered the staff were students doing their summer thing. Must be good training here. Had the hanging kebabs. A bit dry and lack of sauce. Gimmick? Maybe but fun dish. Great atmosphere

Fun place though service was a bit slow and haphazard. Still, beautiful, and great non-alcoholic cocktail menu 👌

I was staying in Reading last Sunday at a hotel down the road for an event I was going to on Monday, and I was looking for a decent Sunday roast. Lots of good recommendations for this place online, so I decided to go here. Very easy to book a table over the phone. A really cosy and relaxed atmosphere, loved the decor and the layout. Staff and waiters were really helpful and hospitable. I had the half roast chicken and it was delicious, decent portion with rich gravy, nice crispy fluffy roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, generous selection of veg - carrots, tenderstem broccoli, mange tout - and I also pushed the boat out and had some pigs in blankets on the side which were delicious as well. For drinks, I had the "Botanist Lemonade", one of their non-alcoholic cocktails, and it was delightful, very refreshing especially with how warm it's been recently, nice complimentary mix of the Lemonade with elderflower and mint. Had really lovely experience and meal overall, and I would definitely return when I'm next in the area!

Beautiful! Great food, great service and great atmosphere

Stopped in for a quick pre-show bite to eat. Server was nice and smiley. Food was good, and we had a nice relaxing time.

Great place, wonderful cocktails.

Classy Bar, great atmosphere, comfortable seating. Food menu something for every taste nibbles or mains. Would like to highlight friendly, helpful staff and a Exceptional Mixologist, Bailey who makes making cocktails a Art form. Many thanks

Sea bass and sauce was fantastic... The service was terrible, and the wine glasses were filthy.