The Castle Cold Ash in West Berkshire

Had Sunday lunch here on 13/10/2024 with our visitors from Scotland. It was delicious and exceptional value for money. Great real ale to. Service and friendliness of both staff and customers excellent. Highly recommend.

We were booked to stay in the Regency at Thatcham but wanted a good local pub for drinks and dinner. Cold Ash had 2 good looking places but the walk there was up a long incline and took 30mins. The Castle looked the better bet for good ale, food, adult crowd. It was a hot day and a fair walk......was it worth it? 100% YES From the moment we went in the bar staff were great. Immediate feel of welcome and friendly pub. If youre looking for the kind of inn that we all want to exist in England...this is it. The ales were spot on, the Sunday Roast and service impeccable and the humour 'to die for'.. We're British and proud. If the rest of our 800 mile round trip to see all the family is as good as this we will be well pleased. Had a great chat with staff and regulars. If you want a really good taste of home look no further. 10 out of 10.

Yes, i agree with previous post. A lovely friendly pub with good food and good beer. Chips are great.. chicken burger lovely and more than I could eat. We were professionally served by Kieron, a friendly person who liked our dog and our dog liked him. Thank you Kieron.

Had a fantastic Sunday lunch today, the service was excellent and great value for money. I can highly recommend it.

I've not been to this local pub for a few years and was delighted to find the real ale on song and a wonderful homemade dishes for her and me. Looking forward to a return visit soon!

Disappointed when for a celebration meal orders starters and mains starters never arrived main’s brought straight out in stead when asked for starters took main meal back still no starters so brought main meal out again which looked like it had been microwaved as steak was meant be really rare but it was well done mixed grill chicken was dry so was gammon emailed owner but no response can’t ring them due to being deaf I won’t have left this review if there had been an apology or some response

Great coffee and cakes on our afternoon walk with the dog

Been for a roast dinner a few months which was fantastic. Just left after a wonderful half term meal, buy one get one free… excellent value. Chips were amazing and the desserts… wow! Definitely will be visiting again x

Wow, what a welcoming pub. The staff were so lovely, bent over backwards to ensure we had all we needed and more. Even the dog got spoilt. Initially we went into The Spotted Dog pub next door but were made to feel as if we were Martians walking in from another planet/cold reception. Strange feeling, so we immediately left and had a happy meal here instead. Thank you all for being so wonderful and keep up the good work 👌

Nice little pub, traditional and good selection of drinks, food was great.

Husband and Wife team. The barman (husband) lovely man, full of banter. His wife was very helpful in providing a dairy alternative for a coffee. The cake we had was yummy, home made I think. The fire was roaring, very welcoming. A very pleasant experience.

The atmosphere here is a little more sophisticated than at the Spotted Dog. My build your own fish burger was great - the fried egg wonderfully cooked atop and a great combination with the Brie. The chips were spot on and not greasy. However, the same cannot be said about the onion rings - they were soggy and evidently fried in the fish oil. My partner’s cheese & onion omlette was a little dry. The onion ought to have been fried and then added to the omlette rather than be given raw to the side. Otherwise, friendly service and a great vibe - I recommend and hopefully the chef will incorporate my constructive criticisms. 🌲

Lovely first visit to the castle. We booked for a family birthday, with a large group and they were so accommodating. Very traditional pub, with some really lovely Christmas decorations up! Staff very friendly! And lovely food. Thank you! We will definitely visit again.

Great food fantastic & friendly staff what more can I say I will be returning. Did return today & will again.

Drinks expensive and got kicked out when the quiz team's turned up. ffs really 🙃 not good

We went here on a charity fundraiser night, the hog roast was amazing as were the ciders(one was a bit strong 😆) the music and atmosphere was great and the staff really attentive and interactive. I would highly recommend this pub.

Lovey pub! Relaxed atmosphere. Friendly staff. Also dog friendly! Quiz night is popular. The live bands bring in a good crowd.

Great food fantastic friendly staff what more can I say will definitely be back.

We came here today for Sunday lunch, totally home cooked and the gravy was like my nan made, food is great value and our barmaid/waitress was great too

Fabulous food, beautifully cooked with first class service. This lovely pub serves an amazing Sunday lunch for a fantastic price. So glad we tried this place. See you next Sunday! 👍😃

Even though the landlady was working along on a weekday lunchtime, she went out of her way to help a person having issues, particularly when the pub next door with more staff didn’t want to get involved, speaks volumes about community spirit.

Good food Good beer Friendly staff Can say much more

Found this gem by accident but so glad we did. Had Sunday roasts, was just like home cooked. Absolutely lovely and decently priced. Really friendly staff in a beautiful old traditional pub and our nutty dog made very welcome! Highly recommend.

Great pub ,great atmosphere with an amazing live band ,The Extra Covers

It's a great pub with great real ales, food and live music

Traditional English pub with a great Sunday roast

Great atmosphere and friendly clientele, nice evening had by all.

A really friendly pub, the owners allow dogs too and give them a treat! Food is all handmade and super tasty, great value too, you get plenty of food! Really liked the landlords, easy to chat to and you can tell they have a good rapport with the locals. Unfortunately we were just passing through, or we would be there more often!

Cosy pub for a winter walk stop..

Our first visit today came by recommendation. The food was very good value for the money and well cooked, the beef was lovely and pink in the middle, not over cooked or chewy, good size helping and the presentation very good. The staff were attentive, very friendly, the service was first class. Will definitely go back. Thank you

I had the cheese board for £7 it was the worst one I have ever had .2 very small bits of brie no more that 20pence worth also 2 pieces of small cheddar if you can call it that unknown slice of cheese 5 pence 4 biscuits 20 pence 2 small pieces of celery and 5 grapes .you should be ashamed of yourselfs

Good parking, friendly and helpful staff, cozy little pub with a good selection of beers. Food portions are plentiful, would definitely visit again.

Unfortunately I cannot even rate this pub even one star. Everything about our experience today was terrible. We were very excited for an afternoon roast and a good catch up with the girls with good food but was let down by both the food and service. The starters and puddings came out at different times which left one person sat eating on their own 5 minutes after everyone had finished. The roast was burnt. The service was exceptionally slow (almost 4 hours there when they were not slightly busy) waiting half an hour to be asked our order for each course. But it was lovely to see that when we asked for the bill that came within minutes! As for the service it was very disappointing to find we had to keep getting up and going to the bar for our drinks then had to find our own desert menus as after waiting half an hour this was still not offered. I can now see why the pub was so empty on a beautiful Sunday afternoon! As the bar staff didn’t seem to be worried about serving us and made rude comments while we were trying to pay I feel we were more of a nuisance than a paying customer! We will not be returning.

Great and friendly neighbourhood pub. We had a great time here. Booked a place for a Sunday roast for Father’s Day. Nicely Surprised, when we arrived, we were told meals are half priced for fathers on that day. I ordered the lamb pie there, which is great as it is pastry all around rather than like some pubs provided pie in a dish with only pastry on the top. We will come back again for Steak and Ale pie. Thank you.

Great food and friendly service. They even checked our dog had water okay, they have a water tap outside with a bowl for dogs and offered a biscuit. Very kind. I was impressed by how on the ball they were with food allergies. Good range of dishes to choose from, the pizza was delicious and portions hearty.

Friendly quick service Comfy seating

Lovely roast dinner- fresh veg and very tasty with a separate jug of gravy. Staff friendly and service good. Will be back.

I've lived fairly local for years now and knew of The Castle but had never visited. I now know that I have wasted a lot of time!!! We popped in for dinner and were looking for a good variety to make sure the whole family were happy! We got the variety - the standard menu has a good selection and that is added to with some really great specials. We all really enjoyed our meals, and I will sing the praises of the pizza. It was the best pizza I've had in a very long time. Very tasty, perfectly cooked and served on a hot slate to keep it the right temperature to the last slice! Add to the good food some great staff and you have a cracking meal out. The staff were instantly welcoming, were happy to adjust the meals to our individual requirements without hesitation and were polite and attentive throughout. Please don't change anything, it was great. Especially the pizza! Great food in a great setting with great staff. We will be back for more!!

Lovely pub, great staff and food was good

Lovely little old school country pub. Great atmosphere and great location

The Castle Inn is a lovely little boozer, excellent staff, great beers, good food, excellent ambience, dogs and their walkers are welcome, which all adds up to a proper English pub. We like it a lot.

Excellent meal and service, all three of enjoyed our meals Saturday,friendly staff who were happy to go that extra mile, Steak and Ale pie was one of the best I've tried, highly recommended

Sunday walk around Cold Ash woods and a stop off at the pub with our dog. Staff very friendly and dogs warmly welcomed, the dog biscuits are a very nice gesture.

Had an afternoon tea at The Castle Inn and it was lovely. So much food (we even took the cupcakes home) the staff were so friendly and always on hand for a refill. Would definitely recommend 👌 it was £12.50 each which I thought was amazing value, as I've paid double that for afternoon teas before and never received anywhere near as much food!. Looking forward to visiting again.

Sadly, our visit here for a while and we won't be coming back anytime soon. Entered the pub just after a group of four wanted to pay invidiously. With only one person serving, it was understandable I had to wait. When the bar lady choose to ignore me and serve the two regulars that has just walked in behind me, part of me also understood. We after all had frequented our local pub The Fox in Hermitage, a lot through the pandemic - I think all pubs have recognised a bit more the importance of looking after your regulars. When she then choose to serve two other regulars before turning her attention to me - my patience was done. Perhaps she did apologise for the over 5 minute wait, but it certainly didn't register with me. So, if you are regular I suspect you are well looked after, if you are casual visitor be prepared to be treated differently. I'm posting this primarily because perhaps my experience is an exception, I hope so, The Castle was perhaps our second most favourite pub for dog walks.... BtW below is my review from 2018 Generally pop in after a dog walk. Fantastic pint of Sharp's Atlantic bitter and the landlord always makes us and the dogs feel welcomed. Update: we had food here last night, good quality pub grub and at very reasonable price. Recommend

Great to see the Castle open again. Friendly table service and a very nice cold cider on a hot evening was exactly what I needed

Crisp pint of San Miguel and service with a smile. Take card as well which is more than can be said for The Castle next door. No cash sorry 🙏

This is our first visit since reopening. We had a very enjoyable Lunch.

Great food great service happily go again

Great little pub with friendly service

Lovely burger lovely curry well done 👍✅

Lovely pub... looked after everything. Sun outside😎☀️

Great service but the chips aren't home made like they used to be.

Great cheese platter along with good pint of Timothy Taylor 😃

Amazing little pub, really friendly and helpful staff and patrons. Good selection of drinks, and bar snacks. A good amount of seating is available out the front of the pub, and inside as well as lots of parking at the rear of the pub. There is also a stream engine parked sometimes out side of the pub, which is super cool! I wonder if your can get stopped for drink driving a stream engine?

Service great.friendly staff,good beer and food What more do you want. Recommended

Friendly staff and a nice atmosphere during lockdown. Plenty of distanced seating outside. Great after a long ride.

Great food with great friendly staff

Nice and friendly pub.. Good beer and nice food.. Recommend to everyone..!!

Enjoyed lunch here yesterday as a break during an exceptionally hot walk. The food was excellent (home made venison burger and affogato) and the welcome and service superb. Shout out to the friendly chap behind the bar who couldn't have been more helpful and friendly and to the charming landlady who came over to see if we were enjoying our lunch. We certainly did and will be back!

Great local friendly team and well priced food

Fantastic place, fantastic landlords.... fantastic

Nice friendly pub, nice to see a dart board instead of a picture. Needs a bit of a make over.

Lovely small pub with great food, friendly staff and fantastic atmosphere.. only argument I have is that the speakers were absolutely terrible, very distorted but they needed up turning them down so it's all good..

A pleasant spot for a light lunch and a catch up with colleagues. Really friendly service - and dogs welcome!

I went here with my family, very nice staff moved some stuff around so we all had space. Food was decent and reasonably quick

Great pub, great staff and good selection of beers

Sunday lunch excellent, great service thank you Nathan, Kirsty and ream

As you walk in you get a warm and friendly welcome from all. Very good service. The Castle is a traditional local pub with a great choice of pub classics on the menu & more at very reasonable prices. Great wine list & beers. Cheers 👍

Very good service food was great will definitely return also dog friendly recommended

Very friendly atmosphere with very welcoming staff

Lovely friendly staff, nice comfortable seating. Spent an enjoyable evening here.

Great friendly staff, typical pub menu, lovely service even at a busy time.

Chnaged hands recently but still great atmosphere, hospitality, drinks and food!

Great local pub & real ales. Not tried food since change of ownership

Proper pub! Great food and drink, lovely staff, very busy, which is a good sign for a little pub these days. Needs a visit!

Great veggie options and the meat eaters love the pies

Pretty good menu range plus daily specials. Food always well cooked and good portions.

Very nice food, very good staff

Quintessential village pub, 6 real ales on tap, very welcoming, good basic food what more do you want😂

Food very good. Staff friendly.

The best pub food for miles and miles!!quiet friendly place.good service.expect to not manage dessert!!

A proper English pub with excellent food and a fine range of beers on high ground with extensive views towards Watership Down. Located at Cold Ash north of Thatcham and close to Newbury and Hermitage.

Always friendly service, good food, great pub

Went there for the first time for Sunday lunch, amazing. Great food and service.

Good range of proper pub food at very reasonable prices. Excellent range of drinks, several guest beers on, beer kept superbly well. Range of non-alcoholic drinks too, both hot and cold. We'll run, cosy country pub, dog friendly. How a pub should be

Nice pub - good reasonably priced food nothing fancy

Lovely warm,cosy atmosphere,big portion sizes......very dog friendly so my puppy dog was very happy too!

Very friendly and helpful ,very large portions.

Wow what a hidden gem The Castle is. Found it online as we were travelling. Such a warm cosy place with lovely staff (Princess Zoe) . Food is homecooked and amazing you won't leave hungry. We've vowed to make this a regular stop off when we meet friends, shame for us its not in Warwickshire

Just had a lovely outing to the castle pub food most enjoyable staff very friendly will definitely be going again.

A good frendly pub with vast gin selection

Lovely cup of tea sevis with a smile

Friendly staff, excellent food at great prices

Very pleasant and the food was excellent.

Friendly staff great homecooked food and dog friendly

Good dog-friendly pub with a great selection of gins, six nations is also shown on screens here.

Has been my family’s main gathering place for over 10 years now. A great place for a pint, a good meal and great company.

Good but not that good . Food was good . Beer okay . It is a pub ......

Traditional English pub serving a great selection of real ales and tasty food