The Collective Caversham in Reading

Great atmosphere and service with fabulous cakes and goid coffee. My husband rated the tea as “the best he’s had in the UK - ever!!

Excellent hospitality on our recent visit for coffee and cake. Got served the wrong choice of cake and was so busy chatting that I didn't notice until I'd eaten some of it! To be fair, both were loaf cakes! Explained to Akex what had happened with no expectation at all.....we'd enjoyed the cake after all! Within two minutes, the correct cake arrived and served with a smile. It was also yummy! The manager didn't need to do that, but what excellent customer service! Thank you....we will be back to try the stout cake next time.

This is a gem of a restaurant, the food and coffees were amazing, I had two lemon drizzle cakes guilt free, they are a must try when you visit. The staff were very friendly, polite and made us feel welcome. If you get the chance give this place a try, you won’t regret it.

Been to The Collective occasionally to see if value for money. Each time I come away with a bad experience. I am the exception having seen reviews of other 27. Each time I came for a milkshake by myself or with daughter. My daughter of 8 does not wish to come back after the way staff spoke to her and so I visit myself and opinion remains poor. My daughter rather have a milkshake at home, I agree. Visited today for a milkshake, a large bit the size was small. Raised my concern but the response was they used 5 scoops and that it was a large. Milkshake did not taste good, for 5 scoops it tasted of water. I am trying to understand the hype of The collective as my daughter was previously talked aggressively too and even raising the matter to staff was met with just an aggressive tone. Will visit the other coffee shops or do my own milkshakes.

Another first for me today , tried the homemade roasted red pepper , tomato and lentil soup with sourdough bread Seen others have it previously and it looked delicious , today I thought give it a go. Soooooo delicious , great flavours coming through with each mouthful. Sorry I waited so long If you want to try it get there quickly as I think it’s stopping soon to make way for delicious quiches and salads for summer Donna and Mollie had excellent sourdough toasties. Always great food and coffee Sam & Anna and the team run such an amazing coffee house Still a big favourite of our family Thank you Colin ❤️

I heard about this place from a friend and wow it didn’t disappoint. Every detail has been thought out. Delicious food, fab service and the presentation from property to plate was amazing.

I went here at noon on a weekday lunchtime with my wife and it was very busy. All the tables in the café were occupied and most of the tables on the pavement out front were also. I did hear people say that they were down two members of staff, but I don't think that impacted on waiting times or the experience. I ordered a sourdough toastie with brie, cranberry & rocket with a lemongrass and ginger loose leaf stump teapot (a teapot that you dunk a container of loose leaves into). I was imagining something akin to the output of our ancient breville toasted sandwich maker. What I got is nothing like that, and better for it. This is literally a toasted bread sandwich; a sandwich with a filling and toast for the bread. The whole thing was warm and the brie was creamy and slightly melted. The cranberry sauce was good. For some reason there were also some crisps on the plate. The tea was above average. At one point I looked around and realised that I was the only male in sight; my wife pointed out that there was another man right behind me, but this is a place where women of all ages are in a significant majority. The other thing I noticed as I looked around was that like me, quite a few people had kept their coats on. It was a cold February day and the door to the rear was open. I suspect that there is a garden with more seating out there, and I did see people coming and going. I would rather there were a way of keeping the warmth in the café allowing the customers to take their coats off.

Gem of a cafe, great sourdough and eggs and even better fresh Chelsea bun which was soooo tasty! Service was lovely too. Hundred percent recommend

Best coffee, incredible choice of delicious cakes, pastries, savoury food and super friendly and helpful staff. Lovely environment to sit in or get a take away. Fabulous little place!

Yet again fabulous coffee and cakes this week at our favourite coffee shop Visited twice this week introducing friends to this wonderful establishment for their first time Cruffins , Brownie , Carrot Cake , Cinnamon Swirls , Marmite & Cheese Swirls were delicious It’s just so difficult to make your choices as everything is so delicious and homemade Thank you to all the wonderful staff who make you feel so welcome

Just fabulous! Very Milanese , chic and super friendly vibe, caring staff and great food : coffee, out of the ordinary and way above anything else north of the river has to offer.

Visited again for the Friday Club evening of delicious Tapas and drinks Visited with friends whose visit was a first and they thoroughly enjoyed the evening We’ve recently been exploring Spanish cities and the Tapas here are as good , if not better than some in Spain Thank you so much to the wonderful staff who make this such a delightful evening Roll on 2024 and the Friday Club returns 🤍

Lovely little place. Stopped here as we're at Reading Fest and wanted a good breakfast. Cafe was busy but welcoming, the food portions are hearty and tasty. It really feels like simple food cooked well! Didn't try the coffee but would next time.

Had the most fantastic evening at the Friday Club. Amazing list of cocktails, the jam margarita was exceptional, and lovely list of different tapas. All the food was beautifully presented with generous portion sizes and so tasty. Delicious wine list, reasonably priced and great choice. Finished off with an espresso martini. Lovely vibe in the evening, super friendly and helpful staff, great atmosphere. Highly recommend this little gem in Caversham. You need to book as it is very popular.

OMG  what a wonderful experience , just eaten and had cocktails at the Friday club  23-06-23 Excellent small plates / tapas and wonderful cocktails Delicious wines which weren’t over priced compared to most restaurants Had the most amazing evening with my wife and daughter / future son in law Looking forward to more Friday nights Back in the morning for Cruffins and coffee Sorry but trip advisor won’t let me post at moment as I’ve just given you a review Will do it soon when I’m able So fantastic every time we visit I have to say we love supporting the independent places , our 2 favourites are yourselves and Robyn’s Nest in Shinfield Green as local walking destination for us Keep up the good work.  We really love and appreciate you ❤️

Another visit to The Collective , this time for a Fathers Day Brunch . Yet another wonderful experience with delicious food and cocktails. Breakfast brioche with bacon - amazing probably my favourite Breakfast brioche with salmon Scrambled eggs with bacon on sourdough toast And yet another particular favourite brioche French toast with bacon and maple syrup Cocktails amazing. Spiced Bloody Mary and passion fruit mimosa’s Already booked in for a Friday evening meal on 7th July Staff are amazing , knowledgeable and so helpful We even got Cruffins to take away as they to are to die for Great independent cafe / bistro We love it Colin & Donna ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Been coming here plenty, the staff are lovely, there is always a great atmosphere and the food and coffee are both 10/10.

I don't normally write reviews, but i enjoyed my lunch so much today I wanted to share. I normally have the soup of the day, which are all amazing, but the minestrone has been my favourite so far. We also shared a vegan sausage roll today and it was so good I could eat it every day. I'm not even a vegetarian, but the the vegan things I have tried have been sooo gd. For the first time today we tried the cakes and we are blown away. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it.

Had lunch yesterday and the bacon and egg brioche was to die for. Love the Oreo brownies and the gelato. My wife reckons the coffee is good too

Great place for a tasty treat and an equally tasty breakfast. I had the beef tomato on toast and the other half had the French toast, both of which were extremely well cooked and delicious. Iced Mocha was very welcome in the shaded garden area and all of the staff are very friendly and helpful…we also sneaked in a cinnamon morning roll which was fab. Would highly recommend just over the bridge from Caversham Pier where you get the river cruise.

Sam, the owner, is excellent. Her staff, Elise, Kate, Ben, etc are all great too. Food, coffee, smoothies, are all good. However, would love some Coke Zero, as opposed to Diet Coke.

It’s just about as good as Caversham could have begged for. No one does a flat white right but these people do it consistently. I like cake. They do the best cakes. Almond croissant is like no other. The breakfasts are restaurant quality (better acth)...

Love this cafe so much! Fantastic food, coffee and service today (as always!) I travel a lot and work in many different coffee shops but I love coming to visit my boyfriend in Caversham as it means I get to come to my favourite cafe!!!

Sarah, the Wednesday & Friday baker, makes excellent cakes: the coffee is fantastic: the staff are nice, so too the manager. The sourdough bread is fabulous, and there’s no tools (bellends) around like in the Caversham Gardens cafe. You wouldn’t get aggressive nastiness in the...

My favourite cafe in caversham. Delicious coffee and cakes in gorgeous surroundings. Friendly staff and I challenge you to leave without some beautiful new homeware. Never let’s you down. Must try their breakfast brioche.

I adore this new gem in Caversham. An independent cafe with wonderful staff, amazing cakes and a decent cuppa! A truly great addition to Caversham!

Had a cappuccino and chocolate chip cookie earlier. Cappuccino was excellent and the cookie was the best ever!!! Highly recommended.

....is my daughter’s verdict and she should know, it’s what she orders all the time! Lovely selection of food and other goods, friendly staff and quick service. I had a coffee and a sausage roll which was also superb .

Perfect lunch of smoked bean stew on sour bread with a chocolate mocha shake (boosted by double espresso). Great service all round in stylish setting. Big shout out to the lovely Anna there. What a great addition to Caversham.

My wife tells me the coffee is very good but I hate coffee. However the chocolate brownies are to die for

We chose to stop here rather than the local Costa to support a small company. The coffee, milkshakes and sausage rolls were lovely. Service was superb and we enjoyed watching the world go by. We will definitely return.