The Crown Inn in West Berkshire

Stopped by this pub whilst working in the area, decent selection of drinks and reasonably priced, decent atmosphere and showed sport which was a bonus, would return.

Never met such unfriendly, unhelpful, ignorant staff in my life. Went for a quiet drink with the family and was spoken to with utter contempt. Avoid like the plague. Horrible people with a horrible vibe. Horrible!

What a wonderful wedding reception we attended today. The lunch and evening food was fabulous, particularly in their ability to cater for vegetarians and gluten free. The venue was great(outdoor marquee) and staff all friendly and couldnt do enough to make my friends wedding day wonderful. I would recommend highly! Thank you so much.

Love it Food was great Staff were great Can't fault it Our dog was welcome over night and great walks

Visited on Saturday , Staff more interested in chatting than serving , more training required , was more like an episode of faulty Towers , only one real ale on at any one time and no food.

Mark and Jodie (of The Bull at Theale and a couple of other well run West Berks pubs) have taken this over recently and made it their own - fantastic improvements to the garden, with a lovely sail-shaded area, The Crown has become a great local for all to enjoy again :)

This pub has been a lively heart for Theale for many years. Recently under new ownership they’ve got a new an inspiring pub menu - lots of pub classics, but also an AMAZING Caribbean menu. Mutton curry was awesome, I’ll definitely be going back to try more!

Jamie and Cheryl have done a great job brightening up this pub. Friendly atmosphere and a good range of drinks. Looking forward to full time food coming back online. Clean, welcoming and reasonable prices!

Acabo de ver una mala crítica estúpida aquí, y tuve que comentar solo para decir que Jamie y Cheryl están haciendo un gran trabajo al hacer de este un pub que sea acogedor para todos. Sería 5 *, pero no he comido aquí durante mucho tiempo, y les vendría bien una gama más amplia de sidras: -)Garden here es uno de los mejores en Theale, ideal para familias, perros, etc., etc., y es un pub histórico adecuado en la zona.Ah, y ese tipo de críticas negativas no sabe cómo deletrear 'estéticamente', por lo que probablemente debería alejarse de las palabras largas. O Internet en general.

Awsum pub. Really friendly staff brilliant landlord always happy to chat and help out. Very friendly nice garden for the kids to run around

Went there with my children bbq in the garden lovely family pub and lovely polite owners, Won't allow any idiots there which I like to have my kids around Would recommend to anyone

been drinking in the crown for several years now great atmosphere with everyone visting this pub staff are all was friendly and always look after there customers and always great too have a laugh with them beer always cheap can not wait until they do food again

I have been going to the crown now for my whole life, I can honestly say I have never felt more welcome at this pub. The owners are such friendly people and very considerate not only taking extra precautions due to corona virus therefore making people feel very safe, but making people feel very welcome at the same time. Take time to visit this pub and you will feel at home! Hats of to jay cheryl keep it up your doing a great job!

We Recently visited the establishment. Ascetically very pleasing, good atmosphere and friendly. Strangely we noticed a young chap hanging around the gaming machines, with what seem to be keys. As concerned citizens we approached the gentlemen as we thought there was a crime in progress and wished to intervene The gentlemen when approached (who was looking very shifty) stated his name was Jamie and in fact was the MANAGER of this fine establishment. We missed this as his badge was upside down As he continued to fill his pockets with notes from the machine we decided to leave promptly as the smell of stale beer and BO from young Janie overwhelmed room. We have since seen this chap watering the hanging baskets with what can only been described as boiling water. Hmm curious. We have attached his photo, of seen do not approach. The smell is dangerous Needles to say his tulips are not on point this year Regards Mr Whickham

We visited on a Saturday afternoon with a group of friends for an impromptu drink. The beers we fresh and well kept, the bar staff we happy and cheerful and as an added bonus they bought out a few roast potatoes for us to nibble on. I will definitely be going back

Change of management, real ales are all on and spot on! Cheapest pub in theale!!! Thank you for an enjoyable evening

We booked into this pub prior to attending a nearby concert, but wanted to see England play Sweden before the concert started. Food was excellent, and there was a tv so we could watch the match before the concert started..Excellent.

Fui a escuchar a un amigo El primer par de horas en que se escuchó fue un excelente personal, fue alegre y educado. Pub fue tranquilo para un viernes por la noche, pero el ambiente era bueno! ! ¡Hasta que la perezosa más ruda que se llama autogestión entró y habló conmigo y con mis amigos como basura! ! Clasifique a la gran dama que podría tener clientes con el resto del personal

What a great atmosphere this pub has. Really friendly staff, lovely manager who makes you feel very welcome. Went in to meet friends and watch the football, and had a brilliant time, the couldn't do enough for you. Pub is light and spacious with a great selection of beers and wine ( great Merlot) would certainly recommend and will certainly be going back.

Great pub to visit with excellent selection of drinks, wine selection changes often with a great variety of reds on offer. No blossom hill on site!! Great to watch all sport in! Drinks offers with the football! Lovely food too! Staff behind the bar are very welcoming and The landlady is always a pleasure to have a chat with. Excellent location for parties in the summer on the decking which has just had a new outside bar fitted..Well worth a drink or three!

This pub use to be amazing but the new manager is the most miserable unhelpful person I have ever come across! This pub has been run into the ground by the manager, no one wants to visit here when she is working! The regular bar staff are mostly lovely but there is a a young guy who works here who is extremely slow and unenthusiastic. All in all I wouldn’t recommend a visit here!!

Normally this place is super busy with helpful staff and hot fast food......however, four of us went on a Friday tow ordered chips....these were at least cooked in to hot fat or been cooked before. ....the others had to wait over an hour for potato skins which weren't tasty and we're left after all that time waiting. ...this is such a shame as this establishment since it was taken over was fantastic.

This place has gone down hill. Popped in for a quick pint on a Thursday and was relatively quiet. Garden was filthy, snapped plastic cutlery, cigarette butts, general waste - crisp packets, beer mats etc littering the garden. Toilets very grim. No excuse when it is so quiet. Mixed welcome at the bar, two bar staff one of whom was decent, the other unfriendly and very unwelcoming. Very unimpressed, won't be going back in a hurry

The Crown used to be our regular haunt for lunch and the food was always very good - best chips in town and big portions! Under the new management, the pub looks much nicer, but the food is really uninspiring. The tapas are like no tapas we've ever had - very stodgy, tasteless and overpriced and the sandwiches are skimpy on the filling.

What a total shambles today's lunch was. Took my customer to this place which has traditionally been our usual lunch haunt. Well we were pretty surprised to find that the food took 45 minutes to arrive and when it did it was terrible. So I had the cajun chicken door stopper which came as a giant piece of bread with - no joke - 4 tiny pieces of chicken and about three scraps of pepper. I mentioned this to the embarrassed staff member who took it away and bought it back with more chicken in it. To be fair this didnt really help the dish as the chicken was tasteless and the peppers were stone cold. I believe my customer is writing his own review as he was incensed by what he was served. The prawns he had were served cold and opaque - I dont know about you as the reader of this review but you wouldnt dream of touching them would you?

COLD OPAQUE PRAWNS - you have been warned. oh yes and the other end of the spectrum, incinerated chorizo, you may need a dentist. not forgetting, 45mins to see the food (questionable food)

Finally this pub is under new management after the last terrible landlord and lady.

The Crown Inn in Theale used to be a very good pub for food and drink place meeting my former work place friends. Since October 2017 it is under new management after a 2 years period of being completely mismanaged and going just down wit service and food (eventually no food at all). At the moment the pub was re-decorated and looks and feels very good inside. Unfortunately the new prices are completely out of the average levels in the Village. I like my single malt Whiskey as double with coke and the same combination will cosy me £2 more on a hit compare to the next door pub. Listening to other people in the Village The Crown Inn is on a good way to price them out completely from Theale which is very unfortunate looking at the effort to make the place to look better and attractive to local customers. I used to spend over £120 per week in that place 2 years ago so I hope the new Landlord will adjust the prices to be competitive again in our Village,

We went to The Crown on a sunny afternoon for a couple of drinks with friends and our children (as there is a bouncy castle in the garden). Unfortunately the children couldn't enjoy playing in the garden as there were two separate piles of dog poo! Obviously it is up to owners to pick up after their dogs but surely the landlord or staff should check the garden as sadly there are those dog owners that do not clear up after their dog.

He de confesar que cuando mi pareja reservó este lugar que era un poco escéptico, pero me enamoré. Teníamos una oferta para una noche, desayuno y cena para una suma total de 100 libras. Resultó ser increíble relación calidad-precio para una noche. La habitación era de buen tamaño y bien decorado perfecto para una noche (podría ser un poco claustrofóbico si estar más de un par de días). El pub era fantástico, tenía una gran selección de comida y vino, y era realmente un buen estándar, así como el desayuno que teníamos jardín fuera allí bien cuidada cerveza. He de confesar que parecía ser un poco más grandes y comedor me siendo alojados en mis veinte años de mediados sentimos como los más jóvenes allí por al menos 15 años. Sin embargo, esto no me disuade de nuevo y sin duda lo recomiendo a todos mis amigos y familiares.

Hemos venido aquí regularmente para el almuerzo de trabajo de los clientes y bastante a menudo trae. Es una buena comida de pub y Greg y Alba son muy amable y servicial. Las brochetas son buenas, como son las porciones! Personalmente me gusta la ensalada Cesar con pollo. En el verano la terraza y el jardín es el mejor de Theale. Pruébalo. . . . .

Great service, staff always make u feel welcome, food is amazing, service os always great. Portions massive. Thank u

I recently entertained business associates here for lunch for quite honestly a great experience ? Very pleasant and friendly staff , very efficient service and an overall very pleasant experience

Gran lugar para relajarse y disfrutar de un vino, con amigos y colegas, voy allí todo el tiempo y siempre dejar feliz! Disfrutar del pollo brochetas y hacen gran baguettes.

Stopped in for food and a pint after work, bar staff very attentive and friendly. My order came out very shortly after sitting down to a pint. Beer battered fish fingers tasted great. *****Definitely visit again soon.

There were 11 of us, we all ordered and paid together. 3 of us didn't get our meal, the waitress came out saying it had been forgotten and the were unable to provide us with the original order (Fish & Chips) as they had run out of fish by then!She was extremely rude and unapologetically for their mistake. 1 hour after arriving in the Pub we were still waiting for our food to be served - appalling service, dirty cutlery, filthy table, empty condiment sachets in the condiment tray, and extremely bad food. Never EVER again!!!

Great pub, great staff, great beer and cider selection and excellent food always served quickly. Varied menu and portions are very generous. The Crown has an excellent cook!

My company comes to this pub en masse every Friday as we are local. Several co-workers also visit during the week. Staff is fantastic at the pub and the food is great. The chicken Cajun burger is the best around and the lamb stew is fantastic, according to my colleagues. I stick with the cheesy fries and most go for Ham, Egg and Chips. Family friendly with a great beer garden for the summer. Love it.

The staff are so friendly and welcoming, always happy and helpful. Great Pinot!! Good prices and atmosphere, the food is outstanding. Love it and wouldn't go anywhere else!

Dawn and Gregg and all the staff are absolutely brilliant also make you feel welcome would recommend highly

The pub was busy on a Friday 10th 9 night 9pm 3 of us went into the pub could not find a seat which is good for the management so asked if the garden was open and was told yes it was so we took our drink into the garden when we got to the decking area the lights were not on so we felt our way around found a table and sat down .I then went back into the bar and asked if the light could be turn on i was told yes i went back to my friends wait a further ten minutes no light came on so finished our drink and went to the fox and hounds

We will start our review by stating we're fair and reasonable...not serial moaners by any means. This is our experience following a sunny afternoon trip to Theale whilst nipping about on the train. Tried a drink here (on the way back to the station) but unfortunately we gave up. Walked through door and happened upon the queue for bar as it's right by the door, so fair enough. We stood waiting whilst progress was slow and got greeted by several glances from those faffing about at the bar, which wasn't exactly friendly.A woman motioned to walk through the queue to the next room so we naturally moved back to allow her through. She then immediately swooped for the pending vacant space at bar...and got served, it was apparent she was local etc. Upon the next "who's waiting" we duly said "yes, us" whilst waving method of payment.We were ignored in favour on newly arrived locals....we walked out and went back to 'the bull' up the road. It's much better anyway.

Don't normally take the time to write reviews but felt the need after a visit to The Crown. Went there on Friday with the family what a fantastic pub ! loved the food (must have a great chief) very friendly staff, lovely waitress and a great selection of beers/ciders. Enjoyed the 'Old Rosie' ! will definitely be going back again. The Hugill's

Our family visited The Crown Inn for a lunch while camping locally. We had a lovely afternoon. The venue was great with a lovely relaxed atmosphere. They have a bouncy castle for the children and a decked area with table football.... Happy children make happy parents. Food was beyond your average pub grub and the portions were large. Will definitely visit again if we're in the area.

Used to drink here all the time and would often bring kids down to sit in the beer garden on a sunny day. Things have gone down hill since the new landlord and Lady took over. He doesn't speak, just wonders around as if he's lost and I wouldn't even know who the landlady! Always served by the barman who has been there since the previous owners and he is friendly. The atmosphere has changed and doesn't feel family friendly anymore. Loads of young chav types fill up the public side of the bar, drug deals witnessed in the car park, grass not cut in the beer garden and all the outdoor games have disappeared.

We are regulars of many years and sad to report that since the turn of the year this pub has taken a nosedive in terms of service and friendliness. This used to be the hub of the village. Not anymore. The clientele has gone seriously downhill and it is now an unfriendly and quite intimidating place to be. I would say it was the new Management but that would be an assumption given neither have bothered to speak since they took over. This needs a major overhaul and direction change. Constantly running out of beer is no way to run a pub. There are better pubs than this in Theale so I would advise a trip elsewhere.

I went with work for lunch, quick service (around12:30), oh so quick! The portions were really big and very good value for money. Friendly staff but unfortunatly they didn't have all the ingredients to make the dishes that everyone wanted, not sure if that was because they were popular dishes or they simply didn't order enough to last until the next order. Not complaining these things happen and you cannot always predict these things!

This is a local pub for us so we've visited a few times recently since the new management have taken over. They have a good range of Beer and Cider on tap and its a nice pub inside with a large beer garden and car park out the back. The new management seem OK but a couple of points to improve on:- when someone orders a pint they expect a pint, not a pint 1 inch short from the top. - if you have customers waiting at the bar you should serve them and not continue playing darts or sitting on your stall drinking wine. It may be your break but if no one is serving your customers will go somewhere else. General feeling from the locals is lazy management - we will see how they go........

Popped in on a whim for a few drinks one evening. Didn't eat as had eaten nearby. Was a good vibe about the place, and had a good choice of lagers and real ales. Was very busy so clearly popular and could see why from my brief visit.

Fantastic pub and very friendly , had lunch their and food was amazing for a pub , food was all freshly cooked ,was very busy but we were still served quickly and did not wait to long for food. Great atmosphere and everyone was so friendly. , will definitely be visiting again

Went with a friend, not eaten there before but been in for drinks loadsFood was great along with the service definitely will eat again there soon.

Just returned from a Saturday night at the Crown Inn Theale. The new owners had put on a race night for charity. I have never been in such a friendly pub, everyone was having fun and helped along by a small win I had. Didn't experience the food other than some bar snacks, but will definitely return one lunch time, because the new owners were so sociable and checking that everyone one was ok, if they put that energy into the restaurant, it must be good. Looking forward to my next visit, and maybe bring the family in the summer to make use of the gardens.

Went back to our favourite lunch spot when in Theale and we were very disappointed that the new management have seen fit to remove one of the best dishes on the menu. So no more chorizo tapas - takes too long to cook apparently? Instead we ordered the mushroom one which is nice but not as good. One of our party ordered the steak n stilton baguette which was enough for two - I get it that perception can be people want value for money but this with chunky chips could have fed three. Portion size is important - especially for lunch dishes. Skewers have In summary it was up to a four but has now slipped down to a 3 star.

Used to go here every week, taking suppliers and customers. not any more.Food used to be prompt and all served to the table at the same time, now its just gone down hill. Some of the best items have been pulled from the menu i.e. chorizo tapas and the skewers and food was being brought out for 4 tables at the same time for different people. completely unbelievable. I had to wait for my steak and stilton baguette to go cold before my clients were served the rest of our order. the steak baguette was very well portioned so much so that two baguettes would really have been needed, it actually made it look ridiculous. on a well earned plus, it is a very nice PUB, with a nice garden and deck area with a fabulous selection of ales and cider - WIN.then there are the dead mice hanging from the ceiling....

I visited this pub back in September as part of a small music festival. I know from colleagues that the pub runs a lot of folk and acoustic music sessions, but from my experience I cannot see why they choose this pub over others nearby. It was odd from the start going in, as most of the clientele seemed much more intent on watching Sky Sports than getting involved with the music, and the staging area outside was empty aside from children playing on the adjacent bouncy castle. As performers, we were not initially given any kind of catering rider, and had to negotiate with the management for one. Staff during this were not unfriendly, but equally did not do anything above ordinary. The ale selection was fairly average - again the clientele seem to be those one would expect in a sports bar rather than a true pub; with prices venturing towards the higher end of average.The food, however, was surprisingly very good. I had the pulled hog burger with lime, and it was definitely up there among the best burgers I have eaten. The audience and popularity of the music outside did build as the afternoon went on, but it did seem mostly to comprise of performers and their families - leaving me to question the promotional capabilities of the pub management, and, with my earlier points included, why the pub even bothers with music at all as they do not seem hugely willing to accommodate it.It is a nice enough pub, and the food was very good; but I would not actively return to Theale to go back there. I know it is popular among people I know, but maybe the atmosphere is just simply not to my taste.

Tried for several days to book a table but couldn't get through. Turned up to meet family for a meal only to be told the website is new, they don't do food in the evenings and their phone number is wrong on the Internet. What a bunch of stupid morons.

Only a two minute walk from the office, from outside it didn't look that inviting, but you know what they say about books and covers! Inside a traditional pub. It was a busy Friday lunch time and the sun was out, we were served in a reasonable time ordered food from a varied menu. They have lots of tables outside, but trade was good and the garden full, so we headed back inside which was comfortable. Food was good. My first visit but not going to be my last.

I come here fairly frequently with colleagues for lunch or a drink. Staff are always jolly and chatty. The food is good quality and there is plenty of choice. There are two sides to the bar but it feels fairly open.To the back there is a large garden with seating (and in the summer normally some pub games or kids play stuff). There's also a large decked area with more seating. Car park isn't huge and the road has permit parking but it's in Theale and the majority of customers walk there. See you again soon :)

I stumbled across this pub when I was looking for somewhere to loiter for a couple of hours in beteeen meetings.I arrived with a colleague about 11am. We bought some drinks and thought the place was ok. It could be described as a quaint country pub but I was suspicious that the tv in the bar area meant it could equally be a bit grubby. The service was very warm and friendly.Then as the clock struck midday, the pub revealed itself for the hidden gem it was. Suddenly people flooded in ordring lunch. Most places would have struggled to have coped with such a lot of orders arriving within the space of fifteen minutes - the place was full!We ordered chilli and a chicken skewer baguette. The portion sizes were very generous and the food was really good quality - the chilli was made with chunks of beef rather than a cheap mince. I had really underestimated this place at first and only ended up there to kill some time. I thought I'd share this incase others overlook it too.

Provides everything a customer would expect in terms of well purveyed alcohol and splendid food! Best venue in Theale without doubt!

Ate here at lunchtime in-between work.Expectations - rock bottom. (Not sure why though)Friendly bargirl very helpful, I ordered the fish and chips.Food was prompt, and very nice. (and reasonable)Overall this pub impressed me, Would definitely eat here again.

This summer I have become a huge fan of the garden and decked terrace at the Crown. A great place for burger or baguette cooked to order. If you want something lighter they make a mean salad, check out the specials for the days choice. The garden is child friendly with traditional picnic style benches on the grass. Then a chill out area on the deck with modern furniture, the canopy over the top provides shade at one end. I was able to reserve the deck area on a hot summers evening for a shared leaving party. Buckets of iced beers and soft drinks reduced the need for trips to the bar, the staff were all very friendly and the service was fast and efficient. In conjunction with Shimla Pinks who take over the kitchen in the evening, a delicious curry buffet was served for 40 people. The event was a huge success and everyone loved the relaxed atmosphere chatting on the deck. This is a great local pub, drop in before summer ends and get some great food. Car park is just at the side.

I must admit I am a bit of a fan of a quality burger so, when I wandered into the Crown on a weekday lunchtime (the only time they serve food generally) and perused the menu, a burger was the only option I was going to go for. I ordered an 8oz burger with Monterey Jack, chilli and jalapenos which came with chips and garnish (which was fresh and more interesting than usual) and I was not disappointed. This was one of the best burgers I have eaten and I enjoyed so much that I returned a few days later to have another one and it was as good as the first! The pub itself is a fairly traditional village boozer and it has a lovely little garden at the back, a well kept selection of beers and friendly and helpful staff. It is well worth a visit.