The Cunning Man. in West Berkshire

We waited for over an hour gor our food with no apology.

What's great - location, environment, the way the pub is designed, free parking, reception. Things to improve - staff empathy (some are lovely and some quite blunt), food not cooked to perfection (medium steak was more like overdone and dry, thanks with the sauce otherwise would have chocked), service requires a lot more attention due to long wait times and miscommunication within the staff members as they wanted to take the order for the mains twice. No attention to the order, received a tomato garnish instead of a side of greens and also staff needs to be educated on ingredients as they don't seem to know what truffle first are.

We had a lovely lunch for 2 days in a row, great good and great atmosphere. Deepika was our waitress and she was really nice

Amazing find en route to Cornwall and the waitress Deepitea was outstanding.

Really nice and quaint pub. Food was fantastic and Deepika's service was great.

We've come here as a family lots of times and it never disappoints! Food is delicious, service is fantastic - Millie took great care of us 😊

We were a party of 8 that stopped here for dinner. The food was nice although the prawn skewers were served with the shell on, once the shells were removed there wasn't much fish which was disappointing. Service was a little slow although the restaurant was quite busy, and 2 of the drinks were wrong which was rectified.

A lovely birthday meal with good service (thanks Deepika) and delicious food. Would recommend the sea bass main.

Sunday lunch - Booked beforehand, but restaurant was overcrowded, with long delays in getting a table and then in getting the food.

Had a lovely roast dinner with our puppy to get her used to out and about. Alex was super friendly, attentive to us and our pup as we're the rest of the staff. Plenty of events on to look forward to. Will definitely be coming back We had 2 courses each

Helen our lovely hostess. Always smiling, always extremely helpful. A joy to deal with. Satisfied customers...Sheila John Neil and Francoise.

Served by the lovely Ceri. Wonderful service, great food, nice portion of vegetables. Kids happy. Thanks you.

The atmosphere in the pub was so good and it was so cosy and pretty. It was a very busy Friday night and we were very warmly greeted! Once we were sat the service was extremely slow, it was really hard to get anyone’s attention to order etc. Then there was an hours wait for food (literally exactly an hour). We ordered the Camembert which bizarrely had the top cut off so it had obviously bubbled up and gone everywhere whilst cooking and then become crispy… wouldn’t eat here again but would definitely go for a drink

We had my wife's birthday on Sunday there. Great food good service Very busy.

Amazing presentation of food and very delicious. Our waitress was Debbie very quick and attentive and such a bubbly character. We will deffo be back

Radhika was very attentive and all with a smile. Very happy. Thanks.

Really loved our food. I had lamb skewer with halloumi and flatbread and the mini pudding was a delicious finish. Deepika, our server was lovely and super friendly despite being very busy.

We had a great evening! The food was excellent, and the service from Debz was fantastic!

Wonderful meal and service tonight, thank you, Debs!

Fantastic dinner at the Cunning Man - food and service were amazing! Debz looked after us so well, thanks a mill!

Nice location and very dog friendly pub. The food was r really good however unfortunately the experience was let down by the service and cleanliness. On arrival, the guy behind the bar didn't acknowledge us, we were just left to work out if we could find our own table or whether we needed to be seated. He did the same again when I went up later on to chase the food, even though he was busy making a coffee, he could have just acknowledged I was there. As we choose to sit in the bar area there were no menus just specials so had to go and find those ourselves. We were a table of 3, the food came out staggered so the initial 2 had almost finished theirs whilst the third person was left waiting. We had ordered a side of Triple cooked chips which was put with our friends main meal instead and we ended up with the standard chips. After chasing the food, I accidentally knocked the dog's water bowl over, on clearing it up, the napkkns were black from the floor- bearing in mind we arrived at 12.30pm shortly after opening there was no way that floor had been cleaned that morning. Shame as it is a really nice pub with good food.

Went for lunch here today with my mum. Waited 45 mins for food and when we chased it we were told the order hadn't been sent through to the kitchen. Technical blip apparently. They promised to get it out ASAP, and it did arrive 20 mins later. No drinks offered for the delay. When it did arrive my prawn skewers were so overcooked they were barely edible. Mum said her paté was nice tho. Mum asked for complementary coffees and the manager did agree to this. Waited nearly 30 mins for these coffees before giving up and leaving! Really poor experience today from two local people. Service is usually slow here but not this bad. Won't be returning any time soon.

Staff always on hand, friendly and helpful. Food is gorgeous! Never had a bad meal here and the atmosphere is always restful, cosy and calm . You’re not kicked off the table or rushed with the bill. Overall a very pleasant, enjoyable experience! We are slowly becoming regulars here

How can you get a Ploughman’s so wrong!

Service and food was perfect. We were served by Millie and she couldn’t have been more friendly and attentive. Best steak I have had in a long time, and eat steak out quite a lot! Will be back.

Terrible place. Got to recommend something to post Jesus I recommend not going. So ignore my recommendations.

Great food! Great service from Margot! Will definitely come again.

Sunday lunch outdoors - bit of rain but they have an extensive covered area - very pleasant. Very generous portion sizes for starters and mains. Lovely setting/location/lovely old building. The staff were very friendly. Food was a bit slow in coming, but nothing major. Sunday roast for mains and a sharing selection for starters. Will definitely visit again when in the area. There's a bus stop right outside, big car park which is free for patrons, or reach by walking along the river.

Amy was a brilliant waitress dealing with our massive party! Food was delicious. Thanks so much!

Amy was wonderful, very helpful and friendly. We were a large group and she was very patient!

We came to the cunning man today, for a family meal, we were welcomed in, the food came out promptly. We were served by Amy who was absolutely amazing, very kind, caring towards us. Massive shout out to her, thank you. We will definitely be back!

Was so noisey To many tables no space . Complete havac when trying to pay people waiting to be seated .waiting to pay .

A lovely pub in great surroundings.

Had a lovely time yesterday celebrating a friends birthday. We had food and drinks (the halloumi fries are amazing). We were looked after well and although all staff were super friendly and helpful Alex was amazing and very accommodating along with Franklin who was super helpful and very friendly. These two staff members definitely added to our experience and nothing was a bother. I would highly recommend a visit. ☺️

Amazing food with great location

Good beer and decent pub grub at reasonable price

Debz , great service , very attentive , very friendly , we will be back ,

Had an amazing family meal , served by the most friendly helpful waitress we have come across.. Debs was amazing from start to finish even thru the horrible thunder and lightning.

Waitress debz very helpful friendly , polite, def made the atmosphere a pleasant one and would come back

The food was fantastic. Everything was lovely, including our server Debs.

Our waitress Debz was completely brilliant

I would like to commend the waitress, Debz, for her outstanding service. She was incredibly polite and always wore a bright smile, which made my dining experience truly enjoyable. Thank you for creating such a welcoming atmosphere in the restaurant!

Excellent food and wonderful service. Thank you for a super meal for all the family. The service officered is exemplary and the staff all so friendly.

Been here twice now. Once for Sunday lunch, and once for comedy (food I’ve both times). The pub is lovely but on both occasions it took absolutely ages to get served (for drinks and food). My friend has mobility issues and can’t walk far, so they didn’t want to serve us food in an area of the beer garden closest to the car park, because there’s a designated food area and a designated drink area and they didn’t want to ‘make an exception for us or they’d have to for everyone else’. Please let common sense kick in - if somebody is disabled that’s exactly when you should be making an exception otherwise, that’s discrimination. We were met with ‘Computer says no’ type attitude and had to fart around with me leaving my friend alone, waiting in the food area for the food to be delivered there so I could then carry it over to the area where my friend was sat so we could eat it. That being said - also on both of these occasions, after we were eventually able to place our orders, we were taken excellent care of by Emma who was very can do, sympathetic and accommodating (unlike her Managers). Service really needs sorting out here.

A very nice meal. Millie was a lovely waitress

Had excellent service today very friendly attentive waitress called Ella. Will definitely visit again 😀

We had a wonderful waitress, Debs, who was very helpful and polite. The food was good and we like the decor.

We didn’t know what to expect as we booked on spec but we’re delighted with the meal and the pub. The food is pricey but exquisite- complements to the chef! And a big thank you to our server Diksha who managed our table of 12 with poise and efficiency. The location is superb as well.

We had such a lovely time here! The food was fantastic and really great for a lunchtime treat. Our waitress Deb was especially lovely and provided us with excellent service. Highly recommend!

Food was amazing, all the family very much enjoyed and the service as just as good. Waiting staff were very helpful and friendly, in particular shout out to Amy who served our drinks, really warm and welcoming and took the time to check my sons' food order to make sure everything was as we wanted. Thank you, Amy, for the service

Food was average, service was friendly and prompt. Downside check your glassware because mine had thick lipstick all around the rim and flies were plentyful.

The best pub in the summer!! It’s my favourite place and the food is absolutely delicious!

Enjoyed lunch today. The pub was extremely busy but service was outstanding - very friendly and efficient young lady called Ella looked after us. She was particularly attentive to the fact that I am 'nut intolerant' and is a real asset to this establishment! Food was good with a wide choice.

Fantastic meal with very good service. Pub is very well presented and gives the classic country pub feel. Will definitely come again. Ella served us and she was wonderful.

Great food and great waitress, thanks Ella

Food was good and our waitress Ella was lovely and friendly

Great good and a great service Ella was very friendly and a great waitress

I was served by a lovely lady called Ella , gave us some great recommendations, talkative in the write manner and pleasure to be served by her . If there is any recognition then this lady deserves it .

had a lovely chicken curry with apple and blackcurrant crumble to finish with, Debz was my waitress very attentive with a lovely smile

AVOID AT ALL COST - I booked a table for 4 when visiting my daughter . It was a sunny day and busy in the garden and the restaurant. We were sat inside . The waitress took our drink order which then took 10 minutes to come. When she bought our drinks she said she was going to clear the wine glasses and come back to take out order - why did'nt she take our order at the same time ? We then waited another 10 minutes before we had to go and find another waitress to take our food order. We then waited 45 minutes for our food which only came as I chased another waiter. Could the food have been worth the wait ... No ! The roast meat was overcooked , all of the roast vegtables were soggy as were the green vegtables. I ordered a side of stuffing which was also soggy and the plate was swimming in gravy . My daughter had the lamb skewer which was tough and rubbery . All of the waiting could have been better had someone told us that there was a wait . They were horribly understaffed in the kitchen and the restaurant . I will not be going back

Top venue!!! Very nice kindness and helpfulness of the staff!!! Good beer and tasty food!!!

What a wonderful find off the M4 East. Will recommend. Thank you Radhika for looking after us. Excellent service. Thanks also to Ella who took our booking over the telephone. So polite and funny.

Amazing roast today and pudding. Staff are lovely and friendly too! We were served by Millie and Diksha. Will be coming back :)

Visited Sat lunch time with a large party. Ordered in advance to help catering. Worked a treat. Service from Radnilca and her team spot on. Has a great menu choice - can highly recommended the chicken and veg curry. Well done to all staff that keep the cogs spinning on this very popular pub and restaurant.

Best pub bean to for ages great food and the staff were excellent,well done to you all👍👍

Lovely service by smiling Ella. Thanks.

Great vibes- Ella was a brilliant server and the food was delicious, drinks were great . Enjoyed our visit. Great time will come again

Excellent food, excellent ambience and excellent service (Debbie) would definately go again

Fabulous! Delicious food and amazing service from Archie - would highly recommend 5*

My family had an excellent meal, Ella was absolutely amazing and couldn’t of done any better if she tried, thank you p.s sorry my daughter said you looked 45 yrs old 🤣

Ella our server was fantastic. Achieved the ideal balance between advice and suggestions without being over intrusive - a credit to the establishment! Food was wonderful. Will definitely return!

Me and my son had a great Time , Food great , staff very friendly , we were served by a young girl call EllA I hope I have spelled her name right. She was very good of checking on us about our food drinks , smiling and we felt very welcomed and like home. Thank you cunning Man for the great staff you have and great food. Thank you.

Really excellent food and service. Ella was very helpful with advising us about allergy safe meals! Our daughter loved the options on the kids menu too!

A lovely meal for us both on a Bank Holiday Monday and great service provided by our waitress Ella and the rest of the team. A very pleasant experience and will visit again as we are local and visit on a regular basis.

Popped in for some lunch this afternoon, our server Ella was friendly, attentive and very accommodating for my basset hound who was kept topped up with biscuits. We all had starters which came out very promptly and was excellent. We were all very impressed with the portion sizes, particularly the amount of calamari served for a starter, fantastic. We were further impressed with the mains, fantastic food for the price. Would highly recommend giving this pub a try👍

Not good. The chicken burger was over cooked and the fries were stale, cold and tasteless but on a plus side the chilli jam was ok.

We are a group of ladies lunching and we were served admirably by Deb. It was a very warm day but she looked after us with a smile on her face despite the heat and having to work late! Great food great service

Everything was great apart from one drink. We ordered a Grey Goose after asking whether you serve it. However, it came as a ‘house’ vodka WITHOUT any explanation. We said it didn’t taste right and were only then told that no Grey Goose was in stock. Surprisingly Smirnoff was not available either

Just stopped for a pint as I was cycling past.

Very nice food. Prompt service. Would come back.

Great meal and gorgeous place. We went as a couple and met up with some friends. The pub and restaurant is beautifully decorated and full of twinkly lights and a fire in the middle. There is lots of outdoor seating and the river is running by it. Menu is varied and meals are great and not too small. Staff at the bar and restaurant were super friendly and attentive but not too much. Jade our waitress was really nice and professional. Would highly recommend this place.

Excellent food and service from Jade.

Very good service and good food, thank you Ella

Food was amazing and our server, Debs, was incredible!

The Cunning Man is a pretty reasonable pub. We were there on a Tuesday, which was actually pretty busy. The bar was under-staffed, which didn't help the hard working staff. Food was the standard chain pub food, but they did pretty well.

Food was lovely and our waitress Jade was friendly with food served in a timely manner.

Very good. We had Abbie as our server and she was amazing

Went for my dads birthday with family - 7 of us with one late commer who only had a pudding with us. Was disappointed as the menu was just the Sunday menu not the full menu (its the bank holiday monday 🤷‍♀️). They didn't have 5 items we selected. Then at the end the bill. They added on an extra £60 for drink, food and service VAT. I explained that I get that they charge for servicing 8 guests, but one was there for all of an hour max and just ate a pudding. And one was child. I think maybe vintage inns should look more in to that charge as I don't think that's fair. Honestly won't be going back, which is a massive shame as we have been wanting to go there for some time. Experience was ruined, and I felt guilty for organising everyone to go there. Can't fault the service of Emma and Abbie, they was lovely towards my dad and all of us.

As another former customer left a review about the closed kitchen, it happened to me as well and let me tell you, it s very much upsetting me and so annoying. I placed an order at 20:12 and after 10 min someone called and told me they weren’t busy all day and decided to close the kitchen 15 min ago. If I placed my order 10 min before closing time I would’ve somehow understood but this situation it s completely unfair. They don’t care about customer. If they weren’t busy all day, How should this be my problem? This Pub used to be a nice place to go and enjoy the food, the view, the atmosphere. But now is just a nice place with RUBBISH MANAGEMENT! So disappointing!!

There were some missing items from the menu but the service was great. Thanks Ella 😊

Lovely welcome, great service from Jade too! The food portions are very generous, some veggies a little hard, but all mains & desserts very tasty indeed. Our party included a gluten-free & vegetarian guests - lots of choice, highly recommend!

Deb did a great job of making us feel welcome and looked after us throughout our meal

Thanks for looking after us Jade on 24/8/24...Have been twice so far. First time sat in Garden and was very impressed with the dog friendliness throughout the pub and the lovely dog menus. Our dogs didn't try the dog menus as they'd been to training and had already eaten a lot. Lovely food. I had the Chicken sizzler kebab stick thing which tasted good. 2nd time raining and we sat inside with 1 dog. It was very busy and the staff were very polite. We had burgers.. very nice. Jade was our named server and she was very helpful, likeable and patient. The Cunning Man is now on a go to list when we are in the Reading area. Thank you from Emily and Vanessa.

I was treated to a delicious lunch on Friday (23 Aug) by my lovely friend. I had the Chicken, Bacon and Avocado salad which was very tasty, plentiful and excellent value for money. For dessert I had the Mango and Passion Fruit Pavlova, truly scrumptious xx Jade and Ella were our waitresses; so friendly, polite and professional. Highly recommend a visit for the food, atmosphere and service. Thank you xx

We had a family meal here for my wife's 60th birthday, the venue is lovely, the food was great and the service was friendly and well delivered, our server on the day was Jade and she was polite, friendly and attentive and we enjoyed the whole experience. We would certainly return again.

Fantastic Sunday roast, Jade was an amazing host

Great food. Service was a tad slow, but the pub was filling up and, to be fair, the break between courses meant we could have pudding, so the extra few minutes were welcome. Millie was our server. She was very good, checked on us regularly, and seemed to be everywhere. Highlights were the sea bass and pork belly for mains, and the pavlova and chocolate trio for desserts.

Great lunch! My family and I enjoyed it so much. Food, service and atmosphere were amazing. Jade was a star, thank you for looking after us.

Always a great time at The Cunning Man, burger 10/10, great service on a busy Friday night by Alex

This was our second visit to the Cunning Man. The whole experience was as excellent as last time. Duck pizza was amazing and so was their specialty lamb skewers. Our server, Diksha, was helpful, friendly and prompt. Would thoroughly recommend this place!