The Kitchen at Reading College in Reading

Delicious food at very reasonable prices served by lovely and attentive group of students. Looking forward to our next visit!

Just ate another meal at the Kitchen with colleagues and yet it again it failed to disappoint! Food was fabulous. Very well presented and flavoursome. Good service too - big thank you to James who served us . I highly recommend and will be back again.

A verynoce Christmas themed lunch where you are investing in emerging chefs of the future, led by Saffy and her team in a busy and hapy environment. Excellent and well done food full of ideas.

The kitchen is a lovely dining experience The atmosphere is calm and relaxed, the service attentive but restrained, the staff lovely. The food is excellent. There are very few restaurants where every element is made in house, and where they actively welcome people who have dietary restrictions. There is also plenty of room for my wheelchair, and a well designed accessible toilet. All this, for £15 a head for a 3 course meal!

I visited today for a lunch trip. The whole experience was truly wonderful. I could not recommend The Kitchen enough. Every aspect of my trip was perfect. The service was outstanding. The students checked in with me regularly, were extremely professional and attentive. I could not fault the service. The food was absolutely delicious. I was actually shocked after every bite I took as it just appeared to get better and better. The food was presented beautifully and tasted absolutely amazing. The plates were warmed and they were able to cater for a quicker than usual service as I had to get back to work. Above and beyond service. 5 star meal for sure. It is amazing to see the students working so hard to create and present such beautiful , thought out work. Every student involved and the staff that support them should feel super proud. I will be booking in for regular lunch trips from now on. See you soon from one extremely happy customer.

I went for lunch with a friend and we were not sure what to expect but honestly it was fabulous. The staff were very welcoming and service was excellent. The food exceeded our expectations and the presentation of each dish was so pleasing. We look forward to another visit and hopefully the evening service when it resumes in the Spring.

Wow the Lamb was amazing! I was craving something grilled and I asked if the could change one of the meals and just have it grilled instead of having the sauce well let’s just say it was just what I wanted. The meat was tender and the seasoning was just amazing. I also tried my friends dish and I was amazed. Also currently they have 50% I think it’s because of the eat out to help out government campaign. Wish I lived closer so I could order take out. They have a lot of space too.

Went for lunch with low expectations, but Wow, this is good. From the start, warm welcome, coats taken away, nice bright setting and excellent food. Had a hiccup or two with the service, but nothing to detract from the overall experience. These guys and gals are good, and the future of restaurants in the UK is in very safe hands. Good luck to them all.

Great place. Good food good service. A little chilly though so take a jumper/ jacket

Excellent food and very good value. We had a Groupon voucher which made it even better value. 4 of us went for lunch - 3 courses with 2 or 3options at each course. I started with a perfectly poached egg on smoked trout on horseradish toast - really good. The menu is changed monthly and everything is freshly prepared and cooked. Check out their website for the current menu. There was a small selection of reasonably priced wines. The service was a little slow when we went. The restaurant is spacious and bright with good sized tables. We'll be back!

Will be back - food amazing and beer clean and delicious. Love the saag mushroom and want it as I am writing this

Went mid week on a Groupon voucher so overall a good deal for 4 courses inc tea and coffee. There were about 10 couples there, atmosphere good, nice music etc. Waiting staff were lovely, somewhat inexperienced as you’d expect but thoughtful. We had four courses, goat cheese tart, Thai fish cake, beef wellington and a dessert. Very filling and tasty ... will definitively come again!

Loved it and the staff was super friendly. The buffet meal was amazing😋would definitely come here again and the atmosphere is really lovely

Disaster. 1st course not bad but some who chose different were not happy. Then mains . Food and plates cold. I got served and had finished by the time my 7 friends were served. The veg was not Al dente but hard. Could not get a fork in Sprouts and Carrots. Crumble and custard then cold too. They then wanted to charge extra for tea and coffee. HOWEVER. we have all been offered a FREE meal in February so I will report on that🤞

Newly opened only a few days ago, very modern and clean with good facilities. Made to feel very welcome by the friendly team and although still in it’s infancy the food was of very high standard and tasty. The food was tailored to our particular flavour and spices requirements. Would most definitely revisit when next in Reading town centre to dine.

We will be returning for our 3rd Christmas get together with friends from Oddfellows in Reading and Woodley in December 2019. This a training restaurant. The service and quality of food is excellent. We'll worth a visit. The site also has a beauty salon and hairdresser so you could make a day of it.

Group of 14 of us booked for our Christmas meal on Tuesday evening. Lovely atmosphere, wonderful food and amazing value-what more could you want! I will definitely be returning and spreading the word about how good it is.

Came for dinner with my husband, not sure what to expect but wow, were we impressed. Service was professional and polite, tables were laid out nicely, white linen, 3 sets of cutlery, 2 sets of glasses, very professional. Food was delightful, mushroom risotto to start followed by salmon and beetroot, followed by chicken breast served with 2 types of purees and on a bed of spinach with a lovely sauce and dessert chocolate tart with milk ice cream and biscuit crumb which was to die for! This all done by students. Amazing. Well Done. Totally blown away at the quality of food and service. Definitely going back.

Had heard so much about the restaurant at the College and thought we would give it a try. 3 of us went there last night and ate. What a brilliant meal, beautifully cooked, ambience was lovely and very helpful staff. Will certainly be going again. The Kitchen is doing a Christmas festive lunch or dinner leading up to Christmas at a very good price, check it out, ideal for parties too. Keep up the good work.

Very good lunch with a choice of food which was extremely well prepared and served by polite and friendly students would definitely recommend and looking forward to returning.

Reservado para el primer servicio del nuevo año académico. Esperaba encontrar algunos nerviosos camareros y tal vez un elemento de 'jugar a lo seguro' con la comida, por lo que las expectativas eran realistas teniendo en cuenta la gran oferta de valor.No es el caso. Nuestro camarero, Luke, creo, hizo un trabajo estelar. Atento pero no exagerado, conversó con nosotros en una conversación ligera y luego se retiró para dejarnos disfrutar de la comida que se ofrece.El entrante, un canelón relleno, fue presentado de forma excelente y fue devorado en unos momentos.El plato de pescado - salmón con costra y patatas - era muy fresco y más grande de lo esperado. Podría haber hecho un poco más de condimento, pero esa es una visión personal y ciertamente no dirigida a la cocina. La mayoría lo preferiría como servido, estoy seguro.Plato de solomillo de cerdo - increíblemente tierno y perfectamente preparado. El tamaño decente de la porción no me impidió querer más y estaría bastante feliz de comer yo solo a la obesidad en esta comida sola. Mi compañero optó por el risotto de hongos (la alternativa vegetariana) y tomé una cucharada. Esto también fue muy sabroso y un plato de tamaño generoso.Y el desierto, una tarta de caramelo salado con chocolate y pretzel triturado. Absurdamente sensual y a pesar de sentir que mi índice de masa corporal se elevaba a cada bocado, no tenía vergüenza de querer pellizcar las migas finales del plato antes de que la mesa se despejara. Una buena taza de café para terminar antes de pagar la modesta factura y estábamos en camino.Valor increíble, la sensación de apoyar la educación local, comida y presentación increíble y un excelente servicio. Si esto es lo que se ofrece desde la semana uno de los estudiantes de este año, los clientes tendrán una oportunidad mientras los chicos progresan en sus estudios.Estaremos de vuelta pronto. Buen trabajo damas y caballeros!

Esto fue una experiencia nueva y muy bueno. El entorno era atractivo - Mesas para unos 30 clientes. Después de una cálida bienvenida, nos quedamos a disfrutar de una comida realmente deliciosa, muy bien servida. Se presentó muy bien los alimentos, como puedes ver en las finales de chef maestro en la televisión.Los estudiantes estaban atento pero discreto. Amable y profesional.Disfruté de los seis campos de muy diferentes, y cada cocinado a la perfección.Estaría encantado de volver aquí otra vez.

Cualquiera en el área de lectura y que quieran probar algo diferente y luego ir a "La cocina en lectura". College Nos dieron un vale para Navidad y yo no estaba seguro de qué esperar. Así que no me decepcionó, comida fabulosa, gran servicio y los estudiantes trabajaron dam dura. Bien hecho a todos.

Organicé una comida para un grupo de 30 personas aquí en un viernes por la noche en enero. La comida es absolutamente increíble, menú de 6 platos de degustación por 23 libras. 99 es excelente relación calidad-precio. El personal era muy bien formado e hizo un trabajo excelente en asegurar la comida de todo el mundo salieron al mismo tiempo. Lo recomiendo encarecidamente, sin duda volveremos. Enhorabuena a los universitarios para poner en una gran noche y por el alto nivel de capacitación que le dan a sus estudiantes.

Went there with a wives group from church. Food was good and the students tried very hard. These were first year students so I would be interested to see what second or third year students produce. All very nice and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Hay problemas con la reserva aquí porque parece que sólo cuando la tome reservas son en realidad en el College. Dejé una voz y volvió a mí. El Viernes fuimos a cenar que es menú de valor excepcional a 23 libras. 50 por cabeza. Los estudiantes hacer todos los utensilios y el frente de la casa bajo la supervisión de tutores. Hay un menú de bebidas que también es bastante caro. La comida es también muy bien presentado y muy sabroso. Obviamente hay algunos errores, ya que son estudiantes y algunos de nuestros pato en el plato principal estaba un poco cruda y duro pero que era la única pequeña pega de la cocina. Mi única otra queja era que los campos de vino muy rápidamente una después de la otra y no hay oportunidad de descansar entre campos. Sin duda vale la pena una visita para una experiencia gastronómica diferente y sin duda volveremos.

Fuimos allí para comer con mi familia. Servida por un camarero increíble (que pasó a ser mi hijo de 16 años haciendo el chef y campo de restaurante). La comida era deliciosa, caliente, bien preparada y sin duda recomiendo apoyar a estos jóvenes con la reserva de un almuerzo aquí a un precio muy razonable.

This is one of the best kept secrets when dining out in Reading. The students of Reading College under the tutelage of experienced chefs deliver fabulous food.The venue is a dining room on the college campus: it's a bit stark and was shamefully only half full when we last visited. A little bit more could be done to improve the ambience, particularly the lighting, but ho hum, I've seen worse in multi million makeover restaurants and what matters is the food.The serving times are restricted - currently to an a la carte menu on Tuesdays and a set five course menu on a Friday, when we visited. The menus are rotated monthly, so there's no excuse not to return regularly: one of the problems with eating out in Reading is that the few independent restaurants and pubs do very little rotation of menu items, but that's the whole point here.The Friday menu was a five course affair: on the night we attended there was a lamb and liver kebab (dramatically presented in a smoke filled bell jar), followed by a lovely winter salad of soft root vegetables, fennel and feta, a main course of sea bass with a melee of accompanying fish and rosti, then a mini lemon meringue and finally a chocolate and strawberry slice. Not-so-petit fours and coffee or tea rounded up the evening. The cooking and execution was faultless and the balance of ingredients spot on.Service was friendly and attentive, although ordering wine did create some confusion: perhaps a bit of sommelier training would not go amiss, but the wine list is well chosen and, like the whole of the meal, offer ridiculous value for money. With a bottle and two glasses of wine, our five/six course meal came to just over £60. We left a paltry tenner as a tip and made a point of thanking both the kitchen and waiting corps, none of whom are older than eighteen, I understand. They were stars.If you live anywhere near Reading, give this place a try. Give it a bit of leeway and you'll be helping develop our next generation of restaurant staff, and hopefully owners, whilst having a great time and enjoying ine of the best meals the town has to offer.

Cena reservado para cuatro un viernes por la noche. Un menú fijo, así que no hay alternativas, pero la calidad de la comida es excepcional. Nos retuvieron en el tráfico así que por desgracia un poco tarde, pero esto no fue un problema. El personal era atento y acogedor. Cada uno de los campos estaba muy bien presentado y un sabor delicioso. Un alto nivel de cocina realmente. Disfrutamos de nuestra noche y era agradable tener una charla con el chef mentor al final. Puntos negativos fueron que cada plato era servido super rápido, así que no hay mucho tiempo para tener entre campos. También intentando reservar era bastante complicado. Habíamos intentado llamar varias veces y luego reservamos en línea. Nunca recibimos notificación de que la reserva había sido aceptada, así que tuve que llamar para verificar si íbamos a cenar o no. Sin embargo este no quita la experiencia. La comida es espléndida y una increíble relación calidad-precio. Sin duda alguna volveremos otra vez.

Nuestro grupo de 9 personas en una noche de martes fuimos a la cocina. Teníamos 3 bien cocinada y campos de sabroso más una bebida por cada 20 libras por cabeza. La comida estaba por encima de la calidad que el precio. El ambiente era agradable y había un montón de gente a mano para el servicio.

Sólo tuvimos una comida en la cocina y quedé impresionado por la calidad de la comida y el servicio. Muy bien presentado, cocinado a la perfección y sabía maravillosamente. Tenía un vale para la comida, pero el precio es muy razonable cuando reserva directamente, sin duda lo recomiendo.

Excellent evening. The food was fantastic and extremely well presented. Very tasty and looked as good as any 5 star restaurant. Would definitely visit again.

A really good meal for four, the staff worked very hard to make sure we were happy and the food was so good. Well done to all of you!!!

Food very tasty and service friendly. We had the 3 course meal (with Groupon voucher) but also had wine from the Wine List. I think it was excellent value and both of us felt full after meal. Waiter offered another bread roll for my husband to eat with main course. Desserts of lemon tart and Mississippi mud pie were both delicious.Good coffee served with a choice of milk or cream. Not visited before but we are certainly going to recommend to friends and family and intend to make a return visit ourselves. Thank you!

Ate here using a Groupon voucher. To start with, it took numerous phone calls, the leaving of numerous voicemails, an online booking and an email to actually get booked in, so that was a disappointment to start with. Parking is free and not a problem, the waiting staff are friendly and the food is cooked and presented well. However, don't expect to come out feeling full as the portions are tiny and even with a bread roll, we still went home to fill up with a snack. The pre-starter and pre-dessert of the 6 course meal, you would expect to be small, but the starter and main course really should be adequately sized. The main complaint would be that the main course came with little more than one spring onion and 3 or 4 pea sized potato 'balls' and really needs 'filling out' with new potatoes, gratin or something similar. I am unlikely to be returning.

I attended the restaurant last Thursday (part of a Groupon deal) and thought it was well worth a visit. I hadn't thought to try The Kitchen before but am glad that i did. The set menu was good with adequate choice (3 courses of fresh food for £18 at full price can't really be quibbled with). I thought the food was excellent and well prepared and presented. Our waitress could have mumbled a little less but the host and the bar staff were first class. Wouldn't hesitate to return or recommend.

Thought long and hard before writing this review but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, especially as they are starting out in a culinary career. The food was five-star but the service let it down hugely. So probably three star but you feel sorry for them. I know a fair bit about this as 50 + years ago I was a student at Reading College doing exactly the same catering course. When we arrived it was a pleasure to see so many smiling faces, we were escorted to a very well set out table for the four of us. We ordered our drinks and here comes the first slip up. Two of us had ordered a bottle of red and the other two glasses of white wine. The "sommelier" did not ask us if we wanted to taste the wine but proceeded to pour nearly the entire bottle into two huge glasses on the table (good job it was ok). We laugh now, but they were a struggle to pick up without any spillage. I had a small Chardonnay as I was driving which was served in the same huge glass (it looked like a damp glass). We ordered our meal and the unwanted cutlery should then have been removed, plus the linen napkins placed over our laps, this did not happen! The food was delivered without a sign of silver service throughout the meal as all the meals are plated. The plates were very hot (excellent, they should be!) and were served overlapping the edge of the table (they should have been pushed in). When the plates were removed I was pretty astounded to see them stacked on top of each other on the table with the cutlery in between, rather than stack on the arm and move any debris on to the lower plate so that the customer is unaware of what is happening. This looked more in keeping with a café rather than a training college. They should have then removed any debris that was on the table. Suffice to say this did not happen and it was still there when we left, but then a moment of joy, for a waiter came and moved our dessert spoon and fork to the correct side ready for us to use (well done that man). Now apparently they were second year students so unless the standards of the exam have gone down hill over the last 50 years (I hope not) I was pretty flabbergasted. Please believe me when I say I am not having a go, I am trying to help for they would have all failed the exam I took! I did look for "The Training Manager" to have a chat about the changes, but could not find one. Now for the good stuff! The food was lovely and served on hot plates when required, the sauces were delicious, but I would have liked some vegetables in the mix, as the main course was pretty tiny. I would have gladly paid more for this as overall the meal is very good value. The staff were all very pleasant and were easy to talk to. The speed of service was not in question as it was spot on, it was just how they put the food on the table and the little extras that make fine dining! At the end of the meal we asked if they shared any tips, they do, so we left a pretty good one (something we generally do not do unless something outstanding happens) for I went back 50 + years and we did not cater to the public and they are our culinary future. However something needs to change in the actual way they serve you. Would definitely go back, providing they let me in the door. Parking is very good, spacious and free. I wish all of you in the restaurant and kitchen all the very best in your careers.

We had great hopes. Chefs in their third year at catering college - maybe inspired by all the cookery programmes on TV, but sadly there was only one hot dish on the menu. That was cooked quite well and the sauce was lovely. However, the bouche amuse and starter were tasteless - probably because they had been prepared well in advance and kept cold in the fridge. After the hot course - with just the tiniest bit of stuffed ravioli - so no carbohydrate - we were served a lemon posset. A huge lemon posset which was essentially cream and lemon - very heavy and sickly. I wanted something light like a sorbet. Then the dessert arrived - again very heavy on the sickly cream and sweet caramel.The service was haphazard, the ambience only one step up from the classroom it obviously is during normal student hours. Sorry guys - I know you're young and just starting out but after several years I would have expected more. I was also surprised that the evening didn't allow for any customer feedback so I've had to rely on TripAdvisor. I would have thought our opinions would have been very valuable as part of the course.

Four of us went there on a Groupon offer last night and had an exceptionally good meal prepared and presented by students at the culinary school. The choices were limited but appealing and, ultimately, very tasty. Both the sea bass and the pork chop were perfectly cooked and well complemented by their accompanying sauces. Service was prompt, courteous and enthusiastic. Minor quibble regarding the regimented way they insisted on the wine list being presented and the wine order taken before the menu had arrived. Speaking of wine, the choice was good and competitively priced. We didn't hesitate to order a second bottle! Overall, high marks for all and we look forward to our next visis.

Has a great evening with a wonderful experimental play and the experience was even more enhanced with the Kitchen adjacent to it. Made it a very convenient venue for having a relaxed snack and drink at the start and very handy during the breaks too...

Lovely venue. Didn't know it existed. Food was lovely but vegetables a bit hard!Training college for chefs and waiting staff.

Had recently been to this place and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Was even better as we also enjoyed some fantastic theatre in the same campus. A great evening out with family !

—lunch for 2—We were prepared to make allowances for the fact that The Kitchen is where catering students get to practise their cooking and serving skills. But we didn’t have to: it’s a pleasant, airy environment, the food was tasty, and the service was friendly and attentive. All this came at bargain prices, way below what you would expect to pay for a meal of this quality. We will be dining there again.We were just a bit surprised there was no assessment form. Wouldn’t the students be interested in feedback?

Friends and I were recommended to visit The Kitchen, run as part of the Reading College 3 year training programme. From the moment we walked in the door the staff were friendly and attentive, we went on a Friday night which was run by third year students and had a five course taster menu; the portions were just the right size with some hidden surprises. I couldn't decide which was best the exquisite sea bass or sublime lemon tart but the whole evening was a superb experience and the bill including wine was extremely good value. At the end of th meal we were asked to complete a feedback form by iPad, simple and easy to do followed by a chat by the tutor; he should be proud.

The restaurant is cold in ambiance and temperature, the service lack some tutor monitoring leading poor service, it is a training restaurant where are the teachers?? And where are the feedback form to help the students to understand where they need to improve or perform better and learn from their mistakes!!!! The food otherwise is good, yes small portion but plenty to eat on the tasting menu as you get the chance to experience different flavours, the kitchen is supervised by a fantastic teacher on the night we went, happy to share with students and dinners ihis knowledge and how the students work. Overall a nice little place to eat if you do not mind a disjointed service and long wait to get your drinks order!!! The students deserved far better tutoring support that they are receiving.

I went here after buying a Groupon offer for this establishment. I didn't expect much, given the price and the fact that the staff are mostly catering students, and the overall experience pretty much reflected this. The dining room was basic and simple, which is fair enough, but the service was confused and slightly shambolic - again, I am happy to forgive this given the student staff. They ran out of bread rolls very quickly and seemed reluctant to give you more than one. The 'starter' - if you can call it - consisted of a few leaves of lettuce and a poached quail egg, with a strip of bacon. It was nice but really more of an appetizer. The main course I had chose (out of two choices) was the sea bass; this came as a tiny fish on top of a dollop of mash and a shredded vegetable - not quite sure what this was but tasted fine. It was all very well cooked and delicious, but the portion was so small that it didn't even fill a third of the plate! They should have served at least twice as much. The dessert was a mississippi mud pie, which again was a very small portion, though utterly delicious. Unfortunately it came cold! Overall, a disappointing dining experience but given the amateur nature of the establishment it does deserve three stars. It really is a shame that the portions were so ridiculous because the food was very nicely cooked (other than the dessert) and tasty. Room for improvement but very promising - having said that, I'm not planning to go back.

Had a Christmas meal here recently, didn't expect too much as I knew it was a restaurant for trainee chefs.......how wrong I was!! The food was amazing! The presentation was as impressive as the taste of each dish. The staff were friendly and attentive and the meal was an absolute bargain at £17 a head. I will definitely be going back.

Me and my husband went to the restaurant on Friday night .. Food spot on six course taster but each course was a full meal .. Goats cheese bonbons just mouth watering and main lamb with a lamb shepards pie .. Presentation spot on .. Service good little things to brush up on but overall fantastic night .. For being students top class restaurant and would defiantly be returning and recommending .

Went here with family on Tuesday night for the 3 course dinner. We both had the same starter and maincourse but different puddings. The starter was OK but it said it had stilton in which we couldnt taste and being honest it didnt really taste of anything - but on the plus side it wasnt disagreeable. The main course was veal which some of our group had tough pieces and others it was fine. Personally my veal was tough which was a shame as the rest of it was lovely with a nice sauce and perfectly cooked vegetables. The walnut cake I had was excellent - nice and moist and really tasty. However the pudding my partner had was supposed to be a mousse but it was very dense so she only had a little of it. Service was hit and miss but overall was OK - we didnt get our wine ahead of the meal and nobody asked us after a few minutes of eating whether everything was OK or not.Having said that these are college students who are young and learning a trade so full marks for effort and lets hope that the experience gets better in the future...

I took a group of 44 ladies from a local Women's Club to The Kitchen for lunch. With a choice of Soup or Roasted Mediterranean and Feta Salad to start, Chicken in Cream Sauce, Plaice Meunière or Vegetarian Fajita and Pineapple Upside Down Cake or Panacotta with Cherries plus home made rolls and all for £10 a head. We were blown away. 10/10 all round.

Outstanding food cooked and served by students. Not only the best value but probably the best meal I have had in Reading ......Well done.

This was our second visit to the Kitchen at Reading college, and we were not disappointed. We have had the 3-course dinner menu (£16). We have had Parsley soup for starters, pork medallions and brill fillet for mains, and plum tart and white chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Once again, a huge well done to students and tutors at the College.

This restaurant is the training restaurant at the Reading College. Students will cook your meal and serve your table, supervised by their tutors. Overall, the service was friendly and attentive, and the food was very good too. The price for a three-course meal is a very reasonable £8 for lunch and £12.50 for dinner. I would certainly recommend the experience.