The Shoulder of Mutton in South Oxfordshire

Went there for a private function. All ok.

The team at the Shoulder are just superb at looking after your requirements. We had a wake for a family member and it was the ideal location. Thank You

Lovely Sunday roast. Portion sizes were good and good was great.

Excellent food qaint old world pub with garden and good service.

Went with a friend for a meal and catchup. Plenty of parking easy to manoeuvre around. Quiet and good ambience especially pleasant in the conservatory with windows and doors open. Plenty of outside benches and umbrellas for a sunny day. Staff knowledgeable and gave meal and drink suggestions,as was late in the day a couple of items had run out but nothing we would have wanted. Their signature Shoulder of Mutton was particularly tasty. The in season vegetables were a good portion and cooked to perfection. We didn't feel rushed and staff were attentive. Had enough to eat, so didn't have a dessert. Would definitely be back and can highly recommend 👌

We had a gathering here after the funeral of one of my friends, and the staff, food, service and everything else was perfect.

The review by Julia Palmer is not for this pub/ restaurant. Please ignore it. The garden is fabulous and just about to come into full bloom. The service goes beyond the norm- the team are obviously very friendly and happy working together. The food is sublime and excellent value for money, especially the Sunday roast! The website is so insightful and well considered. Try it, you’ll love it!

Very friendly owners and staff very helpful willing to do anything to help. Great food and very tasty would recommend this pub to any one great little find.

2girls were on but were to busy. Giggling and hiding away no signs to say no roast as was a bbq menu was very. Limited only thing that was great was the puddings

I have marked down atmosphere as it was a bit quiet for a Friday lunchtime but having said that, the pub is lovely, the staff were great and the food was delicious.

Went here for a Wake. Buffet was excellent.

Great place . Had the awake for my mums funeral here . Amazing place and great staff. Highly recommend

Lovely roast, excellent desserts!

Came in for my mum’s birthday. Had amazing food, the staff went above and beyond to cater for all of us. On arrival Anja, the manager, had decorated the table as a surprise which was such a lovely touch. Had a range of snacks, kid meals and adult meals and it was all delicious. Thank you to all of you.

Very friendly pub serving great food

Lovely Sunday lunch. Nice setting and good service.

Great place to relax with friends or have a business lunch. Great food atmosphere and a big car park. Definitely give the Shoulder a visit.

Loved this place. Used it as a venue for a birthday party. It's a pretty looking traditional old pub with a lot of space but a cosy welcoming atmosphere. Staff were very helpful and attentive and served some great beers. We ordered a buffet which was reasonably priced and plentiful.. pay them a visit, its worth it.

Nice country pub. Great and cozy atmosphere and very good pub food.

A good welcome. Everything was lovely snd sitting in the conservatory was comfortable. Food a d wine was lovely

We had a really lovely Christmas meal with our badminton club. The 3 courses were delicious & of high quality. The staff were very friendly & helpful. A real delightful. time

This is a very warm amd friendly bar. We enjoy the delicious food and dessert in there. The toffee pudding is highly recommend!

This turned out to be a lovely place, with excellent food. Friendly people to serve you. Informal atmosphere.

Went for my 40tb birthday, lovley staff, wonderful place and even better food and the chips OMG I sell my soul for those chips

Highly recommended! We went for Sunday lunch and had a truly excellent meal. The staff were very attentive and our waitress Amy was especially helpful. We all chose one of the Sunday roasts on offer. I had the Roast Lamb which was particularly well cooked and the excellent sticky toffee pudding to finish. Can't wait to go again.

We have been regulars of the Shoulder of Mutton (SOM) for a while visiting, several times over the last few of years. We could not recommend the Shoulder of Mutton enough. We even decided to hold our wedding meal and celebration here. Having our nearest and dearest friends and family visit and enjoy the afternoon and evening at the Shoulder of Mutton was amazing. Our friends and family cannot stop talking about it. The level of detail and most importantly care from the team was really supportive of even our quirky needs. Everyone really enjoyed the food, drinks and relaxed atmosphere. Wendy as front of house and Alan leading the food team really are experts in their respective fields. They have been there by our side throughout the planning process and the Shoulder of Mutton team and as a venue have by far exceeded any aspirations we had on all metrics. The decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious and the service was amazing. Every single aspect was impeccable and we could not have imagined a more perfect day. We would just like to say thank you for having us on our special day and allowing us the flexibility to enjoy our wedding day as we wished to and taking the stress out of the day. Catering to our allergies (even nuts!) and intolerances without a hitch or concern is something that is hard to come by nowadays. If you are hesitating on visiting or you’re looking for a local gastropub that cares about you and really puts out top notch food and service easily accessible from Reading or surrounding areas – please visit or contact the Shoulder of Mutton. You will not regret it. Without a doubt we will be back time and time again.

It was a great experience and our guide was very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend.

The Shoulder of Mutton hosted a funeral tea after a service at Reading Crematorium. It's a lovely local pub that goes above and beyond to provide a personal service. The food was tasty and bountiful and suited the (mainly older) group of people that came along. Everything was clearly homemade with love. The quiches were particularly good! We were lucky enough to have the pub to ourselves on a sunny day so were also able to take advantage of the garden. One final comment. If you're considering The Crown or the Shoulder of Mutton then please go with the Shoulder. We were badly let down by the Crown, and they didn't really seem to care. The personalised service we got from a owner-operater (over the Crown chain) was clear, and their food is also A LOT better.

Nice place lovely pub garden and food was really good will go again

Only dropped in for a snack at a very quiet time so hard to judge overall but friendly welcome and good ambience

I used to go to this restaurant years ago and I returned there yesterday for dinner. All really nice and fresh. P. S.: Bruscetta does not make sense in Italian.... Bruschetta is the correct spelling.

Amazing food, really. The garden is Heaven! Food a tad expensive and a bit late, but was busy indeed so it's fine. :)

Lovely bar staff/waitresses. Friendly & helpful. Good service. Was a bit warm in the conservatory to have a Sunday roast but still enjoyable. Bit of a wait for dinner but not a problem.

Nice evening social BBQ. Only downside isn't didn't manage to equally have enough food but think there was a mix up with vegetarian needs. Nice beer garden

Wendy and Alan provided a very memorable party for myself and 24 family members. They made wonderful food and gave excellent, friendly service. Everything was perfect, I can't praise them highly enough. Many thanks Wendy and Alan.

I went with my family, we had Shoulder of mutton and a few other dishes. Food was very delicious and fresh. Definitely we'll go again.

Unfortunately, it was for a wake.

Great country pub with excellent staff

Great Sunday roast, celebrating mothers day 😋

A fabulous pub, great food, warm and friendly staff and atmosphere too.

Really nice food. Fresh far to much people took doggy bags home.

Distinctly average. Although the meat was OK, the roasted potatoes were poor. The Yorkshire pudding was terrible - burnt and soggy. Never again.

Fantastic venue with great food and brilliant service. We booked the conservatory for a large family meal with a buffet option. Highly recommended.

Lovely atmosphere and great food. Six of us went and all thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Was here for a funeral wake. Lively fire in the bar, which was very welcome on a cold day

Alan and Wendy are extremely welcoming and the food was delicious.

Lovely staff and food , very helpful with gluten free too. Xx

It was my first visit for a funeral wake.

Went for a post-funeral drink. Good and plentiful supply of food, lots carb free, which was nice. Very pleasant & helpful staff as well.

Lunch with old friends. Food was amazing as usual and with friendly efficient service..

Food is amazing, staff are lovely and friendly but unfortunately, they are very inexperienced at actually serving food. I was given a saucer as a side plate and they served the food to whomever was nearest the kitchen first, leaving the senior people in the group without food or drink until everyone else was served. With some silver service training, it would be a great place to eat out! I'm saying this not to be mean but to be constructive. Ladies first (oldest to youngest) then the same for gentlemen 🙂

Wanderfull food, and beautiful location!

Great Sunday lunch in a lovely pub - thank you

Was a nice enough pub, would recommend.

Nice location. Patio and Garden good.

I regularly visit as it's a lovely pub with really good food at a fair price. The staff are very welcoming. Highly recommended.

Great food, lovely hosts, so accommodating. Thank you for a lovely evening!

Lovely tender mutton roast good helping of sauces quick to serve..first time there very satisfied.

The food is incredible. Kudos to Neil, the quiche chef - just wow. Very warm welcome and excellent staff. Couldn't recommend more highly.

12 of us went and not one of us had any complaints. Signature dish shoulder of mutton was delicious.

Always good, never disappointed...

Very lovely restaurant, look forward to visiting again 🙂

thank you so much Wendy, sorry i didn't catch the name of the lady helping you , at Melvyn's wake last Thursday, the food was delicious, you truly made a very sad day more bearable, and looked after each and every one of us, thank you again

Really friendly staff. The food is fabulous and plentiful. Really nice place to catch up with friends and chat over a wonderful meal. The desert menu is not to be missed, especially the sticky toffee pudding and the apple pie. Will definitely be going back again soon.

Excellent hospitality and a lovely pint.

Excellent food and service. Sadly I took one star off as even though we were sat by a radiator, I found it a bit drafty. 0

Fantastic, friendly service. The food is incredible. Affordable prices. Will be returning several times over!

Lovely little pub. Did such a nice buffet we cleared it twice!

Six of us chose from the Christmas Menu last night which was excellent. Room was very warm and comfortable and the service was first rate. Thankyou for making a very enjoyable evening.

Really lovely pub with a proper open fireplace. Great food.

Had my Birthday dinner last week group of 16 of us everything was fantastic food was excellent service outstanding many thanks Guys

Been there a few times always the same, excellent! It's a credit to Alan and Wendy that they have kept up the high standards over the years would recommend to everyone.

Had my dad's wake there, were very accommodating and friendly. Lovely food.

Fantastic food, great service, surprisingly quiet. Without doubt the best pub food I have eaten for a long time.

Sunday roast was nice but disappointing to only have one vegetarian option on the menu which didn't seem to live up to the other options. Friendly service and lovely pub otherwise.

Four happy diners - my slow cooked duck was deliciously tender and the signature Shoulder of Mutton with rich gravy/sauce was also very well received. Will return.

Lovly Sunday dinner tried beef. & lamb both amazing good Vegs very quiet

Peaceful place... I will visit again.

Lovely Country Pub with very pleasant, genuine and friendly staff. A little Oxfordshire oasis not far from Reading town centre.

yummy food and enjoyable environment

What a beautiful family run pub. Lovely staff,amazing food and so clean and safe

My 2nd visit whilst staying in Sonning on a family break. My group of 8 found it a friendly, homely pub with great reasonably priced food. The member of staff looked after us all really well. Well worth a visit if you don't want to pay gastro pub prices.

Regular customer, always looked after very well and good takeaways during lockdown.

Great food served in a friendly environment (good beer too) Top notch

Has a good sized outdoor area good beer (ales) would have liked to stay longer

Dear Wendy and Alan, we cannot thank you enough for Tallia and Matts meal you really made the occasion. Excellent service, wonderful food to die for and a beautiful venue, you will not be forgotten. We WILL be back whenever possible as I understand will our friends. Thank you once again Dave

Lovely sunday lunch and great service from the staff. Recommend this place to everyone

Lovely place lovely food friendly girls x

My first venture out to my favourite pub/restaurant on Friday 7th August, since the beginning of lockdown. Taking into account of the Covid-19 restrictions, my friends and I had a very enjoyable evening, on quite an extensive menu. As always, Alan and Wendy made us so welcome and there was no pressure on the time we spent there. Looking forward to making a return visit.

Excellent food, friendly staff and a beautiful country side pub

An absolute gem of an olde worlde pub. Beautiful gardens and setting. The staff are lovely and nothing is to much trouble. Food is excellent and good value for money. We'll worth a visit. 💜

Great lunch under the marquee extension, care taken with masks etc.

There for Sunday lunch. Quick service, friendly staff. Decent portion sizes for main and dessert. Will definitely be going back :)

Lovely meal, good service, nice surroundings excellent value for money.

Great food & service, highly recommended

The service is excellent and the food is to die for. You won't go wrong in eating here.

For 3 1/2 years, people have been telling me to try the Shoulder of Mutton. Well I finally did and what a revelation. I missed out on some very good food. The salmon was gorgeous. If the owner/chef ever visits my boat, he will be shanghaied and never leave. My thanks for beautiful food, well kept ale attentive staff and the regret that I never visited earlier.

Very good place to eat very friendly

Lovely food, good beer, friendly & helpful people.

Nice meal, good friendly service.