The Southcote Beefeater in Reading

Good food and drinks as per usual and a special thank you to Hannah and Chelsea who looked after us with a smile, nice people!

What an attitude! We came in from work on Thursday night the restaurant was not very busy. My friend and I sat down and ordered our meal which seemed to take ages. When I questioned our waitress (dark hair with fringe) She snapped at me that a ‘Well done steak takes 25 mins’ I felt she was very condescending. She then rushed off to deal with some customers waiting to book in done a roundabout turn appeared with our meals and left them standing. No Customer Service skills what so ever, very rude. She made us feel like we were an inconvenience to her.

Great service busy restaurant good atmosphere good food menu had good options reasonably priced plenty of discounts and deals staff were very attentive

María was absolutely amazing and lovely. Great asset to your company! Having more people like her with her personality will make your food even nicer!

We've got very nice dinner last Sunday. We ordered surf on turf , burger and kids chicken pops . Burger was absolutely delicious!!! Highly recommended ! Surf on turf was very good also, just the steak wasn't cooked as I wanted. I ordered medium rare and one side was good but other side was blue , by the way taste delicious . Kids meal was good and big portion :)) Big shout out for front of staff !!! Amazing service , very king and helpful . Bravo !!

We called in here on the way back from a hospital visit. We stood about for while until a waitress with dark hair and a short fringe appeared no ‘good evening or welcome’ all she said was ‘have you booked’? She never said oh hold on a moment or likewise. She went marching off looking for ‘me Julie’ who ever she was as she said there was no table plan? There was hardly anyone in there (not surprising) she glared at us like we shouldn’t be there. No Customer Service Skills whatsoever. She next appeared (we were still standing there) with two dinners in her hand again she could have reached out and said ‘sorry I will be with you in a minute’ Appalling Service! Needless to say we walked out.

We had a fabulous early evening celebrating my niece's birthday 🎂

Table for 4,everyone happy,my steak in my mixed grill was chewy but the rest was nice,great service from our waitress Linda,keep up the good work.

Food was amazing and filling. Servers were welcoming. Met Maria who was our waitress today. She was very welcoming and respectful towards my family and I. Overall service was great! Would definitely come here again :)

Popped in for dinner with a friend and our children. Looks a little run, but the staff were lovely and the food was pretty good. No complains from us.

Professional service by our server chloe. Very polite and knowledgeable. Asked if our food was ok and we of course said yes !

Filling Sunday Roast. Mint Hot Chocolate recommended.

Took my family of 4 for dinner and on arrival we were asked if we reserved a table which we haven't as it was a last minute decision, the waiter then pointed at a small area and said find somewhere there.. the space wasnt enough for us all.. I'm very disappointed with how we were treated as there was alot of space the other side but she refused to seat us there. We were looking forward to dinning there but won't be going back.

Nice comfortable restaurant Friendly service. Good value for money.

It's all about Sophie, she's the goat. Undisputed. Made the good food excellent by her sheer presence

Sophie was our server this evening, lovely, friendly and professional!

Had a great meal with flatmates, great food and great service. Sophie was lovley.

Linda was absolutely amazing, good food and cozy pub vibes.

Great restaurant with great service, Linda served our table and went far and beyond

Just awful food, no much more to add, from mains to fries, all tasteless and bad

The corner is full of raggedy kids intimidating everyone.

Fairly standard Beefeater, which is quite popular with the local customers. The tables are a bit close together which gives the impression of being squashed in. Consequently, the service can be a bit on the slow side as the restaurant has low staff levels. Ok if you're a local or passing...

First time in along time that I enjoyed the food ( maybe a change of chef?) Service was OK, a bit hit and miss. Really full on to start with, then asked if we wanted a dessert than didn't see them for 20mins? Swings and round abouts.

Pleasant lunch with good food and a pleasant ambience - our server was very good

Our waitress on the day was lovely. I ordered the steak surf and turf, so did my mother. I asked for my steak medium/well. My mother liked hers very well done. I was shocked when I cut my steak. Tbh, it made me quite queezy. The waitress asked if everything was OK, I told her about my steak. She said they can take it and cook it more but I refused. I get paranoid when food gets sent back. My mums steak was medium and mine was more rare/blue. Other than that, we had a loud family behind us. Like, very loud, which was slightly annoying. Again,.service was good, just picked the wrong day to go clearly :(

Stopped on the way to Heathrow to surprise the in-laws with our newborn. Plenty of parking, great outdoor seating if needed. Inside was clean and tidy, with polite and professional staff. Fastest I’ve ever had food in a Beefeater in my life, so I was worried it was just heated up, but everything was freshly made and piping hot! They accepted the Blue Light discount, which is great, and the overall bill was reasonable for these days. 10/10 from us three excited travelers.”

Our server was fantastic polite helpful my steak was cooked perfectly 😋 👌

After many years, we returned to this Beefeater Grill in Reading. Unfortunately, there have been numerous changes, and not for the better. I tried to order tilapia, which I remember enjoying years ago, but it was no longer on the menu. The only fish option available was fish and chips. So, for a starter, I opted for the Classic Prawn Cocktail, only to find it was actually a shrimp cocktail. We then decided to order the classic Fillet, advertised as "the most lean and tender of all the steaks." However, the difference between the steak pictured in the leaflet and what we received was significant, as you can see in the attached photo. Not lean, no tender. The service was slow, and it was evident that the waitress only understood the English words listed on the menu.

We went out to the Southcoute last Thursday for dinner. We had a lovely experience. Waitress was lovely and our food was delicious. Probably the only remaining Beefeater in the Reading area to still be open as most Beefeaters have closed down or about to. Thank you for making a great experience for us.

Great food, lovely staff, relaxed atmosphere.

Food great, service second to none 😀

Excellent service, we had a very attentive waitress called Linda, she made sure we were well looked after and because I am ceoliac she even brought fresh cutlery. Also very short waiting times for food.

Large old pub with real British fare. Super waitress Sophie. All round worth a visit.

The lovely ladies behind the bar this evening were very sympathetic and accommodating to my plight of dealing with unreliable Reading Buses. I may be forever known as "the bus lady", and I am more than okay with that! Thank you for your wonderful service!xx

Absolutely fabulous time. The food was lovely and the price was great, the service was amazing, I wish I had got the server's name to show her our appreciation. Will 100% see us back at the Southcote Beefeater soon.

Good experience grandsons 8th birthday

Unfortunately I lost my husband Dewi in May and decided to hold the wake at the Beefeater Southcote. We have had many special meals there over a period of over 30 plus years so thought it appropriate to hold the wake there. We contacted Ogzur the manager and he couldnt have been more helpful. We looked at the menus and couldnt have been more pleased at the quantity and quality on the day. The team were so helpful and sympathetic which was a very hard time. They let us have the area for a few hours and we shared moments reminising on his life. Many thanks

Excellent food and a super lovely service from warm friendly staff.

Visit regularly every Tuesday evening after Berkshire Royals Dodgeball Club session at The Hugh Farringdon School. Plenty of parking. They serve a good pot of tea and happily welcome a crowd of 12 to 30 thirsty athletes coming to socialise. Been a while since I last dined at The Southcote Beefeater. Update in July, busier than last month. More customers. Nice buzz. now staying open based on level of customers. Planning to switch to later summer hours from August. Watch this space.

👍but quality of steak could be better

Terrible food. The loaded nachos came out with about 7 nachos. The calamari was over cooked. The cheese and bacon burger ( no roll) came out as a tiny burger with a slice of cheese and a some chips. When asked where the bacon and coleslaw the waitress said ‘ oh I didn’t know it came with bacon’. She then said they had run out of coleslaw. When I asked for another side dish instead she was quite abrupt with her ‘ well what do you want’ I pointed out that I was paying £13.99 for this and so would like something. She said I could have some peas and they would bring me some bacon. They had also run out of eggs and mustard. 3 of the 4 meals came out but we had to ask for the 4th.

Wonderful, friendly staff. Food was excellent. Have been here several times in the last few months & have never been let down by the quality of food or the welcoming staff. The recent change which allows a table booking between 9and 10pm now is also much appreciated! Recommended.

Wasn't as good as last time as we got there at 12 and they just opened but my roast potatoes was cold and black.

We always stay at the hotel opposite once a year when going to Royal Ascot and each time we drop in for dinner at the Beefeater. Each time we have been we have found the service to be excellent and the food very good. We would like to give a special mention for Linda who has served us for the past couple of visits.....very friendly and efficient. Not the most varied menu, but the food was very well presented and piping hot. We will certainly call again next year during our annual trip!

Great service from Sophie! Quick service and very friendly and helpful. She talked us through the whole menu. Will be coming back soon! Thank you Sophie!

Quick and efficient. Sophie was friendly and very helpful, especially when it came to the bill. Ask for Sophie next time.

Very helpful and quick service from Sophie, which was appreciated as we were in a rush! No issues with our order and food was all delicious.

The food was not nice and there was a needle on floor near us and the waitress just picked it up

Love it much & evening meal. .

Today me and my partner went here for some dinner, if I’m 100% honest the main meals weren’t the greatest. The chips were very stale with a tiny portion and the coleslaw was a little too warm, I complained to a staff member called Maria and she was very understanding, polite and helpful. Maria kindly brought us out fresh chips each with a much better portion! The starters and pudding was very nice so can’t fault there. Throughout our visit, Maria assisted us with a number of things, taking our plates, bringing over our drinks/meals, handling our complaint and taking the bill, Maria’s customer service is 10/10 which made the whole experience a lot more delightful! Maria was very kind and polite, she gives off lovely energy which makes your visit a whole lot nicer! We appreciate Maria and her service today and would happy to visit again ☺️ look after this lovely lady!

Great food at a reasonable price.

Excellent food, I will visit again

Having used The Southcote for many years from when it was a public house 🏠 it needs to get back to being Southcote's meeting place. The time is right

Service is always good, food always spot on, love the fact that you get emailed discounts

Can't fault this Beefeater never had a bad meal here always good service as well 👍

Dropped in to the Southcote Beefeater for a lunch with our nearly 1 year old grandson. Excellent throughout, service was second to none and food was exactly what was needed. The waitress pointed out the best value deals and the food was good quality when it arrived. Would definitely go again.

Yeah, why not? Everything is fine 🙂

Lower your expectations and your be alright

nice steak！ better than other Beefeater

Nice meal, friendly staff, thanks 😊

Always had a lovely meal here and staff are friendly and helpful

Very nice meal on there £8 menu at lunch time will go again

Great food, amazing service! Never had a bad meal here

Always friendly and really made to feel welcome also the food is really top notch as well

Food was good, service was exceptional! Sophie was fantastic

Sophie is always very helpful with a smile, friendly and just such a lovely girl. All you could want in a waitress.

Great food and great service, Sophie couldn’t be more helpful, thank you

Lovely food great service my young waitress had a lovely smile

Good value. Nutritional information available online. Lovely relaxed, friendly service.

Found out waitress to be quite flustered even though not a busy time, also quite a cold manner. Order came out wrong also. Will not be going back

Well organised pub with helpful serving staff, food was good.

Excellent service as always from the team. We come here a fair bit on Sundays with the family. Its well priced , clean , friendly and the food is always wjat you can expect. Will definitely recommend foe families.

Very nice place to eat, great food, nice staff, cousy environment, we were wated upon by a very nice Julia, she was very informative and nice to speak to

Sophie our waitress ensured all our food and drinks came out exactly as we ordered with all our changes, thank you Sophie

Yesterday we booked online for 8.45pm and an automated machine took our details. We received a booking confirmation by SMS and when we got there 15 min before booking the waitress or restaurant manager told us that the kitchen was closed. She said that she tried to contact us but there was no email or telephone number. I told her that we received a booking confirmation on our mobile number but she insisted that they had no contact details.

We had a really lovely meal and our waitress Sophie was extremely helpful and friendly, thank you 😊

myself and family went there late evening on mother's day , originally my son had booked reading gate beefeater but on arrival after waiting 15 mins to be shown to our table and seeing the total lack of staff we decided to re -book at southcote beefeater we arrived 45 mins early as the table was booked for 8.30 . when we arrived at the southcote beefeater the manager went out of his way the accommodate us early which was greatly appreciated . The staff are on the ball very quickly our drinks order arrived along with our food. What a difference a good manager and staff make they all work very hard everything was like clock work . Thank you for making my mother's day perfect .

Super food reasonably priced recommend this place

Friendly place, helpful staff, decent food.

My family had a lovely meal at the Southcote.The service was excellent! All the staff were polite, friendly and helpful. The food was great, it was presented well and was very tasty. We will definitely be visiting again soon.

Always great service here and the staff are knowledgeable regarding specific dietary requirements. Tasty delicious meals and we love coming here.

The service and atmosphere was good at the beefeater on Saturday lunchtime. Unfortunately the gammon was very tough and chewy so I had to leave most of it, my Dad also struggled with his but the rest of the food was good. I looked online and saw a curry on the lunchtime menu but we were given the main menu which sadly did not have it as I would have had that instead of the gammon otherwise, they didn't have any sweet potato fries either. Not my first choice of location but it was my Dad's birthday so he chose.

Great food, and service was very friendly

Always every good had a couple of pints , lack of staff

Took 45 minutes for starters to arrive. Dripping in grease unfortunately so didn’t enjoy. Steak main was fabulous, chicken overcooked, dry and burnt on top. This being said though the manager was excellent! Chased our food up before us, immediately removed from the billll without us requiring. Maybe it was just a bad night…

A very nice place for a meal. The food was delicious, and the staff were excellent. A very enjoyable evening with friends.

visited late evening for a drink but even though the staff were clearly waiting for us to leave, we we not pressured into vacating. The beer was quite acceptable as well. Sure, it isn't the most plush pub/restaurant but it was what was required. Update: visited recently on a Sunday for a change and, instead of my usual burger or mixed grill, I decided to try the Sunday roast beef. I felt the need to reduce the rating of the restaurant based on this. While the roast was cheaper than most others I had eaten recently, there was a reason. The beef consisted of three thin slices of about an inch square. While I had requested pink, it had been so overdone as to be tough. This is one to be avoided. Stick to the normal remade meals and you know what you are getting.

Excellent food and great service. Had a veggie roast, which I don’t see on menu often, and only downside was the roast potatoes could have been better. Visited for a one off for a family gathering, and was pleasantly surprised and overall everyone very happy with their meals and had a very nice time.

Surprisingly busy for a midweek lunchtime! Despite this the staff worked very hard to get drinks, take orders and serve. Food was usual Beefeater fare. Well cooked and tasty. Desserts could have been a bit warmer. Otherwise quite satisfied. Thank you all.

Linda - beat waitress ever!! Polite, friendly, helpful, beautiful lady ❤️ thank you Linda! Foods not bad either!

great food, very attentive and sophie was so friendly and helpful . made my mums birthday very special

Working away and me and a work colleague were fed up with the lack of food options at parkside international. We decided to eat here. Good value hot food and great friendly service. Good value for money too

Last time here we were upstairs by a door,, was a little cold, so asked to move, have been here multiple times, always great service,

food was filling, atmosphere was cosy. I had a wonderful, wonderful waitress named Maria who went the absolute extra mile to make sure we were happy and well serviced. honestly the best server i’ve had in a long time made sure all our needs were met quickly and with excellent customer service.

Great experience, amazing food and top level service, our waitress Maria was particularly outstanding

Had some perfectly cooked half chicken and fries

Absolutely love the the Beefeater and staff

Good food, served quickly, and our waitress Kelly H has really lovely and great at her job!

It was a bit cold at our table so, we got moved to another table but all I could smell was a damp smell. Waitress was very attentive and cheerful but the food was only ok,not what I normally get from beefeater.

Chloe our waitress was amazing. Although she was very busy nothing phased her looking after all her customers and made it look easy, which I know it’s not. Hard working and very polite. Asset to the team. Food was lovely had a great evening.