The Volunteer in West Berkshire

I’m fairly regular at the Volley. The staff have always been friendly and professional. The locals are very friendly as well. Overall, it’s a welcoming pub for drinkers, eaters and families. I went with a mate on Saturday for ‘A Taste of Jamaica’. We both had the saltfish, jerk chicken with rice and pea, rum cake and a deliciously punchy rum punch. All this for £30 each! We’d not had saltfish before, so don’t have a point of reference. They were tasty dumpling/fritters with a good level of spice for me. We thought they were quite dense, which meant quite a filling starter. The jerk chicken was excellent! The closest version I’ve had in the UK to what I had in Jamaica! A generous portion of rice and pea, which neither of us could finish. The rum cake was moist, delicious and rummy. The rum punch was very rummy, which we both liked. I was excited to hear their plans to make this more of an event next year!

I’m fairly regular at the Volley. The staff have always been friendly and professional. The locals are very friendly as well. Overall, it’s a welcoming pub for drinkers, eaters and families. I went with a mate on Saturday for ‘A Taste of Jamaica’. We both had the saltfish, jerk chicken with rice and pea, rum cake and a deliciously punchy rum punch. All this for £30 each! We’d not had saltfish before, so don’t have a point of reference. They were tasty dumpling/fritters with a good level of spice for me. We thought they were quite dense, which meant quite a filling starter. The jerk chicken was excellent! The closest version I’ve had in the UK to what I had in Jamaica! A generous portion of rice and pea, which neither of us could finish. The rum cake was moist, delicious and rummy. The rum punch was very rummy, which we both liked. I was excited to hear their plans to make this more of an event next year!

Locals gaff. Generous back garden. Feels like a proper pub

Great food, lovely staff and great service. We had a large order for our friends leavers do and all the food came out together, nothing was forgotten and all the food tasted delicious. The staff were very friendly and helpful and would definitely go back again!

Food good only burger and chips long wait but got compensated with half a pint so happy days

Friendly village pub. Nice staff and fun locals

Hidden gem Great little pub ,warm welcome from staff and locals, very dog friendly .

Went for lunch and drinks with the family and was treated to several well kept pints of London Pride and a great lunch. Well done to the team here, keep up the good work !

Visited here for the first time for sunday lunch. Sat outside in the garden. Very friendly bar staff and nice atmosphere. Food was lovely! Good menu.

Great service. The food was amazing, very good portions. Dog friendly. We will definitely be visiting again soon

Visited for the first time in a while on a Sunday lunch time. Friendly staff, good food portions, reasonable prices for the current climate. Dog friendly too. Hope to come back soon.

Lovely pub. They allowed us to park our campervan in the car park overnight. Very friendly and a great pint of IPA!

Ordered loaded fries and they were very tasty and a lot of food. Very good value. Bar staff were very friendly and helpful.

I like a pint of Fullers Pride. Disappointing here though, just not right. Service was perfunctory.

Always nice to go out for Sunday lunch and the one served here is rather special. Having previously sampled the Beef, excellent flavour and nicely pink, I opted for Chicken. An excellent choice, succulent, and full of flavour. To accompany are fantastic Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes. A very good selection of vegetables which are cooked to still give some bite, all too often the Veg can be soggy, not here. To top it all is Tom's amazing Gravy, red wine and garlic, bags of flavour and a beautiful consistency. Portion size is also particularly good, certainly left me feeling full but not overly so. Great Beers and Wines to wash it down, served by friendly staff. Can't wait until the next time.

A Sunday Roast to Savour! My husband and I are regulars here, both for food and for drinks. Tom's Sunday roasts are fabulous! He normally cooks up roast beef (served medium to well done) and roast chicken, with good to large sized portions. We had the roast beef here a month or so ago (ours was served medium-rare, and we were provided with fairly thick slices that were tender and full of flavour), but decided to have the roast chicken here the Sunday before last. The chicken was nicely herbed and roasted, beautifully tasty and moist, served with a Yorkshire Pudding (nicely fluffy), chipolatas, cabbage and carrots, the carrots and cabbage both having some "bite" to them (hurrah, given that a lot of pubs seem to provide vegetables that have been cooked to death and are mush). In addition, there were roast parsnips and roast potatoes that had been seasoned with herbs. The roast potatoes are absolutely fab - soft on the inside, crispy on the outside. Tom's gravy has a real depth of flavour. If you haven't tried the Volly's roast Sunday lunches before, you are missing out.. The price is pretty good too, particularly given the portion size. The service is friendly and the atmosphere welcoming, not just from Tom and his staff, especially Hayden, but also from the regulars. The pub has a brilliant back garden with plenty of seating which is nice to sit out in during the summer or better weather and ample car parking at the back.

A Sunday Roast to Savour! My husband and I are regulars here, both for food and for drinks. Tom's Sunday roasts are fabulous! He normally cooks up roast beef (served medium to well done) and roast chicken, with good to large sized portions. We had the roast beef here a month or so ago (ours was served medium-rare, and we were provided with fairly thick slices that were tender and full of flavour), but decided to have the roast chicken here the Sunday before last. The chicken was nicely herbed and roasted, beautifully tasty and moist, served with a Yorkshire Pudding (nicely fluffy), chipolatas, cabbage and carrots, the carrots and cabbage both having some "bite" to them (hurrah, given that a lot of pubs seem to provide vegetables that have been cooked to death and are mush). In addition, there were roast parsnips and roast potatoes that had been seasoned with herbs. The roast potatoes are absolutely fab - soft on the inside, crispy on the outside. Tom's gravy has a real depth of flavour. If you haven't tried the Volly's roast Sunday lunches before, you are missing out.. The price is pretty good too, particularly given the portion size. The service is friendly and the atmosphere welcoming, not just from Tom and his staff, especially Hayden, but also from the regulars. The Volunteer has a brilliant back garden with plenty of seating which is nice to sit out in during the summer or better weather and ample car parking at the back. In the winter months, a warming log fire just adds to the attraction of a roast Sunday lunch.... Wendy R

This has been our favourite pub since moving to Theale. Very friendly staff, and warm atmosphere. It's great that they now do Sunday roasts. There's a good choice of meats, and their roast potatoes are the best (and plentiful). We also love their chicken wings, when we're not as hungry. As a bonus, the kids'menu is free at the weekend, and our son loves their sausage and chips. Get yourself there, but make sure you leave a table free for us.

This is our favourite pub since moving to Theale. Very friendly staff, and warm atmosphere. It's great that they now do Sunday roasts. There's a good choice of meats, and their roast potatoes are the best (and plentiful). We also love their chicken wings, when we're not as hungry. As a bonus, the kids'menu is free at the weekend, and our son loves their sausage and chips. Get yourself there, but make sure you leave a table free for us.

Visit the pub every week for lunch and it's a fabulous place to relax and get a great bite to eat. Staff friendly and the jacket potato with chilli and cheese is scrumptious and terrific value at only £8.00

Best jacket potato with chilli and cheese, ever. Staff so friendly and nothing is too much trouble. A great pub and an example of what old pubs should be.

We ate lunch here for Mother’s Day, and our waitress Georgie surprised me with a sweet kind gift (chocolates, flowers & a mini Prosecco) plus the bar tender Hayden let my little boy have a doggie treat to feed to the pup on table next door. All the customers were friendly and cheery, the staff were very attentive with a speedy service yet totally relaxed atmosphere. What a friendly lovely local pub (dog friendly too! May I add) very nice vibe - we’d visit again :) thank you Georgie & Hayden!!

We had a warm, friendly welcome from the landlord. We wanted to eat but had a few special requests to make. This was no trouble at all and the chef made changes and combinations to the meals without any complaint. Service was quick and we even had a free drink! A great place for a meal.

Lovely country pub to stop at on a cold Winter's day with log fire, good beer and food. Even better - they accept Bitcoin payments.

Sorry I haven’t posted on here in a while, the second divorce has really hit me. Nothing like a roast and a pint at this lovely establishment with my eldest son to make the sorrows feel better.

Went here to meet a friend, its the first time ive been here in a long time. the place has ample parking and a large outdoor area that lends itself really well to a hot day, there isnt a large grass area for kids or dogs but that shouldnt affect the score. The seating outdoors was reasonably well kept and not your standard pub benches, which was a nice change from the standard pub garden. The outside was well kept and not particularly noisy being away from the road so was easy to converse. The interior was tidy, with a reasonably modern decor. The bar service was great, it wasnt particularly busy so and there were a couple bar staff on that were prompt and seemed to be mixing with the regulars.

A family lunch on a long motorway journey … On a 6 hour journey home from Cambridge to Pembrokeshire, we decided we could all do with a pit stop and some food. I made a quick decision to come here due to reviews and convenient location, we called ahead as we have a dog to check she would be welcome … Welcome is an understatement, every one was lovely and chatty and fussed our dog. All the gentlemen sat in the bar area having their Sunday afternoon pint were welcoming to her and us (I’m from at David’s and know what residents can be like there). Hayden the young man behind the bar was so welcoming and last but not least the food was great! I didn’t have a chance to snap the other meals as they were so quickly tucked into. And Nancy (our dog) had some biscuits too Oh and one final thing - I commented how cute the mini milk jug was and was given one by Hayden to take home … this will be our stop of choice along the M4 in future 💖

Very nice location we found by coincidence, comfy bar, great patio + beer garden in rear, fantastic food (we had a very tasty chicken curry rogan josh and chicken wings that were just grilled to perfection!) with very good + friendly kitchen service even after 8:30 on a weekday, serving our special requests well. Not to forget the nice variety of Fuller's ales and lagers on tap! Spacious parking in rear too.

The Volunteer is a pretty country pub. The garden was in gorgeous bloom with hanging baskets and the like. The staff were very welcoming and we felt right at home. I ordered a pint of London Pride and my wife had a diet coke. For lunch we had a burger in a basket and a Ploughman's. The price and the portion sizes were very acceptable for lunchtime. Overall, a very pleasent experience and I would recommend The Volunteer for a visit.

Lovely staff and great food at affordable prices. Highly recommended

Omg, you can pay with Bitcoin. How cool is that.

Nice authentic pub and very tasty food. The fish and chips are especially recommended!

Lovely pub with great food and a nice atmosphere

Good beer and comfortable seating but a bit noisy

A big big thank you to the staff who stayed on and kept the place open last night. Lots of people were stranded in the rain, waiting hours for taxis after the event at Englefield Estate. We were able to keep dry and warm here until they arrived. The team can’t be thanked enough ❤️

Love the refurb! I didn't dine in, but the staff are friendly and the summer flowers and garden is a very attractive environment.

Nice pint, nice atmosphere, enjoyed my quick stop.

We held a wake here yesterday and we are so grateful to Tom and his crew for looking after us so well from the minute we first enquired! It was a really nice space and the food was enjoyed by everyone ...especially our vegan! Tom was really accommodating of our every need and nothing was too much trouble. I would highly recommend - thank you again! Terrie x

It's absolutely brilliant. Thanks to Chef Oneil for preparing a great dinner. The food is always amazing, and the service is great. I would definitely recommend eating here.

the pub is worth a visit popped in for lunch small menu but it was very nice, the pub clean friendly service was second to none

We stop by chance on our way back from Stonehenge to Reading and the food was great, the chef and barkeep were super nice! Highly recommend if passing thru or staying in the area!

Tried to upsell us, it's not McDonald's!

The Volunteer is a traditional pub in the heart of Theale, Berkshire. It has a warm and inviting atmosphere, with exposed brickwork and a traditional fireplace. The menu features a wide variety of pub classics, as well as some more modern dishes. We started our meal with sticky pigs in blankets. These were perfectly cooked and the sausages were juicy and flavorful. For our main courses, I had the chicken curry and my partner had the steak and ale pie. Both dishes were delicious. The chicken curry was rich and flavorful, and the steak and ale pie was hearty and filling. The service at The Volunteer was excellent. Our server was friendly and attentive, and he made sure that we had everything we needed. We also enjoyed the selection of beers on tap. Overall, we had a great experience at The Volunteer. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. We would definitely recommend this pub to anyone looking for a great meal in Theale. Here are some additional details about the dishes we ordered: * Sticky pigs in blankets: These were made with pork sausages wrapped in bacon and cooked until golden brown. * Chicken curry: This was a rich and flavorful curry made with chicken, onions, peppers, and spices. It was served with rice and naan bread. * Steak and ale pie: This was a hearty and filling pie made with steak, onions, mushrooms, and ale. It was served with fries and peas. Polly our waitress was very friendly and helpful, she is a credit to the pub. Great atmosphere.

One of the best pubs I've been to, excellent food and drinks. Sensible prices. The pub has been taken care of really well. The manager Tom is really friendly. The chef is also friendly and generous and makes the best burgers and pizzas they are to die for. This is the best pub in Berkshire/West Berkshire

Had a fantastic pizza here, great value for money. There's a great range of beers plus the staff are excellent too. It's a genuine old pub even better in the winter with lit fires.

Went for a recent birthday get together with family. Good authentic pub. Can't fault the food or service. As busy as it was, we didn't have to wait long for our order to be served. Excellent value for money.

We stopped in Thale looking for a Sunday lunch break after travelling up from the West Country on the M4 and heading for Hertfordshire. We first came across the Volunteer and were not disappointed. The service was good, the food range excellent and the ambience typical village pub - lively but friendly. Food was very good and pricing mid range for a pub. Good ales - London Pride on tap.

Specifies, modern interior. Family and dog friendly. Quick service, considering how busy it was, which is also a good sign.

Good atmosphere "local". The London Pride was excellent and clearly well kept ales is a feature of this pub. First time we've been back since the Pandemic, it definitely won't be the last!!

Nice service. Average food. Poor cider choices.

A nice place to go to have lunch or dinner. People are friendly too.

Not friendly but food reasonable.

Had a meal for the first time in a long time with friend from Turkey on Thursday very enjoyable. Service good food hot and reasonable priced .

Great pub to have a chilled out evening, the food has vastly improved and the upkeep is much better. All round style of pub for a cheeky works lunch, family Sunday lunch or a nice evening. The only thing you won't get is live sports such as sky, bt etc. Maybe a something that's played through itv or BBC.

As usual cannot fault eating here with the family. We all enjoyed the food. Thanks

A cosy pub with a lovely garden. Good selection of ales 🍺 & lager

I visited early on Friday evening with my wife and daughter with the view to having a meal. The bar was busy so I waited for my turn only for the barman to shout over to a local who just walked in asking what he wanted, I ignored this and carried on waiting. Then as he was serving the new arrival the barman then cycled through all the other locals near the bar also asking them if they wanted anything. I got the message and I left with my family and went to the West Berkshire Brewery where we had a really nice three course meal with excellent service. There's plenty of choice in the area so there's no need to put up with being treated poorly.

Great place, kind staff. Great hamburger. We recommend and definitely will come back

Nice meal in beer garden quick service good choice of food and drinks at reasonable prices. Baby high chair available

I organised a party for my wife’s birthday and expected to have a nice time with 20 odd guests including toddler children joining us. While the food and hospitality was great, Unfortunately I was never informed that there would be a vintage car display in the same outdoor area which overlooks the car park. Some of the car patrons were not very happy to see kids running around their cars, perhaps with reason, but one of them was downright rude with ‘I don’t want to see your child’s dirty hands on my car’ (racist? Many of us were Indian). While, I appreciate that nothing else happened and the pub was great on what was a lovely day for us, I would have probably liked it if I was told about this in advance for me to replan - for perhaps some other establishments which I know from experience are more welcoming of younger guests esp with other events going on at the same time. I don’t see any reason for me to go back to the volunteer anytime soon. Thanks!

The pizza was absolutely delicious best I have ever had well done

super good food and really nice setting inside! Glad to have found such a nice pub nearby. Great pints and the staff are always so friendly

Good prices for food and drink, food is amazing and so kuch variety and the staff are super friendly 👌

Just moved to the area and what a delicious little boozer - Everything was great, nice & cozy with a big beer garden. The food was 🤌

Really nice pub. Staff are friendly. Live music played at times.

Cosy pub, friendly staff. Could do with more ales to choose from

Visited The Volunteer pub again, but this time in the Evening, on Saturday 2nd of April 2022. After my previous visit I was sent a Voucher, which was wholly unexpected and a lovely gesture. When we walked in I noted that the pub was extremely...

Was a great experience. On a course for 3 days and thought I would try it. Had a burger and chips. Went down a treat. Service was very quick and friendly

A nice place to stop just of junction 12 of the M4. A family pub which served a good Sunday dinner. Really friendly staff, good service and a pint of Pride which was well kept.

Wouldn't return. Asked if roast served told yes just beef, no price or info, ordered 2, £18eqch so expecting a great meal . Beef thick as a burger and looking like the soul of an old boot and very red, potatoes stone cold, veg & gravy only hot item some veg rock hard. Had a steak knife and couldnt cut the beef, partner attacked his but said wasnt good, very chewy and fatty. Left more than we ate. No staff asked if wanted any sauces or meal ok.

We had a sunday lunch(beef) it was very tasty. It was very clean and the staff were very helpful.

Food smelt great, although I was not there to eat.

Lovely atmosphere, staff and food! This is our favourite pub by miles! 😊

Had a great time at the folk evening, there were some really talented artists there and it was great entertainment. The staff were very friendly and the beer was good, all creating a very good atmosphere.

Went here for lunch 15th Feb 2022. Staff very friendly. For Starters ordered Soup and for Main i ordered Mac'Cheese Lunch with Chicken pieces. Companion did not want a Starter and chose Vegetarian Burger for her Main. All the food came together which we found odd. May be we should not have assumed that Starter would come before the Main. Soup was Tomato. My Main was extremely good. Companion Veggie Burger was cooked, but stone cold. The chips were hot and crisp though. I did suggest sending it back to be re-heated but she never sends food back in any restaurant. We will visit again and if ordering Starters or Desserts will ask them to be served before/after our Main to avoid confusion.

First time visiting The Volunteer. It was only a 20 minute drive down the motorway for us. As soon as we walked in we were very warmly greeted by the bar tender. Wish I had got his name.He said they had a lunch menu as...

Quaint little pub tucked away from the High St. Delicious grub.

This place is definitely a hidden gem, we had the grilled chicken and classic beef burger and it was some of the best food we've had. Proper pub atmosphere, love that it's dog friendly too :-)

Brilliant pub with Great warm and friendly staff. Nice garden for the warmer weather. Great food menu the pizzas are as good as any pizza place.

Lovely friendly pub with open fire and leather sofas to relax in. Charming library styled snug at one end. Only lost one star because they don't sell gluten free beer but will be heading back there.

Nice to see the management of this establishment are scruffy and unkept, the landlords should be ashamed of this place. Used to be a lovely pub

Good traditional pub. Buzzy atmosphere. Friendly staff and great food. Open log fire just the perfect touch.

Staff so caring and compassionate when serving throughout the wake. Generally speaking it has a fantastic atmosphere with brilliant locals. Lovely ambiance with pleasant chat and food fit for a pub goer. Always warm and welcoming with a decent selection of pints and drinks. Reasonably...

Delicious burgers, great atmosphere!

Very friendly staff and a very nice pint.

Great pub, nice food, friendly service.

We selected this place on the basis of its website menu, only to find it wasn’t up to date and some vital things were not on offer. I am a pescatarian and the only fish on offer was in batter. Eventually, the cook was prepared to pan fry some fish for me and it was very pleasant, especially the sauce. The vegetables were too al dente, but that seems to be commonplace nowadays. Two of out party ordered roast beef. What appeared were steaks which were either a slice off the horns or so tough as to be almost inedible. We had to ask for Steak knives and horseradish sauce which should have been automatic. We also had to ask for other cutlery and condiments. The staff were very friendly but not very switched on. The roast potatoes might have looked at the fat but otherwise could have passed for boiled potatoes. My husband had to leave his steak as it was too tough to chew. The dessert was a generous helping of cheesecake but, again, the biscuit base was very tough and required extra cutlery which had to be requested. The coffee was a muddle. Weak latte was requested and strong black coffee appeared. My husband likes strong coffee but mine was too strong for him and I like coffee as weak as is humanly possible. Seeing that the prices were £1- £2 more expensive than other local pubs, I considered we got a bad deal and we won’t be going there again.

Great service and the American waffles were sooo good. Plus you have to try these gins. .

Fantastic food and place to relax and eat

The meal arrived with a large Yorkshire pudding hiding what underneath goodness knows. There were two tiny carrots on my plate and some Brussel sprouts which could have been mistaken for mushrooms as they were discoloured. When asking for some more vegetables, we were told...

Pizza and young man serving today was fantastic! Thank you we will be back. We have to take up 100 words to submit hopefully this will doooooooooooooooooooo

Food was amazing definitely come back 🤤

We went with my son and daughter in law and sat in the garden. We had the most amazing pizzas. The best base I have tasted ever. Lovely place and great food. 5+

Good food, good beer and good staff. Need I say more ?

We went here with the kids, dogs and Grandad. The food was good, they offered a range to suit all tastes, the also offered to adapt the meals to cater for a little one who is a bit choosy. The dogs give it a paws up also as the chef gave them some ham!

Lovely little place to enjoy a lunch, and a drink.

Good service, didn't have to wait long to be served at my table

Nice pub garden, staff are always friendly and beer is cold.

Lovely pub, great food and drink, lovely atmosphere 😊😊😊

Really liked this friendly pub has a nice vibe about it,