A little on the spendy side, but well worth it if you want a great Italian meal. I've walked past this place dozens of times, but it wasn't until I had a craving for it that I decided to give it a try. They probably don't get a whole lot of walk-in traffic because it's down a long alleyway between Oxford Road and the Hexagon Theatre. Welcomed warmly by the (manager? owner?), I was brought to a table with a lovely view of the restaurant and the massive wine racks. But wine wasn't what I wanted today and I went with a pint of Italian Peroni beer. When it was delivered, the manager started to tell me about the specials when I interrupted him. The starter he mentioned - thin sliced parma ham with melon and fresh figs - sounded so appealing that I knew I had to have it. And when he started listing the mains, it was the scalloped veal that caught my attention. The ham was fantastic. Simply amazing. With the sweet melon and the soft figs, I cleared my plate down the glaxing. And the veal! OMG, so much garlic and so much flavor. I was tearing off pieces of bread and chasing the last few bits around the plate to get all of it. Simply heavenly. An excellent, excellent meal. If you're looking for a romantic date night or perhaps entertaining business colleagues, Pepe Sale is the place for you. Truly magnificent! read more

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This Sardinian restaurant is one that I passed last time I was in Reading, but I judged the book by its cover and decided to pass since it was located in a semi sketch "alley" and nobody was in the restaurant. Well this time around our host planned a group dinner there and had good things to say about the restaurant. There were 11 of us and we were immediately seated when we arrived. The waters came right away and throughout the evening our servers were very attentive. I started with the antipasti plate that had meats and cheese and it was really good. For my main I ordered the chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with mozzarella and it was amazing. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor. The food was great and all my colleagues enjoyed their meals as well. The only annoying thing was that the server kept correcting our pronunciation of every menu item. None of us tried to pretend we were Italian and did our best to pronounce it, but he was kind of being a jerk in his reprimanding of our poor language. But even with that annoyance, I'd go back when I'm in Reading. read more

Pepe Sale - Antipasto plate - Italian Near Me - Reading, RDG

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A good restaurant in a hard-to-find spot. The food is good, with a chef making fresh pasta up front. The owner is friendly and makes the rounds talking to the patrons. It's not too expensive, not too loud, and generally just what I was looking for after a day of meetings and travel. Definitely try the seadas for dessert. I guess you can't go wrong with a fried pastry covered in honey, but still, it's pretty good. read more

Yelp reviews did not disappoint. Had an exceptional meal for 6. Marco the waiter was spot on with the recommendations. Service excellent food and prices were good. This is real deal Italian, pardon me Sardinian Italian Every dish was excellent read more

Its been a few years since I was here but I'll never forget it. I was travelling on business and this place was right next to our hotel. It was also the only place we could find in the area that we thought was good. Loved all the dishes we ate over the few days we were there. They even let us behind the bar to show them how to make a Long Island iced tea. If I'm ever back in the UK I'll be sure to go again. It was a pleasure. read more

Had a great meal for 19 of us. Toni Sale and his team took good care of us all. Excellent veggie options and he chose perfect wine pairings. Sardinian food was spot on . Well done pepe sale. read more

Brilliant!!! The staff here are fantastically friendly, but manage to strike the right balance without being overtly attentive. I had a birthday meal here and the staff really added something to the evening. The food is fantastic and authentic Italian. Not cheap mind. But you do get what you pay for read more

We had a great meal tonight. The service was excellent with the head waiter in charge of the orders and the conversation and a whole team backing him up. (Typical Italian fashion) The food was good too. I had the fish cooked in salt and filleted at the table. It was fresh and light just like the one I ate in Sardinia last year. The pasta was terrific as well. Will def be back. read more

I loved that the staff was so friendly and attentive. The pasta was delicious, and the dessert was also pretty good. I didn't have any problems with Pepe Sale and I'm probably going to be back soon. read more

Was a good meal, appetizers - buffalo mozzarella, cold antipasto and salad, all good. Seafood pasta was tasty, a ton of mussels, could have mixed it up with some other seafood, but overall was good. Don't come here if you are in a rush, service is pretty slow. read more

My experience at Pepe Sale was great. It seems that everything from the menu is freshly made from the kitchen. I had the chicken stuffed with salmon which was very tasty. I also had the anti pasta dish as a starter which was tasty. They bring bread for the table but there is a charge per person. We went with a party of 4 without reservations and were quickly seated by the friendly staff. It seems like a family owned business so you don't have a set waiter/waitress for the dinner; more of whomever is available. Service was great as was the food. The tiramisu was great, almost ate the dish it was served on :) The price was fair, not the cheapest but I don't mind paying for good homemade food. I recommend but you may want to phone ahead for a reservation. read more

Excellent restaurant, the Sardinian menu is a refreshing change from the usual familiar Italian fare. The staff are lovely, friendly without being too intrusive. It isn't cheap-we paid £120 for three of us for 3 courses including wine and a couple of coffees (and a lovely liqueur after!) but the food was really good and there is a fixed price menu too.Ideal for a special occasion. I'd recommend it and have been back a couple of times (usually after pay day!) read more

Honestly, expected a bit more from this restaurant. We went there to try their hand made pasta and it was good, but the sause was just bland. The best are the deserts, basil panacotta is delicious read more

Service was great, truly in a class of its own. The food was superb, last time I had Italian food this good was in Italy. Not the cheapest but worth every penny. read more

Mmmmm yum!! Food is soo so so good, really good quality ingredients, nice to go to an independent restaurant, especially in Reading. The staff are so friendly, you really feel like a part of the family, bit expensive but great for a treat!! read more

Nice but very expensive for what you get. I've had far better Italian food elsewhere for half the price.

You would probably not eat at Pepe Sale if you just visited Reading. It is a block down from the High Street, and too far from that magnet of conformity, the Oracle. It is nestled down the back of the execrable Broad Street Mall, but at least within a few steps from the Hexagon. And it still has what must be the original colour scheme from whenever it first opened, long, long ago. But it is by far the best Italian (sorry, Sardinian!) restaurant you will find in the region - easily the top in the Thames Valley, and one that will shame much more expensive London-based restaurants (an observation confirmed by Italian friends). This is a family-owned place (or, more likely, two-family-owned?) so service is personal, and honest. And the food, both savoury and deserts, is simply superb. They will do staples, as well as less common dishes like spaghetti alla bottarga, and their frequent fish specials are excellent. Every Friday and Saturday there is roast pig suckling, and it is common to see return customers booking for this. To top things off, the espresso would embarrass any of the high street brands. read more

I LOVE this place, the food is lovely, the welcome warm and you're made to feel like one of the family. The wine is lovely, too. Yes, it's not cheap, as has been said before, but you get what you pay for if you want quality you have to push the boat out! read more

Authentic Italian food and good service: The soup and pasta I had were delicious. The menu had the right size not too big, not too small with varied and authentic Italian dishes. The waiter was very attentive and courteous. The atmosphere in the restaurant is nice but not posh. read more

Quality food, different from all the rest warm greeting knowledgeable staff always made to feel welcome. Worth a try if your fed up with pretend Italian food. read more

Lovely little place, worth a visit! Food is fresh and good healthy portions. Bit hidden and not on any regular walk ways so if you don't know it's there it wouldn't be a place to look. Having said that it says something about their reputation that's its hard to find but still gets busy. For a nice romantic meal put it on your list. read more