We had planned to have an afternoon tea at this lovely little café while visiting Newbury. We…read moredecided to go for a quick lunch, a couple days before the planned afternoon tea. Well, it was a good thing we did, since we didn't get to go back for afternoon tea... Just as the name suggests, it is located right by the canal. It was very picturesque, peaceful and relaxing. They also have seating upstairs, and had histories on the canal, with photos posted all around the wall. Their cakes looked amazing, but I decided not to order any dessert on this day. Yes I know, a big mistake! Our friend ordered Heavenly Hot Chocolate, and it looked so pretty! We went with Teashop House Blend Tea, and Earl Grey. The young boy who brought the teas (I hear this is a family-run business) was trying to very careful not to mix them up. But the funny thing was, he totally mixed the tea up! LOL. We didn't realize until half way through... I thought the House Blend tea tasted so much like Earl Grey. For lunch, we had Ham, Cheese & Chutney Sandwich and Eggs Benedict. They were both tasty, nice portion, and filling. Our friend went with something healthier, and ordered one of their vegan sandwiches. It is nice to have that option if you want or need vegan dish. We had a nice quick lunch here. It was adorable and cozy. The food was good, not amazing, but good. I think the sweets might be better than the actual food...I will never know, unless I go back! Lesson learned: don't never expect your plan to go just the way you planned them...and have your dessert first!

I love this cafe It's a wonderful location; you can sit along the canal watching the swans, the…read morebaked goodies are delicious, the staff friendly and the cafe itself is quaint with beautiful painted china dotted around

This little eartery is a great place to eat at any time of day. The full English breakfast is…read moreexactly what you need to see you through the day, while the authentic Italian menu makes for the perfect lunch or dinner. The staff are friendly, the music is at a mild level, and the decor make you feel like you're on holidaying in Italy.

This is a lovely little place and the original coffee shop in town…read more It's small and cramped - but that's all good. It lends to the atmosphere, and the hustle and bustle make you feel part of the family. Unlike Starbucks and Bloc, you can order real food here. Unlike the two chains, you will also come out with some change in your pocket. The location is great - central to the town and, despite the mega-corps massing on their flanks, this place shows no sign of closing down, slowing down or ever being anything other than packed to the rafters with punters. Definitely worth a visit if you're in town.

Without a doubt, one of the best cups of coffee I've had since arriving in Reading (other than my…read moreown at home, of course), Workhorse is truly all about the coffee. Technically a chain (because there are now two of them), this is a very small independent player, competing on Reading's "coffee corner" with six other shops within 100 yards (Starbucks, Costa, Coffee Republic, West Cornwall Pasty, Pret and the one-off independent Picnic). This location of Workhorse (the other is in West Reading) is in the historic King George Hotel, believed to be one of the very oldest buildings in Reading and dates back to 1423. The shop is a completely unique split-level and since they only opened recently, is still quaintly hand finished. Certainly a nicer character than the cookie cutter Starbucks. If the competition is only about the coffee and the service, Workhorse wins hands down. Choosing my beans (eight little tubs of Guatemalan, Ethiopian, Kenyan and more I can't recall), they were ground right then and there, put into a one-off drip filter and hand watered into my coffee cup. Talk about fresh! And the food choices are all local, which made my ham, chorizo and cheese ciabatta completely guilt-free. The guy serving me was happy to talk coffee. He was particularly engaging regarding their style of coffee making as well as my thoughts on french press. He didn't get drawn into comparisons with "the other guys" across the street. (Literally, across the street - you can see their bright green banner in the window in my picture!) All of that would be worth five stars, but I have to take one back because sadly, there is no free wireless available in the shop. As I read online, that's not the demographic of customer they want to reach. That's okay. Since that's the market I'm in, I'll pop in for great coffee but it won't be my hangout.

Sunday morning find here in Reading in a quaint spot located at The George Hotel. Ordered an…read moreAmericano with cream. Wow, flush with flavour and taste, just the right amount of bitterness. The coffee bean selection looks exceptional and looking forward to repeated visits.

A great place to meet up with friends over a cup of coffee, lunch or afternoon tea. Pleasant staff…read morewho have never made me feel rushed and who are willing to assist when asked.

When I got there I found out it shuts before the advertised time on the web. When I pointed this…read moreout the waitress didn't care a jot even though I pointed out this could be very disappointing for customers coming from out of the area. I have several food intolerances so when asking about the ingredients in their homemade cakes I got a message back via the waitress that she can't guarantee the cakes were free from what I was intolerant to. As people with food intolerances are always ending up having to go without gorgeous food, I asked if I could have more detail of what was in the cakes so I could make a decision on what it was I could or couldn't eat, just in case there was something I could have. This was very obviously an inconvenience to the waitress and the manager who had baked them. She tried again to say she couldn't guarantee anything because obviously this was the quickest way to solve the issue for herself, but after explaining that I'd like to try to see if there was something I could eat, it was again very plain that I was wasting her time. It was late afternoon and they weren't busy, so I would have appreciated a couple of minutes of her time without the attitude. After finding out there was indeed a piece of cake I could eat, I sat down to enjoy it only to be served it with more attitude by the waitress. If she could have got away with grunting at me I sure she would have! I unfortunately had to ask for a pot of hot water as the tea didn't come with one, and AGAIN got a look saying 'are you bothering me again?!'. Cleanliness was also not great with tea-stained table clothes, dying roses on the table, and also dust on the teapot holding the roses which was next to an open sugar bowl which no doubt had the same amount of dust in it! Also, amazingly, a dog walking around the kitchen area with it's bed behind the serving counter!! (Yes, I am about to inform environmental health dept!!) Lastly, my table was being cleared before I had finished. I did notice however, that the other table still in there didn't have their table touched, so I'm guessing that was a touch of nastiness from the waitress also. I was there looking for a place to take 18-20 friends for my birthday which is coming up soon as we fancied a gorgeous afternoon tea, but we will definitely be going somewhere else after that experience!

What an awesome tea room! Literally on the Thames!…read more 7 of us booked a table for brunch and were not disappointed! This is quite a big barge and seats about 20 people comfortably, offering a great range of cream teas, sandwiches, breakfasts and drinks. A little quaint, traditional barge tea shop. The cups and saucers are just fabulous and the coffee mugs are varied - all adding to the variety and experience of this wonderful place. The tea is served in leaf form so you have your own strainer, which is really cool! I opted for a full breakfast today which was just right! Unfortunately they had ran out of bacon but I got an extra sausage for that! Locally sourced food which was cooked perfectly from the kitchen you can see at the end of the barge. All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, offering their advice and explaining the food options as well. The service was excellent and relaxed. The most important part of finishing the meal is the separation of the bill, especially in a group. However they offered to spilt this and each of us pay separately, this worked great! Overall, this is place is highly recommended for anytime of the day, relaxing on the Thames, in wonderful surroundings, watching the swans swim by.

How am I the first to add this to Yelp? What an outstanding find. It's a small barge moored along…read morethe Thames. Great tea, food, service, and atmosphere! Highly highly recommend...

This is a gorgeous cafe located in an old house in the village of Nettlebed. It's hugely popular at…read morelunchtime so please be prepared to wait a bit to be served. It's a nicely done up place with an open counter to order from. There are seats for about 30 people in here and it was packed the whole time we were there. They have a blackboard menu that changes regularly. Breakfast is served until 11 and then, you have a small choice of lunch items on the menu, and prepared salads and other items from the counter to select. I had the large salad which was a mix of three different salads, and it was excellent. The pumpkin salad was exquisite, as was the Asian salad. Fresh ingredients, beautifully cooked and dressed. The flavour was amazing and I loved it. I also had a savory Bombay potato scone which was good. For dessert we shared a lemon drizzle cake and a coffee and walnut cake, both divine. Everyone enjoyed their meal and there was plenty for vegetarians to choose from as well. Staff are very friendly albeit quite busy and prices are reasonable. We had a decent lunch including cakes and coffee for about £40 for 3 people. I would happily come here again anytime. It's a great place in the area for weekend brunch or lunch.

Very nice and clean…read more Good soup and breads, deserts was excellent . Nice place for good heathy lunch barn looking building

This is a warm friendly family run business that serves excellent English breakfast and other hot…read moresandwiches etc. Thoroughly recommended

Adorable little coffee shop. My friend and I were lucky enough to pop in on the day they were…read morereopening (they had been burgled a fortnight previously, but luckily community spirit and a good crowdfunding campaign put them right back on track) and we ended up getting our drinks for free because of this, but I would happily have paid their prices, so I left a few coins in the charity pot and will definitely be going again. The decor is quirky and retro without being unnecessarily hipster, and they do cream teas and all sorts of yummies. Quick service, friendly staff, and a really cute (but small and easy to miss) spot for afternoon tea or brunch.

Good hearty breakfast, with options for all. Outdoor…read moreseating available. Clean and spacious.

Great place and the staff is heavenly and beautiful!! Service is happy and prompt. Who could ask…read morefor more???

My wife, daughter and I stopped by this place to grab a quick, light breakfast before walking…read morearound the beautiful village of Bourton-on-the-water and it was very good. It was busy, so you could tell that it is a popular spot. It is set on the river that runs through the village so you can enjoy your breakfast while the water slowly flows by you. This area and the cafe are beautiful. The staff were very nice, friendly and helpful. Even though they were very busy, they showed no signs of being annoyed or overwhelmed. They seemed genuinely happy you were there and eager to make sure you were happy with your stay. We ordered the sausage rolls and a Cornish pastry and they were very good. I'm sure there are a lot of amazing restaurants in the place, but you would not go wrong stoping by here to grab a coffee and a bite to eat.

Cinnamon roll and your brownie was, brownie, very and pineapple, fruit smoothies, or all just OKread more

We had a lovely family afternoon tea here. There is so much food you can't possibly eat it all!…read more The finger sandwiches were moist and tasty. The scones were lovely and the cakes and tarts... well, where on earth do you start?? The tea was good - we all had good old English breakfast. We did ask for more hot water, which did not materialize, but I think we were all done by then anyway. They will pack up the left-overs for you to take home without any fuss. They also have a nice little gift shop. Parking might be a challenge if school is in session and about to let out as there is only street parking and a school across the road.