Without a doubt, one of the best cups of coffee I've had since arriving in Reading (other than my own 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. read more

WorkHouse Coffee Company - King Street, aka "Coffee Corner" in Reading - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Reading, RDG

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Sunday morning find here in Reading in a quaint spot located at The George Hotel. Ordered an Americano 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. read more

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I came here visiting from California and was seriously in the need of some coffee to satisfy my caffeine fix. I was absolutely enamored when I came to visit this cute little coffee shop in the town center. I ordered a mocha latte from here, and it became my daily order during my vacation. Go here for a very cute, intimate coffee shop. read more

I love independents especially when they are opposite Starbucks! This one is great. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and today (Saturday) the place is busy busy busy, a really nice place to come More here: http://www.learningtolivehere.com/2011/11/workhouse-coffee-shop/ read more

Great price, super friendly staff, and a nice explanation of the different types of coffee they have! I had an unsweetened iced latte with Kenyan coffee and my husband had an Ethiopian double espresso. Easily the best coffee we've had during our travels in England! read more

WorkHouse Coffee Company - Iced latte - already drank half on the way to the train! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Reading, RDG

Great coffee and atmostphere. Wished they took cards though.

GOSH WHC you took some finding! Your website hides your 2nd location, and I could only remember your abbreviations! But, I do like to think of myself as a modern day lazy Sherlock Holmes, so finally I prevailed. I had an entire day to kill in Reading waiting for an interview, and would you believe, I couldn't find a single coffee shop? Well, OK, I lost the entire town centre for a short while... and when I found it again, I found all the coffee shops clustered together in one happy little caffeine-saturated party central, but a little chalkboard sitting out on the street proclaimed 'WHC'. So in I went. It's a lovely little cafe, run by lovely people. I had two vanilla lattes, although I think the first one lacked the vanilla part, the second was fantastic (think the first barista is still learning the tricks of her trade). Really pleasant, and didn't hassle me about dragging out my drinks for long as physically possible (OK a couple of looks but I can stand that). Good and tasty coffee at compettive prices. Go try! read more

That's the best cappuccino I have had in some time. Creamy all the way through a medium size cup, and nice espresso flavor, too. The soon and the wifey were happy with theirs as well. We had a ham-and-cheese and a salmon bagel to accompany the coffees, and they were also great. Easy five stars (and I don't give out a lot of those). read more

It's nice to visit an independent coffee shop, rather than a huge chain. The food is nice and the atmosphere is great. This is helped by showing some of local artist Anne Wilson's on the walls, which are available to buy. I would prefer if all of the cakes were home made, as I think the cheesecake is bought in. read more

The WorkHouse Coffee Company serves world class coffee on a corner crowded by the horrible coffee chains.

If you wanted proof that Reading (a.k.a. "Outer London") is moving towards being a civilised place to live, Workhouse could be Court's Evidence No 1. Excellent espresso, a great selection of cakes and the like (including sausage rolls that can defeat a teenager's appetite), and a good chance of finding a table to sit. To top it off, the staff are genuinely polite, not "trained" by some corporate manual. read more

Stopped by yesterday, to drink a kenyan V60. They have a huge selection of beans, and the barista was very informative regarding the beans' profiles. His description of the Kenyan was spot on: wine like body, with red berry flavours. If you are in Reading, this is the place to have your coffee. read more

I like the ciabatta with cheese and ham and a strong cofee- this is a video of how they make the coffees so strong.. http://youtu.be/HI1L4ds4NKU read more

I had this place on my radar for a while and I wish I hadn't waited so long to visit! It's a great place that I hope to visit again!! Staff were friendly and very easy to talk too! Like old friends! The blondies I tried was delicious and my iced latte was refreshing! More here..... http://www.unitedcakedom.com/2012/07/workhouse-coffee-company-reading.html read more

I really wanted to like this place, but at £5 for a sandwich with a stark lack of vegetarian choices and painfully slow and disinterested service, I was disappointed. By all means, go here for coffee, but I can't recommend the food. read more

You haven't tasted feel coffee in Reading unless you have been into this place, Always a nice smile from the staff and a welcoming hello as soon as you walk though the door at the King George Hotel right in the town center.. The Staff are barking mad about the stuff they make and each cup is made as if it's the last cup of coffee on earth a real change from the other coffee shops in my home town. I rate WorkHouse the number one coffee shop and if any of the staff are reading this Thank you and keep up with what you are doing..Your a real Danger to the general public as drinking the finest in town makes you drink more of it my usual one cup and run now ends up with two cups and staying longer LOL read more

I have only been there twice and i have to admit the coffee is nice but the stuff (specifically the manager) has been unacceptably rude to me and my friends. After sitting down for an hour she kicked us out asking us not to come back ever again. The reason being that we been occupying too many sits (we were six). I have never been thrown out from a place and this has been a very bad experience. I have already reported this to the Customer Focus and have told everyone i know about this. Definitely i am never stepping foot again in this place. I am not going to let this go away like nothing happened. read more

I get a coffee from Workhouse on my way to work sometime. It feels good to support when you see the terrible chains Starbucks and Costa across the way. Apart from that...the coffee is great! The people are great! read more

Brilliant coffee. Real coffee. No process chain homogenised burnt offerings. This is the real macoy... run by real people - and you can see the passion for what they do 'steaming' from them! It's the best bit about Coffee Junction in Reading. Vive la independent!!! Jules read more

My favourite coffee shop in Reading, friendly staff (although often more than they need), good coffee and fresh food. Finally a proper coffee shop in Reading read more

My friend and I went to the coffee shop with her child and on leaving she tasted her americano only to find it was too weak for her liking, she reluctantly went back and asked them to make a stronger one or add a shot to her drink and was stunned when the oldest Barista (assuming he might've been the manager) refused as it was fine as it was and meant to be like that. He then went on about the legal caffeine requirement, temperature, type of coffee and accused us of walking off with free coffee ( we were holding our pre-bought takeaway cups), said she'd used the water (which is in jugs for customers) and how she'd taken the straws (two of them, one dropped by the child). All this in public, in front of her child, and she is one of the most mild mannered people. After the public humiliation he eventually made an Americano with less water which was exactly what she wanted. Please take your custom elsewhere. . or NEVER DARE TO COMPLAIN!! read more