The 8 best country pubs near Reading, ranked
A thatched country pub with a beer garden and hanging flower baskets near Reading
Eight country pubs within 25 minutes of Reading, ranked on food, atmosphere, beer garden and drive-out-again factor.
1. The Bottle and Glass, Binfield Heath
Thatched, low-beamed, 15th-century pub in a lane off the road between Reading and Henley. Recently taken over and cooking at a proper restaurant level without losing the pub soul: dry-aged beef sirloin £28, whole plaice £24, and a bar snacks menu (Scotch egg, cured meats, sourdough) that lets you drop in for a pint and a plate without committing to dinner. Wine list has depth, cask ale is well kept, and the beer garden runs down a slope with proper views.
Ranks first because it's the best food-plus-atmosphere combination within 15 minutes of Reading, and the room itself is one of the prettiest pub interiors in the south of England. Book two weeks ahead for weekend dinners, one week for lunch. Not the place for six mates and a rowdy Friday; is the place for a considered lunch, an anniversary, or a Sunday roast that isn’t at a chain gastropub. Take a car or a taxi — no useful bus.
2. The Bull, Sonning
Sixteenth-century timber-framed pub on Sonning's church lane, currently the best-known destination pub within a Reading bus ride. Fuller's-owned, so the beer is reliable rather than exciting, but the food menu is genuinely good — small plates £7-12, mains £18-26, and a Sunday roast that ranks first on any local list. The garden overlooks the churchyard and the walk down to the Thames from the pub takes three minutes.
Ranks second because it's the pub visitors will remember, and because bus 4 from Reading Broad Street drops you 100 metres away, so you can drink. The catch is that summer weekends are permanently booked and the tourist crowd knows about it. Weekday lunches are the sweet spot — quiet room, full menu, no rush. Combine with the Thames Path walk to Shiplake or a wander round Sonning village afterwards.
3. The Pot Kiln, Frilsham
Fifteen minutes' drive west of Reading, in a wood at the end of a lane, and famous locally for game — the landlord is a working game chef and the venison, pheasant and wild boar are all shot within a few miles. £22 for the venison main, £18 for the game pie, £6 for a proper Scotch egg with game meat inside. Cask ale from West Berkshire Brewery next door.
Ranks third because the food is genuinely distinctive — you’re not eating this menu at any chain — and the setting in the woods is atmospheric year-round. Winter is arguably better than summer here; log fires, game season in full swing, and the drive out through the Berkshire lanes in autumn is a bonus. Book, especially in October to January. No public transport realistically — car or taxi (£30 each way from Reading).
4. The Baskerville, Shiplake
On the road between Reading and Henley, five minutes' walk from Shiplake station. Proper gastropub food — beef from a named Oxfordshire farm, seasonal menu that changes properly rather than tweaking captions, mains £16-24. Two dining rooms, a big garden, dogs welcome, and a genuine local following as well as the visitor crowd.
Ranks fourth because the food is consistently very good and the train access is unusually easy — Shiplake is on the Henley branch, 20 minutes from Reading via Twyford. Book for weekend meals; walk-ins on weekday lunchtimes usually work. The garden is the seat in summer, the front room by the fire is the seat in winter. Not cheap but honest value for the cooking.
5. The Bull Inn, Stanford Dingley
Fifteen minutes west of Reading in a village that time genuinely forgot, the Bull is a proper unmodernised country pub — flagstone floors, low ceilings, real fire, cask ale from the barrel, no music, no screens. Food is honest pub cooking rather than gastro: pie of the day £15, ham egg and chips £13, ploughman's £11. Small menu, done well, changes weekly.
Ranks fifth because the food ceiling isn’t as high as the top four, but the atmosphere is unbeatable if you want a proper old English country pub without pretension. The walk from the pub down to the Pang and along the water meadows is 20 minutes each way and a perfect pre-lunch stretch. Combine with the Boot at Stanford Dingley (five minutes away) for a two-pub crawl.
6. The Flowing Spring, Playhatch
Ten minutes from Reading by car, off the road to Sonning Common. Two rooms, no frills, run by the same family for over twenty years. Food is straightforward pub cooking — burgers, pies, Sunday roast £17 — but the pub itself is a category winner: dogs welcome, kids welcome, chickens in the garden, treehouse for the children, and a genuine landlord-remembers-you welcome.
Ranks sixth because the food is honest rather than remarkable, but the whole experience is worth the drive. Cask ale from a rotating list of small brewers, kept properly, and the pub sometimes has folk music sessions on Sunday afternoons. Small enough that you can hear conversations from the next table, which some will love and some won’t. Bring cash — card works but the vibe is old-school.
7. The Bell, Waltham St Lawrence
Community-owned pub in a village 15 minutes east of Reading, saved from closure a decade ago by the villagers who now run it as a cooperative. Food is confident modern pub cooking (mains £14-20), beer is proper cask, and the room is a beautiful timber-framed medieval building that predates the reformation. Small garden, big fires, honest wine list.
Ranks seventh because the community ownership shows in the atmosphere — locals actually drink here, staff are engaged, and the whole operation feels invested in rather than corporate. Combine with a walk in the surrounding lanes or a drive on to Henley. Book for Sunday lunch; weekday evenings usually walk in. One of the few local pubs where you’ll feel like you’ve properly escaped the M4 corridor.
8. The Miller of Mansfield, Goring
Bordering on restaurant-with-rooms rather than pub, but the bar area does keep proper cask ale and a shorter menu at lunch. Head chef has serious credentials, mains £24-32, and the tasting menu is £75 and worth it once. Not somewhere you’d drop into for a casual pint, but if you’re walking the Goring Gap or planning a considered meal it's the best cooking on this list.
Ranks eighth because it's not really a country pub any more — it's a restaurant with a bar attached — but it belongs on the list because it's the best food within striking distance of Reading and it does justify the drive or train (Goring station, 15 minutes from Reading, five-minute walk from the door). Stay overnight if you can; the rooms are the best in the area outside Henley.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Sonning.
The Bull at Sonning (bus 4 from Broad Street) and the Baskerville at Shiplake (train to Shiplake via Twyford) are the two easy car-free options. The Miller at Goring is a five-minute walk from Goring station. Everything else on this list realistically needs a car or a £20-30 taxi each way from Reading.
The Bottle and Glass for views and design, the Flowing Spring for family-friendliness and quirky details (the treehouse, the chickens), the Bull at Sonning for size and the churchyard backdrop. Avoid the Bull's garden on regatta weekends or summer Sundays after 1pm when it fills up completely.
Yes, all eight welcome dogs in the bar and most in at least part of the dining room. The Flowing Spring, Bull Inn Stanford Dingley and Baskerville are the most dog-focused, with water bowls, treats and half the tables occupied by a labrador on a Sunday. Call ahead to confirm dining-room dog policy at the Bottle and Glass and Miller of Mansfield.
The Bull at Sonning for the classic English country pub experience with easy transport, or the Bottle and Glass for the best food. If you want the pub that will most surprise a visitor who thinks they know English pubs, take them to the Pot Kiln in the woods and order the venison. Winter is the best season for that particular decision.
