The 8 best Thames-side pubs near Reading, ranked
Beer garden overlooking the Thames at a middle Thames pub
Eight riverside pubs within 30 minutes of Reading, ordered by the day I’d want to spend there.
1. The Beetle and Wedge, Moulsford
The Beetle and Wedge sits directly on the river at Moulsford, ten miles upstream from Reading, and it has the best pub garden on the middle Thames — a proper lawn running to the water, moorings for arrivals by boat, and a boathouse dining room that gets golden-hour light from about 6pm in July. Mains £18-24, book at least a week ahead for weekend lunches.
The cooking is honest gastropub — steaks, fish, a decent Sunday roast at £23. What earns it top spot is the setting: the river is wide here, boats pass through slowly, and the far bank is undeveloped meadow. Combine with a Thames Path walk from Cholsey station (three miles) and you have a perfect summer Sunday. Drive time from Reading 20 minutes; parking on-site for diners.
2. The Bull, Sonning
The Bull sits at the heart of Sonning village, 200 yards from the Thames and directly opposite the church. It's a black-and-white timber building from the 15th century, low-beamed, with a courtyard garden that fills by 12.30pm on summer Sundays. Mains £16-22. The Sunday roast (£26 for the beef, £22 for the pork) is one of the best in the region and books three weeks ahead.
George Clooney lives up the road (allegedly drops in occasionally, no one cares). What matters is the food, the ale (Fuller's, kept properly), and the atmosphere, which is genuinely local rather than tourist-facing despite the Thames Path bringing walkers through daily. Bus 4 from Reading (12 minutes) or a 25-minute cycle along the towpath.
3. The Flowerpot, Aston
The Flowerpot is 500m from Hambleden Lock on the Thames Path near Henley, and it's the walking-boots pub of the region. The garden runs to a paddock with peacocks; the interior is unreconstructed 1890 with hunting prints and a proper snug. Pies from £15, ploughman's £13, a decent Sunday roast at £19. Brakspear ale, kept well.
This is the pub to aim for at the end of the Henley-to-Hambleden Thames Path walk (3 miles from Henley bridge). Get there before 1pm on Sundays or you won’t get a table. Dogs welcome inside, kids welcome in the garden, boots welcome anywhere. Twenty-five minutes' drive from Reading, or Henley station plus the walk.
4. The Miller of Mansfield, Goring
The Miller of Mansfield sits in Goring village, 100m from the Thames and the same distance from the station. It's the closest thing to a Michelin-adjacent pub in this list — cooking is proper (£24-32 mains, tasting menu available), the rooms upstairs are boutique-hotel standard (£180+ a night), and the wine list is serious. Booking essential; two weeks for weekends.
Not the pub for a boots-and-beer walking lunch — the Perch and Pike at South Stoke does that better within the same village. But for a proper Sunday lunch or a special-occasion dinner with the river ten minutes' walk away, this is the pick. Train from Reading to Goring (12 minutes, £5.10) makes it walkable-in-heels rather than driveable-only.
5. The Angel on the Bridge, Henley
The Angel sits at the town end of Henley Bridge with a terrace over the water — the most obvious river-view pub in the region and, for once, the obvious answer is the right one. Pints £6, mains £15-22, a decent burger at £16. The terrace is 40 covers and fills fast on any sunny weekend; get there before 12.30pm or after 3pm.
During regatta week the Angel is impossible — book two months ahead or don’t try. The rest of the summer works fine. Sunset from the terrace facing west up the river is one of the great free experiences in the region. Henley station is a five-minute walk. Trains back to Reading every 30 minutes until 22:30 weekdays.
6. The Perch and Pike, South Stoke
Not directly on the Thames — 300m up from the towpath — but earns its place because the cooking is better than anywhere else on this list at this price point. Two-week-ahead booking for Sundays, £22 roast, seasonal menu with proper game in autumn, proper asparagus in May. The dining room is unfussy; the pub side takes walkers in boots without a second look.
Combine with a Thames Path walk from Goring or from Cholsey — the pub sits between the two stations on the Oxfordshire bank. Fifteen minutes' drive from Reading. This is the pub I recommend when someone asks for the honest Thames-side Sunday roast that isn’t priced for the country-house market.
7. The Swan, Streatley
The Swan sits on the Berkshire bank of the Thames directly under Goring Bridge, with a garden that runs to the water and moorings for arrivals by boat. It's part of a hotel (rooms from £180) but the pub is properly a pub — cask ale, honest menu, mains £16-22. The garden is bigger than it looks and catches evening sun.
Combine with Streatley Hill (400 feet of climb, half a mile up) for a proper walk-and-pub afternoon. Or arrive by train at Goring & Streatley station and walk down (five minutes). Sunday roasts book a week ahead. Not the best food on this list — that's the Miller across the bridge — but the best river-side terrace on this stretch.
8. The Pack Horse, Mapledurham
Small, out of the way, and a proper village pub rather than a destination — but Mapledurham itself is the closest properly rural Thames village to Reading (four miles) and the Pack Horse is the pub you end up at. Menu is short (£14-19 mains), ale is well-kept, the garden is small but the surroundings are worth the visit.
Combine with a walk to Mapledurham Lock and House (National Trust-ish, Saturdays and Sundays April-September, £9). Or a Thames Path walk from Caversham Bridge along the north bank (3.5 miles). Eighth on the list because the food is honest-good rather than exceptional and the setting isn’t directly on the water, but it's the closest to Reading and the least touristy of the eight.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Caversham.
The Bull at Sonning for the setting and the traditional beef (£26); the Perch and Pike at South Stoke for the honest-value roast (£22) and cooking that's arguably better; the Miller of Mansfield at Goring for the special-occasion Sunday (£28-32). Book all three at least a week ahead.
The Bull at Sonning (bus 4 from Reading), the Angel on the Bridge and any Henley pub (train to Henley), the Miller of Mansfield and the Swan at Streatley (train to Goring), and the Beetle and Wedge (train to Cholsey plus a walk). The Flowerpot needs a walk from Henley or a taxi.
The Flowerpot at Aston — the whole pub is set up for walkers and no one bats an eye at wet dogs and muddy boots. The Perch and Pike is similarly boots-friendly. The Miller of Mansfield and the Beetle and Wedge are less so — you can eat there in walking gear but you’ll feel it, especially in the dining rooms.
