Cheap eats in Reading under $10
8 spots where you can eat well for under $10, tested against the students and office workers who eat here every day.
Bao buns and noodles at a Reading counter-service restaurant
The under-$10 lunch shortlist
Wokyko on Friar Street: bao and noodle bowls $8-10, honest Chinese counter food. Bhel Puri House on London Road: vegetarian Indian, thali plates $9, been serving Reading for 30 years. Kungfu Kitchen inside the Oracle food court: hand-pulled noodle soup $9. Mama's Cafe on Oxford Road: full English breakfast $10. Kansas Fried Chicken (not KFC) on Oxford Road: 2-piece chicken and chips $7. Warings bakery on Kings Road: sausage roll and coffee $6.
Ethnic corridors and student staples
Oxford Road west of the station is Reading's cheap-eats spine — Turkish, Nepali, Caribbean, Polish, Somali. The Turkish grills (Efes, Mangal) do a lamb doner wrap for $8. Momo Grill does 10 Nepalese dumplings for $9. Perky Peacock on Queen Victoria Street does Nepali/Indian street food, $8 for a big plate. Around the University of Reading in Earley, the SU shops and Purple Turtle do student-priced sandwiches and hot boxes under $7 during term time.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before they set off on this one.
Wokyko or Bhel Puri House — both under $10 for a satisfying plate, both consistently good.
Yes, during the day and evening. It's Reading's most diverse restaurant strip. Late-night walk-back is where people feel less comfortable, not the restaurants.
Yes at Wokyko, Bhel Puri House, and most Oxford Road grills. Booking not usually needed.
Warings bakery, Wokyko, the Oracle food court, Sweeney and Todd for pies ($8), and Chennai Dosa on Queen's Walk.
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