The Poachers Gastro Pub

The Poachers is a delightful fusion of a traditional pub and an authentic Indian restaurant, offering an exceptional dining experience. The atmosphere is both cozy and elegant, with beautifully designed decor that perfectly balances the classic pub feel with vibrant Indian accents. The menu is extensive and diverse, featuring a wide array of Indian and non Indian pub dishes that cater to all tastes. From rich, flavorful curries, freshly baked naan, rustic pizzas to traditional fish and chips, every dish is prepared with high-quality ingredients and authentic spices. The variety of drinks is equally impressive, with a comprehensive selection of beers, wines, and expertly crafted cocktails that complement the cuisine perfectly. What truly sets The Poachers apart is the exceptional service. The staff are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, making you feel welcomed and well-cared for throughout your visit. Additionally, the pub offers high-quality shisha, providing a relaxing and enjoyable experience for those who partake. Overall, The Poachers is a fantastic choice for anyone looking to enjoy delicious food in a warm and inviting setting, complete with excellent service and a great selection of drinks.

We had come for lunch with a family of 3 . We had a warm welcome by staff and got seated to a nice table . Staff were very friendly and did some really good recommendations. I can confirm everything we ordered was fresh and generous portion size . We enjoyed the food so much that also ended up doing a takeaway and the Mix tandoori platter was a best seller . I will be back again with friends and family and it was worth the 60 mile drive from Waterlooville. Poachers Pub also caters to parties and all your needs .

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We really loved the food, the atmosphere, ambience and of course the service given by Ashley and sunny. I would high recommend this place as we had two toddlers and the outdoor seating was perfect for us as a family. The kids food was really tasty. Loved the kids mac n cheese and chicken nuggets with fries and ice cream. The chicken lollipop and malai chicken kebab were delicious. Not forgetting the golden fried prawns. The drinks were really great specially the mocktail as it took away our thirst. Being so foodie i really had a good time specially because the food here served was tasty and delicious as I have tried many places and sometimes you don’t get the same taste that one craves for but the poachers pub will give you the best appetite. The staff really took good care of us and served us smoothly. High appreciation and thanks to Ashley and sunny for their outstanding service. Will definitely look forward seeing you guys soon again. Cheers xx

This is a beautiful pub tucked away . The staff were amazing, so friendly, attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We ate the Paneer curry special which was delicious! Such great value for money too!

Lovely gastro pub Indian food!! Amazing flavours, presentation, and service! Even heard that there was a birthday in the group and brought a cake out for them 😁 We will be back!

A real hidden gem in Reading, this Indian gastro pub perfectly blends authentic Indian flavours with a lively, modern vibe. The food is outstanding – rich curries, sizzling grills, and street-style bites that taste just like home-cooked Indian meals. The ambience strikes the right balance: warm and welcoming, yet buzzing with energy. The big screens and projector add to the atmosphere, whether it’s live football, cricket, or music videos playing in the background – making it just as great for a casual night out with friends as for family dining. Service is friendly, portions are generous, and the drinks menu complements the food beautifully. Highly recommend for anyone who loves authentic Indian cuisine in a fun, relaxed pub setting.

Booked for a quite mid week lunch for our daughters 18th. Just the three of us. Food ordered was chicken ceasar salad , tuna mayo sandwich, chicken takeaway madsala and a couple of portions of chips. Fantastic service from the off and very attentive throughout. Thoughtful and polite. Food was fresh and served perfectly. All arrived at the same time after a comfortable wait and we enjoyed a couple of drinks while waiting. Once we'd had our food the waiter put on some birthday music and they brought out a cute birthday cake and candle for our daughter.. very thoughtful. Great food, good beer and wide variety of choice for all the family. Will definitely be returning. Highly recommend 👌

A real surprise… was expecting a standard gastropub, but walked in to find something distinctly Indian (albeit serving the usual gastropub classics). We decided on sticking to Indian and I can honestly say it was some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. Avocado popcorn chaat to start, with a super rich chicken tikka masala and amazingly spiced lamb biryani for mains. Will go out of my way to come again. Highly recommended 👍🏻 And 50% off on a Monday!!

We had big team dinner last week. The food was spot-on. Starters, Mains and Desserts were all finger licking good. The service we got was second to none and I will be visiting this place more often now. Great work Team Poachers.

We visited this pub yesterday and were honestly surprised by how amazing the food was. The trip was completely unplanned, but we ended up leaving so happy. The standout dish was the lamb curry – absolutely delicious and far better than we expected. Flavourful, tender, and perfectly cooked. Overall, a great experience with great food. We’ll definitely be coming back!

Great food and a lovely ambience in a quiet woodland location. A really cozy place overall. Shout-out to the chef — the food was genuinely excellent. Just one small request to the owners: on Uber Eats, the minimum order value is £20 to order If possible, lowering it to £15 would be great, as many menu items are priced around £15, which would allow more people to order. Other than that, it’s a place with a great vibe. Will definitely visit again and order takeaway food.

The Poachers Gastro Pub Wokingham – A Must-Visit Local Gem The Poachers in Wokingham is a standout gastro pub offering a warm atmosphere, exceptional food, and an impressive drinks selection. Whether you’re after a relaxed pint or a hearty pub meal, this charming spot never disappoints. The menu is packed with classic pub favourites and elevated dishes, all crafted with fresh, quality ingredients. From perfectly cooked steaks to delicious Sunday roasts, every plate is full of flavour and care. The drinks range is equally superb, featuring a wide variety of craft beers, fine wines, real ales, and expertly mixed cocktails – there’s truly something for everyone. The staff are friendly and attentive, adding to the welcoming feel of this Wokingham favourite. If you’re searching for the best gastro pub in Wokingham for great food, top-tier drinks, and a genuine pub atmosphere, The Poachers is a must-visit. A real treasure in the heart of Berkshire.

Lovely meal at the new Poachers Gastropub. Service was fantastic and staff were so friendly. The lady that served us was so sweet with our baby daughter! Food was so yummy, we went for the Indian dishes on the menu and are so glad we did that, we’ve left with full bellies! Loving the face we have a new local and can’t wait to return!

Our 2nd experience at Poachers has been awesome . The food is great and the service is excellent . Our server was Jenny and she was superb . Reading finally has an answer to Dishoom in London .. Goan hospitality of the crew , coupled with a Punjabi cook and English lager .. tough to beat !! Will be back again with a bigger gang. Keep raising the bar Edward and team !

Everything about Poachers is outstanding, but what really sets it apart from others is the way my client who has Alzheimer’s was treated. On our first visit today for lunch, the wonderful staff acknowledged her love of music and dancing and promptly put on 50s music for her to sing along too and danced with her. What a fabulous lunch time she had. Thank you so much, we really didn’t want to leave!!!

We had a superb evening here for our first visit. This is the first pub I have been to in a long time that truly makes you feel welcome, makes the children feel welcome and offers the most delicious Indian food. Nothing was too much trouble. The cocktails are unbelievable….even offered a mocktail off the menu for my niece as pink is her favourite colour! We will 100% be back. Wish we had discovered you sooner!

The Indian food is really authentic with great deal of flavours and aroma. It’s the best Indian meal I had in wokingham for a very long time. I will absolutely return.

Beautiful food and lovely service the best lychee martinis! Great bottomless brunch ! Definitely recommend!

Visited on Valentine’s. The atmosphere was really cheerful despite maybe the music be a little too loud. The service was a bit slow but they were just so busy so not their fault at all. Drinks took a bit to arrive but food was really quick. The food was amazing. I had a kadai paneer with roti which I have been craving throughout my pregnancy and the taste was just spectacular! If I had space in my stomach, I would have ordered another one 😀 My husband had a fish and chips which was huge and came with lots of chips. He said it was better than all the other pubs’ ones. Will definitely visit again!

We had a wonderful experience tonight here. The food quality was great! Specially the chicken lollipop and the fried king fish. The service was excellent as well. We would recommend it to our friends. :)

The £5.50 soup is a life hack. The masala tea is amazing. It’s like a great Indian spot with full on pub decor

Went on Monday 04/11/25 had a great meal with my wife, friendly staff and the Indian food was a different level, first class!! Thanks team great evening. 👌

Best Indian pub in Winnersh area! We had veg and non veg thali for just £10 on Thursday night and the food was yummm! Perfect place for lively music and amazing food.

Amazing food, excellent venue. We were bit skeptical about sitting outside in 14 degrees. But the tent and heaters are wonderful. DJ Ritchie is amazing as always. We had great fun. Thank you

While the food is the highlight of this pub consistently ,one of their biggest USP is the service - polite and considerate with a smile. The atmosphere is petty decent. A bit loud but that's the theme they run with group parties. My all time favourite

Amazing food in a great atmosphere. We loved the place, how it was set up with different areas to enjoy! Well done and thank you.

I have been visiting this place many times and despite the level of spicy/hot chilli flavour, still I'd like to go there, either for a drink, or a full set menu. I found Friday nights not my favourite time, it's very noisy with kids running around tables. But I would like visiting during the week. I would recommend for remote online work space. The staff are attentive, friendly, polite and their foods are absolutely delicious.

Our first visit to this place. The vegetarian food, both starters and mains was very good with the exception of the paneer taco, which was soft. More mains choices would be a plus. Heating too please. We will certainly go back!

The Poachers is at a great location and I've been going there for nearly 40 years, on and off. The service wasn't great today I had to wait at the bar for a bit because there was no staff behind it. Atmosphere could have been better too, but overall it has lots of memories for me. Just could be better.

The service was good, the food came out really quick and tasted good. Good access throughout. The WiFi is free and the signal was ok. Password Reading2023 Thanks for hosting us 👍

I tried the Tandoori Roti, Lahsuni Methi Chicken and Avocado Popcorn Chat and it was so delicious! Loved it, and the spice was according to my taste! Yum! My friends tried Vegetables Biryani, Garlic Naan and Paneer Curry and Chicken Fried Rice and they all liked their food.

Really lovely place, looking forward to trying the garden and outside bar in the summer. If I had to pick something to be wrong it would be that there was salt on the kids meal, which we wouldn't usually give the kids. But that's just if I had to be picky. The food was delicious. We didn't wait long and the service was great.

We had a party of ten. I avoided the curries because I find them too hot and spicy. I did however have the chicken a la forrestier. How delightful. Chicken tender and tasty along with the spinach. I gave four stars because the mash was lukewarm. The staff were polite and obliged a candle on muffin at the end to sing happy birthday to birthday boy. Being ten of us we created our own atmosphere!

I hosted a baby shower here for 15+ (including kids) people. While the food is easily some of the best Indian cuisine in the UK, the service experience was deeply disappointing. We pre-ordered well in advance, yet the food arrived so late that many guests had to leave before eating. When we raised this, the staff was dismissive rather than apologetic. They claimed the delay was because we moved our booking by 40 minutes a few days prior, suggesting they had to "discard and restart" the food -a reasoning that felt like an excuse for being understaffed. We observed only one person managing the bar, taking orders, and serving the entire room. The atmosphere is cozy and parking is ample, but the staff's attitude was a major turn-off. If you are going strictly for the flavors, it's a must-try. However, for a special event or group gathering, I cannot recommend it due to the poor guest handling.

This is less of a Gastropub and more of an Indian restaurant with a couple of other options on the menu. Either way the inside is worse than the outside. The staff were on their phones constantly, brought the wrong dish initially, and forgot one of our sides. Having said all that, the food that my party had was very good.

Food and staff was excellent. Ambience was wonderful. But the Biggest drawback was the PARKING. People had park such badly all over infront of everyone's cars , it was total chaos.

We have been at the poachers before and love the food. However this time we had booked the venue for a baby shower for about 14 people. I would like to call out that the service was really poor. We had preordered our food however starters and kids food took long to arrived.. mains took more that 1.5 hrs to arrived after we gave the go ahead. After repeatedly asking the staff we were told that if we cannot wait for another 10/15 mins, we should leave.. there was just one person manning the bar inspite of the pub being quite full and a pre booked event. Clearly the staff were overwhelmed and the management could have planned for more staff if taking on an event or said no. Not a great experience from a service perspective.

The food, frankly, was very mediocre. The Dosas were a bit of a let-down—they were soft when they should have been crisp and really rather over-salted. ​As for the Biryani, it's simply not a Biryani at all. They're taking the good name of Indian cuisine right down the drain with that one. Seriously disappointing.

Disappointed with misleading offer at Poachers I’ve been visiting Poachers regularly over the past few months and have generally enjoyed the experience. However, today was quite disappointing. I checked their website before ordering food to confirm that their 50% off Monday offer was still valid. It was clearly advertised, so I placed my order expecting the discount. But when I went to collect the food, I was told the offer only applies if you follow them on Instagram — something that’s not mentioned anywhere on their website, if they changed the policy they should have advised me while ordering which they didn't do. I’ve even taken a screenshot for reference. What’s more frustrating is that they could have honored the offer this time and simply advised me to follow them for future discounts. Instead, I was charged full price without any prior notice or clarification during the ordering process. This feels unfair and misleading. I’ve recommended Poachers to friends in the past, but after today’s experience, I won’t be doing that anymore. I feel let down and ripped off.

Awful. Food was so-so. But service was like being in a foreign country with no attempt to speak English, not even an honest "sorry I don't understand". Asked several times for no gherkins, lots of nodding and "yes yes", but burger turns up with gherkins. Then blaring out extremely loud football. Asked them to turn it down. Again the usual "yes yes" and just didn't do it, couldn't hear ourselves think. Shocking. Never going back.

Great reviews and I was so excited to taste the fresh flavours and ingredients all the reviews here have raved about. Unfortunately we didn't get anything fresh, flavourful or tasty. They have written on the bottom of their menu that allergens are marked, they are not, all the nutty dishes had no "n" next to them. Quite a frustrating ordering process as waiter had to keep going back to check what has nuts, agreed that the kids butter chicken had no nuts, then returned after taking all of our orders to say it has cashew nuts in the premade sauce (not fresh). So then had to reorder for the whole table (over 6 people) because the waiter was now confused. I asked for the paneer kadai to be spicy, a few minutes after reordering the waiter asked if I wanted it spicy, I said "yes please". There was a long wait for food. the childrens pizza was cheap Chicago time type pizzas, again not fresh just frozen heavily processed pizza, which was very disappointing. The paneer kadai was covered in grease, no flavour, no chillis no spice. The garlic naans, weren't the tasty buttery naans most places are able to create, they were covered in a cheap oil, with hardly any garlic. Lamb curry also covered in grease. Really disappointing, I would have said this if anyone asked how the food was but nobody did. On the plus side the venue was friendly and welcoming but unfortunately I won't be back for food.