The Seven Red Roses: A local’s pub that boasts a warm welcome

In 2023, The Seven Red Roses was recipient of the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice award.

It also rates very highly on the site, coming in (at the time of writing) and 16 out of more than 300 restaurants in the greater Reading area.

The high score is from the quality of the service, the food and value for money.

Not bad for a Stonegate pub at the heart of the Maiden Place centre in Lower Earley.

On our visit, it was bustling nicely with friends gathering for a catch-up, a running club reserving tables and, on the tables outside, some mates ready to watch the football.

The pub looks like it has been there for centuries, when the area was built in the 1970s. The architect clearly did a good job.

Tables and chairs are typical wooden ones that you expect in any pub worth its salt, and they are kept clean – nothing here was sticky.

There are some discreet tellies ready for the football, positioned in such a way that everyone will be bale to get a good view.

The welcome behind the bar was incredibly warm, and even though this was a one-off visit we were greeted as if we were old hands.

The bar is well stocked and a drinks menu offers suggestions for cocktails, mixers and shots. With alcohol free beers plus all the usual lagers most people will find something they can enjoy.

There were three real ales on tap, including Courage – something once part of Simonds, one third of the three Bs triumvirate of Reading.

This was £4.30, making it a good value option.

The menu is typical pub grub: burgers, sausage and mash, fish and chips, tikka masala, wraps, small plates and sharers.

There are some twists: a BBQ Mac burger included mac n’ cheese for £10.99, while the Vegan Bombay burger saw the burger topped with crushed poppadoms (that’s almost a crisp sandwich) and topped Doritos.

Lunchtime meal deals include a drink, while other special offers will be available.

There are quizzes on Thursdays and Sunday with the chance to win a £20 bar tab, while a DJ spins the decks on the last weekend of the month.

Other mod cons include scanning a QR code to order from an app and have everything brought to the table – one innovation since covid that is welcomed, while the Mixr app allows customers to earn points while visiting.

This is a proper locals pub that also happens to be welcoming.

The Seven Red Roses

Maiden Place

Lower Earley

RG6 3HA

0118 935 4103

www.greatukpubs.co.uk/seven-red-roses-lower-earley