Curry and a pint at The Six Bells in Shinfield

Tucked away in a country lane near Shinfield is The Six Bells.

A Greene King tied pub, its party trick is fusing beer with curry: it labels itself as specialising in North Indian food, and offers takeaways and well as dining in.

On entering, the pub’s reputation is clear: tables were either reserved for diners or had people busy enjoying a meal.

This shouldn’t be much of a surprise as it has a four-star rating on Trip Advisor, with the vast majority of reviews giving it five stars.

Most praise the quality of food, but the dissenters raise issues with portion sizes and service charges being included as standard.

The aromatic smell from kitchen wafts through the pub, teasing noses and tempting stomachs.

So much so, that food has dominated this precis, rather than the pub and the beer. We’ll come back to them in a moment.

What’s on the menu?

There is an extensive menu packed full of all the usual favourites. All the favourites are there, and there are clearly defined vegetarian and sea food sections, offering something for people who want a change from chicken or lamb. Main courses are prices around £12.95, with rice and naans extra.

For those who want pub classics, an ‘English’ menu is available: steaks (£21.95), cod and chips (£11.95) and jacket potatoes (£7.95) all feature. A highlight is Pan Grilled Salmon and Seabass with seasonal vegetables and lemon butter sauce (£15.95).

A full English breakfast is available until 5pm, and is £10.95, while burgers including the Six Bells Club Sandwich (£9.95) will keep many happy.

Children have their own menu, with dishes such as hot dogs, pizza, fish fingers are all present and correct. They are priced from £5.95.

Sport, on the big screen

Of course, this is a pub with a restaurant, so people are welcome to come in and enjoy a pint, a packet of crisps and sit and put the world to rights while they do so.

The pub has big screens – really big screens – showing football on Sky and TNT. These are tucked away in a nook meaning diners can enjoy their meal in peace, while football fans can be engrossed in the action.

What’s on tap?

Beers on tap are a disappointing selection of the usual: Fosters, Madri, Amstel et al. Real ales are limited to the Greene King selection, but the Greene King IPA (£4.75) came from a clean line and tasted fantastic. They clearly look after their cellar.

The pub was, despite being busy with Sunday diners, spotless. Tables have been well looked after and kept clean. No stray food dotted around here.

The pub has notices up at the entrance warning people the car park and toilets are for paying customers only – an indication of its country location.

One other thing that stood out: the welcome.

On arrival, the team behind the bar greeted us warmly, and really did make us feel like valued customers even though we were only passing through.

The pub holds regular events: a Bollywood open mic event was held in June, while a Harry Potter quiz was held in October.

The Six Bells in Shinfield is open daily from 11am until late, except Sundays (noon to 10pm). Closing time is 11pm Mondays to Thursdays, and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Contact details

The Six Bells
Church Lane
Shinfield RG2 9DA
sixbellsshinfield.co.uk
0118 988 7977