Why are they queuing out of the door to get to Monty’s Café?

On the corner of Hatherley Road with Addington Road in east Reading sits Monty’s Café.

The family-run cafe launched in 2019 in the heart of the University of Reading’s studentville. It should come as little surprise that its location and decent pricing means it is bustling.

Students, families and neighbours took up every table on a quiet, unassuming Wednesday lunchtime, meaning the cafe’s friendly team were rushed off their feet, and a warning was given over food preparation times.

This, for us, was given at 20 to 25 minutes. Isn’t it refreshing to be told upfront rather than have to chase a waiter later?

Monty’s was once a junk shop, quite literally. The junk piled high and the place never seemed open. They needed a house clearance team just to clean the house.

That was some time ago, and in recent years it served as offices for an insurance firm, then lay empty until Monty’s Café came along and converted it into a much nicer affair.

The wooden breakfast bar is reclaimed timber, the bar stools comfortable and the decorated contemporary.

It’s cluttered but not cramped, no mean feat when the queue is out of the door.

It promises warm hospitality and fresh homemade dishes along with artisan coffees made in an award-winning Victoria Arduino Italian-made coffee machine.

Food is served from 9.30am to last orders at 3.30pm, with the café closing at 4pm, every day apart from Monday.

The menu mostly has dishes around £4.50-£8, and has a Middle Eastern flavour – mezze, falafel, and so on.

It includes jacket potatoes (£4.99) served with butter, cheese and beans, a Hummus Mezze (£4.49, served with flat bread), and a Grilled Halloumi (£4.49), served with cucumber slices.

The Middle Eastern vibe translates to its Full English (£6.99), with the pork sausages replaced with a lamb variant, akin to the ones you’d find in Turkey. It is possible to add on extras including Turkey bacon (£1.99), grilled mushrooms (99p), or an avocado (£1.99).

The breakfast wasn’t a belt buster but was still filling.

The lamb sausages had a pleasant bite to them and had the consistency of a shesh kebab you may have in an Indian restaurant starter.

The two fried eggs were just on the right side of cooked, the yolk starting to harden but still runny.

The hash browns were thick, and well-constructed, which meant they didn’t fall apart from the fork and had plenty of bite to them.

In the middle of the plate was a small pot of baked beans. These weren’t Heinz and had a thinner sauce, which was the only disappointment in this dish.

This was more than made up with from the accompanying two slices of bread – a light sourdough, it was very moorish and I could easily have had more.

Not a fan of grilled tomatoes, I left these off my plate, but looking around the cafe, they weren’t being left on other people’s.

The meal was served with brown sauce, ketchup and sriracha hot chilli sauce, as well as salt and pepper, should you wish to add some seasoning.

There is also baklava. And similar sweet treats behind the counter, making it perfect for an afternoon catch-up.

Coffee starts at £2.79 for a latte, while there are specials including pumpkin latte £3.39 and a matcha latte £3.59.

Moroccan tea is also a speciality (£3.49).

In all, Monty’s Café is hospitality done well by a family that cares.

This is evidenced by the many, many reviews on Google and Trip Advisor, with people praising the welcome and the food. Value for money, perfect meals and a cozy ambiance are all in the mix and there are hundreds of reviews.

And it also scores maximum marks in the Scores on the Doors scheme. The June 2024 inspection declared it Good in all areas, enough to give it five out of five.

The biggest testament to their success isn’t the spotless cafe, the scores of the doors, or even the food.

It’s the fact that people are prepared to queue up to dine al fresco in all weathers.

Monty’s Café
41 Addington Road,
Reading RG1 5PZ
0118 327 2526
https://www.emontys.co.uk/