Tasting House - Reading

Arriving at the restaurant with friends, we had booked a table in anticipation of a lovely afternoon together. Everything started off well, with helpful advice on wine choices. However, things took a turn when we ordered our lunch. I chose the mushroom and scrambled eggs, but it came with a red sauce that I was told was paprika, which I do not eat and was not listed as an ingredient in the dish. The replacement dish was brought without issue, but the egg was not scrambled as described on the menu, it looked more like chopped boiled eggs. I sent it back to the chef and asked for it to be made correctly. When it arrived a third time, the owner mentioned that the chef had been upset, thinking that I had insulted her cooking abilities. This false accusation was very distressing to me and another member of my party, who left the table feeling uncomfortable. I was left in tears, feeling humiliated by the misunderstanding. The owner seemed to realize their mistake and offered us a complimentary bottle of wine as we left the restaurant, feeling upset and disappointed by the situation.

My wife and I recently stumbled upon Tasting House while searching for a cafe to do some work on a Sunday. This place exceeded our expectations in every way! We tried the 1/2 portion of the board, the chorizo and eggs, and the tex-mex breakfast, and enjoyed every bite. The coffee was also top-notch. The upstairs space is generous, with WiFi available. The decor is meticulously done, the music playlist is just right, and we're definitely making this our new go-to spot. We're excited to come back in the evening to sample the wine selection. 5/5 stars!

We stumbled upon this place unexpectedly while searching for a good coffee spot, which we found at Anonymous Coffee located here. To our surprise, we also discovered a charming weekend cafe on the premises called 'Bench Rest'. We both ordered the Scandi Morgen dish, which was delicious. We regret not being able to try the wine bar as well, as the selection and prices of wines looked fantastic. Reading is fortunate to have three amazing establishments in one location.

Love this place, it’s tucked away and not easy to find when you don’t know the area but so amazing so worth the effort. I love the control of trying different wines and you can change the sizes as you want. The wine was delicious too! Great atmosphere!

I had no idea that Reading had a wine bar this fun, it’s a very well kept secret. From the outside it looks like a shop, but inside it’s all cosy tables surrounded by walls of wine. We chose to sit upstairs, which is quieter, out of the draught from the front door and felt a lot calmer. It’s candlelit, with piles of board games and a great atmosphere. The idea is that you have a card to put in ‘The Machine’ and then select your chosen wine and the size of the glass you’d like. You then present the card and pay at the end. This worked well for us; I wanted to try a mouthful of all the different wines (red, white, rose and an Orange Wine) and my companion wanted to try a large glass of every red available. We ended up getting through a couple of cards. Originally, we’d planned to have a couple of drinks and then move on to get dinner. But then we saw the menu and the chef. The menu was an array of exciting tapas, put together by the lovely Laura. I’d been to her previous business venture (Nomad Bakery) and it had been amazing, so we stuck in and ordered most of the menu. It didn’t disappoint; in fact it elevated the evening from fun to outstanding. I loved the Halloumi Burek, I was over the moon with the orange infused rice pudding. It was some of the best food I’ve had in Reading. Worth noting that they only do food on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings; I don’t think we would have enjoyed ourselves so much with just nibbles. I’m a bit puzzled as to why some reviewers have been asked to pay up front. We definitely weren’t, we just ran a tab with a card behind the bar for food and drink. I want to give this more than 5 stars. I want to go back again and again and eat and drink and laugh. You need to book because it gets busy, but that’s because it’s so good.