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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Moderation, Reading
Reading
RG1 8BB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Moderation
This stylish, modern gastropub on the fringes of Reading’s town centre seems to operate more like a Thai restaurant than a traditional boozer. The main space is opened out from what appears to have been two rooms, with the bar running along the right-hand side and tables and chairs lining the left. The decor includes bare wooden flooring, moody grey walls, modern etched glass windows and ceiling-hung bottles converted into light fittings. The bar itself features a beautiful Thai-style patterned front, a polished wood top, and a large traditional pub mirror set into the smart bar back. A front dining area adds a slightly more formal touch, while floral wallpaper and Thai ornaments introduce a bit of personality to an otherwise uninspiring space.
It's not the sort of place you expect to find cask ale, but they had three on—Otter Bitter (£5.00 a pint), Sharps Doom Bar and Butcombe Original—and the Otter was certainly in decent enough condition. The staff were friendly and kept things moving smoothly in what was clearly a busy service environment. Rugby was playing on a couple of TV screens, but the atmosphere remained fairly sedate. The food is definitely the main focus here though, with tables mostly taken up by diners or else reserved during my visit.
I felt that this place leant far too heavily to the food side of things and that were it not for the fact that they keep cask ale on the bar and offer a few, limited seating options from drinkers, I would probably have otherwise classified this place as a restaurant. The staff were friendly enough and the food looked pretty good, but it's not an ideal space to enjoy a pint, even considering that the beer was in good nick.
Date of visit: 11th January 2025
On 7th May 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]
Mild Drinker left this review about The Moderation
Quite a smart looking pub located near the river. On entering you can instantly smell the food which is of a South Asian persuasion. I noticed 3 handpulls on offer. Lager is well priced compared to some others in the area. A nice beer garden to the rear. I would definitely come back to sample some food here.
On 26th March 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 108 recommendations about 108 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Moderation
Food-led pub between the main station and Caversham, with the main bar along the frontage and a smaller dining room with its own counter off the L-shaped servery. Also has a rear patio beer garden and some tables out on the front pavement area. Four real ales on handpump: Black Sheep, Brakspear Bitter, Otter Bitter (£4.40) and Ringwood's Razor Back. Overall, not quite clear why this is in the current Good Beer Guide, other than to mix things up a bit?
On 4th June 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8733 recommendations about 8733 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Moderation
More restaurant than bar, ok, spacey nut on main road. Only one beer and standard
On 2nd November 2020
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1556 recommendations about 1533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Moderation
A corner pub on the Caversham Road, It has been tarted up inside somewhat as mentioned below. It was Quite busy on a Sunday afternoon with four beers on offer, generally usual suspects the most interesting of which was Marstons EPA which wasn't actually all that interesting at all.I didn't see much here to entice me back.
On 11th February 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2183 recommendations about 2150 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Moderation
From the outside, it looked like a wonderful pub - obviously had a bit of money spent on it. From the inside, its a Thai restaurant. Having walked in, it would have been rude to walk out, so I had a Brakspear Bitter. Wonderful colour but chilled to within an inch of its life. Its rather a shame I had eaten, otherwise I would have been tempted.
On 29th May 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1612 recommendations about 1589 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Moderation
The Mod continues to trade well and stock 3-4 ales (a couple mainstream with the odd interesting guest or two), usually in pretty decent shape. If you're heading over to Caversham this place is en route and worth stopping by for.
Feb 2013
Fairly incredible transformation of what was widely considered to be the biggest dive in Reading (which rather reflects the changes in the immediate surrounding area). Now tarted up to the max with a mad (and in some cases, downright horrible) mash-up of Oriental and kitsch. Three (occasionally four) ales on the go, usually fairly good after they've warmed up a bit (too cold from the lines) - often something from Sharps Doombar, Ringwood and Black Sheep, alongside a guest or two. Addlestones Cloudy cider and a couple of posher kegs in Staro and Hoegaarden also feature. The food is pretty good (another Spirit House one, along with the Warwick) with an emphasis on Thai. It's usually busy after 6pm and the clientèle are young professionals who mainly live in the immediate surrounding area - so in that sense it's a lot more successful as a local than 80% of Reading's other pubs. Worth popping in.
On 2nd September 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 5589 recommendations about 5570 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Moderation
An old corner pub modernised with more than a touch of the Lawrence Llewellyn Bowens; it has bareboards, a mix of furniture including candle powered tables of varying heights, picnic chairs, and square poufees. Trendy décor of plain walls and subdued lights there are a variety of plants and a couple of interesting larger art works. Basically one L shaped room reflecting a previous traditional two bar layout, there is a small alcove like area off the main front bar and a smaller side room separated by the remains of the wall dividing the bars. Four handpumps with an unadventurous, but very well kept, choice of St Austell Tribute, Black Sheep Bitter, Hobgoblin and Addlestones cider, all thought to be guests, the pub is listed in the 2010 GBG. There are two T bars with a mixed keg choice of Hoegaarden, Stella, Staropramen, Becks, Guinness and Gaymers. There seems to something going on most nights especially in the way of food specials, with a quiz on Sundays.
Service was pretty good and even on a quiet Tuesday night it was busy with a fairly standard cross section of the middle classes.
On 28th January 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3648 recommendations about 3327 pubs]