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The Lyndhurst, Reading
Reading
RG1 4DG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Lyndhurst
This is a good-sized pub and kitchen in a striking but neglected looking building on the fringes of the town centre. The peeling paintwork and cracked window panes didn’t make this feel like a vary appealing prospect on approach, but once inside, things aren’t anywhere near so bad, perhaps only really suffering from a load of very outdated fixtures and fittings. The pub has a single room interior in a shallow but wide layout, with scuffed floorboards through the main part of the room and a quarry stone floor to the far left and around the servery. A mix of pew and chair seating runs down the front wall, beneath a row of windows that look out to a busy junction. Elsewhere, a few small tables and chairs can be found nearer the bar, each arranged between a row of support pillars, whilst there are high tables and stools to the right and two leather sofas beneath a large mirror at the far left end of the room. The servery occupies much of the back wall and has a wood panelled counter front with a nice rectangular framing pattern along its length. Someone has started to paint pictures of cocktails in these ‘frames’, but seemingly lost their enthusiasm for the project after painting the first three, leaving five of the frames empty. A bare brick and mirrored bar back beneath a rather clunky looking gantry round things out here and there are boards all around the room promoting food offers and other such deals. Décor throughout is surprisingly limited, although I did notice one very nice partitioning screen with the pub’s name etched in the glasswork – a totally redundant feature in a room that has been opened out so much, but still a nice feature nonetheless. A great, nostalgic Britpop soundtrack was playing and this, combined with the pub’s dated look, made me feel like I was in one of my old student haunts from the late 90’s.
I was greeted by a very friendly barman who had a good chat whilst pouring me a decent drop of West Berkshire Good Old Boy – one of two cask ales available alongside Black Sheep Pale, with a third hand pump unclipped. There were very few other customers in on a Saturday afternoon – one couple sat near the entrance, and four girlfriends having lunch opposite the bar – so things felt pretty flat which wasn’t helped by the large open space.
This place really could do with a bit of loving to get it up to scratch and make you want to return. There are a few promising signs, such as the decent beer and friendly service, but first time visitors aren’t likely to be impressed with the dated interior, assuming they made it inside and weren’t put of by the crumbling façade. I’m glad I popped in and quite enjoyed my time here, but have no interest in returning when there are plenty more pubs around town doing all this much better.
On 7th January 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Lyndhurst
I like the look of this pub as I passed on the bus but found it pretty basic inside. West Berks -good old boy and Wye Vale -hpa on cask.Two brown beers in decent condition.
On 22nd February 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Lyndhurst
Re-opened after a period of closure. A bit of a freshening up inside if a bit bland. Ale selection fairly interesting and quality is holding up. West Berks, Twickenham, Purity, Ringwood all featured lately. Worth calling in. Dodgy mark-up on halves seems to have gone. Worth looking in.
March 2015
Previous licensee did one at short notice. New people in, usually at least one local ale plus 3-4 others. Beware the ludicrous mark-up on halves.
Nov 2013
The lease has been sold and there are new people in charge. Keeping up with the ale, quality was a little inconsistent at first but has been improving with some eclectic choices available (Ballards Mild and Old Peculiar have cropped up a few times). There is now a proper cider available - Tutts Clump. The blood-red gents loos have been painted over rather badly, which is a shame. Still, worth a look at present (the pub that is).
June 2011
An enjoyable bar that is aimed at professionals and upmarket students, one of three owned by the Spirit House in Reading. It's fairly small (an unusual case of the pub actually being smaller inside than the outside suggests) and quite cosy. Usually four ales on the go, with a relatively eclectic mix offered. Quality is usually quite high, though they're not beyond the odd duff one if management aren't around and ale sales drop off in the summer somewhat. The pub does food, that gets a good review from my more upmarket friends. Candles on the table, if that floats your boat. A good winter pub.
On 22nd April 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Lyndhurst
The Lyndhurst is an L shaped bar with an air of pretentiousness. I’m not sure if this atmosphere was emanating from the fixtures and fittings or the indifferent barman. The bar supports five hand pumps that were drawing Fuller’s London Pride, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Adnams Lighthouse, Thwaites Little Bewdy and Bingham’s Vanilla Stout. There was also a selection of premium and standard draught products. My visit was on Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago when the pub was empty apart from the group I was with. Maybe the prices are keeping people away as all the ale was priced at £3.50 a pint and a portion of chips was set at £4.
To the left of the bar is a plasma screen that was turned off and I would imagine that this place actively discourages people that would like to watch Sky Sports with their pint. There is a dartboard to the left of the bar.
I suppose that this place is ok for a quick pint if passing, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit here again.
On 24th July 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5243 recommendations about 5211 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Lyndhurst
This is a well kept pub and that includes their beers. The pub was quiet on our Saturday afternoon PG crawl, which was a bit of a surprise as it had a decent range of ales. The Thwaites Little Bewdy and London Pride were top notch. This pub does promote the top end lager range and various wines. Well worth a look in.
On 21st July 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Lyndhurst
A terraced early Victorian? (that is when the area seems to grow rapidly, including the Berkshire Hospital - it was then the Lyndhurst Arms) corner pub and eatery, with a patio area. It is interesting that the pub isn't marked on any old OS maps, but the Spread Eagle that stood opposite (over Queen's Rd) is - so i assume it may have just been a beerhouse then. The pub is rounded, with a cream upper, with sash windows (some blocked), a green midrift, with a base in white, also with sash windows (modern). The interior has an L-shaped room, which is in white and green, with some brick, a white ceiling and a wood floor. Chesterfield sofas are mixed with wood settles. A few old adverts decorate the walls, along with a dart board and a TV (not on). The background music was general and soft. They do food, but I didn't eat, so can't comment on that. The service was a little functional. Beer; usual tap stuff with London Pride, Doombar, Bingham's Vanilla Stout, Adnam's Lighthouse and Thwaite's Little Bewdy, which was decent enough. I quite liked it in here and would pop back in - but i do agree that it felt a bit pretentious.
On 19th July 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Lyndhurst
A fairly basic pub on a street corner,nothing particularly remarkable inside but it made for a comfortable and relaxed drink, five ales were on and I found my choice of Binghams Vanilla Stout to be very good and one of the best beers of a rather long day in Reading.Not in reflection a pub to target pacifically as a destination but given its close proximity to The Retreat just around the corner its worth popping in for a pint.
On 18th July 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Lyndhurst
A street corner pub,open plan L shaped interior with wooden floor,scrubbed wooden tables and chairs but with more of a bar atmosphere than old school pub.The menu included kangaroo,but I was more interested in another sort of hop.I noted a choice of five real ales,London Pride,Doom Bar,Binghams Vanilla Stout(in decent shape £3.50)Adnams Lighthouse and a handwritten clip for "Twaites" Little Brewdy ,which did actually come from Blackburn and had significant hop character,unusual for them.
There is a darts board,and you could settle for a few beers but it just felt a little too clinical to justify a return visit.
On 14th July 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nigel Sheppard left this review about The Lyndhurst
bit of a posy pub but has a few good beers, well worth a stop.
On 30th June 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 192 recommendations about 192 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about Lyndhurst Ale House
A decent pub to bar conversion that has got things just about right. Not exactly atmospheric and there weren't too many in on our visit but the Somerset & Devon Ale was OK.
On 2nd February 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]