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The Three Guineas, Reading

Station Approach
Reading
RG1 1LY
Phone: 01189572743

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Three Guineas

Sky-high prices but a decent bet for a pint, even if the cask is sometimes a little on the green side.

April 2017
Has been acquired by Fullers and thoroughly refurbished. They've done a beautiful job, with a new front seating area, a fantastic tiled interior and stunning lower bar. There is a good range of Fullers ales plus guests in good nick but be warned, prices are sky-high even for RG1. The refurb is being paid for by you. Still, it's definitely worth a stop if you haven't been lately.

April 2014
Listed old ticket hall for the station, now a pub. Specializing in rugby, loud music and sports TV. 8 (I think) real ales, with a varied and eclectic choice, much like their condition some nights which means it dropped out the Good Beer Guide a while back. Venue is used by the local plod to fence in away fans getting off the train en route to the Madejski. Got stuck there with some Newcastle fans a couple of seasons back, who were doing a passable impression of Sid the Sexist from Viz but without the irony. Better cellar skills and a willingness to chuck away duff beer would really make the difference here.

On 28th February 2023 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The Three Guineas

A good use of the old station building, with a modern refurbishment incorporating some original features. The central pillared hall has some booths to the front, clutches of high stools, and a smart bar behind. To one side there is a kitchen counter and to the other a coffee shop. Out the front is a large tabled area, partly under cover of the station awning, while there appears to be a private function bar downstairs. Very handy for trains, also buses, but there is no longer access from the platform side, except for coffee. Good to see some guest ales alongside the usual Fullers brews, with examples from Flack Manor, Big Smoke and Tiny Rebel.

On 10th December 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


john gray left this review about The Three Guineas

Very nice Fullers pub.Smarm interior.Good food but expensive .5 or 6 cask ales with 2 guests Windsor+Eton -angels share and a good Watneys -james watney.

On 7th December 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]


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Moby Duck left this review about The Three Guineas

Update
Now a Fullers pub, its been smartened up somewhat to the point of feeling almost corporate,the girl behind the bar seemed disinterested and at £4.35 a pint of 4.5% beer, I found the prices to be on the steep side. 8 hand pumps with six of the Fullers/Gales range and a couple of guests from Windsor & Eton. There are much better pubs to be found in Reading.
July 2013
I have to agree with Bucking Fastard's sentiments below,a quite visually pleasing exterior,but rather disappointing once inside, I'm afraid semi washed rugby shirts do not do it for me, although quite full there was no natural atmosphere about the place that I could detect.On the beer front I was again disappointed ,eight pumps yet only two brewers represented , West Berkshire and Upham ,I found it to be a rather bland selection overall and quite a waste.As mentioned previously handy for a quick one before catching a train. I too was glad to move on.

On 16th April 2017 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


john gray left this review about The Three Guineas

Stopped I here on the way back from Bristol.As bars next to stations go its pretty decent.Loads of handpumps but the beer range can be un-exciting.They had 2 Longman beers ,2 Bingham and 5 from Brains craft range so it was good tonight.I had the Brains -green dragon which was flavoursome and in good condition.

On 16th November 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Three Guineas

This grand looking pub located next to Reading train station is actually situated inside the original station building and is an impressive sight on approach, although unfortunately this doesn't quite translate to the interior. The building is formed of a very large, spacious open plan room with a servery running along the back wall. The room is bare boarded with loads of space for vertical drinking in the area surrounding the bar. The vast space is broken up by a few large pillars with drinking shelves attached, and some high tables and stools which run across the middle of the room, whilst standard table and chair seating has been arranged around the perimeter. The bar back has some modern looking etched windows which have the pub's name on them. The room extends a little towards the rear on the left hand side where a raised section has button backed upholstered banquettes and an impressive display of rugby shirts on the wall. A huge screen on the right hand wall was showing the evening's Premier League fixture and the pub is generally very popular with sports fans, including visiting football supporters for whom the pub is a designated drinking spot. Despite visiting quite late in the day, when most of the football crowd had dispersed, beer was still being served in plastic glasses, which was a shame. Considering the rather bland décor in the main room, it was a surprise to find a whole load of railway memorabilia lining the corridor and staircase that leads to the toilets, including a framed explanation of the pub's name. It did seem a bit of a missed opportunity having this stuff hidden away rather than livening up the main room.
The ale range was much better than I'd expected, given some of the recent reviews below. The choice on my visit was from Howells Frosty Bells, Itchen Valley Christmas Cheer and Father Christmas Strong Ale, Adnams Shingle Shells, Brains Rev's Golden Cracker, Caledonian Gift Wrapped and Bitter Winter, Andwell Krystall Weiss and Cottage Tornado. The Shingle Shells was in good enough shape, although the plastic glass didn't help matters. The staff seemed to know a thing or two about the ales and helped a couple of customers decide what to drink.
This is a pretty decent station bar which might not be a cosy place to settle down, but does provide a convenient spot to enjoy a decent pint. Whilst there are better pubs elsewhere in town, this makes a pretty good start/finish point if you're on a crawl.

On 2nd February 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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Real Ale Ray left this review about The Three Guineas

A handy watering hole to wait for a couple of our PG chums to start our Reading crawl. Glad to say we didn't have to wait too long at those prices. I suppose the novelty factor for Mrs A and myself was tasting the West Berkshire and Upham ales. A fabulous façade to this building, but once inside I wouldn't like the train service to be delayed.

On 16th July 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


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Soup Dragon left this review about The Three Guineas

This pub is a part of the railway station and has a patio area. The exterior has a touch of the neo-classics about it, with its pediment (and over the windows), cornice and quoins. The interior is an open room in white and pale green, with a wood floor (well, it wont be for much longer). Lots of TVs showing the cricket and rugby shirts (some actually looked washed) are a testament to the sporty nature of the place. The music was general and soft. The walls are decorated with old prints and railway stuff, some arty tosh and a strange Irish themed wall painting. They do food, and i had a burger thing here, with was decent enough. The service was fine and the clientele mixed. Clearly the place needed attention - a shoddy shelf nearly caused one PG'er to lose his pint. Beer; usual tap stuff with Upham's Punter and Stakes (decent), as well as West Berks' Dr Hexton's Healer, Coronation Gold and Good Old Boy. Happy enough to stop for one - but it isn't the cheapest (you can get a pint of MILD for 3 eggs in the Midlands).

On 15th July 2013 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]


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paulof horsham left this review about The Three Guineas

You'd not be surprised if the pub adjacent to the station was a bit of a dive, but fortunately not this one. A good range of local ales, the usual lagers, plus a range of reasonably-priced food made this a fine place to meet. The good weather may well have helped, as there was a fair crowd outside, leaving plenty of room inside for sun-dodgers.

As noted already, the main decor is a collection of rugby shirts hanging on every wall, although I also noted an impressive collection of health and safety notices and certificates near one of the doors - always a reassuring touch.

Not a bad place, then, to wait between trains at the building site that is Reading Station currently. Having said that, the Guineas is, itself, being done up as I write and is expected to reopen at the end of July.

On 15th July 2013 - rating: 7
[User has posted 449 recommendations about 421 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bucking Fastard left this review about The Three Guineas

From a distance a far more impressive exterior than interior,it has the feel of a sports bar with three flat screens for sport and rather blinking departure details if you are in for a quick one before departing by train.As a wag on the crawl noted,maybe this pub should be called The Free Guiness,but no such luck on our trip,the eight handpumps were dispensing ale from West Berkshire (Dr Hexters Healer,Coronation Gold,Good Old Boy )and Upham (Punter,Stakes) with several handpumps doubled up.The condition of my Punter (£3.60) left something to be desired.
Around the walls there are benches that looked as if they may have come from a waiting room,but what really catches the eye is the collection of rugby shirts around the ceiling.The bare floorboards complete the look,it may be fine for a swift one,but I was happy to move on.

On 14th July 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]

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