Best Fish and Chips and Crab sandwich around, we live 1 1/2 hours away, worth the trip! LOVE The Ugly Oyster!!!

The last time I was there was probably 2014 but the food was always amazing. I used to go almost every week for either lunch or dinner and never has a bad experience. The oysters were amazing, the Reuben incredible and staff was very friendly. I haven't been able to go again due to having small children and no babysitting but I hope this place never closes so I can go back when the kids are older. read more

Had a fantastic experience! Food was sensational from the crab bisque to the oysters to the crab dip and smoked cheese, the stuffed shrimp and the scallops! All fresh and prepared to perfection ( not sure about potatoes in the soup though?)! Our server Taylor was knowledgeable, attentive and had a great sense of humor. She seemed to enjoy her job and was fabulous! We will definitely be back! Thank you Ugly Oyster and thank you Taylor! read more

I ordered take out and the food was done in 10 minutes. There crab dip cheesy pretzel is amazing!!

Beautiful Irish bar located right in downtown Reading. Good food and plenty of drinks, its certainly one of the better bars in the area.

I've was a semi regular for a good number of years. Personal things have changed so I get her only irregularly now. I lived in Reading when it was a great small city. It isn't any longer although it still has the gritty personality it always had. The Oyster has withstood that change. While it was changed to an "Irish Bar" in the late 80's or early 90"s, it has been a city stalwart for many years. The beer selection on tap is good. The bottle beer selection is very good. They have a decent selection of wines by the glass. It isn't a wine bar. The food isn't gourmet. It is a pub and the food is good and priced fairly. I like it and find that if anything isn't right (which isn't often) they will correct it. The bar and service staff are good. Most of have worked there for several years or longer. Keep in mind this is a city tavern catering to out-of-town visitors as well as a true neighborhood bar . The regular customer base is eclectic at times. That adds to the character and culture. Give the Oyster a try. If you are local try more than once. They will remember you. If you are a guest at a nearby hotel, give them a try. Sit at the bar and tell people you are from out of town: You will strike up a good conversation. The Ugly Oyster will always be among my favorite venues. My guess if you are looking for a good pub with a good selection of beer and good food you will like it, too. read more

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Went there last night with my girlfriend. We started with the Crab Pretzel. Sadly, it was almost impossible to eat. The amount of Old Bay on the crab portion made half the pretzel too salty to eat. We pointed this out to the server, and to her credit she offered to get us a new one. We declined. Sadly, it still appeared on the bill so I'm thinking the management was out to lunch. For dinner we both got the original Fish & Chips. The fish was not greasy- YEAH! It was dreadfully overcooked. The tarter sauce was once again, salty beyond belief. No reason for that because tarter is just mayo, relish and maybe some dill. Salt should not be added. We did not bother bringing this to the server's attention, 'cos frankly, I was done with the place. We paid and got the heck out. I have always had good food there in the past. I MIGHT go back, but next time- if the food is that bad- I'm not eating nor paying. read more

Great, little neighborhood spot with a solid beer selection and very good food. I highly recommend the clam chowder and crab cakes. Staff was very attentive, personably and delivered the food right on time. Good job to the whole crew, front of the house and back! read more

K BOSS is okay hopefully just got these messages to go out tonight im going out in a little and if u don't give me the same thing again and u know if he is sending you tomorrow and starting Monday i go to see if u can brings the other movie read more

The ugly o is an awesome, awesome place! I don't really go to the city of reading much but when I do I always like to try to hit up the ugly o. Great food always and Glenn is such a nice guy! Everyone there is always friendly and the food is on point. Their oyster stew, their fresh shucked oyster on the half shell, and their oyster sandwich (can oh tell I like oysters?) are to die for! Great job Glenn and great job ugly o as always! read more

Great food! Owner is a down-to-earth guy . Everyone is treated like an old friend...ok, I am an "old" friend... but our waitress, Taylor, was an absolute gem! Truly an exception meal and a perfect night! Try the Orange Crush! Perfection! read more

Went here before a concert. Good we had reservations or else we never would have gotten a table. I have NO IDEA what everyone likes about this place. The servers are rude. Our chicken fingers needed to be cooked longer so we told the waitress. Our reply was, "well what do you expect me to do?" Really?!?!? Sorry to bother you to fix something I am paying for! Also, I asked for a Malibu and coke. I got Captain Morgan and something that resembled soda. Again attitude when I asked for what I ordered. Def WONT be going back for the bad service or overpriced bad food read more

always a solid choice! polite staff good food. what more do you need? good beer? they have that too!

The bar was made in England and shipped over according to the bartender. Absolutely beautiful woodworking. I had some shrimp and the strip steak. The shrimp were good and the steak was done to perfection (I ordered it medium rare). I also had shrimp bisque, which had a little 'bite' to it - also delicious. The area is fairly run down but seemed safe. read more

Dinner last night was great! I had the prime rib with salad, fries, and a Guiness on draft. Could not have been better! Nice owner and staff. I highly recommend this restaurant and bar. Cool history to the interior dining space. read more

i went for saturday night. Place was full and still the service was very good. Meals were both prepared the way we asked, and yummy! at the bar and drank half guiness and half amstel - pretty good, was hoping they had smithwicks for a Blacksmith but they only had the bottles. Then I ordered the Scallops which were also very good, perfectly cooked over a wild rice. very reasonable price.. read more

If I lived near here I'd be a regular, particularly if I could walk .Of course that would mean living in downtown Reading which would be truly strange.Reading is in a somewhat strange way a beautiful old town but it has seen better days.Any connoisseur of cities should check it out .If you sit near the window here you'll get to view some great urban street life.The nook in the back is also very nice.To eat, the crab cakes ,period.You should be here for the beer ,they have a consistently wonderful list of drafts .The waitresses vary in quality but they are generally nice.My favorite was a punk girl they had a few years ago, maybe for all I know a couple of days .She seemed bright and charming,I suspect the neo punk look was a phase.Typical reflection of an old timer (in my day when we put beer in our hair and spiked it ,it really meant something,blah blah).For a few years the Cranberries seemed to be the place soundtrack,fortunately Delores O'Riordan seems to have been banished. read more

My son and I went there for dinner on a Wednesday evening. At 6pm there was not a customer there. That should have tipped us off. But it is center city Reading and the place is a bar. We thought we were just beak the crowd. I ordered and diet soda. It was flat. Our waiter was no where to be found so the bar maid got me a regular soda. It was also flat. We got our dinners. I ordered fish and chips. How could you go wrong with that at a pub. The 3 fish chunks were so thickly breaded it was hard to get to the fish. They were also overcooked. Just a shade lighter than black. The chips (really just fries) were obviously reheated. They were shrunk and the centers were like Elmer's glue, cold also. My son had the salmon special. The salmon was ok. His fries were like mine. Won't go there again. read more

It was okay. Our server seemed a little distracted by her phone. I had the Malibu Grill...it was good, and the peanuts were an awesome little surprise. If you like a pub atmosphere, it's a nice little place right in Reading. If you're looking for something more quaint, maybe not, because this place gets PACKED. Would do again for a date night or something. read more

The worst!!! The food was unbelievably bad, so bad that it motivated me to sign up for yelp in order to write this review. We ordered expensive seafood platters and what was served to us should be an embarrassment to the establishment. The "crab cake" was just plain awful, I've had better from a frozen supermarket box. The "stuffed shrimp" were small, previously frozen and were covered in some gross white sauce that was inedible. Their "imperial crab sauce" is simply disgusting. As if all of that wasn't enough, someone in our party is a vegetarian and ordered a simple garden salad and found a piece of bacon in it! Oh, and for all their bragging about their fries, we've had better at the local diner. The worst dining experience in recent years. Waste of $200 but NEVER AGAIN! read more

Hi, My name is Bob and yesterday was my first time at Chili's and I think it is great place to meet nice people but they're food is terrible I asked for chicken tenders and they gave me chicken nuggets. And I swear I saw a black male with his son doing push ups in the bathroom while his son was counting. Then my server left for like 5-7 minutes came back smelling like cigarettes. They had the game on but I asked if I could watch the news they never answered... So at the end of the day we didn't even eat there we went to Wawa. read more

Delicious reuben, good beer selection, neat ambience.

Loved this place. A new favorite when we are in Reading. We stopped in on a busy Saturday night, not knowing they take reservations, we were greeted by the hostess and owner. They did everything they could to get us a table. We were very thankful. Atmosphere was fun. Food we ordered was delicious and hot. Fish and chips, burger, and crab cake. Beer selection was good. Owner came over and checked on us after we were done, which was very nice. Next time we go we are going to have a reservation and try the prime rib!! read more

The bottom of the tables here are simply lovely. Sturdy, yet delicate. Ornate, yet understated. Really everything you could ask for in a table base. I walked into the Ugly Oyster not knowing what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. I don't know much about the table bottoms' construction, but if I had to guess, I'd say they might be iron. Unfortunately, I didn't think to ask while there; I was too struck by their craftsmanship. Five stars! read more

Went based on reviews on Yelp and was not disappointed. Planned on having dinner but, could'nt get past the appetizers. Great beer selection and great service. Zac was the best. read more

cool place. I like the tap list here. the food is good. fun place.

I really like this place and just had lunch there today. The owner even let us in early (nice guy). Had a VERY LARGE fish sandwich (haddock?) that was on special and it was excellent and fairly priced. The chicken and steak sandwiches are excellent, the fries are good and the prices are fair. Just a cool place with good food, tons of beers and a great atmosphere. Too bad it's in Reading. read more

I loved this place the ugly pretzel is cheese and crab pretzel served in a cast iron skillet was delicious and I had the crab cake sandwich which was awesome. The beer selection is excellent. If you are looking for a good pub to also get a bite to eat you cannot go wrong with this one. read more

Cool old looking Irish bar with excellent food and perfectly poured Guinness draft. Recommend Guinness beer battered fish and chips and various raw oysters. Great service. Only caveat was dim lighting and not so good area. Parking directly across the street. read more

I was expecting a great meal. Unfortunately the fish and chips I was served was so over done it was petrified. How can any chef put out food like that? Why didn't the server hold it back? No standards! read more

Amazing salads and fish. I have never been disappointed. The really big house salad is really big! Also, they don't skimp on the veggies. The salad with seafood is also a great meal. read more

If you're in the Reading area and want to go to a real Irish pub this is the place. The food is great! Small menu, but everything is great. My favorite is the fish and chips. read more

Great place for fresh oysters - charming antique bar brought over from Ireland. Love the traditional music.

Great spot! I was in the area on business and left the chain restaurant area to dine here. They let you "sit wherever you want" Desiree at the bar keeps your glass full. All food is made in house. Fantastic wings (sold by the pound). The oysters in the fried platter were freshly shucked and coated in panko bread crumbs. The fries are hand cut. When your bill comes they offer your choice of tootsie pop. A great way to end the experience. read more

My favorite place to go for wonderful food, great service and friendly atmosphere. I especially love the mussels, scallops, oysters and salmon. Have not had a bad meal in all the years that I have gone there. The owner and head cook, creator of the wonderful recipes served there, is amazing..... talented, creative, and dedicated to making sure that his customers are happy with their Ugly Oyster experience. read more

I was traveling through the area and decided to look up the local favorite spots. I came across the Ugly Oyster and looked up the menu. My wife and I decided to call in for takeout. The young lady that answered the phone was short an not helpful. We get to the Ugly Oyster to pick up our food and it's a charming place. The service from the bartenders, at least for the take out, was incredibly terrible. Neither were very helpful. I felt like I was bothering them. So I paid for my food and left. We had the Oyster sandwich, fried oysters and the crab cakes. The meals came with fries. The oysters were decent just a bit over breaded. The crab cakes were exhaustively salty and they weren't checked properly for crab shells. I did get quite a bit of shells in my cake. The fries weren't good at all. They were obviously cooked in oil that wasn't up to temp so they were greasy and soggy. It was my first experience there and I will not go back. The customer service wasn't good, the food wasn't good and all of that for almost $70. I would've been better off going to a local burger joint. read more

This place is horrible. My friends and I went there after a royals game and got the worst service in town. The bartenders are predominatly female and seem to "bat for the other side". They are rude, terrible with service and their prices are not good either. The bar is small and can get very crowded and unless your female or know someone there you will have bad service. I am NEVER going to this place again. read more

this is one of my favorite haunts in Reading...despite itself. The beer selection is nothing short of amazing. Their soups and seafood are great, but you better LOVE Old Bay Seasoning. It's kind of like, "Would you like some food with your Old Bay?" They make a mean rueben. Ask how recently they have changed the fry oil before ordering fried foods...they tend not to change it. read more

Such a cute "hole in the wall" Restaurant. I like to think of myself as a rookie burger connoisseur. I keep a notepad on me, and keep track of all the burgers I consume, and rate them. This burger is my #1. The patty was very large, and hand pressed. It was full of flavor, and was perfectly cooked to my specifications. Unfortunately, my favorite part about eating burgers, are the long pickles that come with them. Their pickles are no good. They're homemade, but unfortunately they taste like cucumbers that have been soaked in lemon and water. The waitress was a little rude, and didn't seem to care to much. But maybe she was having a bad day, that's no reason to ruin the review for the restaurant. This restaurant has a great atmosphere with incredible food, and reasonable prices. read more