The vibe and atmosphere here are super laid back and fun. Feels like you're in someone's living…read moreroom eating and hanging out. Love the food, everything is SOOO good! All the servers are laid back and remind me of California vibes, love it!

The Barley Mow has the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. The Pastrami Melt is on another…read morelevel. The pastrami was smoked tender and packed into the sandwich with a ton of flavor. Add in the shiitake mushrooms and mac n cheese and it was just amazing. It had the feel of a grilled cheese mixed with pastrami on rye and I was blown away. The restaurant itself is super clean with a great vibe and I like the seat yourself style. The service was good too. Honestly I am still stunned at how good that sandwich was. If you go here the Pastrami Melt is a must try. 1000000000/10 Recommend!

Nice, small, local place to get a wide variety of beers. Create your own six-pack to sample any…read morevariety of year-round or seasonal favorites - a great way to find your next favorite stout or IPA. Located in the corner of a small (very small) strip mall, Mary's has a little bit of everything beer related, from the small to large, inexpensive ($1/bottle) to expensive ($10+/bottle). they also fill growlers, with discounted prices certain days of the week. Be sure to check out their facebook page for beer updates. They feature a revolving selection of around 10 beers on tap, which you can drink while you shop, or take home. they have several tables set up on one side so you can sit, drink, socialize and watch TV if you want. they also have a few video betting machines, plus slot machines. Small snacks, plus an ever-changing selection of beer glasses to purchase, usually $2/ea. This is one of our favorite places to go to pick up a few beers for the weekend, or to take some out of town microbrew lovers. The staff is usually very knowledgeable.

Fallen off a bit since the store changed hands, imo…read more Unquestionably large and diverse selection of microbrews, with many brews/breweries you wont find at any other local bottle shops or distributors. BUT the 4pack and single can prices are out of control high, imo. And check yr canning dates, because there is a TON of 4-6 month+ old product being sold at full price that cant possibly taste good anymore after sitting on the shelf at room temp for that long. Best bet is to follow them on social media and look for posts on new stock. They have several taps, as well. If you're looking for macro domestic and imported brews, they've got you covered with a nice selection.

We were exploring Shillington. Loved the farmers market. Had to make a quick decision on lunch…read morewhile partner was driving. Checked in with yelp. Recognized this place since we had been to the Dryville location a few times. Had a great French martini to start. Lobster grilled cheese for me with the tastiest lobster I've had in years. Partner went with his default; a burger. He ate it all without a word and declared it excellent after his plate was clean. Service good. A good day surviving this frozen white hellscape. I want to be in Puerto Rico

The waitstaff is solid but the food and drinks were just mid. The whole establishment is set up…read moreweird. The shrimp appetizer was nothing special but my mother in law enjoyed the rice dish she ordered. My wife said the cheesesteak was ok but that there are better places in Reading to get one. My burger was cooked well done and I ordered medium rare. The toppings were good but when you cook the burger to the point of dry it doesn't matter. The taproom they have is 1000% better and has a better vibe and flow. The cheesesteak egg rolls were the only thing that actually popped food wise. I don't get why the cheesesteak was so meh.

What a find!! Cute atmospheric joint food was reasonably priced and delicious…read more Servers were friendly and fun Son and I had the Sheppards pie Best I've ever had!! It was easy to find a seat and get served!

We've always loved the Ugly O and came out for a friend's birthday. We've been coming to this place…read moresince the 90's. I will start with a positive and say the staff was extremely friendly. Always a good thing. They were welcoming and warm. My husband and I sat at the bar while we waited for our friends to arrive The bartender asked what we wanted to drink and said, "I can make anything you want." So I excitedly asked for a Mojito. I should've known I was in trouble when she asked me what kind of vodka I wanted and then had to look up the recipe on her phone . Needless to say I got a Mojito made with vodka, and she just kind of shrugged her shoulders, and hoped I liked it. I took a few sips, realized this really isn't what I wanted (I like rum), and I ordered a Captain Morgan and Gingerale. My husband ordered beer, which, in retrospect, is probably what I should've done as well. We were charged for all three drinks, even though the first one wasn't made correctly. Our group of +4 (6 of us total) arrived, we sat down, and service was pretty prompt. Again our server was very friendly and her personality was great. We all ordered different things except two individuals who ordered the crabcakes. Our food took almost an hour to come out. The crabcakes were pretty bad. I took one bite because my friend asked me to try hers to see what I thought. The fish tasted old and it was loaded with fillers. I actually was worried that somebody might get sick from eating it. Fortunately, no one did. The crab soup also tasted off and oddly tangy- like there was yogurt in it or something- so I only ate a small portion of it. All around, the place looks great inside but they have to work to do- on their recipes, consistency, and capacity to make a variety of classic mixed drinks.

Solid 4 stars. Not outstanding but definitely solid enough bars and good atmosphere. Trivia night…read moreis a lotta fun

Stopped in while on a work trip, ordered the Philly cheese steak egg rolls with a sweet n sour…read moresauce appetizer, they had great flavor and the sauce went with it perfectly. For beer I had the Mexican laugher and black lager, both very tasty. I love the vibe of the brewery being an old fire house. The staff were friendly and made you feel like a regular. When your in the area, definitely stop in for a visit!

Tasty beer, something for everyone. I like that they aren't bitter. Also, this place is really cute.read more

One of our favorite spots on the avenue! Get a flight - you simply cannot go wrong. There is…read morenormally only 1 or 2 bartenders working at a time, but service is always great!!

The closure of Chatty Monks came as a surprise. I have no idea what was going on behind the scenes,…read morebut this was a place that had all the goods - good drinks, food, service, and atmosphere. It had a particularly good weekend brunch. My friends had it firmly in the bunch rotation. With a handful of West Reading staples closing in the past year, it's fair to wonder if the golden era of the 'Ave is behind us. That's an overreaction of course, but Chatty Monks closure leaves a gaping void in the hearts of locals and visitors alike. What's wild is Chatty Monks had opened up another location in Phoenixville just a few years ago. The new owner (who took over in 2021) and his family appeared on the cover of West Reading Avenues, a publication covering local small business owners. They had a merch shop. They were building a brand. And then one day, poof, it's all gone. There was always something new and fresh on the menu. When it came to brunch, for instance, you never knew what you were gonna get, other than some mixture of eggs, potatoes, and toast with miniature jams. I am such a sucker for tiny personal sized jars of jelly or bottles of ketchup. Sad to see another local watering hole bite the dust, but I'll always have fond memories of Chatty Monks and the roaring 20s of West Reading's downtown.

Wow!! Mix Indian/ Mediterranean fusion food with good brewed beer & have the chatty monk. It was…read moreso good we were here 2 times in 2 days while visiting the area. Fast & friendly service with great recommendations for food & beer pairing! Cute little place to visit. If we are back in the area we look forward to another visit.

Beer Wall was a fun one. You loaded up a card with money, were handed a glass, then could swipe…read moreyour card at one of the numerous taps that lined the walls throughout the bar. Somehow this place survived the pandemic and managed to stand out on a stretch of Penn Avenue with no shortage of bars and restaurants. One of the main attractions was the game room upstairs, home to foosball and arcade classics like TMNT: Turtles in Time, the timeless classic Simpsons beat 'em up, and NBA Jam ("Is it the shoes?"). There were also extra restrooms up there, so it was a nice escape if in case you wanted to get away from the packed downstairs. Food here was good, not great. It was probably the weakest area. People mostly came for the spectacle of the walls of beer rather than a hot meal. That's not to say they didn't lack ambition when it came to putting together a menu. There was even a stretch where they had an AYCE snow crab leg night. Sadly, the kitchen was completely overwhelmed and in the roughly 2.5 hours we were there, only three rounds of crab legs managed to come out of the kitchen. I commend them for trying, but they simply were not equipped to pull off something like that. Beer Wall is a place I will miss simply for its uniqueness. The "self-serve, walls lined with taps" concept has taken off in other locations under different names. While it was here, it was definitely a neat experience.

I've been in Reading for one month and heard a lot about this place, so decided to give it a try…read more Beer Wall definitely offers a unique experience with their self serve beer concept and arcade games. Pros- Very conscientious of social distancing and staff wore masks. The arcade games were definitely enjoyable while we waited for our food. More so, I was pleased with the TV screens playing the NBA playoffs as my friends and I are avid NBA fans. I was a little upset about the lack of vegetarian options on the menu, but however the food still tasted great and the prices were fair. Cons- The beer selection was not what I had expected. I thought there would be a more unique selection. Most of the beers were beers you could find at any bar. Although the service is friendly, it was also slow as we waited about 45 minutes for food. Overall, if you're in the Reading area and looking for a unique dining experience with friends, then Beer Wall is the place to go.

Excited they are re opening soon! May 21, 2026! This place is so cute and cozy! Can't wait to see…read morethe menu!

The Speckled Hen is a must visit. First, it's a very neat restaurant in an old log cabin. It's…read moredimly lit and on the more formal side of the pub spectrum. I started out with a Guinness which was actually poured in the correct fashion which makes a large impact. For an app I ordered the scotch egg. I was glad to see the inside of the egg was not well done. For my entree I ordered the fish and chips. The fish was definitely fresh and the meal was very good. You can tell they take pride in the restaurant.

This place has become a favorite of my husband's and mine! The food and service are consistently…read moreexcellent! The drinks are served up strong and service by our server tonight, Grace, was very attentive. Every time we come here we order the crispy potstickers appetizer and we agreed that their fried pickles are the best we've had anywhere. The dill dipping sauce that comes with the fried pickles is the bomb. My husband loves burgers and it's not always easy to find places that actually serve great burgers, but tonight he said "this is delicious!" Our server, Grace, was friendly, helpful and paid attention to the right time when to offer another drink or see if we want anything else. The music playing is a mix of genres so there's something for everyone and we enjoy it. They play it at the perfect volume. Loud enough to hear it well but not so loud that we can't hear each other talk. And, the outdoor patio seating is dog friendly! Reading some of the other reviews, I am baffled that people are leaving three and four stars when they have nothing but raving positive things to say (awesome, fantastic, etc) about the food, drinks, ambiance and service. That makes a place worthy of a five star review. Do yourself a favor and visit the Liberty Taproom!

I visited Reading Pagoda and stopped in here on my way back. The food was pretty basic but yummy…read more My vodka punch was really great. They card everyone at the table if you get an alcoholic beverage. The service was great. I lucked out with my server. I was in a time crunch and she was very accommodating of that. When I was there, they had a live band which was cool.