The Rising Sun, A Heartwood Inn — Restaurant in Reading

We were really looking forward to try this restaurant, as it looked really promising for the reading restaurant scene.

We went on a Friday night and were sat next to the kitchen door, where the whole wall and tables vibrated as if there was a heavy constant bang. I asked if we could be moved to another table and the waiter said that we could only move to the table next to it, currently occupied, after they would leave. The banging was so bad that we got a headache.. so we were already let down but the whole experience. after I told the waiter again if we could move , she again repeated that the only table available was the one next us. I then showed her other free tables , and then eventually she moved us somewhere else. It showed a really poor customer service when the restaurant shouldn’t put people there in the first place.

Food was average. From a restaurant that has been awarded as one of best sustainable restaurants of the year, I would expect a much better offering of plant-based food. I would say 98% is animal food, so I don’t know how they could score so high on sustainability. Definitely an oxymoron ?

Food portions were also very small; I understand it can minimise the issue of food waste , but from someone who eats very little, I rarely experience leaving a restaurant with the feeling of wanting to eat more food

I would say all their effort went on the renovation of the building , which looks fantastic. Besides this everything else is poor to average. Unfortunately a very...

Went in there today with my wife to get a drink and snack. We decided what we wanted from the bar menu and went to the bar to order. We were told they could take the drinks order but the bar food part of the till wasn't working so we would have to go to the restaurant, old it was the same food plus the main restaurant menu. Shown into the restaurant, all very formal and we explained that we had been directed there by the bar staff. The menu was not the same (no Welsh Rarebit) but we ordered a drinks and a snack each from the starter menu. Food came before the drinks. I had the French Onion Soup, not made with beef stock and lacked depth of flavour. My wife had the Crab and sweetcorn bites which she said were ok but not enough sauce. Our waiter then asked if we would like to choose mains, we said no then asked about desserts again no and asked for the bill. To my surprise they had automatically added a 10% gratuity. I'm not against tipping but we had only gone in for a pint and a a snack. I told them to remove the gratuity and ended up paying just over £27. We left unhappy because we thought thy had tried to upsell us by moving us into the restaurant and then added a gratuity. The till used for the restaurant was just a few feet away from the bar till so I really can't understand why they just didn't use their initiative, but they seemed intent on pushing people into the restaurant. I've never been to a pub and ordered a pint and a snack and had 10% added...

The atmosphere is great but allergies were repeatedly not handled well. One friend has a gluten intolerance. The staff were made well aware. She later ordered chips, began eating them, and a waitress ran up saying they’re not gluten free. My boyfriend has a severe nut allergy. We used the allergy menu, which said the pie was safe. We were then told that it’s NOT nut safe, and later that there are actually nuts IN it. We ended up not eating dinner here and just ordered dessert. The wait staff repeatedly said the sticky toffee pudding was nut safe, both during ordering and after. When it arrived, it was placed in front of me. I asked for another spoon for my boyfriend so we could share, and the same waitress said it’s not nut safe and he shouldn’t eat it. I absolutely do not recommend this restaurant if you or someone in your party has allergies. It was ridiculous. The atmosphere is nice and the staff is friendly, just not allergy safe. They ended up not charging for the pudding.

In response to the reply: we ordered the beef and ale pie which does not have nuts listed anywhere. We also made it very clear that we would be sharing and there was a nut allergy. I appreciate your reply but I am fully aware of how allergens should be treated in a restaurant and this was not handled correctly. The staff was more than aware of allergens and who...