Strada

Decent food, good portions, good offers. What’s more, the staff are friendly. A nice place for a bite to eat for lunch or dinner. Make sure you use your vouchers for good value.

Even on a glorious sunny day, the riverside development in Reading just feels like a tacky collection of Britain’s most popular chains. I was wandering around with a friend rejecting place after place for various reasons. In the end, we thought why not Italian? And after seeing there was a free table just outside popped ourselves down.
I was very surprised by the quality of the service and the food. I had a delicious pasta dish, which was unlike anything I’d ordered before. The portion size was reasonable and the flavours all worked so well together. It was called Strozzapreti Luganega and came in at only £11. My dining companion is a vegetarian but seemed to enjoy his option too.
The service was a little slow, but incredibly friendly and even charming. As a tall and balding Englishmen it’s not often I feel charmed by a good looking Sicilian Waiter but this guy pulled it off!
Only caveat perhaps is that the only beer on often is Peroni, but it’s one of my preferred lagers and I suppose you don’t go to an Italian chain restaurant for real ale.

We came here on a busy evening all the other restaurants were booked solid. The hostess was very nice and advised there would be a slight wait on the food as they were very busy but they did seat us within about 5 mins. Service was great, the food was good, standard Italian fare done well.

I haven’t been to Strada for a while but came here the other night as Nando’s had a 20 minute queue. I have to say that I was really impressed. The service was faultless, and prompt. There was always someone around when you wanted them. We shared the tomato pesto bread which was delicious, and I followed with the spaghetti bolognese, which was clearly a very popular choice as I spied many steaming bowls of it passing my table. My friend had the chicken, which he enjoyed. Pleasantly surprised and I will be back!

Strada in Reading is the best Strada I have ever been too and consequently now visit around 4 times a month. The service from waiters/​waitresses is always brilliant. Management are friendly and welcoming and always make an effort to come over and talk to the regular customers.
The food never disappoints and is out of the kitchen promptly. Personal favourites I can recommend are
Pizza Rossa
Pizza Cotto
Brushetta
Spaghetti Ragu
and a pasta dish with courgettes and tomato sauce (can’t remember the name right now)
I strongly recommend that anyone that hasn’t tried strada does.

After standing on Reading’s Riverside, trying to choose between the mass of chain restaurants, we chose Strada.
We were greeted warmly by a manager and seated with consideration to our pram. Then the waiter introduced himself (Cassim), and he was one of the nicest guys you could meet. He cooed at our baby boy, as did other waitresses that passed (all asking about our son and pausing to get smiles from him).
The place was quite large, and seemed very clean. Walls, tables, lampshades and upholstery were neat and quite a pleasure to sit at (especially for a chain restaurant).
We shared a basket of tomato & pesto bread. Lovely, and not at all dried out like these pizza-​base style breads can be in many places. Then I had a gorgeous pasta. Along with our bought drinks, we received a bottle of complimentary filtered water. And they swapped it for a new one when my wife had emptied it (without us having to ask).
The place started to fill with Sunday lunchtime diners, and I’d say more than half had small children, so we felt comfortable. They did seem to be seating adult couples apart from families as best they could. All the children we saw there today, were the better-​behaved type.
Desserts were perfect, but tiny. Aren’t they all in this country? I’ve only had big desserts in America.
Do check your bill, as I always do, because this place adds their tip into it. I don’t really like it when they do so, although in my experience, the places that have this system do tend to deserve their tips. However, this meant they took a tip of £4.33 (10%) when I was going to tip them a fiver. It’s so awkward, because I felt they deserved more, but to start throwing a pound coin or two around seems somehow wrong. And to slip them a fiver on top of their taken £4.33 would seem too generous.
Very neat, warm place. Five-​star staff (during our visit, at least). Ultra-​friendly, without hovering. And food I really enjoyed and could not fault.
One of the best ‘chain’ restaurant experiences I’ve had. I suppose they are at the dearer end of these chain restaurants, but today, they were worth every penny (and to be honest, a few pennies more).
My only message to them. Please stop the automatic inclusion of a tip. It spoils the whole notion of us customers properly rewarding great service. Which they did give.
Five out of five.