Hotel 1843 x Calico Bar & Eatery 33 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS

"Calico is stunning and we had an amazing meal. Huge menu to suit everyone but each dish still takes amazing. Perfect drinks menu as well for very reasonable prices. Christian was knowledgeable and provided great service."

"Very unprofessional staff. There is actually no check in desk and I was told to check in at the bar. On my second day in this place the fuse had blown and no electric was present through the mains therefore I was unable to have a shower with hot water or have a hot drink. I told the staff about this then they claimed they will send someone out to fix the problem. Nothing was done. In addition to this I had to cut my 3 nights stay short after just a single night. I had 4 hours sleep as there was a lot of drunk people in corridors and in the rooms next to me. Vomiting and shouting at 3-5am in the morning. Really disgusting behavior with staff not present and unwilling to help. Very rude service. I was staying here for business last night and had this place booked for me, then had to pay out of my own money to move myself to the Premier Inn across the road which has already provided me with excellent customer service. And what's more the hotel staff denied that any complaint about the fuse/no electricity was made, calling me a liar to my manager who had booked this place for me. Please stay away from this place. There is very bad customer service offered here and a lack of staff members who do not wish to help you and say your claim is false when there is a problem. Overpriced food. Disgusting behavior. Terribly disappointing customer service."

"I had never visited the previous Great Expectations so have no comparison but we noticed it had been taken over and my partner surprised me with a valentines meal there yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in as the signage outside doesn’t really reflect the interior design which on the whole is quite upmarket and tastefully done. Service was really shaky when we arrived. There was 1 waitress serving 3 tables (very quiet) and at first we waited to be sat down whilst she finished serving and she sat us down without menus so we had to wait even longer. That’s aside the menu is a mix of Indian and English dishes- we ordered the tandoori prawns, paneer and mushroom croquettes to start. The mixed grill and pilau rice for main and the brownie and Indian cheesecake for desert. We were both really impressed with the food and the prawns were the best I’ve ever had. Really well balanced flavours and quality produce. There was 2 for 1 on cocktail’s until 8pm and they were to a really high standard- our bill came to £108. We would definitely return to try out the other dishes and more cocktails. The service definitely needs to improve- the waitress was nice enough but lacked ‘warmth’ especially given how quiet it was I would have expected a warm welcome and a chat- this is a new business! I think this kind of concept is quite new for Reading and will take a while for them to find their feet but I hope it takes off as we enjoyed ourselves!"

"This used to be Great Expectations. The refurbishment of the bar and public areas is nothing short of spectacular. The dingy pub has completely transformed into an amazing place for a meeting of work colleagues or friends for a few drinks. Looking forward to see the next phase of the project, I believe it to be the hotel rooms. Very well done."

"I stayed at the hotel with a friend. Good value for money. Warm Clean room, comfortable beds, TV with kettle, tea and coffee. Friendly Helpful Staff. Have to park car at large car park nearby. Good Location for Reading Town Centre."