The Cunning Man

Featured reviews

• H

  Helen Fellows

  ·1 month ago

  “Great pub by the canal. Register your car at the bar and have all day parking for free. I had Sunday roast dinner, son had large burger meal, girlfriend had a lovely veggie option. Staff very friendly and food came quickly. Take cash to tip waiting staff, if you pay tip by card they only get 60% of what you give, they get all of a cash tip. Food well presented and lots of it. Lots of tables, worth booking in advance.”

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• V

  Vivienne Ward

  ·1 month ago

  “Haven’t eaten here for a while because last time the food was mediocre but tonight the meal was good but what made it even better was our waitress Katie. She was an absolute delight and did an excellent job. The place has been refurbished to a high standard and it looks so lovely.”

• B

  Bhanu John

  ·1 month ago

  “Ordered Fritto Misto. Sea Bass with King Prawns, Pork (or was it Bacon) chop and Apple and Blackberry Crumble. The Fritto Misto - the Calamari, strips of Sea Bass were nice and crispy. No King Prawns - just very tiny shrimps instead. Served with shop bought ready made mayo and a wedge of lemon. Sea Bass with King Prawns was served on a bed of boiled potatoes instead of crispy fried ones, broccoli was boiled within an inch of its life instead of being char grilled and there was No creamy king prawn, lemon & chive sauce. When I asked the Waitress about the creamy king prawn & chive sauce, she said she'd check with the kitchen. She returned with a pot of shop bought ready made mayo that they had served with the Fritto Misto! The kitchen should get done under the Trade Descriptions Act. I make prawn, lemon & chive sauce so I know I was fobbed off. Without the sauce the Sea Bass was as dry as a bone. Had to take sips of my wine in between each mouthful. The Pork Chop with chips was ok. The Apple and Blackberry Crumble was homemade and wasn't sickly sweet so was really nice. Will give the Cunning Man a miss for the time being as food is below par and not as described on their Menu. As per her request, I have reached out to Cunning Man General Manager Designate Olivia Bigsby, I left 3 voice messages, over a period of few weeks, for her to call me back, but she hasn't done so.”

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• V

  Venus Alpha

  ·2 months ago

  “A really lovely refurb, unfortunately, let down by the service and especially the food. Portion sizes are shocking. The duck should be served pink, it was so overcooked and tough it was not edible. The sea bass fillets were tiny, it could be a starter. They were also very overcooked and overcooked fish becomes so tough it is not pleasant. Everything was also considerably under seasoned. Certain food has to be seasoned once cooking and salt on the table will not help. Easiest example is pasta and potatoes. Service was so slow, I was getting so hot and wanted to leave, we had to remind about dessert 3 times. Unlikely that we will be back and shame as it was our favourite pub to which we always invited our family for special occasions. I attached picture of the duck to stress portion sizes- look at the size of the plate and size of main course. Husband left hungry.”

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• M

  May Hewitt

  ·4 months ago

  “Thank you so much for a lovely day out even tho it was raining. Mayzee helped us pick what to eat suggesting her fav bar snacks. They were lovely thank you to kitchen as well”

• L

  Larry Haywood

  ·5 months ago

  “Stopped here with friends from Caversham whilst cycling along the near by canal 😀🚴 Pub opens at 11.30 so spent 15 minutes relaxing in the garden before ordering. Very big pub with big beautiful outside space 😀 Ordered coffees and water at the bar. Very friendly staff and order came quickly and nice hot coffee with piece of flapjack on the side 😀🥳 On a day like today a pleasure to sit outside 😀🌞🌞 I’m sure it must get very busy. Great pit stop for cyclists so will go again. Highly recommended 😀🌞🚴🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿”

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• Y

  Yan Couper-Harris

  ·6 months ago

  “Really nice pub with a great outside space - perfect for when the sun comes up. Staff were nice, friendly and attentive. Food was ok, my veggie burger was alright but it came out kinda cold and I'm not sure if I had a larger plate, but it feels like I was given a smaller side of fries. Pizza was good and would recommend that. Would come again, but not sure if I would eat - reading the reviews it sounds like the meat is decent”

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• T

  thushti sri

  ·6 months ago

  “The pub vibe and interiors were amazing. A vintage treasure this one. The value for money was great. I wouldn't describe the food as the best quality, because I have had better stuff. I still would love to go back and explore the menu a bit more. The canal walk alongside was lovely too. Free parking and lots of space.”

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• R

  Rachel White

  ·8 months ago

  “Lovely venue with very accommodating and friendly staff. I held my father's wake here on what was a snowy January day, the venue was cosy with the fire going and fairy lights all around. The buffet food was plentiful with lots of lovely hot chips. We were allowed to adorn the room in advance with photos and play photos and video on the TV. The staff were helpful and respectful to the space. Thank you Cunning Man.”

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• C

  Chris Tidbury (The Mighty Tids)

  ·10 months ago

  “Food is always good here, service is usually very good too. The portion sizes of the mains is very good, you don't leave hungry especially if you have a side! I usually have two to three courses here. Plenty of free parking, just remember to put in your registration on the screen on the Bar or it can be costly due to ANPR parking.”

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