Arlos Reading S/w - West Berkshire

The friendliest staff I have ever encountered at any WHSmith.

If not for the slightly late service, this restaurant would deserve a five-star rating.

Today I stopped at reading services for breakfast at Arlos, I can safely say the worst breakfast I’ve ever had, semi cold under cooked bacon, under cooked cheap sausages, over cooked and dry eggs, cheap tasting vinegary beans , I would recommend that you avoid...at all costs

I've never been to this chain before but I was pleasantly surprised at the range of options for the breakfast menu. We had a decent breakfast, rather than the expected fry up. Service was ok and prices weren't cheap but then you pay as you're...a captive audience. Overall, better than expected.

Stopped at the services for a quick lunch en route to a holiday. We had intended to eat at the Burger King on site but when their system crashed in the middle of ordering and there was a long queue we looked more closely at...Arlo’s, which we were unfamiliar with. It was a bit confusing initially as up on the wall are several photos of hot meals that they do, and we assumed that this was the full range. Surprised that there were no veggie meals, I asked at the till if they did them and a rather surly waitress just pointed out the menus as at the till to me without a word! We then noticed that there are menus on the tables too! The menus are pretty good and have a good range of hot and cold dishes to cover most tastes, including several veggie options. Baguettes and cakes are also on sale at the till. The system is that you order and pay at the till, then you get a number and cutlery on a tray to put on your table. They then bring the food out to you once cooked. Wait time was not long and all the other staff we encountered, particularly our waiter, were very helpful and friendly. We had burgers, which come with chips and coleslaw (mine was a veggie burger) and they were tasty and well-presented and we had no complaints at all! In fact, the portions were absolutely huge and although as a family we have healthy appetites, especially my teenage son, none of us were able to finish our meals as they were simply too big! Eating area pleasant and clean with tables set a reasonable distance apart, and a TV on silent showing one of the news channels is on. It was reassuring to see some of the Arlo’s staff tucked in a corner on their breaks eating Arlo’s food too! Although far more expensive than the other options at this services, we would certainly choose this again as it was a rather more civilised and relaxing way of having a meal in otherwise very busy surroundings!