Bill's Reading Restaurant

You'll do a double-take walking into this converted church on Chain Street - Bill's has transformed St Mary's into something properly special, keeping all the original Victorian Gothic features while filling it with their trademark hanging plants and vintage furniture. The soaring ceilings and stained glass windows make even a Tuesday breakfast feel like an occasion. The menu's that familiar Bill's comfort food done well - think proper pancakes, decent burgers, and salads that don't make you feel virtuous and miserable. Their weekend brunch gets rammed with Oracle shoppers, but weekday mornings are blissfully civilised. The cocktails are better than you'd expect from a chain, and the staff actually seem to enjoy working there, which counts for a lot in Reading's town centre.