Polish pub: Gospoda gleams, but lunch a meaty issue
Following on from “speciality beers”, we don’t appear to have that many “speciality bars” in Reading (we have mostly yawn-inducing clone bars, as found in most UK cities). One of the noble few is new Polish bar Gospoda (meaning “restaurant” in Polish) in the heart of Oxford Road’s Polish community.
Gospoda’s interior impressed me. Its sweet, wooden decor felt rural and homely (a nod to traditional Poland). Touches such as the immaculately-crafted “stars” at the bar added to the gentle mood. Gospoda’s charm was attacked by the harsh commentary of Polish club football, shown on the screen, but as an enthusiastic follower of the beautiful game, that didn’t bother me.
Lunch was a different issue. Ordering a wooden platter of cold meat for sharing between two, I was expecting something better for £12.50 than the resulting cold streaks of greasy bacon, sliced sausage and a tomato for effect. The failed chip & pin machine, requiring that I pay in cash only, got things off to a bad start, and service was slow (I saw just two other customers eating, so what was the issue?).
Food aside, I’d be more than happy to go back (I’m keen on trying the Polish beer). Gospoda is refreshingly different and a world away from the dive that previously existed in its place.
Tags: bar, Gastronomy, Polish, restaurant
May 24th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I went to a Polish-American restaurant in New York and tried one of their beers. It was lovely and silky; would be perfect on a warm summer’s day.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Which beer did you polish off? The beer at Gospoda is Okocim (a pilsener, I think).
September 30th, 2008 at 12:47 am
finally been there, very nice decor,homemade food ,
and the karaoke night is probably the best in town!
February 4th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Always on the lookout for somewhere new and interesting in dull old Reading we went down for a meal at this place a few months back.
The food was just plain awful.. Really, really bad. Greasy and full of chunks of gristle and bone.
Before anyone assumes that I just don’t like Polish cuisine, one of my ex-girlfriends is Polish - she cooked for me a lot and I love Polish food. What they served me here however was almost enough to put me off for life. You have been warned.
February 12th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Gospoda is fab, been there for karaoke night and then came back for saturday disco night.Good crowd there!