Stokesay Castle

This is our second visit to Stokesay Castle and this time we decided to try the Lord’s Dining room for some fine dining. The experience here was MUCH better than the one at the knight’s pub. The servers were much better trained and much friendlier. The menu was smaller, as expected, but the quality was way better. I had the champagne scallop soup and the crab cakes. YUM! Soup was creamy and the crab cakes were loaded with crab meat. I will definitely visit the Lord’s dining room again. I did not give 5 stars because although the service was good, it was slow.

I would give no stars if I could. I went for prom and was highly unsatisfied. For the price of $ 65 I would expect it to be better. The food was terrible and the dance floor was minuscule. My issue is the food although, I ended up going out to eat after I had paid to eat at stokesay. It was overall very awful.

Anytime we have come to this restaurant it’s been a great experience. It’s a relaxing pace to really enjoy time moment and time with friends and family. We have never had to wait a long time. My dad also had a wedding dinner there and it was lovely. Thanks!

Very very elegant. I checked it out to have my wedding, the wedding coordinator is perfection itself. With her planning your event you will have the best day ever.

We had dinner last night in the lords dining room and we were a party of four and let me say the food was great. My wife and I enjoy the fine dining experience and have been to many great places; however, I must say last night was disappointing. We came here from Lancaster and chose here because it is unique and were taking an employee and his wife to dinner. The food was great that was not the issue. I hope that management does read reviews because there is room for improvement with the service staff. Our server last night was Paul and he seemed to care less about making sure we enjoyed our experience. He made several rude statements especially as we were commenting what side dishes we should order to share among the table. It took him at least 20 minutes to bring my wife’s glass of wine. He never checked back on us after the first 5 minutes that our entrees were on the table. He was not personable at all which really made the experience disappointing overall. When it was time for dessert it was someone completely different who took our order and brought dessert. He was good by the way and unfortunately didn’t have him from the beginning. We only briefly saw our server when it was time for me to pay. We hope to return in the future but more hesitant to eat in the dining room and might instead go to the knights pub.

Thanksgiving buffet overpriced and food was awful except for dessert. Very disappointed. The server we had was fantastic, the only reason I’m giving the place any stars at all.

This place is awesome! Love the atmosphere and the service is always consistent all around, from the hostess to the bartenders. We can always count on having a good time with good food.

Lousy service, cold prime, tough, undercooked prime rib, dry — need I say more, awful.
3 hours for appetizers, prime rib (on the prime rib night and two sandwiches) forgot to mention the over priced meals — We have been to many restaurants that serve prime rib and it is delicious!
I can’t believe this place went so downhill. Must be because of the millions that they put into it for atmosphere… certainly not on the food and the service — lousy, lazy, rude server that had a terrible appearance to be at tables, we would certainly NEVER TAKE OUR FRIENDS THERE AGAIN, they were the ones who said that we should complain.
Lousy

Always a great experience and meal. Our favorite place we visit every time we are near Reading PA.

In the Knights Pub side. While waiting for a seat to open, which was a quick 15 or 20 minutes, my wife and I went to the back bar. Jordan the bartender was a great help, a positive employee and a good judge of taste. He made my wife some concoction that she thought was the best thing ever.
The pub menu was fairly extensive and the food was above average. We both got a burger variety and it was great.

I attended my best friends wedding here this past weekend. As the maid of honor, I worked closely with wedding coordinator Lauren and her staff. Everyone did a brillant job — the staff are wonderful, the food was great and everything went off without a hitch. Very professional, friendly and well managed. Everyone I spoke to had a fantastic time. I highly reccomend this venue for weddings or any other events.

This is a beautiful location, just a few minutes from the Pagoda.
The Knights Pub is a great semi open air setup with a rustic, classy décor; even better that it is casual!
I had a very good sashimi salad and the cookies and cream desert was amazing.
Jordan, our bartender, provided excellent, professional service and is a great advocate for the rest of the facility. He encouraged me to walk around and see the fine dining areas which are gorgeous!
I look forward to returning soon and am vey glad I discovered this place.

I attended a wedding here this past weekend. The ceremony was outside and was beautifully done. They had a good two hour appetizer and drink time. The appetoizers were delicious — prosciutto wrapped asparagus with a balsamic glaze, tuna tartar on toast, something awesome in little phyllo cups… and a fruit and cheese buffet. Couple the awesome food with awesome drinks and I couldn’t have been happier.
The inside of the reception room was beautiful as well. We had salad and hot rolls. Then I had the steak, tiny potatoes and green beans while my husband had the fish (we think a butter crumbed cod), some delicious spinach and cheese bread pudding/​soufflé (we honestly didn’t know what it was, but I loved it) and green beans. Then they brought out 4 homemade and beautiful truffles — dark chocolate, mango, peach and hazelnut. The cake was spectacular, but I am not sure that the Castle made it.
Very lovely venue for a small, intimate wedding!

This review is for the Knight’s Pub at Stokesay Castle. To clear any confusion, there are now two restaurants at Stokesay. Traditional fine dining is in the front and the Knight’s Pub, which is more casual, is in the back. Both are owned and operated by the same people.
I tried the formal dining room a few years ago right after Stokesay was reopened and was rather disappointed. I’ve heard they’ve improved a few things so I will have to try that again and write a review.
The Knight’s Pub is a pretty cool idea. It has a casual atmosphere but very nicely decorated. They have a fire pit outside and outdoor seating, which could be great for the spring-​fall seasons. It also looks pretty nice to view through the window in the winter.
We visited on a snowy Tuesday evening in February, so it’s not surprising that the place was pretty empty. In fact, there was only one other party in the restaurant when we arrived and they left soon after. That left us the only customers in the place.
As it turns out, Tuesday night is lobster night! They had about a half dozen lobster entrées on the menu; all under $ 20. Also, it was half-​price wine bottle night. Now that is a pretty cool idea. I don’t know any other place that offers bottles of wine at half price.
The only downside is that the wine selection is somewhat limited. Most wine selections are under $ 30 per bottle. One nice thing is that the manager was very knowledgeable on the wine selections. And friendly too!
We started with the calamari appetizer which was excellent. I ordered the lobster thermidor and my sweetie had a broiled lobster tail with shrimp. Everything was prepared well and very tasty.
The service was outstanding, but of course we were the only ones in the restaurant so I can’t speak for the service on a night when it’s crowded.
All in all, my experience was very positive and I would highly recommend taking the drive up Spook Lane to this mountain perch. Even on a weeknight in the winter. If you are new to Berks County, or have never been to Stokesay Castle, it is definitely worth a visit. You may need your GPS to find it, but the site is very beautiful and unique.
I hear they have live music or a DJ on the weekends so I might have to check that out too.

We held our wedding at Stokesay, and overall, it was a fantastic experience.
First things first — the restaurant is beautiful. It’s modeled after an actual castle in England, and does a very good job of simulating the experience. The décor, the giant carved knight, everything gives off a particular medieval, classy vibe that you can’t help but enjoy.
Since most of you won’t be getting married here, I’ll get right down to the important part — the food. Stokesay has some of the best food you’ll ever eat in a restaurant. During our planning phase we had the opportunity to try the majority of their menu items. literally every one of them was good. You can’t go wrong — but the steaks were my choice, either the filet mignon or the shoulder filet. Both were excellent, as were all the sides that went with them. I can’t possibly give more praise to the chefs.
As far as the wedding goes — most everything went smoothly. Our wedding was the weekend after Hurricane Sandy — luckily, Stokesay had no issues and we were fully up and running. The event director, Stephanie Tusky, is a joy to work with. Very friendly and helpful, which is great during a time as stressful as wedding planning (with the added bonus of a hurricane tossed in). Our wedding coordinator changed in the midst of our planning process; this was not ideal. However, through coordination with Larissa and Stephanie, ultimately we were able to get all of the kinks worked out, and they were willing to be more flexible than normal thanks to the circumstances, which we certainly appreciated.
All in all, Stokesay is a great place, whether you’re looking for a fancy dinner, drinks at the Knights Pub, or a wedding venue. An easy five stars.

15 years ago, we had visited Stokesay, and was honestly like eating in a mausoleum. Oh my, how times have changed on Mt. Penn!
There was nobody else there, that particular evening. Except a waiter. It was ann odd experience that clearly showed that Stokesay was in decline. It almost felt Poe-​ish, as if I was eating dinner in Rodrick Usher’s dining room. Madeline? Is that you? How’s the soup?
Apparently, the change of ownership and the passing of time has removed its old ghosts and has purged the castle of all inactivity. We visited on a pre-​Christmas Saturday night and, not being able to secure tables in the main (formal) dining rooms, we arrived early to secure a table in the Knight’s Pub. Knight’s Pub doesn’t accept reservations, so we arrived at 5 PM. By 6 PM, it was absolutely packed. The addition of the Knight’s Pub is impressive… stonework, with tall glass doors that give a beautiful view of the outside grounds, decorated with lights and a lit firepit on the patio this blustery evening. It is a well-​executed addition to the theme of the castle, with great atmosphere, bar, and several TV’s throughout the room.
We did take a quick tour between placing our order and the arrival of food, and the building is as grand as ever. There are two dining rooms downstairs, a third in the basement, a tasteful wine-​cellar that looked as if it was about to host a wedding rehearsal dinner, with 6 large circular tables set. In the second story, there is another private dining room, plus an area touted as a conference room. All are furnished with a carpet that seemed to swallow the sole of my shoe. Oh, quality. Additionally, a banquet hall has been added which looked quite nice.
The food, in my opinion, was excellent. The wife and parents had fillet mignon, and it scored excellent reviews. My steak of choice was a NY Strip, which I thought was likewise excellent. Kids loved the chicken nuggets and spaghetti, for what it’s worth. The menu seemed to have a fair fare offering; while tofu panninis were not evident as offerings, what was standard offerings seemed good. Unless you are looking for some sort of exotic bistro, you should be able to find something good here. The lobster ravioli also struck me as a contender for my next visit.
Service was also quite solid. Timing of orderings, deliveries, drink checks and delivery of the check were all well done. We also met Paul, the manager of the Pub, and he was quite affable. He took the time to meet our family and converse with my mother, with whom he had spoken on the phone. No complaints about service whatsoever.
It won’t be another 10 years until my return. Reading has a good thing going here, in the form of the Knight’s Pub. Stokesay has some good momentum, and is definitely purging the ghosts of the past. It is now a castle restored to the splendor any castle deserves!

We were nicely surprised at the Knights Pub at Stokesay. It was lobster night, so we decided to partake in the festivities. Foor was pretty good… plenty of it for portions, and our waitress was terrific. She is a new teacher trying to find a teaching job, but working hard here in the meantime.
Atmosphere was very upbeat. We loved the open patio doors in the dining area… it was very «California» in nature. Add that to house made deserts and it was a nice Tuesday night in Reading.

I took my boyfriend to The Knights Pub on a Tuesday night for his birthday, and we enjoyed ½ price wine and lobster – it was really romantic and beautiful.
Then a little bit later, our friends met up with us and we got a huge beer tower and were watching the baseball game jovially.
At the end of the night, we were gathered around the bonfire pit with cocktails.
The place is wonderful and flexible for any need (date night, family night, game night) because of the way the space is laid out. And the waitress we had was THE best — super friendly, funny, and memorable.
We will definitely be back!

After dragging vegan friends up the mountain because I promised there would be something on the menu for them, we found the vegan panini gone. All the paninis are pre-​made, so they had to scrape the cheese off to give us one we could eat.
The windows are wide open in this heat, yet air conditioning still cools the massive room. Environmentalists may have an issue with this.

Ate in the Knights Pub, Atmosphere is great, but wasn’t impressed with the salad I got, dressing had strange after taste. Also beer selection is limited. There are better selections in town.