The Ugly Oyster

Great food. Great service. Good atmosphere.
Met a colleague for lunch and all was good.

Great bar! Helpful staff and some of the best seafood I’ve ever had in Pa. I would recommend this bar to anyone!

If your in Reading and looking for good food, great beer and spirits this place is a must. The atmosphere is great. The service is awesome.

My boyfriend and I went for burger night and as always… it was Awesome Awesome food. cool atmosphere, and the staff was very friendly. .always a good time!

Stopped here last Friday around 5:00 p.m. The place was already starting to get busy. Our host/​server was wonderful — nice big hello, ushered us to our table, and the fun began. I wanted a martini, something fruity, but couldn’t decide so our server told me he would have the bartender create something for me – mango-​berry — I loved it! Had two, in fact. That’s just something awesome to offer your customers! My husband likewise enjoyed his vodka tonic. We decided to share an order of mussels in white wine and garlic and the seafood sampler for dinner. A salad came with the dinner which was fresh and just the right size, and the creamy peppercorn dressing was delicious. Love, love, love the mussels here, and the great bread that comes with it to dip in the juices. One order is PLENTY for 2 people. The seafood sampler was good, but not great, although I really enjoyed the deviled clam, and the real french fries were definitely a treat. Didn’t have time for dessert as we were headed to a concert.
In response to some other reviewers stating that it looked «dark.» I’ve been here late at night and during daytime hours, but I’ve never considered it super dark. At 5:00, the sun was still shining so not a problem. Yep, tiny bar bathrooms but clean (so wish there wasn’t a little hill in the floor to get to the bathroom — alcohol and heels make that a dangerous trek). Also, the din can rise to quite the decibel level (room acoustics?), but hey, it’s a bar, not fine dining. Have to say, service was excellent. The servers and bartenders were upbeat, friendly, professional, and attentive.

Very disappointing experience! I expected way more based on the reviews. The ambience was of a cheap neighborhood dive bar, the oysters were meh, the waitress seemed high. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!

I met a friend here today for lunch. This was my first time here. We sat at the bar. Service was quick and very friendly. I ordered the French onions soup and no lie, it was the best I have ever had! It could have almost been a meal alone! I also ordered the grilled chicken salad. It was amazing! I will be back!

Best Oyster stop in reading, recommend this to anyone in search of solid beers and a great menu.

Went here before a concert. Good we had reservations or else we never would have gotten a table. I have NO IDEA what everyone likes about this place. The servers are rude. Our chicken fingers needed to be cooked longer so we told the waitress. Our reply was, «well what do you expect me to do?» Really??? Sorry to bother you to fix something I am paying for! Also, I asked for a Malibu and coke. I got Captain Morgan and something that resembled soda. Again attitude when I asked for what I ordered. Def WONT be going back for the bad service or overpriced bad food

First off, in response to Mike F.: If you think this place is «dank», you were NEVER here before it was re-​modeled. You probably would have turned tail and ran like hell.
Pro tip: order the Chicken Cheesesteak, with peanuts. Just ask.

The interior lives up to its name — it’s dark, dank, and ugly … the bathrooms in particular.
But the Ugly «O» is CHARMING. Think of it in terms of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. In both cases, «ugly» is a term of endearment. The winner is still adored and praised. We can look past its homely qualities and directly into its unabashed, genuine soul.
You see, the Ugly Oyster knows its not pretty. It also knows that looks are superficial, and it’s what’s inside that really matters.
Owner Glenn Rigg apparently attended the Guinness Irish Pub Concept Program at the Guinness Brewery in Ireland in order to obtain official training in all things Guinness from varieties to pouring/​serving to culinary uses.
It’s as authentic as you’ll find in Berks County, and it doesn’t disappoint.
One note, though: beware the crab cakes. The menu touts there is «barely any filler», but they were loaded with bits of shell and absolutely overcooked. That’s my fault for ordering crab cakes in Reading, PA and not the shore, but I thought perhaps their boastfulness was warranted. It’s NOT!
If you have a hankering for seafood here, try the fried oysters or stuffed shrimp. But stay away from the crab cakes.

Fresh and delicious food! We are picky NYC foodies and we were so happy. The staff keeps it real and the seafood tasted like it was right off the boat. Crab cake had no filler and wasn’t too bready – mmmm!
We’ll be back!

The location of the bar felt a little shady. We walked past quite a few boarded up windows on the way in. Not that this affected the dining experience but it soes bear mentioning. The bar itself is gorgeous and makes you want to sit down and stay awhile. We came on a weekday night so the atmosphere was low key… this place seems like it would be bustling on the weekends. We were directed to an awesome little table right by the window. The waitress was a little gruff but also nice and full of personality. The food was good… not excellent but good. The crab dip and wings were great. I wasn’t a huge fan of the fried oysters I ordered (they seemed soggy)…but I’m not sure if I’m a fan of oysters in general so it’s hard to say.

I stopped in for a light dinner and a couple of pints and this was perfect for both. First, this is a quaint spot with a Irish Pub feel. Second the staff was friendly enough, but one comment would be to put the phone away. Finally, the food, I had their Mussels Maryland style (Old Bay & Onions) they were phenomenal and the Guinness was poured right in the right glass. I will be in again on my next visit to Reading!

This is the former Hof Brau restaurant. I have only been to ugly oyster once, and it left alot to be desired, unfortunately. Service was on the slow side, and being a burger girl, that is what I ordered. It wasn’t anything special. In the future I will review as soon as I’m done because I cannot really comment in detail because it has been awhile since I have been there. However the Décor was beautiful, dark wood and alot of nice wall art. I do give a place X2 to see if I just was there on a bad night, so hopefully I can give better props next time!

I love coming here for oysters! They get them in fresh on Fridays, the price is great and they have a fantastic rotating draft selection. My husband and I have tried their hand cut fries, the stuffed portobello mushroom, the crab and corn chowder and the crab dip. I find getting more than a dozen oysters, small fries to split and a cup of soup it’s way too filling… especially if you have a couple of drafts.

Ambiance is typical of irish bar. This is the 2^nd time weve been here in the last week like many people we r here to grab beer n grub b4 a concert. Beer selection is respectable. They have 4 different types of oysters, all good. Bar service is ok but dont expect service with a smile. Crabcakes are not the best as they claim but were edible on the hand the steamed seafood sampler was generous and delicious. Salad was a nice green medley the bacon-​y toasted croutons made the salad.

Great authentic Celtic atmosphere. I really liked this place, I had a starter of different kinds of raw oysters, all of them were great tasting & fresh. My dinner came with a side salad that was delicious, I don’t know if it was the kind of lettuce, the croutons or the dressing (probably a mixture of all of them) but it was really good for just a side salad!
Then my entrée came… The Salmon topped with a creamy crabmeat mixture & jerk seasoning sauce, sounds like a strange combination but it definitely worked!!! What shocked me was the sheer size of this piece of salmon, it was HUGE!!! It came on a cast iron hot plate, still sizzling. It also came with a side of wild rice. I got through half of the salmon & ate hardly any of the rice & I was stuffed. What I took home was enough for dinner the next day. My boyfriend got the Poor Man’s Surf & Turf, 2 big chicken breasts & shrimp skewers all grilled, glazed with bbq sauce, atop a mound of french fries, he loved it. I would definitely go back when in the area!

The Ugly Oyster is a fun, casual bar and restaurant. It’s a nice spot to grab a drink and if you’re hungry, food too. The artwork on the outside of the place is great. You’ll have to check it out before or after you go.
The food is pub fare with some added finesse. The Ugly Oyster has a raw bar menu. It also offers meat too. The soups are usually very delicious. The beer selection is huge with many imports and crafts. Like the name implies, it definitely has a lot of shellfish, fish and other seafood.
The décor nails it with the Irish pub/​UK bar décor. It surely looks authentic. It has a lot of wooden detailing and dividers. The ceilings are incredible to look at too. The stained glass is a nice touch. There are wooden booths to sit in and stools at the bar.
It has been hit or miss with the wait staff. But at least you get a tootsie pop at the end of your meal.

I SO want to like this place. It has SO many cool aspects to it — but I was wholly underwhelmed by my experience. That being said — I am waffling between 2 & 3 stars.
Cool story — bar was built in England, taken apart, shipped over, & reconstructed by the original designer. I’ve been to many, many Irish pubs (both in the states & in the Old Country) and so many aspects are spot on. The beer taps, the lighting (low, on the bar, no overhead lighting), the correctly poured Guinness, the wrap-​around bar, the walls & ceilings, & the authentic Irish music being played in the background.
The first thing that went wrong was something Kate S. said below. There were approximately 7 or 8 employees hanging out at the end of the bar gossiping, LOUDLY. I heard one loudly proclaiming that she was happy that her license photo looked silly, so that when she was pulled over after drinking it would look like her. Loud, personal stories continued the whole time we were there. This was around 5:30 — 6:30pm. It truly ruined my experience.
They seemed totally uninterested in their tables, or the rest of the people at the bar. This seems to go along with the experiences of some other reviews in regards to the service here.
The second problem was the food. Ordered a crab pretzel to hold me over until dinner, & this was something the bartender recommended. It was not good. It seemed like one of those frozen pretzels, slathered with cheese & crab dip, and microwaved for far too long. The pretzel was soggy — the whole thing was. It was half stuck to the skillet it came out on, it was by far the worst crab pretzel I’ve had.
And lastly — bras on the ceiling? Come on. There’s a time & place for that — & in those situations I can totally appreciate it. It doesn’t belong in a nice, beautiful, wooden Irish pub.
So disappointed. If the staff had been more well-​mannered & polite but the food was still bad, I still would have rated it more highly.
I say these things not to bash on the place — I’d love for it to succeed. Reading needs something like this. I mention these things with the hope that an owner or manager sees them & maybe takes some steps to rectify the problems.