Reviews of Ugly Oyster Drafthaus (Restaurant)

Timothy Thorne

I've been coming to the Ugly Oyster for well over a decade. It's one of my favorite bars to hang out at. It truly has a Cheers like vibe. As a restaurant, it's one of the best in the city. The food is delicious and the prices are affordable. The bartenders are friendly and quick with the service. I would recommend The "O" to anyone for any occasion.

Melissa Lynch

Great food, good prices. The waitress are always nice.

Renee Reeser

My husband and I were there twice this past weekend. Once for dinner on Friday night and again for lunch on Saturday. The crab cakes Friday night were delicious. The steak was ok. Saturday's lunch was extremely disappointing, especially for my husband. He ordered six raw oysters, which were mediocre at best. He also ordered the mussels French style. He had high hopes for these. Unfortunately, lunch went from bad to worse when the mussels came out. There were obviously several dead ones in the batch and half of the rest were way over done. The dead ones made the entire dish smell horribly. I am not sure how these were allowed to come out of the kitchen this way. It was extremely disappointing. The mussels were so gross and my husband was so disgusted that he didn't even have an appetite to eat anything in place of the mussels. It certainly put a big damper on what was supposed to be a nice getaway for us. Unfortunately, the Oyster seems to be slipping from our previous visits.

J Ian Galiyano

A awesome place with great food. The beer selection is pretty great. They also have nice clothes to sport their bar. Really good customer service and funny bar tenders. These employees have some pretty great stories to tell if you ask them.

Aaron N

Always a great stop when in town visiting. Staff is pretty cheerful and kind. Food hit the spot

Peter Newman

My extended family in Reading Pa. Love love this wonderful place.

Catherine Witman

Food was great and server was alot of fun. If anyone went home hungry it is their own fault.

Jeff Ricketts

Always a great pint. Had original fish and chips, portions are huge. Everyone at the table enjoyed their meals. Cozy atmosphere, reservations recommended on weekends.

Peggy Shafer

Upon arriving on a Tuesday at dinner time, we were asked if we had reservations. We did not but the waitress sat us at an empty table and took the reserved sign off the table in a huff. We were then greeted by a younger waitress who took our drink orders of one water and one soda. We waited for some time for the waitress to come back to place our order. After our order was placed, we waited over an hour for our meals. Since we were going to a show I started to get a little nervous and kept checking my watch. The customers next to us were just as frustrated. They arrived a good twenty minutes before we did and didn't have their food yet. Their food finally arrived, they ate, paid their bill, and left before our food arrived. When our food finally arrived, I asked the waitress to bring the check so I could pay the bill because the people next to us waited a good 10 minutes to get their bill paid and we needed to get to the show. The food was good but a little pricey. Service is very slow. Tables are very small and some have stools instead of chairs.

Noelia L Gonz

It definitely smells

Deb K

Great food and service. The mussels were excellent!

Siobhan Ciccarello

We arrived into town Monday evening, so we looked on line for a pub we could have a few drinks at and Ugly Oyster was our pick! We were very fortunate to meet Kerry the bartender that night. Not only did we have great convo and many laughes he gave us the low down on where to go while in town. We came back Friday night for the mushroom oyster chowder and Kingcut prime rib....AMAZING!!! Going back tonight before we leave for one more of his tasty cocktails :)

Larry Kelly

I commend this owner for being sensitive to the feelings of his customers. He removed a controversial piece that was on display. Thanks!

Ronald Haywood

I had a awesome dinner with a wonderful waitress #Paris Service was on point. Paris kept walking by asking if we was ok! Truly appreciate that. Also I needed a water and I got up from table and adked bartender. He cracked a joke and came and brought the water in about 1-2mins.#Salute the bartender. Was there 4/6 about 930p.Thank u for good food & good hospitality! !

Roxanne Powell

Delightful Irish pub. Friendly service, tasty food, and a lovely live music jam session made for a perfect evening. Glad we happened on this gem.

Kimica Z

It was a while ago that I visited the Ugly Oyster, but it still stands out in my mind for the delicious food and outstanding service. It was later in the evening and we were trying to find some place that was open... As we approached the restaurant the owner happened to be outside and invited us in and I'm SO glad we went in! He suggested the tandoori mussels, which I never would have tried except for his recommendation, and they were AMAZING! The food, the ambience, and the service all put together were so good that I had to buy a souvenir glass to take home with me and remember the place.

Roxy Jackson

Always great quality food, drinks, service and atmosphere! My personal favorite place in downtown Reading

Gloria Ho

Food was average. Everything could have benefited from salt. I had the fried oyster sandwich; the oyster was fried well, not over done. The Maryland crab soup definitely had crab (you can see it) but the spices really overpowered any taste from the crab. Portions are large and prices are good. Atmosphere is okay but other patrons were incredibly loud. Not sure if that's common but it was a negative point for me (I'm aware it's a bar and people get like that at bars).

Will Fitzpatrick

Excellent food at the Ugly Oyster! I've been in Reading for the week and can safely say that this is one of the best restaurants that I've been to. Can't go without a good Irish meal this close to St. Pattys Day!

M Rivera

Bartender great good service crab cakes n crab legs awesome

Anna McAlpin

Service was great food and beer was even better. Highly recommend it

Ric Ravier

Always a pleasure to stop in and grab a thick dark beer that is ideally on NO2. The crab pretzels are also delicious. This is just a great place that makes you feel like you are in some other part of the world. Typically fun people and a very friendly vibe with everyone socializing... Or maybe that is because I am usually wearing Christmas Lights... but still fun.

Samantha Gibbs

Fine place for seafood. Nothing to complain about. The service here is better than most. It has a great atmosphere.

Stefania Gomez

Nice ambiance

Mark Pflum

I had the Prime Rib and it was delicious! The service is always the absolute best and you will always be glad you chose to dine here.

Larry Lawrence

Great food, amazing beer selection, atmosphere and friendly staff. Glad we found this place.

Jeanne Runkle

Good food, good beer! We happened to be there when they had live music, a small group playing Irish tunes. It's a fun place, though not the cheapest. The fresh oysters are good, you get a little bit of a discount if you get a dozen (they have three varieties).

Alicia Hedrick

My husband and I loved our visit to the Drafthaus. We had the shucked oysters, crab dip, he had the Fried oysters, and I had the fish and chips. All delicious, all amazing!!! We will be going back!

Scott Puckett

Exquisite menu offering delicious seafood and land based fare. Service is exceptional, people who truly care about their patrons. We had steaks and crab cakes between three of us for entrees and all were perfect. The pretzel was an amazing appetizer. Highly highly recommend. An overall fantastic dining experience.

Joshua Kastenbaum

Interior is beautiful.Authentic Irish pub and bistro.They play traditional Irish music and the staff are great and food is to.I highly recommend trying it if you are in the area.

Marie Freddo

Service and food was outstanfing!

JM

Great food and service.Mike you were awesome!

John Neu

A tavern, but good food. Also they are not cheap with the drinks. Big cocktails!

Kelly Shoemaker

So delicious that i live in Harrisburg but drive an hour to come eat here. Great food.

Bob Rossi

Food was ok . owner was aces. Nice bar.

lili Coombs

The waitress was wonderful, atmosphere relaxed and pleasant. Too much good food. My husband and I loved it...also a lot of interesting conversations. We had to laugh.

Mike Frazer

Nice Irish Pub in downtown Reading, Pa. Nice and reasonably priced food and drinks.

Timothy Edwards

Great food, great staff, amazing beer selection, must order the wings!

Kelly Mullarkey

It's my spot. Cozy & comfortable. Excellent food. Great bar tenders.

Patrick Neenan

Glenn and his entire staff are some of the best and most gracious folks i have met. This place is an institution, a food and beer experience. The Staff only makes it Greater.

christian mcdade

Always a great go to for great food, good people and good service

Carolyn Esch

Delish bangers & mash! Spicy shrimp was good also! Wonderful service too

Sharon Shank

Food very good especially for the price. Bartender snarky on a good way!

Chris Foxx

Good food and definitely a place to checkout if your in the area!

Kenneth Roth

Wow. This pub is authentic and quite simply the gem of Reading. Great food, wonderful wait staff and bartenders. This is an Irishman's paradise.

Michael Hernandez

Great service and food. Recommend the cheesesteak.

Jordan Norris

Pretty weak pours on some nice whiskeys I ordered and the service wasn’t the greatest.

Tom Oneill

Excellent food and service

Tyler Kimmel

Wow, all I can say I had the kings cut prime rib and it was prepared perfectly. The atmosphere there is great as well and wonderful staff.

claire moy

Fun place in downtown Reading. Amazing selection of bottle beer + nice choice of drafts. Food is standard pub fair. Delicious burger.

james shoemaker

The food is amazing the servers are extremely friendly and give u great service

Mary Heiser

The staff was great especially since the place was packed. The food was amazing, too! I would definitely go back the next time I'm in the area!

Martha Marquez

It's very nice place the staff very polite

James Poland

An amazing authentic Irish style pub. Spectacular food and amazing draft beers. Be sure to make a reservation for peak times and expect to spend a decent amount of time there.

Daniel Murtha

Amazing food. And not many places to get oysters and reading

Dustin Caruso

One of the best bars in Reading, especially if you love seafood and a great beer selection. The prices are reasonable and the food is always good. Try the Steamed Seafood Sampler and split it w/ your date. The Ugly Pretzel or Crab Dip for Two are great sides, or good for when you're just in the mood for an appetizer. They're also the only place I've been to locally that has Corsendonk (a great Belgian beer) on tap!

Hunter Red

An Irish themed pub that actually plays Irish music. Food is simple done right; crab cakes were exactly as described and was prepared well. Prices were surprisingly reasonable. Wife and I enjoyed our visit and would go again. Service was solid, appearance was right - men's room... eh...

Jeff Franklin

One of my favorite seafood restaurants in Reading in a marvelous atmosphere of an Irish pub. Good for lunch or dinner. Crab cake sandwich or fish and chips are my go to lunch orders. Last time the fish had the skin on which seemed odd here and not to my liking but at least it wasn’t looking back at me. Service here has been consistently friendly and efficient for me. It is like a mini vacation.

ellen milke

Great food. Our server was so personable and engaging. We'll definitely be back.

Russ R

Draft beer selection was limited, missing some beer from the bottle list, food is fine

Ryan Jablonski

My favorite watering hole in RDG/Berks area. BONUS: The food is top notch as well! Ownership & staff are great!

Cindy Lehman

Fish and chips is amazing! We loved the oysters on the half shell also. Cheesesteak was sweet and wonderful. Good God, good prices.

Jes D

Unfortunately I had a horrible experience at this place. My company and I ordered lunch and our French fries were burnt to a crisp! My co worker called and spoke with the manager Glen, and he was very rude to her on the phone. He wasn’t willing to make accommodations to satisfy us all. The people who work here are very unprofessional, and I will never be back, bc they don’t care about their customers. If I could give 0 stars, I would.

Chris Coho

Food was good and they had a nice draft and bottled beer selection.

Alexis Ynirio

Friendly waitress and great food!

Sigrid Still

Always a great experience.

Gene Thatcher

I dont normaly write reviews. But i must warn people of this place. I went to this place with my wife and 5 year old daughter. Please please skip this place. Im from NJ and i have eaten in many many places . This place is the worst seafood. Over priced and the food sucks. The crab cakes tasted like over salted, raw garbage. Shrimp cocktail was served very dirty. They do not take time to clean the shrimp, over seasoned crab fries that were almost impossible to get down, chicken strips my daughter ordered were pink, gooey, and raw in the center. Even the ice tea and sodas we ordered were outrageous, watered down and disgusting. We explained to the waitress who was also the manager on duty (older white lady, white hair) that we were very displeased and not happy with the food and she immediately instructed us to pay and leave. She was very rude and disrespectful and didn’t want to here anything we had to say. She said if we didn’t pay at that moment she was calling the police. I explained to her that I was not pleased with the way she was speaking to us especially considering my 5 year old daughter is sitting right next to me. She immiditaly walked away from the table and called the police. Shortly after, police showed up and I kindly explained the situation. I told them I never wanted to bring it to these measures. They asked me to pay and I left happily. Moral, please save yourself from this disgusting establishment!!! Wish I could rate zero stars.

Bev F.

This place seriously has some of the best food. The burgers here are out of this world. I used to come here a lot to couple of years ago but then I moved farther away so I stopped. Now that I'm back in the area is going to be one of my regular spots. Love this place. Can't recommend it enough.

Jordan Gensemer

Great food. Love the beer list. Cool and different environment. I wish the place had more room but its nice anyways.

Jose Echavarria

Their fish and chips was good.

Kyle Lord

Great food and the staff was wonderful.

Veronica Johnson

I love to eat seafood here. Delicious food and cheery environment.

Mike Moyer

Great spot in downtown Reading for food and drinks. Staff is really friendly!

Robert Wunsch

Decent food and good beer selection

Sharon Pacharis

Very nice place

Juan Baez

Amazing staff, great food and a large variety of beers. So glad our friend recommended this place. Our new go to place when we're in Reading.

Bernard Cutler

Warm cozy pleasant environment, very attentive staff

Valerie Venezia-Ricciardi

Amazing experience!! The bartender had such a wonderful personality. I forget her name but she has been there for like 20 years. We tried the raw oysters and all different kinds and they were fresh and mouth watering and delicious. I will be going back. We also tried the crab dip and again another amazing dish.

michael hollingshead

Michael is such a great server!

Jason E

Best pub around. Food is one of a kind.

Jaime K.

Tasty and fresh food! They unsurprisingly pour a perfect Guinness as well. Great variety of beers and whiskeys too.

Sarah M

So Good! Michael was a great server, very kind and attentive. The food is delicious!

jacob alford

Really enjoyed the food. Taylor was great and attentive. Bathroom is gross.

jessica clark

Amazing food. filet wrapped in bacon! who knew? Beautiful crust too. Our server/ the manager was amazing too. We definitely will be coming back

Shay J

The people who work here are low class, rude, trashy, and have no idea what customer service is. Glen & his staff need a serious course on customer experience, and to remember that their customers are the SOLE reason they’re in business. He had an opportunity to go above and beyond and make unhappy, PAYING customers happy- yet chose to be a cheapskate, and basically tell us to take our business elsewhere . So you know what- we did just that- and had a very pleasurable experience, with delicious food AND service! I won’t EVER give this place another dime of my money, and I’ll be sure to tell everyone I know about the horrific experience my colleagues and I had when we placed a to go order recently for lunch. Glen should be ashamed of himself to own/ “manage” such a tacky organization. Stay tuned for more low ratings, and feedback from other disappointed customers.

Dave Matli

Good burger and good live Irish music - fun vibe but kitchen closed earlier than advertised (weirdly still allowed to order only burgers)

John Kavaller

Thoroughly enjoyed. Hospitable, good value, lovely period decor.

Audrey Klein

Kerry and Des are exactly what I look for in a bartender. They take no lip, and have plenty to snap back with if customers are out of line. I always feel safe and welcomed here. Angel makes the BEST burgers, and the Thursday night special always keeps me coming back. Do not come here if you cannot take a joke or a good natured ribbing .

Mike D

This place is great! It seems like a historic seaside Irish pub. The decor and atmosphere are certainly unique for the area. Thursday night sessions are an unexpected bonus. Crab legs are spectacular.

Ron Mondrin

Rolled into the bar at 6pm before a show. Waited for two bar seats. No problem there, however they were booked with reservations and turning walk ins away. Once we settled into the bar beers, nice pours and good food made for the perfect pre show meal. Notable: oysters, wings, burger. Friendly staff. Will return!!

Jenn Latchford

This place was bomb! Food was awesome, service was excellent and the staff was friendly!

Jami Hottenfeller

Great beer selection, awesome food, friendly staff and owner!

Haille

Reasonable prices and great crab legs.

James Winters

Great place to eat. I will be going back again

YAHTZ !

Good food. awsome setting

Janice Spayd

It"s a friendly, corner bar, with good food, and a nice selection of drinks

Fred Downs

Great environment, friendly people, good food

Jeni Evans

Great food and drinks in a comfortable and casual atmosphere. In the heart of downtown Reading near shopping and entertainment. Off street parking available across the street .

Jonathan M

Awsome must try it

Ethan's vlogs

Very unfriendly. Did not seem interested in serving us. The food was very unappealing.

Brian Shertz

Good food and atmosphere! Service was awesome and we will be recommending.

Paul Docherty

Awesome Philly cheese steak, very friendly staff.

Sal Mazza

Nice atmosphere, great food, nice staff.

Gabe Moss

Great pub with great food!

Marty Zickgraf

Tasty food and decent craft beer.

Adrianna Zimmer

So Good!! I went here on a what’s so cool about mnaufacturing trip with the awards assembly being held in a hotel nearby. Our whole group had so much! I got the crab dip, and fried oysters and they were amazing! Best crab dip I ever ate! Fresh cut Fries! Dinner Salad! So good staff very nice highly recommend

Frank Grijalva

The seafood platter was mostly amazing except for the stuffed clam. The scallops were done to perfection. Cold tall Guinness too!

Meg

Food was fantastic - soup was tasty and served nice and hot, clam strips were fresh, crab cakes had no filler (as the menu promised) and shrimp was good, albeit the french fries were a bit heavy on spice. The atmosphere, set up and service mirrored that of a pub straight out of Ireland. **make reservations especially if visiting for dinner or on the weekends or else you'll be sitting at the bar. Overall, a lovely experience and meal.

Serge Lehman

It was a compact Irish pub that had an enjoyable atmosphere. The owner said that much of the bar decor was shipped over from the British Isles. It did feel like an upscale English pub and was warm and inviting. The food was delicious and they had a small but quality selection of craft beer. The servers were kind and unpretentious. It wasn't crowded the night we were there, but if it was it would be hard to move around. We will most likely be back to try it again.

Heather Boyle

Ignore online draft list. The list said updated that day, but they didn't have our first two choices, Sam Smiths and Lancaster. Guinness was good. Food was just okay. Service good and atmosphere very enjoyable.

Cari L. Weber

We visited on Saturday afternoon, when unbeknownst to the staff, a conference of several thousand women let out for a two-hour lunch break. We were fortunate enough to get the last table. There were only two gals serving, and they were AMAZING! They had to work HARD, but they did an awesome job & kept their cool throughout, the food was delicious, and I definitely plan to visit again (although maybe when it's a little quieter). So in summary, great food, amazing staff, and definitely a place to check out!

Joelia Flores

Seafood Sampler is the best...The Food is always delicious... This is my favorite place to eat!!! Atmosphere is great...Staff is always pleasant and polite...

Rk Ridge

No! I couldn’t even order my chicken tenders and fries because I am allergic to shellfish and they use the disgusting same oil as they use for the shellfish. That’s all I wanted I drive an hour to get here.

Aimee Kelly

Such a unique place!! We had the New England Clam Chowder.. it was delicious!! The inside of this pub is beautiful.. antique... the bar was gorgeous... We even bought 4 t-shirts to take home!! Service was awesome! Parking was easy... And food was wonderful!!!

John Fordyce

Our whole party had fantastic dinners. Salmon special was a home run. Amazing special.... Waitress Paris was fantastic. This place is the bomb diggidy.....

Jeremy Wiker

Great restaurant, awesome atmosphere. Large portions of quality food. We had the pretzel, stuffed shrimp, and NY steak. Highly recommend!

Robert Kieta

Great fresh seafood in an authentic Irish pub

Frank Collins

Very friendly staff and great beer selection.

Andy Serb

Desiree makes it all worth the visit!! Helicopter!!

I fear No one

Best bartenders is Reading #romantic #happyhour #datenight

Stephen Austin

Great atmosphere and service

Joy Kinckner

Been going here for years for oysters and mussels. Suggest reserving a table. It gets packed when there are concert or hockey events.

Matt Bishop

Ita pub food but it's really well done pub food

Jose Ledesma

Went here this past Saturday at 4:30 in the afternoon. We were in town for a concert. I asked for a table and was completely ignored by the staff of approximately 4 people. Not kidding or exaggerating. I felt a little embarrassed because when you go somewhere and ask an employee of the place a question at a minimum you expect to be answered. They were to busy talking and looking at their phones. I then walked to the bar and asked the waitress behind the bar if I could have a table and with attitude she said they were all reserved. I was confused because there were at most 4 - 5 people eatting at this restaurant and ALL the tables were empty except one table. This place has many tables. I got the feeling they didn't want to serve me and my husband so we left and searched for another restaurant and found Decarlo’s Bar and Grill. We went there and had a nice early dinner with a nice waiter and waitress. In my opinion do no waste your time going to the Ugly Oyster, their attitude is pretty ugly.

Christopher Haig

Don't miss this great spot. Super fresh seafood, and a thorough tap list. The Irish styling is to notch. If you're in from out of town, don't hesitate. Don't bother with the big chains.

Mike Lichman

One of my favorite bars! I've been coming here since I turned 21. Great beers on tap and food is always excellent. I highly recommend their wings, crabby pretzel, grilled chicken salad and whatever steak special they have going on. Those are always my go to meals and they never disappoint! The staff is awesome, especially if you're a regular.

albert h

Somewhat weird atmosphere

Arthur Brunt

I had a great time as always. I celebrated a National Holiday, I met a charming person, I bought them dinner, and I got a phone number. All in all a great night. As usual staff and waitresses were amazing. And the food was incredible. I know I'll keep coming back. I highly recommend this place for great time and good food.