It has been a bumper year in Reading for venue and restaurant openings, with two new bowling alleys and arcades and eateries serving a range of cuisines.
The biggest openings were two new bowling alleys and arcades, with Bowl Central opening in June and Hollywood Bowl opening at The Oracle Riverside in July.
This year also saw a number of new restaurants open, serving pizza, Thai, Asian fusion and other cuisines to diners.
In many cases, these businesses successfully achieved licensing consent from Reading Borough Council to sell alcohol and serving food and drinks past 11pm.
You can see the venues and restaurants that opened in Reading in 2025 below.
Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl opened on the ground floor of the former House of Fraser store at The Oracle in July.
Visitors can enjoy bowling, an arcade with redemption games and have a bite to eat and a drink at the restaurant.
Bowl Central
Bowl Central, which also provides bowling and redemption arcade games, opened in June, about a month before Hollywood Bowl.
Its restaurant sells pizzas, sides, sharers and milkshakes, with a bar serving a range of alcoholic drinks and cocktails.
The business was billed to open back in 2023, but complications with the fit-out of the unit delayed it until this year.
Rosa’s Thai
Rosa’s Thai was one of the earliest openings, entering Jackson’s Corner in February.
This was another case of a delayed opening, as it was expected to come to town after it won permission to serve alcohol until 11.30pm on Monday to Saturday and 10.30pm on Sundays in 2022.
Zi Tore
Another one of the earliest openings was Zi Tore, which took over the unit previously occupied by the Grumpy Goat in Union Street.
Zi Tore opened in February, supplying authentic Italian street food, pasta, pizza, and coffee to customers.
Cosy Club
Cosy Club opened in May in a unit at the ‘gateway’ of The Oracle shopping centre, which had been vacant for years.
The company has brought its unique brunch, cocktail, and dining experience to Reading for the first time.
The brand is owned by the same company that runs the ‘Lounge’ brand, which has cafe kitchens in Woodley and Caversham and other towns in Berkshire.
Eatnua
The Eatnua Thai restaurant opened opposite the Cosy Club in Gun Street in the summer.
It took over from the Bluegrass BBQ, which had been open in Reading for years but was liquidated in January.
Chilis South Indian
The Chilis Indian food business expanded into new premises at The Village this year.
Chilis initially opened at the former Art of Siam restaurant in November 2021.
Then it took over the Bolan Thai unit, which closed in September, to create Chilis South Indian which opened this year and has already received good reviews on TripAdvisor.
Take Your Time
Take Your Time also opened in The Village mall this year.
The Asian fusion restaurant serves up noodle dishes, curries, burgers and more to customers.
It occupies a unique unit at the top floor of the mall with its own balcony.
Take Your Time took over the space previously occupied by Dolce Vita, which closed in 2018, leaving the unit vacant for seven years.
Paesinos
Paesinos is a small pizza takeaway that occupies the Abbey Corner building, which was transformed from a benefits assessment centre into four food businesses.
The meat it uses is halal certified, and diners can choose from a selection of chicken, wurstel sausage, turkey and vegetarian pizzas.
Amo Italian
Amo Italian also opened at the Abbey Corner this year.
Amo is focused on serving cuisine from Naples, with a menu offering pizza, calzone, arancini balls and salads to guests.
House of Doner
The House of Doner kebab takeaway opened up in September, replacing the Chipstar business in Broad Street that was vacant for years.
The chain also serves up falafel and wraps alongside its signature kebabs.
Smoke & Pepper
Perhaps the latest opening was Smoke & Pepper, which launched in December at the Butter Market.
The menu is focused on burgers and sumptuous dirty fry dishes.
Bagaara
The Bagaara Indian cuisine restaurant opened on the outskirts of town in September.
The restaurant is unique in that it serves lamb brain in an appetiser known as ‘bheja fry’, along with the usual curries, rice and sundries.
It is located along Shinfield Road, in a building previously occupied by the Firezza pizza restaurant and takeaway.
