The Ugly Oyster Drafthaus

09/25/2026

Our Lunch Menu came out earlier this week, and following is now our dinner menu, served after 3pm daily: prioritizing seafood, Celtic fare, and of course... oysters!

Some of our most popular dishes have been the Seafood Sampler (a sought-after classic for seafood lovers) and Oysters Rockefeller. We would like to pay credit to those two gentlemen from New Orleans who gave us the recipe; they insisted we make them these oysters. On the half-shell, drizzled with their top-secret seasoning & butter, and gently seared by open flames. They asked our crew to try the melt-in-your-mouth oysters, and the rest is history! (Now they also come with house-made garlic parm fries.)

Additionally, today marks the first day Malpeque Oysters will be available fresh daily in our Raw Bar.

Stop by soon to try our oysters and Irish classics!

09/20/2026

As of this Tuesday, September 22nd, we will now be featuring a specialized Lunch Menu served 11:30am-3pm daily. This menu will have all of our popular sandwich and Irish options along with some of our other great bites, now in even larger portions -- order our Glazed Salmon, Reuben, and more to find out!

Our full, expansive, seafood-focused menu will be available evenings with just our classic Cheeseburger and best-selling Reuben as sandwich options. So, take advantage of our lunchtime offerings and grab Honey Mustard Chickensteaks with made-to-order Cooper Cheese sauce, and make a reservation for dinner to grab our fresh steamed Snow Crab legs and loaded Ugly Pretzels.
And remember: our fresh Oyster Raw Bar runs all day long, every day.

Cheers, and see you soon! (Oh -- don't forget the FREE parking!)

09/08/2026

Join us next Thursday for a Halfway to St. Paddy's Day celebration! We're hosting Hooligan Jack to share the craic -- brought to you by our community-focused Berks Irish. We'll be running live music until 10pm, so stay for a good time! 🍻

Please note: reservations highly recommended if arriving at the beginning of the night, as we are expecting a bustling restaurant because of the sold-out Santander event at 7:30pm the same day.

08/23/2026

This Tuesday and Wednesday, August 25-26, we will be running an all-day long special. As we continue improving our service, the most important thing we're looking for is feedback from our customers.

Anyone who orders our coveted Honey Mustard Chicken Cheesesteak will receive two halves, per usual... but now with Cooper cheese, per popular customer request!
One half will have classic melted Cooper, while the other has rich, house-made Cooper cheese sauce. We want to hear which takes our chicken cheesesteaks to the next level!

08/19/2026

Next week the Ugly Oyster will begin offering some long-awaited Happy Hours!

🍺 Late-Night Drafts 8-10pm: $3 Off ALL Drafts -- a perfect mid-week boost!

🦪 Yuengling/Blue Point Special, 4-8pm: 1 FREE Yuengling L***r draft with a 12ct plate of Blue Point Oysters!

🍻 Specialty Bottled Imports, 3-7pm: $2 Off All German & Belgian Bottles after work on Friday!

08/15/2026

We're diving deep into the rich history of The Ugly Oyster building (19-21 South 5th St). Below is some of what we know so far -- what we've gleaned from customers, news articles, and our own records.

🏗 In 1991, construction began to turn the Hofbrau into what most people know today as The Ugly Oyster. Let's just say, it was a thorough process: The owner that undertook this task had such a passion for the establishment that he traveled all the way to Ireland to do it right!

🚢 The interior of the Ugly Oyster had been built in Yorkshire, England. It was taken apart by Irish craftsmen, shipped overseas, fitted for the 1st-floor interior of the then-Hofbrau, and rebuilt in the space by those same Irish craftsmen.

🪉In his several months there, the owner attended St. James' Gate to learn the authentic handling, pouring, and serving techniques from Guinness itself. Because of the Ugly Oyster's excellence of surpassing these rigorous standards, we were the first pub in the county to receive the official Guinness Rating.

🦪 Our name comes from the original owner's past working in Ocean City, Maryland. He got his inspiration whilst strolling the streets, falling in love with all the fun business names... hence our quirky title: "The Ugly Oyster."
Nearly a decade later, our pub opened its doors on St. Patty's Day of 2000 (how fitting!).

⏳And to top all that, we are considered the oldest pub in Berks County -- both our interior and the building itself date back to the 1700s.

We'd love to hear stories, fun facts, corrections, and everything else associated with the Ugly Oyster and the building at 19-21 South 5th St! Which celebrities have visited us? What happened during WWII? What was the Ugly Oyster before it was the Hofbrau? We'd love to know!

07/31/2026

EXCITING NEWS: After many requests, the Ugly Oyster is planning on expanding our hours to Mondays (including lunches)!
We are looking to hire experienced professionals immediately for various shifts throughout the week. We'd love to implement our expanded hours as soon as possible for the convenience of our customers!

If interested, please email your resume to [email protected], call (610) 373-6791, and/or stop by our location in downtown Reading to learn more.

07/19/2026

The Ugly Oyster is honored to have been able to offer a summer special as a token of our gratitude to all the hardworking government professionals stationed downtown.
Just like them, our goal is to serve the city of Reading. We want to keep it lively and growing for the betterment of all those in it and in the surrounding area -- businesses and individuals alike.

Thank you to those who stopped by to grab a bite, and thank you to all for your ongoing service to our community. Hope to see you all again Tuesday!

🤫 We have more events in the works... Keep your eyes peeled (and room in your bellies)! 👀

07/02/2026

06/22/2026

Come join the Ugly Oyster for an exciting week of games, drinks, and friends! ⚽🍻