READING Town Hall's new café will open to the public this month.

The Pantry Café & Kitchen will sit in the heart of Reading's vibrant town centre, forming an integral part of the 18th Century Grade II listed Town Hall and Museum building.

The Pantry will offer a fresh place for breakfast, brunch or lunch as well as a place to meet and eat.

It will be open to the public from Monday, September 16.

All the café’s fillings will be freshly prepared using ingredients from local suppliers.

Their takeaway packaging will be recyclable and compostable, and anyone who brings their own refillable cup will receive 20p off their hot drink.

The café’s executive chef, Daniel Pink, combines his passion for fresh local produce with a desire to provide customers with a scrumptious and inventive menu.

The former 3Bs Café has undergone a complete refurbishment and forms part of the major transformation project at the Town Hall, which has included two new museum galleries, a new reception and museum shop, new Register Office ceremony room as well as maintenance and improvements throughout the building.

‘The Pantry Café & Kitchen’ name is a historical nod to the popular People’s Pantry restaurant, which once stood opposite the town hall.

Cllr Jason Brock, Reading council’s leader, said: "We also want the name of the café to celebrate the positive historical connotation of a much loved, popular meeting place in Reading during a challenging time for the town.

"The People’s Pantry was a wartime institution designed to provide quick and satisfying meals for shoppers, business people, artisans and the army forces.

"The new café will hopefully prove as popular a destination for residents and visitors.

"The new café is a part of our wider, major investment in transforming the Town Hall and Museum.

"It will complement the two new museum galleries we’ve opened this year, alongside the new reception, museum shop and the Register Office’s stunning ceremony room.

"We have also installed low energy LED bulbs, added insulation to the Concert Hall’s roof area and carried out improvements to make the building’s heating more efficient.

"The transformation work is part of our commitment to enhance the facilities this venue has to offer for residents and visitors and part of the council’s wider plan to make the best possible use of its buildings, including improving sustainability and energy efficiency."

Find out more here.