New KADŌ Cafe Opens Near Palmer Park!

KAD4D Cafe has opened at the Colley Supper Rooms building opposite Palmer Park in Reading. It launched late last month and serves leafed matcha, açaí bowls, homemade treats and pastries, speciality 'leafed matcha', coffees and other drinks.

Opening times are 9am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am-6pm on Saturdays and 9am-4pm Sundays; closed Mondays.

Celebrating the news, councillor Rob White (Green, Park), who represents the area, said: "The cafe was very good, I had a lovely oat milk cappuccino which was very nice, I particularly liked how they did the froth."

"There were loads of people there, the staff and the customers were friendly."

"That property has had its ups and downs, I'm sure KAD4D Cafe will make a good go of it, I've been there twice now!"

The building at the junction of Wokingham Road and St Bartholomew's Road has hosted several businesses over the years, including Barts Grill and Restaurant, Smokeys House, O Portuguese and, most recently, Matteo Greek Grill & Bakery.

There are lingering planning issues. A report by planning officer Anthony Scoles says a series of changes to entrances, windows, roofing and kitchen extraction appear to have been done without permission from 2010 onwards. The most recent alterations in 2025/26 affected the entrances and windows facing St Bartholomew's Road and are understood to have occurred while Matteo Greek Grill & Bakery occupied the building.

A retrospective application to keep the changes was rejected. Mr Scoles wrote: "Given the prominence of the building within the street scene and its relationship with the attractive historic townscape of St Bartholomew's Road and Wokingham Road, the proposal represents a missed opportunity to secure a more sensitive restoration that would respond positively to the building's Victorian character."

"As a result, the development would fail to achieve the high standard of design required for this location and would neither maintain nor enhance the character and appearance of the site and its surroundings."

The retrospective application was rejected on Friday, October 30. It was submitted by Jamshed Miah, who was the owner and manager of Barts Grill and the Miah's Indian restaurants. You can view the rejected application on the council planning portal using reference PL/26/0197.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter