The Oracle

Loads of choice. Great food area and lots of restaurants! House of Fraser seems to always have a sale on!

Not so much 3, not so much 4. But a hell of a lot cooler than a 1 or 2!
I was there in 2009, and it seemed a very happening place. Lots of people walking around, bags of items. Restaurants with outside seating were filled.
I really enjoyed being able to be outside, step on to one of the bridges, look around, and get quite an eyeful — the shopping centre all around you, with the awnings and tables for eating, the Vue (cinema, with it’s really cool beacon of lettering), main street drag in the distance, and all the while, the river under you. Quite refreshing!
A definite must see, for a people watcher.

This is one of the nicer shopping centres in the towns/​cities west of London. This also means that traffic here can be horrendous.
When you do get here, you notice that the high street shops look a little nicer and they have more things that you can peruse.
Throw in the many restaurants dotted in the area and you can’t go wrong.
It’s a busy mall but you can get what you need here.

A shopping mall with everything, the Oracle seems to be a place for teens to hang out and busy professionals to pass through for a quick item.
Nicely done up and comfortable to walk around the Oracle seems to have something for everyone; Topshop, Debenhams, Disney Store, John Lewis, House of Fraser, Boots, Gap, LUSH, to just name a few.
There are a number of restaurants surrounding (McDonalds, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant, giraffe, etc) that are both family friendly and good for couples wishing for a bite to eat before heading over to the cinema.
When it comes to parking, I suggest heading to the top level of the parking garage. What is a few more seconds in a lift anyways?

Having lived in this area for many years, I remember when the Oracle first opened. How exciting it was to go there for the first time (not even joking. Reading was fairly dire for any shops, only John Lewis saved it!). Now over 10 years later and the Oracle still looks impressive and has a wide selection of shops for your general perusal. Whilst some have come and some have gone (Blue Tomato and Warner Bros anyone?) there is still something for everyone. Shops include Debenhams, House of Fraser, H&M, Topshop, Goldsmiths, Disney Store, HMV, Waterstones, Republic, Suits You, Zara, Mango and many others.
Believe it or not the toilets on the riverside level won the Loo of the Year prize a few years running!
Both inside and outside there is a wide selection of cafes and restaurants, set either side of the River Kennet. These include Old Orleans, Slug and Lettuce and the new Jamies Italian. There is also a Vue Cinema. Often there are locally run events in the main stage area around the River, including sandpits in the summer for kids, and trampolines.
It is a classic example of how towns have tried to save the town centre from the clutches of the out-​of-​town shopping centres. This one has definitely done that.

Sometimes, you need to shop. You need to hit a mall. You need to wander from one chain store to the next, filling up your bags and emptying your wallet. If you’re in Reading, the place to do that is right here at the Oracle shopping center, which sits on both sides of the River Kennet just off the Reading high street.
Lots of top name shops here, including a Disney Store (they’re everywhere!), Debenham’s, House of Fraser and John Lewis, plus of course Boots.
Plenty of restaurants and boots to pick up everything from this years selections of calendars to pictures for your phone. And on the subject of phones, they also have representation of the major mobile companies Vodaphone, Orange and more.
I did find the PC World to be a little lacking of some of the lower tier items for computers, but they have high end stuff like big screen TV’s and desktops.
Decent hours: Mon-​Fri 9.30 to 20, Sat 9 to 19 and Sun 11 to 17.

I’ve learned that anytime you feel homesick, no matter where you might be, just look for a shopping mall. You’re bound to find some familiar stores to take the edge off. The Oracle is a two-​level shopping mall built around the banks of the River Kennet and flanked by two bridges. What did we find here? The Gap, The Body Shop, Crabtree & Evelyn, Disney Store, L’Occitane, H&M, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Starbucks and LUSH among the 90 or so stores. Casual restaurants line the riverfront, and offer scenic outdoor seating which during any other season but winter would probably be filled. There’s also a 10-​screen movie theatre. It reminds me a bit of (a larger) Santana Row back home, but with more shops and less residential space.