Beneficial Society Victor Emmanuel II

Who doesn’t like Victor’s… First, you gotta be a Goomba or know a Goomba to become a member.
Then it’s everyday Eye-​talian food like youi’d get at home at reasonable prices and it’s cash only. No gourmet stuff here and not frozen TV dinner quality. Evening meal stuff.
Remember, it’s a social club so nobody is making a killing on prices or wages… so don’t forget to tip those poor waitresses or they’ll cry!

I grew up going here with my parents and grandparents. Many of the same staff are here, 40+ years later. It gets a 5 for the warm nostalgia it invokes in me. This is not fine dining, where you linger over an elegantly set table. This is eat on Styrofoam plates and get the heck out… the mob in the foyer need your table, after all. And guess what… I’m OK with that. Normally an adventurous and varied eater, I stick with my usual 2 slices and an order of fava beans. I think it costs me $ 6, but the smile on my face is priceless.

Members only restaurant /​club. Delicious, homemade Italian food at cheap prices served in a cafeteria setting. Drinks are cheap too. Essentially, everything is extremely discounted since it’s a members only place.
Be wary of bringing guests these days, though. They are cracking down on anyone over the age of 21 and making them show ID to prove they are not from Berks County. Seems that they are trying to force folks into purchasing memberships. Witnessed a few occurrences over the course of dinner, of families arguing with «security» at the front, over guests they were bringing with.

It used to be one of my favorites. I remember waiting in line to get in. Not no more. Food went down and service is terrible. I didn’t renew my membership

30 years I’ve been to the this «bizarro universe» where «if you’re lucky if the waitress says more than 2 words to you»
I laugh at the reviews as some people expect this is a casual dining restaurant. Give me a break, who ever brought you there didn’t explain Victor Emmanuel II’s to you. This is where you go to enjoy a fresh homemade Italian meal. It’s not to sit in a booth with family and discuss how great your life is.
If you are looking for more than great food, please go to some other place. You get a number because it’s PACKED. PACKED ALL THE TIME. You have to be with a member to become a member. That way the member can explain this is not an Olive Garden to you.
Victor’s is just lake a big cafeteria that serves awesome food in a very fast and efficient way.

Private club, good solid italian food with cheap drinks, low prices and quick service. Cash only.

This place has good food and great pizza! You cant beat the prices and this place is always packed. It may look like a cafeteria and some may have an personal problem with needing a membership but I have NO issues with it…

The food is always amazing here, the people at the front are always very nice and helpful and welcoming. However, the wait staff can be a little rude when taking orders and refilling drinks. But overall, I have been coming here since I was kid, love love love Vics!

The food is pretty solid, there aren’t any Italian restaurants in Berks county that I think are amazing (they are all pretty much the same) But I do keep coming back here.
CASH ONLY. The prices are really good, but I prefer ordering take out as opposed to eating in bc the service isn’t anything to write home about. Most of the waitresses are grouchy and in attentive.
Things I highly recommend: Tiramisu (SO good!) Cannoli, Lasagna (my favorite), Ravioli, Veal/​Chicken Parm, salad w cheese (it is topped w loads of cheese and oil and vinegar. I know it sounds simple but that is how I personally like side salads)
Things I probably won’t order again: Linguini (or anything) with white clam sauce, white pizza.
You do have to be a member or a guest of a member.

Attention: When entering Victor Emmanuel, you may think you are entering a bizarro universe; pinch yourself occasionally to remind yourself that, YES, this is real life.
Who knew there was a place that has a secret handshake/​membership ritual at the door, and also serves an entire meal for about $ 10. The membership costs $ 6 a year, so don’t worry about it being too exclusive for you. You also don’t even need to be Italian! After showing your special card at the door, there is a large waiting area/​coat check/​bar that you can hang out at while waiting for your party’s number to be called. That’s right, you get a number at the door upon entering to indicate when your table is available, not unlike a meat counter or a barbershop.
Surprisingly, the bar was surprisingly empty the last time I went here, and they actually had some very good beers on tap. You would never expect to get Leffe at a place like Victor’s. I also don’t think anyone could ever expect getting a Leffe for under $ 5. You can’t even get a Miller Lite for that cheap in most bars these days. This establishment deserves high praise for this.
After enjoying some beers and your number is called, look for the frantically waiving guy in the dining room (giant, cafeteria style room) who will be waiting to show you to your seat. If you don’t see the assistant, look for the only empty table in the room, chances are that is your table. It is always packed.
The menu is short and sweet. They have nightly specials and home style favorites. I would recommend the Saturday night chicken as it is really the only thing I have gotten the last few times I have been here. There is something special about getting a perfectly seasoned, moist half of a chicken that seems a bit odd when dining here. It just doesn’t seem to fit with the other favorites that are being served. Speaking of being served, consider yourself lucky if your waitress says more than two words to you. They are all business and if you don’t know what you want when they come around, you will get left behind during the ordering process.
After you are done eating, you better be ready to get out fast. You will be ushered away from your table as there will probably be 20 other groups waiting for your seats. The overall dining experience you will encounter when entering this building is truly one of a kind. I would recommend to anyone who loves a good, bizarre story to venture into this place for a bite to eat. Find a member to get you in or sign you up and you will be treated to one of the most interesting times in your life.

Holy Wow. This place is the best if you are looking for the classic «Eye-​Talian» foods. White Pizza with tomatoes is always good, and I have never had an overcooked gnocchi there. It’s dirt cheap, but I wouldn’t know, as I usually order half of the menu; their food (particularly the pizza) is even better the next day.

Good times! Just as I remembered!

Prices that haven’t changed in a million years. Check. The best Italian food in Berks County. Check. Ridiculously fast service and prep. Check. Waitresses that will give you dirty looks if you give them a hard time. Check.
This is a hidden gem of Berks County and brings back really great memories from when my family used to go there. We still go back when I’m home because I demand it.
The pizza is great– I recommend the deep dish. Even better might be the salads with Victor’s dressing and more mozzarella cheese than you can handle. This place is so old school, I absolutely love it. I hope when I visit Reading 20 years from now I can come back to this place.

From another Berks-​Countian who flew the coop and can’t come home without pizza from Victor’s…
Though I’ve traded my Shirley Temples (loved the sword through the cherries) for Yuengling ($ 2-​and-​a-​quarter!!)… everything else is the exact same, don’t-mess-with-me waitresses and all.
Can I just gush on some pizza here… like noneother. The crust is like pillowy soft focaccia, just the right thickness with those air pockets that make even air taste good. If anything, I only wish for more of that tasty sauce.
I love the simple simple simple menu. Nice cheesesteak for a fix that won’t make you feel like hell the rest of the night. The beef shavings are quality stuff, not all fatty and gross. Gotta have the iceberg salad loaded with cheese and Italian dressing… and a side of fava beans.
I love the cafeteria-​like echoey noise of people having fun with their families here, but the florescent lights are kind of brutal.
Victor Emmanuel has the biggest takeout counter I’ve ever seen. Very efficient.
Ca$h only, y’all. Amazed how those waitresses just make change out of their aprons.

An «unusual but recommended» experience in members-​only Italian dining.
Assuming you have a membership (for which you must prove Italian ancestry, though I’ve heard there’s some flexibility) or come with someone who has it, you will be allowed to enter through the otherwise locked front entrance, which opens into a waiting area. Past a rather sternly staffed host /​security stand positioned under equally stern looking photos of generations of Society officers, you will see a massive florescent-​lit dining hall. Replete with cafeteria-​esque tile floors, red and white checkered tablecloths, and an oversize TV at one end showing album art and the title of the currently playing «easy listening» music, it’s something of a time-​warp. It probably seats 200. A smaller, more softly lit wood-​paneled bar with glass display cases is situated, somewhat incongruously, right alongside this large dining area.
Having come here with a large family group including kids, we skipped the bar (yes, I feeI had to justify that), and were seated at a large long table. Looking at the menu we noticed a few things:
— It’s an incredible value. It’s not just the décor that looks as though it’s been preserved since the 1980s — it’s the pricing!
— You only get a few choices of traditional Italian-​American food (including a several varieties of pasta) and they’re all pretty good…
— …but if you want something «special» (e.g. chicken), you’d better come on chicken night! I think it’s once or twice per week according to the menu (can’t remember) and they also have other nights featuring other ingredients. I secretly love places that do things like this: you know it’s more sustainable and keeps costs down because they can plan what they’re going to serve when.
We got a whole bunch of stuff from the menu, and I remember everything being good, but one thing in particular was GREAT: the pizza. It was super doughy and cheesy (like Pizz’a Chicago for anyone from NorCal) and got snatched up faster than anything else we ordered. I comes in small slices (think ½ to ¹⁄₃ of a «regular» slice) and I think they offer it as an appetizer, but you might as well order like 10 slices and make a meal out of it.
Service was efficient and I don’t think they auto-​included tip despite the large size of our group. I’d definitely come back — if I can just find that Italian in my family tree.

Like many of the reviewers I grew up on Victor Emmanuel’s and still make my dad take me there whenever I come back to Reading to Visit.
The pizza is light and you order by the number of square pieces you want. A normal person can easily eat 5 – 8 pieces. It’a simple but also quite tasty. The side salad is also simple with a basic vinegrette dressing but it’s flavorful enough to be memorable. The sandwiches on the menu are great as well but I usually just want pizza and a salad.
The place isn’t fancy and the servers are sometimes not very friendly but people come there for the food not the hospitality. And as everyone has already mentioned, you have to go with a member if you aren’t one yourself.

I’m personally surprised at all of the good reviews. I’ve never been to a place that reminded me more of a high school cafeteria.
On the occasions I’ve been there, the food was as institutional as it gets. I think people come here primarily for one reason. It’s dirt cheap. And they have a bar. So you can drink cheap too.
Also, you do need a membership to come here, or you need to be a guest of a member. I have some personal issues with that which I won’t post in a public forum.

My family has been coming here for decades and all of us agree that it’s a top notch homestyle Italian restaurant well worth our patronage.
Excellent homemade pasta that beats anything you’ve ever had from a chain restaurant. Their pizza is something everyone should experience — it’s that good.
As others have noted, some of the wait staff are a little on the unfriendly side, so I wouldn’t expect world class service. Nothing unacceptable, though.
Be forewarned that this place can draw one heck of a crowd, especially on Saturday nights. I’ve been amazed at the fact that the place is almost completely full even with its huge dining area. Can be VERY hectic.
Also, in case anyone is wondering, if you bring a date he or she won’t be turned away at the door. I’ve never had a problem with this and neither do they!

I have been going here for years. There food is very simple, yet delicious. I always go back to the chicken parm, salad and fava beans — plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s a very busy place, but fast moving. The only major con I have with the place is that the staff isn’t very friendly. But they bring the food within minutes… so that I think that makes up for it.

Great Place to eat… and yes, you need to be a member. A membership will set you back 6 bucks — so get one already! My family has been a member of this club from the beginning.
The food is good but not always consistent — but that is not a compliant. Most of the waitresses are nice and you will occasionally encounter a grumpy one (stay out of her way).
The place is kid friendly and affordable and a fun place to watch the Eagles. Bring cash… they do not take credit cards.