Royal Oak Hotel — Restaurant in London

🚇 Willesden Junction 🍺 £5.50 Cruzcampo

The Royal Oak is located on a busy crossroads on bustling Harlesden High Street in NW10. The nearest station is Willesden Junction, it’s a five minute walk to get here.

This imposing four-storey building was built in 1861 and was remodelled in an Elizabethan Revival style in 1891. The pub closed suddenly at the beginning of the year, thankfully it reopened in March after a thoughtful refurbishment. The pub is now run by @craftunionpubs .

This is a big old Victorian boozer that is set out over two floors. The main bar on the ground floor is ‘U’ shaped. The decor is traditional with original wall panelling, plenty of seating and some amazing Victorian tiling of a Parliamentarian trooper in the side entrance. Upstairs is The Loft Bar, this is a sizeable space with a pool table, dartboard and has beautiful features like the ceiling, fireplace and Georgian panels. There are also a couple of outside spaces in the form of a small beer garden and a roof terrace.

The beer choice will please the masses and consisted of familiar keg favourites plus Timmy Taylor’s Landlord on cask. I decided on a Cruzcampo, my pint was top notch, price point was good at under six quid. The pub doesn’t serve food, the previous owners did but it’s not that kinda pub.

I arrived around 6pm on a warm Saturday evening in May. The pub was fairly busy with a local crowd and a chilled atmosphere. Nottingham Forest v Chelsea was showing on the multiple screens around the pub which had the majority of punters engaged. I had a lovely chat with the Landlady who was warm, welcoming and friendly. I also got chatting to a couple of Irish lads who were telling me about their escapades drinking in pubs around Harlesden.

This pub shows all live Premier and Champions League and offers a variety of entertainment like Karaoke throughout the month.

The Royal Oak is a proper local’s pub where the local community are well represented. This pub has some stunning original features, a fantastic Guv’nor at the helm and is a great place to watch the footy. Loved it!

ℹ️ Info correct on...

I have been visiting this pub relatively regularly for a couple years now and have always enjoyed my time there. However, the management has changed recently and I have just had possibly the worst experience of customer service I have ever encountered. I was sat with a few friends in the garden for a couple of hours and at around 10:55pm one of the bartenders came upstairs. She informed us that they had already closed the pub and she had forgotten to check the upstairs level of the garden as it was for private parties. The advertised closing time for the pub is 11pm also I have sat at the same table every time I’ve been to the pub and it has never been private. We then stood up to leave and as we were picking up our things a small man who I presume is the new manager came into the garden and started shouting at us from below telling us to leave. To which we responded that we were in fact leaving. As we got to the door, the bartender was struggling to unlock it so we were stood in the doorway. The man returns and continues shouting at us and telling us to leave whilst he could see the bartender struggling to open the door as if we were stood there out of choice. I’m absolutely appalled by how rudely we were treated especially in an establishment where we have been regulars for a while. Horrible experience. The Royal Oak has lost many loyal long time customers as we have informed all of our friends who frequent the pub and none of us will be returning. Very disappointed.

Edit// I am shocked and appalled at the owner’s claims that my review was malicious and not factual. I have 3 people who are able to recount these exact events as well as I’m sure the bartender as well. I’m sure Google is smart enough to recognise when a review is made up. I also have no...

My friends and I visited this pub just under a week ago. We’re regulars at this pub, sometimes coming a couple of times a week. Unfortunately we no longer will be returning after the appalling services and response we had to our previous review. My friend left a long review explaining a situation that occurred last week. The situation was un called for and completely out of our control and was solely the new management being rude to customers. We were shouted at multiple times to leave before the advertised closing time. I don’t know if this small man was having a bad day but was clearly taking it out on us. When we left a review about how appalled we were, instead of getting a response saying we’re so sorry, we got a response saying it wasn’t true and he’s contacted Google to take it down, when in fact I have 3 other witnesses and I’m sure the bartender would also back us too because of the way we were spoken to. We will keep leaving reviews until this matter is addressed properly. I can’t even begin to state how rude this manager was. I’ve not only told all my friends and family, but my friends have told their friends. The old management was what made the Royal Oak the Royal Oak. This new management is rude and very cold towards customers, thus me and all of my friends will no longer be attending this pub and hope you genuinely lose customers because the new management is just not it. This has been such a shame for me to write as I’ve been going to the Royal Oak since I was about 13 with family and since turning 18 with friends, but they will no longer be getting mine or any of my...