The Royal Oak — Restaurant in London

🚇 Borough 🍺 £6.10 Cruzcampo

The Royal Oak is located in a quiet backstreet in Borough, Southeast London. The nearest Tube is Borough.

This Victorian pub dates from the mid-nineteenth century. In 1997 @harveysbrewery of Lewes in Sussex transformed this run down ex-Courage pub and restored it to its former Victorian glory.

This is a traditionally decorated two bar pub that has a cosy intimate feel. The centrepiece to this pub is the beautiful ornate servery which spans both bars. The bar at the back has a period fireplace, historical black and white prints and etched mirrors. The front bar is similarly decorated with brass chandeliers, a boarded floor plus you get a great view of the stunning back bar. There is plenty seating throughout combining conventional tables and chairs plus a few pews.

The beer line up consisted of some familiar keg beers plus four Harvey’s cask ales and some no and low options. I decided on a Cruzcampo, my pint was excellent, price point was average. There is a classic British pub grub menu available, Fish & Chips costs £16.50, Roasts are available on a Sunday.

I arrived just before 12pm on a chilly Saturday lunchtime in February. The pub was fairly quiet as it had not long opened, there were two separate groups in attendance including a family from Cuba. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, I pulled up a pew to enjoy my pint and take in my surroundings. The service was good , the team member who served me was welcoming.

The @royaloakborough is a charming backstreet establishment that showcases all that is great about London pubs. I loved the tiled exterior, the traditional local pub feel, the beautiful servery and the varied beer selection. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here, I would definitely recommend a visit to this timeless classic.

📅 1st February 2025

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Had some time to kill between errands the other week so paid a visit to a pub I've walked past only a handful of times but never popped into. A reoccurring theme with these posts.

I've been to Lewes more times this year than I have to this pub, no better than the source for @harveysbrewery but this is just as good. Baffling it's taken me this long to go, maybe coincided with my growing re-appreciation of traditional styles (along with relative affordability), but simply, I didn't know this place existed until I took a wrong turn a month ago.

This is the first pub purchased in London by Harvey's back around 2010(?), but the history dates back way before that to 1898. Good bones, split bar, and ample wooden seating, it's cosy yet spacious at the same time. 7-8 real ales on, I opted for the Bonfire Boy, a superb ESB that brought smokiness and a warmth to a dreary December day.

I think the kitchen has just changed over, no longer sandwiches and pub grub, it's Lebanese menu from @lilwatan_ will have me coming back for sure. If not that, then £3 pints of Mild on Mondays should be the clincher.

Friendly service, nice and quiet (aside from the bloke eating crisps the loudest I've ever heard in my life), and the corner positioning with the vast windows, proximity to a very busy area make it a prime people watching spot.

The very excellent Gladstone Arms is up the street from here too, so I won't begrudge you if that's your preferred venue, but next time you're in the area you should save space for a pint of Harvey's at The Royal Oak. Make it a Monday, a #MildMonday and you're on...

This was my first visit to this pub for a party. I was excited before I came but disappointed with the service from one of bartenders who has dark hair. I stood next to the bar to order but he just ignored me. Five minutes later, he came to me. No greetings at all even after I said hello to him. He just replied “what do you want?” without even showing a smile on his face.

Fifteen minutes later, the pub got much busier when more people arrived for the party. I needed to go upstairs but I couldn’t find where the stairs were. So I approached the bar and asked the bartender politely “can you show me where the stairs to upstairs, please?” In stead of pointing out the direction or told me where it was, he said “Isn’t that obvious? You won’t miss it.” then he turned his head and walked away.

As I mentioned earlier, it was my first time here. I wasn’t familiar with the place at all. I thought it would be easier to ask a bartender rather to look for it myself. Otherwise I would have to excuse myself to go around the busy pub. It turned out that the door leads to toilet and stairs were blocked by customers. That was why I didn’t see the sign on the door.

I understood the bartender might have been worked a whole day, he might be tired on a busy Saturday evening. But it shouldn’t be difficult for him to treat customers nicely and politely. If he doesn’t like the job, he shouldn’t work there. Another bartender who has blonde hair was happy and polite to customers though.

No one would be happy to spend money but receive rude services in return. I wouldn’t go...