The Royal Oak — Restaurant in Winchester

We visited Winchester for the first time during graduation and decided to stop by The Royal Oak, knowing it’s one of the oldest pubs in England. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the drinks were great. After seeing the appealing food menu, we even cancelled our lunch reservation elsewhere to eat here. Despite being told there would be a 35-minute wait due to how busy it was, we didn’t mind at all.

For starters, we both ordered the chicken wings, and I followed up with the house burger while my partner chose the sirloin steak. Unfortunately, the wings were underwhelming—the sauce was simply thrown on top, leaving only one wing properly coated. When the mains arrived, they looked fantastic, but sadly, the taste didn’t live up to the presentation.

The burger was extremely dry and tough, with barely any apple BBQ sauce, and a few red onions. It certainly wasn’t “drenched in burger cheese sauce” as the menu promised. The only saving grace was the pork belly. My partner’s steak was over-seasoned with pepper and so chewy that it was difficult to eat. The onion rings we ordered as a side were also disappointing—wet and doughy, making them inedible.

It was a huge letdown, especially since the service was excellent. I understand the place was busy, but for a bill over £60, the quality of food should be far better. This was a disappointing end to an otherwise...

We arrived into Winchester at the end of a road trip in the late afternoon and we planned to have a look around the town, but stopped in to the Royal Oak for a drink first. We were very impressed with the history and atmosphere of the pub. Charmed by it actually. After a couple of drinks we thought we would have something to eat before heading out to have a look at what Winchester had to offer. The potted Devon Crab was a standout. It was divine! There wasn’t much bread with it, but our chips make for a very good dipping alternative, and the chips were cooked to perfection. After our quick nibble, we left, and were off to see Winchester. I think we made it around the block before circling back and sat back down at the same table we had left maybe 5 minutes before! We had more drinks, and more food. The pub was getting full, but the service was quick and friendly. Luckily, we were also able to get a quick look in downstairs to the original foundations. I also loved the fact that there wasn’t much bread a dog menu. How fabulous is that! I’m the end, our entire experience in Winchester was at the Royal Oak, and I can’t say I’m sorry. We will be back one day, to see the city, but the Royal Oak will be our first stop, surely. Thank You for a...

We decided to try here for lunch due to the great reviews. The pub is beautiful and well kept and clean. The atmosphere was nice, and the staff were all very helpful and friendly. They brought us a high chair for our baby and were quick to bring food etc. we had wanted the vegan burgers which unfortunately weren’t available. We both ordered the pepper tart, which was quite pricey. Sadly it really wasn’t very nice. The broccoli on top was quite overcooked and cold. The tart filling was okay but the crust was the hardest substance known to man, and tasted very stale. I’m fairly certain I’ve had the same tart before as it looked identical to the ones you can buy in bulk at Bookers, but these were rock hard. We both ordered fries on the side too and they were also overcooked, mostly hollow and burnt. Such a shame! The reviews were all great so maybe we just had some bad luck there. Decided not to order pudding after that. Might come back eventually to try the burger if they have it as there aren’t a lot of vegan choices in Winchester for some reason. Coming from Brighton it’s always a bit weird going elsewhere and seeing how...