Royal Oak, Weymouth

The worst of hospitality. We were with a large group and entered the empty pub. One of our party bought a very large round - £83 - I tried to get us into smaller rounds. We sat down and started to enjoy ourselves. Apart from me, worrying if it was my round next. Night started to fall and we got cold, with all the sash windows open. We closed them, only for a the one on duty bar staff to come charging round accusing us of touching her windows (guilty) and hollering we had broken them. This rather killed the vibe, leaving us scolded and shamed. Another member of the staff instantly came round and fixed the "issue" instantly.

A music festival meant that access was difficult, though I got in eventually without having to pay for the privilege. Interior is done in classic white and blue harbourside colours whilst the lower servery is bowed like a ship’s hull. There’s a small amount of nautical ephemera, not much else otherwise. Six pumps with four Dorset Brewing beers on (ooh!); my Origin came in a plastic cup and I got charged £3.25 for half. Upon contesting this, the barmaid sheepishly explained that it was price gouging because of the music; at least it was decent (NBSS 3). For the apple-grapplers, there were about a dozen boxes of Lilley’s cider.

A no frills no nonsense drinking Inn and the most pubby of all the outlets adjourning the Quay side. Sounds very much unchanged from previous reviews and a well worn character is a good description for both this single roomed pub and the locals that frequent it. The stillage barrels referred to below have gone and now replaced by six ale hand pumps on the bar and five of these were available for our visit. Alongside Sharps Doom Bar and Atlantic there were Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Wadsworth 6X and Dorset Brewing’s Durdle Door, and as we were on our way to Durdle Door the following day it would have been rude not to try the Dorset bitter. The nine cider boxes are however still in situ behind the bar and a good range of local scrumpy was available. Didn’t see any food outside of bar snacks, but regular music sessions were advertised to take place on the small stage area to the right of the bar. I enjoyed it here but it’s earthy appeal won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.