The Royal Oak, Lewes

Visited 02/01/25. Visited previously on 01/09/18. Pretty good cask offering of La Ble Transatlantique, a golden ale from Golden Triangle, Two Horses, a pale ale from Firebird, Market Porter from Thornbridge plus Harvey's Sussex Best and Old Rosie cider. Keg offering of Guinness, Inch's, Amstel, Moretti, Level Head, Neck Oil, Lucky Saint. Bit further up the hill from the station, this is a pub that has a few TV's and is a good stop to watch footy near the station. Old school bar counter directly opposite the frontage on the hill. Tiled floor at the front with a long leather studded banquette in the windows prior to some conventional tables and chairs in the front corner away from the door, then boarded before reverting to tiles again in the area to the left of the servery. A ledge along the left-hand wall houses a pile of board games and provides some standing drinking space. Bar stools along the bar counter were nicely placed to ensure you didn't have to study the pumps over seated drinkers' shoulders until you notice the chalk board above the bar listing current and coming next cask beers. A central column provides some further ledge drinking via some tall stools on a couple of the sides thereof. A large ceiling fan was not in play on what felt like the coldest evening of the winter thus far. There is a garden out the back that I didn't pop out to check on this visit, indeed having been here many times over the last decade this was the first time I even noticed they had a garden out the back! Having readily often passed this over in favour of other Lewes town centre venues in more recent times, coming round to thinking this is a pretty decent venue here.

Facebook page of The Royal Oak - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Royal Oak - royaloaklewes.co.uk

Facebook page of The Royal Oak - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Royal Oak - royaloaklewes.co.uk

A kind of loungey dining vibe to this pub, not the sort of place I warm to.However there were just three of the usual beers for this pub according to previous reviews, Tribute, Harveys Sussex and the house bitter, the guest beer Hop Art American Blonde was wearing a coming soon necklace, I went with the Harveys not a regular tipple for me, and found it in good condition. The pub itself leaves me a little cold.