The Royal Oak, Teddington

Rather dull looking pub with bland interior.3 handpumps with only Doombar on.Very average Craft beer selection but they did have the very nice Camden -hells lager so that was a plus.They also had candles on all the tables to warm the very cold beer up I imagine that's what they are for. But its a pub of 2 halves. The downstairs area leading to the toilets is classy. Marble tiles on the walls, veneered wooden doors ,stained glass panels, glass splashbacks and a lovely fishtank. Outside seating to the front.Got to add 2 points for basement area.

This pub occupies the ground floor of an ugly modern new build on the site of the now demolished original Royal Oak. But it’s now been given the original name of the Royal Oak, having previously been called Sammy’s. Inside it’s light green and white, with more expandable solid old leafed dining tables, and mainly normal chairs. Most of the tables were laid with paper napkins and cutlery. Personally I don’t particularly like that sort of thing as it discourages drinkers from using those tables – but perhaps that’s the intention. There’s not much in the way of decor, but there was something fairly bizarre near where I was sitting – namely frames of what looked like nuts, or perhaps they were fossils; I’m not sure as the names and description were in Norwegian, or possibly Danish. I just wonder where these interior designers get their ideas from – Øslofjiord possibly. There was a TV on, inevitably showing the tennis. One of the most odd things was the enormous fish tank set in the wall downstairs outside the toilets, but perhaps that’s the norm in Oslo. There were three handpumps on display. One had on Pedigree, another Banks’s Sunbeam (£3.70 a pint), and the third was unused. My pint of sunbeam went down very nicely I’m glad to say. I think my opinion of this place could be coloured a little by the fact that a couple of family groups came in with boisterous children in tow while I was there, making it a less relaxing place to enjoy a pint. But, leaving that aside, I don’t think it’s somewhere I would rush back to, although it’s an OK place for a pint if you’re wandering around Teddington for some reason.