The Royal Oak Hotel, York

A good traditional market town pub, with a few nice historic features surviving, including the carved bar front and some stained glass work. Despite the doors being labelled bar and lounge, the rooms are all knocked through behind, leaving an island bar. There is also an outdoor area behind. A strong food trade seems to be in the lead, but it offered a drinkable Wainwright and Hobgoblin from the handpumps.

Official site of The Royal Oak Hotel - www.royaloakhotelhelmsley.com

Official site of The Royal Oak Hotel - www.royaloakhotelhelmsley.com

Paid a visit today while in Helmsley. The layout is as previously described, whereby you enter into a small lobby and have a door to the left labelled LOUNGE, and one to the right labelled BAR. The bar feels traditional, with bare boards, dark wood and some ornate carving on the bar. The room to the right has a few tables, a pool table and a wood burner. This then loops round in a horseshoe round the bar to the lounge - though I did not investigate this area. Three real ales on the hand pulls, today offering Pedigree (£1.90 for a half), Razor Back and Wainwright. The Pedigree was served with a particularly generous head. The Royal Oak feels like a fairly nice down to earth pub, but the beer selection would not have me rushing back.

Most down to earth of the three pubs in Helmsley. Beer choice was pedestrian - with Wainwright and Bombardier on offer. Lovely B&B. Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2Jb9inN

Again this review is from end of May 2016 when the wife & I were staying in the village for a few nights The Royal Oak is a Marston's pub and hotel that's a real locals pub. The lounge and public bar that each have their own entrance, the pub is open plan inside so you can walk all the way around while the lounge is more for diners with the tables set out for food, while the public bar has a pool table and 3 TVs. 3 ales on with the Pedigree on good form during all my visits over the weekend, other choices were EPA and Hobgoblin. During our 3 night stay in the village we visited here 3 times, once a day. I watched 2 games of football here on Saturday evening and spent over 6 hours, drinking the Pedigree and also had the scampi and chips, which was excellent. Friendly bar staff, well kept ale and a good juke box, even though it doesn't look as good as the other 2 pubs internally its the most welcoming and honest pub.