The Royal Oak, Wigan

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

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

This is a large traditional pub with several distinct drinking areas, located just outside the town centre. The servery is in a very unusual position, running along the front wall of the pub, which means that the bar back incorporates the front windows. Opposite is a carpeted space with standard tables and chairs and some semi-partitioning which helps to break the room up a bit. This includes a book shelf which holds lots of old copies of the Good Beer Guide, which I enjoyed flicking through. The right hand side of the pub is a smarter lounge with a nice looking fireplace and shelves displaying a collection of whisky boxes. The seating in here is more comfortable than in the bar area and the room extends quite a way back, where there is a darts playing area. The left hand side of the pub has mostly banquette seating and there was an upright piano there as well. It was unclear if it gets much use, but it would certainly have been preferable to the lounge music soundtrack that was playing through the speakers. There is a corridor at the back which connects all three areas as well as leading to the toilets and beer garden. This pub offered one of the more adventurous ale selections I managed to find in Wigan, with Facers DHB, Dark Star Hophead, Prospect Silver Tally, Copper Dragon Golden Pippen, Weetwood Cheshire Cat and Tetley’s Cask all available. I went for a pint of the DHB, which was well kept and quite an easy drinking beer. The keg range had a few alternatives to the usual suspects and there seemed to be a good selection of bottled beers to choose from as well. This is a great pub for the drinker, especially given the interesting range of cask ales, but it also struck me as the sort of place you could take non ale drinking mates to as well, as it caters for a wider range of customers than more specialized beer pubs such as the Anvil. I thought this was a strong contender for best pub in town and would make it a top priority for a return visit.