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Beer of the Week (w/e 13th July 2025) with Bucking Fastard
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Jonathan Wilde
Submitted on Wednesday, 8th April 2015
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Detail Pages
The Royal Oak, Marlborough
Marlborough
SN8 1LT
Royal Oak
Light, dark, blonde, hazy, fruity, strong, low alcohol and this is only half our draught choice... @thatchers_cider… https://t.co/HjoEswwLK3
1:25 PM Apr 21st 2023 from Twitter for Android
Reviews of The Royal Oak (Average Rating: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Royal Oak
This was my first visit to Marlborough for almost 9 years. I'd visited a few pubs in the town, without ever finding anything to write home about. Since my last visit, the Royal Oak has been and gone from the Good Beer Guide. On this experience, it won't be returning for some while.
Benefitting from its central location on the High Street, the Royal Oak caters for both drinkers and diners and it seems that it can get very busy. For some reason unknown to me (although probably location alone), it was the busiest pub I ventured into all day.
There are sections either side of the bar, with both gradually sloping upwards and an outdoor patio to the rear also sloping upwards. There are wooden floors, multiple TVs (showing horse racing on my visit) and numerous games machines. It was fairly noisy with inane music competing with the horse racing commentary and a general hubbub of conversation. The interior is bright but fairly characterless, with various pointless slogans on the painted white beams. Children are welcome.
At the bar, there were 5 handpulls. All were clipped with either beers or promotions. None were actually on with those silly labels stating various excuses as to why they are not on, such as "nearly ready" or "coming soon". Even if they had been on, it looked like only Greene King beers are stocked nowadays. Things have clearly gone massively downhill since the last review on here.
Instead, the keg selection was Staropramen, Asahi Dry, Estralla Galicia, Peroni, Moretti, Amstel, Madri, Greene King Hazy Day & Level Head, Guinness & Thatcher's Gold. I opted for a soft drink and nearly collapsed in shock when I was charged £4.10 for a small measure!
Quite a few people were eating, especially in the left-hand section. There were corporate-style menus on each tables and there was also a specials board.
The Royal Oak embodied pretty much everything I dislike in a pub, apart from a lively atmosphere. Somehow they still draw in plenty of custom. I suspect that their location means that they don't have to try hard. It'll probably be the 2030s before I set foot in Marlborough again. I hope to find something better then.
On 20th June 2025
- rating: 3
[User has posted 3168 recommendations about 3166 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Royal Oak
On a lazy Sunday afternoon drive back from Somerset avoiding the M4 and the A303 the sat nav will invariably take you three Marlborough, which I always look forward to as I really like this Wiltshire town and take the opportunity to stop for a pint.
This time we plumped for the Royal Oak, primarily because it was a fine day and they we advertising the outside patio and garden space out back, which clearly has upped its game for Covid outside drinking and has been upgraded since previous reviews. The interior however sounds the same as previous reviews.
What also has upped its game is the ale choice and for my visit, alongside the GK IPA the other four hand pumps had ales and a cider from smaller Wiltshire and Somerset breweries. These were namely Twisted Brewing Co. Gaucho, Frome Brewing Gulp IPA, Ramsbury Gold and Lilly’s Cider Somerset Scrumpy.
Tried the three non GK ales and one was on the turn, but the other two were OK and the Ramsbury Gold was a very refreshing pint on a hot Sunday afternoon.
All in all a decent enough pub on this evidence.
On 19th August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2275 recommendations about 2131 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Royal Oak
Another GK outlet, three of their ales plus a welcome sighting of Butcombe Bitter which was in rather good form; confusion abounded with the softies, barmaid whisked them off for ice (which was just being made) despite protestations to the contrary. They then took ten minutes to arrive by which time I’d finished mine. She also tried to do me a pint despite being asked for a half. Despite this, Desmond declared the resultant lemonade the best of the day (what this boy doesn’t know about pub lemonade is not worth knowing). Two levels inside, opened-out quite a bit with one of those odd island bar areas that has no upper encasing level. Slightly bonkers corporate chintz within, including diamanté lizard wallpaper. Awful piped muzak grated. Rear patio was quite tidy, leading up to a grass area. A very mixed bag but the drinks were of a good enough quality which somewhat salvaged things.
On 21st April 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5650 recommendations about 5631 pubs]
View more reviews of The Royal Oak (4)
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- Twitter - Royal Oak
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Royal Oak - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 21 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 21 April 2014 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 20% from Spring Rising Tun Magazine. - last updated 28 June 2019 by Jonathan Wilde
- Car Park : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Darts : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Function Room : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 21 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Karaoke : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Live Music : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Micropub : No last updated 28 June 2019 by Jonathan Wilde
- Pinball : No last updated 21 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 21 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 21 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- WiFi : Yes - Need to sign up for Greene King wifi - last updated 20 June 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
