The Royal Oak, Chester

Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Royal Oak

The Royal Oak has the feel of a chain pub. There are various drinking and dining spaces around a central bar which has hops above it. There are exposed stone walls in places. A TV can be found sat in one fireplace but another fireplace at the opposite end of the room was lit with a real fire. There was also another TV with Sky Sports News showing. Music was playing. Wifi was provided from the Cloud.

A quiz night is held on a Tuesday with bingo also on another night. Halloween decorations could be seen in a rear entrance, with a kids' Halloween part advertised. There were also signs advertising Christmas lunches.

At the bar, there are 3 cask ales - Landlord, Doom Bar & Wainwright Gold. The cider was Old Mout. My visit was mid-afternoon between mealtimes. With menus on each table, food does appear to be the focus here. With none being served at the time of my visit, it was fairly quiet. The young barmaid was friendly and welcoming though.

I did also notice an outdoor patio drinking area on the way to the car park. It has various huts, presumably a relic from Covid times.

Despite not having the most exciting cask ale selection and despite it being a dining pub, it did feel a little more welcoming than other pubs I had already visited on the day.

On 2^nd November 2025 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3270 pubs]