Royal Oak, Brighton

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The Royal Oak is a 19th century pub located at the foot of the downs, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but it is less than a five minute drive from the A23 to the north of Brighton. This is a country pub so is primarily food led, although there is a good flow through of walkers and cyclists who are exploring the South Downs.
The interior of the pub is L-shaped with a wooden floored bar area with serving counter that faces the front entrance. Five handpumps adorn the bar, but alas only one is in use and this was drawing Harvey’s Best. There are also two banks of four keg fonts which were pouring Amstel, Heineken Silver, Stella, Brixton Lager, Beavertown Neck Oil, Birra Moretti, Stowford Press Cider and Guinness. This front bar area has some seating and there is a fireplace surrounded by logs in the right hand corner. To the left of the bar is a carpeted seating area with another fireplace and to the right of the bar counter some stairs lead up to another carpeted seating area, with yet another fireplace. It must be very toasty in here during the winter months! All of the tables are set for dining, but there are some bar stools and there wasn’t an issue with me sitting at a table just with a drink. The cheeseburger is priced at £15.50. I noted the presence of a television, which was off, and there was some background music playing.
Out the back are a couple of electric vehicle charging points and beyond is a long gravelled car park that runs adjacent to a large lawned beer garden. The beer garden houses a large marquee, lots of picnic tables and a children’s play area at the rear. Discounting the food, as I didn’t eat, the garden is the major draw for this pub. There are a few dog bowls dotted around to rehydrate the four legged walkers that pass through and a boot cleaning station for when the weather turns. I found the service to be polite and would certainly pop back in here if I found myself passing again.

On 18^th May 2022 - rating: 7
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