The Royal Oak, Borough, SE1

Very surprised to find out I hadn't reviewed this pub before, having visited it a good number of times over the last 15 years or so. It remains as described in the previous reviews as a solid traditional pub with extremely well kept beer, the food is decent as well. I had both the Dark Mild and Old Ale from Harveys on yesterdays visit, good value at £4.00 a pint given the location.

this was the best pub I visited in London across two days. though it was a little more foody than I expected. it’s well worth seeking out and just a short walk from Borough tube station. Good beer at reasonable central London prices and the Armada is a delicious pint. Old boys chatting away around an ornate bar. I could have spent a while here.

Official site of The Royal Oak - www.royaloaklondon.co.uk

Official site of The Royal Oak - www.royaloaklondon.co.uk

A traditional, street corner boozer in what appears to be a residential part of town slightly off the tourist trail, this pub is unlikely to have changed much for decades even down to the fact that they still have net curtains hung up in the windows – not something you see very often these days! Internally it’s actually one large, open plan room, although the woodwork that forms part of the central bar is effectively a partition dividing it in to two. Decor wise it’s very traditional with wooden boards and a large rug on the floor, cream paintwork on the upper part of the walls and dark wood panelling below. The rear room looked to be broadly similar, although perhaps a little cosier with maroon paintwork. I understand that The Telegraph rated it one of the top ten pubs in the UK a couple of years back, so it was surprising how quiet it was on our recent Tuesday evening visit. Food wise, the menu offered a decent election of “pub grub” dishes such as fish & chips, burger, scampi & chips, steak & ale pie, etc., and these were mostly priced around a tenner. A specials board offered a few slightly more up-market dishes, although certainly nothing pretentious or gastro. Our ham, egg & chips was a decent portion with four slices of ham, plenty of chips and a couple of eggs, although on the downside the ham seemed like it was out of a packet and the egg yolks were solid. Nonetheless though, a decent enough dish and good value. Beers on tap were all from the Harvey’s stable with their Mild, Pale, Best, Old and Armada. The solitary cider was Symond’s Founders Reserve although it looked as though a pump for Thacther’s Heritage had run out – a shame, as that’s a rare find around these parts and would have gone down a treat.