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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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The Royal Blenheim, Oxford
Oxford
OX1 1PT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Royal Blenheim
This is a small corner pub well described below with a wooden floored bar area and a small carpeted snug behind the bar. It was quiet on my Tuesday afternoon visit. I wasn't aware of TV screens in here so if there were any they must have been turned off.
I'm not a great fan of White Horse beers especially compared to other breweries involved in Project William. There were four of their beers on, three from Colchester, a cider, St Austell Liquid Sunshine and Everard's Three Tigers. I didn't look at the choice in detail but did get the impression that they were mostly bitters around the 4% ABV mark. I don't see the point of having guest ales where they are all similar. I went for the Colchester Metropolis which at £3.80 seemed like daylight robbery to me but this is central Oxford and I wasn't expecting it to be cheap. To be fair I noticed later on a menu that the White Horse regular beers were between £3.00 and £3.40.
If this is the best that Oxford can come up with nowadays I can see why I'm not keen on the city but still thought this was worth a look. At least it didn't have any tourists or students!
On 27th June 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Royal Blenheim
Pub is pretty well described in the previous reviews , it is a little off the beaten track so is not full of tourists and not many students either , it has the feeling of a decent local boozer . The large TV was showing the England v Argentina rugby (the pub is a Football free zone)with plenty of banter coming from the Welsh landlord winding up his English locals .
The real ales available on my visit were Everards Amber Mild , York Guzzler , Great Orme Welsh Black and three from White Horse , Village Idiot , Wayland Smithy and Bitter , the Village Idiot and Wayland Smithy were fine and the Great Orme Welsh Black a beer of the day contender .
I really enjoyed my visit here its better than a lot of Oxfords more famous pubs .
On 9th June 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Royal Blenheim
The first pub on my solo trip to Oxford and probably the one i enjoyed the most,it dosn't have the historic values of many pubs nearby but the beer was excellent,a whitehorse brewery pub,the only one in Oxford as far as I know,the pint of Village Idiot was one of the best pints I can ever remember having,at £3.00 a pint even better.A comfortable pub, quiet when I was there at 11.30 a.m. it still had something about it. I made my last pub of the day in Oxford as well and I am certain to return.
On 12th August 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Royal Blenheim
Modernised corner pub with sporty theme, hidden off the main streets but near the castle.
Less twee than some other places, there is bus seat bench seating. Piped background music and sport of the two plasma screens. One open room with the bar to the side, it lacks the character of some of the other pubs but makes up for it with 9 real ales, with a tie to White Horse. The beers are served in southern style.
A 6.5 out of 10 for me.
On 7th June 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Royal Blenheim
There is little I can add to the last review. It is an Everards pub operated by White Horse brewery under the William scheme I believe it's called. What a great job they are making of it too. I was well impressed. There were 3 White Horse brewery beers on plus an Everards beer which the scheme stipulates should be on, plus 6 others. It has made it into the 2011 Good Beer Guide, and the ale choice and condition was great. My first visit but will always be on the list for when we are in Oxford. We enjoyed York Williamette and Derventio Barbarian.
On 10th May 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Royal Blenheim
This pub in the centre of Oxford, next to the modern art gallery, attracted me with its links to the White Horse Brewery, but I was pleased to find a pub that offered so much more.
The first thing that struck me as I entered was a row of ten hand pumps, situated right in the middle of the bar, with mainstream draught lagers and ciders consigned to the extremities. The beer line up was an eclectic mix, mostly from local micros. White Horse were represented with Wayland Smithy, White Horse Bitter and Village Idiot, the latter of which was a lovely, hoppy blonde beer. In addition to this they had Brentwood Best, Brains Rev James, West Berkshire Brewery Maggs Mild and Banks & Taylor Edwin Taylor Stout. The three remaining pumps had coming soon clips on them. A blackboard on a pillar to the right of the bar lists all of the ales on offer and mentions that they can be purchased in pints, halves, thirds and two thirds.
The interior comprises of a spacious tiled area in front of the bar - ideal for vertical drinking when it gets busy - with a split level section at the front which offers some upholstered pews and leather banquettes. A cosier area around the corner from the end of the bar had additional seating in a space with more muted lighting.
Two TV screens were showing some obscure rugby fixture from the Welsh channel S4C, with the commentary initially in Welsh, before being switched to English later on. A sign on the front door makes it clear that this is a football free zone, which might explain the odd viewing choice. A couple of the locals appeared to be enjoying it, as were the jovial barmen, who were a pleasure and engaged in a bit of banter with all their customers, including new faces such as myself. An alcove in the front corner makes the perfect spot for a dartboard.
Menus on the tables listed some fairly standard pub grub, but I noticed a specials board as well which offered a bit more variety. I didn't get to sample the food, but the dishes I saw coming out looked very tasty and prices seemed reasonable.
I really enjoyed this place and would like to visit again when it's a bit busier to get a better feel for the atmosphere. I would whole-heartedly recommend this place to anyone, ale drinker or otherwise, looking for a quality town centre pub free from the tourist trail.
On 1st November 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Royal Blenheim
Superb town pub. Tricky to find fault - excellent beers from White Horse brewery and guests, home-cooked food, efficient staff. Recommended.
On 23rd December 2009
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]