User name:

Password:

Login


Sign in with Facebook


Not already a member?
Join our community and - Rate & review pubs - Upload pictures - Add events JOIN for free NOW


Chat about:
New pub visits 2024 with Brainypool on the Pub Forum

The Royal Oak, Leatherhead

16 High Street
Bookham
Postal town: Leatherhead
KT23 4AG

Return to pub summary

Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Graham Coombs left this review about The Royal Oak

One of those panicky moments when the pub seems to be in darkness with front doors firmly closed. However peering through a window showed life within, and the door did open. The aged main bar features a heavily beamed ceiling, a part flagstoned floor and an inglenook fireplace, although that is a bit hidden behind a tall table. The separate side bar is a bit more spartan, while the extended dining room behind is now billed as the' Hidden Restaurant' and includes a large tabled patio. Still just Harveys Best and Tribute on handpump but condition was good.

On 29th November 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Royal Oak

Located on the High Street in Great Bookham, the presence of a car park with paid parking and cameras to enforce it was a unwelcome first sight. We decided not to use the car park and park on the street instead.

The welcome wasn't particularly warm either. However, this local pub has a number of rooms with some character. The real ale range was somewhat disappointing with just Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter & St Austell Tribute on cask.

On 19th September 2023 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about The Royal Oak

Still much the same as described below by Malden man,three beers available on my visit,Youngs Bitter,Clapham Town Ale and wadsworth Horizon, which was a decent pint.
A nice pub.

On 2nd October 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about The Royal Oak

There are three separate rooms in this traditional high street pub, I popped my head briefly into the public bar which has darts and a TV plus a number of barrel tables. The bar parlour is probably the main room where most customers were located, stone flagged floor although boarded at the far end, low beamed ceilings and a large fireplace with a musket and a clock on the breast above. The small squint ended bar is to one side, next to the latched front door which is marked STFD, I think most of us can guess what that stands for. Mostly traditional seating in here albeit with one sofa, there were a couple of local scenes on the walls plus a framed collection of banknotes.
Through to the rear a newer area has a mainly featureless dining room but there were no customers in here, in fact despite advertising food, no one was eating and there was no tell tale odour on Sunday afternoon. Roasts were listed served from 12-5 and a chalkboard offered other options including a worryingly cheap portion of double egg with chips for the princely sum of £2.95!
Four handpumps, Theakston Best Bitter, Deuchers IPA, Adnam's Southwold Bitter with Caledonian Golden XPA reverse clipped.
The pub reminded me in some ways of places I remember from 20 years or more ago, functional and no frills and distinctly a locals' spot but I couldn't help but feel that the most is not being made of the place, exactly why however I'm struggling to describe.

On 1st October 2013 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The Royal Oak

There’s a chalkboard behind the bar detailing the ales that are available; there were about five listed, among them Theakston’s Old Peculiar, and Sleighbell. But the bar counter in the Saloon Bar only had one ale on, with three pumps unclipped, and the ale that was on was the unlisted Holt’s Maple Moon (£3.20 a pint), which was pretty good. Maybe the other ales were available in the public bar. They clearly do food, as I saw a few people finishing off their lunches. I didn’t see a menu (perhaps I was too late at 3.10 PM) but there was a small chalkboard at the end of the bar with a couple of specials advertised – chicken tikka masala, rice and naan at £6.95, and fresh potato and leek soup with baguette at £3.95. Those prices seem pretty reasonable to me.
The pub itself is low-ceilinged, with dark beams, had a decent sized Christmas tree in a corner, and a large fireplace with a log fire providing some much needed additional heating on a cold December day. They also had something else that I hadn’t seen in a pub before – a large slate-topped table. The seating was comfortable, being standard tables and chairs, with a couple of banquettes. I would definitely pay a return visit to this pub, but next time I’ll have a good look at the ale chalkboard before ordering, rather than fixating on the pumpclips as I did on this visit.

On 10th December 2010 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


John Bonser left this review about The Royal Oak

Situated in the High Street, within little more than a stone’s throw from The Old Crown ( on which I have just posted ) is The Royal Oak, a 2 bar village pub that apparently dates back to the 15th century.

A basic public bar with its own separate entrance has a dartboard and a TV. A distinctive black oak latched door leads to a much larger saloon bar or the “Bar Parlour” as it is referred to. This bar has low beams, a flagstoned floor, a smallish bar counter in one corner and a large dedicated restaurant area at the rear.

My Saturday lunchtime visit was noteworthy for the evident unfamiliarity of the bar staff with the food and drink till and the fact that there was no sign of anyone seemingly in charge who was able to assist and resolve difficulties. This meant that both food and drink orders took much longer to process than would reasonably be expected. This was rather frustrating, particularly as the pub was not over busy.

The Bar Parlour has 4 handpumps, but only Courage Best and Brains were on. There was no Brains pump clip – someone had just written “Brains” on s torn off piece of paper and stuck it over an earlier pump clip, but hadn’t bothered to record which Brains beer it was. Anyway it cost £ 3.12p and tasted reasonable ( served in a Theakstons branded glass ) , but I didn’t detect any real interest or emphasis on the real ale front.

This is a reasonably attractive village pub and it’s listed in the 2011 CAMRA Good Beer Guide, where we learn that it has been local CAMRA Pub of the Year for both 2009 and 2010.

Perhaps I just came in on a bad day but, taking everything into account, this was a distinctly disappointing visit.

On 29th October 2010 - rating: 5
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]