Royal Oak Pub

Address: 44 Tabard Street, (corner Silvester St), London, SE1 4JU, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7357 7173
Website: view Royal Oak Pub’s website
Door: Open door
Style: Pub (traditional British pub)
Food: Set menu

Review

This back street local is a proper boozer with twee touches such as half-height net curtains neatly rounding any rough edges, but it remains work-a-day with old wooden tables and chairs upon a bare wooden floor partially covered by well-trodden rugs. A classic corner pub, it retains its lounge and saloon separated by an island bar - you can traverse the two via the vestibule but regulars take the shortcut by crossing across behind the bar, which nobody seems to mind.

The main clientele are middle aged men - here to talk sport, politics and complain about 'her indoors' over a pint of ale. A proper boozer! Owned by Harvey, the old-school Sussex brewers, reassuringly hand-drawn ales outnumber lagers and orders for the bottom fermented stuff sound as out of place as the odd woman who's strayed in here looks.

The ale is traditional, as is the food. Regular dishes include Steak & Ale Pie; Veg & Stilton Pie; Steak & Kidney Pudding; Breaded Scampi and Cod & Chips. "To Follow treacle tart or bread & butter pudding". None of your celebrity chef nonsense here. A handwritten sign declares "Pickled eggs 60p. Great with a bag of chips!"