The Royal Oak, Borough, London

Royal Oak has friendly staff and wonderful interior. The beer was good as well. I tried an Armada Ale. I wanted to go there, since I have been to the lovely little town of Lewes, there the brewery Harveys is located. It was not so many people that day (Wednesday) so me and a friend could sit down. I will certainly go there again.

I can certainly say that this is my local. One of the best pubs in London. I’m so satisfied with this pub that I will give it 5 stars.

Beautiful old pub with great selection of beer and ales.
The food is great value and generous, but don't except your vegetables to be al dente. They are good at steak and ale pies.
Bathrooms are lovely.

Good Harvey's ale - welcoming staff - decent food - decent wine for those that want it . . . The beers are the stars here!

If you're eating I warn you, space is limited here - I estimate somewhere between 8 and 10 tables max - so either get here early or late - not on the dot on 1pm on a Sunday . . . . . Meat dishes are a speciality here - perfect roasties and pies and the like.

Disabled access is problematic as the pub layout conforms to a classic Victorian pattern. That said, staff are very accomodating and will do what they can to ensure everyone's comfort. Loos are OK - this is a busy pub.

Overall I like it for what it is, a friendly local serving great beer and food in a tucked away location close to Central London - who could ask for more?

The Royal Oak is a fabulous pub in Borough near to London Bridge and Borough Market. It's a friendly place with no music and no fruit machines - just great for conversation.

The pub sells a good selection of Harvey's beers and they are kept really well.

Food is served every day I think and the menu goes from sandwiches up to full meals. Some of the specials are great - eg the lamb shank which will fill you up. But I struggled with the rabbit pie - it tasted great, but all those fiddly little bones...

I always try to get to this pub when I'm in the area.

This is a really good pub! I suppose the fact that I have been out in this area a few times but only found out about this pub recently either means it qualifies as a hidden gem or that my pathfinding skills are sub par

No matter, for found it I have and like it I do. Has 6 or 7 real ales on. It is a Harveys pub so it is principally their beers. They do a mild, which is nice as you don’t often get a good pint of mild. There is a front bar, a back bar and an upstairs room to hire out.

The pub has a lovely old fashioned look, both inside and out and is definitely worth tracking down, especially as not long ago it added weekend opening to its already impressive qualities.

The Royal Oak may be tucked away in a side street (but near Borough tube station) but it is well known to beer aficionados. It has a string of awards from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), the London Time Out guide and the London Evening Standard newspaper.

What attracts most people is the beer: this is a tied pub belonging to the Harvey’s Brewery, based in Lewes in Sussex. Their Best Bitter is a consistent award winner itself, but the Royal Oak serves their full range, including Mild (normally hard to find, though I’m not a Mild drinker myself) and Pale Ale (which is lovely). The beers are superbly kept.

The interior is very traditional, with neither piped music nor fruit machines to spoil the conversation. Unusually, it has an impressive single bar dividing the two drinking spaces. It’s not especially large, though, and can get very busy in the evenings. They serve food, which I’m told is good, although I have not eaten here. NB - note restricted week-end opening times.

Although the present building dates from the 1870’s, the pub is, I’m told, on the site of the mediaeval Tabard Inn. It’s a worthy inheritance.

Harvey’s only London pub, beautiful Victorian architecture, gorgeous beer, great pies, a gem. If the Market Porter is too full, as per, the wander down Borough High Street is well worth it, Harvey’s Best as it should be.

Great range of beers, spirits and ales. One of the few places that serves a decent Sunday roast which is cooked to perfection. It’s by no means cheap - £15, however the portion sizes are plentiful. It does get very busy being on the same street as the flower market so you’re probably going to be sharing a table if that bothers you!

Not a great pub for the summer (of which we never have one) as the garden is tiny.

Good little place though and friendly

Exceptional little pub with a really great range of beers and ciders, great, good value food, and a nice traditional atmosphere. I think it was CAMRA’s London pub of the year in 2003, and, as dmj1962 has noted, it has a string of other awards from CAMRA and others.

The range of beer and ciders is large, and incorporates a wide selection of Harvey’s offerings, and westons ciders. The food is traditional pub fare, with a penchant for seafood. I had a stilton and vegetable pie for about 7 or 8 pounds which was delicious, and extremely filling.

The general atmosphere of the pub is old man/traditional - the best kind of pub in my opinion. There are pictures of famous old local figures like Dickens on the wall.

So next time you’re in the area, drop in for a few pints - not to be missed!