Royal Oak, Pirbrightback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Called in at this pub today with friends who were out walking, there were eight of us. There was no trouble accommodating us even though the pub was busy and we were not going to have roasts. Four of us had sharing platters, the others had starters and drinks only. The food was delicious, the prices fair, the service polite and helpful. This was our third visit to the pub and it's always been more than satisfactory.
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Again, I'm not understanding some of these reviews. I've been to this pub probably in excess of 30 times over the past year, and EVERY single time the service has been immaculate, the food is nice, and it's continued to be the best-priced food around!
I too have tried to book a table, however, they won't let you book unless it's for 4(?) or more people. They don't state you can't book a table at all, they just don't obviously think it's worth it if there's only a couple of you going - the pub is spacious, with more than ample tables, and also a huge beer garden out the front AND back of the pub if necessary!
This is, without a doubt, the nicest pub I've been to in over a year of living in Surrey! All staff are pleasant, helpful and happy to have a chat with you at the bar or whatever. The food is always promptly delivered, no matter how busy they are, and on the one occasion when they were extremely busy, they did tell us at the bar there may be a 45 minute wait before we placed our order, and even then, the food was still delivered within 30 minutes.
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Each time I pop in here I always get a good service here food is nice and real ales are well kept. G/k ipa, abbots, and ruddles county also hogs back tea. Really nice. Large beer garden and a nice country pub. Log fires
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I can't comment on the food but the level of customer service was very disappointing.
We called earlier in the week to reserve a table and was told that you can't reserve a table
but if you get to the pub before 6pm it would be no problem. When we arrived, the
pub was very busy and no tables were available but there were at least 2 tables with
a reserved sign and no one sitting at them. We explained the situation to the bar man
and he was extremely rude to us especially when we asked why we were told that tables
couldn't be booked in advance but there were 2 reserved tables in eye shot. A shame
as the outside of the pub looks lovely but the treatment inside didn't match.
lou10 - 12 Nov 2011 20:38 |
I'm not sure why this pub appears to be getting some really negative reviews because I've been here countless times and not once had bad service. The staff are friendly, the service is always spot on, the food is nice and very reasonably priced and it's also set in quite an idyllic location, with more than ample grounds.
This pub isn't by any means 'local' to myself, but I continue to go because of the warm atmosphere, very competitive prices, and above all, the customer service from staff.
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Unfortunately I'm going to have to add to the poor reviews. The pub is fundamentally mismanaged. We turned up on Saturday evening, having been told on the phone that tables can no longer reserved. We managed to get a table, however, next to one that had a �reserved� note on it! I overheard someone being told that there was a 45 minute wait for food. �Fair enough� I thought, it looked very busy. A little later I went to the bar only to be told that they were no longer taking orders because they�d stacked up so much. This was at 8.15 in the evening! Another little snippet overheard was that they were one chef down in the kitchen. At this point we finished our drinks and left. Food at this point was only being consumed on one taable in the pub!
Two thought struck me. First, given that it�s a pub people go to for food, if they knew they had issues they should have let you know at the bar when you arrived. Second, they need to get on the phone to a catering agency as soon as they have a problem. Given that previous reviews have highlighted delays it seems like they are just short staffed/disorganised in general. It's a shame as it's a nice pub otherwise.
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Went to The Royal Oak today, what a disaster!
Firstly there was no Fosters lager (not real ale, but cold and refreshing, or not lol) then there was no "2meals for �9.95" menus. I had to ask and then they took a while to find them and i was told they didn't have all the items. That amounted to half the menu!!
Ordered 2 sandwiches, sandwiches mind! Waited 45mins before my wife could take it no longer. We asked for a refund and got one with no questions or solutions offered. This only made us feel that they are used to this
I could not recommend this pub at all Rubbish!
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Food service has improved immensly recently. Prices are extremely good and presentation of the food is excellent and the beer is well kept. My only gripe is that you find too many tables 'reserved', find somewhere else to sit, order your meal, finish an hour and a half later only to see those same tables still 'reserved' and still unoccupied !! Many times I have left because I could not find anywhere else to sit and half the tables 'reserved'. If they want to 'reserve' tables all evening then I am quite happy to go away and spend my money in a pub that adopts the attitude that 'if you want pub grub you comes in and takes yer chance with seating!!!!'. 'Reservations' are for gourmet restauarants not 'off the street' pub grub. BEWARE !!
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Rambling pub with very capable staff. The trouble is (was) that the place was under-staffed. On a sunny Saturday in mid-March you would not expect to wait forever for your food -excellent though it was when it eventually arrived. If I were a landlord I would aim to anticipate a rush and perhaps have one or two members of off duty staff on standby at the end of the phone. It must be a difficult thing to 'odds', but a little forethought might help ease the situation that we found ourselves in.
One table of 4/5 left immediately when told that food would be 45 to 60 minutes. Wouldn't you ? The garden was heaving too which compounded the situation two-fold. You have to feel sorry for young (student ?) bar persons under pressure through no fault of their own.
As I said, an excellent pub staffed by great people. The icing on the cake for me was three very well kept pints of Hog's Back T.E.A.
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met my brother and an old friend in there who i hadnt seen in ages and had a great sunday, the lunch was wholesome and tasty although the roast spuds looked bought in(or the chef starts them off in the deep fryer?) But the staff were great as was the ruddles...nice to see somethings dont change. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in welcoming surroundings
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Can't believe I am the only person to post a comment about the Royal Hart Pirbright. Went there yesterday for a birthday lunch with my family. Lovely tabel for 6 in an alcove. Very friendly and helpul staff who served our food quickly and efficiently. Plenty of customers inside and out in the garden.
2real ales on - IPA and Ruddles. Higjhly recommend if you want food and drink.
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Enjoyed Sunday lunch with my family. The place was full, the beer was good - TEA and Greene King IPA - and the food was most enjoyable. Best of all my
sons paid!!! Will definately come back.
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My son has just bought a house near the Royal Oak and after a day working on
the house we popped in for a pint on our way home. Lovely warm and cosy feel inside and on a Friday evening at 6pm there were many visiting for an ealy dinner. But we found a table for a drink and I had an excellent
pint of IPA . Nice welcome from the man behind the bar too. Looking forward
to a pint or two in the Royal Oak on Christmas Day and to eating there in the future.
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Used to be a great place to eat when a Lady called Tina ran it. Went there last weekend.
Beer tasted off, wine glasses were dirty but was told it was just dishwasher, not lipstick!
All staff REALLY surly like you were imposing being there.
Will never go again
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Who is the Kiwi new landlord ? I found him hilarious and also very welcoming. Good beer on tap and the food is also very tasty. I will visit again.
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A couple of years since my last comment on this pub,only popped in for a pint which was ok,as the food and service was so bad last time we would not risk it again,still a nice place but could be alot better if it was`nt part of a chain.
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Very well priced beer, a pint of Stella is �2.90, that's the only recommendation I can give apart from a nice garden, even though they have a smokers section in the garden! Scandalous!
Oh, don't bother with the food its late, overpriced and poorly cooked and presented.
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We have visited this pub 3/4 times, first time about 3years ago it was a lovely place to come but since then its gone down hill, we come back thinking it can`t get any worse but it does.The service is very poor and thats being polite,beer is not good and food is yuck or should i say Brake Bros bling and fling (and fling it you should).
The last comment you can take little or no notice of as they cant even put there name to it. 3/10
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Well I don't know where all the negative feedback is coming from for this pub, this is a clean, tidy pub, with a good varied menu..
There were 4 of us and we all had a lovely lunch and then spent the afternoon in the garden..
Staff were polite and friendly, couldn't ask for anything else really.
anonymous - 8 Aug 2007 20:41 |
I'm pleased to read the previous review as it was an old favourite of ours until 2 years ago. However, it should be noted that Dreamcatcher166 has only been registered on this site since 27th July 2007 and has only commented on this pub ! Therefore, I hope it's not a member of staff writing fictitious nonsense ! If you're new to this site, click on usernames and you will see where others have been and what they've said about other pubs.
Biker - 29 Jul 2007 12:15 |
Went here for a meal last night and couldn't fault it. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, the staff were helpful and happy but not obtrusive. The selection was really good and arrived after a reasonable wait, we certainly weren't wondering if they'd forgotten us. I've recommended this pub to several people this morning as somewhere to go to eat. We would definitely go again.
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Now it's even lost its original pub sign - replaced by the bland and ghastly Greene King brand one.
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I have known this pub for years. It used to be a lovely little 'local' but I have to say, even as an Ex smoker of some 8 years, that since the Weasel faced, pointy nosed, muddy booted brat breeders took it over and it became 'proud' of its smoke free reputation it has become totally devoid of character and, more importantly, CHARACTERS. In a bar containing a mere 10 customers I recently waited 20 minutes to be served.....I think most of the staff were outside having a fag !!!
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Great to see a pub that's already gone non-smoking, but:
No TEA available, so just the various Greene King offerings
Roast lunch mediocre at best (looked like frozen roast potatoes - not properly cooked, meagre portions of veg)
Bar/waiting staff ok, but kitchen "too busy" (after some of our party had ordered their meals, the rest of the group were told that no more orders would be taken until it was quieter - situation didn't seem to be handled very well)
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I have lived in this area for the last 30 years. Every time I have given this absolutely beautiful Pub a second chance I have always been disappointed by the starkly opposite "ugly" attitude of those running it!! They have always been a bunch of arrogant "more than my jobs worth"
It's the last on my list......
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Plus point no smoking,every other point you could think of negative sorry this is an awful place.
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Oh dear....
Popped in for a few pints recently, all of which were cloudy. Used to be a great pub for quality ales, not any longer it would seem - shame.
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Nice building and interior, seriously bad food. My steak looked and tasted as if it was cooked a week before and then re-heated in a microwave. I fully support the idea of another reviewer to nominate the Royal Oak for the Gordon Ramsay programme. Such a waste of a lovely pub building!
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Sorry, I forgot to add in my previous post [for the benefits of parents] that they had apparently run out of milk, and weren't prepared to give us some hot water for a babies bottle...
I know its a pub and not a nursery but if youre a parent, take your business elsewhere....
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Just visited the Royal Oak last night on recommendation from a friend; small party of 6 including an infant. Its been a long time since I have got that unhappy in the space of an hour, and had to pay for the priviledge. The tale of woe is loing, but the salient points worth noting are as follows: they force people with children to move into designated areas - a not unreasonable request, but we had to move from an empty area into one where there were other diners... the new table was by the door and cold, but the fire could only be turned on by "management approval". Nevertheless, we ordered drinks, only to be told afterwards that we had only 45 mins to eat and leave as they have a 9pm curfew for parties with children...
Being hungry, we soldiered on, only to be served food that my dog would have left... a gristly overdone steak, cold chips and to cap it all shards of plastic container in my wife's meal..
Customer service was appalling [if Dan the barman worked in my business I would sack you instantly for being rude and unhelpful - you are clearly in the wrong vocation]. When I asked the managers name, I was told to go and look outside the door....
From reading the other entries in the forum, I understand that the pub has gone downhill - shame it could be a stunning place...
I would love to get this kitchen on a Gordon Ramsay program, or invite the Health and Safety people to go and have a quick look...
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Despite a few negative comments thought we'd give the pub a go for a family visit. Spotted the fan heater mentioned in previous reviews and ended up keeping our coats on for the duration of the visit ( which was nearly very much shorter than planned due their surreal demand that those ordering soft drinks must present ID - given the youngest in our party was 30 we'd all given up on carrying ID many years ago!! Ordering wine instead removed the demand for ID?!)
The meals were nothing special and in many cases a bit dry and overcooked, but for the ticket prices on the menu it came across as very steep for what was served.
For those with babies you should note there are no baby changing facilities - the woman at the table next to us was complaining she had to change her baby on the toilet floor. On the plus side the pub is completely no smoking and that is a boon.
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Visited for Sunday lunch this last weekend. Pretty pub, but rather cold, only seemed to be one real fire going on a very cold frosty day. Fan heater trying to heat a large dining area and not doing a very good job! Only one staff member behind the bar rushed off her feet. We had the carvery which came on unheated plates and so the food got cold quickly. Meat a bit tough. Rather steep at �8.95 per plate with no extras. We noticed people around us getting their food after we'd started and they had ordered before us! So if you want to go, don't go if you are starving hungry as you'll wait ages. They need to put more staff on and review their pricing. And get some heating on!! We shan't be going back.
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Heard recently that this pub had improved again so we returned after a long gap. Pleased to relate that things were much improved. The food was excellent and there seemed to be plenty of staff to cope with a busy Sunday lunchtime.
The beer choice is not so varied after the Greene King takeover but Hogs Back T.E.A. was available and tasted good - as did the GK Ale Fresco. I suppose badging Ruddles County as a guest ale is some kind of GK joke.
It was good to see how crowded a completely non-smoking pub could be. If only other pubs would take note.
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The owners of this pub have succeeded in doing the near impossible. Take one beautiful 300 year old pub with inglenook fireplaces and lovely black beams and completely remove its character. What used to be one of the finest pubs in Surrey now has less atmosphere than a doctors surgery waiting room.
Who in their right mind would paint the black beams white or replace the old pictures/paintings with repro artwork and furniture from a sole less corporate catalogue.
Young Richard and Ally behind the bar have always been superb & on my last visit they were both run off their feet serving at the bar and waiting on tables. Not a management member in sight to help them out.
Most of the Oak regulars how drink at the Cricketers opposite the green in Pirbright Village. Better food (not out of a pre delivered bag) , better beer , better atmosphere and excellent staff.
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Great pub - good food and always an excellent selection of real ales. Has undergone a number of changes since John left - but beer has always been excellent. Despite the number of pubs in the surrounding area, most of which are nearer to our home, we always go back to the Royal Oak!!
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As a new commer to this site i was very interested by all the comments about the Royal Oak. My name is Peter Lucas and have been one of the resident managment team for nearly a year. Over the year the pub has had a lot of changes, one being new owners, that now being Greene king (a traditional brewing company) that should please all the people who have had bad feeling from the laurel pub company over the last 5 years. We are a contry pub and always will be. As anyone can appreciate it take time to get the comunity back in to a pub, and we feel that we are there with a great customer base (some smokers)! We have started not only a charity quiz night that is every two weeks (next on is on the 1st May 8.30pm) but also a charity Race night (11 May 7.30pm). Also the re-introdution of the themed food nights that as most people will know, i started them at the royal oak over 5 years ago when i was training under John and Pauline. Yes, that's right i was born in guildford and i have lived in worplesdon all my life so i know the area and the history of the Royal Oak. Laura and myself have spent the last year working to bring this great pub with traditional ales back to all you pub fanatics so thank you for all your comments and we hope to see you all at the only pub in Pirbright that can offer you all a warm wecome, open fires, large garden, up to 8 real ales, wide range of food, BBQ'S and of course a local manager for a local pub.
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Used to be great. I was really pleased when it went non-smoking, but it also went non-staff at the same time. Last Sunday evening there was just one poor chap doing the bar, serving the food and probably cooking it as well. Such a shame. I'm going to give it one more go in a couple of weeks...
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Such a shame that we only �discovered� this pub a couple of years ago, as it is now in decline. They seem to lack staff, the food is not what is was just last summer, although the beer remains good and so one assumes, well kept. Some of the staff are very good, but they seem to be in short supply. Let�s hope it picks-up again when spring arrives, otherwise my friends and I will be looking for a new �local� for us all to meet at from around Surrey!
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The Royal Oak has been a classic country pub for several hundred years. It's been popular with locals and others customers for about the same amount of time.
Much of the interior is very old and screams authenticity! Real fires, comfortable furniture and a decent atmosphere. The beer has always been excellent.
So why, why, why, why change the interior to look like a hotel lobby? The pictures are irrelevant, have no theme and don't suit each other or the building. The painting over of brickwork and beams is nothing short of vandalism. The upholstery has obviously been picked by someone with no taste as all or just at random. The new furniture just doesn't suit the pub at all. Tables are too small to have more than one plate on them and look like they've been seconded from the local coffee shop.
It's so depressing when pub chains do this. For goodness sake ASK YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT!!!!
The place has been very quiet on my last few visits. A tragedy.
Chris Hunter - 10 Sep 2004 14:55 |
Whilst this pub is not exactly my "local", I first saw it listed in the "Good Pub Guide" (or Good Food Guide)as a pub producing excellent food. Tried it about 3 years ago and perhaps a dozen times since. We went last night and whilst agree that some of the changes are not to our liking,the food was still very good and excellent value. On seeing the "guvnor" lighting a BBQ out back, I have now booked a works outing to sample the goods. It is still one of the best pubs in the area.
Ian McArthur - 7 Jul 2004 14:24 |
Well Done Laurel NOT !!!
As per Lee�s comments, the Royal Oak has been stripped of character due to the sterile corporate attitude that Laurel has stamped down on from senior management.
The Royal Oak has been a haven for so many people, in many ways becoming the regulars secondary front rooms, were people gathered, chatted, shared moments of joy as well as sadness that we all experience through out our lives. This along with the old beamed character had allowed a successful pub to evolve.
John and Pauline Lay put so much effort, blood, sweat and tears into creating a successful pub and culture (yes they had their moments but don�t we all!). This hard work was damaged by their successors, but fundamentally the pub was returning to normality since their departure. Faces that hadn�t been seen for some time returned.
Peter and Laura (the new managers) are working hard to bring in trade, to revitalise the Oak, but however they have been dealt what only can be described as a harrowing blow by Laurel.
Beams that were so carefully selected for the extension ceiling only a few years ago to match the existing building have been painted white, old brick a brack that takes an age to collect has been replaced with sterile pictures best suited for a reception of a modern hotel or Pizza Express. White sterile walls, dimmer switches on the main new lights, tartan covering on seating. WHAT IS LAUREL THINKING OF????????
Why try to make a traditional old pub look like a Cornish tea room?
Why destroy the local trade?
The questions could continue for pages���..
And then the non smoking issue! Some of us were given a one question questionnaire to fill out, asking if we would like the Royal Oak to go non smoking, after E-mailing the CEO of Laurel I was informed that this was not a company questionnaire, and Laurel were not going to survey the locals opinions. In other words, we the customers that have for so long supported a pub that has been the flag ship of Whitbread are not important!
With that regulars have now voted with their feet, the sacrilegious changes have beaten the will out of us..
Laurel, congratulations! I don�t quite know what for but you have certainly made an impact. One that I hope that you will learn from, or maybe not as you are selling a large section of your pubs off, the Royal Oak is one such pub. Let�s hope that the new owners have an inkling into customer relations, and less of a sterile attitude to pubs!
Peter and Laura, I wish you all the best��.
Jules - 29 Jun 2004 17:40 |
I am sad to say Goodbye to The Royal Oak, Laurel Inns have just refurbished the Pub and have killed it.. I have been drinking in The Oak for the last 20-30 years. John and Pauline Lay ran the pub for 9 years before Geoff and Julia started the decline.
John & Pauline ran it with the community and local charities in mind, the pub raised about �10,000, with the help of the regulars, we ran quizes and charity events, have The Laurel Pub Co done anything similar, NO.
I got married and the pub laid on pre-reception drinks, and thanks to John Lay we had plenty of TEA at the reception.
Laurel Inns have taken the life out of The Oak by trying to turn, what was a lovely country pub into their formula of what a pub should be, the character of the place has been shot to pieces and the company have tried to put the corporate stamp on a pub that should not have been tampered with. I wish Pete and Laura all the best for the future. If Laurel Pub Company read this, thank you for F*#*ing up a great pub.... I wish you luck and I will NOT set foot in the pub for a drink until you change the regime imposed on The Oak.
Thanks Laurel, you have ruined my local.
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I have just discovered beerintheevening.com and had no idea what I've been missing! The Royal Oak has indeed always been a wonderful traditional English pub with good ales. I'm not sure that it is fair to say that the change of menu was down to the management couple (what is this obsession with them being northern!!!!?) that have been there for the past 2 or 3 years. I believe that after Laurel bought the pub it changed and that was why John and Pauline left.
clare - 18 Mar 2004 20:00 |
I have recently looked into this site since I was informed of its existence in the Oak; the letters are to say the least amusing!
I am not one to join large groups, I simply enjoy village pubs that still have guest beers. The Oak was one of a handful of pubs in the area without loud banging music where I could sit and enjoy my time prior to returning to the rigours of home life.
I am glad that this pub has seen the back of the previous land lord, and I believe that to be the general view of the other customers. Although I am not a regulars regular I was once accosted by the man. He was very unpleasant and quite frankly did not seem interested! The beer went down hill, and that in turn had a result on how often I for one visited. I have visited the Oak several times in the last four weeks rather than other pubs (mainly for the TEA) which is gorgeous to say the least.
Unlike Bert Wards comments below I would like to shake the hand of the person or persons that are responsible for the removal of the management, as I am sure that if there was a private agenda I can simply only come to the conclusion that like myself that was due to being ignored or as on one occasion insulted by the manager whom certainly seemed underhand and spiteful himself.
Well done to the Royal Oak Regulars or Regular
Hip Hip���
P.S. The only part that I could comment on is that its CAMRA and not CAMBRA
A Customer - 11 Mar 2004 13:49 |
How nice it was to see the author of the missives above back in the Royal Oak. After about 8 weeks of absence the sales of Stella must have gone through the roof with his return. Although the people that were running the pub have now been removed, the way it was done was, to say the least underhand and spiteful. The writer of the above had his own agenda for trying to get them removed and most of the regulars applaude the effort, although his barring from the pub and the subsequent rescinding of this ban has been greeted with much dissapointment. The pub has now got a relief manager who is most personable and the staff have remained mostly unchanged. I hope as a regular of the Royal Oak that the author of the notes from the "Royal Oak Regulars" will find somewhere else to drink in the future and leave the pub how he found it, a freindly and pleasant place to have a pint with friends.
Bert Ward - 23 Feb 2004 22:08 |
Royal Oak Regulars
The wrong Email has been shown!
Please send comments to:- [email protected]
Many thanks
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HORAY FOR the Royal Oak!
Once again can this idyllic pub become the centre no, central hub of a community. A community that for so long has prided it�s self on an atmosphere second to none, with friendly faces always willing to greet regulars and first time visitors alike! With beer and food sweet enough to tempt the gods.
Laurel the owners of the Royal Oak finally submitted and saw the light, a light that for so many customers was so bright that one could have almost have mistaken it for divine intervention. By this I mean that the Diss-Management has finally been dismissed, although I can�t go into the reasons here, but let�s just say that one�s hand was firmly in the cookie jar! Wink, Wink say no more!!!!!!
We now have a stand in agency land lord and lady whom certainly are characters, with the attitude of real people whom run real pubs for real people, and not the all too familiar tones of a northern drone that we as customers have had to deflect for the past two years!
Once again regulars that refused to enter the door of the Royal Oak during the repugnant reign of the now previous folly two are now resurfacing, building the house into a form of its formal glory, a time when laughter ran through and glasses were full along with an atmosphere of frivolity.
A word of warning for the time being (next few weeks anyway)
The old northern dinosaurs that previously lurked in the shadows are now lurking in the accommodation above, awaiting judicial orders to vacate. They will if they catch you paint images of wrongful actions on behalf of the company, and how they were given the rough end of the wedge. Although they may seem plausible to some, bear in mind their actions and previous lack of when their reign was current. Ones own actions are accountable only to ones self when you are in a position of trust, to abuse that trust should be seen exactly as that, an abuse of trust. Would you allow a friend or employee to shake your hand and whilst doing so also riffle through your wallet? The answer is simply NO!
Roll on the good old days of an enjoyable public house, in a delicious setting with fine ales and food that would accompany any occasion.
Come and Enjoy the Royal Oak
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THE ROYAL OAK
The most picturesque pub in Surrey, sweeping gardens, quaint rustic interior with a charm that can enter the blood stream and convert a nun to the regular use of a pub!
With all that said the pub has undergone some changes over the last two years, namely the change of ownership from Whitbread (a good old traditional brewing company to a investment company Laurel) along with new dare I say it management!
No longer do the special boards brim with REAL HOME MADE specials, but now the same not so special menu appears, which unfortunately is about as home made as a tin of Heinz soup! With the clear �PING� of microwaves from the kitchen, with one occasion I ordered a Steak and Ale pie to be told that one of the microwaves had broken down and the other is for puddings, I was offered a Steak, Ahhhhh the memories of a Bernie Steak House bombarded my brain (if you are not old enough to remember what they were then you probably drink alcho-pops, and therefore would not be drinking anywhere without a pool table and loud music anyway, although I will say that today�s equivalent would be a petrol forecourt that sells frozen microwave burgers and kebabs).
The beers have also slipped into a state of cant be really bothered, with staff younger than half the whiskeys that used to be on sale until it was obviously decided that only corner shop selections of spirits were necessary. The Ales that were held in such esteem by CAMBRA are now non loved, gone are the days that a fine Ale would be cared for, caressed and then carefully served for the enjoyment, they are now murky, rushed to put on tap (not due to volume being sold, but more to the fact that no one, and I mean no one actually seems to know what to do with a Real Ale!).
Now for the management, they are at the very best incompetent, no staff training seems apparent, beers that are at best tolerable, food that passes for a road side Little Chef, and a complete non presence to the customers. I have even witnessed the Alpha Male of the two use such language as to tell the customers to F#*K *?F at the end of a night, a fine way to endear yourself, and your company to regulars and first time visitors alike! I guess really that the NON-presence of the management is one to behold as a blessing!
In short if you like old world public houses then the Royal Oak could well be for you, but only drink the wine, spirits, or lagers (cant really go to wrong there!), go with the knowledge that the food is prepared from a box to microwave and all will be fine! However if you should glimpse the steely figure of nothingness with a northern accent then feel free to pull a note book from your pocket, mark down the day, date and time and get it witnessed as you may well have recorded a rare site that could have experts confused for years to come as the bread in question should have been extinct for some years since the Post-Neanderthal-Period when cave type gremlins would either be mystical shadows in the dark or simply abusive creatures that deprived their surroundings of their true beauty with the ability to infect with a vacuous vomit of nothingness!
I am after all simply a long standing regular with over fifteen years of service to the public house that has given so much pleasure to so many, these words are my personal views although with that said they are openly shared by many of the same devotees whom allow such a hub of the community to exist!
Yours,
A Royal Oak Regular
Royal Oak Regulars - 13 Nov 2003 16:36 |
my family has been eating and drinking at this pub for many years and have always been satisfied with the food and choice of real ales. for a meal winter or summer it is our first choice - see you next saturday
r b morrice - 6 Aug 2003 12:29 |
The Royal Oak in Pirbright has to be one of the best pubs in Surrey. It's a very pictureque 'Olde Worlde' pub with a great range of well-kept beers, friendly staff, and has the largest, lushest beer garden in Surrey - what more could anyone want on a hot sunny day!
Jeez - 12 Jun 2003 23:37 |
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