PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex XX Mild (or Sussex Dark Mild) |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter |  | 3 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | | 3 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Cottage - Armada | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Sisters Table Beer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Olympia | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
09 Feb 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid-evening visit. Only one there for 20 minutes or so.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | | Cool and good condition, full bitterness. Getting pricey here at £6.30pp |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
28 Jan 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit mid Wednesday quiz night.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | As it should be |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried |
03 Dec 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Brief late afternoon visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | Quite a high level of bittering |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sisters Table Beer | 3.40 | Not Tried |
01 Dec 2025 (Magnus Greel)
I arrived mid afternoon and joined the rest of our Friday Evening Group for our annual festive meet up. Busy however everyone drifted off leaving just our group upon departure early evening. Where where the finishing office crowds?
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex XX Mild (or Sussex Dark Mild) | 3.00 | | A well-balanced beer with a soft, slightly sweet palate. |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | | A potent and heady brew. Nicely bitter in a biscuity kind of way. |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | A soft, full beer with a nutty palate. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | None of my SBB expectations met, possibly at the end of the barrel? |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sisters Table Beer | 3.40 | Not Tried |
30 Sep 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Disappointing - rather a touch of medicinal taste. 6 quid barrier hit |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sisters Table Beer | 3.40 | Not Tried |
06 Aug 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit. Too humid and airless to stay beyond the one pint.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | | Disappointment, right temperature, no nose, no head of note, no lacing, tasted flat |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Olympia | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sisters Table Beer | 3.40 | Not Tried |
30 Jul 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit to pick up the new edition of London Drinker magazine. Noisy quiz and high humidity led me to leave without imbibing.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|
21 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Only a couple of customers in situ.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | | Seemed tired. Sourish aftertaste |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried |
16 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Very refreshing on a balmy night. £5.70 a pop |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | 4.80 | Not Tried |
28 May 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Brief mid evening visit. Weekly quiz nearing its climax.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | 4.80 | | Cool and refreshing in a sweltering quiz people filled pub |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Cottage - Armada | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sisters Table Beer | 3.40 | Not Tried |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 141 |
| 118 |
| 37 |
 | 4 |
The pub is found in Borough, Central London, SE1 4JU.
Harvey's first tied pub in the capital. Corner pub in Tabard Street, near Borough Underground station. Feels like an oasis from the bustle of London Bridge / Borough High Street. Two bare-boarded rooms in a pub with a central bar and an off-sales hatch. Superb John Harvey Room upstairs may be used for meetings and functions and is freely available. Lots of dark wood and cream walls. 4 handpumps on each bar counter so 8 in all. Comfortable atmosphere. Also has comprehensive selection of Harvey's beer in bottles. Became a managed house after the departure, to retirement, of long term tenant licensees in January 2019. Local CAMRA branch Overall Pub of the Year 2023 and 2025, having been runner-up in 2022.
We have visited this pub 178 times, seen 54 different beers and tried 30 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU