PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Tom Paine |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 7 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter |  | 3 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Porter | | 1 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Kiss | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
12 Apr 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Superb nick, an English mild as it should be |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried |
29 Mar 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until 11pm close. Chance encounter and good chat with one of the brewers at Brasserie de la Senne in Bruxelles. He will be coming over to go to Sussex later this summer for a collaboration brew with Burning Sky.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Best I've had of this for a very long time |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Kiss | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | Still hanging on nearly into April! |
31 Jan 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit for London Drinker pick up. I really must eat here one day as the whitebait starter and whitebait main both tempt.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | Not Tried | Tempting |
09 Dec 2017 (ChrisE)
Very busy in both bars and a function in the upstairs room. Lots of paper hats from Christmas crackers being worn.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - IPA | 3.50 | Not Tried |
29 Nov 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. Lots of top London CAMRA men in for a meeting upstairs.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
16 Nov 2017 (ChrisE)
Lunchtime visit, the front bar was full but we had the rear bar to ourselves. A good welcome from the guv. A good range of Harvey's beers on but I have not listed them all as I came out without a pen.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | Selling well to our crowd. |
31 Oct 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Best Harvey's Mild I have had in a long time. Conditioning gave superb mouthfeel |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried | Ran out |
27 Sep 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. London Drinker magazine pick up day.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | | Initially quite unusual hop taste after the Best. Rather too chilled |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
26 Jul 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | | Getting expensive at £4.50pp |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
31 May 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid-evening visit with the hope of meeting a man about a dog, successfully.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Temporarily re-named here as "Archivist Ale" in memory of a recently lost local Stephen Humphrey |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried | Never see anyone buy any of the Fuller's beers when on the pump here! No need |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 139 |
| 108 |
 | 33 |
 | 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 166 times, seen 54 different beers and tried 31 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU