please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Excellent - Titanic Plum Porter and the Gran Reserve version were both on which was a welcome sight on entering this traditional boozer, replete with florid carpet. They also have some good West Berks' brews including Dr. Hexter's Healer while service was enthusiastic and friendly. As the previous commenter says, a class act.
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Still a class act though think it has stiff competition from the Shoulder of Mutton and Kings Arms for best pub in Wantage.
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Wantage outscores similar Oxfordshire market towns (think Abingdon, Bicester and Thame) by virtue of having two superb real ale-focussed pubs, and this probably shades The Shoulder of Mutton in terms of selection, with locals XT XPA and the alliteratively wonderful Maggs’ Magnificent Mild both on excellent form. There’s a cosy ambience to the place and the sound of the bell ringing for last orders at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon harks back to an almost forgotten time.
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This is my favourite pub in Wantage. Excellent beer and prices. Great crisps and nuts!
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Old school boozer local beer well kept with the odd surprise thrown in. A reason to kist wantage
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anyone know pam banfield?
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Spoilt for choice here, where beer is concerned. Very serious dedication to quality. Old fashioned interior, and very friendly locals and landlord who kept offering little tasters of all the beers.
I'm afraid we stayed slightly longer than expected, we felt that welcome. Brilliant pub!
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An old fashioned lay out of Public Bar and Lounge, friendly staff and clientelle and excellent beer (in the shape of DrHexters Wedding in this instance) what more would you want form a pub? A straight 10 from me... unusual in finding a town that has two pubs that I mark as a 10 - maybe I should move here !
anonymous - 5 Sep 2010 13:48 |
Paul Hexter, an example to landlords everywhere. This is what a village pub should be. Seriously good range of beers (including Paul's own award-winning brews: Dr Hexter's Healer and Wedding Tackle), friendly atmosphere and eclectic (and eccentric) bunch of locals.
If they served food all the time it would definitely get a 10.
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Visited for the second time on Saturday lunchtime. What a great place, especially if like me you like traditional pubs and beer! No-nonsense interior with some interesting nautical memorabilia, excellent selection of beer and cider, friendly landlord and client�le. The only downside is the slightly restrictive opening hours - best to check these if you're planning a long tourney to try the place.
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A fantastic pub, worthy of its many accolades. A really good mix of customers (albeit a quiet night), not the beer-ticking crowd you get in larger places. Landlord was great and even offered around some free quiche - thanks Sir.
The beer range was sensible but varied; my local Mild was great.
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June 2009 - Superb beers including two named after the landlord! Pitstop Brewery had at least three on including some extremely serious "Last Lap" (9%)
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Finally managed to make it in after a number of aborted (pub shut!) attempts. And well worth it.
Old-skool, two-roomed pub, with two differing atmospheres (both good!). Left-hand was my haunt, given the dartboard. Plenty of folk in, buzzing atmosphere.
Good range of beer, with the West Berks beers taking the prominence. My Maggs Mild really was lovely - top marks.
Great 'real' local pub, well worth a visit. Wantage is blessed to have both this and the Shoulder of Mutton. Go forth and drink responsibly.
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This pub is the best in the area for it's selection of real ales, friendly staff and punters.
Serve a great selection of real ales and a few ciders which change often. Dr Hexter's Healer, Wedding Ale and Maggs Mild from West Berkshire Brewery are regulars and are well worth a try.
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always a pleasure never a chore to come in here..a northern friend of mine was doing the real ale circuit in oxfordshire and i told him to pass by wantage on his way to newbury...but i forgot to tell him they do beer from the barrell..he ates flat beer...typical northerner..got my ears bitten off but he told me the beer was spot on all the same..also forgot to tell him it dont open till late weekdays..ooops...it were worth it he told me
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This Pub is typical of how nice pubs used to be before the breweries and pub companies started ripping them apart and "refurbishing" them. The landlord has apparently served a quarter of a century here and hasn't changed anything apart from installing some excellent beer. Voted "Pub of the Year" by the local branch of CAMRA and we're not surprised, most of the pubs in this area are owned by Greene King and have to sell their appalling beer. Here's to a great "Free House"!
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Awesome. Every time I visit the Royal Oak, it's a pleasue to see Dr. Hexter and his variety of drinks. The local brewed cider and custom ales like 'Dr. Hexter's Wedding' are great every time. Variety of spirits and 2 indevidual sides of the bar. Duke box isn't too bad either. Worth checking out.
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I dont really have a local but this was it for a while. Beer is first class, as are the staff. Only down side is the smoking, so I dont go there anymore. Maybe when the new regs come in I will go back.
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Stayed in Abingdon recently but couldn't find a decent pub there so drove out to Wantage for a couple of pints of West Berkshire Maggs Magnificent Mild. Well worth the trouble, an excellently kept drink. Our visit was early in the evening so there weren't many in. An interesting pub with two rooms that appear to have completely different characteristics.
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Wonderful landlord who knows how to keep beer. The original Dr Hexter. West Berks beer is kept fantastically. Guest beers always great. My favourites guest beers include Moonlight, Bad Elf, Tanglefoot, 6X and anything by Smiles. If Paul gets your favourite beer in I guarantee it will be the best you have ever tasted. Two bars. One full of skater kids and goths, the other full of real ale officiandos which the other bar graduates to. Rumour has it new carpet has been ordered after 20 years
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Its a while since I had the pleasure but an excellent place to try some of West Berks Brewery's finest products, well kept, in a traditional corner pub.
Usually has a min. of 4 expertly kept real ales on. Can get smokey.
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