Royal Oak, Southampton

This pub was recommended to me by an ex-student in Southampton.

It is not the place for a Real Ale drinker or lover of beer. The pint of Directors I had was cloudy and uninspiring and it was the only real ale available at the bar. In the end I left half of it and went in search of a better pint somewhere else.

In this place's favour was the friendliness of the staff though, if you're a lager drinker or not too bothered about real ale then it's probably a good boozer, plenty of seating and relatively clean.

28 Jul 2010 21:34

The Wellington Arms, Southampton

I was on a business trip in Southampton and somone recommended the Royal Oak to me. About the only thing to recommend this terrible pub is the strong phone reception that allowed me to get onto BITE and search for something better. Certainly the Oak's one real ale (Directors) was cloudy and tasted far from fresh.

I'm glad I did and I'm really glad that it recommended the Wellington Arms. It's a beer-drinkers delight. There were 6 real ales available from the likes of Ringwood and Brakspear and a few other hand pumps with labels turned round suggested we'd arrived just a little too late to try several other beers, including Old Thumper. Two of us tried at least one of every brew available and can report that each one was beautifully looked after, fresh and tasty.

The pub itself is clean, spatious and friendly with an attractive small paved beer garden at the back. Another pleasant surprise was the affordability of the beer - a great excuse for that last one for the road.

In summary, a superb little pub, the best we could find in Southampton, and definitely worth the 15 minute walk from the centre of town. If only there were more like the Wellington Arms in Southampton!!

28 Jul 2010 21:25