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Royal Oak Surbiton

261 Ewell Rd, Surbiton KT6 7AA, United Kingdom

Royal Oak Surbiton
Pub
4.4
386 reviews
8 comments
Orientation directions
9PP4+32 Surbiton, United Kingdom
+44 20 8390 5376
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Chris Auld
Chris Auld107 days ago
Great selection of drinks, including well kept real ales. Great atmosphere and the guy behind the bar is super helpful. Also, one of the best Sunday roasts I've ever had! 🍻
Vince Vinnyp
Vince Vinnyp260 days ago
Much improved, nice atmosphere, good staff. Great garden and outside BBQ. Steaks and burgers look great. They had Timothy Taylor and Doombar but both were in good fettle.
Plenty of room and very quiet on a Monday late lunch.
Debz Da Costa
Debz Da Costa260 days ago
Bar staff were friendly and efficient.
It's been a few years since I last went and the garden is beautiful. Plenty of room and food was popular.
The outside bbq seemed to be a hit.
I will definitely be going again.
Joe B
Joe B321 days ago
Lovely roast dinner. They have a focus on serving really good quality meat but the rest of the food was delicious too. Nice beers, plenty of room and a great menu. Wouldn't like to guess how many £110 1kg Galician steaks they've sold but would be tempted to try if I can find 3 other people to share it with! The Iberico pork ribs are simply the best ribs you can get, yum!!!!
Mark B
Mark B2 years ago
Situated roughly halfway down Ewell Road, not too far off Tolworth Roundabout, overseeing a consistently busy, yellow hatched intersection, this detached grey building with green bricked exterior sticks out among the diverse range of regionally specific convenience stores.

The exterior evokes a particular, arguably unfair, "rough" pub stereotype. Expected stunned silence and outsider status on arrival, instead met with spacious seating, table service and extensive food and drink options. Quite the juxtaposition.

Grand Funk Railroad plays out on the speakers, I opt for a Guinness (excellent pour), take a seat next to the meat fridge, and peruse the menu - steaks, burgers, fish, picky bits - it's a gastro pub menu but looks fancier. A £99 steak sticks out to me, "Has anyone ever finished this?" I ask. The server says "It's meant for 4 people". I've been watching too many BeardMeatsFood videos.

My Richard Holmes history books do extend to Tolworth, and The Royal Oak is rich in history. Dating back to 1861, it had Tolworth Fountain opposite (1903-1936) before being demolished for road widening. In 1931, then Landlady Florence Wedderburn was convicted for selling diluted whisky, a hefty £10 fine was issued. Moving swiftly to the 1990s, and the pub was run by Leila Williams, Miss Great Britain in 1957, and a Blue Peter Presenter from 1958-1962 no less, and her husband was Fred Mudd, former singer of The Mudlarks.

The inferior whisky was only served to those not allowed in the saloon bar, and while the booze quality improved, the divide remained until 1984 when it was then made a single bar. Sold to Scottish & Newcastle in 1998, it's unclear who owns it now, but the current management look to have been there for 6-8 years judging by the socials.

I sent this pub on to a few people, and it seems like I'm the last to discover it. A good reminder to keep an open mind and the joys of just "dipping" into a pub for one. Definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover, but beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder after all.
Magdalena Pancewicz
Magdalena Pancewicz2 years ago
Fantastic place- comfortable to sit inside and with plenty of space to sit outside. Staff is very welcoming and knowledgeable and can advise when it comes to drinks, cocktails and food. All food was delicious, fresh and just what we needed.parking might be a bit challenging so give yourself extra 10 minutes to find the right spot.
Ash Stapleton
Ash Stapleton2 years ago
It's a nice place to have a few drinks. The food is good and the staff are friendly. It has a nice inner seating and bar area with a good selection of beers wines and spirits, the garden is of a good size and has a good amount of seating and a large heated gazebo. The staff offerd me a blanket which when they saw I was a little cold 👌🏽.
Ralph Gilbert
Ralph Gilbert2 years ago
Came in here for a pre Christmas drink and a bite to eat. Table service for this was excellent. Really enjoyed the food. I had the ribs. They were very tasty. A good selection of beers. The staff were friendly and the service was good and quick. Will come again.
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