The Royal Oak

Wonderful food and atmosphere at the Royal Oak. Great outdoor area/​beer garden perfect for kids and adults alike. The food is great value for money and the two steaks and wine for £30 on Thursday is not to be missed!

I have recently moved from one side of Bristol to the other and this was the first and last place I went to in search of my new local.
Drinks: Wide selection and do my favourite rum and cider.
Food: Average pub food, burgers, chicken, pasta, Sunday roast.
Service: EVERY single bar tender smiles, says hello and makes eye contact. After running a pub myself I know these are all things to not take from granted.
Atmosphere is nice, can be a bit to many kids sometimes and the long term locals seem to hog the outside heaters but hopefully I can move up the ranks quickly.
Mines an orchard pig!

A classy contemporary pub down the furthest ends of the gloucester road night life. It’s certainly shed the image of the days when it was the John Cabot pub, pretty run down and a hive of football violence.
Step inside now and you’ll be greeted by adequately sized bar, with a great selection of your favourite tipples. It is a little pricier than some pubs and bars however don’t let this put you off.
Classic, contemporary décor — up to date with a slight nod to the more traditional stylings, it invites you to sit down a enjoy a drink or two.
The food is good but again, I found it to be a little on the pricey side.
Wander outside and you’ll find a massive beer garden beyond the initial covered seating area and down the steps. Complete with more pub benches, tables, a large children’s play area and now they even have a pizza oven (although I’ve not seen it in action yet). It’s a real hub of activity and inclusive of all social groups. It’s the sort of place where you can strike up a conversation with anyone, and probably spend the night chatting away with them. It’s just a great place to go for a pint or three.

Popped in here a couple of times lately for lunch and found the two main meals for £10 offer (Monday to Friday 12 3pm) well worth a peruse. First time we had the battered haddock with tartare sauce, mushy peas and hand-​cut chips, which was nice although my partner did have a slight moan that the mushies seemed more like squashed up garden peas. Next time round I was a bit more adventurous with the steamed Cornish mussels and chips with a delicious white wine, garlic and cream sauce, while the Mrs went for the bowl of chilli con carne with steamed basmati rice. All in all it was a cut above the usual pub grub and they don’t slay you on the soft drink prices either. The place formerly the John Cabot has been recently made over and is pretty well immaculate inside. A couple of small grumbles though: the service was just a little slow and the actual menu itself was a dog eared and food smeared photocopied sheet. That’s what you call spoiling the ship for a halfpennyworth of tar, specially when there’s a print shop just over the road where they could get them laminated.

Once the home of The John Cabot, a slightly undesirable (read: rough) locals pub, this Gloucester Road haunt is now home to The Royal Oak, a charming modern watering hole.
Although it has undergone a makeover and many of the dodgy old men have gone, this pub is not pretentious in the slightest. The bar is in the centre of the building and there are various rooms and areas situated around it. The paint job has brightened up the interior but has unfortunately painted over some of the original wooden features.
If you live near here this could be a great local, particularly as there are so many deals and promotions on throughout the week. Whenever I’ve frequent this place my friends and I bag one of the larger tables and grab a board game from the (well stocked) shelve in the corner. The atmosphere is very relaxed apart from the odd shouting match about the rules of Trivial Pursuit. Great for groups and students.

Nearer the top end of Gloucester Road, The Royal Oak is a great place to get a tipple.
I particularly like Tuesdays here, it’s ladies night! And any lady can buy one of their, quite tasty in a standard pub food kind of way, main meals and get another one free to give to another lady! What could be better?!
Well, the Thursday steak night comes a close second, I thought the steak was actually quite decent, unlike some pubs steak nights where you feel like your just getting a thick burger in the shape of a steak.
They’re doing well to make the place lively, with all sorts of events, you can listen to live locally grown music, watch the world cup, or take your kids to the Friday after school BBQ club!
Would defo recommend.

A very swish establishment! The paint is still drying on the walls having not been open for too long, means that the whole establishment is absolubtley pristine!
With a massive garden it is popular with families when the weather is more suitable. Also an impressive selection of cask drinks including:
Thatchers Heritage, Sharps Doom Bar, Butcombe Gold, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Bath Gem
Means that is a popular stop of point for many of the locals (and not so locals like myself!) The drink prices are a bit steep, with pints around £2.95 and a glass of wine price starting at £3.40 it wont provide you with the cheapest drinking expierience.
Great to come for a family meal, or fot that extra special occasion. I think the Royal Oak will go from strength to strength.

The Royal Oak is the new establishment to mount the site of the former Old Cabot which was, well, not the safest or enjoyable of drinking experiences. The Royal Oak, big and shiny has taken its place and is doing a sterling job.
Opened since mid July 2009 they’ve come on in leaps and bounds giving many people good reason to come here. For one thing they have possibly the largest of beer gardens I have ever seen: tables, chairs, swings and play houses — a pub ideal for families. The interior is what is to be expected of a new vamped-​up pub but with a few original tweaks. Comfortable red, beige and white sofas and armchairs angled toward fireplaces, for example, with piles of old books and board games in the corner.
Another huge improvement to the venue is the food. Mike Blundell the head chef has been serving up pub grub for a few years and brings a real style to The Royal Oak. My personal favourite is one of the many delicious bar snacks — chilled whitebait with mayonnaise. Absolutely scrummy.
Add a selection of good local ales like Doom Bar and Gem and The Royal Oak is very definitely an improvement.