Royal Oak Hotel

When I was in Sydney recently I decided to check out a random suburb (as I usually do) and Double Bay drew the short straw. Anyway, this was a nice little pub a short walk from the ferry terminal (which I knew about beforehand, so was one of the reasons that I went to Double Bay) and it wasn’t what I expected. When I think of the Eastern Suburbs, especially near the habour, I tend to think rich and exclusive, however this pub was nothing of the sort. It was nicer than your typical suburban pub, but it was pretty relaxed. There was a nice beer garden out the back, and the staff were pretty friendly as well. Definitely a pub that I would visit again.

This bar is packed out on a Friday and Saturday night. They’ve recently renovated so there’s a nice garden out the backed you prefer a quieter place to sit. They’re menu is good offering a wide variety of foods such and steak, pizza, burgers, salads etc. I’ve had the steak a few times and have not been disappointed the food is seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Drinking at the punny place across the road and felt like some food so we went to check out the royal oak.
Looked like an above average pub, sport on the TV, nice fit out etc. Menu fairly standard but interesting. We had some problems though, food took over 45 minutes to come out, although when it did it was tasty. Also a fairly expensive wine list, for some not so special wines. Also after ordering two different wines the bartender couldnt remember which one she poured in to which glass (they were $ 11 each) — poor form. Bathrooms could have had a clean too. Overall OK, but there are better places to eat and drink.

Nice place to have a kick-​back on a Sunday afternoon/​evening. Went here one day after beaching for a bit, and had drinks on the sidewalk with friends. Menu prices for food are absurd even fro Double Bay, especially considering you still have to essentially serve yourself. Bartender was nice enough though, and offered to allow for a taste of the wines I was unfamiliar with.

This is actually not a bad place. Prepare to be surprised, world. In fact, I say ditch the perennially popular Golden Sheaf for a night and come here. We did that after a truly terrible — for reasons that will remain hidden — night at the Sheaf and strolled a few blocks up to this sorry looking place looking for a heady distraction from the previous hour and perhaps even a drink to quench our thirst (in my case, diet coke, which did the job thank you very much but Pepsi max would have been better). The Royal Oak is really quite unremarkable looking but that is surely the beauty of life, that you can find so much in something that originally looks like so little (I’m sure kids have a similar feeling when they get given a Kindle Surprise but then again I wouldn’t really know). There are plenty of tables and chairs and stools here, TV’s, a working bar, a restaurant, and plenty of affable and affable-​looking (which sometimes makes all the difference) patrons but the thick-​cut chips here are great. But the best thing about this place is the affable and affable-​looking people who could have been at the Sheaf but are not cool enough or too cool for that place. Call me whatever you like but judging from my night here I know where I’d rather be.

This is the corner pub you can rely on, every suburb has one, even Double Bay. Here the bistro meets the public bar come sports bar and it is pretty much a male zone during the day. Not everyone has to be upper class here. Double Bay does expect a manner of decorum and exclusivity but in this pub you can let that go. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing. I believe it’s a pub that by night is quite different to by day. The bistro comes alive at night and offers a varied cuisine of modern Australian dishes and large wine selection.

This is your typical sports pub /​bistro and to be honest I wasn’t too impressed. Clearly its popular and that’s possibly why I didn’t have a great time. I’ve got no issues with a packed sports bar, especially when there is a big game. There are two crucial non negotiables, however, that can be deal breakers for me. You would expect to wait a while for a drink when a bar is busy, but when it is clear that the bar staff are just not up to it, its not on. Its not always easy to instinctively know who to serve next but good par staff acquire that ability. I’m not convinced about the staff at the Oakes. And when all you want to do is get back to that game, you start wondering why you just didn’t get a six pack and watch the game at home.
The other thing that was highly irritating was the lack of volume when the game started. Commentary is an important element and adds to the excitement. I can understand no volume if you have the game on in the background, but not in a sports bar where the game is very much the focal point
Fortunately, I was with mates and still had a good time, but I don’t think it would be my destination of choice if I was making the arrangement next time.