Latest reviews from Wantage
| 78 /100 THE BEACON, PORTWAY “Visited this smaller Beer Festival Fri 13th March. Really well organised given the current issues with Corona-virus, hygiene having a high priority throughout from both Staff and Customers and from what I could see the rules were followed as well as could be expected. The Beacon is just a couple of minutes stroll from the Bus drop off in the Market Place, if you know the short cut through! There is plentiful seating within the building. It is a friendly and intimate space and festival, smaller range of beers than many but the list is well chosen and enough for everybody. Well worth a visit, looking forward to next year.“ |
| 64 /100 39 WALLINGFORD STREET “Visited 8/11/2019, lunchtime. Lovely old pub, aesthetically pleasing both inside and out. Home of Wantage Brewery though on this visit the recent Oxford Beer Festival had wiped them out of their ale stock though they did have their collab lager brewed at XT. Had 4 guest cask on, but nothing local. Friendly welcome. Would certainly revisit if back that way.“ |
| 82 /100 39 WALLINGFORD STREET “A revitalized pub - rescued from Greene King by local pub group. Now sells a range of decent local beers, a proper pub, no food, large garden. The local Saxon Lager is worth the trip. A micro brewery might be added at a later stage.“ |
| 78 /100 Royal Oak, Wantage (Bar) NEWBURY STREET “Smelt of damp dog as we entered but you get used to it. Cracking range of ales, although irritatingly listed by strength and name and no brewery mentioned. Definitely worth a visit, a good old fashioned boozer.“ |
| 86 /100 38 WALLINGFORD STREET “Corner boozer with 12 handpulls plus a range of craft keg beers. Lots of nooks and crannies and some board games to play. A proper pub.“ |
| 80 /100 38 WALLINGFORD STREET “visit with Fin, Jan et al ... Just a cracking small town pub ... big range of cask ales... incredibly friendly staff.. this could happily be my local if i lived neat by“ |
| 82 /100 38 WALLINGFORD STREET “Visited on 22/10-2011.
Last stop on our lovely pubcrawl, was this great villagepub. Extremely friendly staff. The beers are served from handpumps behind the bar. Very good condition on he beers. Had some nice bar snacks o go with the beers.
For sure a place to visit if in the area..“ |
| 78 /100 Royal Oak, Wantage (Bar) NEWBURY STREET “Cracking 2 roomed pub just out of the centre of Wantage. There is a basic bar and a more comfortable lounge. The beer is ever changing often with some higher strength beers being available. Really worth searching out if you like an old fashioned atmosphere and a good chat. Great.“ |
| 80 /100 38 WALLINGFORD STREET “Visited July 2011. Multi-roomed pub with a courtyard to sit in out the back. Great selection of ales and two ciders, both of which were local. We received a very warm welcome from the landlord and barmaid, and the locals were friendly too. Prices were reasonable as well. A great pub.“ |
| 84 /100 38 WALLINGFORD STREET “We have always visited this pub on our, too infrequent, visits to Wantage. Just off the town centre but only 5 minutes walk really from the central market area. On entering there is a small snug to the left and the main pub area to the right. The drinkers tend to congregate around the bar in the corridor area. Lots of beers are available, some from the Landlords own range and generally a good selection with a mild and dark being available. Good, relaxing and friendly, we will continue to always call in.“ |
| 78 /100 Royal Oak, Wantage (Bar) NEWBURY STREET “I’ve visited her frequently over the years and I can see why this pub has consistently done really well locally as well as nationally in CAMRA pub competitions. There is always a decent range of beer and cider on here and usually at least one or two beers from West Berkshire and until recently it was a regular outlet for the now sadly closed Pitstop brewery. well frequented by locals but also very welcoming to the many walkers and beer fans who visit here when in the town. The landlord Paul is a charming fellow and this pub along with the new kid on the block and fast emerging other real ale mecca for Wantage (The Shoulder of Mutton) there are at least two good reasons to visit Wantage.“ |
| 92 /100 38 WALLINGFORD STREET “This pub is a new venture for Peter Fowler, formerly known to many as the brewer of Pitstop brewery a small brewery in Grove just outside Wantage, Oxon. Peter has now channeled his considerable energy and infectious enthusiasm into this new pub. Loz and I have been visiting over the last few months and the transformation of this pub into a wonderful real ale mecca for this area of Oxfordshire has been a joy to behold. By the time of my next visit (next Thursday 28th April) Peter will have installed further handpumps allowing him to serve eight beers and two real ciders by handpump. The food (cooked by Peter) is also very good and almost entirely vegetarian as I recall. Please take the time to visit this pub, you will be made to feel extremely welcome and won’t want to leave. Check out the website for regular beer festivals also. This is fast becoming a big favourite of mine and I can see future ratings increasing this current score. Visited again on 28.04.11 Now up to ten handpumps with eight dedicated to real ales and two for cider. Last night had Dark Star American Pale Ale, Dark Star Mai Bock and Dark Star Espresso Stout, alongside Durham White Magic, all in superb nick. Peter also accepts Wetherspoons vouchers and also does a card that when you’ve had 6-8 pints you get one for free. Well done Peter this place just gets better and better.“ |
| 86 /100 Royal Oak, Wantage (Bar) NEWBURY STREET “Wantage. Home of the Alfred the Great. Not much in Wantage that feels like it quite lives up to that glorious history (what could, really?), but still a lovley little town. And what a jewel of a pub this is. Visited on a cool autumn evening, and after chatting to the friendly landlord for a bit, my wife and I took our pints and found a cozy seat near the fire. Then watched as a slow stream of friendly locals came in and got pints, asked after the health of the landlord and his wife, discussed sport and work. The beer was in excellent shape, and there were at least two being served from the cellar that weren’t on the tap handles at the bar. Some interesting bottles available as well. As fine as the pubs of Oxford itself are, this pub made me feel a bit jealous. So welcoming. So chilled out. The sort of pub that makes you think: well...I suppose I could just move here.brbr One thing worth noting. The place notes for the Royal Oak say 10-12 taps. That is technically true if you count the obligitory Guinness, 1664, et all bland keg beer. But if you are reading this, you are interested in real ale, and when I visited there were 4 or 5 proper ales on the handpumps, and a couple more being served from the cellar. West Berks ales seem like they are a fixture, but judging from the tap labels decorating the area above the bar, the guest ale choices range far and wide.“ |
