Royal Oak

"There are many listed boozers in London to choose from but the wood-panelled, Vitrolite-bedecked Royal Oak, as seen in The Krays, stands out as both a fine example of an inter-war public house and of an early 21st century gastropub. Head upstairs to see its swankier side (think bavette steak or whole plaice with caper butter) or enjoy the hurly-burly of the horseshoe bar with a pint and a fish finger sandwich. Est. 1923." - Hilary Armstrong

"The. Royal. Oak. The de facto living room of all the inner-Hackney twenty-somethings who can’t hang out at home because there’s a bunk bed in the kitchen, The Oak is legendary. Bentwood chairs, parquet flooring and panelled walls recall a bygone era, as does the disorienting sensation of stumbling out at closing time into the eerily quiet, cobbled streets around Columbia Road." - Adam Coghlan, James Hansen

"Royal Oak Pub, East London There’s a lovely little courtyard behind the Royal Oak . On a Sunday morning, you can get coffee from the pub, tucked away from the flower market. —Sophie Howarth By Afar Magazine"