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Secret Drinker reviews the Royal Oak and the Queen’s Inn, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook

I ended up doing a head-to-head this week after visiting two pubs just a stone’s throw apart in Hawkhurst, near Cranbrook.

Anyone stepping into the Royal Oak and the Queen’s Inn will be struck by the similarities between these two sizeable village boozers.

Looking good with great kerb appeal, The Queen’s Inn is tastefully illuminated at night and is likely to attract drivers on the A268 to call in.
Looking good with great kerb appeal, The Queen’s Inn is tastefully illuminated at night and is likely to attract drivers on the A268 to call in.

They both offer rooms for those seeking a sleepover, they both have trendy, bleached beams and are furnished with high-backed wing chairs. The bar staff in both are dressed head-to-toe in black, they both have open fireplaces, they offer many of the same drinks, both smell of food as you walk in and even their addresses only differ by a single postcode letter.

So, you might think there’s not much to choose between them – you might think that, but you’d be very, very wrong. One is a delight, the other as dull as dishwater.

The Royal Oak Country Pub & Carvery, to give it its full title, had absolutely no life about it and felt like the lobby of a quiet Premier Inn.

The atmosphere was as flat as the Harvey’s Sussex Best and the false log walls at both ends just added to the boring sterility.

The switched off staff stood refusing to chat to anyone but themselves – the only time they looked animated was when they went outside for a fag in the front car park.

The Royal Oak is perfectly position in Hawkhurst, just off the main crossroads on Rye Road, right at the centre of the village
The Royal Oak is perfectly position in Hawkhurst, just off the main crossroads on Rye Road, right at the centre of the village

Despite the carvery, to the left of the front door, the overpowering aroma was burnt fat and the open fire grate, with stacks of logs, showed no sign of having been lit in recent times and just added to the frosty atmosphere.

However, take a short stroll along Rye Road and you will come across the well-lit Queen’s Inn. Looking impressive from outside, you only need open the door to receive a much warmer welcome. The Sussex Best here has the right fizz, as do the staff who were busy and buzzing. The log burner gives off great heat and even the candles in the window add to the atmosphere. The smell upon entering this one was fresh fish and garlic.

The cost of the drinks was as similar as the postcodes – a pint of bitter and a large Sauvignon Blanc was just 5p more in the Royal Oak but everything else about them is a world apart.

At the Royal Oak there is a small entrance porch leading into the pub from its car park at the front
At the Royal Oak there is a small entrance porch leading into the pub from its car park at the front

The Royal Oak’s front bar has clearly been spruced up fairly recently but they need to dig a bit deeper and tackle other issues.

The toilets, for example, were clean and fresh at both pubs, but both the ladies and the gents at the Oak are long overdue for an upgrade.

The Queen’s bar had an eclectic mix of folk from couples out for a quiet drink to larger groups of mates enjoying the banter and chatting freely.

The restaurant in the Quuen's is well decorated and laid out
The restaurant in the Quuen's is well decorated and laid out
With stripped beams, wing-backed chairs and tasteful lighting the Royal Oak’s bar could be a lovely place to relax
With stripped beams, wing-backed chairs and tasteful lighting the Royal Oak’s bar could be a lovely place to relax

In the Oak people sat in corners quietly and spoke only in hushed tones, almost as if they were afraid to be overhead. The only exception was a woman sitting at the bar drinking pints of Kronenbourg concentrating constantly on her mobile phone.

I’d been in a full 15 minutes before I realised the child in school uniform playing quietly at the table behind her was her daughter.

Sadly, from what I witnessed, the only time she acknowledged her daughter’s presence was to shout at her unnecessarily and tell her she would be unloading six bags of shopping when they got home.

Many of the interesting features at the Royal Oak have been retained and well maintained, but this is a pub which, with the right staff and customer service, could be so much better
Many of the interesting features at the Royal Oak have been retained and well maintained, but this is a pub which, with the right staff and customer service, could be so much better

Hardly anyone was eating in the Oak, although looking through the shared corner window that led to Chinese takeaway next door it was doing a great trade.

In contrast, the restaurant at the Queen’s was bustling, busy and full of groups of people enjoying the atmosphere and each other’s company.

Although the Queen’s is undoubtedly more cosy and welcoming, the Oak, with hops hanging off its beams and comfortable high-backed chairs could be a decent pub.

Both the ladies and the gents toilets at the Royal Oak are due an overhaul
Both the ladies and the gents toilets at the Royal Oak are due an overhaul
The gents in the Queen's Inn is well presented and even had a pot plant in one corner
The gents in the Queen's Inn is well presented and even had a pot plant in one corner

Sadly it is the staff who really let it down, they’d much rather be talking to each other, checking mobiles or smoking than looking after customers.

Contrast this to the Queens where the big, bearded fellow behind the bar, could not have been more welcoming or attentive.

Geographically speaking these Hawkhurst inns are cheek by jowl, but they’re miles apart when judged on pub appeal.

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Hawkhurst is close to the border with East Sussex, 12 miles south east of Tunbridge Wells
Hawkhurst is close to the border with East Sussex, 12 miles south east of Tunbridge Wells
The ladies toilet in The Queen's not only boasts trendy basins and a choice of hand cream, but also the opportunity to sit awhile and chill out
The ladies toilet in The Queen's not only boasts trendy basins and a choice of hand cream, but also the opportunity to sit awhile and chill out
Established in 1561, the Queen's is a three-storey brick inn
Established in 1561, the Queen's is a three-storey brick inn
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