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Royal Oak
Review
About
Soak up our friendly service and homely charm when nestled in the heart of the York. Here at The Royal Oak, we are the perfect retreat to sit back, relax and indulge in our delicious food with your favourite drink in hand. Our traditional pub classics are expertly crafted from our seasonal menus and the bar is crammed with local ales and tipples to tempt any taste buds. Using the most seasonal ingredients and decadent flavours, there's a dish for every desire.
Features
CUISINES
Bar, International, British, Pub
Meal types
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night, Drinks
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wifi
Full Bar
Highchairs Available
Live Music
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Table Service
Does this restaurant serve alcohol?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Open until 11:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Contribute
4.2
913 reviews
Excellent
512
Good
226
Average
75
Poor
52
Terrible
48
Janet J
12 contributions
Nov 2024 • friends
First night in York so booked a Sunday roast here, starts from 6pm
Staff was very friendly and helpful, typical old building
Dirty and quirky, not in a bad way..
Food was lovely
Would recommend 👌
Written November 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stevesykes2016
Leeds16 contributions
Apr 2024 • family
This is truly a lovely Olde English pub.
We booked online, which is highly recommended.
The day before our booking the staff called to confirm the booking, which is an unusual bonus.
On the day of the booking we received another call to advise us that there were 2 items off the menu, once again, great customer service.
On arrival we were seated immediately and offered drinks, the food was of a high quality and arrived hot, obviously freshly cooked.
The staff were attentive and friendly.
All in all, a really pleasant experience.
Thanks guys
Written April 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AudreyfromYork
Yorkshire39 contributions
Nov 2023 • family
After walking out another pub in town due to poor service we went to the Royal Oak for lunch. Gareth was working alone serving in the bar, taking food orders, showing customers to areas to sit, toilets etc, serving food orders. He made time to have a bit of banter with us, checking our order was what we wanted, he was very friendly, professional, attentative and didn't come across as flustered or under pressure despite working alone. The food was served hot, presented well and not after a lengthy wait. We had Lasagne and Chicken Tikka Massala , both were very tasty, hot, and perfect. The atmosphere is very friendly and cosy. Close to the town centre and Minster. I would definitely recommend a visit and definitely recommend the food. Will certainly be back
Written November 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dearman2601
2 contributions
Dec 2024 • family
After a lovely family day out in York we had booked the Royal Oak about 3 weeks ago. We arrived and our table wasn’t ready straight away which was fine as we was early. We went to the bathroom and the toilets looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for a couple of years. We got seated to our table and was given menus. After about 30mins somebody finally came to see us and as we started ordering he then informed us they only had 3 items left and that they wasn’t running a full menu? We should have been told this prior to even sitting down not when we had all decided what we wanted and what we wanted wasn’t available. We left instead of eating and found a nice little place somewhere else! The pub was busy with only by the looks of it 3 staff members with 1 member being quite rude and could do with some customer service skills. They need to staff better and keep there stock levels up so things like this don’t happen again.
Written December 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hayley patterson
Dear S9406WNellaD,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at the Royal Oak. It's disappointing to learn that the cleanliness of our facilities and the availability of menu items did not meet your expectations. We also regret that you found our service lacking.
Your comments are invaluable to us, and we will address these issues with our team to ensure improvements are made. We hope you might consider giving us another chance in the future.
Best regards,
The Royal Oak Team
Written December 18, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
blonde1911
Kippax75 contributions
Dec 2023 • family
We booked here in advance for lunch while at the Christmas Market. Family of 4 and arrived on time for our booking. Upon first impressions decor lovely and nice and clean. We were seated to our table. Left for around 5 mins no menus provided upon us sitting down. They later brought them to the table. The waitress was disinterested the whole te too busy speaking to her friend. The food was OK nothing special pretty basic. But all in the service let it down. We had to ask if we ordered at the bar the barman said no someone will come over we had been waiting a while to order. The waitress came over took our order. Food was OK nothing special my mums salad stated it came with walnuts and pomegranate and it hadn't we asked the waitress and they brought some for her nearly 5 to 10 mins later half way through the meal. Slow slow service. Upon finishing and wanting to pay we asked for the bill and were waiting again over 10 mins and had to go to the bar to see if we paid at the bar he said no someone will come. In the end we waited another 10 mins and got up and paid at the bar.
All in all the service was poor and we will not be going back. Spoilt the day and experience
Written December 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David Wright
Newcastle upon Tyne99 contributions
Dec 2023 • couples
We booked a table the day before but upon arriving asked if we could have the festive menu at £25.95 for 2 courses and they said it was fine.
That's where it stops from fine to terrible
We ordered ham hock with toasted sourdough
It arrived with white in toasted bread cut in half,appallingly .
We told them it should of came with what they advised on menu or at least advised us
Next our turkey dinner came without Brussels , parsnips,Yorkshire pudding ,carrots and they had no cranberry sauce available
I thought to myself who runs a pub and can't order the ingredients and allows people to choose a menu they can't fulfill!!
We ate our partial plate of food and must say it was cooked nicely
It gets worse
We were asked by a staff member about it and we advised her the problem snd she agreed it did not marry up to the advert and she would tell the manager
The bill came with a supposedly 25% reduction .NOT taken off
He said the computer had reduced it
We advised the error to no avail which he refused to address
Furthermore he offered no apology and was quite offensive telling us it was our fault by not booking our meal a few days earlier so he could of had all ingredients
This guy needs replacing asap
He's a joke and rude
Written December 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
phoebe w
1 contribution
Dec 2023 • couples
Visited the Royal Oak for Christmas Day dinner. Food was very rushed and staff made it very obvious they didn’t want to be there.
The waitress with shoulder length short mousy brown hair, wearing all black(black crop top and black satin midi skirt) went the extra mile and actually mimed to another table(assuming family of some sort) with hand gestures for us to hurry up and leave. Safe to say we did not leave a tip and will never be returning.
£85pp and made to feel extremely uncomfortable and rushed.
Written December 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chantelle H
1 contribution
Sep 2023 • family
Came in today with my daughter and husband and we were very disappointed with the food.
We ordered 2 beef Sunday lunches and this was the worst Sunday lunch any of us have ever eaten.
The beef looked as though it had been cooked for around 10 hours, it was also incredibly fatty, stringy and tough.
The veg was just boiled and thrown on a plate, plain, soggy and horrible.
You would assume to have a decent enough Sunday lunch considering the fact that we walked in pretty much as soon as the doors opened and also when they are charging over £15 for a roast dinner…
The manager looked like our complaint was one of many and something she has to experience quite often.
In the end she gave us LITERALLY a few quid off.
Please PLEASE avoid this pub if you fancy a Sunday lunch. It’s just not worth it.
As an after thought…. “Chef” wants sacking.
Written September 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven J
4 contributions
Feb 2025 • couples
Me & my partner were turned away today on 25th Feb around lunch time, the barman said they were to busy in the lounge to serve food. 1 small table was free in the lounge & 6 people who had just finished their meal were just leaving when we arrived. The barman was curt, seemed uncaring, lazy & very uninterested. We won't be back.
Written February 15, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve M
Newcastle upon Tyne5 contributions
Mar 2024 • couples
We went for Sunday lunch and both ordered the beef roast with a side portion of cauliflower cheese. My husbands meal was fine but mine was swimming in oil. The vegetables were inedible due to the amount of oil. I have never had a Sunday roast that was served in oil. My beef was so tough I couldn’t chew it and had to take it out of my mouth and put it on the side of the plate. I informed the staff who agreed that there shouldn’t be oil and she would speak to the chef. We got our bill which showed the full price for my meal and we said we shouldn’t be paying for it. The manager disagreed and said they would not charge us for the cauliflower cheese. A very disappointing experience. Would not recommend this restaurant.
Written March 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Herbie
Filey450 contributions
Jan 2024 • couples
My wife and I stayed over in York for the weekend and we decided 2 weeks ago that we would book in at the Royal Oak for Sunday lunch, on booking our reservation my wife asked for a table on the ground floor. When we got to the Royal Oak we stood and waited to be taken to our table the assistant asked what name we were booked under, she looked confused as if she did not recognise our name and said I won’t be a minute disappeared then came back and said your dinning upstairs. Disappointingly we followed her up stairs without making a fuse and she pointed us to a very small round table which backed on to a very loud table of 8. She passed us 2 menus and said I will be back to take your orders, we both sat down and looked around our table was not even set so I am guessing they must have mistakenly lost our reservation? As I said we were sat at this very small table in the middle of a small compact room and the assistant went to the table of 8 a number of times to tell them they had run out of what they had ordered. (Disappointing for them and it was only 13:00) After 10 minutes of waiting, no drink orders taken, no food orders taken, apart from seeing the assistant on arrival that was it! At this point we decided to leave, on leaving the pub we noticed it was empty so do not understand why we were seated upstairs along with the poorest service in York! A really disappointed customer that will not be coming back…
Written January 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda
York1 contribution
May 2024 • friends
Booked a table in advanced for 1.5 hours for Sunday dinner. Food was lovely, but experience was dreadful as after 50 minutes of sitting down and still eating we were told we had 10 minutes to eat up and we needed to vacate the table. I still had half my plate full and was struggling to eat fast as the table was fit for a borrower....was tiny and we had to put our drinks on the floor. The staff and manager did not care we were still eating and blamed their booking system and how busy it was (there were empty tables in our room). They need to care for the customers right in front of them not the ones they want to gain from further walk ins. Especially ones who wanted a pudding and further drinks! If a customer books 1.5 hours then that it is what they are entitled to, won't return.
Written May 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Waddler
York12607 contributions
Jun 2024 • friends
There is a weekday lunch menu where you can get smaller portions for about £8-10. Size worked well for me.
However, I thought the food a bit on the average side. Chips were more like potato wedges (which is fine if you want wedges of course).
Inside environment is ok - not a particularly warm welcome though.
Written June 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew
York1 contribution
Jun 2024 • family
Went for Sunday lunch. It was all a bit shambolic. Pretty much the only option was roast dinner, but it was barely edible and had items missing. Then we were doubled charged for every drink, took three attempts to get the bill right, no apology. Overall just a really disappointing experience, won’t be going back.
Written June 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sidney62
Doncaster103 contributions
Dec 2023 • friends
Arrived at 5pm for are booked table, only to be given a blank look from the barmaid who then spoke to another barmaid who also gave us a blank look and told us they had no table booking for us. the wife told them that she had personally phoned on the 11th of December for are table on the 29th. neither had any idea why the booking was not made. luckily we got a table upstairs which was fine, 2 of us opted for the home made short crust pie, which was nice but very small, was not golden in colour as it had not seen any egg brushed over it and finally once again a short crust pie with soft gluey pastry clearly not oven cooked, beer was very good as always here
Written January 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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