The Royal Oak

Oh dear what has happened to this lovely pub. Believe me I have had to think long and hard about putting this review on but I have to give an honest opinion. We have visited the Royal Oak 2 to 3 times a year for 2 to 3 days for the last 8 years and as per previous reviews you will see we rate it very highly. We visited the, last weekend in July and it appears two weeks prior there's been a complete change of staff and chefs and boy can you tell. The front of house management is now very poor, inefficient and unfriendly. First,problem was a problem with our table for the evening meal which had been booked 8 months ago. When first moved around then returned to the original table we found the table dirty not wiped, cutlery and glasses dirty and ketchup all on the condiments holders. Then found that our choices of mains from a small selection were unavailable. This was early evening at 6.30 on Friday night. Made new choices. On arrival the food was ok but small portions compared to previous. No dish of veg as before just 2 broccoli stems and half a sliced carrot on the plate. The sweets were again not great. Sticky toffee was a catering pack ginger sponge with about 2mm of diameter left for a small amount of custard. Due to it being dry asked for a bit more custard which eventually arrived with a not happy waitress. Whilst on food the breakfast used to be excellent and in both quality and portion sizes. Only one slice of toast each now and any further request met by it's only one slice now as we are under new management now. Don't we know it The second breakfast was the same and it appeared they had run out of hash browns and black pudding and gone and got some from a cheap freezer shop. The service is now very slow at both breakfast and evening meal. They even get the breakfast order wrong even after completing the breakfast order form as requested the night before. Also lots of flys about morning and evening, in the country yes but not a problem before. A few weeks prior there was a large publicity article in the main Yorkshire post paper claiming a new chef / manager was arriving from Salvos in Leeds and the food menu was going to go to a new level. It certainly has, but it's a lot lower. It is sad to write this but it has really changed for the worse in our experience and this was backed in conversations with other long standing customers. We were in one of the new rooms Willow and have to say it is an excellent room. A good size and excellent shower. There is a system where you leave a note if you require any further milk etc. However nobody checked the notes so no service. We tried to catch someone in the bar area but nobody about and we were going out for the day and not back till late. All in all it was a poor experience after many great visits. Not against change but the service and quality has dropped dramatically. Just go back to what it was a good Yorkshire moors pub with great food and staff.

Called here as a walk in after a golf day at Kirkbymoorside with my dad. A shakey start with not booking but once the chef agreed to serve us if we sat outside we we're welcome. We both ordered the fish and chips and I can't stress enough how good these were. We have had the best that Whitby has to offer but these we're above and beyond. Thick white cod and the chips well out of this of this world.

A lovely find. A lovely hotel/pub. The staff were very welcoming helpful, friendly and efficient. The chef produced some wonderful meals We've stayed in larger rooms but that didnt matter as there was everything you needed with the added bonus of being so lovely and warm as we chose to stay during the coldest few days of this year. York, Whitby and the North Yorkshire Moors were all not far away. We'll definitely be back.

Excellent! Very comfy rooms, lovely food, and very friendly staff.

Rural retreat review : recommend in every way Lovely rural retreat proper quaint country pub with good food and lovely room . Couldn’t ask for more.

We stopped for an overnight stay at the Royal Oak. It was a really friendly and traditional pub serving lovely food and ales. Staff were incredibly friendly and warm. We had dinner in the restaurant and breakfast, both of which were delicious. The accommodation is situated in a small village location, very quiet but lovely. It was exactly what we wanted. If I have any complaints it was the bedrooms were a little on the cosy side, but adequate enough for the two of us.