Royal Hotel Wyong

The Royal's new extension and refurbishment look good, with lots of seating inside and a new covered outdoor area with a children's playground. The menu has plenty of choices at mostly reasonable prices, an in-house specials board that changes, plus daily set lunch and dinner specials all under $20. There is also a children's menu. Ordering at the counter was quick and simple, without much fuss or small talk, and the food came to the table about five minutes later. The handmade squid was tender and pleasant, decent enough though not the best I've had. The entrees and mains arrived only two minutes apart, even though we'd specifically asked for the entrees first. They were sent back. You shouldn't have to request that mains wait until you've finished the entree. The mixed grill was a good-sized portion with a tasty, smooth-style sausage, crispy steakhouse chips, a slice of crispy bacon, a decent crumbed lamb cutlet, a thin little piece of rump steak, a fried egg, and a small salad with nice house-made honey mustard dressing. I asked for the steak medium, but it came very well done. The béarnaise sauce I chose was excellent. Most meals let you pick mash and vegetables or chips and salad, plus a sauce or gravy. The mash was ordinary, and the vegetables were a little undercooked and dried out. It was a good, though not great, pub meal: quick, easy home-style food at a decent price, with room to improve. Suitable for groups of any size and friendly to budgets and children. I'd return and recommend it.

We brought our 98-year-old mother for her birthday last night. The hotel owner came over, wished her a happy birthday, and gave her a drink. It might seem like a small thing, but it meant a lot to her and everyone at our table. Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge her. She's still talking about it this morning.

The food and kitchen staff were amazing, and on my first visit the friendly service made everything hard to fault. We were so impressed that we came back for lunch a week later. This time, the middle-aged woman behind the bar on the river deck had a miserable, angry expression as she pushed in chairs and moved tables, speaking aggressively. She sprayed disinfectant on tables while people at nearby tables were trying to eat, then noisily shoved chairs around even after they'd already been put where she wanted them. Everyone has a bad day, but seriously, let me know when you're working next and I'll give you a hug. Maybe you'll enjoy work for a change. Apart from that, the food and kitchen staff were amazing!

We stayed three nights in a queen deluxe studio with an extra single bed during the u12 rugby league state tournament last month. It was just right for the three of us, and we weren't fussed about the room size since we only needed a place to stay. We had lunch and dinner downstairs in the bistro, where the food and service were good. Grateful for the stay, thank you 😊