Royal Oak Hotel

After a nice walk up to Roseberry Topping and back, we rewarded ourselves with a giant Yorkshire pudding and a pint of Wainwrights. We parked across the road. Proper, good quality pub food, and the dog got a nice dinner too. Great Sunday lunch!

We felt at home straight away in the cozy interior, with its wooden beams and character. At The Royal Oak in Great Ayton, the atmosphere was lively but relaxed, with locals and visitors mixing easily. Even on a busy visit, the cheerful staff were quick to help and everything ran smoothly. The sticky toffee pudding was a lovely finish. We also had fresh, golden fish & chips, and a generous Sunday roast with tender meat, crisp roast potatoes and rich gravy. The menu has both pub classics and more refined dishes. It’s a traditional pub that works for a pint, a family meal or a cozy evening out. The food and warm service made our visit really enjoyable.

The decor is charming, the atmosphere pleasant, and the staff were all friendly. They removed the stroganoff from the final bill, but I still won’t be going back. Parking was a nightmare, and our dinner for six was disappointing. The 10oz steak had meat that wasn’t all edible. The Beef Stroganoff from the specials had very little beef, and what there was felt like leather and couldn’t be eaten. The cod n chips was more like a large block of reconstituted fish, like a big fish finger, in batter. My 1/2 hot shot parmo wasn’t hot or spicy, and the pepperoni was burnt. After seeing the website, I expected better. The food was overpriced for what they serve.

We’ve had many good meals at the Oak and live nearby, so I hope they can get back to that standard. Tonight’s takeaway fish and chips for two, though, was completely inedible. The fish didn’t seem to be cod, the batter was thick, stodgy and tasteless, and I found four bones, which has never happened to me before. The chips used to be lovely, but this time nearly all were scrappy and poor quality, and inedible too.