Very poor quality food compared to last time, not helped by a rude and unhelpful waitress. My friend had the panini, the bread was past its best, small amount of chicken which tasted odd and hardly any sweet chilli added...she couldn't even taste it! I opted for a crispy pork belly starter with chips. The tiny square of pork wasn't crispy at all, a floppy, fatty offering which tasted stale. When ordering , I asked if I could have the salad without the apple added but wasn't brought any at all. When I asked the waitress she said ''you didn't want any''I told her I'd asked the first waiter, who took our order, for a salad without apple.She told me it was already mixed in so I said fine I'll just have that then. She proceeded to busy herself at the ordering screen , chatting to the others, and after a few minutes I got up to ask if someone would get the salad for me. The aforementioned waitress went towards the kitchen muttering in annoyance to the two other staff members " She said she didn't want it" I was expecting a little mixed salad as my friend got but instead it was an eggcup with slivers of apple sticking out of it. The young barmaid apologised about the salad and offered to get me a different one but I told her the pork wasn't very nice and I'd just eat the chips.( These were very pale and floppy and not twice cooked imo ) I was also offered a fresh plate. The waiter also apologised and said there would be no charge for the pork starter. No complaints about the very pleasant and smart two staff members who first served us. My complaint lies with the bad attitude of the other waitress, dressed in leggings and a hoody, (not really appropriate in a lovely country pub) and the poor quality of the food.
Edward S
I had read the reviews and noted they were mixed including that staff were alleged to have fallen short. That was not our experience so forget that and don't be swayed by it. We booked last minute for a meal with friends yesterday 29/12 and can only say we went with an open mind and were not disappointed. Great Ayton itself is a pretty Yorkshire village and the pub faces the green so the view is great, with the green framing historic houses surrounding it. So that is worth a visit in its' own right. We had a window table in this cosy welcoming place which was perfect and the parmesan chicken was delicious. A friend had a butternut wellington which was innovative and also well received. Service for both food and drinks was timely and cannot be faulted. Staff were absolutely lovely. We were not rushed in any way. As no one in our party had previously eaten at this place, despite living fairly locally, we all agreed that we would definitely return and could make it a favourite place to eat.
Alex Davies
Came in on a cold November afternoon about 3pm and had a warm welcome, two lovely courses of food and drinks. Would definitely
Sharon Rieder
We had a family birthday celebration, and the staff went out of their way to accommodate us. The food was great and the service awesome. Would highly recommend.
EricaB2094
I can only give one Star as they charged my partner for two extra drinks that none of us had. My partner checked the receipt unfortunately at home and noticed. And none of us had Heineken. There was two added to our bill. Food was good.
David Bain
Went in for dinner. Food and service were both excellent. Lovely atmosphere too. Well done all.
Phil Reviewer
We booked a table for 4 and 3 dogs and they were more than happy to have us.We all had the Sunday roast and it was very nice. Plenty of veggies and extra gravy to share. I upgraded for the large Yorkshire pudding with a roast chicken, and it was very nice and moist. The stuffing was nice as well, but some more would have been good.The staff were very nice and helpful.I would definitely come back again.
Cheryl King
We booked a table for two. The staff are lovely, the food is amazing. We are local so lucky for us, we will definitely be back.We did end up with a few dogs around us , which was lovely. They even have a doggy menu ❤️.Thanks for a great evening ?
bambamt2018
Went here for lunch,we had nice friendly welcome, the food order was taken at the table and we were served quickly. The food was nice, good quality home made food. The pub has three rooms with open fire.
Stephen H
Been before and had a great meal but this was quite poor. Parmesan was very strange - the Royal Oak Parmesan. A very small portion of chips was very small and were like scraps. Salad was paltry and the steak which was good came with half a mushroom. Extremely underwhelming. A night out ruined.
I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all at the Royal Oak for making my Father-in-law's 96th birthday lunch last week such a great day. We needed a quiet corner so he could hear which you prepared, the food was excellent and really tasty, the service from all your staff was friendly, attentive and welcoming. It was truly a very special occasion thanks to all your efforts. Dog friendly too. We will be back!!
Linda
Location is fine unless walking the Cleveland Way. The road down from the trail is quite busy and cars driving SO fast. Get a taxi if possible. Royal Oak staff knew a local guy, who he kindly called to take us back to the trail the next day for 10£. Our room had exhaust fan underneath room so we had to shut windows or smell fish oil all night, but there was a fan for the heatwave.
Simon V
Great Aston is a lovely village. We stayed as part of a walk along the Cleaveland way. The Royal Oak had very good value, clean and functional rooms. Good evening food and a nice atmosphere. Only slight problem with windows open were some quite noisy staff and a delivery at 6am, but overall a really lively stay
Matthew F
Got a pair of 'royal Oak parmos'. Oh my god. Best parmo I've ever had. Tuesday night, buy one get one free parmo... If only we were there later, but it was well worth it. Very nice place, inside and out and the staff were lovely too.
Graham S
Awful meal food was actually burnt and inedible Terrible service especially from what appeared to be the manager who was rude even after agreeing the food was burnt Won’t be returning
Very poor quality food compared to last time, not helped by a rude and unhelpful waitress. My friend had the panini, the bread was past its best, small amount of chicken which tasted odd and hardly any sweet chilli added...she couldn't even taste it! I opted for a crispy pork belly starter with chips. The tiny square of pork wasn't crispy at all, a floppy, fatty offering which tasted stale. When ordering , I asked if I could have the salad without the apple added but wasn't brought any at all. When I asked the waitress she said ''you didn't want any''I told her I'd asked the first waiter, who took our order, for a salad without apple.She told me it was already mixed in so I said fine I'll just have that then. She proceeded to busy herself at the ordering screen , chatting to the others, and after a few minutes I got up to ask if someone would get the salad for me. The aforementioned waitress went towards the kitchen muttering in annoyance to the two other staff members " She said she didn't want it" I was expecting a little mixed salad as my friend got but instead it was an eggcup with slivers of apple sticking out of it. The young barmaid apologised about the salad and offered to get me a different one but I told her the pork wasn't very nice and I'd just eat the chips.( These were very pale and floppy and not twice cooked imo ) I was also offered a fresh plate. The waiter also apologised and said there would be no charge for the pork starter. No complaints about the very pleasant and smart two staff members who first served us. My complaint lies with the bad attitude of the other waitress, dressed in leggings and a hoody, (not really appropriate in a lovely country pub) and the poor quality of the food.
I had read the reviews and noted they were mixed including that staff were alleged to have fallen short. That was not our experience so forget that and don't be swayed by it. We booked last minute for a meal with friends yesterday 29/12 and can only say we went with an open mind and were not disappointed. Great Ayton itself is a pretty Yorkshire village and the pub faces the green so the view is great, with the green framing historic houses surrounding it. So that is worth a visit in its' own right. We had a window table in this cosy welcoming place which was perfect and the parmesan chicken was delicious. A friend had a butternut wellington which was innovative and also well received. Service for both food and drinks was timely and cannot be faulted. Staff were absolutely lovely. We were not rushed in any way. As no one in our party had previously eaten at this place, despite living fairly locally, we all agreed that we would definitely return and could make it a favourite place to eat.
Came in on a cold November afternoon about 3pm and had a warm welcome, two lovely courses of food and drinks. Would definitely
We had a family birthday celebration, and the staff went out of their way to accommodate us. The food was great and the service awesome. Would highly recommend.
I can only give one Star as they charged my partner for two extra drinks that none of us had. My partner checked the receipt unfortunately at home and noticed. And none of us had Heineken. There was two added to our bill. Food was good.
Went in for dinner. Food and service were both excellent. Lovely atmosphere too. Well done all.
We booked a table for 4 and 3 dogs and they were more than happy to have us.We all had the Sunday roast and it was very nice. Plenty of veggies and extra gravy to share. I upgraded for the large Yorkshire pudding with a roast chicken, and it was very nice and moist. The stuffing was nice as well, but some more would have been good.The staff were very nice and helpful.I would definitely come back again.
We booked a table for two. The staff are lovely, the food is amazing. We are local so lucky for us, we will definitely be back.We did end up with a few dogs around us , which was lovely. They even have a doggy menu ❤️.Thanks for a great evening ?
Went here for lunch,we had nice friendly welcome, the food order was taken at the table and we were served quickly. The food was nice, good quality home made food. The pub has three rooms with open fire.
Been before and had a great meal but this was quite poor. Parmesan was very strange - the Royal Oak Parmesan. A very small portion of chips was very small and were like scraps. Salad was paltry and the steak which was good came with half a mushroom. Extremely underwhelming. A night out ruined.
Restaurantji Recommends
I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all at the Royal Oak for making my Father-in-law's 96th birthday lunch last week such a great day. We needed a quiet corner so he could hear which you prepared, the food was excellent and really tasty, the service from all your staff was friendly, attentive and welcoming. It was truly a very special occasion thanks to all your efforts. Dog friendly too. We will be back!!
Location is fine unless walking the Cleveland Way. The road down from the trail is quite busy and cars driving SO fast. Get a taxi if possible. Royal Oak staff knew a local guy, who he kindly called to take us back to the trail the next day for 10£. Our room had exhaust fan underneath room so we had to shut windows or smell fish oil all night, but there was a fan for the heatwave.
Great Aston is a lovely village. We stayed as part of a walk along the Cleaveland way. The Royal Oak had very good value, clean and functional rooms. Good evening food and a nice atmosphere. Only slight problem with windows open were some quite noisy staff and a delivery at 6am, but overall a really lively stay
Got a pair of 'royal Oak parmos'. Oh my god. Best parmo I've ever had. Tuesday night, buy one get one free parmo... If only we were there later, but it was well worth it. Very nice place, inside and out and the staff were lovely too.
Awful meal food was actually burnt and inedible Terrible service especially from what appeared to be the manager who was rude even after agreeing the food was burnt Won’t be returning