Royal Oak Pub filey — Restaurant in England

🍽️ Sunday Carvery Survival Guide

If you’re planning to visit this spot for their Sunday carvery, get there early. We arrived at 12:15 and spent the first 20 minutes just navigating the packed car park and nearby roads trying to snag a space.

🏃‍♂️ Wall-to-Wall Chaos

Stepping inside was like walking into a full-blown food festival—every seat was taken, and tables were crammed with people, many already queuing for food. Luckily, I managed to flag down a young staff member and asked about indoor seating (no way I was sitting outside in the rain).

She suggested we head upstairs to the soft play area, which would cost £3 per child. My two were teenagers—not really soft play material—but with more people piling in, we didn’t want to risk losing any spot. So, up we went and, by some miracle, grabbed one of the last free tables.

😮‍💨 The Wait Begins

With seating secured and the kids well and truly starving, we joined the carvery queue. Pricing? Fair enough. But the actual queue was something else. We stood in a zigzag line for an entire hour, waiting for a single server to dish out food for a room packed with nearly 50 people. No airflow, shoulder-to-shoulder crowding—it felt more like a sauna than a dining area.

🔥 Food Redemption

When we finally reached the counter, I have to admit—the food delivered. Juicy cuts of meat, Yorkshire puddings done right, crispy roasties, and surprisingly good mash (which I usually skip). And the gravy? Absolutely banging. Rich, thick, and packed with flavour.

🎠 Kid-Friendly Bonus

If the weather’s decent, there’s loads for kids to do outside, and the indoor play area adds a nice touch—if you're okay with the extra charge. Just be warned: peak times are no joke, so plan ahead or...

TL;DR - The Royal Oak serves great food, which is amazing value, with lovely staff, and a nice environment.

We were staying at The Bay (and despite the poor reviews) 7 of us tried to go to the John Paul Jones pub on site for a Tuesday night tea. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending how you look at it), we were turned away as the manager informed us they could not serve us food because they were understaffed. They stated that although the kitchen could serve us takeaway, we could not dine in because they didn't have enough staff to clear the table afterwards, utterly bizarre! Bemused and befuddled, we searched for an alternative. Luckily, 3 minutes drive around the corner is the Royal Oak. I called ahead to check we would be able to get in, in contrast to the John Paul, the response was friendly and helpful so we headed over.

We easily found a large table in the extension and got settled in. The drinks were reasonably priced and the food selection on offer was varied. We ordered at the bar and shortly after we were served a delicious array of dishes. The highlights were the homemade chilli con carne and the vegetarian mixed grill. The kids loved their food too. All was hot and tasty.

We ordered desserts too and the portions were massive and flavoursome.

The venue has Sky Sports and some TVs in the main pub were showing the game. Sadly it wasn't on the huge TV where we were sat, so we asked the staff if we could have it on in, and the landlord happily obliged. Amazing service.

All in all, a great experience. I think we dodged a bullet by avoiding the onsite pub at The Bay, if you're staying there, make the right call, and avoid the John Paul like the Plague. The Royal Oak is the...

NOVEMBER 2022 Tried again. It was lovely. The meat was delicious and all of the food was a good temperature. The areas for dogs did not smell doggy and tables were clean. The fire was lit and made for a lovely atmosphere. The staff were friendly. I'm thinking last time we went it was just a bad day. So glad we have tried it again.

APRIL 2022 Went for a Sunday Carvery. Outside appears dirty with mould on nets, went in as it had been recommended. To our relief these nets were not in any part of the pub where the public went or that handled food and drink. The main bar areas are dog friendly and smell very doggy. There is a non dog friendly area where the carvery is served and where we decided to sit. The tables were clean enough. Cutlery needed wiping (obviously washed in rammed dish washer) and you had to get this from a tray before you entered our eating area. The queue for the carvery was massive. The room was very noisy and breezy, someone had windows open and the door kept getting opened (probably not a bad thing with all those people and COVID). The carvery was OK, a bit on the cool side but ediable, like I said to my mum people who we know who have been there have not been poisoned. Overall it wasn't to my preferred standard and I could have cooked better in the caravan but it was cheap and you get Haven discount. We weren't poisoned and we were full but we won't...