The Cross Oak — Restaurant in Wales

A pleasant, rustic style pub/restaurant with a decent menu and friendly staff. The decor is mostly that of a rustic, country style pub. However, the conservatory seems a bit sparse and looks like it hasn't been decorated in about 30 years, which is made even more obvious by the harsh contrast of a modern fireplace. The beer garden is quite nice with a variety of garden furniture but the overall look is ruined by a roadworks barrier in the corner, presumably to prevent people from stumbling over the pile of branches behind it. The food here is okay but not outstanding. The starters were nice and were well presented on plain white crockery with a side salad garnish. While everyone in the group I was with found the different cuts of meat on the mains to be well cooked, most found the veg to be a bit overcooked and lacking flavour. It could've done with less time on the boil if I'm honest. A bit of seasoning may have also helped. We opted for various desserts, all of which were quite nice if somewhat standard. The worst but by no means inedible was the creme brulee which tasted quite similar to chocolate Angel Delight. All the other desserts were polished off and went down well with the group. The atmosphere here is nice and relaxed and it is clearly family friendly with most tables appearing to have a child or two during my visit. The staff are pleasant and make plenty of effort to accommodate their guests, doing their best to meet each individual's requirements, although the service is a little slow. That said, they do maintain a friendly demeanor which made it a pleasure to interact with them for the time I was there. This was a relatively pleasant visit overall if maybe a bit underwhelming. I would not discount another visit to this establishment in future but I wouldn't rush...

Update 29/05/21: This is the first place I've been too since the lockdown restrictions have eased. I was very pleased with our visit! Thankfully I managed to get a booking for four of us at short notice. COVID restrictions are still being adhered to which is great to see and we all had to sign in, I'm guessing this was just in case they needed to contact us if someone there had displayed symptoms. The lady who looked after us was 'Helen' and she was excellent. She was very helpful with our orders, polite and very nice to our little one. The food was also excellent. When I left the last review we were a little disappointed but this time I have to say we didn't have any problems. Would be happy to go there again soon. Well done 'Helen' and well done Cross Oak staff!! P.S those 'dipster chips' are amazing. Don't know how you do them but their lush! A+

Update 12/01/19: I'm not sure if this has been taken over but I was a little disappointed with our meal here. We booked a table for 14 people or more and there were a few issues with the meals. Lots of us commented and questioned possible new ownership as portion sizes had decreased. A "whale of fish" was more like a "whale of goldfish" compared to previous visits in 2017/2018. We were in the back room and the carpet was very aged and dirty. Our little one run around for 10-15 mins and her feet were black with dirt. Sad, as we used to enjoy going here... C-

Visited here for a birthday meal! Haven't been here in a while but its local and staff are always friendly and welcoming. Food was very nice, wasnt too expensive. The 'Oak Burger' was monstrous... couldnt finish it after having a starter. All in all, great place to visit for a meal out with family,...

It was easy to find, with good on street parking. The staff were excellent from the moment we arrived and showed us the room immediately, there was no hanging about at all. The room was well equipped and comfortable, quite large with a very nice en suite. The bar area was large with lots of seating, the leather sofas near the fire are really special, and the beer was excellent too. Friends took us out for a meal during the evening and the bar was pretty busy when we got back, always the sign of a well run local bar / hotel. Breakfast was a proper Welsh one (the best) and served by the friendly landlady herself. Check out was easy, with offers of help from both her and her husband. Our friends live nearby and we have made a pact to meet there every February 11th but hopefully we'll be able to return well...