The Royal Oak — Restaurant in Watford

I can’t begin to express the absolutely fantastic time I had at The Royal Oak today! I haven’t been there in many years, many years but I will now be going as often as possible. I was there this afternoon with my friends, their 4 year old son (my godson) and my dog Poppy to celebrate my birthday. We had an outdoor table under the marquee, which was perfect. Our waitress, also called Poppy, could not do enough for us. Her service went WAY above and beyond any I’ve experienced in many years. The food was excellent, especially the desserts! The atmosphere was just great, older people, families, dogs, something for everyone. I was absolutely blown away when Poppy and her manager Tom brought me out a chocolate brownie, ice cream and a candle, with “Happy Birthday” piped in white chocolate on the plate and got everyone singing happy birthday to me! It was a truly special and memorable occasion and I can’t thank them enough. I highly recommend The Royal Oak at every level and thank the team most sincerely for such a...

My husband and I dropped in one Sunday afternoon to try to find a table for lunch. The staff kindly squeezed us in and we were very glad they did! I had a slow roasted pork belly with crackling and all the trimmings. The meat was super tasty and so tender. I loved the crackling and Yorkshire pudding. The greens were tender and the carrots were lovely. I was given extra gravy as well as apple sauce. All were delicious. My husband had a short rib 'burger' which he had expected to be a form of beefburger but what he got was much much nicer. It was a very tender cut of beef in a bun, accompanied by some of the best chips he has ever tasted! The service was impeccable. All the staff were friendly and helpful. I know the pub is in new ownership and I think they will do really well with...

Came for a few drinks and food on a Sunday. 1x large table seemed to mean they couldn’t handle the rest of the service. Waited an hour for a kids meal and 2x starters (one of which didn’t come out at first). When our mains eventually came, the beef on 1 of the roasts was over cooked and the 2 £15 salads should have been double the size. When we spoke to the staff about our experience, all the owner was willing to do was take off the already optional service charge. Such a shame as we’re new to the area and heard good things. The atmosphere, food and drink was nice but don’t think we’ll be returning as it’s not enough to make up for the cost, wait time and bad vibes...