Ancient Oak in Preston

Friendly pub, food lets it down

Spend a longer session at The Ancient Oak, and a Thursday evening proved excellent. The Food is excellent, and the Beer is very good too though the range is still limited. Highly recommended. Thanx.

Great play area for toddlers with a good choice of activities to stimulate their imagination.

Time for a quick update following a recent visit on a Sunday evening for a drink and a bite to eat. Was a good place to visit, now a great place! 5* all round. Good selection of food on the Sunday menu with plenty of choice. Fast friendly service. Great food and very well cooked. The Lasagne was super tasty and well cooked. The gammon roast dinner was very good, too. Good range of drinks available, limited inside dog friendly area, but that's fine. Very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. A real credit! It can be a bit loud in some areas with the music, but it creates a pleasant atmosphere. I will call here again. EV charging point is available as well, along with ample parking. Covered seating available outside as well. Exiting the car park can be a bit tricky as it is a little narrow. Will be back, that's for sure.

Our go to Pub! Don't expect gourmet but this is excellent value for money, rarely had a bad meal (probably been hundreds of times) but what makes this the only place we go is the staff, they're absolutely brilliant. Big special thanks to Malcolm, Jack, Ciaron and the guy with the white shirt whose name we always forget 😂 for always being so friendly and a good laugh.

Another great night at the oak. Hannah was a great host and poured some very good Guinness

Can't fault The Ancient Oak. We are not regulars but pop in from time to time and have never been disappointed. All the staff are friendly,the pub is clean,drinks are reasonably priced and the food has always been good. Tonight Charlotte looked after us and she was lovely,nothing too much trouble,service with a smile. Definitely will be back.👍👍

Impulsive visit for Sunday dinner. Loved the beef and the cauliflower cheese especially. The staff behind the bar were great... Got me horseradish sauce and a spot of extra gravy. Nice atmosphere and really enjoyed our dinner!

Jack was very friendly and helpful

Brilliant service from Naomi always more than happy to help

Me and my mates come down here relatively often and love the atmosphere. Staff chatty and always a good conversation. People around are lovely aswell.

Great food, top pub and loving staff

Amazing venue with even better staff

I’ve been to some good pubs in my time, but this one is easily in my top 10. Been coming here for years, the staff are great and the beer selection is top notch. Wouldn’t mind Estrella or Kronenbourg going on tap some time though

Great pub, was in today and jack the barman was excellent with service

Perfect staff perfect place for a nice pint best pub in cottam

Pleasant and really nice family atmosphere Took family out 17 all together Nothing to much trouble

Phone went flat as i was about to pay staff very accommodating and created a tab and charged it up,. Didn't have to leave the wife as collateral.

Amazing venue for our training session Cieran and all the staff were fantastic nothing was to much trouble. Perfect venue amazing food and fantastic coffee. Thanks guys we will be back for the next one

Staff are very helpful and very good but the food is AWFUL infact inedible as we left most of it

Poor drinks and poor food. I give it a chance every few months as it's my local but never gets any better.

Some of the staff at the venue we visit are very good but some would benefit from further training. Having booked a table 3 weeks ago to celebrate my birthday we were disappointed to find it had been double booked and we had to wait for one being prepared. We had expected to order from the Xmas menu. No mention had been made previously of the necessity to pre-book. As the menu was not on the table we requested it and were rather grudgingly give 1 to share between 4. A further request produced another one with the comment that some items may not be available when we ordered. As the venue was busy we asked what would not be available so as to avoid delay at the bar. Sadly the Prawn Cocktail, turkey dinner and steak were unavailable. 2of which I would have had for my birthday treat. We did order from this menu but were disappointed further to find the veg of peas topped with a high number of sprouts (strange combination) The man behind the bar when making payment was very kind & helpful. We communicated our disappointment but he didn't comment. It would not necessarily prevent our return but we probably would avoid celebrating a special occasion

Great pub for food, drinks, ambience and staff. Another good meal tonight.

Really friendly staff and delicious food 😋

I went here with my family for my 60th birthday for Sunday lunch we all felt welcomed food lovely well looked after we will be going again...

Manager has been established here for a long while now and it shows. He keeps good real ale and the food is always fine. Never had a bad pint or a bad meal here.

After waiting over an hour for the food, when it arrived 4 out of 8 meals were inedible. We complained about one which in fairness was sorted out after being sent back twice. We didn't want to wait another hour for replacement for all meals

My friends and I had a lovely lunch here, most of us had something different and we all enjoyed it. Pudding was delicious. 5*

Fantastic place. Always a warm welcome.

Really friendly pub with good food. Loses one point as the roast potatoes looked like they’d been cuddled by a penguin / need roasting not gently teasing with heat. Lovely service and nice atmosphere.

nice meal, decent vibes lots of old people. we missed the quiz cos we wanted to go back so earlier quizzes would be appreciated :(

it is is a friendly and comfortable place to eat and drink. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Definitely NOT enough barstaff on x queuing for a while longer than I would liked x

Had an ultimate burger off the new menu and it was an amazing meal after a long day, accompanied with an awesome pint of ghost ship. Would recommend.

Would recommend for food and drink

Absolutely appalling service, nothing has changed in 3 years since I last tried their food. AVOID at all costs! It has got worse not better!!

Great food eaten in the outdoor area

We had a huge wake here, about 150 people the staff were amazing, great service, great food and a good selection of drinks. Excellent

Really enjoyed my experience here. The food was spot on and the service was with a big smile. Niomi served us at the bar and Jeremy brought our food over. From start to finish, lovely service. Would definitely recommend!

Amazing time on Saturday night, big fan of the new menu

Popped in for a quick pint yesterday, was busy outside but was served quickly at the bar.

Busy again for bank holiday weekend, good food on Monday afternoon liking the new menu

I had a sirloin steak and chips.The steak was really chewy and fatty. The reason for the 3 stars is the chips, atmosphere and service. Avoid the medium rare cooked steak.

Come here often with my parents, lovely food and the staff are friendly

Went today with my wife, for a late lunch, ordered drinks,.. returned to order food right away,waited for just over half an hour for it to come,the chicken pie was burned on top,veg stone cold,chips under cooked, gravy Luke warm....it must have been obvious to the lady who served it about the burned pie top,....no one came to see if all was ok,it was inedible..we wont be there again.

Went to the ancient oak this evening and to my surprise they was still serving food around 7:45pm!! I opted for the Sunday roast and it was delicious from the presentation down to the taste and how it was cooked , honestly one of the best roasts I’ve had! Lauren and Alex were very welcoming from the start. Will definitely come again.

We came from Spain to see my 90 year old father. Treated him to a meal tea time. Food was awful. Very dry and over cooked. Mushrooms you could play marbles with, calamares that was something else and chicken you could use as a door wedge. Front of house was very good, friendly and helpful. Very disappointed as we've been before on previous visits having good food

Called today with family for early evening meal. I wanted the chicken pie but not available, I was offered turkey pie ,I thought OK. Son- in- law wanted vegan burger with salad, no salad . I requested a reduced price as all what we wanted was not complete. No was the reply, so we left . I could have got what I wanted at McDonald's,but being with family I tried to please all. I visited last year and was happy. I will not be going back.

Most importantly, for us, it is dog friendly. Obviously a separate area so as not to intrude on other diners. Good menu choice and a fairly relaxed atmosphere. Hubby liked the fact that they had 0.0 Guinness.....a bonus. You've lost a star (sorry) for a bit of a delay in service. However, nothing to complain about when it arrived.....clean plates all round.

Lovely place, nice fire lovely staff and great food

Called in for a coffee and staff very helpful

The food is really not anything to rave about. We had roast dinners on the three course set menu - the roast potatoes were inedible. Look like aunt Bessie’s frozen roast potatoes. We are really not a fussy bunch but we could not eat the food and left still hungry.

Really good service and the food and beer is excellent.

Always a good meal here and if had to mention an area for improvement, it would be that they are a victim of their own success. It's always always very very busy here and we've always had a great meal. Regularly return and happy to recommend this place to others.

Went for the supercar meet, I will have breakfast there next time.

This was Sunday afternoon so not to busy. Only popped in for a quick drink. Found it a little bit expensive compared to where we usually drink but ok. I suppose it's our local only a short walk.

My burger was good quality beef but lacking salad and seemed a bit basic. My wife's avocado on toast seemed short on avocado, and when we asked for a bit more, we were told we would have to pay as they only use half an avocado per serving. Should get bigger avocados then so the toast can be coated properly. Quality seems ok, but lacking the pride from the chef/ cook to get it over the finish line to give a 5 star review.

Walked in, staff were friendly. Took 40+ minutes for our starters to arrive. Before they arrived, a waitress came over and asked what sauce we’d like with the mushrooms as they had run out of the ranch. They didn’t tell us the options and when we asked, they just shrugged their shoulders. The wings were very nice. The mushrooms were nice. Both of these dishes came with no salad or anything so not really worth the price. The soup came, bread covered in soup as it had been spilt everywhere. Soup was salty and had too much pepper. The menu stated ‘butter’ but it was margarine that came which wasn’t nice. Took a further 30+ minutes to come and clear the table. Multiple times staff walked past the table and didn’t clear it. Took for us to get up and ask at the bar how long it would take for our mains for them to come and clear the table. They then did apologise for the wait and said they were plating it up.

Good local pub, not had the food but good beer on draft. Staff friendly enough as well! Only thing that lets this place down is the dog policy. Dogs are allowed outside in the huts but not in the bar area. This is a let down in the winter months also considering Black Bull another local ember inns pub does allow dogs inside and offers treats.

Food was delicious, hot and well cooked. Service was good.

I was served today by such a cheerful young lady, so helpful. Beautiful red hair. Think her name was Lianne

Always a great atmosphere, food lovely. Leanne was awesome and friendly. All the staff were polite and asked if they could help and recommend food. Will be back

Over from Northern Ireland for a wedding. 7 of us went here for a late Sunday lunch. We all enjoyed our food .Good deal on main and dessert. Friendly staff.Hope to come for food again next time we are over. 😊

Absolutely terrible people fighting the service was awful my food had the cooks hair in it and it was cold.

Great food, a wide range of drinks served by friendly staff. Overall a very nice family pub to visit.

All OK nice staff pleasant atmosphere great company

Hannah is great so friendly and accommodating

Great choice of real ales and gins. Good pub grub.

Lovely meal here. Charlotte our waitress was lovely and couldn't do enough for us. Thankyou charlotte

Called in this afternoon, Pub was fairly busy but got serverd pretty fast. Orderd one mixed grill and burger, along with deserts. Food took around 10/15mins to arrive I would say and it was really enjoyable. I loved my mixed grill and the steak was cooked just how I like it, portion size of 8oz was worth it for how much you get. Partner really enjoyed her ultimate burger also which I have to say looked really good. This was topped of with a cracking pint of Guinness also ! The staff where great and helped us settle in with our orders. Thank you !!

great service from hannah , will definitely be back again :)

Lovely evening at the ancient oak, great food and amazing service! Our waitress Hannah was so attentive and polite- would definitely recommend

Hannah has amazing service techniques and has a very joyful personality, 100% will be back

Outstanding pub I’m a regular drinker here at this pub and it is always welcoming and accommodating. The drinks and food are fantastic and a big thankyou to Hannah, Charlotte and Naomi who always have a smile on their faces.

Not been here in years so decided to go for my husband's birthday. It was good, decent size portions and won't break the bank. The staff are all really friendly and helpful. Probably go again.

Lovely meal today,and my gluten free seabass was delicious.

I had a very pleasant time when I last went, I was helped out by a nice young woman called Hannah who had great service and was always happy to help. She provided lots of information, and she brought the meal all together. I have said that we HAVE to visit again, and we will.

Great food and service brought to us by Hannah !!

Had a fab family meal and was served by a lovely young man, James. He was polite, considerate and made our evening more enjoyable. Thank you!

After waiting an hour for a simple breakfast I cannot understand how everything looked burnt and yet was hardly warm.

Great atmosphere good selection of beers. Second visit for partners birthday meal, steak cooked as I asked curry to my partners liking. Good evening had by both of us. Another good evening 20.9, will definitely be back at Christmas if not before. Christmas was great even if a little busy. Staff are very helpful. Visited twice over the Christmas period and enjoyed both times

Visited on Christmas Eve and given how busy it was the service and food was good. Limited vegetarian options.

Our family celebrated Christmas Eve at the Ancient Oak and we could not be happier we did. Atmosphere was buzzing and celebratory, food was delicious and staff were well organised, friendly and attentive. They handled a very busy night with no hiccups. Will definitely book again for next year.

This place could have so much potential because it's nice and has a nice atmosphere but unfortunately the food is poor. This was the second time we've been. The first time the steak was rubber. The second time we booked for a festive dinner and we hardly got any turkey on the plate, the food was tasteless. The children hardly got half a slice of turkey on the plate, also the dessert states chocolate brownie but in fact they serve a brownie sunday which is a different thing. The staff is friendly but the service could be better. Overall it was a disappointing dinner 😔

Just had drinks that evening and joined in the quiz night. Great company and atmosphere

A very poor level of service this lunchtime by unprofessional, clueless and disinterested staff. Their incompetence spoilt what could / should have been an enjoyable experience.

The food was good but the service was very poor and had to wait 40min for dessert to arrive

We had our annual Christmas party for Cadets - The staff were lovely and the food was great. Beautifully presented and tasted great.

Even though it was very busy the staff were brilliant, great service friendly and hard working, everyone enjoyed their meals and drinks and the free heeebi jeebi shot ,

Food wasn't great and took over an hour and a quarter for food to arrive. They did say they were busy when we ordered but still had to chase after the time they gave

Lovely places, great food and staff and very reasonably priced!

I had a great 70th birthday celebration for 22 family members at The Ancient Oak, Cottam. The room was great but needed to be warmer. The staff were pleasant; Naomi very helpful with the Bluetooth connection etc., Jack and Sam (in charge of the evening) were very obliging, organising drinks etc. Kieran, the manager, made us feel welcome. Several times the staff said that they really wanted us to have a good evening. Chris, the head chef and his assistant made a plentiful and tasty buffet and offered to cook us more chips if needed. Maybe less sandwiches but with upgraded fillings would be nice. My family commented on the standard of the buffet and really enjoyed the evening. To make it even better, more communication is needed between different staff members. Thank you to all the staff involved for making us feel so welcome. Best wishes, Pamela Dempsey

Although I don't fault the food it was good, the service was atrocious. The website table service very slow, along with the service to the tables 40 minutes for first course 1hour 10 minutes for 2nd course we gave up waiting for the 3rd course asked for a refund. I iterated after the staff tried to apologise that this was not the first time we left after waiting far too long between courses. They weren't busy we have been in many times for food and there hasn't been a time we felt service to be prompt far too long between courses I don't think we will be going back.

After a poor experience another local pub we we apprehensive BUT staff were super friendly and accommodating, food was lovely and beer delicious! Great atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

Very friendly staff and thanks for Naomi for excellent customer service. The food was really delicious. Highly recommend ❤️ Thank you

the pub is very busy these days. Can order drinks via the app, if ordering at the bar is a wait. Could do with more staff. Food still. It great and presentation is poor. But if your going for drinks it’s fine. They had the fire 🔥 going which made the pub nice and cosy.

A nice place to stop for a bit of food

Long wait for food, we were advised they were struggling with staff sickness, apologetic and friendly staff despite the shortage and added work for those who were working. This pub states it welcomes dogs but this is only outside so be alert to this in cold or wet weather as it definately put a downside to the meal. Outdoor areas could do with a clean, not just the tables but around the edges on the floors and between the wood slats on the tables, made it all seem a bit 'ucky'. Food passable, children ordering cheeseburgers were content. Chips not great, not home cooked, curry tasted like a microwave meal. Not a complete waste of money but I wouldn't put it on my 'must do' list.

A good place to relax and have that smooth lager and goood food. Vibrant place to in with a welcoming presence.

Good food, good drinks. Thanks kieran for the sweet potato fries 😘