Oak at the Saracens Head in Newark and Sherwood

Went for Sunday lunch with family. All the staff were brilliant and the atmosphere was good - nice to have a pianist playing while we ate. However the vegan version of the roast dinner wasn’t great. There was a nut roast listed on the website menu however when we got there it had been replaced by a different option. It was a spiced cauliflower patty which tasted good but didn’t fit on a roast dinner IMO. We were told that the mash wasn’t vegan so we would get extra roast potatoes instead, but we only got three small roasties each and when we queried this, we were told you usually only get two. The greens were inconsistent; I had a pile of kale while my cousin had green beans. The carrots and parsnips were rock hard (and cooked with honey so not truly vegan). The vegan dinner felt a bit measly compared to the others, with very little effort to substitute items or present a filling plate of food worth the price tag.

Disappointed…went for the first time; Friday night and there were only 3 tables who ate ( including us) the waitress was lovely and that’s where it ended. The decor needs a serious facelift. There is old and then just old fashioned! Needs a stylist on board to work with the beauty of the room and lift it… good lighting, beautiful fabrics etc would really make it special. The food was average. Pub food, pub menu that didn’t match the decor. Took ages to bring out. Was ok; nothing that would make me return. Such a shame! This needs to be a fine dining destination restaurant; not a pub feed. Sadly, we won’t return.

Lovely food, great service and a really enjoyable evening. We had drinks at the bar before going through for dinner. The menu choices were good, but the food was even better. Thank you!

What a very special Birthday Treat at Oak at the Saracens Head Southwell today. Coffee, brandy and delicious chocolate torte for elevenses. Tasty meal for lunch. Lovely relaxed atmosphere with excellent staff. Brilliant.

Traditional warm environment. The staff were friendly although service a little slow. I had Grilled Hake as my main course. It was cooked to perfection.

The restaurant was very quiet for a Saturday, although there was a party in another room. The young lady who served us was lovely, had very good people’s skill. She made our first experience very enjoyable. The food was very good, I had the belly pork starter, it was excellent, followed by the Hake with ice cream and sorbet to follow. My husband had the belly pork, lamb cutlets with red cabbage and cheese and biscuits. All plates were clean! He enjoyed it all. If I had any comment to make , I would have liked to see something lemony with fresh fruit on the dessert menu.

Now reopened under Dave Newby and Josh Perry with an absolutely breathtaking menu from Head Chef Simon Thornewill this should be everyone’s favourite go to …… It’s been impressively and cleverly relaunched and deserves its place on the map. I Visit often for quiet suppers and family celebrations and it’s always outstanding! Full of charm, character and a totally inspiring menu I promise you it will not disappoint. The service is effortless and efficient and the vibrant team have it down to a fine art. The food is beyond amazing - the menu changes with the seasons and is perfectly planned and hits all the right notes. With offerings like Smoked Eel with crispy chicken skin, Duck Waldorf, Bouillabaisse, Tandoori Monkfish& Parmesan Black Garlic Risotto you really are in for a taste sensation . Simon’s Fillet Steak is on another level and I choose it every time. The dessert chef has really got it going on with his exciting and daring twists that you just won’t be able to resist. This place really does have something to celebrate and it’s exciting to watch it all happen . The festive menu is soon to be gracing us with its presence and it’s one long celebration of wonder . Well done Guys - you’ve created something very, very special and you’re smashing it out the town !

Our fifth visit to Oak . Delighted to have a fine dining restaurant in Southwell where, so far, we have had some interesting, tasty dishes. Sadly, this time the food was somewhat disappointing. Oily and meagre veloute to start and accompaniments to corn fed chicken main course were uninteresting and really insubstantial. Those of the group who chose fish and chips were much happier both in terms of food quality and portion size. Hope this is just a blip.

It was so nice to finally make it to the Oak as had heard good rumours. We (2 adults, 2 teenagers) booked in for a Friday lunchtime as it was our Wedding Anniversary and we needed a break from all else we were doing. It’s nice to see the restaurant and bar properly open under new management. It is a listed building and they work well with it rather than converting it into something it’s not. Youngest had fish and chips and the rest of us shared tapas. The flavours were lovely and it was all cooked well, I really loved the tapas selection. Wines are sourced from the award winning wine bank and the quality shows. I will go back both with the next generation up and for special meals out with my husband. The Oak is a worthy excellent addition to range of eateries in Southwell.

It is so lovely to have a restaurant with excellent service and excellent food in Southwell. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and we were very impressed with the quiet and attentive service - excellent, you deserve to do well. Thankyou we will be back.

This is the second time we have been to The Oak and the second time we have come away feeling very happy with our decision to eat there. This time we went for Sunday lunch, previously it was for an evening meal, with friends, the menu provided a choice of traditional style Sunday roasts but also offered other options everything that came was lovely. The Oak is located within the Saracens Head hotel in Southwell but is operated and run by a young, friendly and energetic team, not the same people who run the hotel itself. All of the people we dealt with were very friendly and helpful and the kitchen were able to make some minor adjustments to cater for one of us. This is a great addition to dining options in the Southwell area and we will be back.

It is so nice to finally have a decent ‘proper’ restaurant back in Southwell. The menu was interesting and a bit different from the norm, all the food our party had was faultless with the small exception of a couple of bones in a lemon sole starter. The staff are all young, enthusiastic and friendly but could do with a little more training in some areas, for example how to pour wine without dripping it, serving and clearing the table correctly, not reaching over diners, nothing major, and it won’t take much to get the service matching the excellent standard of the food. Our main bugbear - they really really do need to use linen napkins in the evenings, paper serviettes just don’t cut it! This has always been a lovely setting for a restaurant and had sadly been allowed to run down, now it’s been taken over by a team that clearly have the drive and passion it warrants it will hopefully continue to blossom. Already looking forward to our next visit.

We are so,lucky to,have Oak at the Saracens. They have kept the old charm, but slightly tweaked the lighting and decor to brighten the place up. Absolutely top,class,food. Great service. Really good prices. The only improvement would be linen napkins. At last southwell has a place to be proud of.

So. After what seems an age, we have once more started to travel both at home and abroad and will in due course get back to reviewing the places we visit as we have been out of the habit and somewhat forgetful in assisting fellow travellers and diners. But, we have to say that this gem of a find has managed to spark us back into action. This is probably because it is very local to our Home and Office and We have had the very fine experience of dining at this newly revitalised restaurant and Bar venue twice in the recent weeks, on the 20th April and again on the 14th May 2023 for both evening dinner and a lunch on a Sunday. The Restaurant and seating areas around the main dining room is steeped in history and very welcoming. The magic though is both in the refined food that is served and the presentation and service provided by the new team that is now in place here. You will not fail to be impressed by the positive attitude and service that you will experience. This is completely supported by the well thought out menu that caters for all tastes in a refined way with a strong supporting wine list. We will be returning here on a regular basis, not just for our own pleasure, but to entertain friends and business colleagues who have a liking for good food, exceptional service and convivial surroundings.