Royal Oak in Waltham Forest

We popped down while we were having a walk for a drink, but it was more of a kind of sitting place. There was too much ice on my cider; unfortunately, I struggled to drink, and the chip portion was tiny, but the staff was friendly and helpful.

Worse Sunday roast ! Ordered a lamb shank had to used a knife to cut it ! meant to come off with your fork ! potatoes were deep fried nearly broke my tooth vegetables were hard didn’t have any seasoning! Told the staff at the end really should have sent back the food but being easter thought what’s the point ! manager reply saying to email him so i emailed him and what a surprise no reply ! He see the pictures and thought what can i say to this customer !

Went here for a buffet following a funeral. Private area allocated away from main bar which was ideal for the occasion Choice of sandwiches, hot food and nibbles accompanied by tea/coffee for those not wanting a drink from the bar.

Good pub.Friendly staff.Very clean

Food is excellent 👍 I've ordered a Vegan Burger, it was delicious. My work colleagues had fish & chips, chicken, Burgers, mixed salad. Everyone was happy, no one had a complaint. It's a pub atmosphere, with outdoor sitting. A beautiful ambient all around. Free parking available.

Excellent service with tasty food. When we said there was a nut allergy, the waiter first checked their list of ingredients before confirming the order was nut free. Nice touch. Very friendly place with very friendly but professional staff. Highly recommended.

Went for Sunday lunch with husband and his mum. Luckily, we booked as it was busy, and they were turning people away. There didn't seem to be as many staff as I'm the past so was expecting a long wait but no, the South African guy ( sprry can't remember his name) at the door took us to our table between phone calls. He then also managed to take orders and bring our drinks over. All this whilst checking in to see if our food was ok. He managed to do this to everyone whilst still greeting people on the door. A great new addition to their staff team.

Came for a few drinks after work. I was served by Sam and Kayleigh. They were very helpful and helped me get a cab home which I appreciated a lot. I wouldnt drink in any other place as there safe place to drink

Had a meal with friends and was greeted by Lauren and I must say was very impressed with her service was greeted with a smile and was very knowledgeable about the menu answered all my questions about the menu and recommended one of the dishes which was lovely thank you Lauren will defo come back again

Please do not listen to these reviews. It’s utter rubbish. All the staff including Chris, Lauren, Mel, Sam etc. are lovely. Very attentive. I’ve drink in this pub for 30+ years and have seen staff come and go. The current staff are so friendly and listen to the customers. Yes when off duty they come and drink with the regulars but that’s their down time we love the fact that they have got to know us. This pub is very busy and there are times that they cannot accommodate a walk-in for food but that’s not that staffs fault. Make sure you book in advance. Food is excellent and the atmosphere in the pub is brilliant. I wouldn’t be drinking in here if it wasn’t a fabulous local. Keep up the good guys.

Always a pleasure to eat and drink a good beer here. Excellent service, good food. Warm and nice environment.

Had lunch here yesterday. Two of us had the 'new on the menu' cod and bacon fishcakes with broccoli, garlic new potatoes and lemon sauce. Delicious! Other friends had fish and chips and rotisserie chicken breast which were also excellent. We all had different desserts afterwards which were lovely. Staff were delightful...helpful, polite and friendly. Well done, Royal Oak. We will definitely be back!

Early evening meal with friends Restaurant was quiet, service attentive. We all enjoyed our meals.

Service was slightly disappointing. Older female manager attitude was not appropriate. Very condescending. Also negatively speaking quietly about other team members. We sat near the front by the where they stood chatting so we could hear it all. Food was good although has been of better quality in the past when Darren was still here, miss his yorkies! It is a cosy pub to visit though for both food and drinks. Just a different atmosphere now that team has changed. Miss the old lot before Christmas. Glad to see Pyper back! My kids love her

I can highly recommend this welcoming pub just try the Sunday lunch. All fresh ingredients and a great plateful. Staff too are efficient and friendly. Nothing to much trouble.

Nice and relaxed vibe, staff were attentive and polite. Outside drinking area is an added bonus. Free parking on site which is a nice bonus.

We’re greeted by the manager Lauren who was extremely rude. Our server piper was fantastic and charming, the lads on the bar were nice. Once Lauren finished and a brunette started working, you could feel the tension ease and they seemed to have fun. The food was decent. The venue was lovely and had a good atmosphere. Will probably be back.

Had a nice meal 😋 yummy in my belly😁

Lovely place to have a drink. Good staff. Speakers need to be checked, music fading in and out was a bit irritating.

Great Christmas lunch. Have been before and they also do great roast dinners

Nice cozy atmosphere, good food and lovely staff. There were 23 of us and virtually everyone ordered something different from the menu, in advance. Lauren was just amazing and helpful at every turn. Couldn’t have done it without her.. She not only coped with cancellations and changes with a smile, but also helped to serve at table. The food was well presented and tasty and we all admired dishes we shall try next time (this is the 5th time all the family have travelled to meet up here for a meal). The large back dining room is great and just the right size for a big party. Thanks so much to Lauren and all the staff for an excellent time. Faultless! Xxx

Sat at the bar with a few of my friends having a few drinks as a catch up after Xmas. Atmosphere is quite uncomfortable, staff seem as though they would rather be else where and we’re spoken to horribly by management. Found it highly amusing watching what was supposed to be the women in charge off of her head and using the bathroom to do so not sure if she had finished her shift or not. Kept me and my girls entertained at the least but obviously not a good look. We had fun never the less

Fantastic pub. The food was exceptional. The change in management is working wonders for the place. Definitely recommend

Had a great time at the Royal Oak, food was excellent as was the service would definitely recommend especially for a Sunday Lunch 👌

Only grip.... Never had jacket pots or coleslaw on two occasions and we only told after we ordered....

Menu is heavily chicken focused and much of it feels very much like oven food. Most of our mains were over cooked, including chips!! All wine glasses were dirty. Glass sauce bottles were filthy with congealed mess at the top.

This is a fantastic friendly and lively pub with the option of either just drinking or using the restaurant. The menu is varied with a good selection of foods to cater for all dietary needs. The bar offers a good selection of drinks. The staff are friendly and welcoming. On the last Friday of the month they have live music or a DJ.

Had a nice meal and was given excellent service by Mel. Recommend the food!

Great place to eat highly recommended

Great pub for a quiet pint or one of their excellent burgers. Definitely worth trying the roast dinners on a Sunday, people come from miles around, best roast in the area definitely. They usually have live music on the last Friday of the month which is great although it gets very busy!

Recently visited here and food was great heard there was a young chef in the kitchen as I asked who plated the dishes so nicely. Although the food was great atmosphere is not so great. Manager looked as though she had been out all night and the staff just do not seem happy at all bless them Had a lovely young girl serve me called Jayda who seemed as though she was doing everything so gold star for her! Maybe a take away from there would be better next time

Excellent. Very well run. Service great. Food great. Well done Manager. Recommended.

Best turkey sandwich I have ever had. Absolutely delicious 😋 staff very friendly and obliging. Will definitely go back

I recently visited here one Sunday evening for a pot of peppermint tea with my partner but I do not believe I will be going back. There was two lovely ladies on shift who had to deal with their manager causing chaos in the bar area. She was very intoxicated and from overheard conversations also getting involved with some dealing… Myself and my partner have never seen anything like it before She then proceeded to drive off in another drunk man’s car as we were ready to pull off in ours it was the most bizarre experience

Lovely service from Sam. He was very attentive, and the food was delicious. I definitely recommend this place.

We always have our company Christmas Dinner here every year and it's always been great 👍🏾

This has to be the worst experience I have ever experienced in a pub. I honestly think they must be trying to put this pub out of business. The food was a joke and we couldn’t even get a pint of beer because for the second week running they had run out. It’s a pub for god sake, how can a pub with hardly any customers run out of beer. Complete joke.

Been here a few times for food. Staff really good and the food was really nice. Plenty of parking around the back. Nice decor inside which makes it warm and cosy.

Great service, good staff, lovely pub and surroundings.

Value for money. Clean good service

Lovely food served by friendly and efficient waitress. Thank you.

I came in here with a friend yesterday evening around 6pm for some food. Log fire was on, Christmas decorations up. Was lovely and cosy. The food was lovely too. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Very friendly place. Plenty of both indoor and outdoor seating. Staff were kind and helpful. Paid lots of attention to the elder in our group. The menu is quite extensive with options for chicken beef fish and veggie option. I recommend the wings I think this place is known for its chicken. When we visited the special was lamb shank with was delicious we also enjoyed the chicken and ham pie. Worth mentioning that they have a good wine selection and a decent cocktail Menu too. Recommended

Came in for drinks with a friend and Lauren the AM and Jayda were amazing. Their product knowledge and customer service skills are second bar none. Will happily revisit!!!

Absolute disgrace of a pub. Early Friday evening and the pub almost had as many staff inside as customers. 5 or 6 members of staff visible and all by the coffee machine talking. One member of staff then serves the queue that is forming and the rest stay talking. It is a pub not a social club. The revenue clearly does not justify the “labour costs”. Utter utter mismanagement from site on staff and area manager. Some great managers in the past like chris, John, Josh. Not surprising 5ish pm on a Friday pay day and there were less than ten customers inside than previous 50+ when it was managed well. What is the point in having a bar where the staff don’t even go and ask customers there orders. I have gone from visiting daily to once or twice a year. Every visit is shocking. The Chingford community deserves better, the pub industry deserves better, the young staff deserve better than to be allowed to think that you go to work and spend most of the time chatting at a coffee machine, mcmullens are letting down the local community, the pub industry and staff who are being taught bad practise rather than trained to work in often their first ever job. Tom McMullen you are letting both your ancestry and Irish heritage down. Shame on you. Shame on you. I went past another Mcmullens site before I worked at chambers last week and outside was a pitiful rag on a flag pole instead of mcmullens flag. p.s. as for complaining about photo it is clearly showing lots of staff standing around but nobodies face is shown. Lots of photographs on reviews with staff members in full view. Do they get responses with “inappropriate” or is it only negative reviews that are attacked rather than focus on just doing a simple job serving guests drinks?Disgrace of a pub with management to match for many years now. Good to see that on busy nights there was not a single member of management on site.

Was asked after 2 hours to move to the bar, no consideration giving about myself being disabled, asked if any other seating available was directed to the bar, very disappointed. To management don’t know name of waitress, said needed table, wasn’t any alternative other than sitting up the bar, which being disabled and on underarm crutches wasn’t an option, so left hope this answers the questions

One of my favourites...nice food,nice atmosphere 👍👍

Lovely pub with friendly staff. Nice food.

Good location, adequate parking, service excellent 👌

But slow, but not a bad wait as it has lovely decor great atmosphere, staff are polite, and food was lovely,

Great place to come for a drink and food very good quality and plenty of it.Big beer garden and friendly atmosphere, usually has a music tribute act end of every month, just need to check for details,fun and relaxing night.

Great place for Sunday lunch or dropping in for a pint and a bite great for couples

Fantastic service and food. the staff are very friendly, it's quite large and has good parking.

I don’t often write bad reviews but in this case it was warranted. My ‘salad’ largely consisted of onions and the added shredded chicken had no seasoning and multiple bones in it which I had to pull out of my mouth whilst eating it. Two out of the three of us really disliked our meal. When we mentioned it to waiter they did say they would give feedback to the cook but there was no apology or offer of discount. We paid the full bill without fuss as we felt it was right to do so. However it felt very steep when we had actively disliked the meal and would have been able to make a better equivalent at home. It is possibly better to stick to drinks here!

I have never actually been inside. I have just eaten outside using the app, which is so easy. The staff are friendly and always acknowledge our dog to ask if he needs water, which I love. The food is fantastic, with no complaints, and I just love the vibe. This is a little gem 😍

Terrible food, really cheap and nasty plus very overpriced!. Nice looking pub but don't bother eating here! Worst pub food I've ever had!

Fantastic well motivated staff,, very friendly, The food is excellent well worth a visit,, suggest you book in advance

Great pub, beers are reasonably priced and so is the food. Menu is huge so loads to choose from!

The service is painfully slow ,we had to ask for every course to be chased up only for it to appear ! Some food was cold but we didn't want to wait again for the food , we did have a table of 6 but would this be considered a big group and affect the service ? Won't use it again.

Staff went out of their way to let us have the function room for a friends 60th Birthday afternoon tea celebration. Which was a special time to spend with friends in a nice atmosphere.

Service was slow and unsure why as not very busy, was a Friday night. Food was nice as always. Waited long time for mains and especially desserts. No follow up drinks order offered at our table (of 5). No bill taken, had to go to the bar. Surprising as usually good and attentive service. Let down as food is decent.

Had better food at McDonald's 🤬🤬

Good old pub, would do with an ev charger

This is a large pub but they have many little nooks with comfy seating and lovely tables. The staff are polite and friendly. The prices are average. I can't comment on the food as we only had drinks

Chanced upon the gastro pub whilst we were looking for somewhere to have lunch. Chilled atmosphere. There rotisserie Chicken Sunday Brunch was really tasty. I have the steak and ale pie which was very good. The minestrone soup was hearty and tasty. All good. Great find!

The food is good if you can get the service, but the service is terrible, I have visited several times and today I walked out after waiting 25 minutes just for my drink, They weren't even busy today

A 60th party, food nice, lovely staff, what more can you ask for. Good location, music, dance floor and parking.

My family of 19 persons ... brothers, sisters, in-laws, nephews, nieces, children ... had an enjoyable meal at The Royal Oak, Chingford, when my sister and her family visited the UK from Florida, USA. We pre-booked our choices from the menu and asked if we could bring a cake to celebrate one of the children's 8th birthday. The manager, Jamie, and his staff really looked after us and nothing was too much trouble! There were two people in our family with mobility issues but this was not a problem, and they were able to negotiate between the dining area and loo very easily. The food was excellent and well presented. Whether you were having a beefburger, salmon, steak or chicken, the quality was excellent! The desserts, such as sundaes or profiteroles, were delicious! Everyone enjoyed the experience! It later became apparent that there was an error with the bill but this was rectified in a timely manner. Jamie and his staff (particularly Molly) are to be congratulated on their excellent service! I would wholeheartedly recommend this McMullens restaurant to any future customers!

Lovely roast dinner. Nice pub and ambience. Friendly staff

Just drove past whilst traveling through with a Friend. Looks lovely from the outside and didn’t disappoint coming in. Very cosy and welcoming and the food was sooo tasty! Met a lovely lady who informed me her son was the chef (Freddy) so big shout...

Excellent pub, great value food, friendly and helpful staff. Excellent dietary choices including good gluten free selection. Easy booking and had a nice table. Toilets were clean. Perfect example of a well run pub. Would highly recommend.

Lovely food, very decent prices, quick service, and staff are lovely and attentive.

Great Sunday roast and friendly staff and good service

One to avoid. Table of two, first plate turned up an hour after ordering with add ons missing. Took around 10 minutes to flag down staff to inform them, they were apologetic and took the plate away. It returned around 10 minutes later. I waited a further 15 minutes before my food turned up which was perhaps overcooking on the grill since the first plate arrived. Asked for ketchup and mayo, received the attached bottle from the kitchen (bare in mind today's date is the 1st of May). Not one to not pay or make a scene but came here on reviews alone which appear to be well off the service and food provided.

Nice pub with good cosy decor and nice pub food

Really enjoyed our meals,the salmon was superb.

Great food and lovely friendly staff

Have been here a few times with my son who is a picky eater to say the least. The staff always listen to my request in terms of preparation for the food and are always happy to help to the point where they know my sons order (which is the exactly the same for every restaurant) and always make sure he is well catered for. Nothing is too much trouble and this is one of the rare establishments where they do not judge or question. Thank you all for your service and patience!

My favourite place for food and drink in Chingford. Friendly staff always make us feel welcome!

The meal was delicious and reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and couteous. The visit was a pleasant experience. Many thanks.

Staff friendly and the food was good

Make the food hotter and bring the sauces with it

We had a very bad experience at The Royal Oak Kings Head Hill. The pub wasn’t busy. The food arrived late and half the meals were served cold and uncooked creating a food poisoning hazard. The staff were not well trained in customer service and were more interested in looking at their phones.

food was nice but they forgot my egg :( was also kinda expensive

This is my favourite pub to have a Sunday roast great menu amazing food but there main asset is their staff always so helpful and pleasant can't recommend enough thanks again for making my sisters 50th special! See you soon :)

There signature chicken is amazing, the staff are all very friendly and helpful

Such a lovely place with a great atmosphere. Delicious Sunday roast, I had the lite roast and was still big.

They had closed the bar for the day to cater for Mothers Day bookings only. That is out of order . I wont be returning

We’ve been going to the Royal Oak for years and love it but went for a meal tonight and the service was awful. We waited ages for everything! We arrived at 7pm and still hadn’t even had dessert order taken at 9.45pm, in the end we gave up and asked for the bill. No one came and asked us if we wanted drinks at all - we had to go to the bar and ask them to come over. Asked us if we wanted to see the desert menu & didn’t bring it for at least 30 minutes. It wasn’t even busy and there were three members staff just stood at the end of the bar just chatting and polishing cutlery. I’m not sure if the pub has had a change of management but it definitely isn’t the service we’re used to. Also tried to order the crackling and was told they only serve it on Sunday even though we’ve had it on a Saturday at least four times before & it is on the normal menu! We also heard another table who were trying to order dessert being told they only had ice cream and no other options. We won’t be rushing back!

It was a very nice pub. Great food. A++

Very kind staff, thank you for your support.

Good food and a super friendly service

Came here after a recommendation from a friend, under new management and I can see the difference! - was only a thursday but nevertheless. EXCELLENT!

Very nice - came here with the girls for a spot of lunch whilst on lunch from work. A prolonged Xmas gathering. - Very nice food.

Lovely local pub for lunch, great service, the staff are always smiling and happy, and a good menue. The toilets are also clean which is a big plus.

Nice setup and really friendly staff. Restaurant was welcoming and food was very nice. Will definitely return.

So yesterday I went to have my Birthday lunch at this place with my son his wife and my 2 Grandsons I must add firstly that I have been here at least 4 -5 times previously on my girls night I found staff amazing girl/lady staff beautiful as well as professional We also had a booking for the next day as I want to do Sunday lunch with my other son his wife and family. However when we entered on Saturday afternoon around 2.30 there was no one at the door we walked in and waited to be seated along came this ugly spirted human came. From the off his attitude was nasty arrogant and unwelcoming I could go on but I will not allow his foolish behaviour to affect me any more he almost ruined my day, so we went to a nice plusher place people like him should not be allowed to work in public places with such a disgusting energy that he brought to me and my family. I hope you read this you know who you are And you should feel extremely ashamed of your actions. I also hope that knowing else will have to deal with someone like you ever a very upset highly respected Lady mother grandmother

Almost 2 hours we waited for food so gave up and left. They did say they'll be a wait but not 2 hours!!

Nice place and the food is good too

Excellent service. Very friendly and professional staff. Food outstanding. Will definitely 💯 go again