Royal Oak Inn in West Devon - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

My second visit within a week for the amazing fish and chips. Went with a friend initially and the food was so good I returned a few days later with my husband. Had the fish and chips both times and they were superb, a huge piece of fresh piping hot fish with none of the pale soggy batter so many places seem to serve. Pub was busy with every body else enjoying their food. I really don’t get the reviews about tasteless food or criticising the strict opening hours. If I worked seven days a week I’d be strict on opening hours too, any anyway their hours are clearly promulgated. Too many people harping on about the previous ownership and making comparisons. He’s gone, move on guys!

My Friend and I visited today 21/8 we are not big eaters but went for small plates. scampi with curry mayo, chicken wings and home cooked chips. The food was good and the staff were lovely, nothing was too much trouble well done!

Really nice place for drinks and food, lovely setting and very historical. My only issue the £3.50 they charge for a pint of Soda and Lime, i'm kind of avoiding places who do this as its not a fair price, apart from that 5 stars.

A lovely pub with good, freshly cooked food. Staff are helpful and friendly with a cheerful can do attitude. Would highly recommend the Oak.

Parish Council owned pub which we’d not been back to since the resignation of the long-standing tenant who ran a first rate village beer and food pub. Now on a mid July Thursday we just wanted a relaxing hour or so for lunch and to rest the dog after exercise. Warm bright day and pub about a third full inside and out. We took a bench table outside. Great setting until view of the green and most of the view blocked by first one and then a second large black Mercedes SUVs. But our the menus were clearly displayed and our orders taken quickly. ‘No tabs if you eat or drink outside’ - not sure if this applies strictly to locals. Very helpful lad tended to us at table. Made sure of fresh water for the dog and reassured us as the waiting time stretched. Maybe we should have chosen differently in the heat. The Moving Mountain veggie burger was dry and uninspiring, the leek etc pie was enticing but the large crescent of mash and the mixed veg weren’t great. The two meals accompanied by a pint and half of a satisfying Tavistock ale was a a total of just under £40. As the vehicles cleared out front we’d have dearly liked to have hung around for an hour or two with a quart or maybe three glasses of the ale but the food ending at 2 and time being called at 2.30 it’s sadly reminiscent of the pub regimes of the 1960s.

Quite disappointed the food was ok. Went a few times last year and the food was amazing. Under new management now. But the new landlady made us feel welcome. So wish her well , I’m sure it will be on the up again

Fantastic Sunday lunch and dessert. Lovely staff & pretty location. Quality food indeed. Will be definately returning :)

Food and service were good. However, you have to order, eat and be out by 2.30. We were told in no uncertain terms that they were closing at 2.30, we could sit outside if we wanted to.

What more could you ask for in a pub. Great atmosphere, super friendly staff, cosy warm and incredible food. Such a shame we live in Hampshire; we would make this our local for sure. Thank you so much. Claire & Pete Dawkins

Lovely pub grub, reasonably priced and excellent service. Beautiful location and on our visit we had the addition of the local Morris dancers. All amazing. Highly recommended for a cosy village night out. Thank you.

My boyfriend, 2 family members and I went to the Royal Oak to have Sunday lunch. The weather was lovely so we wanted to sit outside. My boyfriend uses a wheelchair and needed to sit on a table more accessible for him and one with a wider seat so he could sit on the bench. We went to swap 2 benches (NOT to a new location) in the exact same location, just swapping the type of benches. One young staff member stormed out and said ‘what is going on?’ We explained why we needed to swap the benches and that we would swap them back afterwards. Then an older staff member came out saying ‘Jesus Christ what are you doing?’ We explained again. She tutted and rolled her eyes at us and said ‘these have table numbers you know so it would be nice if you told us’. She then rolled her eyes and said what sounded like ‘f***ing hell’ and slammed the door shut. We agreed yes, perhaps we should have asked first, although the tables were in exactly the same place, but the attitude and approach of the situation was disgusting and clearly they don’t wish to accommodate for everyone and do not support making the pub more accessible. New owners clearly can’t cope with a busy Sunday service! 🤣 if you’re looking for a pub that welcomes accessibility for all this is not the one!

Excellent village pub. Lovely Dartmoor Ale available + other bitters on draft, and cider etc. Great menu of pub favourites and some more exotic specials. I recommend the gammon. Friendly and attentive staff. Atmospheric old English pub in a picture postcard location. Park your classic car outside.

First time going to the Royal Oak since the new owners took over. Food was lovely and the service was fab. The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was that the menu is significantly smaller than it was before and the gorgeous pizzas are no longer on offer. Also - please please please bring back the loaded fries! They were such a treat after a long walk and kept us coming back again and again

Nipped in today.. lovely friendly landlady, nice glass of red in front of a real fire... gorgeous pub and staff. Beautiful traditional English country pub.

Fantastic meal. 3 courses with plenty of drinks and couldn’t fault any of it. Good size portions and top quality. Great atmosphere, Jo and her sister are a delight! Will definitely recommend and will be back

I Have been going to this pub for a number of years and the food has been fantastic, especially for a pub in the middle of Dartmoor. We went there for dinner a few days ago and all our meals (4) were very poor, over cooked, bland and very unappetizing. No fresh salad choices and the jumbo prawns were tiny! The ownership has changed recently so I'm assuming that is the biggest factor. I hope they are open to feedback take this input seriously.

Delicious food. Generous portions. Glad we booked early as they were so very busy (for good reason) . Beautiful lilies in a grand vase. Alas one of us is allergic to the pollen of lilies so we had to leave earlier than we would have liked.

Wanted a proper Sunday roast in a proper pub and so glad we booked The Royal Oak. We had a lovely walk from Burrator reservoir, working up an appetite. The pub looked great and a gorgeous aroma hit us as we entered. A very friendly welcome as we were shown to our table. Good, local Dartmoor ale and Sandford cider. Great starters, leek and potato soup and prawn cocktail then amazing roasts - beef, lamb and two veggie. Beautifully cooked and full of flavour, complimented with good veg and a top cauliflower cheese. Absolutely what we wanted, and more. Great value. We will be back. Thank you

A jewel of a country pub because the staff and service are brilliant and have roots in the area. The beer is very well kept too. The atmosphere has changed so much for the better as the previous owners had over-commercialised it. We found ourselves drawn into conversations across the room. No music, machines just a pub that now seems hardly changed for centuries. If I had foreign visitors, this is the pub to show them what a pub is and should be.

Total loss of atmosphere , been visiting the Royal Oak for years and always attend for meals on special occasions but were very disappointed . Gone is the warmth and country pub atmosphere with sparse surroundings and looked almost as if the place was closing down with almost empty fridge and empty wine rack , no candles on the table apart from a nice rose but would have been better in a vase. Food has always been the highlight and the ambience of the pub . Menu looked very appealing but was totally let down on quality and presentation . Vegetables did not taste roasted , more boiled with little flavour and same vegetables although two different meals , lacked colour and tasted bland . Starter was one scallop ! Most unusual especially for the nine pound price for starter alone and tempura veg was very pale and tasteless what a significant change all round and not for the better. We loved the character which has now gone and atmosphere felt cold. Paid top prices for poor food. This was our favourite piece of heaven and now we will be looking elsewhere. Such a sad turn of affairs and it will take a lot to bring back the atmosphere , character and top notch food which Royal Oak Meavy was renowned for. Won’t be rushing back !

Our Sunday roast ( beef brisket and pork belly) was all beautifully cooked and very tasty.Great to have the Oak back again!

First visit after re-opening. Really enjoyed our lunch and drinks. A great atmosphere and very friendly staff. Will definitely be back soon!

This was our favourite pub on Dartmoor before it changed hands. Had tons of character, great beers and good food. Now it’s been stripped of all character, basic beer selection and is just your average boozer. Such a shame.

Excellent food, excellent drinks, excellent staff, excellent atmosphere, i cant recommended this fabulous country pub high enough, we will be back

Amazing food .. we went as a family of 5.. menu had loads to choose from so we all went different.. and wow.. every meal was above and beyond expectations.. the cow pie was a favorite.. the pub its self was a great friendly atmosphere and staff were on it.. so helpful and great with children..highly recommend 😋

My first visit to my old favourite, The Royal Oak, Meavy, under new management. My impression - early days but excellent. Very much a friendly, can do attitude. A warm welcome, proper scrumpy cider, a (very) warm wood burner and the potential for great things. The new management seem to be getting their feet firmly on the ground after a month of taking over the pub. They genuinely seem to care, to listen and to act, which can only be a good thing. The usual question - would I go back? Absolutely, without a hesitation. Give it a few more weeks of fettling and adjustment and it will be the Royal Oak that we have all visited and loved, I'm sure. The very best best of luck to the new management - just keep the scrumpy on tap to avoid grumpy walkers 😁.

Under new management, so I was keen to try the food. It was busy, staff friendly and professional but still getting up to speed, but no dramas. I ordered specials of Korean style chicken wings, which were moist, tasty and cooked properly, and whole roast plaice with dill butter. This was cooked to perfection, someone in the kitchen knows precisely what they are doing. Makes a very nice change on the moor, I will be back. Good to see some ambition combined with pub staples.

Having eaten here many times previously, we were excited to visit with new management recently having taken over. It’s an isolated pub and in my opinion, the only reason to go would be good food. The menu was limited and unimaginative, nothing really that caught the eye. Staff were on edge and stressed despite it being half full and limited drink choice with the bar fridges nearly empty, not a good sign. Food arrived after 45 minutes and was bland, and tasteless. Lunchtime menu was the same as the evening menu, usual pub fayre of burger, rump steak and gammon. If you’re travelling here specifically for food, give it a swerve. You’ll be disappointed. Would not recommend.

Four of us visited the pub for lunch today to give it a try with the new management. Very busy which we took to be a positive sign. Good service, four great meals and a friendly landlady. I have not been a fan of the pub in the past so was very happy to see the changes. A 👍🏻 from me

A great place for conversation with friendly locals! They'll tell you tall stories of long gone characters. And the beer is good too!

This company is no longer connected to the Royal oak Inn Meavy

Fantastic village atmosphere in an olde worldy pub with roaring fire.

First visit after new management took over, taken a back by loud background music which volume needs turning down. Choice of ale, just jail ale, Tribute and other St Austall beer can't be considered as ale. No decent cider, usual suspects, thatchers pop. Has lost its way and until new tenant finds a way to bring the life back it will struggle. We arrived around 3pm, only customers in were a couple and we then trebled the number. None of us found the drink choices to our liking and left after finishing a pint.

Incredible food all round, perfect pit stop to get your fill.

The pub is closing down this week. Visit whilst you can! Looking forward to meeting the new landlords when they arrive.

Popped in to have lunch after working in the area. Beautiful little pub in a nice village. Could tell it was a "locals" pub but the manager made us feel very at home. Ordered a pizza and a side, and was way too full to...

First visit for a special lunch date. It was very good and we'll be sure to go again.

I’ve eaten at the Royal Oak many times over the past few years and it’s always been our go-to place to come for a good Sunday Roast. But sadly I doubt we’ll be back. We came last week and couldn’t believe the measly portion that was placed in front of us for £18! It looked like they’d ran out of vegetables, I was expecting a side bowl to come out with some more veg in but it never came! Albeit scarce, what was on the plate was presented nicely. The service was so so slow too, we had to ask for the bill 3 times. Really disappointing from the Royal Oak and that’s difficult for me to say, but you can get much better and MUCH MORE from other local pubs in the surrounding area! What you see in the picture there is what you get.

Stopped for a pint on our way around tour de moor good selection of beers

Great food and friendly atmosphere..

Stopped for lunch on a recent holiday and both choose the ploughman’s lunch. Very disappointed with this as it in no way resembled a traditional ploughman’s lunch. It was toasted ciabatta slices with two slithers of cheese and a tiny piece of ham . Tiny...

A friend took us to this lovely place.The choice of food was very good and tasty...

Fabulous pub Friendly staff Excellent food and great range of gf options Pity we live so far,

Very unfriendly. We asked recharging for the electric bike but it wasn’t posiible because it was too expensive. The first place wherry we come where this is not possible.

The food was absolutely delicious, faultless . The pub was very busy, and therefore quite noisy with customers. Unfortunately there was a group who had no concept of personal space, and gathered around our table, quite close to our little ones . They were almost on our table and very loud! This is obviously in no way any fault of the Royal Oak... I just needed to vent.

Spitzen Pub Großartiges Essen Klasse Personal DANKE

Had a super bacon,brie and cranberry sandwich that was served with crisps and was warm with melted brie. The bacon tasted as though it was chargrilled. Absolutely delicious

Lovely village pub on the Moors with great food, atmosphere and service.

Visited this lovely pub last night, enjoyed a really lovely meal for 4 of us. Cooked perfectly, plenty of it, friendly helpful staff, highly recommend

Friendly bar staff, fantastic management, this is going to be the place to be seen.

Fantastic village pub, welcoming and friendly, great food and drinks.

Lovely little village pub. Great selection of food & drink

Lovely little pub, very helpful staff and the food was outstanding!! Will come here again when we visit devon

Great pub good food what’s not to like

Had a lovely meal last night at the royal oak Meavy 😊😊

What a lovely place, great atmosphere and very helpful friendly staff. Food was excellent and reasonably priced. Well worth a visit.

Bar staff were really nice & great place for a pint and dog friendly too! 👍

Fantastic pub and super friendly welcome 😁 as for the food... Amazing thank you! So good we are going back today 😍

Great Pub in a lovely location. Went for dinner as a party of 4, good food, nice pint, and was reasonably priced. We will be back.

Great local country pub, very friendly staff and really good food, dog friendly in the bar area, well worth a visit😀

Lovely pub with good range of food and drink. Pleasantly situated by village green. Only issue, food served didn't match menu description. ie no bacon or peppers.

Lovely location, very pleasant service, generous portions with a surprisingly diverse menu. Plenty of veggie options for my wife, which she was happy about. I had the Chicken Gyros, which was very well flavoured and came with a nice little side salad and chips, and my wife had the Vietnamese meatballs (ve) which she enjoyed but didn't find any of the spicy tomato sauce that was mentioned in the menu (hence 4 stars, not 5). Paid exactly what you would expect from a rural village pub too.

Great full English breakfast and a coffee highly recommended.

It's all a country pub should be Tons of character and a constantly changing selection of cask ciders Bring a tee total driver with you!

Good food, with several vegetarian options.

I have literally never had a tastier and wonderful meal. I was so impressed, highly recommend 👌

excellent food, reasonable prices and fantastic service.

Lovely food - great setting - a touch pricey

Only visited for a drink today but real ales in great condition. Plenty of other choices as well.

A proper old fashioned village pub, in a beautiful location with a good interesting range of proper beer and cider, and a really good food offer. Lovely pub. Service was good but could have done with a little bit of improvement.

Great service, behind the bar and in the restaurant. Food has never been a disappointment. They have bands (good) on Sundays so always check when you book if your looking for a more peaceful afternoon. It's just a wonderful atmosphere - the pub and the surrounding village.

Sunday lunch at short notice, lunch and service was excellent as usual. The Chicken Gyros was gorgeous. The "Oak" never disappoints! Did I mention the Gyros was gorgeous?!? See you soon. PnK

Fast friendly service and good ambience

Enjoyed the food a great atmosphere

A lovely country pub. Nice atmosphere friendly staff. Lots of different ciders and food looks great

Dropped in after a long walk over the moor - was met with great service and fabulous beer. Lovely spot to just sit outside and pass the time.

It's very nice, although I thought it a little expensive for pub grub.

Nice outdoor seating in the sunshine, it was busy that day because of the beautiful weather but the staff were really friendly and as a large group they advised us to order our food in such a way that it all arrived around the same time. Would recommend!

Only there for a quick drink but sun was out , sat out the front, very nice it was.

Wow - it doesn’t get much better than this !!!! The food is amazing, reasonably priced, and good variety for all diets and tastes. This is a proper pub (“a pubby pub as I would say”) and really refreshing as friendly and unpretentious. It has something for everyone, young and old. Always feel welcome and the staff are always nice and helpful. This is what England is all about. A pretty and traditional pub with lots of history, situated in front of the village green, and a very old oak tree outside. Definitely worth a visit and a pilgrimage from wherever you live. Can’t wait to go back.

We went on a sunny Monday bank holiday and it was perfect. It felt like a proper community pub. Everyone was very friendly. We sat at the tables in the front for an amazing fish platter and chips (10/10 recommend) and then sat with a pint on the grass at the front. It was a wonderful way to end our walk around Burrator, we will be back!

Great food in a lovely pub with friendly staff.

Lovely pub great food and beers at reasonable prices. Plenty of food on the plate, my wife struggled to eat all hers! Very friendly helpful service in a great location.

Beautiful hidden gem lovely atmosphere friendly staff and great food

Beautiful country pub. Great range of well kept beers from local breweries 🍻 The Thirsty Blonde from Newton Abbot was excellent 👌Really lovely green outside and a very old oak tree.🌳

Good selection of beers , the food was amazing ( we had the Chicken gyros and the venison burger followed by sticky toffee pudding ) and the staff were friendly . Great place.

My fiance and I went here to celebrate our engagement. Couldn't remember for the life of me how our food tasted because I was (still am) over the moon but it looks great now, doesn't it?

Great food, interesting menu, lovely staff and fantastic welcoming pub. Coffee and cake, afternoon tea, lunches, pizzas, the best ploughman’s all local Ingredients used really imaginatively. Really recommend a visit.

We were taken by friends local to the pub for dinner. The pub is friendly and welcoming There is a good selection of drinks including Devon gins, whiskies and beer The menu is good for a range of preferences and there was a daily special...

Amazing and cosy Country Pub with lovely food and beers. Highly recommended.

Lovely country pub. Good reasonably priced food. Friendly atmosphere. Great walks nearby.

Cracking pub, great Sunday roast! Super atmosphere.

What a lovely pub! Beautiful location, excellent food and kind and helpful staff.

What a lovely pub , great atmosphere and the staff were so helpful and Friendly. The food was absolutely delicious...highly recommend to anyone

Best Lamb roast I've had in ages. Delicious

A wonderful lunch in a wonderful location. Very friendly service, lovely comfortable chairs and the best beef burger I've eaten at a restaurant in years. I recommend a visit for anyone in the area.

Excellent pub. Great food, drinks, service, child and dog friendly (in the bar). Has free wifi and outside seating. We managed to arrive and order food before the kitchen closed at 2pm - so pleased after a big walk! Great menu and cooked fresh. We...

An excellent lunch, very friendly service in a wonderful old pub full of history

Nice old pub . Good food at a good price

Went to royal oak this lunch time with my wife and granddaughter food was amazing aswell as really friendly staff will return