The Grill Room at the Royal Castle Hotel in South Hams

We ate here on Sunday and had a lovely Sunday roast. With this in mind, we decided to book to return the following day. When we arrived, we were told the chefs had gone home as it was quiet! Our booking was at 8:45pm-as this was the only time showing as available when booking online. We did receive confirmation of booking and when we arrived at the restaurant for our allocated time, staff acknowledged they could see our booking. If it was quiet and the chefs wanted to go home early then should contact the customer on the contact number (that must be provided at the time of booking) and ask if it is possible to come in earlier. It is poor customer service not to check you have any more bookings before going home for the night. We were not offered to come back another day nor offered perhaps a complimentary drink for the inconvenience-this would have been a kind gesture and much appreciated.

Lovely restaurant, ate here 3 times on our holiday, excellent meal each time, staff are great and friendly as are the local clientele. We will certainly be dining here again when next in Dartmouth.

Really lovely bar, nice food, great & friendly service, very good pint Tribute too. Used this hotel bar all week during our stay in Dartmouth & would highly recommend for just a drink or a meal also

We had dinner here last night and it was awful. We had the soup to start and when the waitress bought it to the table she spilt my partner’s as she put it down on the table and gave him a serviette to clean up the spill. We then had the steak and ale pie with mash and carrots, the pie pastry was rock hard, the mash was hard and the carrots were over roasted. Avoid there are so many more nicer places to eat and drink in Dartmouth.

We all had the roast beef Sunday Lunch. It was gorgeous and really enjoyed the vegetables. They catered amazingly for a Coeliac too, all separate dishes etc. Great quick service also!

Popped in for a late afternoon meal. Good choice of drinks. Great range of food options from pie (lovely) to wraps and sandwiches; crab and southern fried chicken highly recommend. Few non standard pub dishes and specials so worth a look. Great dining area. Speedy service in fact lots of staff on duty, all friendly. Very dog friendly including dog treats and a dog menu.

Delicious local foods in a cozy atmosphere. Starters are single portions, very satisfying. Looking forward to coming back for dinner.

The menu was good and the food was excellent. Would recommend.

My friend and I arrived very late for our stay hoping for a friendly welcome and a drink at the bar. We weren’t disappointed. This might be the friendliest hotel in the south west. Lovely olde worlde Devon atmosphere. Nothing was too much trouble.

Ate here tonight and although the food was lovely we had a really horrible experience and had to leave without eating our pudding or drinking the wine my husband had just paid for. I get that most pubs are now dog friendly but I think it would be helpful to everyone, dog owners and non dog owners if pubs spell out what the ground rules are on this so people can make informed choices. We ate in the bar as that's the only place they had tables. As we were eating our meal a young couple came in with a dog and sat at the next table to us. The tables were very close and the dog kept begging at our table, which we ignored. My husband went to the bar and the woman patted the seat to get the dog to sit on the bench seat next to me. I said to her that i didn't want the dog on the seat next to me and she said. ' This is a dog hotel'. I said it was also a people hotel and I didn't want to share the seat with a dog. The man with her became angry and abusive and kept making comments. Something about it not being 1932 which I wasn't sure whether he was inferring I was a nazi or being rude about my age. He kept making rude comments saying he needed to go somewhere to calm down but not moving, and swearing. He made it do uncomfortable that I went to find my husband and we left despite him just paying for desert and wine. I think the hotel needs to make it clear that being dog friendly doesn't mean that dogs have the complete run of the place at the expense of other guests, or if they do, then make that clear too so we know to avoid it. Just adding the response I received from the company - quite different tone from the one posted by manager. Which they are really committed to I'm not sure. Good afternoon, Thank you for contacting us following your experience at the Royal Castle. I’m Emily, and I’m the Customer Experience Executive, part of the Customer Experience team for St Austell Brewery including our pubs, inns and hotels. Customer experience is our number one priority and we always strive to deliver excellent standards, so we are sorry to hear that some aspects of your experience fell short of expectations on this visit. On receiving your feedback, I have shared this with the management team for the Royal Castle and we would like to apologise that your experience wasn’t a reflection of the standards that the team pride themselves on. After communicating with the general manager, Matthew, I understand that there will be a change to policy when the pub re-opens its doors after the renovation planned at the end of this year. Matthew has explained that although we are dog friendly, there will be a paws to the floor policy in place and all team members will be trained in how to manage this appropriately. I am sorry for any disappointment on your recent visit however, would like to reassure you that your comments have been listened too. Whilst we generally find our guest experience to be outstanding, occasionally feedback such as yours remind us there is room for improvement. I’m sorry for any disappointment your recent visit may have caused. Creating a great customer experience is one of our biggest priorities within our guest journey and ensuring that our guests are welcomed into our venues and leave happy is vital within our training standards. Matthew has asked me to thank you for your feedback as comments such as yours help us ensure we are striving for the best standards for all of our guests. One of the best ways for us to improve is through feedback from our guests which is why your comments have been invaluable. I would like to offer you a £20 gift card for some drinks on us to use once e have re-opened our doors to the Royal Castle next year. To help re-build your faith in us and so we can show you that our teams learn from feedback such as yours. If you would like to receive this, please do reply to this email and I can have this sent over via email for you. We do hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future for a more improved experience. Best wishes, Emil

We wanted to do something special for our 20th wedding anniversary. We caught the steam train from Paignton to Kingswear then ferry to Dartmouth. Had lunch at The Royal Castle. The service was fab from start to finish. The food was really tasty. The owner, we believe, gave us a complimentary drink each. Thank you for making our day a bit more special.

Called in for a drink with friends and ended up staying all evening. Good beer and lovely atmosphere.

Very disappointing food. Like 90s pub grub at 2024 hotel prices. Not good, sadly.

Excellent, imaginative seafood dishes. Great ambience, cheerful, friendly service in lovely Dartmouth.

I recently stayed here on my way to Salcombe. I managed to find some free parking less then 3 minutes walk from the hotel on Victoria Road. I arrived early at the hotel and was greeted by the lovely Jodie who managed to get me into my room slightly early. I enjoyed having a pint in the bar whilst I was waiting. The hotel has some really unusual features and is in a great central location. My room had air con and a jacuzzi bath with I made full use of. The bed was really comfy and the room was quiet which made for a great sleep. Breakfast was excellent with a nice choice of cooked options and a good continental selection. All in all a lovely stay!

Enjoyed a lovely Sunday roast at the Royal Castle. Quaint ol building. Good service and value for money. Would recommend 👌

I enjoyed a nice meal with my friend today. Rebecca was extremely helpful professional and nothing was too much trouble. She was extremely kind and worked above and beyond with such a lovely ,kind and friendly face. So nice to meet you Rebecca and the team.

Friendly staff and good service. Very busy as the regatta week begins.

We dashed into The Royal Castle from a boat on the River at 8.30 hoping to be able to order dinner. No problem! Friendly, helpful staff. Beautiful dinner of Crab salad and fries. Lovely bottle of New Zealand white and we were very happy. Many thanks

We stayed at the hotel for 3 nights. It is in a great location and is an old and characterful building. However we were initially given a room with only an interior facing window which opened on to the main staircase of the hotel. This was not mentioned in the listing or advertising of the hotel. The room was noisy and stifling. Curtains would need to be permanently drawn to give any privacy, and obviously no fresh air or peace. When we arrived this was not mentioned but we were told we had a room ‘with the biggest bed in the hotel’ and ‘a bath’. This suggested there is a known problem with these interior facing rooms and this was preparatory patter, which felt deceitful. We had no other option but to upgrade to a room with a window ( which was lovely but expensive) or to leave. Overall we had a pleasant stay, but the hotel should be clearer in their advertising - to say rooms differ is not sufficient.

Only called in for a drink whilst on a day trip. This was a very old pub, very comfortable, historic. Friendly staff, good choice of drinks.

Great location, amazing staff, worth staying at.

What lovely staff, welcoming and efficient A great Menu to suit all tastes, flavour full Crab dishes Good location with good atmosphere. Jo & James looked after us very well. Thank you

Really quirky hotel Very welcoming and cosy when you first walk into restaurant/ bar area Really nice greeting and shown to a table quickly Orders taken for food and drinks arrived Food was well presented and everything tasted good Husband had the squid and seafood linguine to follow I had bruschetta and a steak to follow Drinks were well priced Friendly service Dog friendly ( we had 2 small dogs ) Really nice evening to be honest Would recommend

Went there for breakfast the other morning and it was spectacular Food cooked to perfection, toast and preserves on hand, croissants to start What more do you need ? How about a view across the Dart. Perfect!! Will go again as we live in Paignton. Oh forgot to mention the lady serving, she was very charming and helpful.

Didn't stay in the hotel but dropped in for food. Lovely hake and chips and superb sea bass with orzo. Spot on.

Came here for a few drinks and a lovely meal! We were not disappointed.. Food is top notch, and the beer isn't too bad, neither 😋

Great pub-like atmosphere, good wine and a lovely roast. Beer is good too.

We dined here on our last night of visiting Dartmouth and was served by Joy. We had a wonderful, flavoursome dinner which was elevated by the attention that Joy showed to our table specifically our children. Dining out with under 5s is not always easy however Joy made us feel at ease and we were able to enjoy an extra glass of wine or two at the end of our meal. Thank you so much to Joy & your team for a wonderful last night. We will be back, thank you so much!

Stayed here a few times and thought it had lost its way on our last visit,but very pleasantly surprised this time.. Lovely old hotel, excellent breakfast,and very good staff..Hope to visit again before the refurbishment in Nov. Nothing too drastic I hope.

Lovely location, staff are helpful , and the hotel is clean with good food. Just parking is an issue, you can have a free place in the park and ride if you're staying for more than two nights. 😉

Absolutely loved this hotel in Dartmouth. Prime location. Fascinating building. Perhaps not the best if you have mobility issues but the staff are so lovely that they do everything they can to assist which I appreciated very much. Just the one night stay for my sister and I but we enjoyed our visit very much. Our room was spotlessly clean. Fabulous bathroom. Lovely house keeping ladies. Both bar areas were friendly and really friendly. The bar/restaurant was full of character and we had the most delicious meal and we were looked after by a very efficient young lady, I think her name was Sarah, she new her restaurant well and was very efficient and polite to all of the guests. I loved it there and wouldn't want to go anywhere else when visiting Dartmouth.

We booked a table for a family lunch, when we arrived the staff were incredibly helpful in helping us move to a different table. We found the menu excellent as our party included a wide range of food preferences. The banana blossom fish and chips were outstanding! Thank you The Castle staff for a very enjoyable lunch and the location is perfect if arriving from the jetty (we came over on the passenger ferry from Kingswear). (our rooms rating is not for the hotel rooms as we did not stay overnight)

Second time staying here. The hotel has real character. Great food. Excellent drink selection. Helpful staff. Will be back.

We only had a pint each and the fat chips. Excellent 👌

It's great, but during the summer the prices increase by around 150% because of the holidaymakers, lovely and historical place but that level of greed isn't nice to see as a local.

Only used the pub/restaurant for lunch. Pub was packed with few empty seats. Reasonable menu with varied choices. Good service, great food. The pasty ploughman's was excellent.

First class service in lovely surroundings, would definitely recommend.

Our second time visiting here for dining and both times the food and service have been amazing . Thankyou and we will be back .

Mac the Fish was brilliant!! Bob and Cosmo from the Cherub suggested we give it a go. So glad we listened......

Scrumptious fish and chips, great service, friendly staff, so good we went back the next day

Very poor food. Soggy lumps of breadcrumbs described as scampi! Bullet hard peas and vaguely warm chips The worst scampi and chips I can ever recall having. Hardly a special birthday treat for my friend

Came here for the music and have had the pleasure of the lovely josie serving me in the harbour bar, lovely music on and great service thank you josie!!

What a beautiful building. Customer service was great, food was tasty and loads of different options, breakfast was a great start to the day with the view. Amazing part of the country. I was only down for 1 night on business but I have found the place I want to retire to.Thank you.

Loved the ambience on Sunday evening, just having a drink. Called back Monday to try breakfast prior to booking an overnight stay. What a shame that half an hour after ordering breakfast it still hadn't arrived...a few minutes later it did 😞 mine was cold and my husband's was overcooked and at best warm. Clearly left forgotten on the side. Nobody asked us how our meal was. Tourist season hasn't started yet, I dread to think how it will be when it does. Needless to say we left without booking to stay, which is regrettable as I always loved this hotel in the past.

Very friendly service, nothing was too much trouble.

I recently had the pleasure of having breakfast at a delightful restaurant, and it was an experience worth sharing. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm smiles and a genuinely welcoming atmosphere. The staff were incredibly friendly and attentive, making sure I felt comfortable and well taken care of throughout my visit. The restaurant itself was impeccably maintained, with a clean and inviting ambiance. The decor was tasteful, creating a cozy environment perfect for starting the day on a positive note. It was evident that great care is taken to ensure the cleanliness and overall upkeep of the place, which I truly appreciated. As for the breakfast, I opted for a traditional English breakfast, and it was absolutely delicious. The platter included perfectly cooked eggs, crispy bacon, juicy sausages, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, and golden toast. Every bite was flavorful and satisfying, setting a high standard for breakfast dining. Additionally, there was a buffet that looked incredible, offering a wide variety of options to suit all tastes. The spread included fresh fruits, pastries, cereals, and a selection of beverages, all beautifully presented and tempting. What really stood out was the efficiency and organization of the staff. Despite the morning rush, they managed to provide prompt service without compromising on quality. Their professionalism and genuine kindness made the experience even more enjoyable. In summary, my breakfast at this restaurant was outstanding. The combination of a delicious traditional English breakfast, an amazing buffet, friendly service, and a well-maintained environment made for a perfect start to the day. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking to enjoy a great breakfast in a welcoming setting.

Great food good beer and very nice staff. Thanks the guises from Somerset

We had a crew meal here after a fantastic sail with Academy Sailing. We were treated to a pleasant and buzzing atmosphere; fine fayre and great service by Joy and the team. Highly recommended for all of the above. (Personal note - Joy, you were a Joy).

Joy She is her name personified. Calm efficient and attentive.

Front of house & particularly Joy, brought Joy to our evening dinner get-together. Attentive service with a twist.

Review changed since last visit .

Really enjoyed it here, came here for Sunday lunch and had the lamb, really nice, the service was really good as well, we got there and was greeted by the woman on reception who gave our dog a freindly greeting and showed us to our table. We didn't have to wait long for our food at all. So I would definitely recommend this place to have your Sunday lunch.

Very enjoyable few days in Dartmouth, room 1 lovely with views over the river. Staff very attentive and professional especially, Ben, Ivan, Harry, and Lina. Thanks for a relaxing few days, we will return.

Outstanding service. Swift and polite and unobtrusive. Definitely worth visiting. Will recommend here Thanks

We spent a fabulous night at the Royal Castle. We had two dogs with us and we and they couldn’t have been made more welcome. The room was large and very comfortable with plenty of room for us all. We ate in the bar. Typical pub food but done well and again the staff were excellent. Breakfast was very good (sausages specially cooked for the dogs too!)and with a lovely view of the river. We will definitely stay again.

A disappointing experience, tired decor, tired staff and disappointing food. It was certainly not a treat, which eating out should be, it was as if we the customers, especially tourists, were an inconvenience to be tolerated. Moreover the whole place needed a re fit, and a blast of energy to bring it back to a vibrant hotel where people would like to eat, hang out and feel welcome

Roast dinner was 5*. Absolutely delicious. Lovely pub, friendly staff and amazing food. What more do you need!!

One of the best if not the best place for Sunday Roast!

Had fish and chips with mushy peas. Locally caught hake. Absolutely delicious would highly recommend if your in Dartmouth

Sister Hotel to the Seven Stars in Totnes and very much of the same vibe. The emphasis is on service and old world charm. The bar was well attended and the service was good. Went for some local gins and the Tarquins dry was excellent as was the blood orange. Served with the correct tonics and in appropriate glasses. A great stop away from the bustle of Dartmouth.

Absolutely amazing here the food was lush, great service and a warm feel!

We have always struggled to find places in Dartmouth that cater for allergies, especially nuts, but the Royal Castle did brilliantly. Other Dartmouth restaurants please take note!!!

Only came in to watch the football and the staff are very friendly. Lovely little pub/restaurant and hotel. The barman gave me a drink on the house as my team was losing😂. Even so very relaxed atmosphere and got chatting to locals . I will definitely come back to experience food and maybe a stay with my partner one weekend.

I absolutely loved my stay at The Royal Castle. Every staff member I saw was nice and polite. My room was charming, quirky, and unique in a good way. I did eat breakfast and Sunday roast at the restaurant. Both were excellent.

We did not eat here, but had drinks at both lunch and evening services. The food, however, looked and smelled splendid and every guest we saw during our visits cleaned their plates. Reasonably priced considering prime harbour location and the service really was very good. Will return to eat soon

Wanted to have a roast dinner with the family at our rented accommodation and they served us up a big amount of food that we were able to take home and eat. Not only was it delicious but they kindly threw in some bottles of beer and Prosecco! Much appreciated!

A very pleasant, atmospheric hotel, centrally located, room 1 has a beautiful view of the attractive harbor. It's just a pity that there are neighbors that you can hear, last night a huge cow or something like that slept in the adjacent room. snoring loudly, abnormal!, poor other half and poor us 😞

Good old hotel/pub in centre if dartmouth

Great atmosphere and good value restaurant for Sunday Lunch

Fabulous night here, the hotel staff really made our anniversary special by placing a lovely card and balloons in our room and upgrading us. Would highly recommend a stay at the hotel, the staff are really lovely and made us so welcome. Looking forward to going again soon

I had booked for the restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. No one came back to me and explained that the restaurant is currently not open at lunchtime so we were rather disappointed to be in the bar area. Food was ok, but obviously not the choices we had been expecting.

Lovely spot in the gorgeous Dartmouth. Great views and good service. The roast beef was very dry but veg ok. Very nice atmosphere.

Had good look around had lunch. Good day out

Amazing place, we booked for my dad's 70th birthday and we all enjoyed it. Food amazing and service was outstanding

A pleasant olde world pub, the log fire was going as well when we popped in for a drink 0% Guiness, Thatchers cider 0% on sale here food looks good but we were not dining.

Visited Dartmouth for 2 days and stayed here for a night. Great location, beautiful setting and the building is amazing with loads of historic character. Was greeted by a very friendly staff member who checked us in and offered to show us to our room but we were happy to find it ourselves. We stayed in room 7 after being kindly upgraded. First impressions were good and the viewing was beautiful. Was very hot in the room and realised the radiator was on full so soon rectified by turning it down and opening the window for a bit. Room is a little tired in places but clean and the setting and location makes up for it and gives value. Tea and coffee facilities were very good. We had dinner out but came back in the evening and had dessert in the bar along with a few drinks. Puds were yum! Was a little disappointed that although being a St Austell brewery hotel they didn’t have much in the choice of beers. I like my beers and always try something new or local when I can. Said all empty apart from tribute which I like but would have been nice to try others as I get that from the supermarket at home. Next morning we were looking forward to the included breakfast. (I like me grub) When we went down to breakfast just past 9 there was one staff member that said grab a table and help ourselves to the buffet/continental breakfast. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to go for, few pastries left, some cereal (no milk) no bread left. Juices that was almost gone, not what I expect of a continental breakfast, just a buffet. Through out our breakfast I did see a few guests approach the buffet seeming just as lost as we were at the lack of food that was there and a few had to ask for things like bread for toast. Sat down to eat our pastries, couldn’t find any tea/coffee so asked the staff, she apologised as was meant ask us if we wanted some. Then took our hot food orders both opting for the full English. Well… the tea was horrible, could drink it. Was like stale when you forget and leave the tea bag in too long. The food arrived in good time and looked good, that’s were it stopped. Quite possibly the worst full English I’ve had. Sausage was dry with tough skin. Fried egg was cooked through. Bacon was so dry and chewy could even cut it with the knife and fork. And the hash brown I could smell wasn’t going to be nice as I picked it up on my fork my girlfriend told me not to, she had already taken a bite. And the smell matched the taste, oil! I get that it’s fried food but this thing was saturated with oil. Mushrooms were good and baked been were standard. In the end we couldn’t finish it. Was not enjoyable at all. Apparently breakfast is made per order, this wasn’t. This tastes like it had been sat there for ages or even reheated. So that was disappointing. We then checked out and set about our morning with our breakfast repeating. On check out we did mention the breakfast and the staff was very apologetic when we mentioned the breakfast. So to summarise Hotel lovely, setting and view amazing, staff friendly. Building beautiful yes no lift and has its creeks but if you like historic buildings (I do) then this bursts history and character. Breakfast - huge let down.

Best roast dinner my husband and myself had eaten in a while. Well presented, and came hot with a good selection of vegetables on the side. The staff member who looked after us Jo was very pleasant, helpful and attentive. The surroundings were beautiful looking out over the river Dart with it's vast array of boats with Kingswear on the other side. We would recommend the restaurant upstairs or the cosy bar area downstairs for a meal or just a drink, coffee and cake. I know there will be a lot more visits from us in the future

We visited the restaurant twice during our week in Dartmouth. Once for an Easter Sunday roast - the meals were delicious and the best roast potatoes I’d eaten in a long while. The desserts were also very good, especially the crumble! The second time was for a family dinner on our last night - again, our meals were excellent, although the child’s burger was a little too chargrilled. Excellent, friendly service both times. Highly recommended, thank you.

Best Sunday Roast we have had. The food was excellent and came hot and beautifully presented with a good choice of vegetables on the side.Our waitresses Jo and Sarah went out of there way to attend to our every need with smiles which made our dining experience even more pleasurable and we would thoroughly recommend a meal in this beautiful hotel either in their restaurant upstairs or in the cosy atmosphere of the pub downstairs

Great service and friendly staff. Had a table for 11 and was a relaxed afternoon. Good range of drinks and plenty to choose from on the menu.

Old very charming pub with rooms. Brewery owned so you would expect the emphasis to be on food and drink. Very popular - definitely book a table before you go!

A great place to eat or just have a coffee

Fantastic meal and great service.

Fab Roast lunch! Really tasty & lots of vegetables. Yorkshire pudding one of the best I’ve ever had too! Great service & friendly staff - highly recommended!

The pub itself is beautiful with lovely decor. The food was ok the burger was dry and tasted a bit frozen chips were cold. I might have just ordered wrong !

Came here on Easter Sunday for dinner, understandably the service was a bit slow, but the food was delicious. Had the bangers and mash and it came with a creamy mash with a whole grain mustard kick, was to die for. Lovely old hotel pub in the main square, beautiful building. One thing Dartmouth needs more of is… PUBS!

Although we booked to dine in the restaurant, we were told they had just changed the online booking and did not have a table for us after all so we were put in the bar. Why not make any changes after hours??? We were very disappointed not to have the atmosphere of the restaurant and were seated facing a large TV screen. The food was fine although they were not able to substitute pineapple for egg with the gammon.

Very expensive for pub especially when the company brews its own beer no wonder people go to wheaterspoons

Lovely meal great atmosphere and our waitress Joy was excellent

The menu is great, the atmosphere lovely and relaxing and we keep coming back. There is a huge amount of choice in Dartmouth and all are excellent but the RCH is one of our favourites. Great staff too 👏

Wonderful food, warm atmosphere and amazing service from our waiter Harry. Thank you!

The best roast I have had in a long time. Great atmosphere and service. Would highly recommend.

Good central place to meet up. A pub and main hotel in very heart of the town centre. Also its old, very old!.0

Fantastic service from Joy and a lovely Sea Bass special menu item for dinner.

My partner and I visited for lunch, the food was absolutely delicious and very filling! everything cooked to perfection, lovely staff we will definitely be back.

We arrived at 7 but didn't give our order until 745 by which time all our choices were sold out. We were not told we had to order at the bar. None of us had what we would have eaten but the food was generally alright. After we were told all our choices were not available we asked for steak and fritz that was on the lunch menu as it was a smaller steak and 2 of us had smaller appetites but were told it wasnt available in the evening (although larger steaks were on the menu). It was another half hour wait after ordering before the food turned up. We told the waiter that we had waited since 7 so he said the manager would do something for us on the bill. There were 4 of us. We got a free ice cream for 1 person taken off the bill.

Beautiful Sunday lunch. Very attentive service. Staff very polite. Will definitely go again and try the rest of the menu

Fantastic meal and great atmosphere again . We even received a complementary drink as a family . Wonderful roast and made a perfect Mothering Sunday. Five Stars to the team .

Nice staff lovely Sunday roast beautiful view upstairs over the harbour