The Old Royal Oak in Rugby - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We all had the Carvery and we all enjoyed our meals. Served by JJ who was very helpful. Will return again soon. I had heard whispers that the standard had dropped but we found that not to be the case.

Pub was very nice and clean. It was a great atmosphere staff were lovely. My hunters chicken was delicious. Was given a card by Kez she was great

Such a nice place to visit. We travelled 43 miles to have the sunday lunch carvery as its about half way between us and our friends in towcester. The carvery is very nice great choice of meats and loads of veg to choose from. Very very hot and very tasty. We were served by a lovely waitress by the name of chloe. Shes a credit to your establishment. We will return on our next southern visit.

Excellent food lovely staff. Even accepted my support dog to go in. Treated us brilliantly food was excellent . Even gave me a cake

Lovely experience at this pub, great food and staff. Was served and seated by Kez who was extremely attentive and friendly. Will definitely be returning

Maybe things had gone wrong today, Sunday 3rd, but they weren’t doing the carvery, which was what all four of us wanted, which we didn’t know until arrival. So we ordered our food, and waited. About 45-50 minutes later, having heard other diners being told that different things weren’t available, we were also told that there was no gammon for the mixed grill - surely they knew before that? This was after asking for halloumi, but there wasn’t any of that either. The app wasn’t very clear that two drinks would cost £6, but one was £5. It also didn’t state, and I didn’t ask, (my mistake!), that the £5 charge wasn’t for a pint, but a 330mil bottle! Overall, disappointed, although the food was very nice, and the waitresses were apologetic. But we won’t be back any time soon.

Authentic pub experience, generous portions, caters for vegetariams, good home cooked food, friendly staff, would recommend

Very friendly staff, helpful and polite. Always make you feel welcome, the carvery is fantastic value for money. It's a shame the too good to go bags stopped as they were brilliant and saved a lot of food waste. Brilliant place to come evening just for a drink.

My daughter and I went specifically for the Carvery as she loves a roast dinner and having been here myself on many occasions with my wife knew she'd love it and I was right, she did. They serve good portions of meat as a "Carvery" should unlike other Carvery restaurants where you can virtually see through the meat it's cut so thin. Really thick slices of perfectly roasted joints, delicious. A great selection of hot well cooked vegetables topped with a choice of normal or onion gravy...jeez I'm getting hungry. Nice pub, nice setting, friendly staff and good beer. Definitely the best Carvery in Rugby, oh and the Steaks are damn good too. My daughter has already asked when we're going again

Loved my visit once again, I have been here a few times now and every time the service is lovely. Very friendly pub and the food is well worth trying. Set alongside a canal so lovely when the sun is shining. Would highly recommend a visit here. They cannot do enough to make you feel welcome.

Had a great carvery with the family, service was fantastic. Lovely atmosphere, busy but not too loud, will definitely go back.

Can’t complain about the staff, Alex, Megan, Aaron, Katie, JJ etc all friendly and helpful. Beer can be a bit flat on occasions however it’s soon replaced. Have eaten at this pub fairly often and other than the wait for carvery (depending on time of day, especially a Sunday) the food has been really good. So choose time of day as it’s really busy Sunday lunch time. Not keen on children up at the bar though and perhaps a dedicated adult only area would be beneficial? Please don’t forget that some adults come in for a beer and a chat and not food. Overall, staff are great. Food is good.

Waited 25mins for drinks after ordering on app. Went to get carvery to queue again due to very little choice of veg out on selection. Staff still serving meat onto plates and then being left to wait longer for veg. Very little choice of meat and was offered a plate with Yorkshire pudding only as dont eat beef or gammon. Decided to get a refund and was asked for card that meal was paid for with but as paid on app straight from bank account. Simple solution, don't sell carvery if not all items available, would save very unhappy customers.

Went today with 5 friends. I have been there several times. At least once a month But this was the worst. Absolutely freezing. Cold radiators. Several people eating lunch with their coats on. I told 3 members of staff how cold it was. They all said we will the manager. Nothing happened. I will not be going there again. Very disappointed as I recommended the waterside for a meet up.

Arrived at 11.45am. Carvery was already set up. However, the food was cold, which begs the question when exactly was the food cooked and how long had it been standing. Not only was it cold but the vegetables weren't cooked, the parsnips were burnt and the gravy was thin. This place is very hit and miss when it comes to the quality of the carvery, but this was awful. Its the last time we will be visiting

Great service, friendly bar staff and all round a great evening well spent. Food was a 10/10. Definitely recommend a visit

Great food, friendly service & lovely atmosphere. First time visiting we will definitely be returning in the future 👍🏻

i went on friday for a meal and the waitress that served me was so polite and kind and helped me with everything i needed. her name was maddie and she couldn’t of done a better job i was really happy with the service provided....

Pre booked meal on Boxing Day. Sat at table for over twenty minutes without been approached by a member of staff. Asked for our starters. Then overheard the table next to us being told that they'd run out of their starters and sweets. Queried where...

Worst Christmas dinner ever. chewy prawns In prawn coctail Turkey was dry , sprouts were hard, Yorkshire pudding was soft and mushy. had to spread butter on my crackers with a spoon handle with my very disappointing cheese board ,which came with a selection of...

Wonderful reception from the hostess, seated promptly and had a luffly meal all staff were very attentive especially a lady called Katrina I think her name was, I'm not too good with a Brummy accent. Definitely coming back.

I only dropped in for a quick drink at lunch time but it was long enough to decide that I want to come again. This is a lovely old building right on the canal with narrow boats moored nearby. Nice pleasant staff too. The coffee...

We booked our Christmas get together here and although I had some problems with the website booking form the staff were happy to sort it out. The actual night was brilliant, the staff helpful and food excellent. A lovely night out! Thank you very much!

My partner and myself frequented the pub for a meal regularly. Please note the word frequented not frequent . The meal today was the worst we have ever had, the cauliflower was not cooked it was hard as were the sprouts. This was not the...

We frequent The Waterside on a regular basis, & are never disappointed. Great service as always. we booked a festive meal for 9 on 10th December 2023. Their welcoming, care and kindness shown was fabulous. On arrival, our waitress was fabulous. Nothing too much trouble....

Highly recommend this place. Great food at very reasonable price. Served by Alex at the bar who was very lovely and helpful. Had the carvery and was served by Aaron who was also really friendly and attentive.

great service from megan and becca - ensured we were happy with our orders and comfortable at our table for our celebration of my mums 50th birthday. Will be coming again ! 🩷

Overall the food at this pub is good. The only criticism I have is that the popadoms seemed to be slightly soggy which was rather a disappointment. They lacked the crispness that I usually associate with popadoms. The pub itself is warm and inviting with...

Great carvery, the queue was huge though which spilt the ecperience. Megan behind the bar was brilliant!

I came in for dinner with my brother. We both ordered a large carvery with pigs in blankets and two large cokes. Our cokes were in small glasses and the syrup had clearly ran out. The food, especially the meat was extremely dry. The veg...

i never have anything bad to say about the waterside but today the food was awful and so was service. the meat was cut so poorly in big chunks and so much fat on it and i felt as if there was parts that were raw. servers walked round asked the tables around us how our food was but not us and didnt come collect our plates once we were finished after a server walked round checking peoples tables. for dessert i ordered the apple pie which came with non vegan custard covering it when i had ordered it with ice-cream. this was a terrible meal and the worst experience ive ever had here!

Only called in for a quick pint, but the carvery looked great so I indulged and it was just perfect 🤩 Great service, great food and a great pint 🍻

Top class service for John and Katie! Carvery was stupendous & the San Miguel was to die for! Would recommend!

Absolutely dump used to be a lovely place but has drastically gone down hill the carvery is awfull meet not cooked roaster rock solid raw pigs in blankets under cooked yorkies parsnips and Turkey it’s not rocket science to cook a carvery used to be lovely pub but since the old manger has left it’s terrible play park is dangerous tiles falling off the roof fences fell down looks extremely run down

Went in with a few mates as I was in the area. Had a few beers and the service was fantastic. Great selection of drinks to choose from and the staff were so friendly. Knowing it’s there now I’ll definitely be back soon. Thank you to all of the staff for a good evening

The service was absolutely excellent we was mainly looked after by Chloe but as for the food we had the carvery which I was not impressed with a very salty cool not hot and potatoes were a bit on the hard side the Yorkshire pudding very rubbery

Came for a family outing, got told there was no table available inside so we sat outside which we was happy about, we then asked if there was seats inside as outside was covered in flys, to which we was told still no availability, however in the under no under 18s but there was seats. Ordering food we then asked if we could sit in there as we had two baby’s and wasn’t sure if they would be aloud in, was told by the member of staff behind the bar that it was fine. At this point we had orderd food to our table. The host clair then comes over raised voice saying we couldn’t sit inside and that we needed to move out as people would be sat there, being very rude about the whole situation. She then said I can try and find you a table, however due to the rudeness we took ourselves back outside with food. She could have just came over and asked us to move as people were due to me sat there. And to be looked at like we were making it all up is quite embarrassing.

After reading so many negative reviews I was somewhat concerned about celebrating my two sons birthdays the younger 40 and the older 50 at the Waterside. Having been before a number of times over the years I was surprised at the number of unenthusiastic reviews. To be fair if I’ve had a bad experience there is nothing better I enjoy more than assisting a company improve their service than a really reprehensible review but in this case I am disappointed in that quest. The carvery was as good as many others we’ve sampled, some of my party had other items on the menu, the service was friendly and given the popularity of the venue waiting time quite acceptable. The bar staff were also friendly and happy to get involved in a bit of banter. All in all a pleasant meal in pleasant surroundings to celebrate my lads birthdays. I look forward to some future date to give a really stinking review but not on this occasion so well done Waterside and crew.

I usually only write reviews for hotels, but feel that I urgently need to write a review for this pub. I had the carvery. It was AWFUL. Truly, truly AWFUL. It was - apart from the meat - just a load of mush. The vegetables were overcooked - to a pulp. The gravy was synthetic. The stuffing was burnt. Most of the vegetables were out of a tin - square carrot/turnip bits being a classic example. I complained to the duty manager and, in fairness, she offered me an alternative dinner or a free drink but that wasn't my point in complaining. I didn't want a free anything, just a decent meal. I cannot sufficiently explain to you how AWFUL this carvery is. Don't go and don't waste your money on a dreadful experience.

Lovely pub and nice surroundings by the canal, been lots of times and its been nice, however today, it was very disappointing! The staff were very unorganised we were stood waiting in the middle of the pub for 10 minutes after being shown to a table, that was already occupied, after sitting down we went to the bar and i nearly fell on the floor, all the way through the pub (apart from by the carvery) was extremely slippy, waited a loooong time at the bar, and staff seemed unsure of what they were doing. When we got our food, the cauliflower was solid i couldn't get a knife through it, the meat was also really tough even my dog couldnt chew it. The burger didnt look like it was cooked, a very disappointing day!

Good we had last night was probably the best I’ve ever had there, carvery was insane an I want to eat it again , all food came out together an staff were very attentive, will definitely be back

As we walked in it was packed. A good sign I thought. However when I saw the “roasts” I decided I was not going to have one. I can’t explain but they looked wrong. The other four of my family did have the roasts. They were universally bad. The waitress kindly brought us a steak knife for one of our group as the beef was so tough. My son bit into the broccoli and a squirt of water came out. Thankfully my burger was ok. I couldn’t recommend based on this experience.

Elendig servise, rotete og skittent. Glemmer hva som er bestilt og løper rundt i hele uteområdet med maten før de finner rette gjest

Mistakes were made, but the friendly staff were incredibly apologetic and worked to get it all fixed. Mistakes can happen anywhere, the only thing that matters is the response, thank you.

Food took an hour and a half to come out and it was an awful standard. Chips were cold om the plates, no steak knife with a steak meal! Ordered desserts and took ages and then staff came out and asked if we were ready...

Poor stock of drink, poor staff. Ordered food and drink on app. Waited 30 mins for drinks to be told one of the drinks was not in stock. Asked for different drink to be told that was also out of stock, ended up with a...

First class establishment with very nice and polite staff. We had a mixture of main menu meals and carvery and all was perfect in excellent turnaround time. We had one slight issue with wrong drink on the app but management sorted it in timely manor...

One of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. Served the wrong drinks. Meals were not as described , lacking toppings and dressings. Used the app to order a drink and had to go to the bar after half an hour as the drink wasn’t...

When I said late night food... 6.30ish.They were closing early for refit but the lady said they will carry taking orders til 7.30...7 of us booked in.. the burgers were dry and over cooked... Just rubbish.. Mac n Cheese was awful, carvery were OK.. The...

No beef, no horse radish, roast potatoes seem like packet ones. Drum and base blaring out of the kitchen and hardly any desserts. Disappointed.

Had an amazing carvery ,excellent friendly staff good ales fast service, definitely return, plenty of seating space and in this hot weather was nice n cool ,

Had a choice of plate size for the carvery, we chose small which was fine. The amount of meat given was quite small on our and peoples plates but plenty of vegetables available. Yorkshire puds and pigs in blankets extra. Staff cheerful but as it...

The views from the cafe are stunning, it wasn’t overly warm weather when we attended but we still enjoyed sitting outside with views overlooking the lake. The lunch however was a massive let down especially when my partner and I were hungry after a long...

Carvery meal for two today, first class service again. Greeted by friendly staff and the lady serving the carvery was lovely. Food again was piping hot, fresh, tasty and plentiful... Definitely a 5 Star ***** from us and needless to say we will be returning...

Well what can I say..me and my friends.... had rump and sirloin steak..quite chewy... Meal didn't look very appealing...my other friend had carvery. roast potatoes..very dry..and unappealing.....couldn't fault staff..a young fellow with a young alsatian.. dog was running around loose..all though staff asked him to...

Visited recently when stopping over on our narrowboat. This pub literally has everything for everyone! Dog, child and adult friendly. Food was generous, delicious and great value for money. Small park and lovely garden overlooking the canal. Pool table, tv’s, extra bits for your pooch...

We are taking part in the Rugby bike festival and can't express how organised and welcoming the staff were today. We had a cracking breakfast and a decent coffee for a reasonable price. There's a great atmosphere and charity stalls raising money for Macmillan and...

Sunday lunch, very disappointing, no yorkshires on the carvery, told to wait 10 minutes for them, when they arrived so small just one bite. What has happened to the lovely big yorkshires? Had to wait for mashed potatoes small portion of meat and finally even...

We visited for the carvery. Firstly I would like to say staff were lovely, especially the lads behind the hot counter. Very friendly and considerate. The staff on the floor seemed a little overwhelmed and we had to sort out our own cutlery and bits...

Carvery. Poor show on the carvery, they actually weigh the very thin slices of meat, you do not get a lot. Beef was tough and of poor quality, tiny tiny Yorkshire puddings, chewy and not worth having. Staff. Rude, abrupt and not helpful. Surroundings. Why...

Really disappointed with the food. The Yorkshires are tiny now and the ones we had burnt the food wasn't very hot either and the potatoes used to be proper roast potatoes not fake bakes. This used to be our favourite place but not anymore. There...

Very disappointing as portion sizes have been reduced especially the yorkshires they are so tiny . The roast potatoes are hard on the outside and nothing on the inside

Tables were not cleaned and the beer was not cold. Lovely pub otherwise. Seemed like they needed more stuff for the holiday weekend but the beer temperature was very disappointing

Lovely food, really enjoyed the carvery, really good value for money had a lovely evening with friends

the best carvery in rugby, we are always made to feel welcome the staff are so lovely. Our dog loves going also forever treats 😀

Had a lovely carvery. The turkey was perfect. Good choice on the menu and had a lovely pudding too :)

My parents brought me here for my 21st birthday and it is such a lovely carvery and pub. The food was fresh, hot and delicious and the staff were very kind and hospitable. Would definitely recommend for a carvery and drinks. The food from their...

Been again recently and food was faultless, staff were friendly and couldn't do enough to help. Miscommunication when ordering ice creams and staff quickly rectified the situation

This pub/carvery is absolutely first class. The food is excellent and the staff are really helpful and attentive. We are regular customers and can’t recommend it enough.

First time having the carvery at this pub, was not disappointed. All beautifully cooked, really tasty. Friendly service. Will be back! :)

Wow ! amazing ! Best value and best cooked carvery in Rugby - delicious 😋 the meat is slow cooked and amazing range of vegetables and the roasties are as good as mine ! Been twice in a week it’s that good .. warm welcome...

I love this place, the food has been really good every time I’ve eaten here. I’m really into roast dinners and I think this is one of the best in rugby. And at such a bargain price too. Our visit today (feb16 lunchtime) the staff...

Visited for Lunch today. Food was really good and hot. Lots of choice. Service was quick. Restaurant nice and clean with friendly staff.

Had a lovely Sunday lunch on the 5th feb. Carvery was so good couldn’t complain about anything. Staff were more than friendly thought I would give it another go as previous occasions I have been there the food was awful so giving you a massive...

Have been many times and have never been disappointed . This is the best value carvery by far. families with children could be better catered for.

I visited last night for a meal out and drinks with friends 3 of us had ultimate mixed grill I had the steak & chicken fondue and another had crispy chicken. All meals were absolutely amazing we all commented on how the steaks we’re cooking...

We booked the supper with Santa for our son and it was brilliant. We were warmly greeted by a whole team of Santa's elves. Our son was given a lovely Christmassy juice jar with a santa straw. They told us we could refill the juice...

We went on New Years Eve - it wasn't too busy at all when we went so missed the rush. Booking a table was easy and were shown to a big table on arrival. Ordering food at the bar was straight forward and the bar...

The staff were lovely and Friendly and there was a lovely atmosphere within the pub...food arrived very quickly and was hot and the medium carvery was huge!! Our dog was sooo happy because she was given a bag of meat bits. Will definitely be going...

Fabulous dinner last night, carvery was fab, service was great, staff and management were fantastic highly recommend steak was amazing

We visited last night for a Christmas get together with friends and had a fantastic time! Food was amazing! I had the christmas burger- perfect, there is no better word for it! Staff were so friendly and attentive, making sure we were enjoying the food...

My family visited for a birthday meal and we had a lovely time, with great food and friendly staff :)

Called in today for a meal as we had a night without kids. The Carvery was amazing and everyone there was really friendly and checked how our meal was, Ollie introduced himself and was really chatty. Will definitely come again and will bring the dogs...

Just had a carvery was one of the best served by arran he was very helpful even asked an elderly couple if they needed help with setting up the plate, he has gone vice and beyond, all the staff are very lovely and helpful will...

When to waterside last night the carvery was beautiful and the staff are amazing will be back soon thank you for a lovely evening

Party of 10 as no problem to book for .Staff were polite and efficient. Ordered from both menu and carvery both delicious will definitely be back 😃

Brilliant value for money, staff very helpful, great to see them supporting a lovely downs gentleman "Billy" in work who was really friendly, helpful and polite. Superb variety of fresh vegetables all cooked perfectly and piping hot. This place is so much better under the...

Have just enjoyed an excellent carvery Plenty of veg to choose from good portion of meat - can choose from 3 I had a bit of all three. Quick and efficient service. staff very friendly and courteous. I followed the main with the millionaire cheesecake...

Brilliant,I have a wheat intolerance and asked Louise if the mocha and hot drinks had gluten in. She was great , had a look on the paper version and the tablet of the allergies that may be present really helpful. It was a family day...

Really good menu variety, enough space for private meal, good value for money and the staff were were wonderful, in particular Maxine who assisted me with the carvery with a separate plate for my daughter, really helpful

Went to the waterside on sat 8th. Had a carvey and wasnt that good ive had better. Carrots were hard the cauliflower cheese was dried and looked like it had sat there a long time. Roast potatoes looked liked they had been in deep fat...

Sharie was really accommodating to our needs and was always happy to help she was so welcoming and so friendly .I had a carvery it was delicious the gravy was on point and the roasters where perfect the only fault would be the turkey had...

We popped in Saturday afternoon and had a really lovely carvery. Plenty of meat, great range of vegetables, not over cooked and lashings of thick meaty gravey. Our teenaged son ordered off the main menu and his burger looked delicious. (He actually put his phone...

It saddens me to write this, as we have been here before without problems. We brought a friend with us for a weekday carvery lunch. You order at the bar and when we were asked about drinks, I asked for a Diet Coke. The lad...

I have eaten here five times this year and always been satisfied, staff are friendly and the food (carvery) has always been good. Unfortunately last Sunday lunchtime was below par, my large carvery consisted of one thin slice of beef and a slice of chicken,...

Would love to commend the staff , in particular Cara! She made what can be a stressful experience of dinning out with special needs children easy! Nothing was too much trouble, she engaged with children with out any hesitation. Truly exceptional service by her and...

Went the waterside for dinner this evening evening the customer service was brilliant the food came out quickly and perfect thankyou to the head chef

Went here on Sunday at 6pm with my girlfriend for a carvery. Sat at our table. I then went up ordered our drinks and paid for one medium and one large carvery with pigs in blankets on both. I had all the meats , 2...

We decided to eat here today with our dog, it was nearly 3 oclock and quite busy. A nice waitress showed us to a table in the bar. The staff were all very pleasant and helpful and although we had to wait a while to...

Turned up having not booked. Friendly atmosphere, really clean and fresh decor. Helpful staff and nothing too much trouble.Gluten Free gravey made a lovely carvery. Fresh veg great choice.Happy helpful staff.Great to have our local pub being somewhere we want to come back to..