The Royal Oak in Forest of Dean

Such a beautiful lunch at the Royal Oak with two dear friends. We had a table in the restaurant with a wonderful view of the gorgeous Cotswold countryside. We even saw the Santa Express steam train on its way from Cheltenham to Winchcombe via Toddington. The food was delicious and the service and Christmas decorations were lovely. All in all a very enjoyable time and I’ll certainly be back soon. One tiny negative was the salt shakers were empty but soon replenished when we mentioned it!

Absolutely lovely pub! We had a really delicious meal and the atmosphere was very cosy - the staff were absolutely brilliant in providing us with everything and ensuring that we were happy! :)

Gorgeous roast beef on their Sunday roast menu. Lovely country pub with amazing countryside views including the GWSR railway.

Sunday Roast Lunch with family, delicious food, great service and very enjoyable meal

Excellent meal, excellent service. Many thanks we will be back.

Nicely decorated for Christmas, warm and inviting. Food was good too.

Fabulous meal and the staff were fantastic! Could have done with some festive background music. Other than that it was excellent!

Thanks 🙏 so much for a truly beautiful experience today for our Christmas 🎄 lunch ! Outstanding atmosphere, food , decorations and service ! Will definitely be coming back and recommending ! Happy Christmas 🎄 x

Great place for lunch with lovely views from the conservatory, nice food and perfect service. Will return!

Wonderful Sunday lunch yesterday with friends. Christmas decorations are magical. Staff very friendly and efficient.We will be back soon. Thank you xx 😘

Crumble desert was okay but the custard was awful - very runny and very mean portion

Really good reliable pub with excellent food and service.

Great food good service, very dog friendly … all a bit too busy on the night due to a birthday party but will certainly be back .. great pub and food

Good food, good beer, good service and, of course, a spectacular view.

Sunday lunch was very disappointing

This is the first time we had a poor meal. Parsnips rock hard, roast potatoes dry and over cooked. I didn’t even get carrots , the other people at the table did . Then to be told no custard for crumble!!!!. The Apple tartan was passable although the pastry was dry and the apple just about cooked.

Sunday lunch not as good as normal. Perhaps different chef but the food was not as good as normal. Parsnips not cooked on any of the plates, roast potatoes were rather dry!, Asked for custard to go with crumble no custard today!!, the lemon tart was over cooked burnt pastry, far to much gelatin in the lemon mixture and dry and stoggy so returned the Apple Tartan in exchanged was just about passable. Eaten there may time but this truly was the worse meal we had ever had.

Great pub, location & atmosphere. Great bar staff, waiting staff young & for want of a suitable word , reserved. But over all a good experience. Would definitely recommend.

Fabulous roasts, wonderful, attentive staff & beautiful setting. We will be back.

Stunning location would be amazing o a summers day highly recommended 10/10 staff were excellent and very welcoming

Always had a great meal here. Generally found everyone friendly and had quick service.

We were very disappointed not to have a seat in the conservatory despite booking a long time in advance and requesting this on our booking form. There was no apology. Drinks were not served to individuals but plonked on the table in the same place. There were no fruit desserts, not even apple crumble. We are new to the area and hoped to eat here very often. The roast was good though so we hope to try again sometime..... Not giving up yet!

Just as good as I expected. R ediscovered you recently after many years. Youare now one of my two country go tos. Well done all. Please don’t put on pecan pie and toffee sponge at the same time that would be too cruel!

I have known the Royal Oak in Gretton for many , many years . The atmosphere is always convivial with a friendly, homely feel. During the summer , being sat outside enjoying a cool drink and admiring the view is a real treat

Great location in the conservatory with wonderful country views. Relaxed atmosphere with courteous attentive staff. Stunningly good food - well worth the money. Looking forward to returning. Many thanks to the team.

Lovely pub and food. The views are fantastic, definitely return

Great menu, attentive service and wonderful views from the conservatory

Lovely pub. Food was ok. I had fish in batter but batter was soft not crispy. Gammon looked lovely though

Booking online was easy. On arrival we were offered the choice of three rooms to eat. We chose the restaurant, and shown to our table. Very calming and romantic setting with candles and subdued lighting. Only customers present in the restaurant the whole evening, but table service not rushed. The lighting was fine until the sun went down when it became quite dim. Our waiter soon recognised this, and provided more candles. Drink choice offered once seated, and soon provided. We made our starter choice. It was my birthday meal, so price not considered. I chose soft shell crab in tempura batter, served with salad. Unfortunately not much crab, but could still be tasted. My wife had about ten mussels in shells which would have been more satisfying for me. My wife's steak was cooked as requested, with good flavour. I had the lamb tagine which was plentiful and flavoursome. For dessert, treacle tart with maple syrup and double cream. Very nice indeed. My wife's panacotta was very much to her liking. Coffee also very good. In good humour, the waiter wanted us to see the pattern she had made in the froth as not obvious in the subdued ight. Allround, a very pleasant meal in a quiet and comfortable environment.

Absolutely delicious roast dinner, with good sized portions.

Absolutely lovely..food and atmosphere. Dog froendly

The food and the service is always consistently excellent. Brilliant menu - difficult to choose as they all sound so good. Vegetables cooked just right. Friendly, helpful staff.

I was surprised to discover that they don’t serve any non-dairy milks for coffees/teas. I am allergic to cow dairy and I find it quite discriminatory for the establishment to not offer an alternative, especially as there are so many easily available in this day and age! The food menu is fairly inclusive for dietary requirements, so it’s confusing as to why their drinks menu is not very inclusive. I think in 2024 this is very unsatisfactory and I would urge management to reconsider their offerings.

Lovely food, lovely ambience and lovely staff. We will definitely visit this welcoming pub again.

I was surprised to discover that they don’t serve any non-dairy milks for coffees/teas. I am allergic to cow dairy and I find it quite discriminatory for the establishment to not offer an alternative, especially as there are so many easily available in this day and age! The food menu is fairly inclusive for dietary requirements, so it’s confusing as to why their drinks menu is not very inclusive. I think in 2024 this is very unsatisfactory and I would urge management to reconsider their offerings.

Saturday night, and by 9.30pm we were alone in the pub, and by 10pm were asked to leave. We sat down at 8.15pm so it was rather a short birthday celebration for my partner. Lovely pub, food and beer was good, service was fine. Atmosphere lacking. Sign of the times I guess.

Arrived early so service was very good. We had Sunday roast meals which we enjoyed. A jug of extra gravy would have been appreciated. We prefer the vegetables a little more cooked. Also a fork, together with the spoon provided, for our desserts. Overall a pleasant experience.

Really lovely food and great views

It’s OK, they didn’t have a vegan meal but proposed a couple of options which was not particularly creative but good enough

Really lovely pub and great food.

Poorly kept beer. Chicken salad poor, tough lumps of chicken, inedible bacon. Weak coffee. Unhappy server. Regret not complaining at the time. Will not return.

We booked into your pub as we were always so delighted with the restaurant Wesley House. It was quite a shock to witness the difference in cleanliness and epecially the food. The chef in Wesley House was excellent and not once, in all the years we went to Wesley, were we disappointed. We were first of all put at a draughty table so we asked to be moved so were given another table. Once I had wiped all the crumbs off the seat we sat down to a very mediocre meal. The staff were pleasant enough but all the cupboards, where staff opened the drawers, were very grubby. Needless to say, we shan't be going back to The Royal Oak.

Good sized carpark. Playground for the children. Railway line at the bottom of the hill. Outside seating. Very friendly and helpful staff. Good clean toilets. Beautiful views of the countryside. Good decor and varied menu choices. And even though some people might think it's expensive, each meal was cooked to perfection, and the portion sizes big.

Amazing food Going back again tomorrow !!

Nice pub. Good beer. Big burgers. Brilliant views outside. If your lucky you can see the steam train. Or a Hercules flying low.

Great location with lovely views from the restaurant over the countryside. Good service and tasty food. Please that well behaved dogs are allowed enabled us to meet our friends and their dog.

Very disappointed. Great views of the local countryside but waited over 45 minutes for our meals. I had the pork chop which was so over cooked that it could hardly be cut. Told the waitress who smiled and disappeared as quickly as she could!

Stunning views, fabulous food, very friendly, amazing place to stay. Chicken & tarragon pie.....wow!!!!

Lovely pub with great views and friendly and efficient staff. We sat in the conservatory area indoors because the weather was cold, and the views over the surrounding area were beautiful. On a warmer day there were also loads of places to sit outside. Thank you!

Great view from conservatory lovely staff food brilliant and they have Hawkstone cider and larger

Lovely service and consistently great food, would always highly recommend!

I used to love this restaurant. We went for Sunday lunch to celebrate a special occasion. The service was almost non existent and the food was not good. I was so disappointed, having been looking forward to going for a month. I have given several 5* reviews in the past, but not this time. I will not be rushing back.

Visited as we were staying locally with 2 other families. This was probably one of the best pubs I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Sun was shining, the Sunday roast was great, views incredible and the kids loved the play area. Just when you thought things couldn't get better, a stream train rolled by! Will definitely visit again when in the area.

Great kids play area, great views and fantastic real ale.

Lovely food, friendly service and a great view.

This was the first time we had come here for Sunday lunch. We enjoyed sitting on the new terrace, admiring the lovely views (and occasional passing steam trains) while eating lunch - although the conservatory would have been a good option in less clement weather. I had the sole from the specials menu, which was just right. Others had the Sunday roast and enjoyed their meals too. Altogether a pleasant experience. We hope to visit again soon.

Lovely pub but the barman struggled to smile. Perhaps be a bit more welcoming?

Couldn’t fault the food or service, lovely atmosphere

Very quiet part of the pub with no atmosphere at all.

The Royal Oak, in a word, is perfect. The food is great, served by friendly staff, in a fantastic setting. The decor, menu and drinks selection are spot on too. There is now a great kids play area outside as well. We've been twice and will be back again!

We ate on Friday evening, when the pub was full to bursting, but we were attended to immediately and the staff were efficient and cheerful - it was good to see somewhere fully staffed! The food was excellent. We returned on Saturday evening, when it was far less busy, and everything was still to the same high standard.

we had Sunday Lunch and really enjoyed it, there was plenty to eat, the greens served with the meals were a mix which makes a pleasant change rather than a dish of cabbage or broccolli, which i cannot stand. the food was served hot and reasonably quickly despite it being busy. desserts were excellent and a good choice. A tip before you order, check the specials board in the Bar. good service pleasant staff. Atmosphere, for me I wasn't happy , there was a couple of parties in and the noise coupled with the high ceiling made it very difficult to hear, I struggled as I wear hearing aids to be fair, but others in our group said the same. All the same I would recommend the restaurant and we will go again.

We were recommended to experience The Royal Oak and it didn’t disappoint!.. from service to the delicious food!.. where it is situated,with the beautiful views and the pub itself. Will definitely be revisiting to enjoy the Scrumptious food and hospitality.

Busy but super efficient. Our waitress,Phoebe, was very attentive and looked after us very effectively.

We booked for Sunday lunch as vegetarians after seeing they offered a nut roast on their website but turned up to find the only vegetarian option was mushroom tortellini with Parmesan on it (NOT vegetarian). We asked the staff if there was a veggie roast option as stated on the website and we were told no but they could do a standard roast without the meat. We asked if that meant the gravy and potatoes were vegetarian and were told no both are not. Meaning they either would have knowingly served us meat products OR given us a plate of cauliflower cheese and vegetables and charged us for a roast dinner… All of this could have been avoided if their website was up to date, wasted journey and time, please update your website to save other people from the same experience!

Really enjoyable lunch - friendly and excellent staff and good variety of options available. Food came promptly but never felt rushed as lovely relaxed atmosphere!

Surprise party organised for a special birthday lunch - nothing was too much trouble, staff attentive and readily available for all our needs. Highly recommended - thank you

Lovely service, nice food and very welcoming environment

Beef Sunday dinner was amazing, great outdoor spaces to enjoy a drink after eating with lovely views. Staff all friendly and courteous.

Very nice food, efficient service and lovely location

great service - food was liked by all 4 of us with special appreciation of the goat curry

A great location spoilt by poor service and indifferent food. The conservatory is a really nice place to “enjoy” lunch. The view is splendid. We came here a couple of years ago and we were disappointed then with the food and service. So we gave it another go today. Firstly the service. Our waiter was a young chap who did his best but had not been trained - and the attitude of the manager was one of “couldn’t care less.” We noticed on leaving that there was a specials board, wish we had known. The food: the olives were fine but the pork rillette was nearly all cold fat and stringy bits of pork. The ravioli and Caesar salad were fine, my gammon was too tough to eat.we asked for some bread and had to ask three times. Overall, we did not feel welcome; the food was average pub food and the location and ambiance could make this into a destination pub - given our experience, we are not likely to return. It would have been nice to have felt welcome.

As there was only one member of staff struggling to serve the bar and the restaurant we realised that we would be waiting for ages to be served and even longer for any plates to arrive, so we left after 15 minutes.

The Sunday roast was the nicest pork I have had. So juicy and veg was great. The staff were really accommodating and the place is lovely. The is a big garden outside to sit and a well equipped kids play area. The views across the valley are great and sometimes a steamtrain may come by

We had to wait an hour for our main course . We had to ask the waiter , leave the table and find them everytime we needed something ; to ask for more drinks ,desert menu , where out side dishes were . Not attentive at all . Food was mediocre .

Very lovely pub with great views while you have your meal. The menu I feel doesn't have much in the way of classics, it's mostly what I would call posh food. A few more options would be nice but the food was very very good. Service took a little while but there was a large party next to us. Overall lovely staff and food but could use a menu shake up to cater to a wider audience.

Super lunch beef baguettes were really rare and wonderful. The views were unbelievable. Definitely a place to visit.

Phenomenal service and wonderful roasts. Amazing views. Would always highly recommend.

Brilliant pub all round - highly recommend 🤩

Had a fantastic meal, really great pub with fantastic views and top quality staff.

Thank you! We came as a big party and everything was absolutely great!

We were in the back corner and didn’t really have anyone to come and check. Also took ages for starters to arrive. However we were in no rush and we knew you guys were busy at the bar, a nice Friday night so loads of people were in the bar and beer garden. Food was cracking.

Beautiful setting and lovely to watch sun go down ! Service was unfortunately very slow and food of average quality only.

The new summer menu is fabulous. I chose the fig quiche starter and the pea and mint ravioli as a main. Seriously delicious & compliments to the chef! My friend’s choices were from the specials board and equally good. Our waitress Megan was delightful. As always, a lovely long lunch was greatly enjoyed. Thank you RO for being there.

Great people and a beautiful location---We could not fault anything there an absolutely brilliant place for everything a winning combination. Highly recomended.

Sitting in conservatory as requested was greatly appreciated.

Having cycled for 15 miles we were very hungry and heard good things about the Royal Oak, however we were thoroughly disappointed. We ordered the Fillet of Salmon. It came with 3 potatoes only and a few pieces of broccoli. For £20 this portion size is not acceptable. The salmon tastes ok but I’ve cooked better at home! The veggie option was ratatouille and it most definitely came from a can. I was charged £15 for the pleasure. I will not be rushing back to this pub, don’t recommend to a friend. Unfortunate as the setting is lovely. We are sick of restaurants with small overpriced portions and this place definitely hopped on band wagon.

We came with a big party with a couple of difficult members of the group and the staff were great with them. Food was excellent, hot and plentiful. Staff were lovely. Couple of young lads could do with a bit more training but they were very sweet. Could do with a vegan option on the menu.

First class restaurant,helpful,polite and professional staff in a pleasant ambiance. The quality of the food was very good,obviously using high quality ingredients prepared by people who know what they are doing. However I do have 2 comments Belly Pork is my favourite roasted meat but I can honestly say that in the 65 years of ordering and eating it, the portion that was served up was the smallest I have ever received( a real pity because the few mouthfuls I did have , it tasted sublime) 2nd point A £10 cheese plate spoiled by the three cheeses served came straight out of a fridge. Brie and Stilton should be served at room temperature , these were not, and were just tasteless Pity My companions ordered differently from me and were delighted with their meals with only praise for the whole dining experience

Excellent lunch. One of the best I've had in a long time. Beautiful views. Can highly recommend. Will have to try their Sunday roast.

Excellent food and a marvellous view

We enjoyed the drinks service and main courses for all 7 of us, but having ordered dessert, they never appeared. My daughter in law queried with the waitress who took the orders what had happened to the order? She said there was a back-log in delivery; this was obviously untrue because other diners ordered desserts after us and got them. On challenging the waitress, she admitted to losing the order, so rather than wait with all of us getting annoyed at the situation, we cancelled, paid up and left. We are not likely to visit again for the near future. Alan Herod

Excellent food, great views, friendly atmosphere

Excellent views, great service and fantastic views from the atrium. Will be back one day.

Regrettably, despite enjoying the Royal Oak many times we will sadly not be returning. We recently visited with our 7yo son who has severe allergies. We understand that some people confuse this with intolerances, but an allergy has a significant risk of being fatal (you only need to read the news to hear of several cases, most notably Pret a Mange). We also fully appreciate that restaurants will not want to guarantee an allergen-free environment but the industry has come on leaps and bounds in supporting allergen awareness. Nearly all restaurants and pubs have an allergen menu (to help clients decide), have at least a couple of allergen free options and take measures to limit cross contamination. Not only did the Royal Oak have none of these but they made it pretty clear they do not want to serve our son and provided inaccurate information which could have proved fatal. We were initially told our son could only have ham and chips from the kids menu, but they stressed the kitchen staff did not want to be under any “pressure” in the kitchen because of cross contamination. There is a big difference between no guaranteeing and expressing this level of reluctance. Then we were given a list of adult meals he could have but told he had to pay full price because they wouldn’t do a child’s portion (unhelpful but not entirely unreasonable). Then when we decided he could have plain fish and chips from the adult menu, we enquired why he couldn’t have it from the adult menu if it had been crossed out from the child’s menu. We were informed it was because they don’t keep their fryers separate so they cook all sorts in them (including cheese). At this point, I asked if he could even have the chips then and we were told no, because they are also cooked with other ingredients. That meant the initial information (that he could have ham and chips from the child’s menu) and the list from the adult menu was all wrong. This is not only woeful service but could have been fatal. This is incredibly serious and I am deeply upset that one of our beloved pubs has taken this approach. I should add, they have catered for him in the past. We don’t know if this is a change of management/staff (which it appears to be) or that we were not given accurate information last time. Either way, this is a serious issue and we cannot return (including for a 50th birthday meal we’d hoped to host there). We must stress that the waitress was very pleasant and clearly embarrassed by the situation and we were grateful to her for trying. It would be great if the Royal Oak management and staff could attend allergy awareness training. It is very easy to produce an allergen menu and provide two or three allergen options. Spaghetti bolognese or pasta and tomato sauce is an incredibly easy option to do allergy free. Ensuring you cook chips in a separate fryer to anything else is another easy step to widen what you offer. Then you can easily offer it with chicken, fish, peas, beans. It’s not hard with a little thought. We hope they will take this ok board as it otherwise has so much going for it.

Wonderful food and beautiful views from their conservatory. Spent a lovely birthday afternoon with family. Would highly recommend and will definitely be going back. Thank you.

Superb Sunday Lunch. We had a baby and a dog and nothing was too much trouble

Really love coming to The Royal Oak - we were celebrating my Dad’s 85th birthday. We had balloons so it was obvious - no one wished him a happy birthday. The bar staff were rude just feel you need to work on your customer service. Such a shame as it’s a lovely place the staff let it down.

The conservatory room was simply breathtaking the views accross the countryside and very well designed. The service was very good and the food we had was excellent. If in the area again would defs visit again.

We had a lovely meal for my mums 60th. The roast dinner is absolutely amazing with lots of veg on the side. Kids meals are also great portions.