The Royal Oak in Lewes

Hospitable staff. Good food. Friendly locals. Visited the pub 3 times over a long weekend. We'll definitely return in the new year.

I can't speak highly enough of Max, Shawn and the whole team at The Royal Oak for turning a disaster into a success in 48 hours. Our wedding venue suffered a fire two days before the reception and I was recommended the pub as a place with a function room. After my first chat with Max I was reassured that they could host us and all would be well. The food was delicious, plentiful - catering for a variety of dietary requirements - and excellent value. Same with the drink. I’m pretty sure it was the two of them that organised the sun to come out after ten days of rain as well! Brilliant communication throughout and 100% accommodating of our wishes. I cannot recommend the service of the pub and hospitality enough. Everyone had a fantastic evening and the best compliment I was given was that, ‘if no one had known (about the fire), no one would have known (it wasn’t our first choice venue). Definitely my new favourite pub in Lewes with great beer.. And it shows the cricket!! Thank you all so much for both saving the day and making our day.

Went for a Sunday roast and it was amazing! The staff are very friendly and chatty, and the chef is very accommodating he even made my little pooch a roast of his own which he thoroughly enjoyed! Definitely will come back and alfie says thank you very much for his lovely dinner!

What a find! Saw on FB a nes team had taken over the kitchens Chef and Butcher so we decided to go for a drink and bite to eat before tge BHA game.. WHAT A RESULT. The food was amazing and and we all rated it 5 * The place was buzzing and we have all decided it is to be a regular before tge games. I took my wife back on Sunday for lunch and it was even more stunning.. Well done to Sean tge Chef and George the butcher! TOP QUALITY and faultless service.. See you soon!....

We saw on FB it was now launching as a fully foodie pub under a new restaurant set so we all headed out for lunch. WoW...The food was stunning...from the amazing home-made burgers (My choice!) To the truly delicious Chicken Wings (my gf choice) 6 in our group all voted this a massive success and we are heading out for Sunday Lunch next weekend.. Highly recommended and what an addition to the eateries of Lewes.

We had a table booked for the evening for a girl's Christmas night out - arrived to no table. We were told that they had phoned repetedly, despite there being no record of such calls. We asked to speak to the manager as this meant our evening was ruined but they refused to speak to us. When asked for a drink by way of compensation, that was also refused. The attitude of the staff was ambivalent, with no attempt to apologise or sort the problem out. Would never go there again or recommend the pub to anyone else.

Whenever I stay in the area I always pop over to Lewes and I usually go into the Royal Oak for a quiet pint. I found that the staff were all so friendly and helpful. When I went there in July I had to have a moan about the loud music blaring from the speakers. There managers replied saying that I should have had a word with the bar staff. The reason that I did not was because I was too angry. I really love this pub. I will be going back to the Royal Oak when I am next back in Lewes.

After going to every bar in lewes in the town the Royal Oak was the best lovely bar staff hidden a gem @ Rosie and roxy.

Looking for somewhere for a bit and rest between sights and this is a little beauty! Had auto ch bit and a pint, service was impeccable, atmosphere laid back and decor to die for! Just look out for the lights.

My wife and I were in Lewes for a few hours on our way home to London after posh Glynders Bank Holiday Monday We fancied a quick drink (and a wee) but all the pubs we looked into were stinky and blokey (football match was on at Lewes). So we were waking past this pub and thought this looked nice; had a vibe about it even though there was literally no one else in there around 3pm. But we were welcomed by the two lovely very young staff. Two half local lagers please. Coming up, Sir Toilets spotless (even though lock had broken on men's cubicle, but noted to be fixed) It was a pity that we had already eaten because the menu looked most inviting. Some miserable soul on a comment below complained about the music. Probably my age or older. I am 61 and absolutely loved the music that was playing. Had a jazzy groove about it. I didn't want to leave in fact I don't want to be rude about Lewes but apart from the Priory and this lovely pub, I wasn't overly impressed. But I hope to come back to have lunch next year after Glynders but not sure they serve lunch on Mondays

We had our wedding reception at the Royal Oak and had a fantastic afternoon/ evening. The food was delicious and Mitch and the bar staff were very friendly and accommodating. Everyone had the best time!! Thank you so much Mitch for all your hard work and excellent service! Donna and Colin

Popped into the oak by chance when looking for a pub for a few drinks, very glad we did, friendly, warm and welcoming. Great evening. Many thanks.

A lovely late lunch. Delicious food, perfectly cooked, well presented. Professional, friendly staff. The pub is contemporary but traditional at the same time. We visited three years ago and remembered it as a charming place.

Clean, friendly staff, non-sticky tables, lovely food & drink choice - vegan and vegetarian options, nice atmosphere!

Lovely pub and staff really friendly however we went there for a meal and were disappointed that when they only offer 6 main meals 3 of them were sold out! ! Felt sorry for the young lad that served us as it was his first shift and he looked really embarrassed. We went to order puddings and jokingly checked if they were all available, he said they were. We ordered Eton mess and he came back from the kitchen and said they had all gone! Food we had was lovely but having 3/6 options available is not very good and they hadn’t been busy!

My friend Alan and I visited The Royal Oak a couple of times during our little break to Lewes. The weather was very warm on our first visit, so we were able to sit outside on the very charming and pretty terrace. On our next...

Service was friendly and attentive and the food was excellent. We really enjoyed the music, which was superbly curated . A very cool pub with stylish and interesting touches. Deserves to be much busier.

I love this pub. Quiet but excellent. Good food. Good booze. Lovely staff. Very relaxing. I love it.

I had 2 hours to spare whilst the kids were at soft-play with their mum so after walking around ewes for a while and almost losing hope, I stumbled across this little gem. The bar staff are polite, the mood is definitely 'chilled' and as...

What a lovely traditional pub with great jazz music. They serve a great pint of Harvey’s best bitter. They take track & trace very seriously asking you To scan your contact details via barcode generously located around pub The decor very original and we went...

My friend and I had dinner here on friday night. I enquired on times food was available and pre booked a table the day before. We got there and hand gel was available, welcomed with a smile from the man behind the bar. Everyone was...

Lovely pub, cosy atmosphere and really well set up for social distancing. Delicious food - would highly recommend the chocolate brownie. Friendly, efficient service. Good value for money. Would highly recommend

Lovely and smart pub with really friendly staff and a warm welcoming feel to the place. Nice courtyard garden and pub well set up for distancing but still a nice buzz with the atmosphere in the pub!! Food and drink both really nice and made...

We visited on a quiet Tuesday night and were really impressed with the quality of the food. Very nicely cooked and good value for money. My wife was particularly impressed with the fish pie.

Met a friend in lewes and was looking for somewhere cosy to chill for a few hours and some nice food. After looking online we decided on the Royal Oak. Sat by the fire ( that we then realised was not real ) in some...

Wandering around Lewes and called in for Sunday lunch. Went for roast beef and our daughter went for lentil wellington. Sometimes Sunday roasts can disappoint. These didn’t (I managed to have a good slice of the Wellington too). Only thing that stopped it getting 5...

Popped into The Royal Oak today hoping for some lunch. They didn’t disappoint. Best fish and chips I have ever had. Enjoyed every mouthful.

Popped in with two nephews for a late night pint. Tradition pub serving several real ales with helpful and friendly staff. We went for the Cornish brewed ale, which was excellent. Able to sit in their beer garden well into the evening. If you need...

Loved this place! We visited Lewes for the weekend for the first time, and it was recommended as a good place for lunch and a few drinks. The pub has a great cosy atmosphere and lots of seating space. Lunch was amazing, a really good...

What a gem! There's a really great vibe going on at this pub, created by the unique decor and friendly staff. Really pleased with the food and quick service. Big thank you, we loved it!

Extremely good bar Very friendly staff The fish and chips was wonderful Washed down with a cheeky white Rioja Just what I needed

Held my retirement from the Fire Service in the upstairs events room with 2 TVs for playing pictures on, a well stocked bar and own toilet for the guests. Tables and chairs and a lovely open fire place. Mitch couldn't have been more helpful when...

This pub has a gorgeous upstairs large room which is a superb venue / we had a family get together here and they did it so well !!! Fab everything

We turned up at 12 on a Sunday and got a table very easily without a reservation. The staff were friendly and natural and the service excellent. We both ordered roast beef Sunday lunches which came to our table in good time. The food was...

Wow, !! Organised a birthday paty here in the events room. Mitch simply could not have been more accomodating and friendly. I could list the lengths he went to but dont want to set him up to : for instance lend us his own table...

What a hidden gem, friendly welcome clean tidy bar unabtrusive music and a decent selection of looked after real ales, didn't try the food , but listening to the comments of the people eating definitely worth a try

The landlord and his wife couldn't haven't been more helpful and accommodating and they made sure my mother-in-law's party was a great success. We had our own large room upstairs and they were always on hand to help duirng the event. The pub downstairs also...

Went here for a family birthday and was very pleasantly surprised by the attentiveness of the landlord and size of the room. We probably numbered fifty people and it wasn't crowded. It was partially catered and warm. The food that the pub did supply was...

I have been arranging to have my mum's 80th birthday here. Mitch has been so great to deal with and doesnt seem to get annoyed by my many questions and emails. He is really fun and warm and 'can do'. He has said yes to...

Visit before Christmas to catch up with friends. The feedback was that this has got better so, gave it the benefit of the doubt and booked a table. Firstly, a number of tables that serve as a place to sit down with friends for a...

Been here a few times over the years and wasn’t impressed. However now ... new makeover is great , food and beers really good with nice music / function room above. Nice work. We’ll be back.

Delicious ribeye steak and chips yesterday at lunch. Beautifully cooked, medium rare. Great peppercorn gravy. Super-clean pub, lovely friendly staff, reasonable prices. Absolutely excellent and highly recommended. Paul

We were overnighting in Lewes and really struggled to find somewhere to dine on a Saturday night - most places were booked with private functions or only had tables available at stupid o'clock. Then we remembered walking past the Royal Oak at lunchtime. It was...

We visited for lunch and to look at the function room upstairs. The food was absolutely fabulous and we ended up booking the function room for a wedding reception! What a wonderful makeover the pub has had.

What a great place! We needed to find somewhere accessible in Lewes for lunch and this place was perfect. Just round the corner from the high street, we found this pub to be very cosy and welcoming. The lunch menu has a great selection, even...

Four hungover people opted for the Fish and Chips which was absolutely delicious. Modern, friendly pub with welcoming staff. Good to see a couple of board games to thoroughly thrash my daughters at Scrabble :)

The pub has a really homely and clean feel to it. Friendly staff and a superb roast!! The vegetarian roast was particularly good. Great establishment.

My partner and I had a wonderful meal here. The pub is in a great location and really clean and fresh inside. Service is really friendly and relaxed while the food was just incredible! We will definitely be back soon! We shared the homemade Hummus...

Staff were very friendly. The Royal Oak is also dog friendly which was great! We took our Boxer, Pablo, and he was allowed inside as well as in the beer garden. The food was excellent. We had Chicken Liver Pate and toast along with Deep...

My wife and I are from London and we were visiting her folks in Seaford. We took a day trip to Lewes and happened upon this delightful pub and I truly felt at home here. The decor is contemporary and not too garish like many...

Popped in for lunch after a walk & we were pleasantly surprised. We initially walked past it but went back. Nice decor, friendly staff. The food was really good. I had calamari which was lovely & soft. The chips we had as a side were...

My friends and I chose this pub because it is close to Lewes train station and it was quiet. We had not seen each other for a few years, so we needed somewhere where we could sit down, talk and catch-up. We sat in the...

Tucked down a quiet street in Lewes, right off the High Street. I stopped in for a half pint of cider and a fish pie. Both were delicious. The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming and I got to sit in a comfy armchair while...

Popped in here before the Brighton game to meet friends for a drink. Beautiful pub, met the landlord Mitch great guy! Nice selection of ales , will definitely be back to try the food as it looked amazing .

Absolutely amazing food and dosnt cost a fortune! Super impressed with my BLT, avocado and mayo sandwich with skinny chips and salad....with a gorgeous glass of sauvignon in the sunny beer garden. Service is on point and the bar team are super friendly. Defiantly recommend...

We had a lovely evening at The Royal Oak last night. Really like the ambience and the Fish Pie, Meatballs and Beef Bourginon were all top notch. Courtyard garden at the back perfect for warmer evenings.

What a revamp! Absolutely fell in love with this pub, everything from the gorgeous above bar lighting to the divine, simple yet stylish menu - to the fab team running it. The new governor Mitch and his wife have really turned this place around, there...

Had a lovely glass of wine. This is a great turn around for this pub, the work done on the inside has been done really well. Will be coming back to try out the food.

Great pub venue, amazing food and lovely/friendly staff.. the only pub in Lewes worth visiting and only up the road from the station 10/10

The pub's new owners are clearly doing a fantastic job. The Royal Oak is now a very pleasant place to spend time after the recent refurbishment, the staff are very friendly and welcoming - and the food is good too! Long may it continue.

The new owners have done a wonderful job of transforming the Royal Oak. It’s now almost unrecognisable! The atmosphere inside is fantastic. Where we sat for dinner was partitioned off slightly, so that even though the Oak was very busy, it still felt as though...

My sisters & I have a get together every Tuesday, Lewes was this weeks visit. A stroll round the lovely boutique’s the shop owner recommended this pub to us... Lovely in side with a really lovely bar lady who took our order... A nice bottle...

Just a great new spot in Lewes and highly recommended to everyone. Really enjoyed the new look inside and will definitely go back. Don't miss the function room...going to book it for a birthday shortly

love the new interior especially the lights above the bar! excellent service, excellent beer and a very good new landlord! Cant wait to sample the food once the kitchen is ready...worth a visit as very much improved!

The Royal Oak is a pub I have used for donkeys years each landlord or transformation reflected changing tastes, sometime good sometimes bad, The latest reincarnation of this historic pub is a thoroughly modern feeling yet in keeping with its character as a very old...

Fish and chips in een gezellige kroeg. Ruime porties. Gezelschapsspellen, kranten en tijdschriften aangeboden maken de avond bijzonder.

Was packed on my visit but with a good atmosphere and live music. Trudy and Dave are great company You can also play toads 👍🏻

It's ok put not really worth the visit. If you are a big group of lads it would be ok as you normally have the room to make some noise

Celebrating my brothers 21st we decided to go to the royal oak after a nice meal elsewhere. We all had such a great laugh enjoying a few drinks and doing karaoke. Until the owner appeared near closing time to basically verbally abuse everyone for no...

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, within walking distance of station. Good food, outside area for smokers

From locals, I have heard stories of this pub from its heyday as a great session pub in Lewes, where one can always expect great ale and a friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, this prime seems long gone under the new management. The pub interior is dark,...

A great pub with plenty going on from Toads (You need to give this sport a go) to karaoke on a Friday Also has a good room for hire for parties etc

We went inside to osee what it was like, and look at the menu. The barmaid showed us the food boards, and pointed out that the baguettes came with salad and chips. We placed our order for baguettes and we did have to wait a...

[Note to Tripadvisor team: There is also a Royal Oak in Barcombe which is a village outside Lewes; there are already *two* entries for it in Tripadvisor under Lewes, but no entry for this Royal Oak, which is actually in Lewes.] This is a pub...