The Royal Oak in Wiltshire

Came here to celebrate my partners birthday and had a lovely time. Food and drinks were amazing, decor is lovely, and they came out with a candle lit cake singing happy birthday for my partner. Definitely worth a visit, a massive thank you to the staff that served us tonight on 22/11/2024, you were great and made her birthday extra special :)

Delicious meal at such a beautiful restaurant. Staff were lovely. We had such a nice time and will definitely be back!

great interior and great service. food is alright, but i don’t think many are going there for the food. it was pretty packed on a Friday lunch. felt surreal to dine there, especially after travelling 6,000 miles. pity James wasn’t there, otherwise it would have been well worth the journey.

We stayed a couple of nights mid October (Two of us & a plus one - labrador) . Cannot fault the place. Excellent staff, stunning meals (dinner & breakfast). A perfect place to unwind. Morning sun-rise walks across neighbouring fields (well sign-posted footpaths). I only wish there were more customers. Hopefully not another example of 'use it, or lose it'. Will definitely be returning in the near future.

Very nice and cozy hotel with good food and a nice bar. Rooms were very nice, clean and comfortable. Very nice staff! Were there while on a road trip and we came back for another stay because we liked it so much. We will definetly come back in the future.

Lovely Inn. Great service, food and building but very thin wall between room 5 and 7.

Needs a bit of attention to the decorations looks a bit sorry for its self

Popped into the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe (owned by James May) for an evening meal and a pint as it's fairly local. The service, food and beer was excellent although on the pricey side. Nevertheless, had an excellent evening there and definitely recommend!

It was a lovely place to stay, we were well looked after, the rooms were very nice and the food in the restaurant was incredible, we enjoyed it so much we will definitely go again.

Great food, good atmosphere, reasonable prices for high quality.

A fantastic spot for a Sunday roast, complete with a charming timber-framed conservatory that adds to the cozy atmosphere. I brought my parents here for a birthday celebration, and it exceeded our expectations. The staff were attentive, and the portion sizes were perfect. Highly recommend for a memorable meal!

Lovely pub, everything was perfect.

I went there with my son his 21st birthday with my dad and daughter. The food was amazing and service brilliant and friendly. Will definitely be back highly recommend.

We had lunch at the Royal Oak last Saturday. It wasn't as busy as I expected, the service was excellent, as was the food. I can recommend the Cornish Hake and Hazlenut and Blueberry Panna Cotta and the prices were appropriate for the quality of the food. We hope to visit again soon and try more of the menu.

We had dinner here midweek and were totally impressed. The atmosphere was realaxed and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was one of the best meals I have eaten in years. The dishes were imaginative and beautifully presented, every mouthful was a delight. Can't wait to come back and stay the night.

Thought we'd visit James May's pub. Really beautiful place and very peaceful. Loads of parking round the back. Had the burger with chips and the fish znd chips. Very tasty.

Best flat steak I have ever had!

Lovely stay with friendly and helpful staff. The food was out of this world one of the best I’ve tasted on my many travels around the world.

Easy to find along narrow country roads. Needs a bit of redecoration externally to present an upmarket feel. The inside is fine. I liked the Annie Field pictures (for sale) because they made a huge difference to the ambience. I am not a big eater, so the burger in a bap was compared with other venues and it was delicious. The bap, the burger with bacon and chutney, and fries went down a treat with a fine cider. My wife had the cheese souffle and enjoyed it immensely. I will go for that next time. There is a 12.5% addition to the bill for staff. Normally I don't pay tips but they made the experience memorable and worth it. Prices were higher than normal by a few £ but it was well worth paying for the tasty food. The atmosphere was relaxing and the customers were a good class of people. Looking forward to visiting again.

Had wanted to come here for a very long time as wanted to try this infamous pub owned by James may and it did not disappoint. The restaurant/ bar was huge and had a variety of drinks available. I tried James’s Asian parsnip gin and it was absolutely gorgeous.

Fantastic visit and great food. Just what we needed after a visit to Haynes from Cornwall.

A very nice rural pub indeed, with decent unpretentious pub food. Good to see on their website that they welcome interest groups, as we are MGBGT+V8 and the surrounding area offers perfect winding lanes for that wholesome pursuit.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. Well worth the drive. Highly recommended, enough said.

I have been looking forward to coming here for a very long time and the wait was worth it. The food, service and ambience was just perfect. I can't wait to have the opportunity to return soon.

Stunningly beautiful pub in tranquil surroundings, fantastic service offering high-grade restaurant quality food. Would rate well above gastro-pub but still in that price bracket. Thoroughly recommend for anyone to visit, regardless of ownership. We were passing en-route while on vacation, very tempted to visit on our way home. Recommend booking.

Nice food, good service. Enjoyed our visit here.

Saw that they were offering shooting and deer stalking as prizes for a raffle so knew i had to go along, amazing food and hope i win the deer stalking prize in the raffle.

Planning to book for vacation Not now due to offering prizes for Deer Stalking & Shooting.

I was going to book a table here with my family, but then saw that they were offering shooting and deer stalking as prizes for a raffle. I’m afraid I can not support a location that tortures animals for fun. I will rebook elsewhere.

Only stopped for a pint, looks a really nice place

Brilliant prices, fantastic hospitality, amazing food, and the essence of a real British pub, absolutely loved it and will be back soon!

Great food, reasonably priced. Very happy with the service too. A real hit, will be returning very soon.

I was on a road trip through the UK from Sweden with my Defender and stopped by and enjoyed a great dinner. Bought a couple of bottles of Asian parsnip gin Great service. Would really recommend popping by😁

First off, the rooms are spacious and well equipped. We stayed for one night, but could of spent many more comfortably. Second off, the restaurant was fantastic. Dinner wes exceptional! The service was excellent and the staff were cheerful and genuinely nice to talk to. We were lucky enough to bump into Mr may too. Swallowcliffe is a beautiful village worth visiting for walks and scenery. Overall, The Royal Oak is the best pub I have stayed at. I would recommend all to try this place out.

A nice hotel out in the countryside. Nice room with plenty of space and a nice bathroom. The food at the hotel was good. We got a steak which was not ok. It was exchanged for a new one immediately without any comment from the staff

We had Sunday lunch at the pub and were extremely happy with both the service and the food. Everything we ate and drank (bloody Mary, kimchi fritters, beef sirloin roast, pork roast, lemon posset) was delicious. The bloody Mary was fun because it was made with James American Mustard Gin, which you could definitely taste. The veggies that came with the roast were super fresh, and the meats were perfectly cooked. Furthermore, the staff were kind, and the pub and garden were really lovely. I would absolitely come back!

Excellent pub,Excellent staff, lovely little place.

Had one night there very quiet and drinks food exalent

A brilliant little pub with fantastic food and a great location

Absolutely fantastic food and service times were OK, staff could do with communicating or having their own zone as we were asked for mains and drinks orders multiple times and the table behind us was 'forgotten' for a period of time and had to call someone over to order. However it did seem busy with an event/ pre wedding party which most likely contributed to the confusion. Other than that an absolute 10/10 on the experience.

On a family trip to Dorset we spent an afternoon at the Royal Oak for lunch and would definitely recommend for anyone to pay a visit. The food was delicious and good variety on the menu, plus great drink options available. All staff were very friendly and attentive and made for an overall enjoyable experience. To add was pleasantly surprised by the bill - all was very affordable and will be looking forward to paying another visit.

This was one of our must does on our trip it is tucked away but so worth a visit. We stopped in for a drink and it was the cleanest, neatest and best pub we had visited in the UK and we where there for 5 weeks. We never had time to try the food but the menu did look so tempting....maybe next time. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner who took the time to talk to us even though he was extremely busy a total gentleman.

Beautiful old pub, set in classic English country. Great food & service. It was fun (not) driving there with the narrow roads, but well worth it!

I enjoyed a lovely 'Sixpenny Handley' ale and a Burger for lunch. Lovely setting, happy helpful staff. I can thoroughly recommend.

Fantastic Pub!! We will be back! Coming next month!! :)

An absolutely splendid meal. Can't wait to return.

Great pub just a short walk from where we were staying

Fantastic place, great food outstanding service

Great food and service. Will certainly return UPDATE. Returned June 24. Wanted to have the set lunch menu as enjoyed this last time. Was still listed on their website, so booked a table. Upon arrival discovered this was not offered. Was told the set lunch ended a few months ago, which begs the question why they don't update their website. Service much poorer than last time. No prices on drinks menu. Probably won't bother again.

It was also amazing! The pudding was a surprise which has a flavor of achohol at the end. The fish & chips was also amazing!

Pub in the English countryside, charming little house very well decorated, we had dinner and we loved it. Very good quality food, very well prepared. They have a children's menu. It's not a cheap place but it's well worth it. We had the zucchini fritties and the kimchi fritties. We recommend the double-cooked cheese soufflé. You can eat outdoors and inside the premises. Very friendly waiters

We stayed here one night in June. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The room was disappointing. Grubby bedcover and all over quite shabby. Sadly disappointing. Won’t be recommending to others, or returning.

Good country pub with nice food.

Nice food, friendly service, reasonable prices. Looking forward to my next visit.

Great little pub with very good food. I had their signature Royal Oak burger and it didn’t disappoint. The girls had dessert which the loved. The service from the staff was first rate and the prices were really good. Glad we travelled 17000 kilometres to sample it.

Whilst out of the way a little & it’s not exactly in the best of conditions, the pub has considerable charm within a small quintessential English village. I’d totally recommend to anyone passing.

Lovely location, friendly staff, we did ask for more drinks and the server didn't come back so we had to order from the bar. Very few vegan options and no vegan mains on the Sunday menu although the chef was Abe to accommodate us and the food was very nice

Lovely pub serving food that’s more interesting and sophisticated than your usual pub fare, but not too fancy (or expensive). Dog friendly and child friendly. Glorious beer garden under a big oak tree would make for a perfect way to shelter from the sun on a hot day. Gritchie ales on tap.

Such a lovely place. We didn’t come here by coincidence if you know what I mean, and were not disappointed. But either way, great and tranquil pub with live music and amazing food. We were left particularly impressed by the service who managed to organise us food despite not having prebooked to eat (sunday roast). We walked here and got unlucky with the weather on the way back - besides this not a bad way of getting here. We will return for sure!

We drove here for a nice pub lunch. They serve a very juicy burger! It was so filling that I couldn't eat many of my chips. Service was very good to start with but we had a little trouble finding someone to take our payment. Lovely garden. The car park was overflowing when we arrived but the pub wasn't full. I can recommend a visit.

Recently visited for an evening meal, service was spot on, less than 10 minutes from ordering to the first course being delivered and really good quality food at that. Prices reasonable for the good quality. Definitely come back again!

Went for a birthday meal and the quality of the food wasn’t great and nor was the service, we had been many times before and it had always been a very good experience. I emailed them to say how bad it was and they reassured me they would look into the points I had raised. Also offered 15% off the food if we came again. As most people know the service charge is 12and a half percent so this offer was no real offer and more of an insult so we won’t go back. They get three stars as it was the first time it had been bad which was a great shame.

Lovely Sunday roast, and good beers. May have had a last ever Gritchie Lore!

Wonderful Sunday lunch, delicious food and a lovely outdoor seating area.

The all-round perfect Country Pub.Looks great inside and out.I wish it was possible to lift the whole place up and transport it much closer to our home.But then we would probably spend way way too much time in there.

Great place, came here hoping to see James May, ended up staying (and even coming back) for the amazing staff, food, drinks etc. ❤️

James May's tour on What Next? got me curious, and I finally decided to take the hour jaunt across the backroads of Wiltshire. I was not disappointed. The location is charming, with a feeling of a friendly local and gastropub perfectly combined. The food was excellent, and the service impeccable. Highly recommended.

A real proper English Pub with proper grub and drinks. Nice environment, gardens were pleasant

Wonderful meal, started with scallops which were delicious and the heritage tomato salad which was sublime. Followed with cheese soufflé that melted in the mouth but came with a tangy punch, perfectly complemented with the tomato and watermelon salad. The skate was delicious. Ended with the pancetta which was the perfect ending. Many thanks and highly recommend.

I couldn’t work out what I had in my last visit whilst looking at the drinks menu. In the end, I thought best to just have a tap water for now. The young man serving seemed infuriated at my choice, despite my partner purchasing a drink. He then talked and laughed in front of colleges at a loud volume, “after all that, she just wanted a tap water” making us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. We planned to stay for more than one and sit down for food, but we simply left shortly afterwards. Certainly not what we had expected as our past visits had been great, but shall not be returning in the future.

Wonderful family experience and lovely food and drink, highly recommended!

I've been a few times , it's inconsistent on both food and service This time both were below grade I think you should remove the automatic gratuity so that clients don't feel forced to pay it and it reminds staff to be attentive

Very very nice pub, great food, can be hard to get to as bad roads but when you get there it is worth it!

James May's pub! Beautiful location, gorgeous interior. Staff were very welcoming. We had a roast pork and a roast chicken Sunday lunch...hats off to the chefs! Best Roast dinner I have had, the meat was tasty, succulent and plenty of it. 5 veg including a really good cauliflower cheese, Yorkies, roasties, stuffing, bread sauce and apple sauce respectively. And for around £17! The staff were exceptionally welcoming and even had a chat with us about the wonderful artwork on display for sale. Added bonus of Peroni on draught and a wine menu with a humourous twist. Will definitely be back!

A real gem of a pub in a pretty village location. Great food - all the dishes we had were well presented and tasty! As a wheelchair user it was refreshing to find good level access into and around the pub and a disabled toilet (more difficult than you think, to find these!) We spoke to one of the staff about fitting a vertical grab rail to the right of the toilet, to help access. He thought that was doable. All done as a friendly suggestion. We will definitely revisit.

Fantastic birthday dinner. Absolutely delicious. We will be back.

Stayed for one night and had dinner and breakfast. Overall a nice pub in a very rural location. The staff were all friendly. The rooms were large. The dining area is nice. My starter was lovely but unfortunately the mains let the meal down. 3 of us had steak, none of which were cooked as requested, with one being sent back. Breakfast was nice. Would stay again, hopefully just got unlucky with the steak.

Best pub roast I’ve had, and very reasonably priced. Excellent service, my mum and I had a fantastic experience. Will be back!

Great food, lovely rooms, brilliant staff.

Only popped in for a pint, the place looked lovely, plenty of space

Chris, the manager gave us a very warm welcome. All the other staff were lovely and the food was exceptionally delicious. Would definitely return!

We came here for lunch on our way from London to Bath. The food quality was great and tasted wonderful. Staff were friendly and the weekday lunch set menu was very wallet friendly too! Would love to come back here again and maybe stay at the inn!

Only ate here, but a very good experience. Will gladly return.

Didn't stay but had lunch. Very nice. Four courses, very fancy with things like negroni jelly (pictured) and pickled grapes and smoked golden beetroot. Overall five people £350 good value for such fancy food

Delicious food and lots of gluten free options. Would highly recommend it!

Excellent in Every way. Lovely staff, great food, comfortable rooms, lovely location. Wasn't until we were there that we realized it is James May's pub!

This is my first review without visiting the place. I'm not sure if I'll be able to visit The Royal Oak at all. I'm the biggest fan of the "trio" in my country, which is Georgia. And when I found out about Dr. May's pub, it became my "dream to visit" place. I love beer and I love wine (white wine especially). My father's been making an exceptional wine his whole life. Nothing will make me happier to finish the day with fine wine in The Royal Oak and start the new day with a few pints of beer. I'll try my best to come, even if it'll take me years.

Beautifully decorated pub/hotel. We stayed in the Ashcombe room, which was very tastefully decorated, with a roll top bath. The breakfast was of top quality, and plenty of it. We ate evening meal there also, which again, was of good quality, and plenty of choices on the menu. As part of a large group, taking up 5 of the 6 rooms, complete with some dogs with us, the staff made us all feel so welcome, and they couldn't do enough for us. We also go to spot the Boss when he popped in for a drink. Legend! Would thoroughly recommend, and is most definitely on our radar to head to when we go back to the area in the future. Thank you to all the team.

After reading the great reviews about The Royal Oak, we were not disappointed, from the moment we arrived the staff looked after us, lunch was amazing, cooked to perfection, great atmosphere, a most enjoyable time. We will be back.

Meal only. Excellent food if a little expensive, however, good value

Went here for my wife's birthday and it didn't disappoint. The food was well presented and of a very high standard, and the wine list both interesting and fairly priced. A very good welcome and the atmosphere of the restaurant was calm and comfortable. We will be back.

Short one page menu . Seasonal , but also some adventurous ideas Lamb shank tagine ,seafood options , few “classics” Will cater for children . Service very good ., short wine list , good range Lovely pub and dining rooms , modern extension flagstones and oak furniture . Good bar and selection of ales Highly recommended