The Royal Oak in Rochford

This is my first ever review. My wife and I are in our mid seventies and attended at 12 noon on Sunday and were seated in the large restaurant. It was freezing cold so we had to keep our coats on (as did the other diners). We ordered the beef and at first I was impressed with amount of meat. The meat was very dry on the top and near impossible to cut through. It looked like the meat had been left under a heat lamp for far too long. The roast potatoes were under cooked and hard in the middle. My wife found one of her potatoes to be black in the middle and her parsnip was gritty. The gravy however was very good. The whole premises was very clean and nicely decorated. I had to remind the waiter to get my drink as he had forgotten. Most of our meals were left. In conclusion, the heating should have been put on an hour before the restaurant opened and the food should have been started earlier. We were very disappointed as we had been looking forward to the visit.

Had an amazing meal could not not fault anything, all the staff was lovely . Seafood linguini was full of seafood and the build your own burgers wow

We visited The Royal Oak for a midweek treat and were not disappointed. The food was excellent, great choice on the menu, as well as a seasonal specials board. A friendly, warm welcome and good atmosphere. We will definitely return.

Not been back here for a few years and what a pleasant surprise - dog friendly - fabulous food - great prawn cocktail and lovely homemade pie and all at reasonable prices. Excellent wine - a bottle of Marlborough NZ Sauvignon Blanc (so many pubs only do Chilean now - such an inferior choice ) and great service from Tasha and Toby - we will definitely be back 🤗

Had a really lovely meal at The Royal Oak last night. We had the pie of the day which was steal & ale, it was full of tender tasty meat, also the Seabass Marinere. The fish was cooked to perfection and the sauce was really good. Very good service even though they were dealing with a table of 21 at the same time. Very reasonably as well.

Me and my boyfriend had a delicious lunch today here at The Royal Oak. The food was amazing. We had a roast dinner and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. A lovely atmosphere, busy afternoon and when you walk into The Royal Oak thr smell of the food was mouth watering. Thank you to everyone for a lovely Sunday lunch I will highly recommend to anyone.

Really good roast, staff very welcoming and fantastic service. We came at 12pm as it just opened and were in the pub part, it felt very cold. I think it needed heating on or a nice burning fire to create that ambiance. I would have given 5 stars for the little extra feel. Would definitely go back but would like to try the restaurant part.

Lovely home cooked food and excellent service, and dogs are allowed in the pub side, which is perfect for us … definitely worth a visit.

The Royal Oak is a true gem; a traditional homely pub and restaurant. The menu isn’t huge but it’s supplemented by a specials board which adds variety for regulars. The food is excellent quality, freshly prepared and cooked and is well presented; this is NOT a mundane pub chain with heated up mass produced food. The staff are friendly and attentive but not overbearing. We had a starter of king prawns in garlic and chilli butter with crusty bread from the specials board. For main we had pie of the day, steak and ale, served with fresh broccoli and carrots and mashed potatoes topped with crispy onions. Both courses were delicious and plentiful. Without doubt, I would have both again. I was very tempted to have a dessert, the cherry pie caught my eye in particular, but sadly I was too full to manage one. Maybe next time! Thank you to all at The Royal Oak. Keep up the great work!

I've visited twice in the last week after visiting nearby Wallasea Island. Service is quick and friendly. Great choice on the menu of wholsome food served in decent portion sizes. Would personally recommend the pie of the day and the sticky toffee pudding. Very reasonable prices. What I like is that it's proper home cooked food.

We visited whilst staying in a local hotel. The pub felt warm, cosy, and welcoming from the moment we walked in. We were greeted by really lovely, smiley waitresses and shown to our table. Unfortunately we waited an hour for our food, whilst other tables that had come in after us were receiving starters and mains! The girls did apologise and chased the order. As a good gesture we were given free deserts. The food was worth the wait! I had lasagna, and my husband had the cod. It was cooked to perfection, hot, and a really generous portion. The brownie was bar far the best I had ever eaten! Despite the wait, I would highly recommend this place, and I cant wait to visit again.

Having had a meal at the Royal Oak I can honestly say that I am very impressed and we will going back soon. Staff were very warm and welcoming. Food was amazing. Service was great. And the warm fire added to that counrty pub feel

Absolutely wonderful food and the staff are brilliant. Been here multiple times and been amazing every time.

Imagine driving out to a country pub in winter roaring log fires and great food. Alas this was not the case at The Royal Oak. On arrival the temperature inside was about the same as outside very cold. The heating system consisted of a very small log burner and two clapped out radiators this is totally inadequate i spent the afternoon wearing a scarf. The meal i chose whitebait for starter which was ok followed by pie of the day shortcrust pastry steak and stilton with vegetables. The pie was certainly not of this day the pastry was as hard as nails and the meat was overcooked possibly caused by reheating, For a drink i had a pint of ale Rudolph which was sent back too cloudy to drink. On reflection would you sort out the heating and the pie of the day is of this day.

Pub and eating area cold, drinks very expensive, food very poor and served on cold plates, we have eaten here before and was good, unfortunately in my opinion the food was terrible and expensive

Bar staff were fantastic and food was lovely, however the bar was very cold, bar staff advised we will sit you near the radiator so that you are warm, but the heating wasn't even on!!! Given the lack of heating I wont be going back, I dont spend £35 per head to sit in a freezing cold pub.

Beautiful old pub Attentive and lovely staff Best egg ham n chips ever Amazing apple n cinnamon 😍 pie 🥧 Great old worldly atmosphere 👌 10 out of 10 ❤️❤️❤️

Food was very good, the staff amazing (thank you Chloe) for looking after us. After dinner drinks round the fire was great. Thank you again merry Christmas. We will be back in new year

We ate in the restaurant this weekend for a family gathering. Despite us being a table of 10 and another table of 25 filling the rest of the restaurant space within half an hour we found that everything ran smoothly, staff were efficient and friendly and everyone’s food arrived promptly and as ordered. Portion sizes were more than enough, and everyone found their dishes tasty. Some ordered from the Christmas menu which we thought was great value at 3 courses for £32.95 - and the beautiful Christmas decorations gave a lovely atmosphere! We’ll be back soon!

I came here for the curry night… and they did not disappoint. The beef in the Rogan Josh was so tender and flavoursome! Me and my partner also shared the sides sharing platter which consisted of homemade onion Bahjis, poppadoms and garlic naan… Homemade Bahjis...

Waitress/manager very helpful and professional, but ordered food, and had to wait an hour before it came out!! Ordered lasagne, that came out burnt, The other half ordered the potato skins, the skins were so hard she couldn’t cut into them easily, very over done!...

Used to love this place but recently has gone down hill. Last few visits we have been freezing! Landlord refused to turn the heating on and other customers were sitting eating meals in they're coats! Portion sizes are a lot lot smaller than we remember...

A warm welcome, but actual temperature was cooler despite the lovely log fire. Menu was substantially reduced due to several dishes being off! But we both enjoyed our shared starter of ribs and whitebait, and were very grateful for the generous extra napkins supplied! Our...

We hadn't visited before but my wife and I are trying out local pub-restaurants. Both of us started with the Duck Liver Parfait which was really tasty and very nice. My wife then had the Crispy Belly Of Pork which she said was delicious and...

Booked for a Saturday evening family meal. Initially the wasn't particularly warm. The starters - the prawns in the prawn cocktail were watery and tasteless and the bread was dry, the white bait was overfried. The mains - surprised to be told that there was...

OMG - Roast to die for. Both of us had the bruschetta to start. A simple dish, but it was bursting with flavour. The bruschetta was warm topped with tomato, red onion & grated mozzarella. I had the roast chicken and my husband had the...

Another lovely Tuesday night dinner.Delicious food as always,a lovely warm welcome.It was a very busy night and Tasha was amazing greeting everyone with a smile. compliments to her and the chef!

Popped in for lunch not been for a while and it was absolutely lovely no complaints at all the portion sizes are huge 😁 we had ribs and scampi was most enjoyable and the staff are very friendly and attentive

With a friend I have been a regular visitor for lunch almost every Monday. This week aside from holidays and exceptions we once again had lunch with drinks and were as usual delighted with both service and quality. Nothing seems too much for the bar...

Beautiful country pub with friendly , helpful staff … their selection of drinks is fantastic and their food is amazing ! Great variety and cooked to perfection! Can’t wait to eat here again

So originally booked a different place for Sunday lunch but cancelled due to terrible reviews. Thought we’d give the Royal Oak a try after reading good reviews so glad we did. On arrival the pub looked amazing so pretty with its floral baskets. Although the...

Great meal at the Royal Oak. Roast dinner was very good, but the apple pie was to die for. Very friendly staff. Thank you Tasha, Harry and Chelsea. A special thanks to Francis for being such an awesome host.

Haven't been here for a good few years after a disappointing visit with friends. After checking recent reviews we decided to give it another try and we were very glad we did. The staff were fabulous, informative and friendly without being intrusive. We had a...

Excellent Sunday Roast, first time trying out the Royal Oak Sunday roast and was blown away, will be returning with the family. Service was brilliant and pub had lots of character

We visit this pub ever so often. The quality of food, friendliness of the staff and selection of drinks never ceases to amaze me. I would totally recommend this pub to any friends or family. 10/10

We visit the Royal Oak once a week for a drink and dinner.We are always happy with the food and service.It’s a real pub with a friendly atmosphere and excellent food

Another great meal, food amazing as always. Looking forward to next time already. Couldn’t fault the friendly team

The place was lovely and quiet, good beer and even after an issue with the first meal my wife chose, the food was still great. The issue was resolved quickly and her meal and replacement meal were taken off the bill as an apology. Can’t...

The owner Frances was so helpful and found us a table on a very busy Fathers Day. Great choices on menu. Amazing food! Service was fab and we weren’t hurried. Decent prices for such good food. We will return.

Lovely quick food, and superb service, our waitresses Chloe and Chelsea went above and beyond expectations with their service - unfortunately I have had to remove a star due to the absolute state of the carpark - loose stones and rocks everywhere which flicked up...

We were taking our daughter out for her Birthday and decided to go to The Royal Oak. We have been here on several occasions so we know the food and hospitality are exquiset And once again we were not disappointed many thanks all at Royal...

The best pub dinner I have since coming out of Covid. Service was the best and food was amazing.if you are in Southend you should check it out.

Back again for another Sunday lunch, such a great atmosphere when you walk in all the staff are so friendly and very helpful. The food is amazing served quick, you will not be disappointed. Can recommend the share platter soo good and great value for...

Went to the royal oak for a nice drive out and some food after a reccomendation from a friend. Wow ! We had two of the specials on offer and rest from the main menu. Service was fantastic and food was superb. Portions were very...

Sprung 34 people on the pub because the cherry tree down the road. Cancelled our booking on the day. The royal oak came through. Big time the manager that took us on was amazing and top class. The food and drink are amazing and affordable....

This pub is regularly suggested as a place to go on the local FB pages. We was not disappointed. The food is not your average pub grub. Better. Everyone really friendly. We asked about their allergy menu so we could bring our children and they...

I came for lunch today we had off the specials the chicken roulade which was amazing. The service was attentive but not intrusive from Chloe and Chelsea. We will be back.

Toby was a great host! Made us feel very welcome and comfortable. He gave us food recommendations and was attentive to our needs without imposing on our lunch. The food was wonderful and we will be back as soon as possible! Thank you so much...

Another fantastic meal at The Royal Oak in Rochford yesterday. The food is amazing, thank you Chef! The flavours are delicious and fantastic portion sizes, even for the children’s menu. Not had a bad meal there yet! The service is extremely good, especially from our...

Today's Easter lunch was AMAZING. Firstly, the menu was great and suited everyone (thanks for sorting the vegan starter). The starters were a great size and well made and tasty. The fact that you asked if we'd like the kids food cooked first was really...

The batted cod was the very best I had would highly recommend this pub for a beer or wine and the food that they serve is brilliant

Had a wonderful meal home made steak and kidney pudding the food was delicious fresh veg and our waitress Tasha was excellent

Lovely Sunday roast, meat sliced nice and thick and there was plenty of it. Roast potatoes had been cooked or been under the heater for a bit too long but that’s being picky. Thanks to Tasha and Toby for making the visit a pleasure xx

Me and my family went to the Royal Oak for Sunday lunch. We were warmly greeted on arrival and sat at a large round table close to an open fire which was lovely & most welcome as the day was cold, wet and miserable. Our...

Visited the royal oak today with gf and friends for Sunday lunch. Food was excellent (roasts all round), had a couple of local breweries on tap and Francis, Amanda and Toby were great friendly hosts.

Great place and food lovely friendly service by Toby, Amanda’s and Frances with an E! We will be going back for sure👍🏻

Not been here for a couple of years but really well worth a visit. We were warmly greeted and shown to a table even without a booking. Food and drinks were promptly served and delicious. Thank you Chloe & Chelsea for making us very welcome...

Super friendly staff and delicious, great value food. We had 2 roast platters between the four of us. No starters but some of us had desserts. Food was delicious and enormous! They kindly wrapped what we couldn’t eat in foil for takeaway!

Food and service (from Tasha and Chloe) was excellent. I had the venison and mushroom pie and my Mum had the steak & kidney pudding. Both were really tasty and portion size was incredible. Nice ambience and a lovely open fire made things feel nice...

I had the ribeye steak which was absolutely phenomenal. Great atmosphere and my servers Natasha and Chelsea where amazing so helpful and gave us a very warm welcome I would 100% recommend this pub for a great experience and excellent food

We had lunch here today with my elderly Mum. We have eaten here many times and we are never disappointed. Food and service is always top class. Many thanks to Tasha, Toby, and Chelsea, who looked after us extremely well thank you.

Had a lovely lunch yesterday at the Royal Oak. A friendly welcome from the staff, welcoming and attentive but never intrusive. We both chose the skate from the specials board. It was absolutely lovely, perfectly cooked and very tasty. We followed this with the sticky...

My mate and I booked a 1pm lunch and had a great time thanks to Chelsea and Natasha! We shared a starter, each had filling mains and saw lovely desserts but were too full :) looking forward to coming back again!

We had an amazing dinner here last week. Every dish was super tasty, and it was obvious that each dish had been cooked with love and attention. The service was really fantastic and we felt spoilt rotten. The best meal I’ve had in a long...

We were lucky enough to win a 6 course meal a while back (at a charity event) and recently had our meal. We were able to discuss meal suggestions with Raoul (head chef) and we let him design a fantastic menu for us. We had...

We were up for a family gathering and only booked at the last minute due to another place having to cancel due to kitchen issues. We were very happy with the food and the service was friendly and helped with a couple of food allergies...

I highly recommend the Royal Oak for a delicious and filling Sunday roast. Special thanks to Toby and Chelsea, our waiter and waitress for excellent friendly service!

Excellent food and service today. One one the best sea bass we've had. Will recommend and return soon.

Thanks to Toby and Tasha for a lovely Sunday roast with the family. All of the options were lovely and the staff were very speedy and helpful. Shoutout to the cauliflower cheese for being the best.

Came here with my wife for lunch. Big Thankyou to the Royal Oak pub for a lovely meal today. Especially Tasha & Toby who where super attentive and a credit to the team. Will definitely be returning!

First time visiting The Royal Oak, it was great! Friendly staff and great food and beer. Our waitress Abbie was also very attentive. Would highly recommend visiting this little gem. Photo of the biggest tastiest burger ever eaten!

I took my mum for a lunchtime bite - she needs a wheelchair now so the staff made sure we got to the table. Our dog was also offered water. The food was fantastic such large portions I couldn’t eat all of mine! Thanks Tasha...

Absolutely fabulous meal with very attentive staff in 'Abbie'. The food was fantastic as always and plenty of it. The staff had laid out the table nicely before we arrived with celebration decorations and we had a lovely evening. All in all a really enjoyable...

We sat in the bar, preferring this to the restaurant section. We were greeted warmly and asked promptly what we’d like to drink. The menu was extensive, with several daily specials and seasonal choices. We enjoyed delicious meals, all freshly cooked and with lovely fresh...

Meal was lovely, Chelsea and Toby were very attentive , we will definitely be back soon. The mixed meat roast platter for two was massive and very tasty!!

Just had a fantastic lunch at the Royal Oak. A lovely new years day menu which all seven of us enjoyed. Great atmosphere and friendly efficient service. Looking forward to many more visits in 2023.

We visited this fabulous pub/restaurant for their New Year brunch menu. The food was fantastic and the staff as always were friendly and welcoming. Could not recommend this place highly enough

Been here a few times to eat & the food is always excellent, & staff are always friendly. for starters we chose mushroom & tarragon pâté & smoked duck both excellent & cod loin special & rib eye steak for mains…surprisingly had food for dessert...

Came here with my husband for Saturday lunch and we both had the rosemary roasted pork loin which was so tasty. Desserts were delicious too - sticky toffee pudding that was sweet without being sickly and a fluffy tiramisu with rich coffee flavour. Staff were...

The best pub in Essex - atmosphere, staff and food 10/10. A special thank you to Frances, Amanda and Raoul!

Had a fabulous roast dinner on Sunday. It catered for all 12 of us and the food was fantastic. Generous portion of meats and veg, and a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant. Staff are always very friendly. I would highly recommend the Royal Oak!

Just moved to the village and thought I'd try out the local pub and was very impressed. Friendly staff and amazing food! Look forward to my next visit soon!

We visited the royal oak, not for the first time, today and the welcome was lovely and the atmosphere was so christmassy. Our food was amazing, the people who work there go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and i just love...

A lovely Sunday roast! The 3 meat platter for 2 is amazing!!! So much food, such good quality and even after both having double helpings we were still able to take leftovers home in a doggy bag! Our server Toby was great and super attentive....

What a great place for a Pre Christmas Sunday lunch The pub is decorated so beautifully, really friendly staff & the food was absolutely amazing, Highly Recommend

Excellent service and pleasant atmostphere, lovely toasty fire and an excellent lunch menu. Our waiter Toby was attentive and eager for us to enjoy the meal , the food was hot and cooked well . The food ordered was a menu special of seabass ,cajun...

What can I say….simply brilliant. Excellent service (Tracy is a treasure!!!) and food to die for. I had dill & white crab meat on a crumpet to start…followed by sea bass with new potatoes, asparagus, prawn & lemon butter sauce…perfect, cannot fault anything. Hubby had...

Wow, the Christmas menu did not disappoint! We were a family of 7, all had 3 courses each and the food was fab on every level! The staff were amazing and very attentive. The restaurant was decorated beautifully, and the table decorations were lovely. To...

Excellent food, plenty of it and very good value for money. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. My sister in law found this place by accident but we are very glad she did. It will not be too long before we go back....

Come here to take my Mother for Sunday lunch. Great food, great service and lovely atmosphere. Could not fault it. Will be coming back soon

Food was incredible. I had the special dirty Italian burger and it was amazing compliments to the chef. All the staff was soo kind.

Called in by chance and was lucky to be seated straight away. Service was super efficient. Food was excellent , piping hot . Wife had the chicken roast which top notch for a local pub . Special mention to our waitress , Abbie who ,...

Had a day off work so thought i would treat the wife to Sunday lunch, The food looked and tasted amazing, Friendly atmosphere and outstanding service, Thank you Chelsea ( our waitress ) very helpful we will definitely be coming back.

Exceptional food, presented perfectly with warm, friendly service. A great local pub with character, characters and a proper fire. The chef has worked in some top restaurants, but we could tell that before he told us. This is NOT pub food! Like Arnie, we’ll be...

Food was outstanding and all staff were very helpful and went out their way to make our meal perfect was our mums birthday meal Desserts was very nice aswell and the childrens portions was amazing THANKYOU all for a lovely meal We will be back...

Good food, friendly staff - exactly what you want from a local pub. As a veggie, there’s always a special on the menu. Delicious desserts. Recommend a visit if you pass by!

Family meal of six, large portions, great steak and kidney puddings, large fish pie, large cod n chips, good size sea bass meals, small issue that was dealt with quickly, will definitely use again.

We were a party of 6 including one wheelchair user. Toby was most helpful with access through the door and also sorting the table. All the food was of very good quality and plenty of it plus lots to choose from. A big thank you...

My partner and I visited the Royal Oak on Sunday after a prior visit when last in the area. That time we had a wonderful steak pie and hoped to have the same again - best pie I've had in years. Sadly not on the...

The food here was amazing and totally unexpected. Living locally I had heard it was good but this was more than good, it was the tastiest meal I’ve had in ages! Chelsea served us and she was pleasant, polite and friendly throughout which made it...