The Royal Oak, Malborough in South Hams

I normally like 'locals pubs', most people are fine if you're friendly. The landlord seemed to have an attitude, and it didn't come over well. He should perhaps put a sign up saying 'Only locals welcome '. It's been a long time since I encountered this and its a shame because the beer was decent. The other pub was friendly and welcoming and I'd recommend that one instead.

Great for a pint, chat, fish and chips

Old pub, tatty in need of a makeover (not modernising). Great staff and good beer

Fortunate to find this eclectic wonder whilst looking for somewhere to eat on a Friday evening.... A busy bar with just enough people to make it homely, without too many destroying the remarkable service or quality of food. My fish and chips and number one's burger were filling and well cooked, but it was the brie starter and home made garlic bread for a side dish which made the menu so amazing. Good food, well cooked, timely served and cooked to order... Oh, they also sell beer. Amazeballs.

Great little boozer, we had few games of pool and some lovely ale. Lots of character, in more ways than one. Thanks.

This hotel is a scam. They advertise as being fully refundable until 2 days before, but this is untrue. I've been trying to contact them for a week to cancel my booking and they're ignoring all communications from me and the booking platform, who has also been trying to contact them daily. Do not book if you might need the cancellation - they're looking to scam people.

Very disappointed. Barstaff helpful but landlord seems like he is in the wrong job with zero people skills. Would be a much nicer environment if he gave role to someone else or just stayed upstairs

Friendly eclectic pub. So nice to see a 'local' pub doing so well on a Tuesday night out of season.

Brilliant atmosphere, friendly staff!

The landlord, Jim, is the most helpful, friendly person you could wish to meet

We had a super stay at the Royal Oak, we booked all 3 rooms above the pub and stayed here with another small family, there were 7 of us in total - ( this consisted of a family room, double room and single room) the rooms were clean with everything you need and en-suites to every room)- loved all the decor and quirky touches . Close proximity to Hope Cove and salcombe with great walks on your doorstop - we had a superb roast with all the trimmings - Tim, staff and Coco the dog all super warm and friendly - Tim is a real character too - we had a great time at the Royal Oak - its a real pub with a heart and soul - we will definitely return and highly recommend:)

7 of us stayed for the weekend in all three rooms and had a lovely time. The pub is cosy and friendly, very local to beautiful Hope Cove and Salcombe. Walking distance to a handy Asda, easy free local parking, and a good old pool table to entertain us in the evenings. Comfy beds, hot showers, great beer and wine and a fabulous Sunday roast.

Shout out for Roxanne. Thanks for the hospitality.

Tim is a great host, produced a lovely meal at reasonable prices

Absolutely love this quirky pub, what a great place to stay. Tim was a great host. The room was lovely and clean and tidy and very comfy, Tim made up the sofa bed just before we arrived to make it more comfy for two friends staying together. I loved the vintage pieces of furniture, gave the room character. The food was cooked to order, fresh and very tasty. We had a cooked breakfast each morning, a fish and chips one evening and were lucky to be there for the quiz night to taste the delicious curry. The pub is untouched by clinical modernisation and has lots of crazy quirky collections about the pub, I found them interesting and lots of fun. There is a pool table, and out the back a small courtyard. The owner and all his staff we came into contact were lovely and friendly, we felt like we belonged. When we come again we will definitely be choosing to stay at the Royal Oak. Thank you for a very enjoyable stay 😁👍

Had a fabulous steak meal 😋 cooked to perfection, highly recommended 👌

Proper Pub, great beers and service family friendly

didn’t resemble anything like the pictures on their own website. Old fashioned slightly grubby pub very basic food, beer was ok, would probably go back for a pint.

Local drinking den that can, at times, be the only place in the village to get a pint and a meal. Some people may like its eclectic decor, others might not. Beer garden is a tad small. Whatever you might feel about the place, staff are real characters and friendly.

Stopped here recently as we intended on doing some walking around Salcombe. The reviews on line were mixed, but generally good. The pictures on the web-site also lead us to think it would be a good place to stay. The young lady and landlord are very helpful. The place, however, was a disappointment. There is an aroma of dogs around the place, even in the upstairs rooms. The place is cluttered, with things just left lying around. We stopped in a room above the beer garden, which was noisy until the pub closed. The pub has recently suffered through a lack of investment over recent years, and you will see that all the positive reviews are around two or three years old. The web site also uses "stock" images that are missleading.

Nothing about our visit was enjoyable. The beer tasted ghastly and was served by a very rude old man while a barmaid who sounded like she was Irish paid more attention to her phone. Avoid avoid avoid!

Food was delicious served by very friendly staff. One of the best pubs in the village. Try it and see...

Stayed here for 1 night as there was nothing else within reasonable distance. The rooms are very basic and feel grubby and furnished with frieky carvings and paintings, reminiscent of ' Silence of the Lambs '. The English breakfast was swimming in oil and poorly cooked. Very disappointing.

Very friendly local pub with great bands on every friday, we always have a fab time. First time eating tonight, home made fish pie special was amazing and the burgers were huge and very tasty. Would recommend to anyone without hesitation.

Really friendly welcome and great blues night need to come back again. Really enjoyed it. Beer was great and service was amazing

A really cosy and welcoming real pub. Friendly locals and a great landlord. A wide choice of real ales.

Tucked away from main road the pub is found in the heart of the village, friendly locals , great beer and atmosphere , saved my holiday with free wi fi that wasn't working in my cottage , any excuse for a drink ...nice one .

Well kept beer, good range of bar snacks, fantastic beer garden at the back which is a real sun trap, complete with heater for colder evenings, vines growing through the shelter and glorious greco-roman statues. This is a pub with an emphasis on quality, conversation and live music every single week without fail. The landlord is hilarious, the bar staff excellent and pub dog Mowgli greets every person with the same excitement. Drop in, order whatever guest ale is on, a packet of pork scratchings and sit out in the Devon sunshine!

I have always had good evening meals and good fried breakfasts, whenever I have stayed at the Royal Oak. The food is very good and the price is reasonable. With a good selection of drinks also available, I would certainly eat here again if I was in the area.

I really enjoyed my time here, all be it short. I stayed here overnight and enjoyed every last second. The manager (Tim) is a great bloke, and the bartender (I cannot remember her name) was equally fantastic! I also had the honour of meeting a couple of local people, who were friendly and welcoming alike. The room was great, being clean and well kept. I had plenty of room to move, and it was quiet. I was told of the amazing breakfast, but sadly missed it due to the previous nights merriment! (Sorry Tim). I will definitely stay here again if I come this way.

When one looks at the outside of the Royal Oak one thinks... "they've just converted a house to sell alcohol!" Never judge a book by its cover! Amazingly friendly staff, very friendly locals, a real character in the landlord, a decent selection of beers and ales, superb food, a fab little beer 'garden' and dog friendly to boot! My room, although on the small side, had everything one needed for a decent stay. TV, modern decor, wardrobe, 3-point plug socket, comfy bed and lovely statues and wall art. Only disappointment... no wifi. Not a major issue but would have been an added bonus.

Top pub - great food and friendly staff - well worth a visit - good selection of beers - landlord a real character - a good night guaranteed at the Royal Oak

Mi esposa y yo llamado en unas cuantas veces por una pinta de Ansome propiamente dicho. Era preciosa cerveza bien cuidado. Tim el propietario está muy orgulloso de su buena cerveza.

En nuestra ruta de Bath a Londres paramos a comer en Malborough, donde tomamos una hamburguesa que estaba buenísima y un correcto fish and chips en este pub/restaurante con un pure de guisantes que estaba mejor que los típicos guisantes verdes sosos que suelen poner. Los camareros muy amables y el servicio rápido. El precio fue correcto y acorde a la calidad de la comida. Además nos pedimos una tarta de caramelo que estaba muy buena y, por fin, pudimos tomar un buen cappuccino en Inglaterra, lo cual no suele ser habitual. Recomendable si estás por la zona.

Reservado para 11 personas por 12,45 el almuerzo de domingo. Éramos la única fiesta en el pub pidiendo comida inicialmente. Después de preguntar sobre el retraso, comida finalmente llegamos después 14,00 . El personal se excusa de que la cocina no daba abasto con 7 órdenes de pescado y patatas fritas y esperaba a pedir más asado cenas. actitud del personal era indiferente y maleducado. La comida cuando llegamos era pobre, el pescado era pasada y el acompañamiento de ensalada consistía en unas cuantas hojas de lechuga. Ten cuidado con la hamburguesa de cangrejo a menos que tenga en cuenta que es una "cangrejo sin cáscara suave" como el cangrejo viene completa. Otro grupo llegó a nosotros en 13,30 y a pesar de tener pedidos sus comidas (que eran asados) también experimentado retrasos inadmisibles. La reducción en la factura no compensaba la decepción general sufrida por todo nuestro grupo.

Don't go. Its not that good. There are soo many better places to go nearby. The landlord went out of his way to be rude and unhelpful.

I have spent lots of time in Salcombe and have never once thought about visiting Malborough. I noticed couple of the 'Devon' friends had liked this Pubs Facebook page and my news feed popped up with and interesting bit about the pub, which intrigued us.We arrived LATE into the area due to traffic and decided to stop here on the off chance of food, as it literally is on the way through to Salcome. Even though we were VERY late, just gone 21:00 on as off Season Thursday the place was full of happy people, the Landlord was more than happy to rustle something up himself as the Chef had already departed. Wasn't anything fancy but most definitely sufficed. we had a drink and ended up staying a lot longer than intended. we were there three days and treated the place as our local, we tried the food with the actual chef and it was terrific.We have now booked a place in the B&B upstairs and are now very much looking forward to our weekend away Easter.

After recomondations from a few people that the place was a great laugh I heard one of the bands we follow were playing here. We decided to drive down for the night, we soon discovered it was a great venue with great valued and delicious food. The locals are warm and friendly and the landlord very personable. Deffinatley revisiting SOON

We always pop into The Royal Oak when we're in Devon. The beer is great and the service is warm and friendly. The food is delicious and terrific value.

Love this pub, keep going back has everything a pub should have the food is always brilliant and delivered to a very high standard with an interesting menu that changes daily.

Dined on a Tuesday night after her indoors' found the place during a web search, menu looked good and the food also came with some heavyweight recommendation, most notably Nathan Outlaw. We were not disappointed, although the footy was on, and the place was near empty, it didn't spoil what turned out to be one of the best meals we've eaten in a while. I started with a wonderful artichoke soup which was so full of earthy flavour it warmed my soul, to follow I went for the pork belly, WOW, I often find pork belly is so often badly cooked, this was not the case here, the texture throughout was spot on, crispy on the outside, sweet and juicy through the core, I can still taste it now. Accompanied by some nicely done winter veg, it was the perfect antidote to cold Autumn evening. I'd go again tomorrow it was that good, all in all, confident, modern cooking with wonderful fresh ingredients. Nice work.