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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

PRICE RANGE
€5 - €23
CUISINES
Bar, British, Pub, Grill
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
View all details
meals, features, about
Reviews (339)
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337 results
Traveller rating
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LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
188
90
22
21
16
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile

This pub has had mixed reviews but we gave it a try and we enjoyed our visit. The bar had a mix of tourists and locals and a friendly atmosphere. The beers we had tasted really good. The Sunday roast was delicious - we tried...the roast beef and the chicken. Everybody enjoyed their food. The meat was cooked well, lots of gravy and a good amount of well cooked veggies on the side along with homemade Yorkshire puddings. We had dessert - Dorset apple cake (very good) and sticky toffee pudding (very good but would have liked a bit more sticky toffee sauce!) The staff were friendly and efficient and we would happily return.More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 4 February 2024

Lovely atmosphere in a great village pub. Had Sunday lunch table booked well in advance.Long wait as pub was busy. Food was very well cooked and presented but portions were small. Although advertised no Yorkshire puddings available with roast beef couldn’t believe at 1pm they...had run out nothing extra offered in exchange.More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 24 October 2023

I booked with Denise on their website for our family of 10 folk we preordered our meals and were very pleased with the quality and service.

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed 18 October 2023

Shame, the lady at the bar was really nice and was very helpful, had 3 different beers and each one smelt and tasted of vinegar, would hate to see the state of the lines and the cellar.

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 24 September 2023

We were very impressed with the Royal Oak. The staff members were very friendly, the food was excellent, my husband had the game pie and I had the beef madras curry both meals were delicious, there is also a good choice of ales. I would...definitely go back for another visit. Highly recommend.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 25 September 2023

Thank you so much for your review - it means a lot to our hardworking staff ! We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Reviewed 6 September 2023 via mobile

We arrived in the village on a late Friday afternoon and decided to try and find somewhere to eat. Everywhere was booked up except this place. As we walked in, it smells of stale old beer. The floor of a sticky as was the table,...which had not been cleaned in sometime. Just had a feeling that I didn’t want to stay. We went to the bar where a girl was on her own. I asked if there was any of the seating and she said no, I return to the table answer to my husband. I didn’t want to eat here as a family as it wasn’t clean. She then came over and offered drinks. We declined and politely left. Thankfully the road truck had arrived so we ate then had a beautiful meal our Airbnb. I know the owners are not going to be like this, but it does say something when all the other establishments are booked up and yours has three old man and a dog sitting in itMore

Date of visit: August 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 25 September 2023

This is a very strange review - the first time someone has taken the time and effort to leave a review without having been a customer! I wonder which Friday you chose to walk into our pub as September 6th was a Wednesday ? And...More

Reviewed 29 August 2023 via mobile

Great pub serving excellent pub food. We walked in to this lovely characterful pub on a busy Bank Holiday Monday said we had not booked and asked for a table for four. The staff were all very pleasant and we all chose various pies and...they were really good. Lovely homemade fare. Good beers and a great atmosphere. This pub has not been changed to a gastro pub but kept its history. We will be backMore

Date of visit: August 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 30 August 2023

Thank you so much for your lovely review - it means so much to our hardworking staff to get that sort of feedback! We do hope to see you again very soon. Thanks again

Reviewed 28 August 2023 via mobile

Delicious Sunday roast! Best roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, lovely! We also enjoyed the huge chocolate brownies and Dorset apple cake. Great service, friendly cheerful staff and great atmosphere. Dog friendly too!

Date of visit: August 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 30 August 2023

Thank you so much for your lovely review - it means so much to our hardworking staff to get that sort of feedback! We do hope to see you again very soon. Thanks again

Reviewed 14 August 2023 via mobile

Wonderful old English pub with lots of atmosphere Good selection of beers and cider. We had the Sunday roast, the pork belly was cooked well, and a good selection of veg. Cerne Abbas is an amazing village to look around and the Cerne Abbas giant...is always worth a lookMore

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 11 August 2023 via mobile

Terrible experience at this pub yesterday lunch. Ordered two flat whites and a slice of apple cake, over £9, fair enough if decent. The girl serving was clearly not pleased to have customers, and pulled a few faces she thought wouldn’t register. We should’ve walked...out at this point. The coffees were utter slop, literally as if they’d just poured the drip tray into two cups. Tea leaves and coffee grounds in my coffee. Literally two sips each and we had to leave it. The cake didn’t arrive for a while. Went inside to investigate, and the kitchen door was open. They’ve got a sign saying ‘HOT BEER, LOUSY FOOD, BAD SERVICE’ inside. Oh, how they must laugh at the customers as they dish up this absolute dishwater. Wish we’d gone to one of the other pubs a stone’s throw away.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 13 August 2023

I must say i find this review very strange. Firstly we have a full commercial Italian coffee machine, Its a machine and can very occasionally go wrong although i believe that's very rare. Of course you only had to bring the coffee's back and they...More

Reviewed 5 August 2023

Besides the lovely picturesque exterior, the cosy atmosphere inside, good food and great beer garden, we greatly enjoyed the warm welcome. Mark

Date of visit: July 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 7 August 2023

Thank you for your great review - we do our best to welcome people to this historic pub in the unique and beautiful village of Cerne Abbas.

Reviewed 31 July 2023

Had a bad experience today, had Sunday lunch with 2019 award winning food, so was highly recommended, however since then I guess the chef must have left.. I never trust Beef as I do not like chewy meat which it can be, my Wife loves...beef and is not sensitive to chewy or even gristly meat, it arrives, my Wife looked at it and said how pale the beef looked, took a bite and was still chewing it after a full minute, so decided it was inedible, the Lovely mature Aus/NZ lady apologised and offered chicken/belly pork or Salmon as an alternative, my Wife chose Salmon, as the Lady said it would be quicker to cook than any of the meat, & I was already halfway thru my belly pork choice, around 12 minutes past and the Salmon arrived, I had finished my meal, and my Wife now started hers, biting into the Salmon, it felt jelly like, on closer inspection, unfortunately it was clearly raw, that was enough, we left without my Wife eating, and although the apologies came flooding in, we paid full price for my meal and our 2 drinks, kind of thought 1 drink might have been knocked off of our bill or even my meal, or a sweet offered as this was a disastrous experience, My Wife was a little sensitive for the rest of the day, unfed and miffed, all due to an incompetent chef, how you can undercook a small piece of Salmon is unfathomable. But it happened, staff very pleasant, food extremely disappointingMore

Date of visit: July 2023
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Bob Jones, Owner at The Royal Oak, responded to this reviewResponded 8 August 2023

I am very sorry your meal was not up to our usual high standard. As i explained to you, for the first time our usual locally reared Aberdeen Angus Beef was not available that week. I did take one of your drinks off your bill...More

Reviewed 16 July 2023

Lovely roast today! Friendly staff great service all round. Desert was also spot on very tasty. Definitely returning soon

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 11 July 2023

Excellent food. Top notch in fact. Great service and very pleasant too. Would definitley go back if in the area again.

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 7 July 2023

We popped in today and had lunch ,it was fantastic meal ,my grandson had the burger which he loved ,my wife had the steak pie and I had the chicken and leak .All was cooked to perfection,well done ,we will be back again,a lovely old...pub and great staff.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
Ask a question
natashahK6906WP
16 September 2018|
AnswerShow all 4 answers
Response from Q8645ZBpatriciag | Reviewed this property |
I had a great tasty butternut squash soup that was vegan, gluten and nuts free.
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Julie H
3 August 2017|
AnswerShow all 6 answers
Response from Speedydize | Reviewed this property |
Hi sorry for not replying before but I’ve been unwell. Yes, children are welcome. I’ve been a regular at the Royal Oak since a 3 yr old as we lived in Cerne Abbas, my grandparents both worked for Lord Digby n my dad’s dad... More
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Maggie T
11 June 2017|
AnswerShow all 4 answers
Response from Royal O | Property representative |
We serve food between 6pm and 8pm on Sunday evenings.
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THE ROYAL OAK, Cerne Abbas - 23 Long St - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Royal Oak

The Royal Oak is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4