The Royal Oak, Pickering

Just back from a week's holiday in Pickering with my husband and my dad (79 yrs old). The Royal Oak was at the end of our street and because of the warm welcome we received from the landlady, staff and customers it became our local for the week. The pub is under new management and has been re-decorated and spruced up since our last visit. The staff were excellent and the food on offer is amazing - great menu choice and fabulous value - we ate there four out of our seven nights so we could try all the different meals. My hubby and dad enjoyed the Stella Lager and John Smith's beer. The bar area has plenty of comfortable seating and there is a separate dining room (although you can eat in the bar if you want to). There is a beer garden with picnic tables and parasols as well as a covered smoking area outside - also car parking at the front and rear of the pub. Dogs are also made very welcome with a water bowl ready and waiting for them. Great pub and would highly recommend.

Detached, white rendered cottage style pub with annex. The inside had a dining area in the larger cottage bit and an open plan area in the annex, with a bar and a pool table and dart board. The décor was black beam with heavy white artex, with a few old pictures and a parrot in a cage. The pub was clean and friendly enough, though the gaffer got angry (not with me!) when I returned the drink due to the thick lipstick mark on it. The few regulars up the bar agreed on the fact that lippy should be banned, otherwise it was quiet. Beer; usual tap stuff, with John Smith cask, which remained untested, Black Sheep bitter, that didn’t taste great, but there was Hook Norton, which was excellent. A so-so kind of of place really