The Royal Oak The Grumpy Mole Oxted Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Setting

Pros:

• "The views in the garden were amazing and the atmosphere and service of the place was perfect."
• "Fantastic pub, seems like you have to know its there, a little bit of a hidden gem."
• "This Beautiful Picturesque Country Inn has it all."
• "The small bar areas are cosy with the log fires but there is also a restaurant area to the rear with views over the surrounding fields."
• "Wonderful country surroundings and as the weather was so nice we were able to sit outside."
• "This is a very nice area with a brilliant view out back and a forest right next to it which is good."
• "Fabulous setting in the garden."

Cons:

• "Thought the table setting was poor no table cloth just a horrid plastic looking table 🤔 which let the quality of the afternoon tea down."
• "Also an unpleasant smell in the beer garden, which has been there before and feels like a gutter issue."
• "Pub was too warm inside, could have done with air conditioning or windows being open."
• "Lovely country pub but we were sat in the garden (with a lovely view) but the occasional whiff of sewage ☹️."
• "It was like eating in the middle of Victoria station sooo busy and at times too many people coming and going."
• "We booked a table weeks ahead of visiting the pub only to find when we arrived we didn't have a table."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Gastro pub food and not super expensive."
• "The food was exceptional, very high standard....beautifully presented, very tasty."
• "The chef knows how to prepare a fresh meal that is light and tasty (and healthy given how every dish came with delicious seasonal green vegetables and avoided extra cooking oil and fats where not strictly necessary)."
• "The food that came out was tasty and quite a bit on the plate I had burger with chips."
• "Great food - prawn cocktail and avocado, and crummy satay chicken - ice cream and toffee sauce and pancakes after - all light and delicious."
• "Had the catch of the day fish, it was in amazing batter, the fish tasted so fresh I was transported to the sea swimming in a shoal of fish."
• "The food is Top Quality."

Cons:

• "For £19, you'd expect a roast lunch to be pretty good. But the beef and lamb were both over-cooked and leathery."
• "Food was ok - I had the fish pie and I asked whether it contained spinach. I was advised it didn’t but that turned out to be wrong."
• "Although the portions were small and price was high but food tastes yummy."
• "Went for food with family it was worst meal I’ve ever had my 4 year old could have done better."
• "Food was very oily- fish and chips, dripping in oil."
• "Unfortunately my main dish beef stroganoff was extremely disappointing a tasteless sauce."
• "Overdone lamb, chewy chorizo that didn't really suit the dish, dry dauphinoise."

Service

Pros:

• "All the members of staff were welcoming."
• "One of the things that also made this place great was the staff, they were more than helpful and always served with a smile."
• "Staff service was beyond what we expected. Catered to our every need and were great with small children."
• "Had a superb meal- staff very friendly & food excellent value."
• "Arrived in the snow to find 2 roaring log fires and a very warm and friendly welcome from staff."
• "Our dog received a warm welcome, the food was delicious, prices were reasonable and the service was extremely friendly."
• "Really nice staff who looked after me and my mother - we stayed about 3 hours and had a very nice time."

Cons:

• "Seemed like it had just changed hands and no one had any idea what was going on."
• "We waited and waited and waited... the service today was appalling."
• "Returned to The Grumpy Mole after visiting recently with friends and liking it but won't be back, the service this time was appalling."
• "Service was pretty bad, had to ask for extra menus."
• "Another strange thing occurred the waiter asked which desserts we wanted also taking our order for coffee at the same time."
• "Service not as good as it normally is. Sat down, waited 15 mins no one came to ask if we wanted a drink."
• "Service was somewhat lacking and staff seemed preoccupied with tasks more than service."

Value

Pros:

• "Good value for money. We shall come back. Hopefully on a regular basis."
• "Highly recommended, for choice of menu, presentation and service, all meals served to perfection."
• "Food is reasonably priced and excellent value - portion size is certainly not an issue."
• "We all had delicious high quality food which was very reasonably priced."
• "What a great find.staff we’re very welcoming and the food was cooked and presented fantastically.very good value for money."

Cons:

• "With the aftermath of the pandemic and the mass increase in the cost of living, I understand that prices go up, but the price to portion size was way off."
• "Very expensive, £3.50 for a coffee. Which was nothing special."
• "Excellent food but overpriced and rushed through."
• "The food was nice, but it wasn't worth the price."

Accessibility & Convenience

Pros:

• "The pub is part of a group of three or four, so not a chain, but a nice size of company for this type of country-style pub/food venue in terms of standards and continuity of service and staff."
• "The pub is doggo friendly, and has a nice decor indoors and well maintained outdoor area, with some wonderful views and last night a super Kentish sunset."
• "Had good disabled accesss via ramp, accesssible toilet and could get my wheelchair comfortably under the table; this is very unusual."
• "Next time we go there I'll bring our dog as they are also allowed to the outside seating."

Cons:

• "Not enough parking outside for the amount of customers attending for Sunday lunch."
• "Parking is absolutely atrocious, some lines on the ground in their car park would definitely let a few more cars park either side."
• "Only downside is that the car parking is a bit limited so would be best to get an early table."