Royal Oak

A lovely pub! The staff are really lovely, the beer's good, it's very dog friendly and, on an early Thursday evening just before New Year, it was pleasantly busy but not rammed. Booked in for a meal the following night.

Myself, my husband and our two young children have just come back from a brilliant 3 night stay at the royal oak braithwaite. We stayed in the family room which has a good size double bed and a single bed along with a bath & shower, it also has tea and coffee facilities and a mini fridge for milk. We ate in the restaurant part of the pub two nights during our stay and the food was incredible. They have a good variety of options including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free and all meals are reasonably priced. The first night my husband ordered the calimari to start and the made on site steak and ale pie - he said it was the best calimari he's had and the pie was delicious. I had the baked camembert to start and the beef burger - the camembert was amazing, whole baked camembert with 4 quarters of ciabata bread and chutney and the burger was also delicious, very juicy and topped with a lovely tangy sauce! The children had the chicken goujons and chips with peas (beans are also an option) the chips are big chunky chips and the chicken goujons where lovely, I tasted them. Also they have children's cutlery which I think is great as most places do not accommodate this and with our children being so young using full sized cutlery isn't not the easiest. The second night we both had the calimari to start - my husband was right, the best calimari, lovely light crispy batter. We both had the fish and chips which was a big portion, very crispy and tasty and the homemade tarter sauce was amazing. The landlady and staff are all so lovely, welcoming and attentive, nothing was too much to ask for even when they were busy. We were sat in the beer garden on the first evening and the landlady brough out a blanket and basket of toys for our children to sit and play with which is a lovely touch. The pub has a great a**osphere, the beer garden was constantly busy during our stay with locals, visitors and walkers. This pub is a hidden gem in the most gorgeous little village surrounded by the most beautiful views. I highly recommend a visit wether it be to stay, eat or just have a drink after a walk.

We went to the Royal Oak for our evening meals. The menu included some good, English dishes not 'fancied up' or covered in garlic or curry. The quality of the meals excellent and served quickly but not 'fast food'. The staff were helpful and attentive. We went there every night of our visit to Keswick. Well done everyone.