The Royal

Lovely lunch experience at the Royal! The oxtail with mashed potato was so comforting and perfect for a gloomy day in the seaside. Never skip dessert for me so I ordered panna cotta! It didn’t disappoint and was so good! Really like the casual dining atmosphere as well. Quality food with reasonable price! Plan to go back for dinner and Sunday roast soon.

Really delicious meal this evening - yummy cauliflower and almond soup, guinea fowl and chestnut pie (served for two) and orange polenta cake. Glass of wine - £43 total. Shame bread not included with soup . A bit mean really … however all in all really good value and it was all properly cooked.

Superb brill .. wasn’t expecting such an amazing meal at a pretty standard looking pub !

I took the dog for Sunday lunch, and had a great time. Roast sirloin was pink and juicy, with just a little fat for flavour. The roast potatoes were exactly right - crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The carrots were a real surprise - sweet and full of flavour. Yorkshire pudding, gravy and cabbage to complete the dish. The Royal's roaring woodburner added both warmth and atmosphere, and the service was friendly and prompt.

Quiet a nice pub, easy to find and easy to get to. The excellent reviews online however raise expectations more than their reputation deserves. Don't get me wrong, the venue and staff were lovely. The guineafowl pie, I am told, was really good. The Sunday roast was just OK even taking into account that the carrots were all placed with the badly burnt side facing down. This can be forgiven as the results of someone's hangover but the cremation of the espresso can not. I can drink dirty water from the bottom of a muddy puddle on a Sunday morning but these coffees were burnt to within an inch of their lives. Nobody wants to complain in person, instead to b**ch about it online, but it was so burnt I had to say something. I did get a refund with a smile which brings me back to the staff. They were lovely.

A little noisy for us however a lovely venue for a birthday meal. A tad expensive and served without potatoes or vegetables (additional chips and vegetables are available on request). Nevertheless we had a lovely time and got to sit for 2.5 hours for which we were extremely grateful.

We had a lovely meal for two for my partners birthday. Set price Monday to Thursday. The chef knows his stuff as the food was flavoursome and cooked to perfection. We had Sea Bass, and for dessert (save some space), I had baked custard, plum and honeyed oats it was delicious. My partner had the chocolate torte. Both desserts you savour every mouthful as so tasty.. Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. Definitly recommend :-). Quality food reasonable price.

First dinner here but not last! Everything from starter to dessert was unbelievably tasty, good portion sizes too - I was stuffed after the crazy good rump steak, not usually my favourite steak but here - WOW. The smoked duck starter was amazing too. The service was attentive and friendly too. I don't know why I waited so long to eat here, I heard the portions were small for the price - not true. Now my favourite place to eat in St Leonards/Hastings, what a lovely surprise! No more pricey than other good local restaurants in the area, but just way more impressive. Thanks, the Royal team for an amazing first impression!