Alma Arms in Brentwood

Good basic food but some delicious pies.

Great country pub Great service Great food

We have all been to this pub many times in the past and it has been fine and very busy. What on earth has happened!! The fish and chips served can only be described as thin breaded fish out of a packet together with dry peas and chips. Simple sausages were dreadful they were overdone and tasteless. The quality was very poor . The pies are still good. Sorry Alma Arms but you need a good chef who cooks with passion. It appeared to be very much processed food. The service was ok but we were in there over 2 hrs as long wait for food. Sadly we won't be coming back.

Nice pub, lovely food and a decent pint. The waitress was lovely too.

Ain’t been here for 15 years after being a once a month regular. And I was not disappointed the steak and Stilton pie and the cheesy shepherds pie was just as I remember. Superb, defo return and recommend.

Found this lovely little country pub while going for a drive. The staff were very attentive and the atmosphere was relaxing. We only had a starter and some sides, but there was a lot to choose from on the menu. We didn't have to wait to long for our food and it was served hot, on clean plates and the cutlery was clean as well, and it was really lovely food. I will definitely come back for another visit.

Used to love the food at this restaurant. Booked a table for 8pm (only reservation left) for friend over from Italy for a few days. Its a long way from where we live to arrive to ge told the kitchen is closed. I was shocked to read other recent reviews. How to ruin a great business.

Have been quite a lot over the years & it has gone down hill I. Turns of atmosphere & pricing. Ordered pint of shandy & was charged for the full price of a lager I asked about the error & was told you have to pay full price as a pint of lager we also ordered a prawn salad which came with a jacket potato ( which I didn't want or want any potato substitute as I have to watch my carb intake) I was expecting them to ajust the price But NO!!! I did ask but was told no we don't make adjustments, along side the we ordered a sandwich no option for brown bread so had to go with the white the bread was so thin it wasn't substantial enough to be able hold as all the filling just fell out!! in the end I had to cut it up with a knife & folk & eat it like a meal it has lost all feel of a country pup the outside is very unkempt weeds all in the what I assumed to once be flower beds & weeds all over the outside seating area needles to say we won't be back such a shame for whet was a loverly country pup with a lot of history which used to be displayed on the walls in photos but they have been replaced by some tacky prints

Not homemade food, kids had garlic bread with cheese, straight out of a packet! I had roast beef and the pool of gravy trying to hide the dry meat was poor. Yorkshire pudding by aunt Bessie 🙁 my son had a jacket potato with cheese and beans and at nearly £13 quid I was surprised at the size of it, average sized spud to say the least. Definitely will not be eating here again in the foreseeable future . Service was slow.

Used to be a very good restaurant but not now. Despite being fairly empty we waited about 40 minutes for a straightforward lunch order. Staff were unattentive and we had to keep chasing for it. When it arrived a jacket potato came with vegan spread and when asking for butter told they didn’t have butter. The cooked breakfast was very greasy and mainly deep fried. Would not go back.

You can't beat their homemade meat pie! It's delicious and very filling! Really efficient service and lovely atmosphere! Very reasonable prices with a great extensive menu!

Me and the wife visited after a long time away. Not alot changed but we were surprised how dead the place was. Also the food was really nice. I thought i orded a children's meal because of the size of the portion and the presentation was't much better.Would we visit again not sure....

Wow great steak pies and a good selection. Excellent menu good pubs atmosphere without the noise. Good service and very friendly. No children I believe which suits us as pensioners.

Attentive helpful staff nice food 😋 recommended

Been going to Alma for years food is always lovely especially the steak pie. But unfortunately when we went this lunch time and can't believe the big increase in price £13.95 when I last went it was £9.95 sure it wasn't that long ago. Will have to be just go on special occasions now.

Fantastic pub love the whole experience of a country pub great food n drink

Always a great food experience but needs more real ales 🍺

Great place to eat and Amy is lovely and helpful

Enjoyed our visit and the quality of the food was great.However what puzzled me was every dessert was the same price!. Think another waitress would have helped as only one serving a busy Definitely worth a visit

The best home made pies, steak and Stilton for me.

Lovely home cooked fresh food. Piping hot. Great selection. Friendly staff.

Had ploughman’s , v nice wife had scampi was pleased with that … staff / waitress very pleasant £30 for above incl tea and a coke so good value

Great pub for lunch. They do nice food specialise in home made pies which are fantastic and huge portions. Good value for money

Fair prices good food + large portions

6 of us went for a meal on tuesday not another person in there might be because of it closing at 7pm. another couple pulled up but they were just closing. spent nearly £100 and asked if they could ring for a cab for 2 of us but they do not have a cab number. as the pub is in the middle ,of nowhere i find this hard to believe. the food was ok nothing special - will not be returning. ph

Lovely pub excellent food and service

Alma Arms what a place for service food it was fab well done to all staff. 10 big fat stars.

Wonderful, best pub meal I've had in ages. Chicken, ham and leek pie. Good size portion and good price. Would definitely return if I was in the area

Those who had pies were not disappointed but I had an Alma burger which was inedible. The patties were like two pieces of leather that hard and over cooked. Even the buns were so stale the edges were hard & stale. Side issue: There was no toilet paper and even though I informed the staff no one corrected the situation over an hour later! Perhaps bring your own in future, just in case. Not good enough and we will probably never visit again.

Really enjoyable return visit after 30 years ! Have moved away but was visiting a friend and took her there for a birthday lunch -not disappointed-had to have the pie and it was excellent 😊 .Everything was well cooked and tasty and service was great .

Traditional fare, big portions. Good service by the friendly staff.

This was our first visit and it won’t be our last. Lovely atmosphere. Welcoming, friendly and efficient staff providing excellent service. The food was delicious, traditional British pub food. It’s offers an extensive menu and we can’t wait to try more. We both had pie and it was really good. We look forward to our next visit.

We have been eating hear for years and always a great meal at a great price. Service with a smile in a traditional country pub. If you like a quiet meal with family and friends with good “pub grub” then look no further. I can always recommend the Steak &Stilton pie it’s fantastic. Service is quick always with a smile and you never feel rushed so sit back and enjoy.

This place is renowned for its pies. They're amazing. The Sunday lunch roast dinner was OK.

I used to use the restaurant all the time before Covid and it was always packed. It is still excellent for its steak & Stilton pie and is good value for money. Menu is extensive and covers most people’s needs.

Had a meal here very pleasant and not crowded

After a country walk called into the Alma Arms for a light lunch with my sister whilst the dog stayed in the car. Served quickly with our drinks by friendly staff. Food arrived in good time together. Chillied potato skins for my sister, very tasty, and fish, chips and peas for me. The fish was frozen but still very tasty. Chips excellent. This pub is renowned for its excellent pies. Excellent service. Must return before too long

I took my mother for the first time ever for Christmas dinner and was very disappointed I have used this place for years and always recommend it the food was dry and going off colour and it had been warmed up and smothered in gravy I did complain but was only given back 10 pound good will gesture its a shame as I will now avoid this restaurant as it has put me off but most upset was the fact I took my mother there to save her cooking and was very let down.

Steak pie was very tasty. Friendly and helpful waitress.

Great little pub ,good food ,nice atmosphere

Get the steak pie and it’s 5star

My wife and I went for lunch with four friends to the Alma Arms for lunch. The food and service were excellent, reasonably priced, with plenty of free available parking

Six of us friends had lunch today. Their steak pies and chip are famous, but I felt I had had too many over the years. So today I tried steak pie with new potatoes! Just as good. My wife is disabled (Parkinson's and dementia) the staff were very good and even took her wheelchair back to the car for me. My wife had the chicken and enjoyed. None us us had a sweet as we were full up. Only my wife found space in her tummy reserved for some ice cream!

Great service lovely Hot food and delicious My only concern was they had no decaffeinated tea

Lovely friendly waitress. She was very busy but had time to have a laugh with us and made sure we had all we needed. Even let us know that she had to open the doors near us to let a wheelchair user in. However we were disappointed with the food. Those of us had roast dinner found it to be cold. The meat slices weren’t very nice, a cauli floret no cheese sauce, tiny pieces of tasteless carrot, the smallest portion of cabbage I’ve ever encountered like teaspoon sized, 4 roast potatoes from a freezer bag as was the Yorkshire pudding we guess. The gravy was lumpy and gloopy. Thankfully though we still managed to have a good time celebrating our close relative visiting from Australia again after 6 years.

Very nice food, friendly staff but portions very small left there still hungry .so you need at least starter of extra large portion at this stage place

Hi guys well went today for Sunday roast for my mum 92 second birthday was so disappointed with the food it say all home cooking but I can assure you it’s not.not a smile on any of the staff faces and was unwell when I got home not happy my wife sent her dessert back as the fruit was off so to say the least I won’t be going there again not recommending this pub

Another visit to the Alma Arms did not disappoint. Pie as good as always. Service friendly and welcoming.

Nice pie really good service nothing too much trouble.

Lived in the area for many years and used the Alma lots of times but unfortunately went on Friday evening, table booked for 6.30pm only to be told kitchen shuts at 7pm, hard to get served a drink and then we were the last ones in there at 8pm! Perhaps if they served later they might get more people in! Such a shame and really hope it continues serving good food.

My sister and myself went for lunch as we had many times before. It was a special occasion so was looking forward to a lovely time. What a disappointment. The battered haddock was disgusting. It was obviously a frozen fish. My sister had to scrape off the batter to find the fish, which was dry and overcooked. Although the waitress was lovely and very apologetic we shan't be going there again. Sandra Price.

Recently went to the Alma Arms for Sunday lunch. Didn’t fancy a roast so decided on the chicken, bacon & stilton salad. I was expecting the chicken, bacon & stilton to be mixed together with the salad (hence the description) but alas no! It was a chicken breast completely covered in stilton & a couple of bits of boiled bacon on the top. There was so much cheese it over powered the rest of the meal so much so that it made it inedible. It was my mother in laws birthday meal so didn’t want to complain. The waitress could see that my meal was barley touched but did even ask if everything was ok. Wouldn’t recommend or hurry back.

Been several times but not for a while. Food has gone downhill. Chicken burger was rock hard, New potatoes with lamb pie had nothing on them, eg butter just whole large potatoes on plate. My friend asked for some gravy for them but by the time it came she’d almost finished. Peas served with both pies had clearly been kept all day & were probably microwaved so shrivelled. I complained to our server about my chicken burger (15.95) & asked her to feedback to the kitchen. Menu said chicken burger served with Salad, just lettuce leaves & a couple of slices of tomato & there were already tomatoes in the burger. Dessert - my husband & friend had spotted dick with custard. I had jam sponge with cream (£6.95). The cream was ‘squirty cream’ & dissolved immediately on the extremely hot microwaved sponge. The spotted dick arrived with revolting lumpy looking custard which appeared to have been microwaved after being poured on the spotted dick. The bottom of the spotted dick was rock hard, couldn’t break it with a spoon. We mentioned this to our server & we saw her tell who I believe was the manager. The manager did NOT come over to the table to apologise nor offer to remove anything from the bill. Can’t fault our young server & we tipped her accordingly having established that she gets to keep it herself. Incidentally, the pub closes at 5.00pm on a Sunday!

A delightful old style pub with great food and amazing portion size, four of us went and had two courses and a drink each, and it worked out about £20 each

Nice homely food and atmosphere. Very popular with the older generation. Friendly staff and good service.

Go there once a month to meet fiends and have a meal. The steak pie is excellent. Food prices are fair and the Beer ( ale ) is good. The place, food and drink makes it an nice place to meet friends.

Food was manufactured rather than fresh/homecooked but it was a nice atmosphere and staff were friendly.

Food was very poor. We ordered an all day breakfast, Gammon, Pineapple, Chips and Cod & Chips. Literally everything must have been thrown in the deep fat fryer. All of the food was soggy. The chips were so crisp some snapped in half. The Cod was rock hard. We complained and didn’t pay for it. Old and very dated compared to other places aswell. Won’t be recommending or going back again.

Really lovely food (even the treacle pudding and custard were homemade). And the staff were very friendly and accommodating. Will definitely be going again.

We attempted to book a table via telephone. Our calls went unanswered for three consecutive evenings despite calling at different times of the day. We then e mailed the pub requesting a table for 7:30 on a Wednesday evening. Once again we received no reply. We decided to visit the pub anyway. However, after driving for half an hour we were told the kitchen closed at 7:00 pm! This seems ridiculously early. How are working people expected to arrive before 7:00 pm with no way of finding out the pub’s opening times? A truly awful experience and terrible customer service.

We attempted to call to reserve a table on 3 consecutive nights at different times. On each occasion no one answered the call - it simply rang and rang. We then e mailed the pub to reserve a table. We did not receive a reply. We arrived at the pub for our reservation at 7:30 pm only to be told the kitchen closed at 7:00 pm. This was a Wednesday evening - why would a kitchen close so early? How do working people ever get there in time? Truly awful experience with no communication whatsoever

Great service and food. Lovely traditional pub

I always have the steak pie...delicious..great big chunks of meat and very tasty

Food always good but staff forgetful

First time had lunch there. Cant fault it.

Seemed like a very traditional venue, not part of a chain. We had a great meal, and we shared a veggie platter to start. I had a mega steak pie, which was wonderful. It was mega because the pie was a double portion. My wife had sweet potato tart, which she enjoyed. The portions were good and had no room for desserts.

Visited recently for the first time in over 40 years. Still has its charm and atmosphere. Now serves food, which is very good, particularly the steak & Stilton pie!

Food always delicious. Large portions and looks and tastes home cooked. One our favourite pubs.

Super pub restaurant fantastic pies

Hmm such a shame I’ve always posted positive reviews for the alma but not this time ! arrived at 7pm to b told yep will do food but they’ll shut at 8 !?!? No reason - Had a ploughman’s and there were things missing no onions no gherkins I asked server about this she seemed totally disinterested ( perhaps keen to get home )? and so said no can’t do ? She Didn’t go and check with kitchen to see if this could b sorted , as I say I go there every month or so but I certainly won’t go again in the evening if I go there again !?

Excellent service and food Sunday lunch 6/8/23. First class. Thanks.

We had a great meal with attentive service - in spite of the fact that the waitress was on her own and it was a busy time when we sat down to eating. The portions are generous and came piping hot. We felt the meal provided great value for money and we look forward to our next visit.

My family all came together here to celebrate my sisters 60th Birthday. We were so pleased with the fantastic friendly staff who couldn't have been more welcoming. The charming waiter Corey was amazing ! He was so attentive to each and everyone of the 20 guest in our party. The menu had something for everyone , however the majority choose the outstanding delicious 😋 👌 mouthwatering homemade steak pie 🥧.

Honestly the best steak and mushroom pie I have ever had. Home cooked food at its best!!! Lovely staff

The best pies I had ever try in my life. What a country pub. Recommended 100% and best to try Stilton pie. Vic.

Placed order at 1.30 today for roast lamb, told lamb had run out 30 minutes later! Ordered pie and chips which arrived another 30 minutes later 🙄 CHIPS WERE BARELY WARM. VERY DISAPPOINTED 😞 Won't be returning.

Fantastic menu choices. Really good food Lovely staff ( Meagan) Massive portions A genuinely nice country pub

We had a little family lunch on a Sunday at the Alma arms and the food was outstanding, the service was great and so was the person who helped us, we sat outside in the sun and had a lovely day with everyone

Absolutely fabulous as ever this time I had steak pie and chips it’s a proper plate full great courtesy from staff has outside seating lovely location, recommended

My wife and I have been using the Alma for over 25 years and have always enjoyed the food and service. We visited today and although the service was excellent I’m afraid the food has lost that special Alma quality. The portions sizes have decreased, the price has over inflated and I’m afraid the Lasagne and Quiche we had bears no resemblance to the excellent meals we have enjoyed in the past. I’m afraid we won’t be rushing back, such a shame after all these years.

When the roast dinner arrived, the meat was dry, hard and shrivelled up, I could tell that it had been previously cooked and re-heated in the microwave. The vegetables were tasteless and mushy. We left the majority of the food, as it was inedible, the wait staff did not comment on this. I Wil never eat here again!

Went there on a friend's recommendation and we wasn't disappointed, lovely steak Stilton pie and chips, will definitely be back

We had a table booked for 2pm we finally got our meal at 4pm. They had one person waiting on table. It was fathers day surely they should had more staff on

More an older person's pub/restaurant. Lovely food. Staff could be more friendly.

Had a Fantastic lunch ask for amys special summer salad sandwich omg was a knockout Will definitely be returning

This cozy restaurant has left the best impressions! Hospitable hosts, delicious dishes,beautiful presentation, wide food and drink list and wonderful desserts. I came here with my family to celebrate my fathers 81st birthday, I recommend to everyone! I would liketo come back here again and again.Special mention to Amy for such great service.

Service was very good and the food was great, especially the pies, for which the premises is renowned I have since learned. Good home cooked food, would definitely recommend. Great for large parties (as we were) or small tables alike.

Good food and reasonably priced. Pub needs some tlc

Very happy with todays excellent service and food, at my cousin John's 70 birthday meal! The waitress alone deserved the 5 stars

Great food very relaxing atmosphere and good service will be going again soon

I cannot understand the poor reviews, we had a lovey meal here, the staff are lovely and the service was perfect. We will definitely be back.

4 oldies Had an excellent lunch today - we all had something different and food was lovely . Order was taken quickly by a very helpful and efficient young lady who made sure we had everything we needed. Food was well cooked and tasty-

The only good thing about this restaurant was the lovely guy serving us! Starters- Soup u could stand a spoon up in, calamari greasy and stringy with half a plate of iceberg lettuce and a slice of dried up tomato. Main courses- stodgy pies with...

Best homemade steak pie I have ever eaten 😋 Absolutely delicious will definitely be back

Food is great but the opening times are all over the place, last drinks at 8pm … such a shame as people have to travel to visit as there is nothing local around. They should consider making more of the evenings, specially at the weekend.

We had a Table for 10 , from the moment we stepped inside we were given great service and a warm welcome , Food was lovely we all enjoyed our food , service was fast and friendly , lovely atmosphere , would definitely recommend and...

Hidden Gem! Food Is Amazing. Big Portions and staff very welcoming and attentive a big Thank you to Amy for the great service we received 10/10 would highly recommend the Alma Arms Navestock.

Cask Greene King IPA was very good, draught Fosters was cloudy and awful. Steak pie was very tasty but the pastry was soggy like it had been microwaved. One of us ordered fish that had to be sent back, tiny portion and somewhat overcooked. Desert...

Went for lunch with family. Have been going there on and off for over 30 years, but unfortunately the last couple of visits have been very disappointing. The "famous meat pie" although tasty always seems to be heated up in the microwave so you end...

We visited The Alma yesterday, a favourite of ours for over 30 years! I loved it so much that I actually worked there for a period of time. We had gift vouchers to use that had been purchased by my father-in-law last October for a...