Back Inn Time in Chelmsford

We have been going to BIT Back in Time Since they opens their doors. Nothing has changed, the food is still great, the staff so funny. The poor old train is slow and unable to pull any charades these days. This is a restraint that proves when you get the formula right don't change it

Another brilliant meal at a brilliant restaurant Visited Saturday 17th August and as usual food was immense and staff brilliant Well done all

We found this place by chance as fancied going to an American diner. All I can say is WOW! Amazing food, had ribs and steak and both were delicious. Staff can not do enough for you and are all so lovely and go the extra mile. Special mention to Jane and Charlette. Will definately be coming back :)

Amazing as always! Has a lovely family feel and has always been perfect ever since I used to go as a child! You always get your moneys worth and food is amazing. Huge cocktail menu!

Have eaten here several times in the past, but it has been a few years since the last visit and I hope this latest experience isn't indicative of where the restaurant is at. Booked a table for 4 the day before a midweek visit. No opportunity to book online which is a shame but the call was answered quickly the day before. Upon arrival for an 18:30 booking, we were taken to what I can only describe as a "well" area which I hadn't been seated before, which has poor lighting and very uncomfortable pew-style seating. Once seated the service from the young waitress was excellent and attentive. My co-diners ordered chicken fingers and a classic seafood cocktail for starters and initially, the fingers were dry and felt like it hadn't been recently cooked, which was a warning of what was to come. The "Classic seafood cocktail" was very small and again the warning is in the title. the word Classic would apply if it was called a Prawn cocktail, there is nothing classic about the term seafood cocktail but it is actually just a way to legitimise the replacement of prawns with other seafood sources. For mains, I ordered a combo fajita with extra tortillas which was very good but again the very small dish and paper sauce pot provided for the sides were cutting corners with the offering. My companions ordered burgers of various types but all 3 arrived very dry/overcooked along with the bacon and pulled pork toppings. These shouldn't have left the kitchen but it seems that maybe to manage orders the kitchen is pre-cooking these items and then either flash frying or leaving them on the side of the hot plate, to stay warm but also dry out, as 1 may be a mistake but all suffering from this effect is an indicator that there is a systematic issue. It was a shame as when we mentioned to the waitress about the poor quality being the reason we left food another waitress came over and said we should have said pre-bill paying we had an issue but that she would remember our faces when we came back to do I am not sure what in terms of improving the experience but it wasn't a discount for sure. Either way, it was a disappointing and expensive experience.

Visited on Sunday afternoon at about 4pm , as a group of 4. We ordered cocktails that were excellent and reasonably priced. We started with potatoes skins to share which were great. The mains were both the tasty burgers and also a the ribs, or ribs with chicken . All were excellent served with fries and a side of coleslaw. Desert was a single ice cream as we were too full. The flexibility of what was added to the desert was very nice ! Service was great throughout. Highly recommended !

A gem of a find, a great atmosphere. The food was delicious and the service was brilliant, polite and pleasant staff. All together they made a what was 9/10 weekend 10/10. Thanks I’ll see you again soon.

First time coming here, there was 9 of us celebrating a family birthday. Service was fantastic, food amazing, the ribs were melt in the mouth, couldn't fault a thing. Staff were friendly and cheerful, will definitely be coming back! Everything looked so nice, it was difficult to choose!

I first came to this place as a young child in late 80's and it hasn't really changed much since! The only thing I noticed on my most recent visit is that the train which circulates the ceiling didn't have any carriages left! Where have they gone?? The food is very tasty and remains well priced. I had a full rack of ribs which is a decent amount of food for well under £20. Cocktail options are plentiful and they taste great. I don't think any cocktails exceed £7 and its therefore hard to suggest that you don't get decent value for your money. Very few staff changes over the years, always the same faces and I have never found them to be anything other than polite and efficient. 4 of us had at least 3 cocktails each and a main meal with a few sides. No deserts or starters and the bill was about £170. I dont think that is ridiculous and ultimately we all left feeling that it was a decent night out. This is an independent restaurant which has served chelmsford for many decades and long may it continue. Would like to see a few more carriages on the train though for my next visit......

What a great evening, we had a table for 10 and all I can say is how fantastic our evening was. The food , the staff it was amazing, we couldn’t fault it. I had ribs that where so succulent and fell off the bone, my husbands and sons steaks were cooked to perfection and the club sandwich our daughters in law had were lovely, even the four kids meals were good there was nothing but clean plates all round. Our service was brilliant kept coming over to see if we needed anything . We had a great time. Thank you Back in Time

Not my first time at this restaurant but the food is always amazing and very generous portions too. Chicken wings were delicious. Steak was perfectly cooked and the ribs were incredible. The service is second to none, always willing to help and make sure your experience is first class. its like you're in a restaurant filled with friends and family as everyone is so lovely and welcoming.

Decor: if you’re after a quirky, intimate venue the. This is the place you. Dressed as an old fashioned American diner/Italian American restaurant. Lots of things to look at. Decent old music played creating a decent atmosphere, but very ‘tinny’, loud and distracting sound outside. Food/Drinks: Nothing ‘special’. The portions were a decent size. Price is about right for what you get. I ordered a medium filet mignon, which was cooked well done. Other steaks ordered were also not cooked as expected. Drinks were nice and priced about right. Service: For the 10% service charge, one would expect better, happier service, with a little more effort and personal hygiene. One shouldn’t expect to have to constantly pass food and drinks to others in the dining party. The tables are very close together, which means servers are on top of you the whole time. It’s polite to make eye contact with people while talking to them, so when your server is standing behind you talking to you, it makes for uncomfortable neck movements. Sadly average at best. Better for parties of 6 or less.

Food is always amazing, love that they have specials aswell, staff are more than lovely and helpful, best restaurant in Chelmsford ♥️

The food was average,not great al all,was so dry especially the chicken wings for starter’s,the meat didn’t tasted fresh,I left most of the food in the plate.

We have wanted to visit this restaurant for a long time but couldn't get in. We visited on November 25th for a teenage family member's birthday. It was brilliant!!!! We had booked this time and cannot fault the food and service which, combined with the quirky decor, including the trains running around the ceiling, made for a lovely evening and a very happy teenager!! ( They can be very hard to please )! Would definitely recommend this restaurant and hope to return again soon.

Very disappointed, booked a table for 12 paid a £10 deposit per person was told it would come off the bill at the end only to find out that if ANY of your party don’t arrive then you loose their part of the deposit!? Wasn’t told that on the booking!! They are not equipped for large table bookings, had to call across the restaurant on more than 1 occasion to get service as they didn’t come regularly to check if we needed anything. Arrived at 6.15pm for a booked table but wasn’t seated until nearly 6.45pm even then didn’t get starters until nearly 7.30pm… wouldn’t mind but out of a table of 10 only 3 ordered a starter!! Really disappointed ☹️ would absolutely not recommend it unless you’re going as a 2 or 4. On the plus the decoration was really good & the atmosphere was good, service absolutely let it down.

If i mention Back in Time to the wife she's straight off to get ready. To be honest i struggle with the large portions but my wife always has the Fillet steak, which i have to say always looks magnificent and always comes exactly as she likes it and at £26.00 thats pretty good these days. (Kerry doesn't even asks whats she wants any more!!! )

Always a lovely place to go. Staff are always friendly, service is great. Food is great. Best restaurant in Chelmsford.

Family meal for child’s birthday. Service was polite and helpful. Milkshakes were awesome and all of us enjoyed our meals. So much food we couldn’t do dessert!

This place needs to have protected status, regardless of where you are in the country everyone needs to visit here - amazing food, staff ever so friendly and quite frankly the only place I think about to when going out for dinner. BOOK A TABLE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

We had a fantastic meal here tonight with the family. The food was excellent. We didn't have to wait long at all between placing our order and receiving our food. The staff are so friendly and lovely. It is the best meal I have had in a long time. We will definitely be returning very soon! Thank you for a fantastic meal!

Lovely family meal. The service was fantastic. Very attentive and drinks came so quickly and kept coming. (One of my pet peeves is waiting ages for drinks, and there wasn’t a single worry of that here. Lightning speed!!!!) The staff were very friendly and always there to take our orders and bring anything we needed. Food was plentiful. Hearty, family food to fill you up in a warm atmosphere. I’ve not always been able to get a reservation when we’ve wanted to visit, so I was pleased to get one and we will be returning!

Sunday afternoon lunch with my beautiful girlfriend Good food Good service Good value And very good staff You’ve been going a long time keep up the great work

We had dinner there last night celebrating my daugters 10th birthday and we loved it. From the moment we walked in the smiles from the bar staff and the friendly greetings set the tone. As ever, the service was impeccable from Kerry, Jayne and the team and the food both gorgeous and plentiful. Have to say, my club sandwich was the best ive had and the Mrs devoured her ribs. Funny because she claimed she wasnt hungry but polished off starters, full rack of ribs, dessert and 5 cocktails lol. Our 2 girls loved the night too and the birthday girls was full of smiles when they sang happy birthday to her as only Back inn time know how to do. Thanks to all for showing me and my family a loovely evening and we will see you soon.

Well we have just had the most amazing evening.again at Back in time chelmsford . Food was excellent as usual, staff were amazing and catered for 6 adults and 1 baby. Loved the theme and we requested rock n roll music (no problem) and even got in a cheeky jive with Donna. Evening ended with a happy birthday sang by the amazing staff. Value for money that's why we're going back again soon. 10/10.

Back again, at the usual table for lunch on Sunday. I find the portions too far "generous" but its the one place the wife can order and know whatever she orders it will be presented exactly as she requested. Lunch today could have been a disaster as due to illness Kerry found herself dealing with 30 or so diners "single handed" for the first 2 hours, yes, doing everything except the cooking. Did anyone notice, was anyone waiting, of course not "What a trooper"!!!

This place has been a go to for 30 years and I even had my wedding reception there. Price, quality, service, portions, atmosphere - its all there. Old American themed in decor and american based food menu there is something for eveyone. Specials boards and amazing cocktails. You will not leave hungry!

We have visited twice recently, once as a guest to our friends birthday celebration and the second time as a couple. We were left disappointed on both occasions. I used to love Back Inn Time however I feel it has very much lost its touch recently. The food was disappointing, while my chilli starter was okay, I found the chicken fajitas to be incredibly bland and tasteless and ended up leaving most of it. The staff asked if we would like any sauces with our meal and my partner had said yes however, this never came. We tried to catch the attention of another staff member to ask them instead but they seemed to ignore us. My partner ended up finally asking a member of staff but by this point the sauce arrived as he was finishing his meal. The service seemed rushed and like they wanted us to leave as soon as possible. We also found the servers to be very pushy towards using cash over card when paying. Overall very disappointing and I can't say I will be in any hurry to return.

The meal and dessert was absolutely delicious the staff are very helpful they make sure you are OK with your meal they welcome you when turn up and say goodbye when you leave. Already booked for December for a return. They had specials of the day aswell

Really nice place, been waiting a while to try. The burgers look really good and are nice, the staff are all super friendly. unfortunately on this occasion I can only review this place as average, the reason being my baby back ribs were just too dry, especially at the ends and there just wasnt enough BBQ sauce. I will be back and hopefully they can take this on board.

Amazing night with the family. As always, the night started with huge smiles from Jane and Kerry and a warm welcome. The food was stunning. Big steak was incredible and the wife wouldnt even let me try her fillet. Kids were well looked after and the service was impeccable. Such a great restaurant

Love it love it love it …. It’s like going round a friends house ! Great drinks … huge with proper measures ….

Best restaurant iv been to with allergies….easiest menu to follow and easily customised…would recommend highly

Ate here on a Thursday evening. Full and noisy but that added to the atmosphere. Didn't have to wait too long for service or for food. Ribs were tasty if a tad overdone. Desserts delicious. Not much of a wine menu but this was well...

Only our second visit since lockdown and taken directly to our "normal table", thats what i call service!!! Personally I struggle with the portions and rarely have a main but the wife is addicted to the Fillet Steak and today said it was as near...

Another amazing meal, food is so good, staff are lovely and the restaurant has a great atmosphere, I highly recommend for people of all ages

Had a lovely family meal. Good food and great service. Special mention to Joey who dealt with the grandsons desert request brilliantly 😊

One of the best independent restaurant in Chelmsford that has survived amongst the mass influx of chain restaurants and threat of demolishing to build more flats in the City centre. Fantastic food and service for as many years as I can remember. Will always be...

Fun with a good menu and various drinks on offer. Lovely choice of burgers and service with a good atmosphere. Worth booking.

Great food, friendly staff, great atmosphere, great cocktails, all at reasonable prices. Much much better than others over rated venues in Chelmsford . Highly recommended!

Their motto summarises the experience they give and nothing less. I've been there 3 years in a row for my birthday meal, and they have never disappointed any of us! The food is delicious, portion sizes are very generous, and the service is the best...

Absolutely superb drinks, service and food at this superb independently run Chelmsford. Staff were so friendly attentive with nothing too much trouble. Great atmosphere and great time had by all the family. Would absolutely recommend to anyone. You are guaranteed to have a whale of...

I have been a couple times to Back Inn Time, the food is good with no issues there. The seating is a bit cramped for my liking. We were a table of 4, reasonably uncomplicated orders - we did not feel paying the service charge...

The logo says it all - good food, good times. Staff was incredibly friendly, so warm and welcoming and the place is beautiful.

Absolutely lovely experience here. It’s in a secluded area but very homely and old American style once you get inside. All meals were very generous portions and tasted great. A real cosy atmosphere with really attentive and friendly staff

We have just returned from another great meal at Back Inn Time, the atmosphere was friendly and family orientated and the food and drinks were superb (I can highly recommend the Apple Joey!🍹) We called ahead to ensure that they were still open as you...

Out with my future Son in Law for “Ribs and Beer” afternoon - cause this restaurant has delivered the best Ribs since the late 80’s. Walking to the best greeting, to relaxing with the first beer, difficult not feel at home. The usual perfect pace...

Just come back from our lunch at Back In Time food was very good but our waitress seemed to like passing our meals to us from the end of the table instead of coming round I am sorry but I can’t stand this when there...

First time back for a couple of years and we weren't disappointed. Lovely food and great staff. Cannot fault the atmosphere or staff

First trip back to Back Inn Time since when the kids were young - always went for their birthdays as well as other visits. This time for my grandson's 5th birthday - great welcome, nice table, huge menu but great service. Only two waitresses on,...

The staff never fail to disappoint. The atmosphere is always joyful and the food always wonderful. This truly is the best place to eat in Chelmsford.

Visited on Sunday and as last time food was really good Waiting staff couldn't be more helpful. Very good prices Only one negative the place was really hot which was a little uncomfortable

The food is very good , excellent steak and good sized portions of everything . An impressive cocktail menu for those who like to try different things . The building has lots of character and charm . Good service and short waiting times despite being...

Wow what an amazing place! Came here with our family who live here and are regular customers. Our first time as we live in Dorset and we can’t wait to return. Wonderful friendly staff and the food is amazing, just wish I could have eaten...

Superb staff and ambience! We always enjoy a birthday celebration at ‘Back in Time’. Food is always great and amazing cocktails. Thank you!

Why did I give this restaurant 5 ⭐️ ? Because 5 ⭐️’s is all the app would allow. Visited last night (again) for a fun family evening, 6 of us. Fabulous venue, fabulous food and fabulous staff. What more could you want ? Chelmsford is...

First class food, service & music, happy friendly staff, recommended Toilets could do with a little improvement

The food was very nice, I chose the curly fries option with the burger and definitely got more than enough, ended up leaving full before finishing. The cocktails were nice, one of them was quite strong so not watered down like some places

So, the meal was really really nice and would actually love to have again… but I won’t. We was eating finished our food ordered desert, throughout the meal we was constantly ordering rounds of drinks, once the last spoonful of desert went our mouth our...

Had a family takeaway this evening and I can only describe it as fabulous. Great customer service on the phone when ordering and when collecting. I cannot fault the presentation of the takeaway from the lovely handwritten message on the carrier bag down to the...

One of my favourite restaurants which we've been going to for over 20 years- Staff always polite and friendly with nothing too much trouble. Food amazing and lovely atmosphere. We've had a couple of takeouts which we wanted to do as we missed the food...

We went to Back Inn Time whilst we were visiting family in Chelmsford and had a wonderful meal with some amazing cocktails. The whole experience was great (we have been before and enjoyed it just as much). Every time we visit the food is great...

Picked up our takeaway and I must say the food did not disappoint. The burgers were lovely, the coleslaw very yummy. Staff were very friendly. Thank you for doing takeaway's. I can't wait to be able to eat in the restaurant again

Burgers were really good quality and huge. Fajita wraps were delicious, with a bit of a kick! The attention to detail is great and really nice to see paper bags and sugarcane containers instead of plastic. Will definitely order again. Thank you x

Although it was a restricted menu there was something for all to choose from. Great customer service on pick up and very punctual. Food was as always, delicious and the fries were excellent. The children’s portion was almost as big as the adult portion with...

Take-away at its best! Been blown away by how good the food is, it’s easily as good as you get in the restaurant thanks to the clearly well thought out presentation. We had three courses and all the food was delicious, potato skins that were...

Superb attention to detail. Had a lockdown take away this evening and the attention to detail for how the food was packaged was superb. You always know what to expect when eating in the restaurant but the well thought out packaging meant that we received...

I cant fault anything regarding the takeaway experience from Back Inn Time - from the telephone ordering service, to picking up the food and enjoying the meal - all was first class. We ordered the Valentine's Day deal - all the food was hot, well...

It really made me miss visiting the restaurant! Cannot wait for everything to open up so we can visit again properly. As per usual the food was beautiful

Finally got round to ordering a Lockdown Takeaway from Back Inn Time. We chose burgers and wraps, thick shakes and wings from the limited but attractive menu. This was our first time ordering, so excitement and expectations were high. It was a pleasure to see...

Great food, fantastic service. Ordered up front via telephone and food was picked up on time we specified. Delicious burgers and ribs and the milkshake with ice cream was superb. Better service than any chain restaurant!!

We have a great takeaway tonight. Food was delicious. Thanks Back Inn Time, you always deliver quality 😊

Just had our second takeaway in the last week and the food and service was great. We had burgers and fries comes with a pot of colslaw and a drink good value and nice to support a local business Thanks.

Fantastic from placing order over the phone to collecting. Very friendly and cheery during this hard time for restaurants. We ordered 5 different meals and all of them were great and large portions. Having ordered previously in first lockdown we knew it was worth the...

Great take away meal, miss coming here during lockdown,well organised, and delicious,nothing to fault

What a lovely takeaway, generous portions and great choice of food and drinks on the menu. Can’t recommend enough, loved the little touches of written message on the bag and the sweets. Great to be able to support a local, long existed business through these times!! X

Collected a takeaway and it was delicious. Generous portions, very organized and very reasonable prices. The chicken faiita wrap was delicious, will definitely be buying again!

So impressed with our first takeaway meal tonight! Such good quality food, tasted AMAZING, great value, really well organised and the finishing touches were just lovely! Going to be ordering again for sure!

We love our local independent restaurant. We normally dine in but as we are living in strange times we had a takeaway. Fantastic value for money, food fabulous as always. The extra touches are brilliant and collection was a breeze and safe. See you soon

So glad this place is able to offer a takeaway service during lockdown. As always we throughly enjoyed it. The Staff & Food are always both so amazing!!!

We’ve been here many times over the years but this was our first takeaway and it was great. All of the food was as tasty as it is when you eat in - especially the ribs which I wasn’t sure would travel well. Reasonably priced and very safe pick up. Will be ordering again

A first Back Inn Time take away for us. Great food and the same friendly service as when eating in the restuarant. Well done.

Very good service during lock down staff very helpful order ready for collection time food tasty would high recommend take away menu

Best burger place in Chelmsford! Incredibly friendly staff with a top quality burger and price, what more could you ask for.

Omg thank you so much for our brilliant 1st lockdown takeaway from you (won’t be our last) it was amazing. I had chicken fajita wrap and my husband had a rack of ribs the food was delicious as always. We would 100% recommend Back Inn Time from the fantastic service placing the order, collecting it safely and of course the wonderful food. Once again thank you so much. Stay safe and see you all very soon xx

Cajun chicken burger and buffalo wings were amazing. Family all enjoyed theirs. At a time where we are limited to takeaway Back Inn Time are serving up a fantastic one. Support your local business Chelmsfordians!

This was an excellent Friday night choice! It was our first takeaway but won't be our last. The service was great, the food was wonderful and it was really good value. We loved it.

Last night we had a great take away from Back-Inn-Time. Tasty food, fantastic price and lovely staff at collection. We would definitely recommend and we can’t wait for our next one. 😁 We especially liked the personal message written on the bag!

Can't recommend Back Inn Time highly enough. Have eaten in many times over the years and never had a bad meal. Tonight with lockdown restrictions we decided to give the takeaway a try and we were not disappointed. The ribs the boys had were amazing,tasty and tender. The wings were the best ever and my burger was amazing. Thanks so much

Friday night takeaway just got interesting! Fab food, the friendliest service and very slick and COVID-safe operation. First time for us, definitely won’t be the last...

Had a lovely meal and cocktails. Food wasAmazing as were the drinks. Service was very quick but also relaxed when needed. We will definitely visit again - lots of families in too so will bring son next time. Covid safe - constant cleaning and whole place was immaculate.

Visitied on a Friday night, extremely busy. Ordered our food, didn't have to wait long and wow what wonderful food. Burger and curly fries... Best curly fries EVER!!

Lovely restaurant, great staff and food Excellent menu, great cocktails and yummy milk shakes Worth every penny

The food is amazing. Chicken wings were delicious. Steak was perfectly cooked. The service is second to none . always willing to help and make sure your experience is first class

Had a meal with friends who are all old work colleagues. When our waitress came over to take our order she wanted to know why we were hiding behind our menus. We told her our evil ex boss was dining across the way from us. The waitress made us laugh so much as she sat down and said she wanted us to fill her in on all the gossip. Had such a lovely meal. Had halloumi fries which are to die for and the burger. My friends had fajitas and they smelt amazing. Great service and great food as always. Definitely recommend.

Very friendly and GREAT food! If you’re looking for a real US themed experience without having to get on a plane then this is the place!

Love this restaurant, one of the best in Chelmsford. Atmosphere and staff are fun and friendly. Food is great too.

If you can’t have a good time at this quirky and fun, quasi-American diner then you have no soul. It’s hidden and not so hidden gems personally speaking, are the staff who are as characterful as the interior and the steaks which represent great vfm.If I had to be critical, I might suggest an upgrade on the fajitas as they are quite simple for adult palates.Just go, you’ll walk out satisfied and with a smile on your face.

Called in without booking in advance. Once we had given our contact details and sanitised our hands a table was found for us. Although the staff said capacity had been reduced, we felt some of the tables were a little close together.Quite an extensive choice of American diner style food. Portions were good sized and the food enjoyable, as was the overall ambiance. The wine was enjoyable. I was disappointed that there were no American craft beers available, which would have enhanced the experience further. Something easy to put right.Staff were friendly and efficient and able to answer questions about the dishes. We were made welcome and not hurried.I would return again if ever we are in the area.

Excellent atmosphere & value for money as always. Had a lovely meal, the churros dessert special was a particular hit. Unfortunately one person in our group ordered a chicken dish & the chicken was very dry. Everything else was lovely. Have been going here for years & will definitely be back.