Branocs Tree in Braintree

Young girl working behind bar page I believe her name is Very helpful and polite was working on her own managed very well with all the customers

Come in here if you’re happy with cold coffee and mouldy limes in are drinks. Wouldn’t mind as much if cokes weren’t over £3.. probably just stick to a tap water next time

We visited a few Saturdays ago to our surprise we’re left waiting ages and revisited only to be told when we asked theres not enough staff on. Green king are massive and clearly greed takes over as they can’t even pay enough staff to serve people

Came in for a catch up with friends. Couple of drinks and a great meal. Well done to the young chef Emily who cooked our food. Was all spot on and very moreish. Will definitely be back. Also many thanks to the AM Andy for excellent service 😊

We throughly enjoyed our visit at the Astronomer Ashley and Andy who served us were lovely , very friendly , helpful we had a great meal here .

Loved a greeting from andy what a bubbly individual he was fantastic showed us to our table took drink orders whilst we brouse the menus he was so attentive asset to your business 100 % thankyou so very much for everything food was amazing

Came here for family meal pub was spotless service was great, food was spot on chef was emily and andy thankyou guys I will be back

We visited today and asked for our starters and mains to come together but we had to wait 55 minutes. Page was so attentive and gave us a full refund. Credit to them they work hard

Ordered my food and 75 minutes later there was no sign of our food. Saw 3 people send their food back. I asked for my money back and left. Used to be really nice eating place but I would never go back

We popped in for lunch and ordered the lunchtime special menu lamb kofte wraps we ordered a side of chips that we asked for in a separate bowl when it arrived the chips were on one plate and was about 15 chips this is not acceptable portion for an adult the chips should be of a reasonable portion and worth the money paid

Went to the bar told “Grill is broken “ Ordered bacon cheeseburgers and fish cakes The fish cakes were tasteless similar to the ones you would buy out off Iceland £4 for 12 The bacon cheeseburger arrived Stale bun cold burger sliver of bacon with 14 chips and 2 onion rings Took 30 minutes to arrive

We use the Astronomer around twice a month - the food is always good and we usually take advantage of their wine Wednesday. We were therefore surprised when we went last week to be told there were no bottles of white wine available!! Really, not one in the whole pub??? We ended up paying the same for two glasses as we would for a bottle , oh yes, there was white wine available by the glass 🤔🤔!!

Had a really great time here. Food is great , staff were great 👍. Especially mel, she made my kids laugh. Food was fantastic

Had breakfast here today for the first time. Was very nice. Thoroughly enjoyed by both of us. This could be our new place for our weekly Sunday breakfast outings.

Came in for food Sunday, we all had roast dinners. All of us absolutely loved them. Crispy potatoes, veg cooked right, instead of mushy veg like most places, and our beef was actually pink still! Was quite busy when we went in and expected a little wait, but food was with us in good time. Will be returning! Special mention to the young girl who served us our food and desserts. Don't know her name unfortunately.

Fantastic dining experience, food was lovely, well presented and prompt service. Massive improvement since our last visit a few months ago. Looking forward to eating here again, really pleased we gave the food another try, well done to all kitchen staff.

The food here has vastly improved recently,arrives quickly and actually looks edible now. Last year a few times I was very hesitant about eating the chicken especially because it always looked so grey and barely cooked but now the food has colour and looks like it has been carefully plated instead of just chucked on. Iv been a few times over the last month and everytime the food has been great. The staff are always super friendly and service is always prompt.

Fantastic service we always have here from all staff (esp chloe) , the food even more so recently has been on point, and came out without delays,and is lovely, no complaints at all😊😊😊😊😊

Another brilliant meal, great quality and quantity, reasonable prices, and served quickly with a smile. I tried a pint of draught Guinness, 0% alcohol, and only £2. Tasted exactly like the real thing!

Lovely food, fast service, all amazing staff. especially the manager chloe that evening helped loads was very friendly.

Great food, play area so handy for children. Exceptionally brilliant staff team both behind bar and the serving staff x

Full breakfast seemed as if was reheated, food was taken away and returned just the same. Server was not interested and seemed as if didn't care. Very disappointed and won't be returning

Service was really excellent today at the Astronomer. Super helpful, friendly but not overly so. Food also good. We come Fridays for the BOGOF deal on burgers. The food is great and the price is better. Today the service was king, though. Thanks to Jessica W for making it a really great.

We visited this morning for the Easter Bunny event. The service was good and can’t fault the Easter Bunny. The food was absolutely awful, it wasn’t how it was cooked the eulogy of the food was disgusting. Yes it cheap I fully understand that but serving such poor quality food can not be good for the people consuming it. Will not return better of going to a small business with similar prices and better quality food.

We Came for the Easter Bunny Breakfast and was very impressed. At £5 for the children it was great value for money. My daughter loved her bunny pancakes and said was delicious. The Bunny gave them lots of attention with games stories activities. This kept them Busy while we enjoyed our breakfast which was tasty hot and good Value. Great Customer service and will deffiently return to try another breakfast.

We’ve just left breakfast with the Easter bunny and wow! My daughter is so excited, she has had a fantastic experience with the Easter bunny. The comfortable, spacious and calm environment allowed my partner and I to enjoy a coffee whilst my daughter burned off some energy enjoying egg & spoons races, an Easter egg hunt and reading stories with the bunny. A huge thankyou to the team. 🥰

Lovely hot food. Cheap. Great service. Great Staff. Well Done. I will be back. Jim n Val. Cheers. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great restaurant good food and service nice clean restaurant good environment and parking, very helpful and friendly, I would recommend this restaurant

Went in for a meal and drinks Wednesday night. Decent atmosphere, lovely service from the young girl behind the bar. Food was perfect. Been here several times, and although it's never been terrible, it's not been anything to shout about. But this time all of us were sitting there raving about the food. Clearly some changes have been made behind the scenes.

Wednesday lunchtime for food. Staff lovely. Food was delicious. I personally had some burger steak sizzler. Was beautiful. Will definitely be going back.

Was concerned after reading reviews but shouldn't have been. Was served by Archie and he couldn't have been friendlier. It was obvious the staff were stretched but that didn't spoil the service. Despite it being busy we weren't waiting too long and the food was hot and very tasty. Will definitely go back.

Got here waited 15 mins to get to tills to order food only to wait anothr 45 mins to actually get food which was cold then had to eat my cod chips mushy peas with my fingers not a good experience as no cutlery wont be coming again lost 2 customers

Stopped going here 2 years ago due to constant issues with food. Decided to try again today. Such a disappointment, queued for 15 mins to order food. Was told 20 min wait. 50 minutes later our food arrived, mine was cold and no cutlery available, was told won't be long. After 15 mins waiting our already cold food was getting colder so we used our hands. OK for me having burger and fries but my friend had fish, chips and mushy peas. I had ordered a choc/tort for dessert. Over an hour after ordering I was told the tort should not have been on the menu as was unavailable. The staff were extremely stressed and trying their best, they had a lot of staff off sick. Once I complained I accepted a full refund and heartfelt apologies but don't think I'll be coming again. Also why offer vegan food but no milk alternative for coffee etc. I will end this on a positive note. Although it was cold the vegan burger was lovely and the staff were trying to be as helpful as possible. I did feel sorry for them

I am a bit stingy with giving 5 stars usually, but today The Astronomer well deserved it. They ticked all my boxes - especially speed of service, quantiity & quality of food, and excellent prices. I would recommend them.

Not been here in a while due to work commitments but decided to go tonight as valinetines went to the cinema then here found it empty apart from 2 other couples was approached by a young lady who asked if we had a table booked even though it was dead another couple who she clearly new took priority to myself and my wife we eventually found our own way to a table and I then ordered at the bar the young lady behind the bar was amazing and polite and friendly we waited for our starter's they came out quite quickly they were OK then the main lasagne for the wife and stake for me what a disaster lasagne was dry out like to long in a microwave not fresh for the price paid and a medium rare stake was blue chips and peas cold we will DEFINITELY NOT BE COMING BACK THIS PLACE HAS GONE RIGHT DOWN HILL AND THE FACT IT WAS DEAD SAYS IT ALL 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Good, very reasonable priced food. Nice and clean and good atmosphere. There was only two staff on front of house and they were both very friendly and helpful despite them both being extremely busy. Alex was our waiter, table clearer and bar tender. He was working his socks off all with a smile. Thank you to you both.

Taking my mum there for a pre theatre dinner. No one was there to book us in, I did book online. We had to queue where they order food just to check us in. The table was sticky. I ordered food on the app. It came and was edible. We ordered dessert thinking that can’t be bad….30 minutes late cold crumble and custard turnt up and it looked like they’d run out of crumble so chucked some strawberries mushed up on the side. This was 5.30 on a Saturday evening. It wasnt even that busy. Will never eat here again

Come for pub lunch and was very impressed food was great and service was fantastic the waitress was friendly and chatty we will definitely be back soon highly recommend the fish and chips.

The Astronomer is a GREAT place to eat delicious food. The service was quick and ineffable. Great for family's to enjoy.

First time I've been here for 8 years, and it has changed name and management since then. The enormous car park was 95% full, yet there were only about 3 customers. The pub was a tad rough and ready, staff dressed very casually, tables being...

Came over for a family meal tonight. BOGOF on burgers is a great deal and my mixed grill was amazing. Excellent service from Chloe who went above and beyond as always to make sure we was all happy. Thankyou

Friday before Christmas, it was crowded, we thought we were in for a long wait as it was clear they were short staffed, however George and chloe were amazing, they took the orders served the drinks waited at table etc, they made it happen, these...

Went with the family for Sunday lunch , overall not a great experience the drinks took a while to order , the food took forever to come and when it arrived was not particularly edible. The menu promised lashings of gravy and even had a...

Brought my son in for a burger on a Friday. The buy one get one free deal was fantastic. My boy couldn’t believe how big his quadzilla burger was when it arrived. Food was well presented and fantastic flavours. The salt and chilli fries was...

amazing festive meal, great meal good quality and defo worth a visit will be returning shortly for another meal

amazing food great service, the place is defo must visit for a quick bite to eat with friends and family

Sams such a great guy! Thank you for the service. It really is an experience when we come in. Also Chloe was really lovely

Great atmosphere, great service, staff really help and friendly, they definitely seem to have some new chefs in as the food came to us quickly compared to last time we visited

Nice place to go with family. The staff were very polite and helpful. I went there with my children and grandchildren and there was something for everyone on the menu and the food was good. Also we used our Tesco clubcard vouchers towards the food...

It was awful peas and beens were cold, sea bass was Luke warm and the mash was grey in colour and was warm, all in it was awful

Been here before which wasn’t the greatest experience staff and food wise. Went back a few days ago and I have to say everything has really improved. I asked to speak to the manager and the Sam immediately came to see me and asked what...

Lovely food the staff are very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend to family and friends.

Came for dinner with a friend.although was busy the food came fast and was delicious.staff friendly.well recommended

I’ve given this place so many chances and today was the final straw. No one ever smiles, manners are terrible and then the food turned up. Double burger which I sent back straight away as it was still raw. Just glad I didn’t take a...

Went for a lunch ordered drinks £5.95 for a shandy was told same as a pint of beer price bit steep i thought, my wife had a glass of white wine delivered in a flute was told run out of wine glasses (really).Her scampi came...

We popped in today to have a Birthday meal for my mother in law . We all had the buy one get one free on the burgers. The food was very nice and obviously exceptionally good value . I would like to say thank you...

Great atmosphere, great service, staff really help and friendly, they definitely seem to have some new chefs in as the food came to us quickly compared to last time we visited

Went here for my son's birthday. Staff kept shouting at each other, were rude and unhelpful. Seemed unwilling to do there jobs. Brought mains out without clearing starters. We had to ask them to clear. When I asked for a spoon, the staff member just...

Very friendly staff and nothing was a problem, food was enjoyable and at a reasonable price. Will definitely be going again.

Fantastic roast dinner, friendly welcoming staff, quick service. Nothing was too much trouble for them.

Not been in here for a few years but had some vouchers so thought we would give it a go. They were short staffed but fitted us in. The food was served in a decent time, with good portions and a good price. Costs have...

Brilliant service jo the manager was excellent nothing to much trouble even shown menu for my granddaughter allergy and no trouble helping us and special thanks to Jo and Jessica and the team will be back

I visited this restaurant with friends for lunch on Sunday and had a most enjoyable experience. The restaurant was clean and today and we were made welcome from opening the door. The menu choice is very extensive and value for money. We had 2 mini...

The place was very busy hence long wait for food, there did not seem to be many staff. The food was very reasonable but not outstanding We were however put off by the number of dogs on the laps of neighbouring tables, not even on...

Lovely evening. Food was prepared to request from the grill section of the menu. Steak was rare as requested :) Service after the meal was just as good. Mike was worth a special mention. Great service. It's been a while since my last visit, but...

Just close the place. Empty and got told where I couldn't sit twice. Weird. Find an independent pub with service and staff.

First time visiting the astronomer , and i will definitely be returning soon . Very clean and lovely atmosphere in pub and restaurant section. Good choice on the menu and very good value for money . Very friendly staff throughout our visit and food was...

Another great evening spent with family, Steph and Chloe were outstanding, friendly, welcoming and professional. The Astronomer is now becoming our regular hotspot for dining out. Great food, great price and the daily offers make it an inexpensive night out.

Thought we would pop in for Sunday roast on the way back from Braintree Village. On entering we were shown to a table and told to order at the bar with our table number. It wasn’t busy at alI, I now know why!! The lady...

Despite being short staffed, the food and service was excellent.Thank you to Chloe our server who was polite and friendly and kept calm under pressure!

Used to be good place but OMG it was terrible!! No staff, waited 1hr 10 mins for food to come out and when it arrived it was awful, cold and disgusting!! The waitress was so rude when we kept asking when the food was coming,...

Never experienced such bad food. Only after ordering and paying when sat down another member of staff asked if we had been told about the 40minute wait for food of which we hadnt of not. My wife and i ordered curry. Korma was the same...

Wouldn't go again after this being our first time here. Went to order food for the blonde lady wasn't very happy she was rushing as she was due to finish her shift. I asked instead of salad could I have just onion was told no...

Food took 1 hour 30 minutes. Not being told anything - avoid. Disgustig sevice- will never go there again in my life. My kid was crying non stop

Avoid visiting here if you don’t want to wait ages to order, ages to receive the food. Only one beer on tap was available which we found surprising as this was a Friday and a Green King Brewery Pub. It seemed disorganised and lacked staff....

I gave this place a critical review recently. The Greene King response invited us to try again and after four more visits I have given up on The Astronomer. Exceptional queueing times appear to now be the norm. I don't know if this is branch...

We booked a table luckily because they were not taking walk-in bookings due to being short staffed. I have been trying to come in without booking within the last month and the wait time has been at least 40 minutes in addition to queuing. They...

We are regulars here and I have to say you are very very lucky to have such amazing attentive and friendly staff they truly are the real reason we come here so often, your chef Danny, Stephanie and the other ladies are a true asset....

Me and my partner was here today and to be honest the waiting around for food was disgusting the staff said about 20-25 minutes wait which is fair enough but waited for a hour and it finally came out also we waiting to get a...

Came here for Father’s Day breakfast. They don’t usually open for breakfast, but due to an error on the website we were allowed to book. Staff had to come in early and they could only offer a limited breakfast menu. Despite this, staff were friendly...

Shocking service , its a shame we took our grandchildren, they were subjected to bad language from another family

Very poor service. Table booked for 13.30. Was told when we got there that they'd be a wait of 30 to 40 minutes for food. When an hour had passed we enquired how much longer it would be Where we had a very irate waitress...

Had a meal here the other night, everything was great. Trevor, Rob and Kayleigh were on top form (considering there was 14 of us). All meals came out together, good food and they even brought drinks to our table. Looking forward to the next visit. (Anyone want my recommendation, QUADZILLA BURGER all the way!!)

Came across for a Sunday roast today as really fancied one! I had been told by a friend that they are really nice so thought I’d give it a go. We wasn’t disappointed- really yummy and filling and even the child’s roasts were big. Nicely presented too. Our servers Michelle and Grace were both extremely lovely.

Extremely helpful staff right from Steve the manager to Steph and terry our servers, food was good value for money and tasted lovely .... having taken our 3 grandchildren out who are older next time I may ask for a table which is away from smaller screaming children. Will definitely be back thankyou one and all

A large party of 18 of us went for an evening meal the service was great. All the meals came out together. Staff interacted with the children.Thank you to kayleigh who managed to take all our orders quickly and to the rest of the staff who all played a part making our evening a positive experience.Rob Trevor Steph and Kayleigh

Was in tonight as part of a large table booking. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our extremely hardworking waitress Michelle who didn’t stop all night and all in her stride making sure we and the rest of the table were well looked after. Food was really nice. We did have a couple of sides missing but again that was dealt with swiftly. Great little atmosphere, many thanks

Was in today for a family meal. Extremely busy and was left waiting for our drinks order to be brought to table. Called a waitress over and was dealt with for us quickly by Michelle who then went on to serve our food too wonderfully. She made sure the kids were entertained for us by providing some colouring sheets too.Food was all spot on and we all left ready to burst!Thankyou

Came in a few days back with my wife children and her parents. Nice quiet table tucked in the conservatory. Drinks came to table swiftly. Food was enjoyed by all. Thankyou to Michelle our smiley friendly waitress for seeing to all our needs.The little play area outside was great for kids too and a few grabber machines in there to get surprises and sweets.

Came for a meal with family on a busy week night but served quickly and seated no problem. Special thanks to michelle for her great friendly service as always. Great food too. Thoroughly enjoyed

Came in for a belated valentines meal with my wife. Excellent food. Really enjoyable. Special mention to our lovely waitress michelle for her super friendly service. Shall be back

We’ve been here a few times in the last 6 months or so and have not been disappointed. The new manager and his team are so welcoming and attentive . The food is freshly cooked and tasty. And of course, It’s great value for money.

The restaurant opens at 10 due to location and staffing challenges. Whilst this annoyed some people we accept the position. Hardly the teams fault.We were met and welcomed by the Assistant Manager (Trevor I think) and Stephanie, neither could have been more helpful. Service and food were completely faultless and value for money second to none.Well worth a visit and a credit to the group.

Turned up at 8am for breakfast, the stated opening time on the website and the time of our accepted booking. Door was locked so we knocked - someone inside, although they couldn’t be bothered to come to the door, signalled for us to come back in ten minutes….after waiting in the car as requested, we went back to the front door to find it still locked and no-one around….knocked again, nothing….waited for a bit in the rain but still nothing….so, back into the car and a quick drive to the Toby for a warm welcome and great value fry-up! Our little band of friends has been touring the area over recent weeks in search of great breakfasts - the Astronomer goes straight to the bottom of the league….

Me & my wife visited this venue today for lunch. We had a ‘Green King’ voucher as a value of £25 given to us for Xmas. When we went to place our order & pay using the voucher, the code wasn’t recognised. The assistant manager ‘Trevor’ was incredibly helpful with everything. He actually phoned ‘Green King’s’ customer helpline for us to get some assistance with the voucher. After speaking with ‘Catherine’ from customer services, Trevor decided to put our bill down as a good will gesture as the voucher wasn’t being recognised. Myself & my wife want to pass our appreciation onto Trevor for his fantastic customer service skills. He even bought my wife over a fresh cup of tea as the 1st one went cold and stewed whilst we were on the phone to ‘Green King’. Please if Trevor can receive some kind of award for his recognition for going the extra mile we would both really appreciate it. Keep up the great customer service. Many thanks again.Simon & Carol

Popped in this evening and the staff were under pressure due to shortage of staff. I have to say Trevor handled this very well and remained calm even with the amount of customers he had to deal with. Well done Trevor for still being so professional and friendly. Also a big shout out to Kayleigh who was non stop with her work ethic and every time we pop in she is spot on with her service and always smiling. Well done to the staff for coping in difficult times. Will be back and hope to you see again soon.

Fabulous time had tonight. Food was amazing and fresh and hot, staff were really friendly and helpful. Been here before and will definitely go again. Amazing value for money. Guy who served me even managed to get me more food for good value. Couldn’t of asked for more.

Quick, efficient and very friendly service. Lots to choose from on the menu, and catering for different portion sizes. The food was not expensive and have lots of daily themed specials. Shelley was serving and was extremely friendly and efficient

Another fantastic meal, with service that was second to none. Even though they were short staffed it didn’t show. Thanks to Rob for sorting out my issue with my vouchers. Nothing is to much trouble for this excellent staff team

We stopped by for a breakfast one morning and couldn’t fault Shelley’s service at all! She was polite, friendly, bubbly & just a lovely human it’s nice to have people who actually care and it’s not just a job to them! Keep up the fantastic work Shelley, your such a credit to that pub! X