Horse & Groom in Chelmsford

Excellent pub for lunch (which is why I went). Obviously popular with groups and couples, but had no problem getting a table without booking. Some external works being carried out and soon to shut temporarily for inside to be done. It will be even better once everything is completed in March 2025

Been there today with an old friend for lunch and a good natter, felt very welcome and comfortable. Smashing waitress Nikola, very kind and helpful. Best gammon steak I've ever had,. Hope to visit again soon.

Traditional pub in a good setting with great food. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Looking forward to seeing the renovations.

I've been coming to the Horse and Groom for decades and it's one of my favourite eating places. Unfortunately today , my meal just wasn't up to their usual standard . We had a roast dinner each , half of my turkey was cold , the pigs in blankets were cold, the parsnips too hard and the vegetables looked like they were just a medley of frozen diced carrots and swede. The service and ambiance ,however, are always great and the staff lovely, as usual ! The food was just disappointing on this visit 😞

A great meal and served by Grant and, sorry, a lady didn't get her name. Both excellent as was the food. Good prices too.

My husband and I had a lunch here on 6th February. We were pleasantly greeted on arrival. The service was prompt. There was plenty to choose from on the menu and the specials board. The food arrived quickly and was delicious. We look forward to going back. Our server was Alison who was attentive throughout our experience.

Amazing food, Grant was amazing, gave us discount on food, and made adjustments for me to have Custard instead of ice cream and dessert was really light and not too heavy in the stomach

Hi first time we have been . The menu offered a good set of options. Grant who looked after us was attentive, helpful and efficient.

Great food great service thanks nikola!

Great food , great service very good atmosphere

Visited to have a meal with family and decided to have the Burns Night special (didn’t realise it was Burns Night before we got there!) Four lovely courses with a good choice of options and the service by Nikola was excellent. Just the Cranachan desert was a bit dry (like granola with no milk!) The Crispy Pheasant, Haggis and the venison steak were particularly delicious. Good choice of wine and beer and a nice atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

It was lovely. The team is very receptive, thank you Milena. The food was very good and for sure we left definitely not hungry 😅.

Very warm welcome when entering for our very first visit! friendly staff lovely vibe very clean the food was bang on and was pleasantly surprised how reasonable priced it. The trio meat roast dinner was amazing highly recommend

Fabulous meal. Efficient, quick. Great service. Great all round. Thank you.

We were severed by Milena, she was very polite pleasant and attentive. Nothing was to much

I don’t like to criticise but we went there yesterday (Sunday 12th Jan 2025) the food was BAD !! Chicken breast and chicken strips from frozen . Never again .. 1st poor review I think I’ve done but having to keep the toilet close all day forced me into these comments .

Nice country pub but expensive! Has put me off going to pubs for a family meal at £100 for the 3 of us on a very quiet midweek early evening!

Excellent food staff were amazing definitely worth a visit

It was a lovely visit. We attended as a mixed group of 12 (adults and kids) as an end of year reunion. The staff member who dealt with us was professional and courteous, and was considerate in giving us extra time to decide on options/delayed taking orders whilst we had a catch-up. The food was delicious and my friends child was provided with options available to cater to some allergies he had. All in all, I was really impressed with how we were catered to, and really appreciate the efforts of the staff involved.

We took my sister for Christmas Dinner, on Christmas Day. The cost was pretty high so we were hesitant at first but on the day we were very impressed. The service was second to none and the food was perfect. The turkey was tasty, moist and melt in the mouth. The portions were huge and food was left on the plates, purely down to the amount of it. All 3 courses were cooked to perfection.

Wonderful service with a smile from Marketa … 😊

Great place for food even just for drinks. Josh behind the bar is very good. Marketa is a very good waitress and both are very helpful. The food is excellent.

Relaxed in a warm environment, Staff friendly, food very good at a reasonable price. Ideal place for us to bring our two friends

Enjoyed a lovely evening with a group of friends. Food was good, and reasonably priced. Service from Marketa was excellent, thanks for helping to make it a lovely time.

We enjoyed our meal at the Horse & Groom; the food was great and the staff, especially our server Milena, were so lovely. Milena made sure we were comfortable, especially our 2.5 year old toddler, whom she provided with crayons and activity sheets to be kept entertained while waiting for the food.

It was amazing Sunday roast . Nikola always making a good service and being lovely . Thanks for that

We had an enjoyable reasonably priced lunch. The waiting staff were very helpful and polite. The food was good and the atmosphere was welcoming and friendly.

Good food. They coped well with a table for 9. It really would have been nice to have real fires lit on a cold November day.

We were served by Muena, who wonderful. The food was served quickly and waas hot. Both our dishes were beautiful. Highly recomended.

Lunchtime visit. Food was served quickly and cooked well. Waiter service very good and prompt with all requests. It was pretty quiet in there but I wouldn't mark the atmosphere down for that. I particularly enjoyed the Melting bell Christmas dessert!

Three friends met for dinner, we had a great time. Staff were friendly, food was really good and reasonably priced. I needed to tweak my order, there were no issues with this. We had a great catch up, no pressure to free up the table.

The best pub Sunday roast I've ever had. Great serve and atmosphere.

Went for Sunday lunch . Great value. Staff superb

Lovely little country pub in Writtle (just outside Chelmsford) is a chef & brewer pub. Tasteful decor & a warm welcome was followed by good food & drink. My crispy squid starter was followed by rump steak & a gorgeous piece of brownie & ice cream ( shared with my daughter after her huge beef & ale pie). My partner had a fish pie after enjoying the sharing cheese platter (mostly to herself) but having tried some I don't blame her! Her desert was an apple crumble with coconut vanilla ice cream. Having enjoyed our meal we'll definitely be back..for one thing I'd like to try a table in the garden (in the summer) cos the view across the fields looks very inviting!

Lovely lunch, great service and good value

We go here once or twice a year. Service is always great. Food on this occasion was cold, they gave us another cauliflower cheese but again it was stone cold in the middle. Toilets wete also blocked and dirty, shame really because the other times we've been never had an issue

Booked a lunchtime meal with friends through recommendation. Really nice food and our waitress Alison was lovely. Will be coming back again soon

Lovely place great food highly recommend this place

Great service, very friendly, lovely food!

Marketa was lovely and very attentive! And so kind to our dog! We think she might be his favourite person!!

Excellent staff (Milena). Knowledgeable and polite. Good food (Roast). Very good and prompt service

Really nice food and service. Highly recommended.

Plenty off parking & greeted friendly on entering pub & plenty off choice on menu & you have a specials menu as well. Staff are very friendly & helpful if needed & food is lovely & fresh also good value Was here for a early birthday meal for my mum & she throughly enjoyed it

Sunday lunch and back again today, Tuesday for a birthday lunch. Thoroughly enjoyable on both occasions thanks to excellent service by MILENA our waitress, who is a diamond, and superb fare produced by the kitchen team. Lovely friendly atmosphere and we will be back again soon.

Lager was very good and a reasonable price,service was excellent thanks to Marketa,will be back....

Got there far too early - they offered to seat us straight away! The service was excellent and the staff were so helpful and friendly. Will go again

Loved it here go every 2 months or so. Today we were looked after by Nikola who was very efficient; couldn't be more accommodating with our special orders. Great pub. Loved it

Really excellent food and service

Lovley setting and very pleasant inside, although in places the decor could do with a bit of tlc. Staff are on the ball, attentive but not intrusive. Food was largely excellent, very fresh and hot and seasoned to perfection. The wife's steak was a little tough but not enough to ruin the meal. Some evenings they have "Specials" which sound appealing. Price wise it's on par with most, plus it's part of the "Chef and Brewer" chain so the menu can be found everywhere. All in all, a pleasant experience. Update... Return visit, still just as good. Another return visit, this time I'd say it was the best restaurant meal I've had this year. Everything was perfect. The starters, the mains and the service. Fantastic.

Great food, and great service from Marketa

Visited on Saturday for a late lunch with two friends. Lovely relaxed atmosphere and exceptional service from Milena! Very friendly, efficient and attentive but unobtrusive. Thanks Milena! 🌻 Loved my main, my bakewell tart dessert was a bit stodgy but I still enjoyed it! Would definitely return for the service alone 😊

Great service by Milena thank you ☺️

amazing food and lovely service by Jonathan!! thank you so much :)

Lovely food and atmosphere for catching up either good friends. Milena was very attentive

Went for a meal and had a lovely mixed grill, service and staff were brilliant, thanks to Jon, marketa and Josh for the friendly welcome would recommend

Food and service was exceptional, will definitely visit again.

We are regulars here. Today we had another excellent meal, served promptly in a relaxed atmosphere.

Karen was lovely as was the food

Visited yesterday with partner and daughter and was very impressed with the place. Food was excellent - first time I haven’t left anything on the plate in years. Spotlessly clean and ambient atmosphere, staff very pleasant and professional. Mid afternoon so not too busy, and plenty of space. Two or three customer dogs added to the enjoyment! Will definitely visit again. Everything great.

Really delighted, staff friendly and polite, food is great

I’ve been going to the Horse & Groom for quite a few years and considering it’s a chain (Chef & Brewer) the food has always been really good. In the past six months or so I’ve noticed a real decline in the quality of the food, also noticed the carpets smell near the men’s toilets and a lot of the seat covers have stains on them. It’s all becoming a bit shabby. Something’s obviously changed behind the scenes and hence I won’t be returning until they get things in order again.

Absolutely great experience been twice this week and after just finishing my fish and chips I may be back before the week is out. Smashing service

A celebration meal with the whole family, from baby to pensioner was enjoyed by all. Food was served quickly, hot and tasty. Service was excellent and attentive. Definitely worth a visit.

Staff need to consider their personal hygiene.

Good selection on gluten free menu, and food was nice. Service really good and Karen was helpful and friendly. Nice atmosphere.

We used to come here regularly but it seemed to go downhill for a while after change of management however the food and service was excellent on our most recent visit and would highly recommend

Good food, service a little slow so don't be in a hurry

Great food and lovely atmosphere with both staff and customers. Will be back

Very good and good service form krenn

We came for a meal which was excellent and was served by the very helpful Karen

Had a lovely lunch today. Customer service was fabulous. I was made to feel like a VIP. Food was top notch. Staff were polite and efficient. The smothered chicken was absolutely delicious 😋 highly recommended. Shall definitely return.

Lovely food, fantastic service Will be back

A massive thank you to Jonathan when we last went in your service was amazing and was so friendly and smiley. The food was also amazing which is a big plus thank u again

Lovely lunch and great service. Will return again.

Visited on Thursday for lunch and within an hour after eating I didn’t feel right, fast forward to today (Monday) I have since had the worst food poisoning I’ve ever had in my life. Looking at recent reviews seems I’m not the only one.

Fabulous beef roast. Fast friendly, professional service. Can't fault 😊

Nice pub on edge of Chelmsford. Staff friendly and food is good

Went for Sunday Lunch, with my wife and elderly parents. Meal seemed ok and service was good , however on the Monday Evening all four of us have had sickness and diarrhoea. Still recovering, only just felt well enough to post. Follow up, pub was closed for 4 days due to gastroenteritis being blamed for outbreak. Unfortunately proving food poisoning is very difficult to prove unless you take a sample whilst being ill, which at the time is the last thought on your mind. Once you have been sick or had diarrhoea it is likely that no traces of food poisoning will be found in a stool sample. Gastroenteritis enteritis is passed on within 48 hours of being ill, I would not have visited a restaurant or wanted a drink within that time period, unfortunately cannot prove either way whether it was a member of the public that had eaten in the pub or a member of staff had been ill and returned to work within the 48 hours. We did not touch any door handles or enter the toilets, only sat at the table and had a meal. It must have passed to us by the waiting staff and have suggested that better hygiene regimes are adopted to try and prevent this happening in the future. Unfortunately not sure I am willing to try again.

The cuisine is excellent, and Karen is quite supportive and amiable.

Family meal out on Sunday evening. The majority of us all came down with food poisoning within 24hrs or so. Looking at other reviews it seems others experienced the same! Not impressed at all. Clearly very poor hygiene standards in place. Won’t be returning.

Food poisoning for 2. We arrived hungry for Sunday roast this Sunday just passed. Drinks were served fairly promptly, then we went outside to enjoy the sun. I ordered the beef roast, which arrived both looking and tasting good. We left feeling satisfied. 24 hours later, both myself and my friend and his friends in a separate group had become very sick with food poisoning. I myself had a particularly rough night up until midnight. I write this on Wednesday evening, still feeling sick with a rough stomach. I might consider it could be something else, but the fact that 5 of us all got sick on the same day at the same time is just too convenient. This is now the 2nd time that I have got food poisoning at this venue over the years. I didn't expect to ever get sick here again, but reading other reviews it's obvious that other people have also had a horrible experience. For these reasons I'm out and won't be returning. I hope the GM will look into this and make firm steps towards better hygiene standards with the kitchen/ food. My week has been ruined, which I've had to pay them for..

Had a very nice Sunday lunch with my mum. The pub itself is very beautiful, and we were looked after by Marlzeta whose help and service was great.

Country style pub but only a mile and half out of Chelmsford. Great beer garden with views of fields n trees. Really good food. Not the cheapest place, but you get what you pay for. The road is only busy at rush hour. Otherwise you hear birdsong. I view it as a chill zone on a Sunday.

Food was superb, and the service from Karen was even better! I would definitely recommend.

Karen did a great job of serving us and keeping us supplied with drinks

Mason served us this evening, nothing was too much trouble and he showed care and attention throughout our two course meal

The most friendly & welcoming staff , great service Mason , thank you👏food was absolutely delicious ,also our dog got spoilt 🐕‍🦺😘

Service fantastic food was great. we all enjoyed a lovely afternoon.

Unbelievable service from Karen!

The food was well presented and seasoned. The service was also pretty good. The shepherds pie was pretty good.

A long wait for food but the place was short staffed on this visit. Other times we have used this pub restaurant the service has been good and timely. Very nice pub food and reasonably priced.

I meet up here with my Sister around twice a year and can never fault it. The photos don't really do justice to the restaurant quality dishes but set in a large country pub, with plenty of seating inside and out. Well worth the short trip out of Chelmsford City, highly recommended.

Fab food and excellent service from Karen. Good value for money, especially when you sign up for their emails and get 2 for 1 meals! Thank you!

Really good food, nice place and you can bring your dog. They have a great garden, so is fantastic on sunny days in summer.

Great sunday lunch had Roast turkey, was delicious 😋

A very nice lunch served by Karen, who was friendly and efficient.

Thank you Karen. Your service was excellent

Haven't been here for a number of years, but was very glad to come back. Excellent staffing crew who were friendly, polite, well presented and efficient. Food was absolutely scrumptious. I had the Lamb Shank Shepherd's Pie, so good.

Lovely pub near writtle, cosy atmosphere and our lovely waitress Karen

Great service from Milena ,great food ,as always 👍