Horse & Groom in Chelmsford

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

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

Great service, very friendly, lovely food!

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 ☺️

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

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

Food and service was exceptional, will definitely visit again.

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

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.

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

Staff need to consider their personal hygiene.

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

Lovely food, fantastic service Will be back

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.

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 👍

My first time at Horse & Groom and it didn't disappoint. We were greeted warmly by Karen who was excellent at taking our orders, giving recommendations and serving the food and drinks. The food was spot on. Exactly what you want from a gastro pub. They've got a new menu at the moment and we ordered 5 different dishes and each one was a hit! Great portions and I was happily full by the time we left. It's not the cheapest meal out there but a worthy dining experience.

Very great customer service friendly and polite

Karen was a great hostess, I attended the Horse and Groom with my family and we had an amazing time, would recommend!

We had a lovely family Sunday lunch, with great food and very attentive service from Milena. She was very helpful and the food was outstanding. Lovely pub with a nice garden at the back, and lots of character. Wish it was our local!

Just had a fabulous Sunday dinner staff excellent service very nice

I had a rump steak. Very good. Was with family as a reunion.

We had lunch here with my dog and were looked after by Marketa. The food was absolutely amazing and this place is definitely dog friendly! There are treats and dog water bowls and Marketa was so sweet and gave my dog lots of fuss and attention, couldn't have had a better lunch really :)

Have Been to the Horse & Groom 3 Times and the Service and Food was Good . Went in there last week with my wife who Hadn't been Well after a Very Big operation and a Cardiac arrest after the operation .The Service from a Waitress named Karen was So poor it the First time for years that I haven't Left a Waitress a good Tip . She was not Wellcoming at all to us not a Smile at all ! She was more interested Talking to a Bunch of Blokes who were obviously Regulars ! She Took a good while to Come over to us to take our order , When the food did come up to us She did not ask if we wanted any Condiments! When i Did ask for Some She was ignorant and Did not Say a word and just walked away , I asked for some more Gravy but it went on dead ears so I had to go to the Bar and ask her again ! Again it was all to much as she was more interested in Rabbiting to the Bunch of Blokes .The only other time she Came over to us was to pass us a Review Card ! We'll now She has one ,as I Stated the other Waitress,s who have Served us have been realy been Freindly polite and professional and that's why I have come Back to the Horse and Groom .But I Would think Twice now after being Served by This Rude and Totaly ignorant one .She should be sent on a Get a Personality and Smile Course

It’s a very nice place for casual eating out. The food & atmosphere were fabulous. Karen was very friendly, gave us good service. We had lovely evening,

Service was NOT great … found a hair in my food dessert …. And got charged over on my bill

Some of the main courses overcooked / kept in warm cabinet before serving.

Fab impromptu evening meal. Excellent food and service.. Will definitely be back.

This was a fantastic place to go.last couple times we have been it's gone right down hill.the food is different and we think they have changed chefs.you get better food in brewers fare at half the cost.on top of that they forgot 1 meal time it came the rest of us was finished.other restaurants would have gave a complimentary drink or something.it only cost £90 for the pleasure

The staff that served us was so sweet and our food came out so quickly and it tasted 5 stars would definitely reccomend

Staff were very friendly but the food was average at best and they don’t have any traditional ales on tap - just lagers and IPAs. The outside tables were quite sticky, so not cleaned well.

Very friendly not rushed service food excellent waitress Milena first rate would definitely use again

What a pleasant pub. The food was dynamite and the serving staff were friendly and made the experience all the better, especially Mackela. Such a lovely lady

Very pretty building. Marketa was our server and she was very friendly and helpful. They did get an order wrong but were willing to remake it. Would come again 😊

We came for lunch for the first time in a while, everyone was very welcoming . We were served by a lovely smiley lady named Milena who was very pleasant and helpful. The food was delicious!! Especially the roast potatoes that came with the special. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and will definitely be back again. Thank you

Lovely pub in Writtle! My seabas was delicious and service was excellent! Marketa made sure we have all we need and she was very energetic, friendly and professional. Thank you

One of the best experience we had in pub. Food was tasty, delivered in reasonable time. Service was excellent! Marketa welcomed us with smile, offered to sit on any table we want. Drinks came in no time, for food we had to wait around 10 minutes and it was fairly busy.

Marketa’s service was excellent . Food was great .

The food was very good for a pub. All came out hot and catered well for our big table. Service was good, slow to clear our tables but that can be forgiven as the pub was starting to get busy, would be better if you didn’t have to go the bar to get served so much. Atmosphere is a bit poor, lighting isn’t brilliant, there was no music on or not so I could hear, the staff all looked a bit tired, possibly overworked?

£9.45 for a pint of Diet Coke and a pint of Diet Coke with lime cordial?! £9.45?! It wasn't even of the glass-bottled variety, but from the tap! Prepare to take out a second mortgage to buy two, non-alcoholic drinks! Absolute rip-off.

Lovely beer garden setting for lunch. Good quality food selection and friendly and attentive service.

Gorgeous food. Really top quality. Fast service and the waitress was extremely helpful and attentive. Will be back

Visited many times and always have good food and service here. Super service from Milena today.

Didn't eat here but had a great night in the beer garden with a good old fashioned cheery service and good selection of ales

Our lovely waitress Sharon could not do enough for us . Sharon helped us with recommendations on the menu . The fillet steak did not disappoint. Very friendly and recommend this lovely pub and will return when I’m back over from France and visiting again without fail . Big thank you Sharon . And Max loved the sausages merci 😬

03/04 1.30pm table, which you need to book. Food superb, staff adorable. My only push back is I should not get persecuted for my habits, I am a smoker, which is my choice, as is my given right. Spent +£140 today, but felt treated like I had leprosy. This review is only IMHO

Been to the Horse and Groom Pub for food and drinks, many times and they things really well. This occasion just popped in for quick drink to enjoy the last of the sun sitting in the nicely presented garden, with quality furniture. The range of real ales have reduced from my last visit to two, so decided against both for half a diet coke with no ice as driving for me and 175ml white wine and the cost was £10.39, £4.00 for the coke which made the wine reasonable. I'm glad I didn't ask for a pint, would it have been £8.00! I ask how much each was, to be told he didn't set the prices. I'm glad I had no ice. I'm sure that question had been asked before. Inside is corner bar, with seating all around, nice environment to enjoy a meal. I would recommend a visit

Had a lovely evening, Sharon was a great waitress and very attentive.