Ingatestone Saddlery Cafe in Chelmsford

Great service from Nicola - Will definitely come back due to her. 5 star service!! Very attentive. Great filling food also.

It’s a great cafe with superb service fantastic food and great atmosphere and the staff are really friendly. Nicola, Julie, Jenny and Lillie are wonderful very attentive and welcoming and they make it a joy to attend here

We visited the café for the first time on a Sunday morning and each had the traditional breakfast and coffees. The food was hot and very tasty, with the bacon and sausages a big hit. The coffees were great, so much so that we ordered a repeat set. We had wonderful service as well with Nicola looking after us superbly and with a great sense of humour too! Would definitely recommend and will return, to introduce friends to the café.

We stopped off for lunch. Easy parking, friendly staff, hot tasty food and very quick service on a busy Sunday lunchtime. We’ll be back soon.

My family and I are regular visitors to the cafe, we love the food and Julie and the rest of the team are so welcoming. Refreshing to be greeted with a smile, manners and wonderful customer service

We've been coming here every Wednesday for brunch for over two years. Of all of the café's, pubs and greasy spoons in the area, Ingatestone saddlery is the most consistently good in all aspects. We have always been able to get a table, and while it can get quite busy at peak hours, there's plenty of seating. Someone beneath me said that it's the most expensive restaurant they had ever been to: I have always found the value proposition to be excellent. £5.50 for a double egg and chips, hardly need to take out a mortgage for that one Danielle. Of course places get busy, and of course queues happen at peak hours, but I've never been anywhere that doesn't have a queue at max capacity. I think some of the negative reviewers have been eating their crayons instead of their food because I have never experienced anything other than polite service, affordable prices and decent speed of service. This is not a Michelin Star restaurant, but it is a solid, reliable, affordable and friendly place with consistent food and nice staff.

Probably the slowest most expensive restaurant ive ever been in. No table service, queue for over 20 minutes. unbelievable. Go to a local pub.

Very rude woman on till when ordering, food was ok! You can request not to have items on breakfast and pay to replace it but not swap a beans for a mushroom as this would be to complicated!! Can I have beans in a pot instead then?? Look do you want beans or not????? Not what you wanna hear paying £25 for 2 small breakfasts

We're fairly frequent customers at the Saddlery over a number of years. Food has always been good quality, hot where appropriate and quickly served. Staff friendly and efficient. Tables are quickly cleared and overall impression is light, airy and welcoming.

Excellent food!! The sausages…!! In fact, can you please let me know where you got them from. We’ll be back!

Incredibly upset by the way we were treated here today. This place is not baby friendly or friendly at all for that matter. Having just had a baby, I attempted to navigate my first trip out of the house with her and decided that Ingatestone saddlery would be the ideal place. How wrong I was. We decided to sit in the back corner of the restaurant as out the way as possible and positioned my pram beside us so that I could keep an eye on my newborn. There were only a handful of tables in an otherwise empty restaurant and this seemed like the most practical position. Just as we sat down the most awful member of staff came storming over with two plates of food that she was taking to another table and said ‘you’ll have to move THAT out of the way’ in the most confrontational way. I have no problem with moving my pram at all, however her tone was frankly nasty. There’s a way of speaking to people and that certainly isn’t it. What happened to a bit of kindness and some manners? It would have been VERY easy to walk the other way around the table but no, she chose to be awkward and rude. Having been spoken to so horribly we decided to get up and leave instead of staying to eat. Getting out for the first time with a baby is daunting enough and I was left in floods of tears and returned home. I will never return to this horrible place. If you have a baby stay away, they’re clearly not welcome.

After looking forward to taking a family member out for lunch, we were bitterly disappointed. We were enjoying our food until my distressed cousin nudged me to look at her plate, a live snail was crawling along the side, pretty revolting I have to say. I returned the plate and was offered a replacement. We obviously didn’t want that, just our money back and we would then leave. Attitude of the staff was pretty poor and they refunded one meal only. There was no way we wanted to continue eating ours as the snail had come from the salad and we had salad too, after a brief discussion, they reluctantly refunded the other two meals and we left. They said the salad had been washed but clearly not thoroughly enough. I would not say it was a giant snail but it wasn’t tiny either. The staff, including the manager could have been nicer and more understanding and then maybe we would not have been so upset. Needles to say, we will not be returning and friends and family will be told to avoid the place. Just wish we had taken a photo as people have now said, it would have been included with this review.

Went into the cafe after shopping, ordered a breakfast and coffee, lovely to be met with friendly staff, food was excellent and hot, coffee was tasty. I shall definitely go back again and would certainly recommend

Not dog friendly as owners of saddlery won’t let them through the shop. Queue ridiculously long, waited 25 minutes to reach the front but staff lovely and coffee very good.

After browsing the vast retail floor, including some nice Joules pieces, head for the cafe. Friendly service. Coffee and cake but lunch staples on offer too. Head outside for comfy seating and great views across the Essex countryside. So quiet you can hear birdsong,

Great experience. - Delicious food - Friendly and accommodating staff - Welcoming atmosphere - Trendy decor I highly recommend paying a visit, you won’t regret it. Don’t forget to give the milkshakes a try 😋

I visit Ingatestone Saddlery and the cafe regularly with both my friends and family. There is no denying that it has evolved a lot over the years, but the one thing that keeps us coming back are the staff. Longstanding members of staff like Lillie and Julie make it like a home from home, they remember your likes and dislikes, notice when someone is missing from your party and are always welcoming and friendly. The food is good and the location is convenient but what really make it, are the people.

Had the single breakfast ie one of everything. It was really very good . Decent large sausage, hash ,beans ,bacon ,egg and toast and a flat white coffee, the place was full but I had my food in five minutes and was amazed. All for...

Great Breakfast and improvement on good breakfasts previously, one comment would to use better condiments as those on the sachets are not great sorry

As a regular, I find the Cafe excellent. Everytime I go the staff are always so welcome, the food is superb and the hygiene is great. They deserve more recognition.

Friendly staff, clean restaurant but tried twice and food wasn’t up to par. First time scones crumbled to dust as they were so dry, dealt with very well by staff. Second time my toastie was great but husband’s ham egg and chips was awful. Ham...

We come from quite a way away and make the effort mainly for the cafe!!! The good is always amazing as are the staff!!! Tilly went above and beyond being polite and helpful with a lovely smile on her face even when some customers left...

We went three Saturdays in a month for breakfasts. The service, 100%. The food, 100%. Everything was faultless. The staff were all fantastic.

We've eaten here many times over the past few years for both breakfasts and lunches - both of which are usually excellent quality and reasonably priced.

I have been visiting this place for years, and it keeps getting better. The menu is huge; the coffee is good, and the portions are more than ample. Even with the current restrictions, and reduced menu, there is something for everyone. It’s not just for...

Every mouthful was just so lovely. I enjoyed all of it. They obviously use great produce and have wonderful staff. Will be back soon!

So, where do I start. On a big positive first. I was at the Saddlery with my Wife and youngest (adult) Daughter and decided we may as well have a quick breakfast. The place, as usual, was quite busy. So my Wife found a table...

Lunch today at The Saddlery - to our great delight on the Specials Board was cod loin served on crushed potatoes with spring onion and Hoisin Sauce. Absolutely delicious! Another 'Special' to recommend! Thank you Saddlery team!

Can’t recommend this place highly enough for breakfast and lunch. Never had a bad meal and staff really helpful and accommodating. Loving the new coffee lounge too 😊😊

fancied going somewhere different menu to suit all didn't have to wait to long 10 - 15 minutes will go again

I just wanted two poached eggs (cant have fried) on toast but after being shouted at that is simply not possible unless you have the eggs Benedict!! A)dont appreciate being shouted at! B) why cant you do poached eggs unless it's in the Benedict? The...

We regularly lunch at The Saddlery and the menu and daily 'Specials' maintain a high standard. The staff always greet you with cheerfulness and a welcome. One of today's 'Specials' deserve 'special' mention - we both opted for the Cod Loin with vegetables and noodles...

Who would have thought you could have a great breakfast at a saddlery shop. Good menu, friendly staff and value for money.

This is a little gem of a placeFood is fantastic staff are happy to help.I visited last week with my partner we had king prawn salmon salad product was fresh and pork belly. The chefs have really taken time to do nice food which is good for business.The two girls out the front were really nice and funny at the same time it made us feel very welcome and nothing was to much.Again well done guys really happy with our experience.

I have been here many times for breakfast in the week with my friend and it never disappoints as a cafe, but today I took my mother and sister for lunch,we all had pork off the specials board and it was excellent.this is good restaurant food at cafe prices.staff are all helpful and friendly,highly recommend.Anthony

Great food, fabulous staff, value for money. We love it here. There is such a good choice and the staff can’t do enough for you. Would highly recommend.

First time st the Saddlery with a friend who had been before. Very impressed with menu choice , service, value for money, cleanliness and comfort. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Definitely would return

Best fry-up breakfast I’ve had in ages! Great sausages, thick bacon, massive juicy mushroom, and all the rest. And a great price too at £6.95! Staff are also brilliant, will definitely be going back there when we’re visiting Essex again!

There is nothing vegan on the menu. No vegan cakes. Disappointing as so many people are now vegan and most places now cater for this dietary requirement.

A first time diner at the cafe.

I had taken my daughter and her friend up to Ingatestone Saddlery for a treat, and as per usual had forgotten to feed them at a reasonable time, so decided to pop into the saddlery cafe first. My question of 'do you have anything for a fussy vegan', as there was nothing on the menu, was taken to the chef, who made me an amazing breakfast, with huge field mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns and vegan sausages, then came out to make sure everything was ok.

We both had the all day breakfast, it was excellent. Quality ingredients. The best we have had for some time.

Lovely food and good choices. Fab smell of leather when you walk past the saddles. Nice and chilled place to meet friends for a Sunday morning.

We have visited the shop on a few occasions, so thought we would try the cafe. We were so disappointed. The sandwiches were made with cheap sliced bread and the fillings were not great. Service was good though.

Stopped off for dinner and it was lovely yum yum 😊 will definitely visit again 👍 food is reasonable price, all the staff are very helpful x

Arrived for lunch only to discover they served an all day breakfast which I must say ticked all the boxes for me; food arrived in good time and piping hot. The cafe is very clean and the staff very friendly - good selection from the menu - will definitely be returning for seconds.

Our second visit and well worth coming back. Ordering a little confusing with Tomatoes included in the Vegetarian but not in the Full English but the blackboard doesn't tell you this!!! Once you add a Fried Slice and the tomatoes you end up with a mighty breakfast and served hot, another bonus its served all day.. Will have to try something else next time.

We popped in for a bit of lunch after my other half had finished wedding dress shopping, so we were on a high when we arrived and the staff, service and food at the Saddlery did nothing to dampen our spirits.

We (3) of us ordered our food traditional breakfast,waited 25 mins ask the staff ( older blond lady ) about delay and reply was We are busy and that the food is cooked fresh, the eggs were hard, all the food was barely warm as per usual, which is a shame as I remember the original cafe and the food was hot and really good, staff behind the counter look like they just don't want to be there, so disappointed with the way it is now run... please change back to how it used to be...

Took my mum for lunch really nice. Julie who served us was very pleasant and so good with my mum. Definitely will be returning

Had a lovely fresh hot breakfast with family before returning back up north. Mine Was a gluten free full breakfast and it was really quite lovely. The food came hot and the gluten free toast was lovely. The young dark haired girl working was polite and even told me where they sourced their gluten free bread. Will return on future visits to see family in Essex.

Haven’t been to the cafe in a while but have been twice this week and it’s good to come back, food is excellent, reasonably priced and staff very friendly especially Julie, she always makes you feel welcome 👍

He was very good as he sorted out another staff member made a mistake and nearly ruined our breakfast and morning but!!! Carl save the day and sorted it all out in very polite and very quick with a lovley warm smile! Thankyou Carl

I visited the Cafe and placed our order (vegitarian breakfast and a meat lasagne) when the food arrived there was a 5 minute wait after my friend had got her food to get mine, when it came out it my breakfast had meat on the plate....I mentioned this to the waitress to which she replied “I didnt see that!” She did not apologise just looked at us like it was our fault! The waitress has extremely poor customer service skills, the food was nice though

Lovely cafe and setting. Extensive menu. Very good food at a reasonable price. Selection of reasonably priced drinks. We had a bit of a wait for our food but it was worth it.

Bemused at some of the negative reviews of late as we regularly visit The Saddlery for lunch or breakfast (especially when the grandchildren are staying with us - they love going to The Saddlery!)

Ive Been For lunch here a few times now, it's a lovely little coffee shop.

Terrible service. Terrible food. What a shame. Just lost two regular customers. Cold toast that was brought back out to me on three occasions still cold, on the third I gave up. Bacon that’s more fat than meat, burnt sausages and undercooked eggs. A serious lack of customer service here, will not be back

What a sad day! Usually love a trip to Ingatestone saddlery Cafe. Very disappointed! Ordered a red onion marmalade with Brie panini, which I’ve had many times. Waited for almost a hour and when it finally turned up it was very hard and I could hardly taste any brie. When I opened it up it was full of the onion marmalade and hardly any Brie. When I asked for my money back there was no apology or anything! Awful customer service. Will not be returning

Recommended by friend so as it was raining we popped in for breakfast and what a lovely breakfast it was !! The only negative was it was so busy (obviously a good sign!) we did have to wait a while but worth it!! The counter staff and servers we very polite - the area was clean tidy and bright!!

Given wrong order (again). The young girl was very polite and helpful but the lady who had taken my order (not very welcoming/happy as a rule) then proceeded to tell me I got what I ordered and was quite stroppy. I reminded her I had repeated my order to make sure she got it right. I got my money back. I thanked the young girl for trying to help but said that given the number of times my order has been wrong in the past and especially because of the attitude and rudeness of the older lady, I would not be back, having been a regular customer for many years.

I enjoyed my sausage and mash. This is a basic cafe serving hot food. Nothing special but nothing to complain about either. A good place to pick up a cheap basic lunch.

We usually visit the Ingatestone Saddlery Cafe and are always impressed, I’ve left a few good reviews about this place on TripAdvisor before, however, we were pretty disappointed today. The girl serving was fairly rude and didn’t even bother to say hello, so we just had to awkwardly place our order. We have never been disappointed with this place, but today really let it down. We usually make an effort to eat at this cafe, but I wasn’t too impressed at all today.

I visited the Saddlery Cafe last Wednesday for a spot of lunch and had a thoroughly delightful experience. The service was very prompt and friendly, in particular, a lovely young waitress named Gill helped me through the menu as I have poor eyesight. I had the Saddlery salad which was quite delicious and finished with a slice of chocolate cake. The setting is really nice as I love horses and will be back again I’m sure.

Went just before lunchtime hoping for less queuing. Was pleasantly surprised to easily find a table for me and my grandsons. They seemed to have more staff on the ground and tables were being cleared up promptly. As usual went to the counter queue with my order and paid for lunch. Came back to my table and waited again for 50 mis before the food finally came out. I think the delay is because they cook the food from scratch. My grandsons had burgers and I had a bacon sandwich. The portions were large and as usual very tasty. The price a bit high but justified I think because of the quality. All in all we enjoyed lunch here and saw other diners were also regulars and enjoying their large portion.

My sister and partner attended today (8th April 2018) we had travelled an hour to get there and spent £200 in the shop. We were not greeted or acknowledged for 5 minutes and when we were asked “what do you want!” In a rude tone which insinuated that our custom was inconvenient and not wanted didn’t start the process to well! Her facial expressions made us feel unwanted and uncomfortable! When the order was placed she didn’t say thank you or acknowledge us at all, rolled her eyes and then slammed the first slab of cake on the desk which was lucky not to have broken the plate. So we walked out straight away and gave this individual (blonde lady) the same body language and treatment she gave us. Unfortunately I am writing this review because a similar incident happened previously on another visit and we thought she must be having a bad day. After spending that amount of money we would more than certainly take our custom elsewhere because Ingatestone isn’t our local saddlery and should be a pleasant experience. I would like to say everyone in the shop itself is very pleasant and helpful and the cafe could learn a lot from their customer service.

Had brunch with grandchildren and drooped into the cafe after looking around this horsey supermarket. Lots of leather goods including whips lol.

I visited this cafe for the first time last Friday and then again today as the food is good and is value for money too. However, on both occasions the staff behind the till (2 staff and the same 2 on both visits) barely cracked a smile. It was as if I was an inconvenience to them. if you can't be happy in your work with the public then perhaps it's not the right job for you. The staff member who brought out the food was a little friendlier but it's a shame as it's put me off visiting again and as I previously said the food is good.

We were recommended to go here for breakfast and we were not disappointed. Generous breakfast, tasty, speedy and with friendly service. Definitely give it a try!

Really good quality food and excellent service. Value for money food hot and nicely presented. Coffee and tea fresh and hot. The cafe is clean and nice open space. Highly recommended

delicious breakfast and nice atmosphere. quality bacon and sausages and lovely staff as well. not too expensive either!

Wanted lunch and a browse. Went into cafe. Really nice hot food. Quick service reasonably priced. Always enjoy eating here

Proper nice breakfast not greasy and good selection of extras and drinks. Would recommend this for full english

Siempre nos quedamos impresionados por el café. La comida siempre es deliciosa y el personal es siempre muy amable. Sin duda recomiendo este lugar

Desayunábamos en el Ingatestone Guarnicionería y la comida era realmente encantadora calidad. El restaurante es muy limpio y el personal es muy servicial. Hemos estado antes en el almuerzo y ya muy popular sugeriría un antes o después de la comida en vez de mediodía....

Sólo tenía un aperitivo después de las compras y el servicio no era tan bueno como normal. La comida estaba bien, aunque como siempre! Siempre vale la pena visitar si estás en la tienda! Disfrute!

Fuimos en compras en guarnicionería y no me decepcionó, tenía un fabuloso bocadillo blt sirve con ensalada, patatas fritas y ensalada de col y mi hija tenía un sandwich de queso y jamón, las cuales estaban muy bien presentada, pan fresco y lleno de abundante. Disfrutamos de café de filtro, así, hace un cambio agradable de latte de etc. Tartas, todo parecía delicioso pero teníamos habitación izquierda para meter una. La próxima vez!

Sirven buena comida, muy rápidamente, el personal es amable. Se lo recomendaría a cualquiera. La comida a un precio razonable y hay mucho para elegir en el menú

He estado aquí ahora cinco o seis veces y el personal me pareció amable, y las mesas limpias, en cada ocasión. El café y los pasteles son fabulosos, y toda la comida es razonable en mi opinión. A menudo me apareció con unos 15 amigos y la guarnicionería no tiene ningún problema complaciente todos nosotros.

We popped into to café for a bit of late lunch after a busy morning moving my horse to a new yard, on the recommendation of a friend. To be honest as it was a Monday the café was very quiet, so therefore you would expect the service to be quick, and also a little smile with it at least! The food was poor, the service even worse and we felt as if we were a bit of an inconvenience to them.

You could easily drive by the Saddlery centre without thinking to go in to the cafe which is accessed through the shop.A queuing system is in place where you place your order. Drinks are prepared straight away so you can take those to a table, and then food is delivered to your table. A good efficient system given the queue can sometimes be quite long but this is a popular place.A good selection of hot and cold cafe-style food that is nicely presented, good quality and well priced. Staff friendly, helpful and efficient. There is a nice seating area outside, weather permitting.

This cafe has a good selection of food , it's excellent value for money with friendly staff.There is a nice seating area outside and high chairs if you need them.The cafe is very clean and worth a visit even if you are not a horse person.

Helpful staff, good allergy information and good food. Recently reformed with good outside space, maybe needs more shade

Always here on my lunch break. Very friendly girls..Nice food Good atmosphere English breakfast is very tasty Have recommended to a few of my friends

Can never fault this little place for a quick lunch! Fab service always and the cakes are incredible! Plus for you horsey folk boots and breeches are welcome!

The food is ok, the prices are OK the only thing I would say is the service is a little slow. And the two meals that we ordered both had something missing from it but was quickly rectified. Clean and smart looking and have a good display of yummy looking cakes

We recently enjoyed a full English breakfast at this delightful cafe in Ingatestone. The staff are very friendly, and the food was gorgeous. The cafe has undergone refurbishment in recent times, and is light, spacious, immaculately clean and very comfortable. Service was excellent. Highly recommended.

Clean and bright food area.Fast service. Staff always friendly, polite and helpful.Food cooked to order and excellent value.Plenty of choice for children.

The food here is always good value and the staff are always attentive. On this visit everything was just as good and service was excellent. The lumpy bumpy cake had run out unfortunately but there was plenty of other desserts to choose from. A good choice for a cafe meal.

A lot of people visit this café as it's very well known locally - I heard about it from a recommendation, yet it hasn't previously appeared on Tripadvisor. Last Saturday there was a queue to get in and people still waited as it is worth the wait. The food is good and reasonably priced - they do a lovely hot chocolate, and a wide variety of breakfasts and lunches.I'd also add the young boy working there was working exceptionally hard to keep the tables cleaned and everyone looked after.