John Lewis in Chelmsford

Restaurant/cafe Use regularly as normally nice and quiet....obviously not on a Saturday. Nice place to come for coffee and cake or light meal. Very good food. Top floor. A fair choice of food and drinks. Drinks machine could be hotter but hey ho. Not a life changing worry. Had to put review on here as staff who work here, particularly the younger staff are so polite friendly and cannot do enough to help, so they deserve a big shout out.

As expected! Some areas are a bit sparse and could do with a restock, but it was very busy.

Went to John lewis to look for prams, was struggling with a few things until Michelle came over a kindly helped us after her appointment. Very kind and caring person who made our experience must more less stressful, and was great with explaining prices and the best pram for us to purchase. Many thanks Michelle Darrell and Emily

Chelmsford the place to eat. Arrived today to see 4 partners chatting behind the counter . I asked one of them I could have x2 pieces of cake from underneath the glass cover, only to be told “it’s self service”. I appreciate that but I am 78 years of age with a health condition and am unable to lift heavy items. I was eventually assisted. There was no breakfast tea on the counter so I was sent to another counter where there was also none to be had. Reluctantly a member of staff found one for me. Not really the best customer experience, unlike the partner in the Christmas department who went over and above to help escorting me to another department to assist me. Come on John Lewis you need to do better.

love the shop but was amazed yesterday when I asked the price of a perfume set. was reluctantly given it by an assistant working on the display who told me I should download the app and use my phone In store to find prices. therefore in future I have to hunt through my bag, find my glasses, find the app. find the item to get the price. a list of prices beside the display is what I expect. your customer care and service is certainly going downhill.

Always like John Lewis shopping

Had expert advice from Jemma on the Charlotte Tilbury counter today. She really listened to me and I came away with some wonderful products and good advice. Would definitely recommend.

John Lewis is always great. There is usually something I want. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Also recommend the personal styling sessions! They are so much fun!

Visited the Dior counter at JL Chelmsford yesterday & the lady who served me (Ren) went above & beyond to help me with what I wanted, she was very helpful & pleasant, a credit to your store.

Discourteous member of staff at John Lewis Visited JL today. My experience is always absolutely 100%. However, today I decided not to buy a plastic bag as I had my own, although not much room left. I asked for my two items to be wrapped in tissue paper. I was told ‘ok, but we don’t do this usually as the tissue paper is for underwear’ !! That’s not correct, often my clothing items are tissue wrapped. What was more annoying was while processing my payment, she was more interested in her colleagues over to her right (they were not working on the till area) ie turning round and laughing with them. She then provided me with my receipt without looking at me and absolutely did not say ‘thank you’. As again, she was more interested in and interacting with those colleagues. I think my experience on this occasion was very discourteous. Date of experience: 08 August 2024

I made a complaint today at a security tag being left on a shirt I purchased (along with another one) after the alarm went off at the exit door. The member of staff didn’t apologise so I escalated it to the general manager who apologised and also ensured the shirts were folded etc. I got home today and to my upset, I’ve checked my shirts and receipt and see that the member of staff has charged me twice for one shirt and the other so charged for three after only purchasing two. Guess I’m going back to the store again in the morning.

Excellent service from Piers today!

Not so great experience unfortunately, went in store to pick up an online order I made- I had purchased a bottle of aftershave for my Husbands 30th birthday, and as there was an offer on too to purchase it through their app for a 15% off, who couldn't resist? This was great as I had no time to go in store and pick one out and get it wrapped as I've been so busy with work and struggle with wrapping as I suffer with mild Carpal tunnel so I thought it would he okay to bring the bottle straight to the DIOR counter and show proof of purchase from John lewis and ask if they could just wrap it for me-no bag needed. The lady I asked was nice enough but declined as its their policy as I wasn't a "direct customer to Dioir" to qualify for gift wrap..and was quick to get away from the counter, almost felt like it was personal, maybe I'm wrong? whether this is true or not, I find it a hard policy as the DIOR counter sits in John lewis, and I've made a purchase for Dior from John lewis, so what would be the difference? I felt quite disappointed since its a company in decline already, and they are turning down a service where I've spent a fortune on after shave.. Not happy and now I need to hunt someone I know with good enough hands and steadiness to wrap, but nether the less the staff at the collection point where lovely and helpful 😀

I had a great “Porefessional” benefit facial today with Lauren! She was so lovely and explained each step of the facial very well.It was so relaxing and the perfect treat

My son needed a suit for an upcoming wedding. We popped in to have a look at the suits in John Lewis and were extremely lucky to meet Heather. Heather knows her business and helped us get the perfect suit and accessories. Everything all under one roof and put together nicely by Heather. We would have bought the wrong size if left to our own devices. We recommend Heather and will be back when we need something else

Not happy with the service today - the 18th of December 2021. After I’ve spent £200 for a jumper and a microwave box I asked the jumper to be wrapped by the shop assistant, but she didn’t. After asking for a second time she didn’t bother wrapping the jumper properly at all, I asked to speak to the manager, who didn’t even apologise. Expensive place and some members of the staff needs extra training. Zero % customer satisfaction today! Now we are in June 2024 the staff are I still rude and unprofessional. Please keep checking your receipts, because they will charge you for things that you haven’t even bought. They will not apologise and will treat you like a criminal!!!!!! Avoid!!!!

Arrived at the store at 8am as per online information. Store opens at 9am. Travelled 15 miles to return items.

Not a single bra in the shop in a size 42F non underwired that wasn't something my gran would wear. Thought they catered for the curvier bust? Very disappointed, the shop assistant showed me a dowdy bra. Just because we have a fuller bust it doesn't mean we don't want to wear pretty proper fitting underwear too.

Very kind staff. I dropped £10 without realising and the kind lady from Benefit Makeup informed security which found us to hand it back. Staff in Clarins are also very helpful and nice ! 😊

Unlike virtually all other JL stores, ‘Stock information not available’ message shown when checking store stock online. Can’t this be sorted out? Fed up with wasted trips to this (my nearest) store.

Great staff, but tanoy announcements could be more friendly. If the music is on, keep it on.

Went to the toilets and was very shocked that the toilets was so dirty, it had faeces all over the toilet,yuk. Should be check more frequently.

The store is good and associates very helpful. The restaurant service was poor. It took quite some time to order our food and and counter associates were too busy doing their own stuff.

Picked up new AirPods back in December. Staff were polite and easy and quick pick-up service. AirPods packaged well.

Always love JL&P but I don't like dogs within the store. Of course guide and hearing dogs being the obvious exception.

Visited ‘ The Place To Eat’ just after 11am for coffee and scone/cake. Plenty of choice. Whilst choosing our drinks the young lady working at the till came over to offer assistance and to point out offers. She was very friendly, polite and helpful. I hope she gets recognition from her managers. Her name is LIYA. Well done.

It's a JL in Chelmsford...they're all much the same

Good size shop and a lot of choice for home, clothing or accessories. 4 stars as none of the toilets have been working on a busy weekend and staff refused to allow to use disable one. Few paid parkings around or you can use Tesco (3h free if you spend £5 in store)

That man Tyler in men’s perfume deserves a pay rise! Warm customer service and helpful comments. He has passion!

Wonderful store with vast options of shopping. One must visit. Nice store

Staff was taking photos of me in the bathroom, please talk to him.

Big John Lewis with 3 floors - I've just spent over an hour and half here noseying around to spend a voucher I was gifted. I have come away with a proper mix of bits and it was a nice experience with very friendly staff!

Thank you Sonia for going above and beyond to help find the right casual/ smart jacket in menswear today. So helpful .

No vegan cake choice at 1pm today is unacceptable. Cashier lacking in any customer service. Dirty table, Gone down hill

I love John Lewis and in the main Chelmsford John Lewis is great, with friendly staff and a great store. What lets John Lewis down in Chelmsford is the 'Place to Eat'. it's not great. I think the staff are lovely but on a weekend they don't appear particularly well trained and they never have enough of anything. You can do in at midday and you can guarantee they will have ran out of pretty much most things. The coffee machine's usually don't work and in the main it's poorly ran and it's not particularly reflective of other JL's I've been too. I think if john Lewis were to improve anything in Chelmsford, it should be the Place to Eat.

I went into John Lewis today in the hopes of getting a Barbour jacket, after being there a little while an assistant came up and asked if he could help, I explained what I was looking for and he said he would check the stock room. So he went off and I continued to wait looking to see if I could find a Barbour International jacket of a different style in the right size to check the fit incase he couldn't find the one I was looking for. I then proceeded to wait for about 15 minutes and was originally thinking that he was really having a good look, at which point I popped my head around the corner and spotted him over in the corner talking to another member of staff, I went up and asked him if he found it and he only replied with he hadn't got one. No apology for not returning to tell me which I pointed out, he said that he tried to find me but couldn't, but as I hadn't left the area around the clothes rail where he had left me it is obvious he was lying through his teeth and had probably just forgotten what he was doing. Completely useless customer service and I will go somewhere else in future as I'm not wasting my time or money somewhere you just get ignored . I will also be passing my comments to Barbour as he was acting as their representative in the store . My advice to him would be to get a different job where you are not serving customers as you are obviously not capable.

Perfect place for quality products

Had a lovely bowl of chips in here with a cold drink. Staff very pleasant and friendly they went out there way to help us with getting the chips, as it was past there serving time. I was very Impressed. We had ice cream which was a really good price . The food up there is not very expensive. Its affordable. The cafe has plenty of seats and laid out well. I recommend this restaurant to have a meal or even a snack.

Was disappointed that yet again no Sourdough toast, or any bread for toast and it was only 11 am. Also no childrens sandwiches on a previous visit, even though it was lunch time and they are meant to come with the childrens box.

Friendly and helpful partners and a great place to shop for clothing and household goods

Very nice place for me and my friends to buy stuff

Reviewing the John Lewis Cafe- The coffee was from a self serve machine, which is no issue providing the coffee tastes nice. However both my mum & I couldn't even finish our coffees, they were disgusting. Tasted like watery milk with a minimal amount of coffee. The food was tasty but very dry. The service was poor. Tables were only half filled, and the empty ones were piled high with empty plates/cups. Although the people at the till were friendly, there was no rush to get anything sorted or clean the seating area. There were also no clean forks available & I had to repeat myself 3 times for just 2 forks! It was very expensive considering it was mainly self serve. Atmosphere was quiet, no background music and filled with dirty tables. Wouldn't come back

Big shout out to an awesome Customer Service experience today by *Paula* who was on tills when I needed help. Thank you, you went over and above for me today. A genuine, friendly and rewarding experience, one which reflects beautifully on your brand name. Thank you from the teaspoon lady!

Had a fantastic experience with the manager (I believe his name is Ricardo?) at Sunglasses area within John Lewis Chelmsford. He took the time, gave expertise and clear advice on which Raybans to buy. He was working alone during a busy bank holiday but we never felt rushed. 10/10 customer service. Thank you so much!

Wanted a new iPhone. All types and colours available at Chelmsford store. Andrew carried out my data transfer. Didn’t take long and he was extremely helpful, making sure I knew how everything worked before I left A very positive experience and I’m very happy with the service received 😊

Having to make your own coffee (especially when there is hot food available) is not acceptable. A big bill for not very much.

Mix of staff. Some polite and friendly, then you have a member of staff who just walks and stops in front of you whilst you are browsing! Shop looks great; JL always do. Food in the café was really nice.

On of the best places to go shopping

This store is like an open clearing in the dark gloomy forest that is Chelmo City Centre - the sun shines here.

Best place to shop in Chelmsford! Love JL

Great store, very competitive prices for white goods, very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff. Dog friendly and even has direct undercover access from a large understore car park. A1

Good selection in all departments and sale goods well priced. Staff extremely helpful

Non troppo grande, organizzato, abbastanza fornito con varie selezioni. Nel complesso discreto il posto di ristoro.

Fabulous online shopping 🛒 but Chelmsford is disappointing ladies wear hadn’t changed a bit old hat nothing new also shoe department too

Amazing department store has everything you need. And good customer service. 👍

Has everything we wanted and served well

Cafe was a little dirty, food on the floor and none of the tables cleaned. The store itself, smaller than I am used to but the staff still very willing to assist. From now on however i will visit Lakeside or Cambridge since the selection of products and furniture to view in this store is limited in my opinion.,

It’s now the heart of Chelmsford, especially since Debenhams closed.

Really helpful assistant helped us choose and order a microwave (the delivery for which was also free!) Overall a very positive shopping experience.

Well stocked, easy to navigate and polite staff.

Lovely store throughly enjoy a browse around so many wonderful things .

We have always liked John Lewis cafes but this was poor. Expensive for self service. Coffee was the most bitter taste and was unpleasant. Choice of food was minimal. Menus disappointing. This was lunchtime. Older couple behind us were looking for something hot and had to leave as there was nothing for them. Staff were pleasant and the cafe was clean and this is why we have given this 2. It is unlikely we will return again.

All three visits over the last four months have been terrible. Very slow food times. Never much choice, burnt toasties but cold on the inside. On my last two visits they have not had any sandwiches for the children's boxes. Cold tea, It never lives up to the standard you expect and receive in other JL restaurants. Safe to say I wont be returning. The coffee shop on the 1st floor is much better.

My last few visits to the cafe have not been up to standard for what you would expect for John Lewis. Yesterday I visited the cafe again, hoping it may have improved but it really hasn't! The whole cafe is in a muddle! It was 1pm on a Saturday and there was hardly any hot or cold food left, a choice between 2 prepacked sandwiches (tuna or egg). I don't understand why the middle of the serving/ordering area is barricaded off, it makes the area look untidy and there isn't a lot of space!? The ordering and serving food is confusing, people were unsure where to stand, where to order etc. I ordered a tea and was told there were no saucers because they've not been washed up yet and I was given a small 'Nespresso' spoon to stir my tea with. The tables were not cleared or clean, meaning you had to clear them yourself! I understand it has been difficult due to covid etc but this was low standards for John Lewis as I used to love the cafe, their fresh sandwiches etc.

The Café in Chelmsford is a safe place to have coffee and a snack or light bite. Safe distancing, careful placement of customers, table service. I ordered soup which was delicious and tasty, served with a decent size of ciabatta bread. The flat white was perfect and served with a smile from a very polite young man! No complaints here!

At the cafe today! Unclear tables ...served coffee without a saucer and told there weren’t any clean...3 other tables next to me complaining of burnt toasties!! And wrong orders. Staff have no management or seem to acknowledge anything is wrong.. come on John Lewis we expect better!!!

Arrived at 12:30, had to wait 12 minutes to be seated. Many empty tables but somehow not cleaned yet! I was hoping to enjoy soup for lunch but it was not ready, now 12:45. Understaffed? The same young man that took the orders, also cleaned tables and had to man the till. This coffee shop can and should do better!

Came to the cafe for a sandwich. Having looked at the menu near the entrance we made our way up to second floor and despite it only being 12.15pm, our choice was already unavailable. However we decided to try the main food options. Between us we had the vegetarian pie with chips and the chicken and sweet potato chips and Asian slaw. It was very tasty and we felt satisfyingly full. The cakes looked amazing but we were too full to try them. We did get confused at checkout. We ordered what was listed on the menu but we’re asked at checkout which sides we had ordered. We did not think we had ordered any and were concerned we’d be charged more but think it worked out in the end. Decor is fresh, contemporary and bright. Would recommend but beware, it’s filled with only white middle class people.

A delicious “sticky spice rhum and ginger cake” Lots of pieces of ginger, just the right amount of buttercream but I did not think the flavour of rhum came through enough, to my taste.

Thought we would give the coffee shop a go as the shop is so nice. mediocre cake, a scone that wasn’t remotely home made and had to make our own hot drinks and costing an extortionate. £11 we won’t be going back anytime soon!

John Lewis is such a famous name you would have thought they would make more of an effort in their cafe. Everything about it was substandard. The welcome, coffee and the cake all poor. Such a disappointment compared to the rest of the superstore.

Really disappointed by our experience at the, rather inappropriately named (as it turned out) Place to Eat on the second floor of the John Lewis store in Chelmsford. We placed our order for two simple sausage baguettes, poured our coffees from the self service machines, paid and sat and waited for our food to arrive. 15 minutes later we were still waiting so we explained to one of the staff who checked and said that they didn’t have enough sausages (there was an ample supply sitting in a warming dish at the counter when we ordered) so were cooking some fresh and the baguettes would be with us soon. However, 10 minutes later (with no smell of anything being cooked) our food had still not arrived. We went up to the counter to explain that we could wait no longer and were leaving. We were given a refund but maybe this lack of organisation & service is why the cafe was so empty. We won’t be going back. John Lewis please try harder.

after getting a poor meal from the restaurant we thought to give it a second go..... we arrived at 12.50 because been before to find lunch isn't served till 12.30 onwards, so turned up to try soup..... run out {at12.50} and what there was....was about 5 sandwiches to choose from a very small selection of over cooked and dried up hot food and a vast quantity of cakes and scone at lunch time !!!!!!!! ludicrous …. john Lewis you really need to get your act together or simply don't bother

A really great selection of cakes on offer. Shame about the coffee which isn’t very nice but the cakes make up for it!

The hot drinks are self service which would not be a problem if the hot water was actually hot. The water was not hot enough for the tea to brew and was cold before I could drink it I ordered a sausage baguette which to took 15 minutes to arrive and white toast. We were given brown toast and when asked for it to be changed to white that arrived burnt. Saw plenty of staff milling around but they were not around to service customers. Will not return.

I took my Daughter for lunch as I thought it would make a nice change from our usual sandwich bar/pub. I chose quiche and salad and my daughter had toasted ham and cheese sandwich.Was disappointed to find it was just help yourself coffee machine (nothing special) and by the time we sat down my quiche was cold....surroundings where pretty shabby and by the time the toasted sandwich arrived I had finished my lunch. The last visit I went to the Bistro on floor below that was nice but could only see Baggetts on sale there. Wouldn't go back to A Place to Eat expensive for what it was and not that great for the money.

Great store with a wide selection of everything. What I also love is the attention to service, any query is always answered to the best of their knowledge and they open tills if there's a queue.Only problem is it costs money to buy stuff :( :)

So pleased that John Lewis has opened in Chelmsford - love the variety of products on offer and friendly and efficient staff. I’m a JL fan!

We stopped for coffee, tea and cake and were very disappointed at the self service counters. The coffee was so weak that another espresso had to be added to it to give any sort of colour. The cakes were fairly tasteless and unappealing. We waited to pay at the cash till for a couple of minutes, which was devoid of an assistant resulting in sitting down to tepid drinks. A very unsatisfactory coffee stop!

Gone are the delicious curries and hand made pies. The ew norm is dry pasta and ratatouille (aka some overcooked peppers and mushrooms no tomatoes or courgettes in sight). Baked potato and tuna which would make a Jersey New spud look big. All ordered and served up warmish and after a 20+ minute wait..."All cooked fresh" said the sign.....fresh maybe last Thursday. Will not be going back!

Very illogical and complicated ordering system and once you get your food it is average at best and overpriced. The cafe itself is decorated nicely but I certainly wouldn't use it again.

Found it very interesting and refreshing to have a great coffee shop inside a large shopping place , love the tasty food & fresh coffee . Leave your spouse in it for hours if you are a shopaholic

We popped in for a cake and coffee that overall was somewhat disappointing. Although the coffee was the same price as a Costa the flavour missed the mark by some margin.

All we wanted was nice up of coffee. All we got was a self-service machine that dispensed a thin, tasteless cup of brown liquid. John Lewis has always had a reputation for quality but their coffee is barely drinkable. Obviously, providing a self-service machine is less expensive than employing a barista but the result is like comparing arabica to dishwater.

Had Tea & Muffin in cafe. Hoped because of prices and being John Lewis it would live up to expectation, but alas, muffin wasn't fresh and tea was like knats ----. Never had such a weak cup of tea since America. When you think about how much it actually costs to make a cup of tea between 5p-10p and they charge £2.10 for this rubbish, I would never go there again.And as a top shop would have thought the muffins would have been fresh.

Very disappointed in our John Lewis cafeteria, I call it that deliberately because it is ALL self service, you have to make your own drink, collect your meal and then queue up to pay!

Spotlessly clean seating area with staff wiping tables after each use. Limited menu, serve yourself to hot drinks. Toasted sandwich and cake were fine. Vegetable soup not to the standard I would expect from John Lewis.

My friend and I visited the Dior counter where she sampled and purchased a foundation. The sales clerk applied it to her face. When he was done my friend stood up and 2 black marks (fairly large) had stained her trousers.

Popped in for an early coffee. Had to wait a short time as no one at the till. Hot drinks you serve yourself from a machine but hot and drinkable. Had a very nice muffin which was fresh and delicious. Plenty of tables & everywhere was spotless.

Visit here from time to time. Small cafe/restaurant but pleasant surroundings. Choice is limited but then it is a small store by comparison. Staff always friendly and helpful. Breakfast choice is a 'wee bit' limited but for a quick drink and bite to eat it is fine. Self service (drinks) as well which helps to speed up the process. The jug of water by the condiments is a good idea as well.

Popped in today when visiting Chelmsford. Mid morning treat coffee and cake as you do when you are retired! Cafe was spotless. Staff friendly and coffee and cake very good. Well done everyone.

We went to the restaurant about 12.20 on Thursday where there was only choice of two main courses or a choice of one soup with crusty stale bread ...the bread I took for my soup had flies crawling over it and was told when I showed it to the girl .....go get more bread..no sorry or anything. when I got to the till the woman said what soup have you got ...as if there was a choice !!!!!! , which if she was observant enough would have seen.... Then when it came to pay even although the card machine said swipe or insert I was told the swipe doesn't work TERRIBLE OVER CHARGED FOR RUBBISH FOOD

Went here to check the electrical goods and ended up having a coffeee on the top floor. Everyone is helpful andthe cakes and coffee are good, however it would be better if there was a little natural light and a few windows in the coffee shop on the top floor

Visited for a quick lunch. Positives first lovely bright clean cafe. Food and drinks were not good at all. Coffee was tasteless and the scone I had was very dry. Poor choice if sandwiches for anyone wanting something without egg!! All in all not a good visit. Have been to much better JL cafes.

My wife and I popped in for a plate of soup and chunk of bread each, as we have done many times in the past. This oft followed afterwards with a small bottle of red wine and slice of cake. When reaching the till, were utterly taken aback by the price increase, handing everything over to the lady at the cash machine and refusing to meet such a hike. Interestingly, on leaving, the couple behind equally taken aback, performed a similar u-turn. Shan't ever return.

Visited today for coffee and cake. I had a slice of carrot cake which unfortunately was very stale and hard. I had to leave most of it. I think the problem is the cakes are not covered. I wil be reluctant to visit again.

The young lady on this counter was so knowledgeable helpful and a pleasure to be served by. Wanting some new products and was very pleased with my purchase. She kindly gave me some samples to try and I have since purchased 2 extra products because of this. Thank you

The cafe is always full of friendly helpfull staff and the food tasty. Ideal for a quick bite or just a coffee

I know the JL policy now is that all their restaurants should be identical but I long for the time when it was not self service and there was a degree of individuality. I don't like serving myself from a coffee machine but then maybe I'm being old fashioned

Decided to use the restaurant as had a free drink and cake coupon. Not a good selection and the place lacked any kind of atmosphere. The young girl on the till was very rude and needs to be retrained in customer relations! Must say we were quite shocked as to how it was in there and will certainly not use it again. There are so many places now in Chelmsford to go and have a tea and cake which thankfully are far more superior to this place and will be taking our business elsewhere in the future.