Pizza Express in Chelmsford

Not the fault of the waiters (as clearly understaffed due to Covid & Brexit which 52% thought was a good idea! ) but 70mins before I received anything to eat! The pizza was OK but the salad was appalling. Generally pretty depressing, made worse by the bill which, in all honestly, was double what I would have paid given the choice. My last visit to Pizza Express.

Honestly get the Pollo Pesto it is amazing! Came here with my friend we had 3 courses and all were delicious, lovely waitress as well, all in all a lovely evening!

Amazing Pizza and lovely rose procecco staff were attentive and friendly and food arrived quickly and was amazing quality, also was covid safe!

Went to Pizza Express with my wife and daughter a few days after they opened, following Covid-19 closure.The food was very nice as normal for Pizza Express. Staff were friendly and attentive. However the restaurant lacked ambience where we were placed in the upstairs section. It looked bare and untidy, almost like a table was just plonked in a canteen room. Expected measures were in place for Covid-19 with sanitiser required upon entry. Menus were available as paper or online menu via an App. Dishes were delivered to small table adjoining to our main table which is once again expected measure and good to see.I understand it's Covid-19, but, another eatery we visited earlier that week had a much better set-up and ambience. So ambience needs to be worked on at this restaurant.

Oh dear, I have to admit I haven't visited this branch for a few years, but the standard of food has really gone down. I had a pasta dish that - considering the price - was really small. How much mark-up must they make on this? Also, it wasn't until I got to the bottom of the dish (literally) that I discovered some (almost) burnt pieces.

When you actually go into pizza express it's better but don't order and have it delivered. I ordered at 18.00 and I'm still waiting for it to be delivered at 20.40. When I rang it had just gone in the oven at 20.35. Very bad service. I've been watching on the app and 4 drivers have gone as my order is not ready. I understand that it's a Saturday night and busy but waiting 2 nearly 3 hours for a pizza is ridiculous. I could have made it myself quicker. Never again

Arrived and it was nearly empty. ~5-6 tables with ~20 guests.Service was slow, menus were slapped down at the end of the table not individually placed. Poor first impressions but nevertheless it's a chain low-end establishment, shouldn't have high expectations.Waiter confused our starters, didn't register them into the system or something. When the waiter remembered and asked us what we ordered it was mentioned our mains were ready at the same time as the starters. We were asked if we would like to have the starters at the same time we agreed as we were all hungry. Alas in this mess we received our food.In a sense I wish we hadn't.It was cold, unseasoned and boring. The crust was unbelievably thin. I know thin and crispy what have you but this was paper thin and burnt on the 'crust'. The sauce tasted so awful my palette felt violated, like squeezing tomato puree from a tube into my mouth. Toppings were sparse and dull. The likes of fast food chains have never disappointed me as much. It's not even like I'm comparing them with V.I.P Pizza or Purezza.I always had a poor experience with Pizza Express. Given the choice I wouldn't have gone but it wasn't my choice. It had been 2 years since begrudgingly entering a Pizza Express establishment. I will continue to never visit one again.Just a big fat no. Not to mention £15 a pizza. £15. Are you having a laugh. Even with vouchers this is wildly bad value for the standard of food you get.This place is for people who think they know Pizza but would be better of popping into Iceland and bunging one into the oven. I feel less violated. There are so many vastly superior atmospheres and dining experiences than this.Never again.

I came here on a Sunday lunch time with 5 members of my family. I wish that I hadn’t!! From the start it wasn’t what I have come to expect from Pizza Express. Upon entering, we were left at the door for ages and then a member of staff came over and asked what we wanted. We asked for a table for 6 and she walked off. We waited. We waited some more. Then another member of staff came and asked what we wanted!! She then walked off and spoke to, whom I assume was someone in charge and he said something about having to go upstairs. They then started arguing! We should have left then!Anyway, we went upstairs to empty tables which needed a good wipe over. We were informed they had had a kids party and they had just left. There was bits of food all around the table which wasn’t swept whilst we were there. The table was left without condiments and all that was on the table was the cutlery and serviettes. The food was not nice. I ordered a Padana pizza which was like paper, and covered in oil. It was also burnt. It was rotten. The service wasn’t great. Not asked if we needed anything and we were given a drive by “is everything ok?” as they rushed past the table. We didn’t stay for dessert. I’m glad I had Tesco vouchers and I even begrudged them. Would we return? Erm, NO!

Dined with my friend and left with a bitter taste in my mouth. The food was acceptable but the service was appalling. From the greeting at the door to the non existent farewell, the whole experience was how not to run a restaurant. We had literally no eye contact from our server upon entering or asked how many in our party before escorted to our table with or menus dumped on the side. No water was offered which was good as the glasses were not water marked but stained. The server was fixated on using his phone to take our order and didn’t look up once or engage on what was a quiet night as he had time to stand around the pass, chatting or doing whatever before slamming our starters on the table. We had to wait quite a while for our Mains to arrive which was the carbonara pizza and a grand Caesar salad. The salad was not mixed and the chicken was cold and looked processed which a very strong garlic dressing with a very vinegary taste. The pizza was cooked nicely on one side but was very greasy and doughy on the other. The dough sticks were initially forgotten but quickly brought over by the manager. The table check was after we were 3/4 though our mains and consisted of a whirlwind “ok?”. We decided against any desserts as although we are both in the hospitality trade when the servers are so disengaged that it had ruined the atmosphere and especially with the meal in the £50 for two bracket (with drinks), one would expect the basics of customer service to be followed. Upon requesting the bill we had to wait around 10 mins for him to eventually return with the card machine. When my friend thanked him, the only thing he said was “No problem” before walking off. I’m trying not to be a fussy person but a return thank you would have been much more appreciated and not come across as so rude as if we had been a nuisance. We left our table and not one single member of staff acknowledged us or said bye. 1 hour 15 in total and I regret not going to another establishment where our patronage would have been appreciated.

6pm on a Sunday evening an they had no Ham!! in a PIZZA restaurant!!.First choice Pizza was a no go...Then no first choice desert either....!!! Come on!!I had the sloppy G... well it was basically a cheese and tomato, with the tiniest amount of beef!!, scarce green pepper.... really disappointing.

I appreciate we visited on a busy Saturday evening, however we asked 3 waitresses to take our order, for them all to say “I’ll be back in a minute” and never returned.We then approached the manager whose response was “I’ll be back in a minute”. We will never return

We have always had the most perfect meal at Pizza Express in Chelmsford but tonight was the most disappointing time.First of all the wine was delivered to the table, 30 minutes later the starter arrived then another 45 minutes after two complaints the pizza arrived which was the worst and I mean the worst pizza I have ever had in Pizza Express in Chelmsford. They gave us a discount but it was BAD. Management meeds changing!!!

We had a very enjoyable lunch here. Hot and tasty, pollo ad Astra pizza and lasagne were both really nice. Although there were only two waitresses working and they were swamped by a busy restaurant so they could’ve done with an extra pair of hands! That being said they were friendly and worked quick as they could.

Food was as expected, tasty. The front door dampener is broken and the door constantly slams, made worse when a member of staff is going in and out constantly putting out tables and chairs. It was like this 6 months ago pizza express sort this out. Spotted lots of dirty windows and cobwebs also, and the heater over the door is very noisy. Overall the meal was nice but the fabric of the restaurant needs some attention.

There was a mistake with our order and one pizza came burnt and had to be replaced. In addition the waiting staff were plentiful but not very attentive. So we will give this restaurant a miss in future.

We was after a quick dinner before the cinema, so reluctantly decided to give the once good option of pizza express a go.... it really is now a sad shadow of its former self.

What a great lunch. Popped in on Monday for lunch and it was excellent, we was welcomed with a friendly smile and given a choice of seats. We ordered our food and drink. The service was great and the food was excellent, 2 meals for the price of 1 was a big bonus, our server was friendly and helpful, I would definitely recommend this restaurant and I will definitely return

don't do it. I love pizza and dough ball but not when they are sweaty and cold. very disappointed. life is not easy for this chain at the moment but do what you do best and leave the rest !!!

The food was ok , a bit over cooked but didn’t wanna make a fuss The new gin and orange cocktail is not a good mix with strong rosemary taste...

Went on Monday 2 September - food good new vegetarian legerra pizza n two kids meals but the service was poor. Only two staff serving busy restaurant and they were trying their best but just over stretched

Always great food and great service , love the taste card deals also! Friendly staff , quick service.

We've only been to Pizza Express a few times this year, and each time have had issues with service and/or food. Last Friday was by far the worst. A table of 6 of us arrived at 6:15, ordered promptly, but only received our starters after a 50 minute wait. My husband's chicken wings were burnt and had to be returned, but by this point he didn't want to wait for another dish so went without. After another 20 minutes, our mains arrived; my pizza was soggy in the middle but with no sauce around the edges, my friend's al forno pasta was burnt in rather a lot of places, but again, she was not prepared to wait for a fresh dish, so ate what she could. The manager did knock 50 quid off the bill which equated to the 2 extra bottles of wine we ordered during the excessive wait for food. Won't be returning again.

We decided to pop out for Pizza and a bottle of wine on Friday night - and went for this chain out of nostalgia for our youth when we used to visit often for birthdays. Sadly the atmosphere was wanting and we had to wait 45 minutes for our food due to a big party seated upstairs. Pizza’s used to be excellent but are very average now especially compared to the numerous independent pizzeria’s around these days. Definitely needs to try harder!!

Took my son here for a friday night pizza. Hadn't been here in years and i can say categorically that i won't be back.....ever.

Had a fantastic meal 3 course special, we had the dough balls and mozzarella salad, followed by bolognaise and spinach cannelloni for dessert both had the cheese cake everything was delicious.

Popped in last Sunday, I always find the food lovely, service sometimes slow, but customer service always good. Always fit you in even if they are fully booked

Came for a quick random dinner with the missus on a sunday around 7pm. Can't fault the food, we were both happy with our meals. Staff seems to be without experience, or just simply no idea what they are doing. 9 tables for 2 servers including us, not busy at all, tables around us dirty and not cleaned the whole time we spent here. I work in the industry myself, I could handle these amount of tables myself without having this mess around. I guess they should train their staff, or replace them with people who can actually serve tables.

Firstly staff have no manager. Manager likes to flirt with male waiter in front of everyone whilst ignoring customers, other staff and spillages etc. Other staff so overworked they cannot serve you. Service is so poor McDonald's could our do it at every step. Food mediocre and poorly cooked. Will be chucked at you not served. This venue is so so bad there was not one part of my visit that I enjoyed. In fact I would happily say I would never go back. Felt like I was in a youth hostel staff laughing in the kitchen and playing tag in the restaurant. Could and should be so so much better.

We visited on Good Friday, lovely family friendly atmosphere. Kids loved the piccolo menu, good choice and they really enjoyed the ice cream and babychino dessert. The pizza’s we had were also lovely. Definitely be visiting again!

Came to Pizza Express on the off chance. Despite being a busy Friday night we were quickly seated by a pleasant waitress. The menu is extensive and we decided to have a starter- doughballs- and pizza for main. Everything arrived on time and was very delicious. Wanted desert but there was no room left. I was most impressed by the welcoming service of our waitress but also the waiter in the shirt who brought us out our mains. Very friendly! Will definitely be returning.

My daughter had a pizza making party yesterday at the Chelmsford branch. It was fantastic. Staff, food, service was great. Highly recommended it.

Awful service, we waited over an hour and a half for our food and watched as people who arrived much later than us where severe and given food. They forgot to give us some parts of our meal, dough balls, a salad and some drinks. They also tried to charge us for food that we did not order, an extra pizza and multiple drinks. Some of the group had to leave before we where served because it took so long and they had to go onto other activities they had to be there at 5 and we arrived st the restaurant at 3!!!!!!!!!

Whoever owns this place needs to sack the manager! The third time we’ve come for lunch just before 12 and they are not open!! It’s a joke how hard is it to open on time

Visited on a Sunday evening with family. Restaurant initially quiet but got busier. The staff were miserable and quite unwelcoming, service was slow and poor. Paying £15 each for 3 pizzas was a waste of £45, the base was tough and chewy,the topping sparse and tasteless. 2 of us had the Carbonara pizza with the egg in the middle which was rock hard. Quite honestly I've had better tasting supermarket pizzas for £1.50. Dr Oettker could teach them how to make better pizzas!

Having been badly let down elsewhere we decided on here and was not disappointed. Service was very professional and pizzas arrived very promptly.

I’m sitting here now waiting for my food. Had reservations for 1:30. It’s 2:50 now and still no food. I just tried to speak to the manager and he rushed off. Severely understaffed and poor communication. I don’t care what the food is like I’m never coming back.

Pizza express. Standard you’d expect from food. They are in this branch very accommodating with young children. I was impressed. Even when restaurant busy!

I always like Pizza Express because you always get good service and food that is consistent - not this time though!! We visited after a cinema trip were seated fairly quickly (all fine!). I ordered cannelloni and a side salad - my husband ordered pizza. Had a drink then eventually the waitress came back and said there was no cannelloni so I said fine I will have the lasagne she eventually came back and said there was actually no lasagne, cannelloni or spaghetti Bolognese either. So I in exasperation ordered a pizza. We then proceeded to wait ages for the food to arrive - would have had another drink but the waitress didn't come near us. The food eventually arrived and and usual it was fine. However, when the bill arrived I discovered that we had been charged for the side salad (which I didn't get). All in all it was a chaotic experience and spoilt an otherwise pleasant evening out - I will be avoiding Chelmsford Pizza Express from now on!

We visited in Jan 2019. Service and food was very good, the waitress was very attentive and made sure that we were happy. Will return.

This pizza express always delivers. I am always impressed with how lovely the staff are and how fast and fantastic the food is. Will keep coming back and is my go to in Chelmsford

Called in after cinema. Not busy as they could seat us immediately. Disappointing that they managed to burn the pizza - why as not busy. My lasagna was ok but not a lot of meat.

This restaurant actually cares about people with allergies, they make sure the order is absolutely correct before reaching the chefs in the kitchen. After recent events in the media, it’s reassuring to know this restaurant is taking food allergies seriously. Other food outlets can learn from pizza express, the food is very tasty too.

Had a lunch stop here. Both had a pizza which was really tasty. Surprised how little feedback this busy restaurant seems to get. We were pleased with the food and the service. Been here before a few times and always good. Had a voucher for a deal and was reasonable price. Definitely return.

Went in to the restaurant at 6.15pm in plenty of time to go on to the Cinema for 8pm. Ended up rushing our meal so that we could get to the Cinema on time. Service appalling, quality of food (when they have it) is not that good. My husband asked for chocolate fudge cake and was told there was none left, he then asked for a chocolate brownie and was told there was none left either and asked if he wanted cheesecake. He declined.

Went in for birthday meal and was waiting for over an hour and a half for a main course. People who had come in after us had their main course before we did. When we asked where our food was they went and checked and came back and said it would be 5 minutes. 10 minutes later our food arrives. The Chelmsford pizza express is a disappointment in the chain of restaurants given the service in other locations.

Went in early (1200) to avoid busy lunch period but took ages to (1) get served and (2) our food arriving. I hour and 15 minutes for two courses is a bit long. Food was OK when it arrived.

Been to pizza express many times and I think the one branch in chelmsford is a let down to the brand... the waiting is terribly slow. Burnt food from kitchen staff messing about and being on the phone. Is definitely not a great restaurant to visit anymore.

Came with the family on Sunday. Got seated very quickly and without booking. Relaxed atmosphere with nice food but the service was so slow which let it down. I

I will be honest it is a few years since I visited a Pizza express... but I had Tesco vouchers. I have always been impressed with PE I used to love their thin floury crispy pizza bases. Today the pizza I ordered a Classic Riene was soggy and frankly a poor imitation of the mediocre version available in the supermarkets. So the very thing the restaurant should score on it failed. The Squid starter was greasy ... but the antipasto was first rate if let down by the soggy bread. The people serving were delightful and kind but they were so under stress and I watched them deliver the wrong meals to customers - you felt that while they were willing they were undertrained. We finished with fresh mint teas.. very nice but poorly presented... on a saucer which did not fit the cup and there was no teaspoon which would be helpful to fish on the leaves once brewed... better than picking them out from between your teeth. What a shame! It should have been better. I have £60 of vouchers left.... they will not get spent so that is Tesco’s gain.

always know what you are going to get. Good service as usual. Food arrived and was very good. Will go again soon........

Ate here with 8 family members and had a lovely meal. In particular, we were served by a very lovely lady who had some banter with my family which made our time very enjoyable. I wish I got her number so she could be praised for it. Also the food was tasty which was the cherry on top.

We had a late lunch here on a weekday so the place was very quiet.

Popped in for a late lunch on my day off with my Mum.

As is quite often found in Pizza Express the kitchen out perform the front of house. Took a while to get seated and for the wine to arrive and the order to be taken. But the pizza was glorious especially their gluten free base, which to be honest can take like cardboard in many pizzerias.

We went in here on a Sunday lunch. No problem getting a table as very quiet. Ordered dough balls double which was nice (hence 2 stars) and the waitress was ok. But after her shift ended it went down Hill fast. My pizza was so so but my other half’s was doughy if we could actually find anyone to complain to we would have. The manager was floating about but seemed all over the place. When We asked for bill was like a scene out of mr bean. 4 times they tried to get bill right and couldn’t. Tried giving us wrong bill then the wrong change. Nearly gave up. Mr Bean was trying but I think he didn’t know what to do. Needs sorting before we go back as used to be good.

service and food good. As long as you don't get put off the food by the large amount of dead insects in the light shades above the tables.They really need to be cleaned out.

Beautifully clean and friendly staff. I love visiting this restaurant as their Chelmsford one is always great. - I always look for deals as they are always available.

Took my family (myself, wife & 2 young children) for a friday evening meal. As expected, it was reasonably busy, not packed to the rafters, but a definite 'beehive of activity' scenario.

Visited here with my friend for a nice catch up and found ourselves waiting 2 hours in total for 2 courses on a Monday evening. The service was terrible and none of the waitresses were paying attention to us, we had been sitting looking at our finished plates for 30 minutes and then didn’t get asked to order our deserts, they then burnt my desert and therefore had to wait another 10 minutes to cook an already made desert! Overall just wasn’t a good experience.

Husband and I entered the restaurant at about 13:30, on 5th April... my birthday. it was nice and busy but it wasn’t unbearable. There was a large-ish group in front of us who were seated, and a few empty tables in the restaurant which needed clearing.

The formula is the same of course wherever you go so it’s really just about execution. Busy lunch service and a big kids party kept the staff lively but they kept things moving along.

Took ages to order, service was poor - staff weren’t managing the room (didn’t seem to have specific roles or areas so were all over the place and people were having to get up to get their attention) and very expensive (£7 for 2 scoops of ice cream!). Luckily we had a voucher for the mains but still very expensive ... wont be hurrying back.

A lot better than when I was last here last year service was a joke and food was ok. This...

So I came in with 2 friends (us being all girls) and sat near the front of the restaurant. After about 15 minutes, a waiter came to take our order and that same waiter stood looking at me for about a minute after I ordered the caesar salad for mains without the chicken and the eggs (vegetarian and wasn't feeling like eggs). After this painful minute, he became adamant that i order the starter caesar salad which would have a minimal amount of salad and no bread, as i found out later. After a back and forth, I gave in and let the waiter do his thing to which he brought out a caesar salad with a few pieces of lettuce and atop sat an egg...

My wife and I have been using this branch for several years now and it has generally been very good ,food you could rely on for quality and staff who you knew and who knew what they were doing...not so at the moment.I am writing this review because there is something very fundemently wrong .Staff don't know what there doing, long wait times ,wrong food ,running out of salad ...give me a break .We went in just before Christmas and it was a shocker [all of the above] I asked to speak to the manager he was in fairness very apologetic and even sent me a voucher for a three course meal for two .His last words were please come back ,so we did. Went back on the 6th of January ...things were not much better really .Ordered a salad but couldn't have one they had run out of salad again it was only 7.30pm the reason being was a busier than expected lunch!...I've heard it all now

We visited at lunchtime before a pantomime and the service was much improved on previous visits. The food was served...

Good consistent pizzas whichever Pizza Express you go to. Staff are very friendly at Moulsham st. Hope to go again.

Family Christmas meal with out daughter, arrived early for our booking, restaurant was very empty, pleasant welcome and plenty of...

We booked a table for today as daughter came down to spend her Christmas with us, as we won't see...

Visited this morning with our class from a nearby primary school. Staff was very kind, especially the pizzaiolo chef Tindaro,...

I don't like writing negative reviews but feel the reaction of the manager has justified this one. A friend and...

Came here last Saturday for some food before a night out. As always reasonably priced friendly staff good food and a great way to line the stomach!

This branch of Pizza Express is in desperate need of a clean up. It’s filthy and the staff are rude and very slow. We will never return.

Went here as a group and had a voucher for 2 courses for £10. The food was decent and the service was good. Easy to reach location and nice decor.

There appeared to be only 3 members of staff working here at lunch time: the manager, a waiter and the chef. We had to wait a while for the waiter to take our order. We could then see our pizzas (and several others) sitting on the counter waiting to be distributed, but the manager and waiter just walked past them. The toilets need a deep clean.

Eat here regularly food is good & very consistent. We particularly like the speed of service & have chosen to eat here when rushed on a number of occasions.

Myself and my family visited pizza express today and to say the customer service was shocking would be an understatement It is my dads birthday today and as we all work late hours we decided it would be nice to have a last minute family meal at pizza express. I made a reservation for 3 people at 22:15 and the booking was confirmed.We arrived at the restaurant on time to be greeted by a waiter named Renne (as far as I can remember this was his name) and a lady who we were later shocked to find out was the manager named Monica. We explained we had made a booking to be rudly told that the restaurant was closing early due to the fact that there was no pizza and no pasta at all in the pizza restaurant yet there were people still eating. I find this outrageous as pizza express is one of the biggest pizza restaurants in the world. I then asked why we had not been informed of this when we made our booking to which we were told by the manager that it was impossible for us to make a booking via phone because they do not have a phone. I found this confusing a felt like I was trying to be fooled so I explained that it was a pre recorded phone booking system and asked how she does not know this considering she was the manager. She then changed what she was saying and proceeded to tell us that the booking system was located upstairs and no one had seen that we had made a booking and this is why we had not been informed earlier (the restaurant was not busy so why had no one checked the booking system especially as they apparently had no food) I then went on to tell them that it was my dads birthday and if we had of been informed we could have gone elsewhere so they had effectively ruined our evening and that surly we should be entitled to some sort of compensation. We were told this would never happen and when I asked how I could make a formal complaint, and what their names where so I could explain who I was dealing with in my complaint both members of staff were extremely reluctant to give any us of the information we had asked for and proceeded to turn their backs on us and refused to engage in any further conversation I am myself a waitress, my stepmum has worked for pizza express herself and we have visited many pizza express restaurants and never have we been spoken to so rudly by any of their staff or told they have not got any food.Their website promotes helpful, friendly staff and this is definitely not what we experienced today and I think its safe to say we won't be visiting this restaurant again. As for the food I can't even comment as they didn't have any lol

Ate here with my 4 year old son whilst his brother was at a party. Used a voucher from O2 priority so cheap meal for me. Food was good and quickly served. Surprised you don't have ketchup or mayonnaise, at least for kids, but the waiter went out of his way to do a bowl of tomato puree for dipping which was good service. Been her many times. Would return again

Chose this restaurant for lunch on Sunday because they are child friendly and our 2 year old granddaughter loves their bolognaise. I visited with my wife, daughter and 3 grandchildren aged 4,2 and 8 months. The staff are very good with children (and the waitress who served us works in a nursery during the week). The menu is suitable for adults and children and the service was just right.

Good service, well made food, decent waiting times, and a nice atmosphere. Exactly what you would expect from a Pizza Express.

I used to be a fan of Pizza Express but not anymore! Our recent family visit left me a poor man. Some main courses are now nearly £15, starters overpriced & bottles of beer nearly £7 (when they're only £1.50 in the Supermarket)! I obviously expect prices to be higher than supermarkets but Pizza Express as a chain have increased their prices by c.20-40% in the past year but the service & food are still average, therefore this is nothing but exploitation of their customers. A real shame & I won't be returning.

Bank holiday Monday, visited with my daughter around 4.30pm for some food after shopping. The food itself was great. However in a fairly quiet restaurant with four people on the floor I didn't really expect to have to wait 10 minutes to order drinks and then dessert after our mains, then almost 20 minutes waiting for someone to make eye contact with me to get the bill. It was £15.21. I asked the waiter not to worry about 1p change just the £5. Purely because at this point I just need to leave. He proceeded to say thanks and walk over to the bar area where he promptly spoke to the manager on duty and another waitress, fairly obviously about either the fact that I'd left a 1p tip, or about me in general, as all three were then talking and looking over. I work full time in a restaurant in the city centre myself and to be honest found this a totally unacceptable experience that ended in me being fairly annoyed when I left the restaurant. If you're going to talk about customers or moan about them not leaving a tip then at least do it where you can't be seen by them.

I dined here recently with a friend and I must say, the stunning food was let down by the slow service and unprofessional way in which staff handled a technical issue. I had the dough balls as my starter and this is honestly my favourite starter of anywhere I dine. The garlic butter is just divine and it's my idea of a perfect starter. For main course I had an American hot Romana pizza which was and always is delicious! Having been to Rome, the pizzas here are most definitely comparable. Now the one thing that completely let down the whole experience was the service. I understand it is half term and they were very busy, but the main issue was that they were working off one till which had recently had a new system installed that none of them knew how to use, and using only one card machine. Now once I've finished my meal I like to get up and go, I hate hanging around, but we sat and waited 50 minutes for the bill, between asking for it and actually getting it. It was painfully slow and doubled our parking cost due to taking so long which the staff didn't seem to care about at all. While I empathise it wasn't the best situation, it was very poorly planned doing this at half term, and watching the staff get agitated and swearing was just unacceptable. Truly unprofessional and uncomfortable to witness. Not only this, but I watched as at least 10 different people were turned away due to no tables - however the vast majority of people had finished and simply wanted the bill so they could pay and then leave - and thus would've been possible to get new customers seated. This can't have been profitable turning so many customers away. Such a shame that faultless food was let down by technical issues- but mostly the unprofessional manner in which the staff handled it. I would be inclined to try a pizza express elsewhere.

2 of us enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal here, very reasonable if you have a 'taste card', as halves your bill, makes a big difference.Was very busy as during school holidays, but ok if you have plenty of time.Garlic dough balls are amazing as a starter, there is a lighter thin pizza option with less calories in, it has the middle cut out and salad in its place..... this is really nice . And the ice creams are too die for.Staff are friendly and atmosphere is good.Had to wait ages tho for the bill and to pay, as there was only 1 pay till, and 1 card machine ...so maybe check if this is still the case, if it is busy and you are on a time scale

If I could give this a zero I would. We arrived and was sat down promptly. We ordered the lunch menu; starter and main course for £10.95. We ordered dough balls and garlic bread - both burnt and obviously burnt. We put that down to a mistake and then the mains came out. They were dreadful. The fish pasta tasted like a ready meal and the cannelloni was oily and lacked any flavour. We asked for the bill and we were shocked by the price.... £12.45 for 3 orange juice and lemonades!!!! Absolutely shocking and we will not return any time soon.

Well located, standard fare but well presented and served. You get what you'd expect from this chain: it does what it does well

Called in around 4.30pm on a Thursday (April 6th). Staff friendly and service was fine. The table we sat at in the window, was absolutely filthy despite the fact it had been cleared and set ready, we had to ask for it to be wiped!! The window ledge was covered in bits of food and thick with dust, obviously not been wiped in ages. After we had eaten I took a trip to the toilet before leaving..........................well.......................need I say anymore. This visit has really changed my views on Pizza Express!!

Poor service, mediocre food, only good thing about this meal was the company and when we left. Too noisy.

Well this was a lovely surprise we disided to go for dinner at pizza express before going to the cinema, we were served by a lovely man he was so friendly and helpful, when it came to pay for the bill said that there was nothing to pay and it was on them. It really made my day thank you pizza express.

For a chain restaurant it is good, the food is good, it doesnt take long to come out, but sometimes if its busy it can take a while to get the servers attention. Not always though. Come here quite often, the deals are just too good. Leggera pizza is my fave!

You know what you get when you visit one of these they have great consistency and good pizza's and good Italian dishes

Thoroughly recommend this venue for a kids' pizza making party. We took a group of 17 children, ranging in age from 3-9 years, to celebrate our twin daughters' 7th birthday. Jack, the restaurant manager, led the party and kept all the children completely entertained and happy. The children, including my 9 year old son and his friend, thoroughly enjoyed playing with dough and making pizzas as well as eating dough balls, pizza and ice cream! Thanks to the excellent staff, we were able to relax and enjoy the party with the children.

The food here is always good. I had the Diavolo pizza, which was a good sized spicy beef pizza. Service as always efficient and friendly. A very good place to lunch in Chelmsford.

I have been to Chelmsford Pizza Express and loads of other Pizza Express restaurants on too many occasions to count!! I have never had a bad meal, always freshly cooked, hot and very tasty! I love pizza express!! service with a smile and perfectly priced. Great selection of offers too, taste card and O2 priority to name a few, a good business that keeps itself busy without loosing quality

My partner & myself stayed in Chelmsford. Wasn't sure where to eat & decided on Italian. Visited pizza express as we've been to different chains nearer to our home locally. Service was good but the food was average and we waited quite a long while, one of our pizzas were slightly burnt. But our waitress was a star & made up for it as we've been to other chains and know the food can be fantastic. Would return on another occasion

Eaten in here and it's fine, everything you'd expect from Pizza Express.Ordered Deliveroo and they forgot garlic butter with doughballs which is literally all I order them for. Rang them and they just apologised. Would have liked the offer of a refund. Won't be visiting again

We liked the pizza. Service was good and fast. We tried the olives as well and they were good. I wanted a hot drink, there was none in the menu, but the waitress suggested me a hot chocolate. I have to say that was the worst hot chocolate I've had.The place did not blow my mind, but it was okay.

3rd time my husband and I have visited in the last 2 months and every time we have LOVED it. Dough balls and American Hottest pizza are absolutely divine! Pleasant restaurant, speedy service and friendly staff. Good value.

Visited on a Saturday afternoon. Arrived at 2.15. Seated within minutes. Order taken within 10 minutes. One sharing starter ordered and came within 10 minutes. Three pizzas arrived at the table around 3.20. Too long. No apology. Two of the pizzas were over done. Cramped seating. Not very nice toilets. We'll go somewhere else next time.

This restaurant is definitely in bad need of management review cramped, narrow seating, staff are clueless. The upper floor is u utilized though the views are amazing u have to eat ur meal cramped in the lower floor with waitresses banging into ur chair cos there is no enough space to move.