Smiths of Ongar in Epping Forest

Great seafood and collection of wine. Professional and helpful staff. Highly recommended!

30th birthday dinner for my son. Busy friday night so very noisy, could not keep up with conversation around my table. Service attentive. Vegetable side dishes far too small. My scallops in my gratin were not properly cooked, so left to one side. On the whole, good food but over priced.

Great food, great service. A real special place 👍🏻

Celebrated our anniversary at Smith’s in Ongar, and it was perfect! Delicious seafood, great atmosphere, and polite, attentive staff who gave us a lovely table. Highly recommend for a memorable dining experience!

Everything was perfect, save the service which lacked slightly!!

Beautiful food, great friendly service. Beautiful decor, great atmosphere. Perfect for any special occasion.

First time there and I was very impressed. From the food to the staff it was a lovely experience. We had the 3 course set menu ( mussels- prawns- skate wing - teriyaki sea bass with apple and almond tart and lemon cheesecake to finish) which was amazing value for the quality off food. Our servers mimi and billy are just delightful 😁 and made us feel very relaxed and looked after. We will definitely be back

Lovely place with great service and tasty food 😋 vegan friendly too

Just a normal fish and chicken shop. Not that interesting smiths of onger opens and closeing and reopening again not my cup of tea it’s just a normal fish and chips shop

Just fabulous. We had skate and Turbot which were cooked to perfection. The cockles as a pre starter again were fabulous. The service was superb. I have only praise for one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten.

Celebrated my wife's birthday here and we had a very lovely family night. The food was just simply superb, we all enjoyed it so much. The waiting staff are so well prepared on service with no fuss, which was so nice too. We don't go to Smiths as often as we would like but we have never been disappointed on the occasions we have dined here - a place we use because you guaranteed a grand night, thanks to all at Smiths.

2 visits to this wonderful restaurant in a month - once with friends & the other with my partner Superb food - absolutely delicious and exemplary service If had to make any criticism it would be they were a little slow with the wine to be served with the meal but this didn’t detract too much Highly recommend and look forward to returning

One of the best dining experiences I've had for a very long time. The main focus is seafood (I recommend both the garlic prawns and the turbot) but there is also extensive choice if you don't want fish. The vegan/vegetarian menu also has plenty of interesting dishes to choose from. The staff find the right balance between friendly and professional and certainly add to the experience. There's also a decent number of staff so you never feel you are waiting for someone if required. The food all arrived as/when expected and was delicious, only good comments from the 4 of us. The wine list is good and not overly expensive, I'd recommend the English Bacchus which was lovely. I finished the meal with the leftovers of my wife's vegan sticky toffee pudding ... who'd have thought that a vegan take on such a classic dish could be so good, 10 out of 10.

The moment you walk in you know the experience is going to be fantastic and it was! Food was lovely, the set menu was very reasonably priced for the food we were served. The main menu is rather pricey. But where else in this area can you get these high standards. I'm a fan.

Phenomenal robust fine dining. Superb service. Exactly what you want when you want a meal, not a performance. Smiths Ongar holds its own against any of the best restaurants in any capital city globally. As a suburban "go-to" it's just great. We've been going for 12 years and Smiths remained constantly excellent. Great job and we intend to be back soon.

First time here. Really excellent food. Perfect flavours.

We went this evening for our friends 60th Birthday, our treat as her present. The food was very good. However the noise was horrendous, I did ask to be moved, but nobody came back to us on that question either. Way. We couldn’t hear ourselves speak, my husband being hard of hearing couldn’t hear anything apart from a extremely loud group of 4 people sitting on the table 1 up from us, clearly the couple sitting on the next table had the same problem with their continuous noise. They even went outside between courses for a break and they didn’t smoke ! I feel the staff should have spoken to these people to turn their volume down a very disappointing evening. Definitely will not be going back on a Saturday night ever.

Unbelievable is an understatement. The food, the service, the cocktails… impeccable. I will be recommending this to all of my friends and family! there was a young lady and two young men who served me and my family for my dads birthday and they were so lovely, welcoming and friendly! Thank you for having us Smith’s, we will be back xxxx

It was my birthday so my daughter and son in law treated me to lunch. The whole experience was amazing. The food was perfect and we sat at the back by the glass wall overlooking the garden. It's very expensive but worth going as a special occasion. Thank you Smith's!

Great food, great service. But uncomfortable seating where we sat.

As always...perfect food, wine, service and atmosphere...the reason we travel from down from Cambridge

The food was excellent, the customer service as fantastic and the atmosphere was first class. Hightluy recomended. And a special thanks to Ales, who served us.

Once again, it was a lovely experience at Smiths. We went to celebrate my sisters wedding, just 6 of us. The staff made us feel very welcome. They knew it was a wedding celebration. They gave the bride & groom a complimentary Prosecco. The good was outstanding, as was the service. We didn't feel rushed at any time. We have been to Smiths on numerous occasions over the years & have never been disappointed. Yes, you may pay a bit extra, but the food,service & ambience it was worth it.

Alway on point, great food and great service

Great resturant , service was great, very relaxed atmosphere. Meals for 4 of us all served at the same time totally on 👉

Garbage restaurant run by garbage people. Don't give money to these horrific people. It isn't worth it..............

Excellent quality & service as always

Excellent service, ideal for celebration

Not sure how many times we have been to Smiths now but we have always found it a lovely place to eat. The food is always good and I have no complaints about the staff they are helpful and friendly. My husband yesterday tried the roast beef which he said was excellent. We enjoy going there and will certainly be back.

Service and food were good, but it was too loud in there that I struggled to keep up with the people sitting at my table. It could be more cosy, saying that I still would recommend this restaurant, and I certainly would go back there.

Have been coming to this restaurant for many years and it never fails us. The food is always amazing and the staff very attentive. Highly recommend

A night celebrating my mothers 90th birthday and the staff certainly accommodated to help to make the the evening enjoyable for the birthday girl. The fish was lovely and cooked to perfection

Very good to come back again, will return

My family and I want today for lunch, and had a superb meal, very nice all round and lovely service, very highly recommended to all.

Second visit here, great atmosphere nothing too much trouble for the servers. The food is outstanding everything we had, 6 of us, was excellent, beautifully cooked, nicely presented. Fine dining at its best.

Great food superbly presented, exceptional service great attention to detail can highly recommend.

Absolutely fantastic! Celebrated my wife’s birthday with a surprise lunch here..Service, ambience and food were all excellent and the restaurant was full on a Tuesday lunchtime which shows how good this place is…Definitely returning very very soon …

Great trip, lovely food and restaurant. Waiter was a little pushy but maybe we just got the wrong person. Food was 10/10, would return.

Served lobster thermidor with cartilage still in the claw and tried to make out this was normal. Scott’s or J Sheekey wouldn’t dream of it. Poor attitude towards receiving constructive feedback.

From the moment we arrived we were greeted with a very friendly welcome. Staff were very attentive but not overbearing. Food and service were of the highest standard, and we look forward to another visit in the near future.

My partner booked a table for my Birthday and informed the lady on the phone it was for my Birthday. My son who lives in Australia sent me a voucher last year for my Birthday for Smiths so we didn't want to waste it and booked a table for my Birthday yesterday. As soon as we arrived we were shown to our table. The waiter asked us would we like water still or fizzy and what other drinks would we like. we ordered our drinks and asked for still water. Not long after that another waiter came over to ask us if we would like some more drinks. I mentioned to him that I had a voucher and handed it to him and explained to him this was sent to me on my Birthday last year from my son in Australia and because its my Birthday today we don't want to waste the voucher as it expired a year on the day. He said no that's ok and took the voucher and made a note on the til or computer for the voucher to be excepted. After a while the waitress took our food order our starters & main course. The food was nice but we both ordered chunky chips which served in small separate side bowls but we both noticed that the chips at the bottom of the bowl were over done like they were left in the oil too long. We noticed that the staff were very attentive on offering us to purchase more drinks while we but when our food arrived and we started eating after a while no one person came over to us to ask how our food was or is everything OK. after our main course we were asked do we want desserts, coffees but still no one asked us how the food was. we said no thank you for the desserts and coffee. Please Can we have the bill. By this time I said to my partner they know its my Birthday because we informed the first waiter who took the voucher from us and the lady on the phone who booked our table. I was a bit surprised that they didn't he make an effort in making a kind guesture that majority resturants do with some kind of Birthday dessert for the customers birthday. To me that goes a long way and customers really appreciate it. it just gives that personal touch. But no nothing was done until I actually mentioned to the waiter who gave us the bill that this meal was my Birthday today and this was what the voucher was for. I feel I shouldn't have had to do that because the previous waiter who had gone off shift should have made a note and informed the other staff who were still serving. After announcing this to the waiter he then brought out on a plate one scoop of ice cream with a candle in. considering the bottle of still water they charged £5 and that they are very keen for people to spend money on the drinks I thought they would have been more considerate when it comes to customers celebrations like special Birthdays etc, it doesn't take much to do this and I feel customers really appreciate that kind of personal touch. We also noticed that once we paid the bill and ready to leave no one came over to say thank you very much, hope you enjoyed your meal and made an effort as we got up from our table to leave to come over to say goodbye. We actually opened the door and walked out. I thought Smiths isn't just your normal standard Resturant like Prezzo's or Nando's You only have to look how the waiters are dressed and the tables are laid so Surely I thought Smiths management would train their staff to make sure their staff carry out this level of service. The resturant was not busy so it wasn't because they were really busy. Not sure if the Smiths in Wapping has the same level of service as the Ongar resturant but its little things like this that makes a big difference to the customers, This has certainly put me off on trying Smiths again. The staff need to be reminded that these small things mean a lot to the customers and it's not all about the customers spending money on the drinks all the time.

Smiths is awesome. First time visiting on a works di and have to say the food is amazing, staff friendly, super helpful and professional. Lovely restaurant kept extremely well. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend 👌🏻

Fantastic food fantastic service and the prices are the same as other good restaurants,lunch set menu is great and prices are very fair and quality of the food is first class.

Comfortable atmosphere, good food, good parking.

Superb food as always and fantastic service...

Outstanding, food was fantastic and the service was amazing. The waiting staff or train so well and met your every need without having to ask. I really great place I’ll be back.

It has the appearance and feel of an exclusive restaurant with prices to match. The food was generally good but my pork chop was nothing special and fairly tasteless and a little chewy although the scallops that came with it and the sauce were both wonderful. The soup was very good too. The service was of a very high standard but fairly robotic at times and it didn’t feel personal. They are very aware of special dietary requirements and there is a very high standard duty of care here. No options for dessert that are both gluten and egg free apart from sorbet but there is a good range of allergen free starters and mains with a gluten free batter option for fish. Their mushy peas are the best I’ve ever tasted.

Great dining spot with seafood and great desserts especially the creme bulee.

Took the parents out for a lunch to Smith's today. We've been before but they hadn't and they were duly impressed. Food outstanding as usual. Great selection on the menu. Can personally recommend the Cornish seabass. Service and staff super attentive without pestering. We were made very welcome. There's not a nicer place for lunch in Essex.

Excellent staff - attentive, helpful, polite and pleasant. Delicious food. No muzak, or so quiet we were never disturbed. Plenty of parking. Customers in the footballers' wives zone, but not a nuisance. Nice place.

Great food,and great service was a great night out,will be coming back

I have one complaint. After you wash your hands and dry them, you have to push open a bin lid with your now clean hands and put the paper towel in the bin. May not seem like a big thing, but felt unhygienic to have to touch a bin lid just after washing hands. Either use a bin without a lid or have a foot pedal to open the bin. Other than that, quite nice

Always a great experience. Food so good didn’t want the meal to end. Staff are amazing and professional.

I have lived in Ongar for 32 years. Smiths Ongar of 6 or 7 years ago was absolutely faultless, food was faultless along with the service. Not the same today. I went to Smiths Ongar for lunch on Friday. Noise levels are horrendous. Dont try to have a conversation with your partner, as you would be wasting your time. Service was okay but didn't like being spoken to like I was a five year old. The service staff dont make you feel welcome particularly when being directed the table. Staff who wait on the tables are cold with a superior attitude. Salad is tasteless (I so remember their salad from years ago, it was fantastic) and had no dressing! Skate was okay. Thats it really. High prices for a very average experience. There is hardly any seafood on the lunch menu of Smiths Ongar, some on the a la carte menu I notice. I think a better bet would be Smiths Wapping especially if you are an Oyster lover which I am. Wont bother going again. Smiths Ongar has had its day sadly and never thought I would be leaving this review.

Great place for lunch. The set menu is very good value and a variety of options.

We found the Restaurant, Staff and food amazing. This is how all restaurants should be, we will be back. T & J

Just perfect across the board always delivers ...

We hired out the room upstairs for my nieces 21st meal and it was absolutely fantastic. I have been to some of the best restaurants in London and I must say Smiths is up there with them for food but the service is second to none, best service I have ever had.

Really fantastic restaurant. One of the finest in the area.

Choice selection of fish based dishes. I enjoyed the roe starter immensely. It has taken seventy years to get back to Ongar "I was born next door to smiths"

You always get a great service and a lovely meal, well worth the journey.

Had lunch there 2 day it was fantastic. And were great

Always fabulous food and a great buzz!

Great seafood restaurant with excellent service but very very noisy

The place to go for fish and chips

Lovely environment, good food and reasonably good value for money. The young staff seemed very unengaging. They seemed happy to fill glasses on the very next table and in the main neglect ours. I may give this restaurant another try to see if they actually do value their customers. I've had much better experiences at alec's which we passed enroute to Smiths.

Went for Sunday lunch - and as always a lovely meal and excellent staff. We have been quite a few times and can always say we have had a very nice and relaxing time. Whilst it is not the cheapest restaurant - we have always had a enjoyable meal. There is always a good selection of fish dishes which is one of the reasons we keep returning. Yesterday my husband had the octopus starter which he said was very good. The staff are attentive but not over the top - and even the young new member of staff are well trained and a credit to the restaurant. We were also here on Christmas eve and even though it was busy it was all still great. I will always recommend this restaurant.

Nice looking restaurant with a nice atmosphere. Good service friendly staff. Great wine & tasty cocktails. The Food is expensive. I wouldn't say it's good value for money. I ordered the fillet of salmon it came with a lemon wedge and a bland sauce nothing else! You need to pay extra for sides to go with it disappointing as it's almost £30 for that dish which is simple . One grumble was the parking there it is a hassle. Beside that it's well worth a visit

So even for lunch you don’t accept children?

Will go back, loved the food, the service, and the restaurant dining experience, as a whole. Other restaurants that think they are good should go here to see how it's really done properly

As good as people say. Will not be disappointed.

Never been here before and was with Les’s and Kathryn’s party upstairs all I can say is superb and this is for the food the staff and the chef wish I could afford to dine there on a regular basis thanks again Les and Kathryn Brentwood Lock and Safe for introducing us to this restaurant

Great place great food great atmosphere. Recommend to anyone.

Awful service. We were looking to book a table for a friends special birthday. There were 10 women and when we tried to book were told we can only book for over 8 people if it is mixed sexes. When I questioned the reasoning for this and explained we were an older generation and wasn't a hen do, the lady could not really explain apart from saying that they once had 70year olds who made alot of noise!!! We were planning to book for midweek which isn't their busiest of times. I can understand if they took no bookings for 8+ but don't understand why you can't all be one sex. Certainly wouldn't go back to this restaurant due to the rudeness of the this lady who answered the phone.

Always a treat, never disappointed.gpod place to.see the odd celeb too!!

Wonderful food, nice decor, attentive, courteous staff, not cheap but then restaurants like this are not. Highly recommended.

fantastic food excellent service and wonderful atmosphere 👌 😋🥂🥰

Starters were delicious. The mains were average. I was disappointed to discover the chips and the skinny fries were the frozen kind, available in any supermarket, which I detest as I find them powdery. Meals in this price bracket should not be served with frozen chips. Those who had desserts looked excellent. The service was professional, not at all friendly. I won’t be in a hurry to go back.

Had Lovely food and time at Smith's. Service was Fantastic. Halibut was lovely and all the desserts were Amazing 😍

Wonderful food and lovely service

The place was packed to capacity. The noise levels were ridiculous, not helped by loud music playing all evening. Consequently we had to talk loudly and it did not come across as a very relaxing experience. Our table was positioned in a awkward spot in the restaurant with people moving around us left right and centre. The food was nice but nothing special and overpriced. My main coirse was a fish gratin which was ok but the fish was a little overcooked making it tough to eat. The service was good and staff were very attentive and excellent but I have to say it all felt a bit like style over substance. This is my second visit here (the last being 6 years ago) and sadly I won't return. Having been to cheaper Michelin starred restaurants I know a good thing when I see it. The loos also needed more regular attention. Toilet paper all over the floor. I just hate that.

We’ve used Smith’s several times before and the food has always been excellent. Good value too, if you can stick to the lunchtime set menu. Service is efficient and friendly. The acoustics are a bit odd: in some parts of the restaurant you can converse easily; in others it’s a struggle. On this occasion our foursome sat next to a very noisy party of eight, which made our own conversation difficult and seemed quite incongruous in this venue.

Amazing food, amazing service. Not the cheapest restaurant in the world, but definitely lives up to the title of you get what you pay for. The waiting staff are friendly, and eager to assist. They are always looking to ensure your experience is unmarred by any inconvenience. They were even helpful enough to assist with the menu, finding the right meal for my ill educated palette! The food is simply devine. I would run out of superlatives trying to describe the experience. Would happily go again, and again and again

Another excellent evening at Smiths! Always a warm welcome from Natalia and Will! Jess took great care of serving us delicious seafood, partnered with Bence who served as great wine. This helped create a beautiful atmospheric evening shared with good friends. Thank you to Andre for a warm welcome and seeing us on our way as we left. Look forward to returning very soon, Juliana & Stuart xxx

This was our 3 year to celebrate my wife's birthday. Just a few words, disappointed. I do not mine to pay a service charge but the service was so bad it let the side down. The food was good but we all said how slow the service was, I even asked for the bill 3 times, then got up and asked at the bar and still waited another 10 mins. We will find a new restaurant for next year, what a shame

A fabulous restaurant for a special occasion. Not cheap. Quite expensive really but wow! The food is second to none. Totally and utterly delicious. Best food ever xxx

We celebrated our anniversary there and the food was delicious. Fantastic food and wine menu choices and specials were amazing. The service was very attentive. Harley looked after us and was very friendly, helpful and polite, as were all the staff. Highly recommend. Cannot wait to return.

Great set lunch menu. Herring Roe to start with Moules et frite to follow. And a complimentary birthday ice cream, too.

Lovely visit as always, staff friendly and attentive

Had a lovely meal for a special family Birthday. Normally go on a weekday for the lunch menu. But it was a weekend visit this time and food, atmosphere and service excellent as always and perfect for a celebration.

Have been a long standing customer but always plumped for the fish, which is always excellent. Today we went for the roast, 3 roast beef and 1 chicken. Absolutely fabulous. Melt in the mouth meat, crispy fluffy roasties, tasty veg and yorkshires. Now our go-to for Sunday roast. So glad they now open later on a Sunday.

Although Smiths is known as a fish restaurant, it does the best roast dinner we have ever tasted! The meat is so tender and succulent and the veg cooked to perfection! The Bakewell tart was also the best I have had! It’s a pricey Sunday lunch but well worth a treat! Excellent service and ambience!

Lovely evening spent at the restaurant with food of high quality and with staff working hard to ensure we had a great experience.

Best fish ever seabass and hubby lobster 🦞 gorgeous

Beautiful restaurant, stylish and classy table set up. Service excellent and food outstanding. We chose from the lunch set menu which had a wide selection of dishes to choose from. We started with a smoked mackerel pate and a classic prawn cocktail followed by sole and seabass. Generous portions and good value for money. Faultless all round, we especially appreciated the non automatic service charge and were happy to give a decent tip of our own choosing- well done Smiths we’ll definitely be back! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fantastic food, service and ambience. We will return.

A mixed bag I haven’t been here for five years, so we would go for a birthday treat. The prices have gone up, but the quality in my opinion has gone slightly down The wine is a extortionate price I’ve been to the best fish restaurant in Marbella and the same glass of wine is half the price The set menu is ok value, and I had a nice meal. My husband’s teriyaki chicken starter was swimming in way too much sauce. The fillet steak was tough. The skinny fries were definitely not skinny and they were greasy and overcooked. I felt that it was very rush rush and I didn’t have enough time to study the menu Before ordering. the table area we sat at was in an awkward position as I wasn’t directly facing my husband. I was facing other diners and felt the table next to us was too close.by the end I had a stiff neck. we left straight after finishing. Unfortunately, I will not be returning any time soon.

Lovely lunch with family that was first class from start to finish

Have been to Smiths on other occasions and once again it did not disappoint. Restaurant really nice, staff attentive and professional and food a high standard with an excellent choice. We chose the Set 3 course lunch menu which also had a good choice and represented good value. Our meal was fish apart from the dessert of course which was delicious and well presented. Thank you Smiths we will be back!

Another positive experience of enjoying a wonderful lunch at Smith's of Ongar. On this occasion I was joined by two special friends, on their first visit to this restaurant. We enjoyed a relaxing catch up reunion, having been allocated a quiet table as I requested. The food choices suited us all. The service was friendly and efficient. There was a buzzy ambience which was slightly unexpected for a weekday lunch. However, the staff clarified this was because of more bookings for customers who had avoided a busy Mothering Sunday and chose to celebrate today instead. All in all, this was a successful lunch for myself and my dear companions, being able to enjoy a high quality meal in a relaxed and accessible to us venue.