The Anchor Riverside Pub and Restaurant in Rochford

Top pub/restaurant. Quality service, lovely atmosphere nice views. Recommended 👍

Great location. The food was quite pricey considering the quality which was average. The service was very slow, having to ask to order drinks. Etc. Won't be back in a hurry.

Very nice pub with excellent food 👌

We booked a pod outside as a surprise for my mother's 82 birthday. I was worried it may be a little cold and service slow but I need not have worried. Greeted with smiles and good service, pods warm and food good. Interiors of pods could do with a little spruce up, and the garden perhaps a little smarter and the food is pricey but we had a really lovely 2.5 hours being weighted on hand and foot. We eat out a lot and the one thing that puts us off a return visit is untrained uninfected staff....certainly not the case here. Would recommend.

Haven’t been for a while, had poor experience a good few years back (tiny portions & extremely expensive) so I have only been since in the garden for drinks in the warmer months but went out with friends & they suggested here. Staff were very polite, excellent service, I had the mussels, fries & sourdough, was very very nice, drinks were good. My only criticism was when we booked the table it gave 1.5 hrs, now a catch up with friends, 2 or 3 courses is likely to be more than 1.5 hrs. I would have understood if it was fully booked but there were lots of free tables so not sure why it doesn’t allow longer, we stayed approx 2.5 hrs. Will return though now the food has vastly improved.

Me and a veggie friend came here for dinner and had a glorious time, a glorious meal and lovely service from Megan! She was helpful for my friend deciding what dishes would best suit her preferences and she was just generally lovely and attentive without being intrusive. I'm a regular at The Anchor and can ALWAYS vouch for the gorgeous location and quality of the food. See you soon!

A lovely dog friendly pub. We sat outside, the food was delicious and we will definitely go back again

Expensive but lovely food. Nice gardens to sit outdoors overlooking the river

My friend and I went here for an evening out as never been before. I have to say I was impressed. Food was wonderful and the service was excellent with a big thank you to Evie. Setting was great and the place has a great outdoor area. Will be back again that is for certain. Many thanks to everyone.

Food always good, service is now better with more bar staff in May 2023. Beer a little dear but it's not a 'session' pub as such, more a chill with a few drinks type of place. Lovely location.

Been here a few times over the years. Always great quality food. The staff are polite, efficient and professional. The atmosphere is good(it's always busy). Beautiful location and great in summer when you can sit out near the waterfront. We'll kept,tidy good looking restaurant. The only thing stopping the 5 star is the toilets could do with an update really. Otherwise a great place to go for food and drink .

Great food, friendly staff and great service, will be going back, for more food.

Our anniversary lunch experience was really enjoyable, made special by Lily- Mai, who was courteous, friendly and helpful. So relaxing in a pod; we,ll certainly be back soon.

Delicious food, good service, great atmosphere. Prawns to start were superb and the gammon, eggs and chips scrumptious. My husband had the Cesar salad and chicken, great portion size. We had two young children with us and felt very welcome.

Grat pub in a lovely location. We've been here a few times now and never disappointed. Best to book ahead for Sunday lunch. Today we were served by the wonderful Lily-Mai.

What a fantastic restaurant. Food and staff were a credit to the company. Give yourself 10/10.

Nice lunch, drinks a bit on the expensive side. Felt as though a eye to detail needs improving in restraint Pointed out flowers where dead and dropping petals on several tables. Just a little thing. Had a lovely lunch and will definitely be back

Staff were really great however my steak wasn’t great considering the price, I would have expected it to be better than it was.

Good food and impeccable service from Lily-Mai! Thank you to her and the team for making my Nanny’s 88th birthday so special.

we had lily-mae as a server she was really polite and welcoming and food came quickly and was nice and hot it was over all i very enjoyable experience

We loved it, hubby and I came in on the off chance Mother's day, service was brilliant we were accommodated really well. Food was superb and excellent value for money. Would highly recommend

Food was absolutely lovely and the service was great. Portions are incredibly small however, £13 for 2 small poached eggs on one slice of toast is extortionate!

Very disappointed overall, we booked for a 60th birthday celebration there were 18 of us and hardly any of the food was eaten! Either cold, undercooked, gloopy sauces, strange textured sticky puds, I could go on. I have frequented this pub on many occasions and to be honest it is a bit hit or miss but I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere and the decor along with friends so I’ve always forgiven the food aspect. However on this occasion I have decided that enough is enough, I want to go out for dinner and know that I will get what I paid for and enjoy it, so I will not be returning

Service was really fast, we were served by Lily-Mai who was so polite and friendly. Food was lovely. Would definitely recommend.

Was taken to lunch at the Anchor today. Lovely staff. The food was well cooked - delicious. Went with son and daughter-in-law both vegetarians and their meals were well presented too. Would go back there.

We were celebrating a 70th birthday. We had booked an outside pod but the rain was constant. The staff put us in a lovely part of the restaurant and were very accommodating allowing us to decorate the area. Our waitress Julia was so helpful and friendly. Will definitely be back.

It was my first visit with my son and his wife for mother's day and I was very happy with decor,variety and quality of food.Well done.I will visit again with my family.

This was my first visit here having overheard a conversation saying you absolutely must go there. I was not disappointed. The location with beautiful gardens overlooking the river Crouch justifies the title of the Essex Riviera: the food is quite superb and varied, and the service is friendly warm and welcoming. I have added a new venue to my go-to list! Just one word of warning, avoid traveling there on the road from Battlesbridge which is called Watery Lane and for good reason as apparently it is permanently flooded! Approach via Rawreth. But do go there you will love it!

Always such great food and atmosphere.

Came in Xmas day for booked meal with my family .The food was very average the service slow and when we checked menu later we were not served coffee which had been paid for. Previous year we dined at the Peterboat Leigh on sea and was lovely . But wanted a change this year. My son in law complained about the meal also but got no reply or feedback ! Would not use again.

Rushed told we had the table for 2 hours. Told to finish after an hour and rudely handed the bill. It was very slow service as well

We had a family meal consisting of all ages from 4 - 95 food was excellent and nicely presented. Staff very friendly and we were made most welcoming. A great to. E was had by all overlooking the river with the swans and ducks

Lovely place to dine, very spacious, The team are very friendly and welcoming, food is delicious, great service. Really enjoyed our visit 😊

Greeted with a smile and allowed to choose table- as not too full. Food was absolutely tops-all three courses . Linen napkins and spotless tableware. Service was prompt and friendly. The staff never stopped and the restaurant is a large area, so staff were constantly...

Yesterday me and my partner visited for dinner and were so impressed with the food and service. We regularly have a drink in here however we decided to take our friends advice and have a meal and it was absolutely superb. Kerry was our waitress who done a fantastic job. Food came out quickly, generous portions and tasted amazing. Will definitely be returning.

My partner and I went to the anchor with two under 2s on a very busy Sunday afternoon. Nevertheless the staff were extremely polite and friendly and did not seem fazed about the kids at all! The waitress was very helpful and provided great service throughout the whole meal.

Lovely place we only went for drinks. Took over 15 mins at the bar after requesting our drinks to them being placed on the bar. 1 cider 2 wines and a southern comfort and lemonade. The girl said she was new....had no idea about non alcoholic ciders even though I had them there before. Knew nothing about wine so had to wait for her to ask what was the house wine and one that was more on the sweet side. Such a shame as a really lovely place. Maybe training is needed before new staff serve or they are shadowed. It can be daunting for them especially when they are in front of the customer.

service took about an hour, food didn’t even taste good. the swans outside are nice though steak extremely chewy

Over 2 hour wait for main food carried to pod open whilst raining down on food bieng transported. Food was dry tasteless an certainly not worth the expensive prices will not be returning ruined birthday

Lovely place to enjoy a drink. Didn't eat but was well looked after with drinks and a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the view. Definitely somewhere to visit and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff.

We had a lovely evening here and we were so pleased as it was a special occasion for us to be out :) the food was 10/10 and the service was excellent - special thanks to Charlie and Ellie who were so friendly and attentive,...

Six of us booked for lunch on February 10th in an Oak Pod. It was raining very hard but the Pod was beautifully warm and we could control it. The waiters ran through the rain as if it was no trouble, managing to keep the...

Lucky enough to call this my local and couldn't ask for more. Fantastic scenery, excellent service, wide variety of beverage choice and friendly staff. Without a doubt my favourite place to go for a drink and a bite to eat on a sunny day.

Anchor Riverside offers a delightful dining experience with its scenic river views, impeccable service, and mouthwatering menu. A must-visit gem!

Haven't been for a while. Lovely food in a great setting

Great food , staff and atmosphere , we Was served great dishes of food hats off to the kitchen staff . Lovely view of the river from the restaurant . Will defiantly be returning .

Thanks to Casey for the lovely service, really enjoyed the pod. Wine choice excellent, good choice on the menu, had a lovely time.

Relaxed, very family friendly. Varied menu. Food good. Lovely views across the river. Look forward to returning soon.

Me and my partner came for our anniversary and the service was perfect. The waitress was so polite and welcoming and accommodating for us. They let us choose our table, dimmed the lights, put a heater on for us near the table and very nicely...

I enjoyed a get together with three old friends last Friday for lunch at The Anchor Riverside. Delicious food and wonderful views across the Crouch river. Little bit chilly in the restaurant when I arrived and was seated by the window, but I warmed up when the food arrived! Service and attention by the waiting staff was excellent. I shall be back, maybe in summer, to eat in one of the pods in the garden beside the river.

Had amazing meal here tonight for my son's 21 st birthday 🎈 Service was really good

Lovely dinner our waitress Julia was lovely, she couldn’t do enough for us will definitely be coming back!

Steak was absolutely amazing! We had the muscles and scotch egg for starters both delicious especially the sauce for the muscles I could have drank it out the bowl. For main we had the sirloin and burger, the steak was perfectly seasoned and super tender,...

We booked an Oakpod for a Saturday afternoon in January so 6 of us could celebrate ny wife's 40th birthday. We were a group of 4 adults and 2 children, and all of us had a fantastic experience and wonderful meal. The staff were friendly,...

Love this place. Great food and you can have dinner in the pods.

We pre booked a pod which was really easy to do online! This is the second time that we have visited in as many weeks and both service and food have been great! Shout out to both Ellie and Charlie who help make our night pleasant! Thanks again !

Superb fish and chips. Beautifully cooked and fresh fish, unlike many restaurants. So good I wanted a slightly larger portion. Great service from friendly helpful staff. 😊

Christmas dinner 25th December. Absolutely awful. porcini mushroom & truffle parfait with toasted sourdough. Starter was horrible, tasted like mushroom mush grit.(vile) with a plain slice of thin white bread, toasted on one side only. no sourdough. (with no explanation) Turkey dinner. who smothers a...

The service was a bit slow but they where great once go to serve us just could have done with another staff member to work the bar

Had amazing time Christmas day dinner service was amazing served by Doaah she was very polite and always with a smile thank you .

A wonderful Christmas Eve family lunch ahead of a few busy days. We were met with a warm welcome from manager Gary and team and seated in the conservatory area of the restaurant which had a lovely relaxed atmosphere, just what was needed. Service was...

We booked the oak pods for a Christmas Eve lunch with friends - 7of us. We were shown to the pod and seated, music turned on, heaters and drinks order taken. The pods are so lovely, plenty of room, super cosy and felt really special....

Had a Birthday celebration here and was our first visit, Ellie made our meal extra special with her attentiveness humour and quick and friendly polite service! Would definitely recommend friends to come along and will definitely will be coming back again! Thanks for making our...

It feels like the anchor has changed hands a few times in the past years, it was exceptional 10 or so years ago and then went down hill, I feel like it was brought by a chain and the quality did a nose dive while prices continued to increase. I've not been on a few years as a result until last week. I am not sure if there has been new management again recently because the food during this past visit was excellent and the service was exceptional. It's still over priced I feel which is why I've dropped it to 4/5 overall.

We chose to have a pod for our Christmas do, dining from the festive menu. There were 8 of us and each one of us enjoyed our meals, the rib of beef being the main highlight, we complimented the chef (Marchin I believe?). The staff were very attentive, which was surprising given we were outside in a pod but we were not kept waiting for anything. Highly recommend

We usually come every December around Christmas time as this is the time of my friends birthday. This year was by far the worst time we have ever been there after many frequent past visits. I came last December and chose the festive set menu...

My Auntie and her friend had Moules Marinierre ,I Had rump steak medium rare perfect, and a gorgeous Bakewell latte with amaretto, not been for a long time, very pleasant thanks.

Good menu, food was well prepared and tasty.

Beautiful restaurant with good knowledge of delicious Gluten Free foods. Service is prompt and friendly.

Extremely disappointed with the food. Considering I have been there on many occasions during the year the food has always been good Today I can only describe as abysmal being famished I really needed to eat. The set Christmas menu was £30 for two courses The whole main meal tasted as if it had been reheated and lukewarm, the roast potatoes were burnt, the turkey was dry, the veg was nearly non existent…what I had was overcooked the gravy was far too salty Because I was hungry. I ate it but it has left a horrid after taste. The pudding was awful chocolate mascarpone cheese cake…it was so dry… popcorn was awful… with more cream it was still dry… My friend next to me had to send her meal back as it was cold. When she got it back the beef was so fatty she couldn’t eat it. Consequently she didn’t have anything to eat. I did tell the waitress, she gave me a card to write in about my complaint… I would like to know what the owner thinks of how his business is being run. If the head chef is having a day off perhaps you should close down for the day as the food that you serve on those days is substandard! I very much doubt I will advise anyone to eat at this restaurant! I await your response!

Went in Bank Holiday Sunday absolutely superb roast lunch. Laura and the girls made me so welcome. Eating on your own can be a little difficult. But always made so very Welcome. Congratulations to the whole team

Celebrated my father's 75h close to Christmas, catered for a large party with no issues, Julia, our host made us feel special throughout the night.

Lovely restaurant and Ella the waitress was lovely. We all had the roasts and it was the nicest i’ve had in a while from a pub. We booked the igloos and had an amazing experience.

Sat in a pod on a freezing night, but was warm inside the pod.

Lovely restaurant setting , we was overlooking the river , excellent food so fresh and had lots of flavour cooked to perfection . Friendly staff great wines/beers . Will definitely be back .

11/2023: I'm afraid I'm having to update this review. Although the majority of my earlier comments remain, I'm still convalescing from open wallet surgery. £25 for a pie is a joke. A pub in London sells the best pie I've every had, 3 times the size for £12. Food is still nothing to write home about. The "Birdeye" burger comes out the freezer. For £19, I'd expect mince and to be asked how I want it cooked. Our waitress was lovely and I hope she kept 100% of the tip. We forgot to ask for her to remove the automatically added 10% service charge, which means an extra junk of the bill gets wasted by the Government. Will I go back? No. Not until Peter Borg-Neal stop being so greedy. 2018 Nice place. The decor would fit into any trendy London establishment, pleasantly refreshing from the norm. Staff are friendly and courtious. Almost silver service. The food is good, but I've had better. The reason for only four starts is the price. Prices are akin to London resturants without the wow flavour. It's only down the road and we'll still go back.

Excellent food. Attentive, professional staff and lovely atmosphere.

Ok place but paid over £9 for a pint of bitter and a glass of soda water 😳

Been several times before and no issues but yesterday I can only assume a few members of staff we made to work a day off as they seemed to begrudge us asking for some salt and pepper and some mustard, both of which were virtually thrown at us. Also top tip, don't ask if everything is OK if you don't want to hear "No".

Great gastro pub lunch pleasantly served by attentive staff. Good outdoor space with views over the river. Ideal venue for either a drink/meal or something a little more formal. Recommended and well worth a second visit.

Friendly staff, brilliant service and a banging burger! The place is set on the river as well which is lovely to look at while enjoying a nice dinner!

Faultless, friendly service,delicious food refurb looks classy. A must before a walk along the river. They have pods if you wish to dine in those too.Upper price bracket.

Sorry but this isn't a gastropub. The food was pretty dire. french onion soup was hot on one side of the bowl and luke warm in the other. Porchetta looked amazing, but on moving the meat, the carrots were cremated. No chef should send out black vegetables. The waitress asked me to wait while she replaced it. 16 minutes later, the section waitress asked what was wrong with the food. She then went to replace it. Then the gentleman I assumed was the manager came over and told me there had been a misunderstanding and they thought I was eating it and were bringing me replacement carrots? 26 minutes to cook replacement carrots? Left me feeling the whole experience was my error, not theirs. The chicken (pollo picanti) was unrecognisable. It looked more like a bad Nandos. Very low quality chicken and again massively over cooked. The waiting staff were stretched. 45 minutes for the starter to arrive & then 40 minutes for the main. I am very disappointed and can not recommend it.

Over priced, poor Yorkshire pudding

Great food and a hospitably host and and good service. Will go again sometime soon. Was a happy birthday occasion.

Unfortunately wasn't able to eat outside so was unable to rate the food. Excellent pint of London pride real ale

Drinks are a bit on the lumpy side 💸 💰

So, excellent service and super food enjoyed again at this really nice pub/restaurant set beside the River Crouch in Hullbridge, Essex. Barman Charlie was friendly, polite and efficient behind the bar and soon other-half and I were seated on the patio with drinks and menus to peruse. Enjoying the sunshine, we chatted and chose Sunday Roast Beef each from the rich and diverse menu... Apple & Cinnamon Pie for dessert. This is such a gem of a venue and I urge you to enjoy the views and drink/dine there yourself. Charlie and his colleagues will look after you really well too.

Really nice welcoming place to eat or drink.

The Sunday roast was just perfect. The porchetta was amazing. Yorkshires and veg was lovely. Roast potatoes could have done with being a little crispier but the meal over all was just beautiful. Really good service also, very good over all. Would recommended!

Our first time here, we turned up on Sunday lunchtime for something to eat. The tables were all fully booked, but the staff went above and beyond to find us somewhere. The service was prompt and polite and good humoured. The food arrived quickly and was delicious. Can't fault anything.... Will definitely book in advance next time and get a table with a river view.

A quiet drink by the riverside .

We had a thoroughly enjoyable meal f cod with new potatoes, churizo and spinach. Fish was beautifully cooked and the flavours in the meal were mouthwatering. Above all, our waitress had a lovely welcome for us, a lovely smile, sat us by the window with a view, was very attentive and made my elderly Mum's visit here a memorable one.

I ordered king prawns. To my surprise, they were old. a 32 pound steak which for the price was nothing special. not to mention 10% on top of the price.

The chicken pasta was full of slimy chicken skin and tasted disgusting. The. food was overpriced, the waitress was excellent could not fault her, nice to have a drink there but can't recommend the food

The food looked good and mostly tasted OK (except the roast potatoes which were stodgy re-heated ones) but everything was cold except the cauliflower cheese which came in its own hot iron skillet. We were warned by the people next to us about the cold food before we ordered so when we ordered I said to the waitress "we hear the food can come up cold?" and she said "Don't worry ill make sure myself that it's hot but if its not just say and we'll heat it up more". Sure enough, most if it was cold. The original waitress was nowhere to be seen but the manager came over and asked "How is your meal?" So I told her. She argued rather than apologise and suggested we were being unreasonable. She had an irritated tone so I stopped her and said "there's no need to be rude, you asked!" at which point she rolled her eyes and said "So you want yours extra-hot then?". No, just "hot" or even reasonably warm would do. By now, rather than walk out, I was determined to get a hot lunch. I saw a story in the paper that day about a restaurant in Bordeaux where people were infected with Botulism but I think I'd rather go there than ever visit the Anchor again.

Great pub with a fabulous garden on the river food good lots of choice for drinks and the staff are great , I even paddle board from there garden 10 out of 10 from my wife and I

Fabulous evening. The restaurant managed to squeeze us in on a busy Saturday night. Not only that they moved our table to the lovely orangery. Great dinner and dessert (that was gluten free as standard ☺️) and good wine. Lovely views of river. Best service from Daniella (?) who was so lovely. Thank you Gary and team. Loved it so much coming back with family and a group of friends next Sunday ☺️

Great pub and very relaxing Great food amd service Well recommended and is located on the river with a lovely view for a stroll

Sat outside at 4.45pm Saturday,was told to order food inside and drinks from outside bar. When I went to order food at 5.15pm was told not doing food outside now! Left and went somewhere else.