The Anchor Riverside Pub and Restaurant in Rochford

Food was amazing as usual, all the staff was friendly and intentive, Kerry was out sever for the night and she went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and to make the night special. Every item of food we had was to an amazing quality and well worth the price, if you haven't eaten here yet you have to give it a go.

Great atmosphere, good and super staff

Excellent place to eat with river views and walks nearby. Lovely food and friendly efficient staff. Can't wait to return .

Took 89 yr old Mum here for a birthday lunch on Saturday. Staff had found us a nice table overlooking the river to help us celebrate. Service was excellent, food good, prices very reasonable. Highly recommended based on our experience!

Not welcomed on arrival, Sunday roast £23 but 2 roast potatoes. Portion control is poor. Decor and view is lovely, may need to order sides as you may remain hungry. Staff throughout the meal were very attentive and checked on us regularly. Food was served quickly.

We stopped here for lunch after dropping off some automotive parts; the recipient recommended the place. The food and beer were excellent and the staff very friendly. We enjoyed the view of river from our table in the restaurant. The pods outside in the garden looked fun; you could have your meal in a sort of summerhouse. Perhaps we'll do this on our return when we pick up the parts.

What a fabulous find! The staff were wonderfully attentive, and nothing was too much trouble. We had an absolutely delicious meal in the restaurant, and the views were delightful. After our meal, we went for a walk through their garden and along the riverside. As well as loads of space indoors, they have an abundance of outdoor seating and some adorable summerhouse type pods you can book to eat in. I can't wait to visit here again and would highly recommend it.

Great place for food and drinks with family and friends. Lovely staff and good menu options. Tasty food offerings and plenty of it. Dog friendly. Clean and presentable.

Went here for my daughters birthday sat outside in one of the pods which was very nice with lovely views. Great service from Ella who was our main waitress she was very friendly and professional. Food and drinks were very good everyone enjoyed there food and drink.My first visit would highly recommend and will be back. 👍

Poor roast for a high price. Decor is worn and grubby. Highest price I’ve paid for the worst old fashioned cocktail I’ve ever had. Will not be going back.

We went for a Sunday Roast for two adults and a child which cost over £70. An absolutely fine price if the food was of restaurant quality and the establishment was nice however I can’t remember the last time I was so disappointed. The restaurant itself felt like a hospital restaurant - the chairs were dirty, decor tired and just overall felt grubby. The roast was pitiful. The meat was full of gristle, potatoes were hard - I could go on. Save your time and energy, cook your own or go somewhere else. Toby Carvery is genuinely miles better.

We went here and had lunch on a Saturday. Really enjoyed it. The staff were lovely and the food was great. Good value and good portion sizes. Dog friendly. The place is big and presented very well. Nice and clean.

Nice food and good service fairly expensive

Lovely setting and service was excellent. The food was fine, not quite worth the price tag. The thing that let it down was the cleanliness. Our table was wobbly and sticky and there was lots of crumbs down the side of the seats which gave me the ick.

Love the place. Lovely food. Great to sit outside by the river in summer.

We had a lovely time and ate in one of the pods..Can't say it was the best Sunday roast I've had - or anywhere near to be fair - but the staff were lovely and really accommodating. Would definitely go back as the location is lovely.

Visited many pubs, this one is one of our favourite. The waitresses gina, amy, carol were very good and took care of us. Food didn’t disappoint

Lovely Sunday veggie roast. Nice staff and lovely surroundings

This is a regular pub, but the service is bad. The restaurant wasn't full, they had loads of staff going back and forward, but it was hard to have their attention, we ordered the pancetta and a vegan/vegetarian pie, it came very fast, but the pancetta did not have any crackling and the pie was cold in the middle, clearly they microwave their food... For dessert we had a coffee and Portuguese tart ( I am Portuguese and that was not a Portuguese tart) and the coffee came first then the Portuguese tart that took a good 10m to arrive.

This is a great pub for a special meal , great views of the river lovely atmosphere . Charlie welcomed us at the bar , Holly and Casey was our waitresses great staff , food was excellent , steak cooked to perfection and limoncello tiramisu was lovely . Will definately recommend and will be back soon .

Well this was a first time visit for us and I think regrettably will be the last. It has great potential and looks very niv]ce inside and is a great spot with lovely views. We had booked a pod for 4 of us. Arrived and went inside and was hit by the noise!!! There was a large party with a buffet on the bar and was glad we were outside. We were shown to the pod and have to say it was a little worn and in need of TLC. The table was very rocky and we were offered some serviettes to put under it to stop it but they never arrived despite asking twice, So we battled on but lets just say it was not esy to eat off the table the way it rocked around!!. We ordered and the starters were ok. Then the main course. 2 had beef 2 had chicken. The chicken was very dry and tough on the outside (over cooked), the beef was ok (our friends said). The vegetables also disappointing with potatoes ony just cooked and the beans tough. The carrots were good but the yorkshire rather soggy and flat. We did point it out but othing was said or offerred. We went for desserts and 2 had coffee with baileys. These were just tepid so we told the waitress who did this time bring 2 more. By now it was getting dark so we wanted to switch the light on but it did not work and we noticed the light shade was broken. So all in all very disappoitning compared with other restraunts and I dont think we will go back when you consider the costs compared with other places for a roast and unless the pods are renovated and may be a new chef! Such a shame as the pods are a great idea.

Lovely place for a relaxing lunch. Plenty of room, attentive staff, superb river views of wildlife and boating activities! Parking and disabled services all good, Loos to clean and tidy, well the one I used was! All together a very nice experience, this wasn’t my first visit and certainly won’t be my last!

booked a pod in the garden for lunch. delicious food, scotch egg, croquettes, harissa chicken burger and especially the pork belly. served by Lily-Mae who was super friendly and helpful. was my wife's birthday and she brought a happy birthday dessert out for her. highly recommended.

This is a very nice pub/restaurant with wonderful views across the river. The food is tasty and good selection of drinks. It has a huge outdoor seating area which is perfect for in the summer. The restaurant has nice decor and friendly service.

Calamari was the best I've ever had, all our food was good. The grounds are Fabulous, we ate in a pod and it was lovely

Excellent service, lovely food.

Came here to have lunch ( sandwich) in the garden and look out over the river to be told that we couldn't have a sandwich outside, only if we sat inside! Gave us a menu which had meals on that we could eat in the garden only, but we're more expensive and we did not want a large meal !!! Drinks were a bit pricey as well.

Great sunset at the bottom of the pub.

Went here for a friend's birthday and this is the first time I've been. Food was really good. Nice choice of starters and mains. The rice pudding crumble was amazing, but was also the straw that broke the camel's back.... it beat me and had to leave a little, which hurt. Deffo plan to return. Food is good, the staff friendly and the pub is just really nice as well.

Had a lovely meal here with my partners family, our waitress Ella was super lovely! I’m veggie as well and the veggie Lamb was so delicious!

Was fine for younger people but really would like Rock music next like we did a couple of years ago

Polite friendly service in pleasant location let down by quality of real ales.

A beautiful pub/restaurant with a large seating area with both undercover seating and outside seats overlooking the river. Benefiting also, an outside bar, that on a hot sunny day, eases the queues at the large bar within. A quality service from all the staff i came in contact with. A fantastic atmosphere made my experience very pleasurable. Definitely recommended, and looking forward to visiting again. 👍

Don’t advertise roast if it’s not roasted..! Awful roast , £22 odd for rubbery beef 3 carrots 2 potato’s basic Yorkshire dowsed in gravy to flavour it / hide the mess… Meat was 2 over cooked tasteless slices - tasted boiled - potatoes were soggy - advertised as duck fat … About as crispy as a sponge ?!!? Lack of veg and general presentation…. I’ve worked in catering & hospitality and to be honest this poor quality unroasted roast appears to be a growing trend …. We’ve also experienced this in the surrounding areas in other decent establishments such as The Roslin, The Mews, Scott’s etc … All just as bad ….. ! All we’re looking for is something simple … A Roast! Lack of service / confusion sitting on the terrace didn’t help. Adequate amount of staff - inadequate management/ organisation. All in all better off going down the Toby at least you know what you’re getting..! Dreadful experience… Shame as last time we went to The Anchor for lunch on the terrace it was top notch , drinks , small plates & desert , great service as well.. Won’t be going back…

What an amazing pub in a beautiful location! Set right on the river rom the bear garden over looks said river. A great sea t drink selection and the food was incredible. Would highly recommend a visit when in the area.

First time visiting here even though I've lived near here for over 20 years. Don't know why I didn't visit sooner. Food was amazing and the staff were very polite and friendly. The view was amazing!

Good service, the pods are a great comfortable place to have dinner. Superb food

It's a shame I have to write this review because we have eaten here twice before and been delighted with our experience. This time, we had Sunday lunch (bank holiday) and were highly disappointed. Firstly, we arrived at the pub and had to wait about 15 minutes to get served with a drink. No one else was standing at the bar. Eventually a man served us and apologised for the wait. We also noticed that the bar was filthy. We had a lovely drink in the garden and we were shown to our table. The waitress was delightful, efficient and helpful. We couldn't fault the service in the dining room. We ordered a beef and a porchetta with additional Yorkshire puddings and a side of cauliflower cheese. The plate of food was luke warm but not cold enough to send back. Vegetables consisted of 3 small roasted carrots and some green beans. The additional Yorkshire puddings were stone cold and we had to send these back twice before they were heated properly. The cauliflower cheese was dry on top and very little sauce. Apple sauce was also served with the beef instead of horseradish cream. Added to this was barking dogs in the inside bar area, not acceptable. They should have been asked to take the dogs outside. So, overall, we were very disappointed, particularly as the price is fairly high end for a plate of roast. We have had much better lunches at other places in the area for at least £5 less. I don't know what is going on, maybe they have a new chef or are short staffed but they really need to improve or be more consistent. We would think twice before returning and wouldn't recommend it at the moment.

What a wonderful venue with beautifully presented and delicious food, served by outstanding staff in a timely manner; considering it was the Sunday bank holiday weekend! We were served by Bily-Mai, who was friendly and helpful and made the whole visit extremely enjoyable! Can’t wait to return! Will be recommending for sure! Thankyou 🩷

Fabulous place . Food was exceptional . Service top notch . Location amazing. We had Sunday lunch . For a family birthday . They brought this out free of charge

Lovely food, great service, will certainly be visiting again.

Nothing great, nice views puccia sandwich not great.

This pub is all about the location , which is superb nestling on the riverbank . It's especially suited for the summer with its outdoor bar and bbq . There was a broad mix of ages which is always a plus for any pub . All in all well worth a visit.

We visited The Anchor on 15th August last. Unfortunately my wife sustained a serious dog bite in the Pub garden from the unruly Husky dog owned by one of our own family. She suffered a very nasty wound and went into the pub for help. The staff were brilliant and gave her first aid which consisted of cleaning, disinfecting and dressing the wound which they did very professionally. They then gave her a cup of hot sweet tea which I understand is good for shock. I cannot praise and thank them enough. We also found the bar staff very helpful and friendly. We didn't eat on this occasion but have in the past and always found the food and service excellent. I'm really surprised to see a scathing review on here as our experience was the complete opposite. Well done Anchor, we will definitely return.

My wife and I went to this establishment for our 8th year wedding anniversary. We both loved this place. Though it was full with customers, it was so peaceful and atmospheric. Fot starters, we ordered buttermilk calamari, harissa chicken wings, cauliflower bits and chorizo scotch egg. They were all delicious and really filling. But the cauliflower bites was a surprisingly good, with so much flavour. I can totally see why it was a best seller. With so many small plates, my wife and I decided to share the pork belly, and we are glad that we did. It was so big, that my stomach probably could not handle it on my own. That being said, the pork belly was delectable, with a great gravy. If you have an appetite, then definitely order this. We did the same again and shared the desert which was dulce de leche sundae. It was the thing we needed. It was so sinful, with the amount of icecream, chocolate brownies, covered with chocolate and dulce de leche. It does have bananas in it, so it does have 1 of your 5 a day. All in all, I highly recommend this place. We would definitely come here again for sure.

We visited here on a busy Saturday for lunch and definitly glad we booked. There was a queue to be checked in and shown to table. We were seated then it took a further 20 minutes for anyone to take our drink order. We ordered our food at this point too, no apology was offered for the delay. Thankfully cold water was served complimentary and needed given how hot it was! Starters didn't have a lot lf choice and what we did have wasn't that nice. My mains was the Gammon. Most of it was so fatty i couldn't enjoy it. My condiments that I asked for never arrived and neither did the salad my Mum ordered. We chose not to have dessert after this. Overall a nice pub with a pretty outdoor area. We took advantage of this by finishing our meal with drinks outside. A shame that when I tried to book online the pods were all booked up yet when we were there they were empty. We will try again as we think we might have just caught them on a busy day.

Disappointing start, as we had booked a table for 7pm, but were not shown to it until 7:40, after checking with the host a couple of times. Service after this was very good. All food we ordered was good, although not exceptional, and we found the Braised Lamb Shoulder with a Greek Salad an odd combination, as the gravy on the lamb mixed with the salad, which was on the same plate.

Has heard about this pub, and I thought we would give ot a go. We were not disappointed at all, had a table inside on a corner overlooking the River,lovely breeze coming through, very good menu, service was impeccable, food was excellent, noted that the staff are constantly clearing and cleaning as customers leave,not ONE table had anything left on it for more than a couple of minutes, i hroughly recommend for a meal

Visited just for drinks. Lovely setting

Only had drinks so no comments on the star rating

Absolutely gorgeous place! Partner and I visited recently and dined in one of the lovely pods which are intimate and make the experience extra special. My main reason for leaving a review is to highlight how wonderful the staff are. Especially Katie, who was so attentive, friendly and great at her job! Thank you so much for being a fantastic server💗

Second visit for a Sunday lunch since discovering this gastro pub. Food was excellent and generous portions. The staff are friendly and helpful. The location is perfect. After a leisurely lunch we wandered into the grounds and sat drinking in the beer garden. Will become a regular place for us to visit now we have discovered it.

Great location and food and excellent staff/service

Nice little spot on the river side peaceful picnic

After our visit on 15/07/24, I am sorry to EVERY restaurant, in every country, including the ones on ships, you will now only get 4 stars. The Anchor has raised the bar, what a great night, and great service, Kerry made out night so special, exceeded all out expectations. Thanks Kerry, Chef & team.

Good food but a long wait. Still worth the visit, pleasant people.

Asked for cheese and chips and no brisket as vegetation, while they willing to charge full price loaded chips without the brisket, they charged additional for an artificial slice of cheese that was not even neatly cut but rather broken by hand.

Loved this place great food You look out at the river with boats have pods in back garden for hire seating 6 comfortably or sit at wooden tables great for kids had bouncy castle.

Lovely pub. Great river views. Helpful and friendly staff good coffee.

The music was a little too quiet. The waitress was brilliant.

Lovely little pub by the river to have a chilled few drinks

We went to bar to get a lemonade and lime and we was charged £9.20 for a 1 1/2 a pint and 1 pint of lemonade and shot of lime , the soft drink way more expensive than a beer , that was enough for us we left without getting a meal did not even check the menu, know wonder why the beer garden was nearly empty on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Lovely beer garden on the river Crouch.

Excellent variety of barbecue food served outside and inside you have pods to reserve and the food is delicious. The view along the river is so quiet and peaceful thank you

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.

Lovely location only popped in for a light lunch...hubby had meatball bap very soggy I had fish finger bab bap very soggy fish fingers tasty....chips well overcooked nearly broke a tooth. You need more staff

Lovely stop with your dog over looking the river in the summer

Spent a lovely lunch here. The location was ideal, close to the river. The menu was quite sizeable, plenty of choice. We shared a starter of Gambas Pil Pil which was very tasty, not too spicy. Mains were gammon, egg and chips and very generous portions. Service was friendly and professional.

Really nice place to eat Sunday lunch on the bank of the River Crouch. Felt like a guest rather than a customer. Didn’t like table I was given and they hosted us on another table that pleased me. Really good customer service. Food is good. High quality and tastes nice. Chicken wings and fish n chips with triple cooked chips, fresh fish and a light batter. Banana dulce leche sundae - wow! Not cheap but lives up to the cost and you get a really good meal.

Great pub, great location on the river. Just needs more staff behind the bar.

Super meal, in lovely location. Food delicious. Nice treat for family gathering.

Had a birthday lunch here, lovely sunny day, great food as per normal. And always great service.

Great service nice view across the river. Food was good our only comments would be salmon from specials menu was very salty and Harrisa chicken burger was heavy on burger sauce and light on harrisa flavour.

Very good peri peri half chicken.Reasonably priced.Good beer options.Good view of the river from our table

A table for for 7 people absolutely lovely

Lovely spot to stop at for a bite to eat... situated on the river crouch so views was great. Food was also lovely and definitely will visit again

Excellent food, great view, and a lovely ambience.

Sadly food was not as anticipated.Duck was very tough vegetables too aldenty. 1st glass of wine was also corked.Waiter kindly changed it.Did not have the heart to tell him the duck was tough to.I have eaten here several times before.Sadly this experience was not the best.Food too salty aswell.

Lovely atmosphere in this gastro pub with plenty of outside seating on the bank of the river crouch . Although I enjoyed my humble spaghetti bolognaise with meatball starters , the cost outweighed the flavours and I left the pub feeling I hadn’t got my money’s worth. Despite this I would go back again purely for the pleasant surroundings and would like to maybe hire one of the pods outside where you can bring your own music and spend an afternoon with family and friends in the garden there with service from bar staff . Sounds like a perfect concoction don’t you think ?

A really nice place to eat. Very friendly staff, food is very good. Nice to eat in the pods with a view of the river

Not the best first and last experience my burgers were burnt lucky was hungry prob wudnt come again

Booked the outside area for my child's birthday party in June. The area was great, the food spread was good and reasonably priced. CASEY who is the events manager was fantastic, she went above & beyond to make it special. Highly recommended 🎈👍💛 x

Very expensive food and drink just had mains and 2 drinks at cost a fortune

Staff friendly. Good service and great food

Beautiful decor and lovely views over the river in a pleasant atmosphere with delicious food and drink.

Took family there 29th May 2024 & grandchildren food very disappointing told waitress about my daughters food new potatoes very hard and veg looked poor to sent it back but they took a percentage off the bill not much at all we asked for things on the menu but told out of stock due to bank holiday we went few days after the bank holiday poor management surely you stock up on things you have run out off we picked things we really didn't want veg seemed days old not fresh broccoli yellow etc will not return seems to gone down hill now

First visit to The Anchor on recommendation. Was a lovely venue, much bigger than expected with lots of outside space for doggos to visit. Service was friendly and efficient, slight wait on our meals but very busy bank holiday and not an uncomfortable wait (just meant we had more to drink). Pollo picante, gammon, mushroom pasta, chicken wings and halloumi chips are lovely. Chocolate torte dessert and raspberry sorbet also delicious. Would recommend and love to visit again to enjoy the garden in the sun.

We went to the anchor today and had such a lovely afternoon. My husband and I took our two young daughters and our dog. We sat in the bar area where the vibe was so relaxed and the staff were really friendly. The host Gary was so welcoming and made us feel very comfortable. The food was SO tasty, we had prawns to start and pasta for main and it was so delicious! We took a stroll by the river afterwards. Kids loved it and we can’t wait to go back :-)

Lovely bar area, drinks over priced. Regarding the outside seating area hardly any brollies and the ones that did exist were ripped with a couple of tables leaning at 25 degrees, not what you would expect from a higher class restaurant/bar. Need for quick replacements,and grass cut

Food was ok service was rubbish took longer to order my drinks food shame really used to be good be telling my friends family to go elsewhere

Arrived on time 7:30pm , ordered drinks straight away , then the dreaded wait , 40 minutes later finally ordered more drinks and food, food was ok , nothing bad but also nothing great that would make you want to return. Then order desert, supposed to be a sundae with ice cream, brownie and cream, usually there’s more ice cream with a topping of cream but this one was 3/4 cream and a tiny scoop of ice cream at the bottom, I only found it by scrapping out the cream onto another plate, the worse desert I have ever had in my life. Apparently it’s their best desert and everyone loves it was the reply when I addressed my opinion. Maybe I had an amateur make mine , who knows . So with two of these ordered and two both left on the bill I paid the bill at just over £107.00 which included the two desert that in my opinion were uneatable , After the slow service and no reduction to the bill on the deserts I will not be eating there again which is a shame as it’s my local

Booked the outside area for my 70th birthday and had the best service and food ever, Charlie the assistant manager organised it from start to finish and done a brilliant job, also Gary and staff made sure that every thing was running smoothly, food was exceptional and plentiful and everyone said how lovely it was, many thanks to all at the anchor hullbridge for making my birthday so special.

Lovely views of the river from the beer garden, didn't eat but the food/restaurant area looked good.

Food was very nice and the service team were great. The pub from the outside looks quite traditional, but on the inside it's far from that. Nice and airy and clean... and the location is amazing. I did feel like I was in a green room full of TOWIE extras though! LOL.

Lovely food staff really friendly

Staff very friendly and efficient, food is also first class, would definately recommend.

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.