The Axe and Compasses in Uttlesford

Midweek family of 5 evening meal. Good choice on the menu and a GF member of the group was kept happy. Prices very good as it was 'two for one' at this time. Meals cooked perfectly and well presented. Staff all very friendly and attentive....

We visited midweek twice in Oct and had a very pleasant experience. Very nice reasonably priced food with friendly attentive service.

We waited an hour & 10 minutes for our food to arrive & then it was over cooked & barely warm. The staff didn’t appear to care. Such a shame as this used to be a decent place for dinner

This pub is in a lovely location. Menu was great and the service was friendly and efficient. The meals were superb, I can recommend the Sunday roast Megamix! A lovely afternoon meal.

We had a fab Sunday lunch here today - great service, friendly staff and a huge roast dinner! A very welcoming pub.

What a shame, went for my daughter s birthday there were six of us plus a 10 month old. We were moved from our requested table and put next to the bar. No one else there at the time. Bar then filled up noise level...

Nice pub, nice staff but awful food and service. Heard them say they were short of staff which was the same last time we went. Pub half empty, lots of free tables but sat us on a tiny table for 4 with uncomfortable seating. Asked...

Our first visit to this small country pub. I came here because they had Liver and Bacon on the menu. Ordered sparkling water, with no ice. When my water arrived, the glass was full to the brim with ice!😤 I asked for Liver and Bacon,...

This pub was once a lovely friendly place to go with good food. The food is now served cold and tasteless with some of the items missing with no explanation or care. The drinks are now so expensive too. The staff are slow and without...

Never misses if you want just a good meal, pleasant, efficient service in a comfortable setting. Perfect for mid week dinner out with two for one fish

Lovely friendly staff, excellent food, great atmosphere. Our second visit and just as good as the first. The halloumi and hummus were both delicious. Friends who had roasts were very impressed and the falafel dish was really tasty. An extra special effort was made for...

We kept passing this pub and finally stopped for lunch. The 2 for 1 made us curious. We knew this could go one way or the other. Why 2 for 1? Well let me tell you. The welcome was lovely from Emily. We had a great inside seat looking out of the window over the fields. It was a hot day so the position was perfect for a cool summer breeze. As I looked around the pub I felt relaxed and comfortable as the inside is traditional and very pretty. Emily looked after us. She explained all the daily offers through the week and made us feel special. She even came over to say goodbye when her shift finished. My wife had the prawn and crayfish salad. Beautifully presented and delicious. I had the skate and this was the best I have ever had. With new potatoes and capers. Amazing. Curtis looked after us at the bar as we chatted to him. Emily and Curtis are so friendly. Overall loved the lunch we had and will be back very soon! Wednesday 2 for 1 on all fish? Yes please!! Two of the skates for me 😆

We visited here as a family of 3 with our toddler. The staff were so friendly and attentive and went out of their way to accommodate our little one. The menu was really varied with lots of different options to suit everyone, the food itself was delicious one of the best meals we’ve had in a while. Very impressed and excellent service would highly recommend.

Great food, good selection, Friendly relaxed atmosphere Reasonably priced. Would recommend to anyone

We love nearby and come here a lot. Always good food with a variety of specials. Today we had both a local gin from a Chelmsford distillery and also a pale ale from a Chelmsford brewery, which were both excellent. The staffs are friendly and attentive. When the weather is nice it's lovely to sit in the garden, the view is all fields, and when the weather is bad they have a marquee with heaters.

Visited at lunchtime today, 17 of us, pre-booked and menu choices submitted. Our booking was for 12.30. The starter arrived after a short delay, in between the waitresses checked we were ok for drinks, several times. After about an hour the mains were brought out,...

Awful service Food served on a cold plate Warm scamp placed in a bowl of cold lettuce Very high pricing for the service provided.

Really good food. Had the whitebait and sausage nibble for starter. Then had prawn and crayfish salad and also scampi. Both delicious. Pauline who looked after us was so attentive. Building is so beautiful and old.

Stopped at this lovely pub by chance & we were not disappointed. The atmosphere was cosy & welcoming & the food was delicious & the service was excellent - thank you, Pauline 😊 Cannot recommend this place highly enough. We will definitely be back!

This is my second visit such a lovely traditional pub. The food is excellent. My friend is gluten intolerant and I am lactose intolerant the choice is excellent. All the staff are really helpful and very nice, nothing is too much trouble

Our table was booked for 4pm. It was very busy and took a while to be acknowledged. Once seated we was asked for our drinks choices we asked for the drinks menu to look at the wine list. It took ages for them to come...

Very dissatisfied with the service, the meal, in fact everything . Waited 40 minutes to get drinks, had to chase these up. No one came to take our order, so I ordered at the bar. When the food finally arrived after an hour and a...

We visited The Axe and Compasses for the first time for an evening meal. We all had the two for one steaks. Sirloin and Ribeye. All cooked superbly. The staff very friendly. We will define returning again very soon.

Ordered the pil pil only to be served some fried prawns served on a piece of brown toast. This isn't pil pil. Pil pil is prawns cooked in olive oil flavoured with sliced garlic & paprika, cooked & served in a terracotta bowl. I've lived...

Disappointed, I am Local to this pub , have not been for a while, but decided to Give it another try as heard from Family & friends it’s better ! So I’m sorry to have to Say I was really disappointed!! I ordered king prawns...

We were here to celebrate a birthday. And had great atmosphere, the landlord “Spen” was very attentive and had great customer service. In a party of 6 on a Sunday, we all took advantage of the roast dinners. Unfortunately, the roast potatoes were over cooked,...

We met our friends at this lovely pub and from the moment we got there till the time we went home it was absolutely brilliant we all had Sunday roasts and then deserts then sat out in the garden having a few drinks on a...

Birthday treat for me with my husband, daughter and son in law. Ordered Caesar Salad with chicken - when it came up it arrived with a bowl of mozzarella cheese - the waitress glibly said they had no parmesan, so served mozzarella instead (!). My...

Well went yesterday had ciabatta was just ok , the sweet potato chips were a big disappointment very soggy , should have been crispy , staff seemed non plussed , just ok I’d say , shame

Beautiful old pub. Great food & service A must if you are in the area. Lovely setting, eat in or out Well worth a visit if you are the area.

Amazing food and lovely staff, everyone is so helpful. Lovely atmosphere here! Definitely coming back!

Excellent food , atmosphere and service. Made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived. Kid friendly. And very good prices. EXCELLENT

Lovely waitress who couldn't be more helpful and great choice of food. We love it here! Highly recommended!

So nice to have a local again, the food and service has improved since the manager spen has been here. He is one of the main reasons we are back. Such a lovely atmosphere, so warm and welcoming everytime. Highly recommend a visit!

Whenever I am in the area this is “our place” to visit because we are guaranteed good food and a smiling face. The two for one burgers on a Tuesday are our particular favorite. One of us is a vegan and there is more than...

This pub used to do amazing triple cooked chips that were made from fresh potatoes. They now use frozen chips that are hard and unpleasant. Go back to the properly cooked ones they make a meal so much better. They also need to do something...

After a period of striking the Axe off our visit list, we reluctantly returned after being unable to get a meal elsewhere. The Axe is now back on our avoid list. Starter was OK, but we were expecting to be able to share the “large”...

We had a delightful time and meal at The Axe and Compasses. Excellent service and very tasty and plentiful mains. Thoroughly recommend it (why people often feel the need to moan is beyond me) Loved it, coming back

We have been here several times and never disappointed. The staff are lovely and friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Lovely food with generous portions

Top notch service . The staff were very friendly and attentive to detail. We popped in having been diverted off the M11 which was closed and what a lucky find. Glorious weather so we sat in the beer garden and enjoyed the birds singing. We...

We are local to this pub and visit regularly. It adapted particularly well to outdoor dining during the Covid epidemic. We visited for lunch a couple of weeks ago. Whilst the food was delicious, we were disappointed with the service. Our order was taken promptly,...

We have been here a few times since moving up to Dunmow. Such a lovely pub, great atmosphere! Service is fantastic and the food is so good…portions are very generous also! Lovely to pop in for a quick drink or a nice evening out with...

We often visit The Axe and Compasses, it’s our favourite pub. The food is amazing And the landlord is incredibly friendly. There is a great kids menu and our dog often gets a treat or a sausage! I would suggest booking as it gets very...

Lovely food and pub, we visited with my two 16 month old girls and wasn't met with a very warm welcome, the bar man found us a table (reluctantly) all the while making comments about how children make mess and even saying at one point...

Popped in for lunch to this very attractive pub. Wife ordered avocado Ciabata and I a beanie burger. Food came out quickly but her Ciabata turned into a supermarket white bread sandwich. Sent back and she decided on veggie steak and chips which arrived just...

Although the atmosphere wasn’t as good as expected, due to covid and lack of other diners. We could not fault the service and food. Such lovely staff, the manager even gave my friend a lift home! What a lovely guy, long may you continue to...

It had excellent food with friendly, welcoming staff. Yhe roast was excellent and would 100% recommend

A friend and I decided to try this pub for lunch. We were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the pub is! It is so cosy and welcoming with a gorgeous fireplace and is currently very festive with lots of lovely Christmas decs. The food came...

We had a truly delicious dinner here on November 27th. The starters (pigeon breast, and duck paté) were amazing. The mains were just as good. We had the pork belly, and the big boy burger. The pork was exceptionally well-cooked and the burger was clearly...

Been in for dinner a few times with my partner and cannot fault this pub one bit. Service was amazing, food is always up to great standard would highly recommend the pork belly. Overall great pub, great staff, great atmosphere look forward to coming back...

My family and I had a lovely time at the Axe and Compasses today. We hadn’t all been together for a long time and had since had 2 new additions to the family so this was a special occasion for us. As a table of...

We finally visited here having promised to for the past 2 years. Why did we wait so long? 5 of us visited arriving at the pub a little early but seated within 10 minutes. In the meantime our drinks orders were taken (sample tasters of...

We had a perfectly cooked and presented Sunday roast, the staff were brilliant and the place itself looked amazing. Overall a great experience and I highly recommend to anyone around the area that hasn’t been here yet.

Amazing reception, staff and the food was brilliant, will and without a doubt recommend to friends and family. My local pub and restaurant. Please visit and you won't be disappointed. General Manager Spen, Izzy and James were fantastic hosts! So happy to have spent a...

My wife booked this restaurant for 1st November, it was for my birthday, the whole meal was one of the worst we have ever experienced. Three of us ordered the roast, we did not know at the time but they had a two for one...

Lovely atmosphere, food was fab and the young lad behind the bar was very friendly. All round great lunch out! 👍

Fancied a night out for a meal mid week and wanted to go somewhere we had visited previously and enjoyed the food. Whilst it was really busy, they managed to fit us in - thank you! There is a good selection on the menu but...

Gorgeous pub, fabulous friendly staff, enjoyed a terrific sunday lunch with all the trimmings. Recommend.

Just had what was supposed to be a nice ‘treat’ dinner during half term. Ordered 2 different burgers and pie/mash. Burgers were full of grissle, the quality of the meat being used is awful. Waited ages for food to arrive, waited ages for the half...

We had booked a table for nine of us, we arrived on time but it was obvious that they had massively overbooked, the waitress pointed and said "you are up there when they go" pointing at a table, after some time it became obvious that...

Our first visit here in many years after a couple of bad experiences in the past. The food, service and staff were all excellent. Will definitely be coming back again.

We just had the very best Lunch with our family at The Axe and Compasses. Firstly great ambiance, friendly staff, despite being extremely busy. The food and presentation were "HIgh End". We decided as a family it was the best eating experience for a very...

Chose the axe due to vegetarian Sunday dinner option Arrived and seated all ok asked for a Diet Coke no ice but any fruit drink came with ice not a good start Tomato soup as a starter arrived stone cold had to go back arrived...

Came upon the Axe and Compass by chance, having taken the wrong road. On this occasion, it was a good mistake! Unusual building, full of character with a friendly and helpful staff. Our generous portions of food was served quickly and was most enjoyable. The...

Not sure what has happened here but the food was truly awful. Tasteless starters, mussels inedible (stringy and undercooked, served with a piece of cheap sliced white toasted bread) My partners meal was overcooked skate with three rock hard potatoes. Did complain and received slight...

We love the Axe and Compass but on this occasion the food was really poor. The burgers very dry and the herbs used no one liked, the ribs dry and tough, the seafood linguini tasteless and the chilli beef salad we left. We hope this...

Had a fantastic meal and afternoon Fantastic really recommend this place will come again and again out in the country food amazing Went to Southend Saturday very disappointed with the food and service great to have fantastic meal

Family midweek meal for my birthday - 2 Adults 1 child, only wanted a light lunch so chose a child meal and 2 chiabatta’s one with a cold filling and the other sausage & onion, waited over an hour for the food to arrive for...

Found this little gem on our way back to our hotel. Beautiful building, friendly staff and great food. Generous portion sizes and food is absolutely delicious. Would highly recommend if you’re in the area.

Elvis Tribute was an added bonus of a great night out. The food was so very good, amazing fresh fish and great wines at a reasonable price.

We were in the large marquee for an early evening meal .For fish lovers there was a good range of options but more limited or other diners. I had the liver and bacon which was well cooked and presented .

Family lunch with our three boys aged all under 19. Food delicious and service impeccable. We opted for two course with desert addition which we also had. Total cost £200 incl tip and drinks when boys drank soft drinks was far too high, for good...

Stopped in for Sunday lunch. Seated quickly as it was quiet. Food was fantastic - probably too generous in fact. Probably could've shared a roast dinner with a side of cauliflower cheese. Kids meals were also really good (burger and fish goujons). Service was good,...

Lovely atmosphere & lovely food, the wait times where perfect. The only down side was the amount of gravy served with a roast dinner, maybe a jug or a little saucer would be better. Very beautiful building & very clean.

Good, reasonably priced food. Friendly effective service. This is a great ‘go to’ restaurant, never disappointing. Menu is large enough without being overwhelming & Food is well cooked.

Had a lovely roast turkey lunch 2 for 1 deal today and it’s the best roast dinner I’ve had in any pub for a long time! Hot food, cooked just right and potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were delicious! Great place too, with lovely views! Reasonably priced, nice atmosphere, very pleasant waitress/bar staff. Would recommend, I will be returning.

We discovered this venue, whilst on a drive, with a friend who lives in Bishops Stortford. It looked very nice, so looked it up, as to getting a meal for ourselves and friend. Booked for Thursday lunch and arrived in time & found the place well filled which augered well. The steps down to the bar need better signage as nearly fell down them as they are very dark, no indication that is obvious as to there being there.Waitress was pleasant showed us to a table, in an alcove opposite the entrance door, which was a bit of a pain due to it slamming with patrons entering or leaving.Sat for some time, with menu/drinks card. meantime another couple came in and were served before us, so I asked the waitress who served them if we could order some drinks, which passed on to another waitress who brought them up & took the meal order at the same time.Ordered Scampi, but they had run out of that!!, so accepted the Steak & Wine, Thursday special. Very under whelmed when it turned up in the form of a small thick piece of steak with French fries & what looked like watercress. Although as ordered medium rare, it was very tough & not that appetising at all. The other steak meal was little better, with our friend not eating it, as it was to tough. The third meal Prawn & Crayfish salad was fine apart from the bread not as described with something spread on it which my partner described as margerine..Ordered 2 coffee's and a desert, of which the coffee's turned up, but no desert.Nice venue but food would need to improve to entice us back.

We had a three course meal served by Darren who is a credit to the team! Great customer service and COVID safe! We tried the white caramel hot chocolate which was to die for! Great food, beautiful restaurant and superb service! Will be back again!

As usual lovely atmosphere nice food and can't wait to come again. My friends and I travel 30 and 60 miles round trip, love it.

Visited yesterday for a lunch with a friend - the environment was really warm and welcoming. There was plenty of choice on the menu for meat eaters or vegetarians. The vegetarian Wellington was delicious as was the creme brûlée. This is a lovely country pub with outstanding food and friendly staff.

We had dinner here on the last day of the Eat Out To Help Out scheme in August and we ate outside which was fairly quiet.We've eaten here before and enjoyed it, but we were quite disappointed with the poor service and the lack of adherence to Covid guidelines as there were men standing at the bar which made ordering safely difficult.We asked for a starter to come out first but we didn't get it at all so had to ask for it after we'd been brought our mains. The mains were OK but the desserts were disappointing.This might be the last time we eat here which is a shame.

I came about a year ago and was a little disappointed, the steak was amazing but the blaclforest sundae had no cherries and the manager spent most of our meal on her phone on loud speaker right next to our table. A friend brought me here for lunch and I didn't realise it was the same place until we got there, I'm so glad he did! The man that was serving was on his own with quite a busy pub but he was fantastic! We were served promptly and explained that we could either order via the website or wrote our order down, we went for the website , which was quick and easy and paid straight away on card. Drinks and food were served quickly and were amazing, we both had the haddock and chips which were buy 1 get 1 free on fish so even better! So glad we gave it another go!

Fabulous Sunday dinner, well cooked and full of flavour. Definitely recommended. Rare steak was cooked perfectly and was delicious. Staff friendly and helpful, and prompt service.

Arrived for a meal. Had to go to bar to order drinks. Had a drink tipped over me as it was being brought to the table. Soaked to the extent we had to leave without having anything. No apology from staff. Birthday trousers and new suede shoes ruined. Service very very poor. Not Covid safe

We went to the pub to celebrate my birthday with my wife and children. We arrived and ordered drinks while we looked at the menu. When the drinks were brought by a member of staff having been into the bar twice to order the drinks. The waitress spilt a full pint over the table and onto me covering trousers and new suede shoes. The waitress said she would get me a new drink and went. I was so wet I could not sit for dinner so we left. The waitress came out with a new pint and was surprised we were leaving and still did not offer an apology.

Wonderful location, cute pub, could be a lovely little food pub, but unfortunately the food is going downhill.Having had an ok dinner a couple of weeks ago, that took over an hour to arrive at the table as they’d forgotten to actually put the order through (mistakes happen), we thought we’d have a nice walk and try some some breakfast/brunch...Avocado on toast with egg and tomato was actually on a bread roll cut in half, really weird. And no tomato. The sausage and bacon sour dough roll was just so so bland, why not buy local sausages and bacon, rather than cheap bland produce? Scrambled egg on toast, was dryAnd they’d run out of Nutella for the kids£40 ish including drinks, it should be so much better than this. I think the owners are getting complacent and lazy.

We dined at the Axe and Compass just after things had slowly lifted with lockdown. We were very pleased to find that the food was just as tasty as usually. We had starters and a main each, the turkey roast was amazing! Wish I had room for dessert! Decor is so so lovely, already can’t wait to go there for a pre Christmas lunch!

We had been during the morning nd drove past nd thought it looked lovely from the outside... So turned round nd they were offering food served all dayW went in nd was asked if we had booked nd we had not but they could seat us... Beautifully decorated nd a lovely atmosphere.. Staff very friendly... Shown to table nd explained if we wrote down what we wanted food nd drinks it would be brought to the table Lots to choose from on the menuWe decided on a turkey toast nd fish nd chips The good was lovely presented nd hot nd well cookedThe staff are friendly nd a asset to the ownersWhat a lovely find nd will definitely visit again when we are in the area

Friendly, and helpful staff. Order taken without delay, with drinks and food arriving quickly after that. The food was delicious!

The Axe and Compasses is an amazing little treasure nestled in The Rodings.Friendly and helpful staff especially in these odd times. Great choice of drinks!!!We opted for the 2 4 1 roasts (turkey with trimmings and Beef)Both were delicious, lovely potatoes and a HUGE batter pudding with a side of yummy veggies. All was piping hot too. Thank you very much for making our day despite the weather, you can guarantee a return visit from us and will definitely recommend to family and friends

We only usually go for a drink at the Axe but last week ate there twice and have to say the food was delicious. The satay chicken was tender, the burger was huge , fish was so fresh - even though they were short staffed the service was good and staff were cheerful. Well done guys!

This is an excellent pub and always worth a visit, food is very good and the staff are always friendly. There is an issue currently with lack of staff on the promotion days of Monday to Wednesday which needs addressing but aside from that it’s well worth a visit.

four of us enjoy Sunday dinner at the Axe and Compasses 9th August, services was excellent, food was more than ample and well presented and very tasty. would recommend the Axe and Compasses to all, even with the present restrictions we all have to face.

Arrived and ordered drinks, but only two bar staff and looked that they were under staffed and stressed out, telling a lot of people that it was hour and half wait. When the roast arrived it smelt burnt. It was the gravy that was burnt and they had already put it all over the meal. Would have been better it it was in a jug so you could put your own on. No seasonal veg, the veg was all in one bowl that looked pre heated, not very hot. Another table complained about the burnt gravy and they said it was and gravy , so they gave them another meal with new gravy but that still tasted burnt. No conderments on table and no body asked if the meal was okay. Very disappointed. Worst roast ever.

Arrived for dinner and drinks at 6 the lady behind the bar was bellowing at people that the food waiting time was an hour and a half as people eating inside were priority there was hardly any one inside so that seemed ridiculous. There was only her in the bar so just ordering a drink took over 30 minutes she had a terrible attitude and quite clearly wasn’t happy about the lack of staff. When you go to a pub the staff make the atmosphere and with her on the bar you wouldn’t want to hang around. The food eventually arrived but it was nothing special. The standard of food has deteriorated drastically since lockdown. No reason for it to take so long to cook burgers. There were so many people who just left as the food waiting time was so long and getting a drink was a joke. Tables were left with dirty plates and glasses which was attracting wasps. All in all not a very good experience.

Visited this pub in the early evening, staff were rude like our custom was not as important as people who had booked, even though we were happy to sit outside and wait 45 mins for food. The burgers we ordered were on the 2 for 1 deal, they were horrible very dry and far to much black pepper, the chips were nice. We saw a lot of people turn up and leave shortly after without buying food or a drink. My mum also visited the day before for the roast and said the gravy was burnt and a lot of people had complained about the same thing.This is the 2nd time I visited this pub and wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you like snotty staff and poor food.

We went here on recommendation for our wedding anniversary. I can only think that the chef/proprietors must have changed since our friends visited as it was dreadful. I ordered the roast beef and my husband had the pork. The meals arrived within about 5 mins of us ordering them so were clearly microwaved. The roast potatoes were soggy, the roast beef consisted of 2 tiny thin slices of tasteless beef - tasted and looked like the beef you used to be able to buy pre-packaged in foil containers. The vegetables were dried up and microwaved too. All in all very poor quality indeed. Our waitress never asked if everything was okay with our meals. Please don't go here if you are expecting a good Sunday roast. It was dreadful! No-one else in the restaurant either which should have sent alarm bells ringing. Never again! PS. the barman was wearing a mask under his nose!!!

I went for dinner last night for the 2 for one roast and it was amazing. The meals was a lovely size and the gravy was lovely. The desert was even better. I’ll definitely be going back

What can I say, what a lovely evening we have had this evening. We were greeted by the manager Darren who kindly showed us to our seats and quickly took our drink order. Drinks arrived and food ordered, nachos , satay chicken and kids garlic bread all lovely followed by ribs, burger , kids sausages & steak that was cooked to perfection and even added garlic butter to it as requested. We had dessert which was also lovely. The two staff members were efficient and friendly and the pub felt safe with sanitising stations available and a one way system in and out of the pub. All in all a great Family evening and we cannot wait to come back. Thank you!

Terrible! Went for Sunday lunch all the waiting staff look about 14. No urgency when we had a 1.5 year old with us. Waited ages for ice cream ended up leaving as couldn’t wait any longer and heard the waitress say oh there’s ice creams on the side... it was half empty and with isolation imminent I don’t know how this will survive. Also didn’t have our booking when we called in the morning. The meat which was sirloin beef was also very fatty.