The Bell & Chimes Restaurant in Chelmsford

I first visited for Sunday lunch, and it was absolutely delightful. The beef was perfectly tender, accompanied by fresh, flavorful vegetables and roast potatoes that tasted just like my mum's! The staff were warm, friendly, and provided service with a genuine smile. It was such a great experience that, in the words of Arnie, "I’ll be back!" And I did return—this time for a musical bingo night. What an incredible evening! The atmosphere was buzzing, the event was brilliantly organized, and everyone seemed to be having a blast. It’s not just a place for a great meal but also for fun and memorable experiences. Highly recommend this gem, whether you're after a delicious meal or a fantastic night out!

Update: 10 of us booked for sunday roast and what a fantastic meal it was! See my photos, everyone had a big smile. Lovely staff, good prices. Big thankyou to Deb the barmaid who always works so hard! A credit to your team. Now under new management it's the return of The Bell ! Some of the old ream, and a nice new manageress to get it back on its toes! Benefitting from a good deep clean, and brighter lighting its ready to welcome old and new customers back. Friendly service, Biker's welcome, onwards and upwards! Good luck to all !

Had a wonderful Sunday lunch, and made to feel really welcome

We sat outside with the dog, absolutely loved the food

A very friendly welcome from Samantha on our arrival. Food was excellent. We had the steak pie - it was one of the best ever eaten !! Generous portions and hot. The restaurant has just recently reopened so really pleased we stopped to eat there. Would recommend giving it a visit.

Good to see the BELL getting back to it's old self. Let's hope the locals support it.

Food delicious...we had the Sunday roast...only criticism is i would rather have my own veg on my plate rather than share a small bowl between 3 of us....😋 but the cheesy leeks are so yummy 😋

Spent an off chance lunch with 2 friends. Chose soup of the day. Chicken and veg came with chunk of bread and butter. Generous portion plenty of meat and veg home made. We all loved it and would order same again and recommend. Bumped into a group of friends who were there for dinner and could see that any choice off the menu would be great. staff really friendly and polite. Plenty of parking.

I visited the Bell last week on a Friday afternoon with some friends. It's been approximately 7/8 years since my last visit, and there has been a change of ownership. The internal redecoration is very nice. However, the chairs have not been reupholstered, and many were frayed and dirty. The change of the restaurant area into a sports type area with pool table and TV is nice. There was only 1 member of staff, and she was run off her feet, which led to quite a long wait for drinks and food to be brought to your table. The car park still has many potholes which were there when I last went there. Overall, though, it's going in the right direction.

Polite friendly staff and good food served nice and hot.

Just been taken over let's see what happens

Under new management from June 28, 2024. Now managed by Nathan (who cooks) and Samantha (manages front of house), the Bell is very friendly, with good food and large outdoor seating area. Separate Sports Bar showing Sky Sports and TNT Sports across 3 screens with a pool table. This is totally separate from the main bar, so caters for all tastes. Bell Burger (pictured) was approx £14. 3 baskets from a choice of six for £10 was very good value. My daughter raved about her burger and onion rings: very light crispy batter. My spicy chicken strips (not pictured) were awesome; dirty fries (choice of chilli (pictured) or curry) were also excellent. Will be back soon to sample the fish and chips. Thanks Nathan and Sam!

Needs a good clean the seats were covered in beer stains gone down hill over the last few years

Lovely place and fantastic staff

Lovely country pub, delicious roast beef for myself and our friend. My Auntie loved her skate , will definitely be back thank you 😋

Love this pub and the good varied menu is top notch

Dark, dirty, staff talk about custo.ers and other staff in a derogatory manner in front of other customers

Would like to give all 5 stars but only went out for drink , didnt dine their but can imagine would be luvly ,, not many people about that nite , but had a great singer on ,, all my lot had great nite danceing ect ,, made realy welcome 👍👍

A really cosy and quaint pub, with simple and honest food. Really good value for money too. A nice cheap and cheerful dining experience overall. Good selection of drinks and friendly service. Clearly a hit with the locals in Rettendon as it was quite full!

Old school pub, the food (Sandwich) was good and the staff friendly.

Nice old school pub, grabbed some lunch on the way through. Food was good, the landlady was friendly.

The Landlord could be a bit more welcoming. The food is generous but quality varies. The pub lacks atmosphere and is quite chilly.

Great service but a limited menu when we went. Food was OK but nothing special. Service was warm and friendly

Nice to see this place back open again. Typical pub, I note another review mentioned it needing tlc but it's a typical British pub and you don't see many of these anymore, the main thing is that it was clean and the decor gives you a lot of interesting things to look at. Food was really nice, staff really friendly, can't complain at all and will be back :)

Great to have the Bell back. Great food 👍 It was taken over and managed badly but now in good hands 🙌

Food is great and the service is outstanding. Great for a meal and great value. Need more places with service around.

Fabulous local pub, great food at great prices

They do NOT serve food all day. 4pm is when they start again. I wish business owners would post this information and keep it up to date. We drove 20 minutes out of our way.

Perfect food perfect location top Marks thank you be back very soon x

Very enjoyable venue beer was good,didn't eat but it all smelled really nice

We haven't been here for about 10 months. Not missing much. General cleanliness not great around the tables. Toilets need desperately looking at. Check out what's floating at the bottom of some of the vinegar pots. We decided not to eat there. Tim is the only reason we would go back. Great guy behind the bar who's been there years.

Very nice food lots of it nice pub

Amazing food at reasonable prices. Will definitely be going again.

food over priced and sitting outside got to see the place needs a bit of TLC

Took my elderly grandparents for lunch and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food and service. Would recommend the pies, desert was a good portion size too.

A busy lunchtime hostelry with only 1 person serving behind a very extended bar area. Several groups in attendance, both inside & out, but only 2 staff present (the other in the kitchen). It was an average Thursday afternoon, but patience was in serious demand. In consequence, a very long wait for the arrival of standard pub grub. The takings would appear to comfortably resource an additional bar member to expedite service. Definitely for those with a longer lunch break or parties not requiring solids. SG.

First visit for a long time, well worth a visit.

Food was good .. plesant Bar person .. very Comfortable Atmosphere...10/10 had a Sandwich ..but the Sauage and Mask looked good maybe next time..lol

It's a pub that serves traditional pub type food which was Ok...

Lovely old world oak beamed pub/Restaurant. 6 of us went for lunch. Lovely and reasonably priced food, I had the homemade chicken and leek pie, and it was great (I don't normally eat pies, so I had my fingers crossed). Staff were lovely and helpful. A great experience.

Good food, well freshly cooked and good price. Will go there again. Staff very friendly and efficient. Thank you.👍

Went here for Sunday lunch it was very nice and quite, the Bar staff where very friendly and welcoming.

Cosy pub, good beers, friendly staff

Friendly staff but decor in urgent need of refurbishment

Happy with the service and food wss good

Great traditional pub. Best steak and ale pie I've had for many years.

E xcellent atmosphere, warm and comfortable , good food choice, well presented and plenty of it, very enjoyable with pleasant and helpful staff

Lovely pub which is dog friendly, cant comment on the food as only had a few drinks in there , but nice atmosphere and staff very friendly especially towards our furry companion

Not long reopened seams to be on the right track will be revisited very soon Rob

Just home from the rettendon bell, the food was really nice, we had the bell burger (huge and delicious) the steak and ale pie equally delicious I'm told, deserts were a nice size and again delicious. It's been through a rough patch but is back to how it was years ago. Well done to the staff

Lovely people and excellent food. Lasagne was fresh and the chicken curry had lots of chicken.

Fantastic pies. I had chicken and leek. Wonderfully crumbly pasty and big chunks of chicken. My husband had the steak and ale. Superb.

Lovely meat pie really hot. But a long wait for it to be cooked. Not really busy as it was a Tuesday lunchtime. Will have another try as although a long wait. I really enjoyed the food real homemade, chunky beef 😋 pie.

Great Christmas lunch! Well done Angela and the team

Absolutely wonderful place to visit, we went there for lunch tgat we had booked but due to unforseen circumstances we where an hour early but they where very happy to accommodate us. They had a burst water pipe when we was there but it was not a problem, we where served with the food we ordered which was wonderful and piping hot. Service was great, would recommend to anyone.

I've eaten a few 🥧 in my day and the steak and ale pie is right up there.

Excellent customer service and very friendly staff and people that go there, new owner very friendly and helpful.

Driven past this for years, always said about going in, went as a group, friendly bar staff and the food was so good! Had the Bell burger and I will for sure go again! Lovely ice cold beer on tap too!

Fish and chips for 2 excellent No booking just called in really nice service.

Lovely pub, great food and friendly staff

It’s under entirely new management and what Angie - the new land lady - has done with the place is truly incredible. Very friendly and welcoming environment, fantastic food and reasonably priced drinks. I always judge a place on their pies, and the pies here are hands down the best I have ever eaten. I believe Maria makes them fresh. I highly recommend anyone in the area or from further afield coming back, if they were deterred before from previous management. You will not be disappointed.

Very friendly staff, proper home cooked food in a traditional pub. Cosy. Well kept cider. Dog friendly (limited area). Peaceful relaxed atmosphere. Plenty of parking space.

Just popped in for a couple of pints but was very good

Didn.t eat this time as the pub has been through troubled times. Used to eat here every Monday night but the owners have forced a lot of unpopular changes. Great to see familiar staff have survived so will give it another try. *UPDATE* Called in a few days later with 3 friends for a meal. Met new landlady, Angela, who is working hard to restore pubs reputation. Lovely to know Debbie & Chantelle are back behind the bar and Maria, the retired Chef, is still cooking individual pies which have always been lovely. Service is slow but everyone really enjoyed their meals which included Fish & Chips, Ham egg and chips and 2 steak pies and chips. Delicious & good value! Give it a try. Angela deserves your support!

New landlady has saved this place. I would encourage everyone and anyone who was put off by the previous publican to pop in and give this pub another try. Friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere (staff and punters are friendly and will have a conversation with you). Can’t comment on the food as didn’t have any, however I would definitely suggest giving the place a ring if you are interested in food, as it sounds as though they are quite accommodating. Highly recommend anyone pop in to give this place and the new publican some support.

Great friendly pub with plenty of outdoor seating.

Just dropped in for a quick drink Sunday afternoon. It was almost deserted. Quite surprising, no atmosphere. Had one drink and left.

Made welcome lovely pub give it a look in worth a beer 🍺

C'mon Stonegate get a new landlord if not get a manger in on a temporary basis.

Not sure what's going on, board up, appears to be closed down

Hopefully the new publicans won't alienate long term regular drinkers by reserving all the tables for non existent "diners", and be wholly more welcoming.

Best seafood pie, freshly made.

Lovely proper old pub, staff were helpful and the sunday lunch was superb, home made, fresh veg and tasty gravy..yum! 👍

The pub was empty so no atmosphere. I had toad in the hole that had been re heated in the oven so the edges were very brown . The veg and mash was also re heated . Def not the best . My partner had chicken curry which had a taste of sweet and sour . Quite expensive for what we received. Will not be returning

Good and quick service along a smile, food was good and enough for a hungry cyclist.

Lovely pub, although last year standard of food has dropped. Eaten 4 or 5 times I last few months, 1st time served wrong cheese, 2nd time with friends, not bad, then went with colleagues for Xmas meal. 3 of us had 2 courses, 1 had 1 course, very slow service so had to leave, was charged full price and told we could take our desserts with us, took mince pies not dessert. Wording on menu led us to believe we didn't have to have 3 courses, but apparently not the case! Visited today, no soup, no curry or toad In hole. Ordered chicken wraps, no chicken wraps, but curry and toad in hole now available, we decided not to eat. We will still visit for drinks but not food.

Enjoyed an early Christmas dinner here, home cooked food and lots of it, and reasonable prices I would highly recommend a visit.

Club Christmas Dinner, excellent meal, excellent staff, couldn't do enough for us. Would definitely recommend it.

Lovely meal for our mums 80th birthday. Thank you so much for accommodating us all. Well worth travelling to for a special night out. Great food & drinks, generous portions, very reasonable prices and friendly welcoming staff. Really made mums night

Food was absolutely excellent, freshly cooked and good quality. Also nicely served by friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Really nice range of meals, my favourites are the lasagne, ploughmans and vegetable curry but I’ve never had a bad meal. I’ve never left hungry, the portions are generous and the staff are lovely! Welcoming and friendly. Nothing not to like.

Friendly pub. Good pub food opening hours seem a little limited for the kitchen at the moment. Call to book a table it is worth it.

A pub lunch with a round of drinks - simple remit that was taken care of very capably. The steady flow of customers during the Sunday lunchtime session showed the popularity of the pub, but never at any point did we feel rushed. Good food, good drinks - well done.

We had a fabulous meal today! The homemade chicken pie was more than delicious and the fish pie was wonderful! Plenty of lovely vegetables. The staff were terrific and we will definitely go there again!

Had steak pie it was lovely, will order that again.

Excellent service, efficient and speedy and the meal we had was fabulous - the best ever - im going there again definitely- can't wait

Friendly service. Good food. Toilets clean, hot water tap was weak.

Amazing food, amazing service - must go there again

Just popped in for a pint on my walk home. Had 2 nice refreshing pints. Staff seemed pleasantly friendly

Service.... Appalling, food... Grimm

Not been here since before the first lockdown and it was great to sit at the bar again. Always a good, calm, friendly atmosphere. Looking forward to going back.

Had a nice meet up with 4 friends the first time since lockdown ended & had a really nice time Service & food was good. Will visit again.

Only had a shandy but the pub and staff were all very friendly

Traditional British style food served here.

The experience was very nice as always.

Nice been there many of times draws me back there

Pleasant staff and reasonable sandwich prices :-)

Outstanding food, reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Would recommend 👍

A pub with a bit of character, serves good food & beers by friendly staff , what more could you want?

Great staff who joined on with my friends and I banter .