The Carpenters Arms in Rochford

Gem was amazing great service even though it was very busy.

What a Gaff! Gem is such a Gem 💎 (pardon the pun) perfect pint pourer with a smile and great customer service

Lovely food, lovely service would come again

Having booked a table four days in advance requesting wheelchair access for the Table, to be met in arrival by a member of staff, that due to an event, our table would be upstairs. When my Wife mentioned that we had booked in advance for wheelchair accessibility the mender of staff just shrugged her shoulders. As we drove 50mins to meet friends I find this attitude totally appalling. No idea about the food as we were unable to stay.

Nice for a mid week meal, food was lovely with plenty of choice. Service was ok, lacking a bit of atmosphere, but it was mid week. I would go back

Best Sunday Roast in the area. Great price for good portions. We return on a regular basis.

Lovely dinner, not for the faint hearted as was massive and one of the best Sunday dinners I’ve had. Would highly recommend. Very friendly service too so ticks all our boxes!

Our go to Sunday lunch, we absolutely love it! Thank you to the lovely staff who always make us feel so welcome. My partner and I both have the pork belly roast, does not disappoint.

Stopped in here for dinner yesterday and was very different to when we last came in. We ordered Chicken skewers that were meant to be marinated in chilli, ginger, coconut and soy sauce - judging by the pale colour they were not marinated in anything at all they were extremely plain. Then we ordered the french onion soup which was very watery and bland - also served with bread and some pre grated mozzarella - not the usual way of serving french onion soup which normally you would bake the gruyere onto the crouton on the top, this was just lazy cooking. Sausage and mash - this was probably the worst sausage and mash i have ever eaten - cheap frozen sausages clearly chucked in a fryer because the outer was so crispy i couldnt cut it with a knife. Veg and mash were okay. Steak and red wine pie and mash - this was not bad steak was a bit dry inside but the flavour was pretty decent and clearly homemade which was what saved this being a 1 star review. Clearly whoever works in the kitchen is doing so alone because this whole meal took about an hour and a half when we ordered within 5 minutes. My advice as someone who has worked as a chef - stop cutting corners on the produce, makros sell very good quality sausages for £8 you dont need to use cheap frozen ones £16 for sausage and mash and the sausages are that low quality is embarrasing. If this pub got a decent team in the kitchen they could be a good gastro pub

I’m utterly disgusted with the way this place treats clients if u could give no stars Please be aware if u give a deposit for a table a week and a half’s time , they will not refund if u can’t make it , we have given them a week and 4 days notice for cancellation They never said it was a non refundable deposit over the phone, please be wary of this place ..

The food was lovely and the staff were nice. Service was good. We both had the duck. It was lovely. Service was quick and I would definitely come again.

What a top pub food was 5 star 🌟 everything about the place was great, thank you all

Came in for another try this place is absolutely lovely it never fails to impress. I had read a previous 1 star review and i have to say you must be some type of stupid to miss the car parking signs they are literally everywhere including the tables? But this place is lovely great food great vibe and lovely warm welcoming staff

What can I say first time here had the roast and it the most tastiest roast I’ve had out in a long time hubby had the beef I had the belly of pork melt in the mouth cracking to die for as were the roast potatoes at last nice and crispy the portions were huge it beat me but I’ll be back to try other stuff on the menu very soon perfect

Discovered this restaurant even though my in laws drove past on many times. The pub is very well restored. The menu was a good choice of roasts, a few specials and a couple of main courses. The roasts were very well cooled with all the extras. All the meats well cooked , with the rare beef cooked to perfection. We all had starters which were very good. Particularly recommend the whitebait . I cannot agree the food has gone downhill and make sure you press confirm after entering in your car’s details.

Best place for food really nice staff

Great value for money and an excellent menu as well as admosphere. We will be back thank you to the management and staff for a great experience.

Best food I have had home made pie was wicked

I visited the Carpenters Arms on a Thursday lunch time with my mum. We were served by Maisie who was happy,chatty and friendly.We both chose food from the specials board, we had roast duck with mash and veg, it was perfectly cooked and was delicious. The atmosphere was cosy with an open fire and a large Christmas tree. Would definitely recommend this pub.

I just got ripped off so badly with a parking fine!!!! I got a fine in the post for £170 from a company called ZZPS ! It called them they said they sent me a letter a month ago !! I didn’t get a letter !!!! The response was oh well you either pay the £170 or you will get a CCJ!! 🤣 when you google the company there is 100s of people who confirm they didn’t send out a first letter !!! SCAM !!! I called the pub no one could help me !! If it was family or friend that needed help I’m pretty sure they could make a call to sort it !! I would have spent £1000s if I continue to go there now it ends here! MAKE IT MAKE SENSE !

Good value compared to some other pub restaurants in the area.

Friendly staff , clean comfortable pub Real ale to cold and slightly cloudy Chunky chips undercooked,ham was reformed processed not hand carved from a joint Prices not bad

Beware of parking tickets. No one helps, even with receipts.

Antonio was so personable. Refreshing to get that type of service in the UK. The chicken burger was moist and insane! Chef clearly loves what he/she does. Im super impressed. Bread & butter pud without raisons is sensible & on the money. Thank you ! You wouldn't realise this was a chain restaurant. Well played guys! Worth the trip

Used to always guarantee a lovely quality meal here but my last two visits were quite bad food, gave it another chance to see if just a one off but disappointed for a second time, over priced and not good food. A real shame as used to be so nice.

Lovely roast dinner the pork was amazing and so much food for your money and staff very pleasant will definitely go again thank you

Great food and a really welcoming place

Blooming lovely. Best pie I have had for a long time.

Wow...what a steak pie, lovely meal, decent prices and they're homemade pies

Visited Sunday with my family , food was amazing very big portions and the kids loved the puddings , staff very helpful and attentive , vikki and Maisie kept the drinks flowing and quick to attend table after eating .

Omg just go there and be amazed absolutely incredible food,stop reading this and just book your own table

Arrived for a table of 9 put at the back of the restaurant. Dirty chairs dirty floor. Most meals had chicken which was chewing and not cooked. Staff were not seen only to take order and deliver. Didn’t get all order. When staff came asked a question before an answer had already gone, when leaving the young lady rolled her eyes at us. Not sure what that meant maybe we were not the clientele she wanted. Bill around £200 so not a small party. Food was average not sure if there is always a qualified chef on duty.

Popped in for a quick lunch and had a very pleasant experience. Staff were friendly and the decor amazing. Food was good and I can recommend the Breakfast Baguette, as long as you are hungry.

Popped in for a quick lunch and had a very pleasant experience. Staff were friendly and the decor amazing. Food was good and I can recommend the Breakfast Baguette, as long as you are hungry.

The food is nice but the service could do with improvement. Service is a bit slow as it seems the serving staff were more interested in chatting to the male customers at the bar. It's a shame as this restaurant/pub could be on a par with the Shepherd & Dog in Billericay if they had more waiting staff & lost the snooker table. There is no definition between the bar & and restaurant, so the noise at times was unbearable as loads of men shouting the more the drink was flowing & it's just a bit off putting. As I said the food is nice just the ambience needs improving.

I stopped with my family for a quick food as we were mid journey. Got there from the back garden, so didn’t really see any signs suggesting to put car reg in the system rather then ‘customers have car park free’. When ordered at the bar, waitress thought I wanted to pay the bill and had no clue we had just arrived. Customer service 0* plus got charged for the car park week later. Food was average, nothing special.

Great food, big portions and friendly service from Toni the waitress.

Great atmosphere, great food service from Toni was brilliant and friendly. Would recommend highly.

Best Sunday roast I’ve had in ages … the food was absolutely delicious!! Staff second to none , THANK YOU CARPENTERS ARMS !!

Excellent night great food and staff great

Got served by the lovely Hollie so polite, brilliant service

I had a lovely meal with here with my family and there was a lovely waitress there called Hollie that was very helpful and we can’t wait to come again

I'm sorry to say. Weak menu and poorly executed!. Somebody put my meal in front of me, apart from that zero interaction!

We haven’t been for a few years as it wasn’t a pleasant experience before! It’s been decorated very nicely and the car park wasn’t full of cars as from previous visits! All the staff were very friendly couldn’t do enough for us. The food we could not fault very tasty we had 3 courses and a lot of wine great choices on the menu. Sticky toffee pudding is a must Will defo be returning soon, As we have heard the Roast dinner is to die for xx All home cooked food and no Aunt Bessie’s here. Good quality and not to expensive Well worth a visit everyone Ignore some of the reviews as we did! It won’t disappoint

Dropped in for lunch, had been previously and it had been very pleasant. Not this time though, ordered prawn baguettes. Waited an hour for the food to come, looked really nice, looks can be deceptive unfortunately, the baguettes were hot and very hard, the Prawns were accompanied by crayfish tails (not mentioned on the menu) really cold, possibly frozen ? As much flavour as cardboard, but more expensive and drowning in a runny sauce. The side salad 🥗 was nice, apart from the fact that it was swimming in honey mustard sauce. Not a pleasant experience, left most of it on the plate. Mark's and Spencer would have been tastier and cheaper, with a fraction of the wait or maybe a Wetherspoon's ? Will try somewhere else next time, couldn't be any worse. ( another place to cross off the list, should have stuck with "Harvester")

We were invited by friends for Sunday lunch. My meal was the worst meal I have ever had. I ordered something described as 28 day cured Sirloin Beef, I assumed it would be a meat similar to Sirloin steak. How wrong was I, it was two slices of leathery under cooked beef, they were tough, grislily, streaky with vains of hard fat running through them. Before I put anything in my mouth it took me 5 minutes to cut it, and then 5 minutes chewing it before I could attempt to swallow it, if I were at home and not in a restaurant I would have spat it out. Our friends were laughing at my attempt to eat it. I left all of the meal, The roast potatoes were soft and stodgy, I left those, the Yorkshire pudding was the size of a fist, burnt and clearly manufactured and bought in and not home made, it was bland tasteless and like eating cardboard. I could not eat any of it. I expected the waiter when he cleared the table to ask me why I hadn't touch my food, to my astonishment he just picked it up without saying a word, I can only assume it happens a lot and he is used to taking back uneaten meals. I am not a complainer but this time I feel I have to warn others, beware of what you order and take a chain saw with you.

Nice food and not over crowded which was good for a bank holiday

We visited The Carpenter's Arms without a reservation for our wedding anniversary. We were shown to our table by Maisie who was our server for the duration. Our meal arrived quickly. We chose the steak and it was really good, tender, huge and cooked to perfection. We were well tended throughout the meal, with Maisie checking in on us during the meal. Would recommend, both for the food and for the service.

4 of us , one member of party with extreme dietry requirements, most mains priced around £15 to £20, and a specials board, starters of chicken wings, i had chicken wellington with mash , seasonal veg and mushroom and whiskey sauce, it was massive , i took half home, the baked cod (a few bones) with garlic and parsley butter served with skin on fries and honey glazed carrots and asparagus was lovely, with fish and chips ordered and the chicken burger which defeated my husband!! Lovely desserts around £7 each, i shared biscoff cheesecake, lovely staff, i would very much love to say a massive thank you to our amazing waitress Maisie!!! What a credit to the team she is, helpful, attentative, engaging, at such a young age to join in banter but remaining professional was fantastic, Maisie you definately have great people skills and as a Manager of people myself I would have you on my team anyday!!! Carpenters Arms you are lucky to have her .good luck in the future to you, and Carpenters Arms, we will definately be returning, thank you for a great evening.

Came here for dinner with my wife, The food was tasteless and greasy and also cold. This would have been understandable if it was busy but it wasn’t. Service was terrible, the waitresses seemed more involved in conversations with people at the bar than giving any sort of service. Very rude girls. Would not recommend.

We been twice in two weeks first time waiters was perfect next two times just young girls who di have a clue food very average staff dint know what they are doing

Saturday 20th April we had a large booking of 12 adults and 1 child for my husbands 70th Birthday. The food was fantastic, I wish we had taken photos to show how amazing the food really is. I would highly recommend this place, great atmosphere / staff are friendly and service is FAB. All the above made our night very special

Fantastic place & great environment . Thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks , will definitely be coming back and recommend to all. By far the best pub in the area .

Great Sunday roast would defo come back. 😋

Had a lovely lunch. The lady that served us was great, no rush to order very good service. Food was delicious.

Love this place! The menu is great, the food is amazing, all freshly made. The staff are lovely and nothing is too much for them, especially Vicky!!! Looking forward to our next visit!

Went with a small group of walkers. Very pleasant pub, the staff were very friendly and helpful. One of our group is celiac and they checked carefully to make sure his which of his choices of meal were ok for him. Food was nice and reasonable in price. We plan to return

Use to be the best pub match days,now getting as pricey as Stratford itself shame

Great good and good selection on menu. The meat and wine pie. Delicious. Staff welcoming and efficient. Loved the cosy look.

great place to eat good service very polite well worth the money

Delicious Sunday Roast highly recommend it. Staff need to be more knowledgeable about the menu regarding dietary choices and even though we checked our booking on the day they still got our reservation time wrong but these little issues can be easily corrected it was a nice lively atmosphere

Impromptu visit, actually needed to find a toilet, so popped in for a drink, found it to be pleasant, barmaid was friendly, had a quick look at a menu, and decided to have lunch.... was very pleasantly surprised, food was very good, tasty and well presented, we will certainly return when in the area.

We booked to go for Sunday lunch today and the service was amazing. The roast dinner is a must on a Sunday great atmosphere relaxed and chilled will definitely be returning thank you Alex for looking after us.

I thought it was decent, good price

Been here a few times now being a local with my dad who has Dementia . Had a Sunday roast Today that was amazing and freshly cooked. They Are always accommodating and understanding.

Great lunch, will return again when on the area

First time Ive been there, met up friends. Great food and very friendly service

The food was great..very tasty and a reasonable price..the staff could not do anymore to help us celebrate my dad's 80th birthday

Meal with friends, brilliant food 😋 was surprised for a Saturday night that it was empty. My friends were amazed at the steak,large portion and cooked perfectly with great price. We're definitely going again

Lovely rustic style gourmet pub. Delicious seafood dish. Staff were very friendly and service was great. Will definitely return

We visited with our family on Sunday after booking online. This pub has changed hands multiple times over the years but the new owners are doing well and reviving it to its former glory. As well has renovating the building. The staff were very accommodating and attentive. We had a Sunday menu which had lots of choices (Roast dinner, Scampi, Curry, Pasta option) Plus starters and desserts. They also had a Specials board. I personally had the scampi, a good sized portion with delicious skin on chunky chips clearly made from real potatoes! A lovely homemade meal. My husband had the roast and the Yorkshire pudding was huge, he enjoyed it very much. I did book online but received no confirmation email or any confirmation that it had been booked so we originally didn’t turn up for our time slot but the restaurant rang me at my reservation time to double check we were coming which was great or 7 of us would have gone hungry! Issues with the website were passed on to staff. We will be returning!

Excellent food, excellent presentation

More like a builders pub not very cosy food at bit hit and miss.

Incredible food and friendly service, we will be back

Me & my friend had a meal here tonight I had prawn salad & the prawns were so salty I couldn't eat them so I ask them to take them off my plate the waitress came back with plain salad with half of tomato didn't ask me if I wanted something else & charge my friend full price I think £16 for a few salad leaves. I then asked for an Archers & lemonade & received a full glass of lemonade no Archers. I'm sorry to say I won't be returning due to food & service.

Very busy at lunch so car park was crowded and service was slow in the restaurant unless you had burger and chips.

Poor food, Poor service. I haven't visited for more than 3 years but wouldn't go back again.

Overall very good outside seating .

My dining experience at the Carpenter's Arms Restaurant was nothing short of exceptional. The restaurant exudes a warm and inviting ambiance, with its rustic decor and cosy atmosphere. Whether you're looking for a romantic dinner or a family gathering. The Staff were attentive and friendly from the moment I walked in. The food is simply exquisite. Each dish was beautifully presented and bursting with flavour. Given the quality of the food, service, and ambiance, I found the prices to be quite reasonable.

Popped in for a last minute roast & dinner out with the other half. Got there at 2.30pm, starters at 3.15 & main course didn't arrive until 4pm after we asked how long it was going to be as we thought it had been forgotten about. They apologised and said it was because of the ribs however we had seen people who came in & ordered after us, get their food before ours. When the mains arrived, the veg was obviously frozen before hand & just reheated, the pork was cold & to top it off it only came with 4 roast potatoes which were all soggy, not crunch at all & 2 TINY parsnips which were hard. Our starters were lovely which is why the mains was a real let down and total shame as felt like we could of cooked it better ourselves. To top the whole experience off, one of the girls behind the bar even had the cheek to say "well she ate it" behind my back, when infact I left all the veg, some of the pork and only ate the potato, parsnips and Yorkshire pudding because I was starving after waiting over an hour and we had to be somewhere at a certain time! Had I of known we would have waited that long we would not have eaten there. Only good thing was the bartender and the drinks. Won't be coming back again which is a shame as we've eaten there before and it was really nice.

We came today for Sunday dinner and it was lovely! All the food was so nice all really enjoyed! The staff are very polite, nothing Was a problem x

The staff were very helpful and kind. Also the food was very appetising. Overall great experience

Worth a visit, place was quiet I don't know why what we ordered was fresh and delicious, my mum was so impressed, could do with a smaller plate section in the menu, service a little slow but friendly.

A nice pub for a quick pint or two to be fair it was very quiet when we went so I can't give more than a 3 ⭐️ for atmosphere but i'am sure at the busier times its got it.

Great looking pub, only popped in for a couple of drinks. My friend say the food is really good.

Looks bit nondescript from front but inside is quite charming....old wooden beams, well decorated in a modern country style. Big car park, outside seating area. Lunch menu bit short but my toasted baguette was good. Friendly helpful service.

First time here, good menu selection, food was delicious and great atmosphere, staff really friendly will definitely be back

There were no baby changing facilities...like none. I have an 8 month old that I had to change on the back seat of my car more than once! I know they are having renovations but at least tell people when they book (especially if we book with a high chair). We weren't offered any solution, or even an apology, I was flabbergasted. Just a heads up if you are thinking of going here with children!

Lovely bar staff Beautiful cosy setting and the ladies toilet is outstanding

Staff were very helpful and driendly, food was delicious

Dreadful. No beers, food was okay, limited choice as many options were unavailable & had an upset stomach the next day. Staff are friendly is the one positive.

Since the new owner took over the place is different class, everything has had a refurb, the staff are polite and friendly and every meal is a 10/10 good luck for the future

Massive thank you to Georgia who served us and to the chef Tony for a fantastic lunch! Highly recommended a visit.

Went for Mother’s Day. Starters, main course and desert was perfect. Definitely go back again

Have just been today outstanding food compliments to the chef presentation outstanding I can honestly say never tasted a better roast dinner beef was wonderful well done will definitely be back

Had lunch today (Thursday). Varied menu and all food delicious. Waitress friendly and helpful and checked a few times everything was ok

Slow delivery of food and drinks

Great food! The new management must have brought in a new kitchen team - excellent selection and tasty food. Good range of starters, snacks/bar food (burgers & pizza) and mains plus 7 different specials on the day we visited (a Monday) so something for everyone. The cauliflower bites were spectacular as a starter, closely followed by the baked camembert cheese and mushrooms on sourdough. The hake was our most popular main with creamy mash. The desserts were also impressive - especially the cheesecakes! Friendly staff made us (and our three well behaved dogs) feel welcome. Happy to recommend.

Had a Sunday lunch here and I can't find anything wrong with it . Everything is looked at in fine detail . I asked for more gravy for my lamb chops which were delicious anyway . But I didn't get bisto , it was flavoured with wine spices and herbs . The veg was also covered in flavouring which meant if I had put mint sauce on the meal I would have ruined it ! And I love mint sauce . Dessert crumble was delicious as well . There were three or four staff always around and the place was packed for good reason . Atmosphere was vibrant which in my opinion is lovely . This is a notch above pub food which you would be happy with in a London restaurant , make no mistake . But half the price . Winner ! Winner !

The food is genuinely great here.