The Castle at Great Leighs in Chelmsford - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Nice pub plenty of parking great easy menu for everybody and not expensive at all so well worth a visit hence we keep returning .

This place was a thriving restaurant some years ago. Realy nice food and always busy. Now!! Empty tables, only 4 other persons whilst we were there. Cannot see it surviving much longer unless some really good management in place. Pity but it's a fact. Get it together and see you again otherwise, bye

Sunday lunch was completely tasteless. Prawn & Cray fish cocktail beforehand left a bit to be desired as well. Had to ask for more sauce and for cutlery and she bought me a dessert spoon.....really?!

Football, lunch and a great atmosphere...and we won amazing

Never in my life have I ever walked into a restaurant to be completely ignored even when I was stood in front of the person at the counter. We had been visiting my partners very unwell Dad in the hospital and neither of us were up for cooking so I called The Castle to check that they were serving and I was told by the lady on the phone that they were serving until 7.30pm and how many of us were there. We walked in about 6.10pm and the man behind the bar just looked through us! I appreciate that the England game was on however quite frankly football is not everybody’s priority at the moment. After standing there being ignored I asked for a table for 2 to be told we are not serving until after the game, I explained that I had called half an hour earlier for his response to be well there are no tables! Which was quite frankly ridiculous as the empty restaurant was clearly obvious. Clearly football is more important than good manners and making a profit, also if your going to stop serving for the game make sure all of the staff have got the memo! I’ve eaten here several times before and have enjoyed the food however I will never step foot in this place again.

Excellent venue will definitely go back

Our lunch today at The Castle was perfect in every way. Our waitress was both very helpful while unobtrusive. When I told her that our son is deaf and can find it hard to discriminate conversation when near to other people she showed us to a table in a quiet area. The menu is extensive. There is something for everyone and, in our case, several we would enjoy. As my husband and I are elderly our appetites have receded in recent times so we appreciate the small plate menu. Everything was beautifully cooked and presented. I asked for my sirloin steak to be medium rare. It was cooked to perfection and was tender and juicy. Thank you waitress and chef. We will be returning as soon as we can.

We went here for our Fathers Day meal and was overwhelmed by the high quality of food and service on a reasonably priced menu. I previously visited about 10 years ago, but will definitely be making a regular return.

Lovely clean restaurant, attentive friendly staff, especially Laura. We both had the same two courses, the pork belly starter and small plate ham egg and chips. Couldn’t fault a thing. The started was superb! Best starter I’ve had in a very long time. We’ll be back soon, thankyou xx

Awful Sunday lunch - small portions, the pork belly was all fat. Never again.

Great service, lovely food and lovely environment. Really surprised trade is low it’s well worth a visit we will be back.

Had a very good day at the castle lovely food I had the steak and ale pie butterie match cabbage and carrots and gravey it was yummy 😋 and followed by triple chocolate sundea

Size of the Main meals has been reduced considerably, Service charge has been added to the final bill with no prior notification.

Only popped in for Dinka but was very clean and tidy

Great food and great atmosphere but be carfeul the waitress tried to palm me off with a very high bill that wasn't ours and there's a service charge which was extortionate. I asked them for the correct bill and to take the service charge off. I'll not be back, despite the food being good

Kitchen seems to lack what’s required to deal with demand Mother’s Day 2x Beef Roast Small portion for £17 Served with fatty, gristly beef Cold food Yorkshire pudding obviously sat out for hours Gravy pre poured and cold Bar staff were friendly and fantastic as was drink selection and decor Beautiful venue, ample parking, great location. Good will was waived in full, as a result I will give the restaurant another chance in future and will amend my review.

Came for a Mother’s Day Sunday roast. I appreciate it’s a very busy day but the service was shocking. Firstly, hardly any items on the menu available. Only given 1hr 30 to have our meal, which with 3 courses is limited. Before all of us were finished eating our mains, our plates were taken from the table. Barely put the cutlery down before they were taken away, leaving one person awkwardly eating by themselves. The food was average in itself, charging a lot for a small portion of food. To top it off, we weren’t shown how much was entered on the card machine (we trusted them) and they added service charge without disclosing on the bill!! If you aren’t expecting to or wanting to pay service charge, make sure you check how much they are charging your card!!

Great night out doing the quiz, tasty burgers, veggie burger options, nice cask ales, looked after by Laura. Will be back next time we’re in the area.

Great night Friday, Laura looked after us well, food lovely, had the veggie burger. Will be back

Good food and service as usual but offering discounts on line and on board in front of pub but told.was only available in January

Lovely pub. Spotted this on an advert about being the oldest pub in Essex so decided to pay a visit. Staff were really pleasant and attended to our requests. Would recommend and look forward to revisiting in the summer.

Went with my partner bit disappointed with our meals .I had the fish and chips which was very dry and my partner one of the pies which was lacking in meat.Deserts were fine apple crumble and sticky toffee pudding but overall average.

We went there for a Boxing Day meal and it started off well but as in the past we were left waiting for service after we finished our main meal. We had to go ask them for service at our table on several occasions. The meal was lovely but needed to come to the table alot hotter than it did and the veg though very nice needed to be cooked Abit longer. Dessert was gorgeous. Being automatically charged a service charge after being left at the table for some time was a shock but we did the usual British thing and paid without question. Food has improved recently but service still needs looking into and food needs to be A LOT hotter than it was.

Had lunch in the bar as I had my dog with me. Food was good, nice service and friendly staff.

What a difference several weeks can make. We once again booked a table to mark another occasion, this was again straight forward. The restaurant was as expected very busy, we were shown to a nice table…. Then sat for 15 minutes, no drinks, no menus and no attention from the staff. We were eventually asked if we’d ordered our meals, I explained that we hadn’t even managed to order a drink! After a further wait we ordered the sunday roast, this was I bit dry and the portion sizes had reduced significantly compared to our last visit, the Yorkshire pudding looked like it had been run over to improve its size. Our search for a good restaurant continues which really is such a shame.

Xmas party of our department. Enjoyed to the fullest. Best service, pleasant atmosphere and food was also good. Initially the starters were served cold especially baked camembert. On request it was served again properly. Rest all was up to the mark. Service was good. Extra veggies were served with the main course and free Prosecco for everyone as promised during booking. Happy to go back again. Gluten free food was served as ordered.

We hadn't visited this pub for a few years, but what a treat! The welcome was great, the heating was on (it was cold outside), the meal was delicious and plenty of it, the service was friendly and quick, no hanging around, but didn't feel rushed either. A great pub to visit for a meal and we shall be returning.

12 of us had a table booked at 3pm today. Everything ran smoothly, food was good, service was great, the staff were lovely. Couldn't fault it. Thank you

I booked a table for 7:30pm on a Saturday night. When we arrived we were only one of four tables which surprised me for a weekend. The chicken and leek pie was clearly bought in and was meant to come with garlic buttered kale. Instead it turned up with cabbage which I’m not a fan of and would have swapped had I know they didn’t have kale. My partner ordered the Buddha bowl which was disappointing from look through to taste. Literally just some ingredients chucked in a bowl with no effort or substance. However the most disappointing part of the evening was being told at 8:05, when we’d barely made a start on our main course, that the kitchen would be shutting soon so here were the menus for dessert. If they knew they didn’t have many bookings for the evening and would be shutting early, I should have been warned about this on the phone when I booked. If they made the decision last minute, the existing customers shouldn’t feel pressured to force a meal down quickly in order to be allowed to order dessert. The three other tables were also encouraged to order dessert soon so the kitchen could shut. Having been a chef for 15 years I can tell you most kitchens only shut once the existing customers have been served at their own pace. If you’re that quiet that you’re shutting the kitchen at 8pm on a Saturday night, you shouldn’t upsetting the customers who have actually turned up.

Pleasant enough arrival and waitress was very friendly, from then it went downhill. After ordering the waitress returned to tell us that one of the dishes was not available and then promptly reeled off about six or seven other dishes not available. This message she had to convey to several other guests arriving through the evening. I almost felt sorry for her. The menu is not that extensive so it’s a bit of a poor show. The two pies we had were nice enough, the kids meals were ok but my fish a chips was pretty terrible. I was going to get another round of drinks but we were never asked so we didn’t bother. For such a location in the village this place should be super busy on a Sunday early evening but it’s not, perhaps our story is the general malaise felt by the rest of the community.

Had lunch here with my partner, had a lovely lunch, fish and chips was very good. Definitely return.

Magic antique Pub wrapped in histories of millenia ago...

Just had a lovely family lunch celebrating my birthday (21again🙄) Very warm welcome from the two ladies, explained the menu and took drink orders. As I was opening cards they also wished me a very happy birthday. At the end of the meal, which we all enjoyed, the two ladies appeared with a delicious slice of cheesecake complete with candle, iced ‘happy birthday’ greeting on the plate and then sang ‘happy birthday’! Completely unexpected but a lovely thoughtful gesture - well done ladies! Hadn’t been to the Castle for a while as after having new owners, standards and staff had slipped a bit, but I can honestly say after today, the staff, service and food couldn’t have been nicer. Thank you ladies for your thoughtfulness and your singing!!

From my first initial call to book our table, to sitting on the lovely patio with our drinks, the whole experience was memorable. The staff are brilliant, attentive, friendly and helpful. The food is excellent, well priced and plentiful. The manager and her team are very sociable and nothing was too much trouble. A real gem of a place.

I went to a family party and was not expecting to be able to eat any of the buffet as am coeliac. Family member mentioned this and a platter was brought out just for me which was absolutely delicious. Battered fish, onion rings, halloumi fries, chicken skewers and dip. Thank you so much to the ladies serving and also to the chef who cooked it up for me. I was amazed at how good it was. Thoroughly recommend this place.

Lovely hostess Cheryl. Very friendly cosy pub with oodles of character and a great atmosphere. We had a wonderful meal of fish and chips with accompaniments. Quaffable house wine too. Been before for the Sunday roast which was brilliant too. Hubby is gluten intolerant and the staff were very helpful and kind, with the chef assisting in the choices he could have. Highly recommend for dinner, but also a great place to stop for a drink and listen to the live music. It’s our new go-to place!

My wife and I visited this for an evening meal. Food was excellent and served in good time and the hospitality provided by Cheryl the landlady was exceptional. Defo will be going back👍👍👍

Went for Sunday lunch, very enjoyable experience. Staff were incredibly accommodating and friendly, food was great. Thank you team!

One of the worst meals I've had in a long time. I don't often write bad reviews and it's taken me a while to write this! Me, my friend and son, decided to get a late lunch/dinner here, as the end of August. It took quite some time for the food to come out. I ordered the standard size hunters chicken, she ordered the small plate... they couldn't really tell us when they brought out the plate if it was the small or the large, then they brought out the small and apart from, slightly more mash and a few extra peas, it was the same meal, you can see her plate in the background, completely full, while mine is spread out. So not only did I pay an extra £5, the food wasn't great, the chicken was so dry, I needed mayo, to help it down. We did tell the staff and she said the chef was new and would let them know (wasn't even apologetic about it) ... erm, hopefully things improve, as is a nice pub, with a nice veranda area and garden area. Food use to be decent and they use to offer wonderful cakes. Also as it was the kids holidays, kids were meant to eat free but cause it was a certain day of the week, they put that deal through instead and I ended up paying more. I questioned it and got told, they gave me the best deal but once I was away, I looked at the receipt and they hadn't, it had cost more. I couldn't be bothered with the agg of arguing over a couple of pound. The whole thing was not a positive experience and neither of us are on a hurry to return.

I had a roast. The beef was so tender & tasty, the roast potatoes could not have been any better. Every thing was faultless.

Was recommended by a friend to come and try this place for food, and I cannot say I was disappointed. The food was amazing, well served and good sized portions. The staff were very friendly upon arrival, and maintained very amiable throughout. The restaurant has a bar/pub the other side, and good sized seating areas outside. Everything you could look for in a pub/restaurant, 100% will be visiting again soon.

Decided to give the pub a go having seen some of the recent, positive reviews. We were so glad that we did. The food was lovely and the service outstanding. The new team are doing an amazing job and we will definitely be back.

We tried The Castle on Friday night and there was a nice atmosphere, not too quiet, not too noisy. As a party of 6, we all ordered different things from the menu and we all agreed that the food was great. Friendly staff and good service. Will definitely re-visit.

Found this pub looking for the witches stone which is outside this pub. Went for a massive walk and then has dinner. The legend behind this is a fascinating read. See previous reviews and was tentative. However I found service was good and attentive, a very well stocked bar, and the food was well presented and tasty. We all really enjoyed our visit and will return very soon. however

We stopped coming here due to the terrible service a few years ago but decided to give it a go again…. Service was even worse than before… the waitress actually forgot we were there and didn’t take our order… after over 20 mins we had to go and ask to place our order… suffice to say we won’t be back

Happy hour buy one get one free 1 pint of Amstil and a Mineral water £7.25 approx 🤔

Absolutely amazing service, such pleasant waitresses and the food was delightful! Came out very quickly and had the attention of staff at pretty much all times. We were approached multiple times when our glasses were empty to ask for refills and plates were cleared with dessert offered very quickly. Would definitely recommend. I read some of the other reviews and stumbled upon a funny one… “chef was wearing flip flops” in the review it’s stated that a chef who was OFF DUTY had to come down to help out. One question i had for these people… was he cooking with his feet? Why do flip flops matter so much? Just a silly review. Definitely recommend this place for singles, couples and families! 10/10

Absolutely disgusted My parents diamond anniversary Was mucked about with food menus for ages Waited for hour and half for food to be served We all walked out No sorry for the delay Just completely mucked around Never return

They had lot of problems when I visited the area manager was doing his best to sort it out . Hope he managed to get it all right . Good luck normally very nice place for Sunday lunch .

Just want to say the food was top notch! Shane the new manager was fantastic and very accommodating.

We booked for lunch on Saturday and enjoyed it very much... Hunter's chicken 🐔🍗 with Bloom. ...the Gin and Tonic ...after that sadly too full to try the desserts....

Enjoyed a swift half with my better half. We like the pub. Just pricing knocked off 1 star.

We organised the wake for my late husband at the Castle recently and while it was a very emotional time for our family, Cheryl and her team pulled out all the stops to ensure went smoothly on the day. Nothing was too much trouble and everyone who attended, were very impressed.

Back again after short lay off, and disappointed on food quality, staff shortage, and long waiting time. Burgher like leather, noodles too greasy, fish and chips barely edible. Off our list for good I fancy

Came for Sunday Lunch, Cheryl looked after us very well, roast beef was really tender, first class service & food.

We have been going to The Castle for many years and have always enjoyed it. However it seems to have changes recently. We visited a couple of months ago and had a very average experience. We decided that it must have just been a bad day, so we went for a midweek lunch this week and was really disappointed. My husband ordered a lasagna and I ordered a fishmonger sandwich. We were told that neither of these items were available and were then read a list of several other dishes that were also not available. My husband reluctantly ordered a burger and I ordered scampi. We waited 25 minutes for our food, the waitress came over and apologised and said the food would be another 10 minutes. After a further 15 minutes I asked how much longer our food would be. I was told it would be another five minutes because they were very busy in the kitchen! There were only three other tables occupied in the restaurant, so I don’t know what they were busy doing. When our food finally arrived, I was really disappointed with the portion size. I had six pieces of scampi and a tablespoon of peas. Definitely not value for money. When we paid we were offered a free coffee which we declined. We just wanted to leave and we will not be returning which is a shame as we used to enjoy going here.

Had our 53rd Wedding Anniversary lunch yesterday. The staff were courteous. The atmosphere excellent. Very clean and excellent food. Highly recommended.

Cozy pub but way too expensive for the food you get. Very normal pub food that should not be priced like that which puts me off. Also barely any veggie options at all.

Waited an hour for food then had a mix up with our order meaning one of us didn’t get our meal to start with- this was later rectified which we were grateful for although it was frustrating to wait for this as no one had come to check that the food was ok which would have usually highlighted the issue early on. We instead had to go up to the bar to see what was happening. Another issue was the first rule of restaurant etiquette is the customer is always right- the waitress was defensive when told she didn’t take the order correctly. Even if there was a miscommunication you shouldn’t be arguing with a customer! The food was very good, it was just a shame about the wait and the service issues which I think stemmed from new chefs, a lack of staff on the premise and younger staff who didn’t seem to have much support from any seniors. Hopefully these are teething things and the pub can go back to how things used to run.

Absolutely awful experience. A group of 10 of us ended up leaving without having eaten any of our food as we just couldn’t put up with the poor service any longer. Prawn cocktail was so salty, 5 of us couldn’t eat it, food never arrived together, chicken served to a vegetarian, no pies, wrong food served to 2 of us. Various other mistakes. Manager told us she had got a second chef out of bed to come and cook for us - we later saw him in the kitchen in flip flops 🤢 Needless to say, we left without paying and won’t ever be returning!

Nice pub restaurant. Went on a hot day and sat inside to eat then outside for a drink. Food decent and service was friendly. Would go back

Lovely staff but not as nice as it used to be sadly.

Just dropped in for a quick bite of dinner when passing. Service was great but they were a bit short staffed in the kitchen so the food was slow to arrive and turned out to be cold in parts, but was tasty none the less, so just ate it all up!!

Nice pies, no real ale. Someone took our order brought the drinks and 1hour 17mins later brought our lunches. Did not offer us more drinks , we had to go find person and order (they were all chatting together). Did not ask how food was...

Just went on a whim to the pub and wasn't disappointed. Good pub food which is a little bit different to other pubs in the area. Felt very welcomed and would always go back

Booked in for a breakfast meet with members of the XKE club on 3rd June at 09.00am. Booking made on 28/4/2023 and was confirmed by email by Cherie. Arrived at 9.00am only to find pub closed. Phone pub only to get answer phone which indicated...

Biggest problem? Prices… at first I assumed that the prices were just expensive and you would get a decent portion for the price ..but no, the portions were very very small. The brownie dessert for example. £7.75 honestly looked like it was a single brownie out of a Tesco package of 6. Very disappointed. The staff and atmosphere were very pleasant however. Unfortunately the place was far too painfully overpriced for anything more than 3 stars for me…

Great food nice atmosphere and the staff are super friendly

Came for Sunday roast. It was one of the best roast dinners I've had in a pub/restaurant! Service was excellent, the food was so nice and the price was so cheap, I actually questioned the bill! Cannot recommend enough and will be back regularly for dinners.

Lovely pub, friendly staff, lovely cakes

Poor service and disappointing food . We were a table of 7 and food did not arrive at same time also one order was wrong and took even longer to put right. Beef was tough and veg very sparse. No condiments offered. I did point...

In the Village of Great Leighs If you Please Nothing Could Be Finer Than the Pie & Pint Diner Where Ales and Wines so fine Only beaten by Pies Sublime 10 out of 10 is the score we give it For a meal and Service...

Sadly The Castle has lost its appeal since being taken over. It's still even got the Pie and Pint signs up but they won't accept any loyalty points collected. The food was okay but there were no little touches like the signature crusty bread to start etc. When we went there were several items unavailable. The staff are lovely though.

Came here last night there was 18 of us all met up and it was brilliant the place is so clean the staff are so friendly and attentive they couldn’t be more helpful all are food came out at the same time which was brilliant...

Had a lovely meal yesterday evening with my family, the service was amazing and the food was great. Such a nice, friendly atmosphere. We were warmly greeted and our expectations were beyond exceeded. Booked again for this weekend coming. Thank you again! 😊

Had a lovely meal yesterday evening with my family, the service was amazing and the food was great. Such a nice, friendly atmosphere. We were warmly greeted and our expectations were beyond exceeded. Booked again for this weekend coming. Thank you again! 😊

I visited today on my way home from my night shift. I had a full English breakfast and asked for my eggs to be runny. I also had a side of pancakes. The breakfast chief Allison came personally and asked me which I would like...

Had a wonderful bank holiday at the castle. Great band lovely atmosphere. Brilliant Easter hunt and bouncy castle. Nice to see everyone from the community out and about. We'll done to the manager at the castle for organising it for the village.

Great breakfast!! We will be back. Staff were very attentive and fab food. Thanks again see you soon x

Went for a Friday night dinner with my friend, was delighted to hear they had two for one happy hour on cocktails, really made the night, food was absolutely sensational aswell, life changing some might say, would 10/10 recommend for any event. Superb, welldone team!!

Went to the castle over this weekend and the food was amazing we had fish and chips and the mixed grill , the service was great and the staff were so attentive and made sure we were happy , will be 100% going back hopefully this week

Disgusting booking our table whilst having a funeral party at the pub. You spoiled our night and obviously knew you were having a Funeral. Closed to public yet you called us around 35 minutes before we were due to eat there. Inappropriate, just goes to...

Disgusting booking our table whilst having a funeral party at the pub. You spoiled our night and obviously knew you were having a Funeral. Closed to public yet you called us around 35 minutes before we were due to eat there. Inappropriate, just goes to show you have got more interest in making money than Thinking of your patrons. Imagine sitting where people are mourning and having a table with people that would have wanted to laugh & joke. We are definitely not happy and ended up just getting a table at a nearby pub. I will be taking this up with the head office. How offensive of your staff !

Waited over 40 mins for our meal. We had 1 soup with bread, no butter, 1 small fish and chips with peas and 1 small sausage mash with onions. I’m not a big eater but I have never received a meal so small, it was more like a child’s meal, I was charged £7:50 for this meal, I think that is expensive for the meal!. The service was very slow, they wasn’t busy. The pub needs extra staff that give Customer care. NO ONE person asked how was your meals.! We use to come here regularly but it was taken over by another company, it was badly managed. None of the staff have a social skills or passion of providing a good customer service. Alison Brown (table for 3 in the bar as I took my dog.

The Food Came Out On Time And The Food Was Yummy And Staff Looked After Us Well Dafferanty Came Back Again And The Food Was Amazing the Staff Looked After Well %100

Staff need to be more attentive

Had a really tasty fish and chips here would definitely recommend eating here, friendly staff and nothing too much bother. Most important toilets were spotless.

A friend and I booked Sunday lunch at The Castle. We both had Roast Beef. The food was excellent, service fantastic and great value. The place was packed which is a reflection on Cherie and the staff. They have done a great job turning the...

Food very good, service excellent but very limited choice of draft ales.

This place has a really good atmosphere. The staff are great, service is quick and friendly and the food is fantastic (try the eggs benedict). It has a beautifully decorated restaurant area and a snug little bar if you just want drinks. Just DON'T get on the wrong side of Ann, the witch who still haunts the pub.

Great atmosphere, really friendly staff and superb menu. It's a beautifully decorated pub with a lot of history. The restaurant area is modern and well kept and the bar is a cosy snug full of friendly locals.

Having greatly enjoyed a Sunday roast here several weeks ago, we thought we would take family here yesterday. I have to say that we were all disappointed. Not sure whose idea it was to put the roast inside a giant Yorkshire pudding but, although it...

Great food and service, varied menu , small plates available for customers with a small appetite, plenty of car parking.

Great little pub with a good space for dining with a fair selection of drinks. Built in 1197 and apparently haunted, it certainly feels a lot more airy than one would think. They let us charge our phones there, too, which was a lovely gesture! I was very impressed by how welcoming the staff were. If you want a little taste of history on a drive out in Essex, this is a good place to start, and I can highly recommend visiting.

This is our local village pub. Great lively atmosphere, the food is always terrific. And a good selection of beers, wines. The Malbec was exceptional. And its 2 for 1 till 7pm on weekdays. What's not to like!

Had lunch at the castle today, food was amazing, service was superb! Highly recommend a visit.

Hadn't visited here for a while. Eeiry sort of atmosphere, although there was abit of a 'do' in a further room. Seemed to be left alot with not much attention. Bread not given anymore free which was something I'd always enjoyed. Thought the platters good but not very big and the fish one expensive for what you received. With such choice of places to eat/meet would have to think carefully about visiting again.

My partner and I came in unannounced on a Thursday afternoon for abit of food , where we were greeted by 2 lovely ladies who one of them proceeded to sit us over on a window seat which was lovely . The staff where very...

As a family we recently had a meal and drinks in the castle and it was absolutely amazing! We were greeted at the door by 2 very accommodating members of staff who waited on us the entire evening. fantastic food, service was impeccable and great...

Me and my partner went for lunch today at the castle. Food was great. Lovely atmosphere in the pub too!! see you soon.