The Compasses Inn in Chelmsford - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Fantastic beer well looked after and of course brilliant filled Huffers - definitely worth a visit. Repeat visit today just keeps getting better 😌

Lovely pub, very lively and really nice accommodation

Lovely traditional pub, just the way they used to be

Wonderful place deep in the Essex countryside

Havent stayed in the hotel rooms but the pub is always superb. A truly quintessential English pub, not one of these thats tried to go upmarlet like a restaurant inside. Its well kept in the best possible rustic way. Lovely food, great real ale and ciders, lovely garden and they have a steam up at least once a year. Beware the kitchen closes for a break some days between 4 and 5pm.

Wonderful traditional country pub with a very good garden, very friendly staff & brilliant food/drink so worth a visit but can get very busy as popular

This is a lovely place to stay but it is in the middle of nowhere. The staff are so friendly and the food is great.

Didn't stay, just had a great meal. A proper pint and the chilli with rice. Will be back if I'm ever nearby. 👌

Cracking lunch and beer selection amd friendly service

It is a great place to meet with friends and enjoy a fantastic meal.

Really friendly comfortable retreat.

This is a 'hidden gem' in Littley Green. The pub is well- loved and maintained by the owners. The toilets are clean. It is very popular with the local folks; which I believe claim as their exclusive place away from out of towners. It's worth getting a few inquisitive stares from others though to enjoy the wonderful food they serve here. There's a great choice, perfectly cooked, and quickly brought to the table. The prices are reasonable for the standard. The bar staff are efficient. The younger ones seem to be dealing with the stress of running a busy pub better than the older staff. We will return.

Comfortable, clean, great service. Accommodation nice and quiet and next to a bustling pub with good food.

Hidden gem in Essex county side. Breakfast was exceptional ,cooked to perfection by Gustaf and lovely blonde lady so helpful and professional.

What a great local pub. The team are so friendly and welcoming and the food tasted amazing. We came here the evening before our wedding and they had reserved us our own space in the Green Room so we could all be together. Great selection of food on the menu along with a great drinks range behind the bar. We had relatives staying here too and the rooms are to a high standard - they had only great things to say. Thank you!

Lovely traditional pub with fantastic beers and great food

A lovely little pub ideal for a lunch and a walk

Was amazing...open fire, great food and lovely staff. Would definitely recommend

Great service, great food, great atmosphere. Thanks so much for a great evening.

Excellent place for real ale and good food including a wide selection of huffers. Real fire in winter adds to the cosy feel. Equally great in summer with a big beer garden and recently added terrace. Ideal for cyclists too.

We have stayed here as overnight guests before but, this time, we were coming in a group of six for supper on a Saturday night. Tip: unless you are a party of six or more, you can't actually book a table. When we arrived the place was heaving, but in a good way, customers eating and drinking and generally enjoying the ambience. I couldn't help thinking that our Korean daughter in law would LOVE this place, because it just screams everything that non-Brits think of as quintessentially British, quaint, honest, comfortable whilst retaining a rustic charm. And the food is fantastic! No fancy titles or fashionable ingredients, just good, hearty plates of delicious fare. Order at the bar and take away your numbered wooden spoon and your meals will be brought to the table. As this has historical connections with a local brewery, there is no shortage of craft and local beers, lagers and ciders on offer - check the blackboard behind the bar for the recommendations for the current week. Couldn't recommend this pub enough - a really good example of a thriving village pub, which hopefully won't become a rarity.

Lunch with many friends. Considering there were 8 of us, the service was quick. The food is great (I can recommend their renowned Huffers). The only thing to spoil the event was the price charged for pancakes. One with sugar and lemon was £5,50 with a single scoop of ice cream with it was an extra £2,50!

Good food, good service, good beer.

Absolutely beautiful and charming place , very friendly staff and amazing food.

A lovely village pub with great food. No reservations, first come first served. I've been here a few times with the family and always had lovely meals. Good value too. I'll be back.

Nice pub, nice food but check your bill! Went there this evening and was overcharged! Didn’t realise until I got home. Was told the total, tapped my card, got home and realised I’d been overcharged. Sour end to a nice evening.

We’ve just had a three night stay at the Compasses while visiting family in the area. On two nights we also ate an evening meal. It’s a really traditional real ale country pub, extremely popular and busy. Except for needing a few coat hangers (quickly supplied) the room was well equipped and comfortable. We had the accessible room which had an excellent wet room style bathroom and plenty of space. The team are helpful and friendly and keen to deliver a good service. We enjoyed all our food, both morning and evening. There is a good selection and we thought reasonably priced.

Visited on a Sunday lunchtime. We arrived just after it opened at 12 and it gets busy very quickly. You can only reserve table for six or more people so recommend getting there early. It's very popular with hikers and bikers. Traditional and rustic country pub. I had the roast beef with all the trimmings and a cauliflower cheese. My wife and daughter both had granary huffers, chicken salad and a chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato with a side of cheesy chips which they both really enjoyed. My roast beef was excellent and the cauliflower cheese had a hint of mustard in it and so tasty. Great choice of local beers and ales. Best part of all the was the price at just under £60 which is exceptional value. WILL DEFINITELY BE RETURNING VERY SOON!!!!

Great beer, friendly landlord, good pub grub, lovely setting.

Top notch as usual, and a different ale to try again 🍺🍺

Friendly & attentive staff, good selection of ales & food, nice atmosphere with log burning fire. Dog & child friendly, set in the rolling countryside of Essex. Extensive seating outside, worth visiting in the summer.

Excellent speedy service despite the pub being busy. Love the huffs and the range of real ale. Hard working friendly staff make it a treat. Good place for walkers and cyclists to take a break. Lively cosy atmosphere as well

It is a lovely country pub with good food and great ale 🍺 And they have the occasional live music. All together, it was very enjoyable .

Great setting. Truly exceptional fish and chips and excellent beer. Wish I did not live 200 miles away!

We love this little pub, good old country pub with gorgeous food and rustic atmosphere. Fantastic choice of food and ciders.

Lovely setting, great hospitality and a very tidy clean room.

Excellent surroundings and style Food was really nice, tasty and plenty of it Good service

Frequently meet friends here in the evening for food. Always a great experience. Very popular and busy.

Huffer was very good just as I remember it.

Food as good as ever with some new dishes

Very cosy pub with good selection of beers and other drinks

Very nice atmosphere.Good food. Was worth the walk.

Fantastic food with plenty of veg. Good size portions. It was cold in there though as fire was not lit and radiators were cold. Perhaps better in the evenings.

Always a great pint from the barrel and varied good tasting menus

Haven't been here for a few year's but it was recommended recently so gave it another try. Looks good from outside especially the new outdoor patio area and large garden's. Was given a friendly welcome and could choose where to sit, food was displayed on the blackboard. Very varied menu with cooked meal's plus extensive huffer choices as well. I had the special belly pork which was so delicious and tender, I actually ate every last mouthful. Will definitely be coming back again 😋

we stayed overnight after a funeral as the wake was at the compasses. the room was very clean, the bed was comfortable and there was plenty of choice of sachets for hot beverages. we did not eat a meal there as had food at the wake which was excellent. the meals looked and smelt lovely and we will definitely try and visit again to sample the food.

We had an great evening at the Compasses for their 'beer and music festival weekend' together with our friends. The ambiance was lovely, the front of house staff did an amazing job as the pub was extremely busy. It was clear to see everyone was having a great time. The kitchen chef's did brilliantly with their service as there was a real mix of customers of all ages and amazing that they were able to cater with the food for so many people. This Pub is definitely a real gem to it's local community.

Came her for a family meal out. Pub was busy so thought this was a good sign, however it turned out to not be the case. Food was below average with over an hours wait time. After 45 mins of waiting we were told they had run out of one of our dishes. Food eventually came out Luke warm. Chips were like McCain oven chips. Staff not particularly friendly at all. Good selection of beers was the only positive. Overall very disappointing ⭐️ ⭐️

Despite the local location and surrounds the service unfortunately was absolutely appalling. The lady that rudely greeted us when we stayed for a close friend’s wedding was difficult and unhelpful from start to finish. Despite the groom of the wedding reassuring us the rooms would be ready by 11am they were not. Forcing 6 of us to get ready in one room. One of our guests was happily chatting with the cleaner when this said lady abruptly interrupted and demanded she left the room. After a long drive and a full on day ahead this was less than professional. Despite protesting that the local wedding service (we were due to attend) was set to begin at 1:30pm, the ‘lady’ insisted we could only check in at 2pm. Clearly this was not possible for us, so we were forced to leave all our overnight stuff in one room. We could then only collect our stuff on return from the wedding, after midnight, to then put in our different rooms. One of our party had to find the ‘lady’ again in the bar so we could be passed our keys to our room (although not ‘allowed’ to enter our rooms). She was rude and dismissive, which was highly irritating. The worse part was that the Groom had to deal with this booking stress on his wedding day. Despite showing the ‘lady’ the emails confirming we could check in at 11am, she was dismissive and claimed no accountability of said email.

Our walking group often stop off here for lunch on our monthly village walk. A group of about 12 (usually) And Without exception, we all love it. Friendly staff, great range of ales, lagers and ciders and exceptionally good home cooked food. Traditional old pub with a very tastefully added extension. No frills. Outstanding. Well done All at the Compasses Littley Green.

One of the best pubs in Essex. Great real ale beer and cider. Great menu at fair prices. All the staff are friendly and welcoming. The pub users and locales are friendly Can't fault it.

What a lovely, welcoming place. A great atmosphere, great service and delicious food. Huge portions! My mum and I had a lovely stay. The underfloor heating in the bathroom and lovely lights in the bedroom were also nice touches. Will come again.

Visited here with my Son and Partner for Sunday lunch. Had visited for the 1st time back in the Summer with a friend and was keen to go back. No bookings taken for parties under 6. We arrived at around 4pm and had no trouble securing a table. Friendly bar staff. Good choice of Ales. Lunch was spot on. Plenty of meat (my Sons lamb option was actually a shank!), perfectly cooked roasties, yorkie and plenty of veg/gravy. Would have liked the option of cauliflower cheese, but delicious nonetheless. My Son and Partner were also tempted by the fruit crumble and custard. Very generous portion! We left very satisfied, would highly recommend, and will definitely be back!

This pub is exactly what a pub should be. A perfect example of the way pubs used to be out in the Essex countryside . They have very good real ales and lagers, real cider too. A big menu that has variety, the food is of a good standard and very tasty. The staff are friendly and efficient, very helpful. I've been several times with different friends and we have always had a good time. It's old fashioned. That's why it's brilliant!

Lovely old pub, filled with locals. Nice real fire, plenty of drinks selection. Stay in a room in the courtyard. Super clean and comfortable. Steak was awesome with the best onion rings ever. Nice team of staff.

We came here for first time for overnight stay and for food and drink before going to airport the next day. We were greatly surprised. We stayed in Room 1 named Old Bob and it was fantastic, large, nice decor and super clean. It is cottage style. We then had dinner and drinks in the pub which was a classic old pub, vibrant and popular. Our food was great. I had the special steak and ale pie which was to die for. Great choice of beers, ales and wines also. Staff are amazing and we will definitely come back.

A group of 10 ramblers descended on this pub just after it opened. We were served quickly and efficiently without fuss. Although we were unable to book a table we found a couple of tables. All of us had food in front of us after 20 mins which was great. The choice is good especially the huffers. The jackets looked good and were priced accordingly. There was also a good range of well maintained beers. Would def recommend.

Arrived into a packed pub, checked in for the night and taken to our room. The room was spotlessly clean, warm and with a large wet room. Everything about the room was about as perfect as it comes. Back to the pub for dinner. We had a truly delicious fillet steak, both cooked to perfection. We subsequently were told this was a trial for their Christmas menu - if we didn’t live 3 hours away I would go back for their Christmas lunch! After a good night sleep, it was breakfast time. Breakfast is charged in addition to the room rate. The room rate is very reasonably priced, and I think this is a good idea. Anyway breakfast was first rate too, really the only things to criticise was the coffee could have been a little stronger. Friendly staff, a great place to stay in all respects.

Gorgeous room above and beyond what you would expect for the price. Comfortable bed, underfloor heating, lovely shower room. Really quiet too as away from the pub building. Lovely meal in a busy traditional pub. Breakfast was also fabulous. I ate one egg before I took picture! Staff were very welcoming especially the lady that checked me in. Would like to come back

The cyclist owner / manager has decorated at least one of the rooms with some fun cycling themed paraphenalia. It meets the usual high standard of many B&Bs these days. The two rooms we stayed on (on our way to and from Holland) felt fairly...

Wonderful steak dinner with great service and a top pint of ale. Went with my girlfriend both had the ribeye and both said it was cooked perfectly. Much cheaper then other nearby establishments and served with a smile. Highly recommended.

After a hard day at work we stayed here and was definitely impressed lovely country pub in the middle of nowhere stunning very smart courtyard rooms great comfy beds fantastic high finish bathroom awesome shower free parking fantastic evening food A very warm and welcoming...

Very disappointed with my choice of food. I had lamb koftas which when came up looked as though it was a first course portion. At £13.95 I would expect a little more meat. My friend’s huffa was good. Come on chef - you need to...

We were staying overnight at The Compasses Inn and so ate supper there too. The interior of the pub has been carefully maintained to represent the original, with benches and beams, uneven floors etc and it does work very well. The pub is clearly known...

A very unpretentious country pub that offers real ales and a fab offering of homecooked pub food. Some of the main public areas could do with a good clean. Great big garden to sit out in. Limited selection of wines as they concentrate on the...

Honourable mention to jos who looked after us at breakfast and Claire who prepared our room. Perfect stopover spot while we were attending a wedding at leez priory. I would come back and I would definutely recommend. Quite strict with check in and check out...

First visit today for breakfast great food and service .this is a proper pub . Can’t wait to call again for a lunch and try some of the beers

Found this delightful pub on booking.com, but what a find, can’t praise it enough, although very cosy and some might say old fashioned but the welcome was good, the room was excellent value but most of all the beer, atmosphere were great.The food was excellent!...

We visited here lunchtime today for their legendary Huffer. I had not had one in a long while . The standard of food and service was excellent and although very busy we did not have to wait long for our food . This is a...

This is a very old characterful pub with clean rooms and comfy beds. The staff were really helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The food was good in the restaurant and they catered for vegans with different choices. We enjoyed our stay here very...

Four years since last review, but still worth taking the time and effort to give an excellent review. Excellent beers. Choice of favourite foods, super rooms and all great value for money. Another super stay for just one night. Looking forward to staying again. Well...

Four of us have met and had lunch here twice - and will do so again. The location is wonderfully rural while being only 20 minutes from the city centre. The selection of cask beers is local and good - never had a bad pint...

Visited The Compasses Inn today for my Dad’s 80th. It was the most enjoyable afternoon and I really appreciated the little touches of hospitality at this lovely pub. First off, an upholstered chair with arms was brought out to the picnic benches, ensuring my Dad...

This is our third meal in in about three weeks. Food is really very good and fairly priced. I had the duck last night with crispy sweet potato nest & Choi sum. There were at least 4 meals I was torn between! The menu is...

Super place A real very well run pub Beautiful beers of all sorts All of extraordinary high standard Food of high quality Creamy more-ish lovely chicken liver pate Small delicately presented perfect salad Bread oven toasted crisp Steak and kidney pie Bright with kidney and...

This is a Huffer Inn with rooms, set in the middle of nowhere in the beautiful Essex countryside. I'm pleased to say that it's a very popular place to eat and people seem to come from all around the area. Excellent food, served by friendly...

We've been coming here for a few years now. It is a really great, family friendly pub, with a beautiful beer garden. There are great ales and everyone is always so friendly. The only reason for not giving it a perfect score is because vegetarian...

Was recommended the Compasses by a friend and was not disappointed. Great accommodation, great beer, breakfast lovely friendly and knowledgeable staff, not much not to love about this pub . Will be visiting again soon.

We tried lunch today in the marquee. I booked because their website says the marquee is heated. Unfortunately it wasn't and several other tables made this same comment. A lot of the clientele were older too so they were complaining of the cold. We took...

We had a delicious lunch with our family sat outside in the marquee, we all felt very safe and the staff were as usual lovely and friendly We Highly recommend the huffers and the Cajun chicken burger

What a wonderful location!! Whether you want an over night stay or just to pop in and have some delicious home made food, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Compasses Inn. Beautifully decorated, simple and stylish rooms that offer a comfortable...

Excellent eggs royale and coffee. Service really good and a great position for walking or cycling. :)

I stayed for one night on Tuesday 22nd September and can recommend both the spotless and very comfortable accommodation and the food and selection of great beers. The staff were very friendly and made my stay very enjoyable. The food was excellent and prices very...

It's the first time we've been back here for a while. We chose this as our first place to try the Eat Out To Help Out scheme in August. We sat outside and the social distancing was good with all of the staff wearing visors....

Always go for a huffer and happy enough with that. But social distancing - forget it - none happening that I could see - group of 8 around 2 small tables and that meant 16 in a tiny room where we squeezed past each other....

hadnt read anything about this place so had no expectations, it was night 5 on our essex way walk. loved it, was great to see how buzzy it was in the evening, had a lovely 'pub' meal. Rooms were great but the highlight was breakfast...

Me and my cycling mates have been visiting The Compasses for years, often on a Wednesday evening, in fact we refer to the place as our Spiritual Home! We have come to know Joss and his excellent team very well and really appreciate the effort...

Found this by a google search when in the area. This is in a small village but seems to be very busy. We had lunch, Huffers apparently is a local word for a wedge of bread, large triangle bap type bread, very nice friendly staff...

Visited Sat 8th for lunch, all female staff nice & friendly. Warned my partner about 'grumpy Josh'! She ordered and came back astounded by his total lack of any customer service skills! I had pre-warned her. He needs to buy a smile or go to cellar as front of house is not for him! Huffers excellent as the Oakham Citra(beer)

First visit after 22 weeks since last meeting, and my first visit to any pub since lockdown. Just to say a massive thanks to Josh and all the staff for their magnificent work to make this pub feel so safe, with clear instructions everywhere and...

Lovely old pub, Covid-19 compliant throughout. Very safe, very clean. All the staff wearing visors. Felt very safe whilst eating and drinking there. Food was excellent, two of the party of 6 had the Duck special which they described as 'very special'. Two had rhe fish and chips, one Roasted Veg Huffer and I had the smoked mackerel salad. The food was delicious and the 6 plates were cleaned when Ed cleared the table. Thank you Gustavo and Brian. Great cooking!

Post COVID-19 this pub is very safe and clean . Wear mask to order drink , food great as always . At table scan or check in to public health to leave name and number . Tables were super cleaned as was chairs , benches and backs of chairs . Staff wore visors and are friendly . This is a lovely pub and glad it has not gone out of business .

Now this how all English pubs should be great friendly atmosphere lovely staff and best of all they do the great Essex Huffer with a multitude of filling oh yeah their beer is good too.

- Arrived at the compass on a dark wet evening, after lots of single road tracks we arrived , it was dark and we wondered what we had come to. Then after a knock on the door, we were shown to our rooms at the side of the pub.Welcoming warm clean Rooms ,modern well appointed and bright, only criticism was that as on business , a desk would have been good.Fresh milk was welcomed also , you could ask at the bar.Food good hearty local fair, delicious !Ales good range of real ales, not enough time to test them all.WiFi Not great! All in all quint essentially English pub

This ambience of this pub reminds me of the pubs I used to visit in the 60's and 70's - when they were just 'there' in abundence, along every country lane or road - with one major difference and that is the lovely food. In those days of yore, food in pubs was a rarity rather than a necessity but this pub has managed to keep the old traditional feel and has successfuly added a very accepteble kitchen to its' charms. I loved it and the food we had for lunch was excellent, reasonably priced and nicely served. Good selection of ales and an extensive menu meant that this place was humming at lunchtime by one'o clock on a thursday with all tables full and standing room only. Not being a fan of stodge or thick bread we avoided the legendary doorsteps or Huffers but others were seen to be tucking in and enjoying them. We are looking forward to returning soon!

All the good bits (lots of them) Great room, Comfy Bed, Underfloor heating so nice and warm, great shower, near stanstead, sensible price, so all good right, ummmmmBeware the "Phil", can i order food please (6:12pm) "No" (yep just that rude)! not till 6:30 can't back the kitchen up, however he had taken orders from 4 tables of locals,(can anyone one say HOT FUZZ for the GREATER GOOD) for whom this is a popular spot and they were served straight away, i had to wait till 7:04pm for mine, not too harsh (geat local beer), The Room is in the middle of a car park so if sleep is for you before Midnight then go somewhere else, which for me i probably will, but i seem to be in a minority, Enjoy

Stayed here overnight as we were at a local wedding. Nice room underfloor heating nice facilities, walk in shower TV tea and coffee. Had a nice lunch in this very old traditional country pub. Good breakfast as well, staff were all very friendly. There is plenty of parking here.

Lovely village pub with good atmosphere. I did not actually eat here so cannot comment about the food. But the menu board and prices look good. I also saw quite a few people eating and the food did look well presented. However, I only stayed overnight in one of the rooms on site, which is what I am reviewing. Comfortable accommodation. I had a twin room, there is Wifi, TV, tea and coffee making facilities available. All good. Ideal for a one night stay. Breakfast is supplied and cooked fresh to order.

staid for one night food excellent service and staff friendly and helpful would highly recommend breakfast was amazing all cooked fresh and really tasty accommodation excellent great value

Haven’t been for a while and still as wonderful as ever, cask ales and ciders aplenty, tapped from the keg. Wonderful beer and food off the beaten track exceptionally popular so definitely book ahead if eating. The only things on the bar were the landlord’s elbows - no piped music etc