The Holly Tree in Waltham Forest

Walked about 6 miles on a day off work to get here and review, but did not disappoint. Such a cool space, both indoor and out, with friendly staff, great music and interesting and seasonal cask ale. Marvellous! #41 #46

Always a good time with lovely people who are able to accommodate you. Good beer and cider and fantastic food, lots of space too. Pub quiz every Wednesday

It was a very long all day session for a bit of a school reunion...

Brilliant Sunday roast and nice craft beer

Got traditional roast beef dinner

Heard great things about the pub, but Sunday lunch was a big disappointment. Food took a while to come, then arrived cold. I was given a new dish which came out with the vegetables under cooked and tastless. No one seemed to care much the manager had no sincerity in resolving our issues. Will not be returning.

Poor service, food was cold then reserved with a fresh plate that was undercooked. Such a shame as the pub has some great potential.

The staff is very friendly, there's a wide selection of wine and their calamari are to die for! Had a great time.

Best sausage roll I've ever had, tasty pint of sour and a train for kids to ride on.

The pub location has great potential and it's sad to see it managed by people who simply don't care about customers, which soon enough will lead to losing business. My family and I were there on Sunday for roast. We were sat a 4 people table where they added 1 chair and stool to make it a 6 people table. We were squeezed between two other tables, one of which could sit more us comfortably, but was left empty for the whole time we were there, despite us asking for a bigger table. Looking at the previous reviews, I can also confirm that the staff's attitude towards clients is poor. All of them were very unwelcoming, like they didn't want us to be there. Around 1:30pm they turned the music up, which forced people to talk louder and it made the whole dining area very unpleasant for a Sunday lunch. Lastly, but equally as important, food was worse than average. The meat was bland, hard and lukewarm, there was barely any gravy, the cabbage had an unusual clove taste, the vegetables were almost raw and the potatoes had a strange consistency, as if they had been left on a hot plate for too long. Overall, a disappointing meal, overpriced drinks and unwelcoming staff, which is such a shame given it's such a lovely building. Management needs changed if they want this pub to stay in business.

The atmosphere was fantastic and the drinks were so ordinary.Virgin mary was a really bad choice. We visited on last Sunday and the service we got was very very bad. The staff were so so rude and not welcoming at all.

Food is not great… uncooked vegetables. Certainly something has changed here. Music is unnecessarily loud forcing people to speak loudly so they can understand each other. Asked the staff to put the volume down and was down for 10min. Really not the atmosphere I was hoping to have for Sunday lunch with my family. We are locals and used to like this place. It is debatable if we’ll return or not.

It's been over a year since I've been at this place. However, the food is still good. The price is increasing slightly, but you can still get a roast dinner with a new realm of £20, so I bought one and my friend one. Great venue. I'm sure they have a lot going on during the week, and, of course, I'm always happy to come back again.

One of the nicest pubs I've been to recently, great selection of beers on tap, and the food was beautiful with very reasonable prices. The atmosphere inside and out was excellent, and it doesn't feel cramped like so many pubs in london

Very nice pub with an excellent beer garden complete with a ride on module train

Great pub... it's like being in West London..! As you can probably see it's a bit of an old post but I ve just come out there today at the best boulevard the guys are fantastic

A brilliant, lively and friendly pub. This is a large pub, with a brilliant beer garden featuring a train. The Sunday roast was excellent, service was quick and friendly, and drinks were reasonably priced.

Gorgeous pub with a really good roast dinner

This charming family pub offers not only delicious food and a wide selection of beers but also an inviting and friendly atmosphere created by its always warm and welcoming staff. The highlight for many visitors, especially families with children, is the delightful train that runs through the premises. This unique feature adds a touch of whimsy and fun, making every visit memorable. Whether you're there for a meal, a drink, or just to enjoy the train, this pub consistently delivers a fantastic experience for all.

Great pub. Food menu could do with a bit of a change / update.

Lovely selection of beers. Amazing service with a smile. The location and atmosphere is amazing.

Good selection of beers and tasty food, all set in a lovely, relaxed, cool but traditional pub setting

Very nice pub! Awesome outside area! Good beer selection! ...still didn t see the train in the garden in operation (hope next time), or England win a cup, but I guess that s not their fault

one off the best local pubs in the area

Amazing place, it has everything, train, steel band, great food, great service, would recommend.

Went for Sunday Roast. Portion sizes were huge and the food was tasty. 7 of us in party and everyone liked their meal. The only issue I had was wine glass given was filthy, covered in dust and probably hadn't been cleaned- ill let them off though as it might have just been a one off as the other 2 glasses were fine. Sat in the adult section which was appreciated on a sunny Sunday. Not cheap, but not outrageous compared to other pub roasts, especially for the portion size. Would go back again.

Very nice local pub with good music, and nice people.

The Holly Tree is a lovely Pub and fabulous large garden for being in London There is a good choice and wines beers and pub food We have previously had a Sunday roast which was delicious and on this occasion burgers which where packed with flavour Unfortunately some of the staff looked very unhappy and where not particularly helpful or friendly Our children in the party were upset that the train finished early so they couldn’t have a ride without any noticeable reason Also they wanted to clear you out as quick as possible at as if they want to finish early

Great garden. Great staff. Decent food.

Pub fantastic, great atmosphere, but went on a Sunday for a One old birthday. Took 3 of my grandchildren, two are fussy eaters.. There was only roast on the menu, asked if they done chips, not on a Sunday, asked for not to have the childrens roast but to have just extra Yorkshire puddings , which we were willing to pay extra for, but they couldn't do that. So ordered a children's roast for my grandson to eat one yorkshire pudding. Very disappointing for them not to cater for children's needs on a Sunday.

This pub genuinely has it all. Undoubtedly the best roast in the East End, dedicated kids area with cute mini train track, kids not your thing there's a kids free area, great selection of craft beers and wines, their quiz night is so much fun and the staff are all amazing, highly recommend!

Unbelievably horrible service by the people who work there. And don't count on the kids train, they have written working times on the board, but the train doesn't work anyways. Don't recommend this place unless you're in for a huge disappointment.

Our favourite pub. Great food and selection of beers and lovely staff.

A lovely pub with a great atmosphere.

Great pub, excellent food and plenty of room so you don't feel crowded. The train is great for children.

Great local pub. Really enjoyed the burgers, there’s a great range of drinks, and the staff are friendly and efficient.

Great Sunday roast, staff are often rude and look at you like you’ve taken a dump in their cereal, good beer garden especially with kids.

Bel endroit. Un pub où l'on se sent bien. Le service est rapide et sympathique Le repas est de bonne qualité et le choix de boissons est important.

Great pub, good food and lovely little train ride for kids

Worst roast potatoes I’ve ever had. So dry that no amount of gravy will ever fix. The meat was good but for me the potatoes ruined it :(

amazing food, and little hidden gem

Wonderful pub. Great selection of beer, both cask and keg, big brand and craft. Beer garden is brilliant. Great for families and chilled drinks with mates. Staff friendly and looked happy to be there. Their burger is absolutely brilliant.

Amazing Sunday lunch , fantastic staff, clean, inviting what's not too love ❤️

Best pub in the area by a long shot. Loads of beer options on tap and really good food. Sunday roast is always excellent here.

This place is great. Right on the flats and perfect for a post dog walk pint and slap up feed

They ran out of lamb that whose delicious smell was wafting out of the kitchen but otherwise couldn’t fault it. Being obliged to write more than one hundred words I would just repeat myself. Silly rule. They ran out of lamb that whose delicious smell was wafting out of the kitchen but otherwise couldn’t fault it.

Beautiful building with nice bartenders and fun atmosphere. They also do good oat milk coffee which is rare in pubs.

Top pub! Always welcoming and best beer selection around

Very nice place, tasty vegetarian burger. Staff was helpful and kind

Food when it arrived was fine. Not amazing but good pub grub. Kitchen staff were overwhelmed and understaffed. We waited an hour and 15 mins for kids meals with no warning that there would be a delay at all. Had we known of the delay we wouldn’t have bothered and would have gone elsewhere. Place was lovely and busy with a good atmosphere and pleasant staff but they just couldn’t cope with a sunny afternoon and the orders which came in it seems. Maybe on another day we would have loved it here.

Full of clowns and morons. Describing the service as glacial is too kind

They state clearly that the kitchen shuts at 4, except when it actually shuts 15mins earlier, cheers for that.

Food very good, great range of beer, good vibe generally and the train is a uniquely brilliant thing. My visit was a bit of a letdown because of the staff. They were all quite surly, grim-faced and unhelpful. No food menus were given to us, even though we were clearly there to eat, and when I asked at the bar the barman had no idea where I could find any. I found their attitude to be quite sarcastic - it wasn’t clear who was setting the tone for the team but it wasn’t enjoyable to interact with them. Also when food was brought over the waitress was confused about where to put plates. Odd. And our food plates were not cleared for a very long time. I also didn’t really like the two-hour table churn. Doesn’t make for a relaxing vibe.

Great selection of beer bar staff are really friendly top find Didn’t eat there

Pub is fantastic and use of the train is fabulous however if you have a dietary request it doesnt bode well. Sent food back as stuff id asked to be removed was on the plate and when it returned it was still on it... went back for a side plate and seperated myself but at £20 for just my roast dinner the disinterested and unhelpful staff member who took my food back shoild kf got it right... ex chef in a pub kitchen so this is completely avoidable imo.

Nice atmosphere I had the lamb that was nice but think i would choose the beef next time Lovely staff

Bar staff were really rude to us. The short gothy woman with pink/green hair has a real attitude problem. The worst part is I think she was the manager. It’s like she’s a stoppy teenager that hasn’t grown out of it. She has a world owes her a favour attitude. Just grow up or get another job. Seriously.

Great food, impeccable service and beautiful pub. However, a large proportion of the clientele seemed to be major contributors to the "OnlyInWaitrose" twitter account which made me feel really sorry for the people who worked there.

Good pub nice food and atmosphere. Wish they had more music focused nights.

It had always been our regular local,for years, but i hadnt been here since its been done up, Went in with a Friend, and was pleasantly surprised, it looked very nice, had a couple of drinks, quite expensive at £19.50 for 2 white wine spritzes, it was 21.20pm when a member of Staff started clearing the flowers vases of the tables, including ours , the sign on the walk said closes at 11pm, so i asked the bar staff if there closing already, she said yeah we can leave when everyones gone, it was clear they wanted to get home early, we wasnt going to leave so soon, as we were enjoying ourselves, but felt we had to even though it was still early 21.30pm, to be clearing the table whilst your still sitting there drinking i felt was very rude, and spoilt our evening, so wont be returning unfortunately, If it closes at 21.30, then that should be reflected on the sign, so rude,

Beautiful pub, great miniature train. But staff are inefficient at clearing tables and unfortunately multiple beers tasted badly kept

A nice little pub... food was really tasty and reasonably priced. Shame they got our booking completely wrong and gave our table away despite booking and arriving on time...

Family went for Sunday Lunch Carvery while on hols in East London. Beautiful place. Great food, exceptional staff. Can’t wait to go back.

Great speedy food and friendly staff, a good spacs to hang out just off The Cut.

Clean lively place. Full of locals and regulars. Service was good, reasonably priced drinks. Didn't have anything to eat, but I will do so on my next visit.

Excellent venue to spend time in.

Really rude manager, appalling people skills and manners, really let’s the place down. I would avoid reviewing negatively about hospitality staff unless someone was incredibly rude like this lady. Female manager with fair hair and fair skin. Totally puts me off ever going back. My family and friends spent a huge amount of money, she was incredibly rude, inhospitable and is in the wrong job. Of course the train is a fantastic feature and it’s a great pub, such a big shame about this manager, and of course bad management often trickles down to other members of staff, so I hope it changes.

Usually a good experience here but I found a foreign object in my roast pork. I mentioned this to the server who was apologetic and really nice about it but there was no offer of any compensation and no explanation as to how a non food item ended up in a roast lunch. Clearly there has been a lapse in hygeine and cross contamination occured. Roast potatoes were stale and gravy was too acidic. Overall it was a pretty mediocre roast even if there wasn't a random piece of rubbish in my food. I felt a bit sick afterwards so I didn't kick up a fuss and just left.

Nice pub, nice meal, they were out of some ingredients of multiple specialty drinks, but we were there right after Christmas. Would return.

Went on Christmas day for an hour. Great atmosphere staff were lovely.

Not great we just ordered a round Inc bottle of prosecco and was not mentioned that they are closing in 15mins at point of purchase Nice pub just this time service let you down

Absolutely one of the best roast dinners I have ever had. The roast potatoes were top tier and the vegetables were not an afterthought but a stunning component of a glorious whole. The beef was delicious and generously served. The gravy was glossy, thick and inviting. The pub was rammed and even though our large party ordered separately, all the food came out at the same time. I thought the staff did a great job of staying calm and delivering despite the pub being full of large festive parties with many small children. I noted an adults only area which I thought was a great idea for those without children who would rather eat in peace. Bravo, a perfect place for large groups with kids, nice atmosphere, beautiful classic pub with fantastic food to boot.

Beautiful food. Great table service. Welcoming staff. Gorgeous clean traditional style pub as in brown tables and a fireplace.

Very nice food, great ambience and good drink variety

Pleasant pub. Decent beer, but not cheap.

Nice pub, good service from friendly staff member. Very much a food pub with a small selection of cask beers

Tasty food. They have an adults only section which is great for Sunday lunch if you don't want to eat in a creche. They don't clearly label the tables that are reserved though with the time and don't check so people often take tables that have been reserved.

Had a great meal. The staff are wonderful

Cozy and family pub. The sunday roast is really good, and they also have very good vegan options.

This is the best roast in London. Meet and vegetables are cooked to perfection. I’ve been here 4 times, I always order the same thing and it never lets me down.

This is my favourite roast in London. I go back here every time I’m in the area, been there at least 4 times. Everything is perfectly cooked. You cannot go wrong

First time here. Great atmosphere, very warm and cozy. Friendly staff Try the mulled wine. A little pricey but worth it. We'll be back.

Brilliant roast, good beer selection in a nice atmosphere. Train is a fun addition for kids. Very child and dog friendly.

Nice pub for a drink, but food is at best average, and service patchy.

Having read the reviews here, we were wary when our dining companions booked here, however we were very pleasantly surprised. The staff were pleasant and professional. The pub is clearly popular and was extremely busy for Sunday lunches. We were 4 adults and 2 young children, and were seated at a nice large table. Our order was taken at the bar, and we were served promptly. The roast meals were good, with very nicely cooked meat and vegetables and tasty gravy. I’ve give 4 rather than 5 stars as the vegan nut loaf was stodgy and not very tasty, and we would have liked other options than a roast meal for children as ours don’t much enjoy it. They did love the puddings and the mini railway though! The staff were super-busy but coped well. They almost forgot our puds, but brought them swiftly when reminded. Overall a good experience and we all said we’d happily return. There is also an adults only dining area, which is a good idea.

Fantastic place and an amazing Sunday Roast! 5️⃣⭐👏

Great pub, lots of tables and they serve a vegan roast on Sundays.

Nice Vegetarian Roast ruined with very strange Clove tasting gravy. Change the gravy and you have a winner!

Sunday roast was delicious, though could have done with more variety of vegetables

Nice chap by the name of Tom (I believe) cleared the table for me and my family. Only reason for 4 stars is that he was the only one helping set tables from what I saw!

I went to meet a friend , however we didn't relise the rugby was on so it was very very loud in there which made it hard for us to hear each other ... however the wine choice was lovely we enjoyed that ..

Went here for a Sunday Roast recently and it was honestly amazing! The pub’s been done up really nicely and has a lovely atmosphere as well. Will definitely be coming back again soon!

Great pub! Service was excellent and their beer selection is well worth the trip.

Absolute best local pub where you are always welcome. Adore everyone that works here, it's so friendly and the beer selection constantly changes so you never get bored. The Sunday roasts are divine, especially the chicken (what is in that bread sauce?! 😋)

Wonderful pub with friendly staff and locals. So busy over Sunday for the roasts so make sure you book!

Best pub in the area! Always great beer selection and delicious food. And friendly staff too. My go-to in the area

Great local pub with friendly welcoming staff completely dog friendly. Would recommend anyone to go here for a great time.

Amazing place tucked away by the Wanstead flats. Great atmosphere on the weekends with amazing food and great wines.

I've eaten Sunday roast at the pub many times and it's always been excellent and served promptly with a smile. As a vegan it's hard to find a good roast and their nut roast is one of the best. Beer selection is always great. The atmosphere is chilled out and homely, like a pub should be.

Saturday night; the bar staff decided that they want to close early so called last orders at 10.30. Quite a few people still in the pub. Refused 2 groups of people a drink at 10.40. (Around 15 extra customers) Put all the chairs up. Whoever owns this pub should know that the bar staff are turning away paying customers. We won’t be returning.