The John Barleycorn in Epping Forest

Lovely friendly staff, lovely food thank you for a great evening 10/10 9th November 24

Food was excellent, starter fish cake was lovely, tuna main delicious, didn't have dessert, was really full. Service was great, staff were professional and polite. 100% recommend.

Great evening meal ,food excelent in fabulous atmosphere

Great Sunday roast, a little bit expensive but worth it

Haven't been here for years and last time we came it was lovely food and atmosphere, this visit, they had decorated but standards had dropped unfortunately. We had booked 7 people for a family birthday and all ordered Roasts which included 4 lamb roasts of which the server wasn't sure what the meat was!! We fathomed it out ourselves but the meat was red which we had not requested, it put us off having deserts. Not sure we will visit again.

Got a table at short notice for late Sunday afternoon. Staff are lovely and very accommodating (we had our 7 month old son with us). Sunday roast was best we’ve had in a long time, generous portions and cooked perfectly. Highly recommend.

Great food and service. Lovely atmosphere and outdoor seating.

Best Sunday lunch for miles! Best Friday lunch too. Pleasant helpful waiter and Manageresss? Yummy plaice fillet 😋 Look forward to next time

Great roast dinner, on a Sunday. Will definitely go back.

Fabulous! Four adults had a wonderful extended lunch where the staff were excellent, food delicious and setting amazing. Can't wait to return.

Steak and ale pie was delicious and the chips also very crispy and tasty. The veg always seems to be rock hard which is disappointing. Veg needs to be cooked longer and it would be a perfect meal.

Such a lovely visit today! Excellent food and service, couldn’t have asked for more for our Dad’s 70th birthday surprise 🙂 Highly recommend and will definitely be back for more!

Fantastic service staff were so friendly The food was amazing we had the Sunday roast that was delicious We Will be returning 👌

Meal for 4 people. Busier than normal as wedding reception and lots of tables booked, but this didn’t affect the evenings service. Food was delicious. Mains and pudding. We had fish and chips, sausage and mash and steak and Ale pie. Would highly recommend. Pudding menu was varied and highly tempting. Yes we divulged. Service was excellent. Thank you Tracey and her team for a lovely evening.

Staying in the area, found on Tripadvisor. We were pleasantly surprised as the setting was lovely for a summers evening. They were able to accommodate our last minute request, and I have to say that the food and service were really very good. The food was plentiful and of good quality with a nice range across the menu. The service was really warm and welcoming. If we come back to the area we will definitely make sure we pop in

Disappointed after reading previous reviews. Lovely setting and a warm welcome but went downhill after that. Several menu items unavailable including olives as a starter.!Ordered two bread baskets with balsamic but were not supplied with plates or cutlery. Mains portions ordinary sized but fleshed out with overdone vegetables. Asked several times for dessert menu but it never arrived I suspect because they ran out of them. Sadly will not return.

Lovely food,well cooked,fresh produce Served by very pleasant staff, in a very nice environment, well worth the money Can't recommend enough. Will back soon.

First time I’ve been , the staff was so friendly and couldn’t do enough to make it a pleasurable visit. The food was amazing . Such a great atmosphere and land lady is a people person happy to help and make sure you enjoy your evening. Thanks you we will be back . Halloumi starter was amazing well worth a try.

Lovely food, great service, I would definitely recommend.

The food was delicious and the portions were large. Very clean, cozy place.

Booked a Sunday lunch for 5 people. Food was tasty, and good portions added the bread platter. The breads were amazing. The only minor issue was we had a very loud group on a table next to us, so loud we struggled to hear each other, just unfortunate, I suppose.

Nice old fashioned pub. Buffet for funeral wake

With a private 80th birthday party.

very pretty koi pond :) service was slow but the staff were very friendly. the nut roast was odd. it would have been lovely as a bolognese sauce but it was too mushy to be a roast. halloumi fries were great. I also got tangled in lots of spider webs under the bench so a little dusting there would be appreciated. overall it was a nice time.

I enjoyed one of the best Sunday roasts I've had for a long while. Friendly service and good food.

The John Barlycorn at short notice hosted by 80th birday party. Short notice: I was let down by previous venues. Three courses with each course offering three choices were served to 36 people. The food was excellent the service by staff was excellent. Due to my professional background I do look for faults - there were none. Super venue found at a late stage recommended on my experience.

Very disappointing. I have been here before and you could not fault the meal, but today absolutely awful we had 2x roast lamb 1 kids tomato pasta. The lamb was really fatty, the potatoes had a nice crispy outside but inside was awful, no condiments were offered, my daughter said her potatoes tasted like soap water. The pasta was dry as if it had was done the day before and they just added a bit of tomato sauce. Most of our food was not eaten. The customer service was not good, we were standing about waiting for a drink, no one came to see if we wanted another drink etc. then they added £5 charge to the bill for a tip. We did want a dessert but decided to save our money. Overall not good!! Such a shame.

Very friendly staff and excellent food.

Couldn't provide allergen menu when I asked for it. Menu had key for allergens but wasn't used next to the meals on the page. However they could adjust a lot of the meals to be gluten free

First time visiting the John Barleycorn and it was a very pleasant experience. Had Sunday lunch x 3, one of which was the mixed meats. Everything hot and tasty, you can order the beef how you like it, rare-well done. Plenty of vegetables etc. really nice. We sat in the area to the right as you come in through the door which was quieter than the family area which was much better for us. All round lovely meal, great service and a reasonable price too.

I took my partner and myself out for dinner. My partner had fish and chips she said it was delicious I had salmon and monk fish kebabs with saffron sauce and sapphire with rice and mixed vegetables that was amazing never had nothin like that before followed syrup sponge and custard what was good and the Guinness was really nice too. All the staff was very friendly and helpful couldn't do enough to help

Love this place. Run like a family business. All the staff are great as is the food. Value for money and always chef makes my favourite apple crumble when I request it. What service. Absolutely recommend to anyone to try this place. You will love it. Thanks to all the team. See you again very soon. Roasts are exceptional.

Very friendly and kind staff. I had the lamb shank from the Indian menu which was excellent with plenty of lamb. They even provided a little bit of chicken for our dog. Highly recommended! We will be back.

We held our mother’s wake at this venue , the whole event was very well managed , food beautiful and kind helpful staff nothing too much trouble highly recommended.

Went on a Saturday we normally go for Sunday lunch such a special place bean going for about 8 years now and never once had a bad meal. Such a gem food is lovely and consistent . Staff are friendly and helpful love it here.

We held a birthday dinner at the John Barleycorn for my wife. Although the menu is fairly limited, the food is prepared well, the portion sizes are excellent and the service exceptional.

Had a great experience at The John Barleycorn for my Nan's 91st Birthday. Great traditional pub food, which is well cooked and tasty. It was also greatly appreciated that the staff sang happy birthday to my Nan. Will definitely come back again!

Fab family meal and first time visit to this pub for me. Food was fantastic and the pub are well catered to big groups and we're very attentive and everything ran smoothly. Only small consideration was that the tables are quite tightly packed so there isn't room to walk around and that results in both the guests shuffling in and out to enter / leave the table and also having to pass dishes up and down because staff can't access the far end of the table. Would definitely go again (although would love to be able to book via open table rather than having to align with the pubs opening hours & calling)

Outstanding food! Sunday roast was fantastic and highly recommended.

Lovely food and service also beautiful garden.

Very nice a little overpriced as £20 for liver and bacon is a bit steep, however the food and service was excellent.

Love the honey glazed sausages......

A lovely experience. The food was very good, a little on the expensive side but good portions. The service was also very good. Looking forward to going back.

Took nan out for some lunch. Very well run pub with some nice food. Always happy to change things on the menu to ensure everyone is happy with the meal.

Lovely quiet meal with my daughter. Very attentive staff and lovely food. Good pub grub in a restaurant environment.

Food was excellent. However, welcome / greetings was almost non existent, No acknowledgement of our arrival and even then it was laboured! Will ensure in future that all drinks will be ordered and paid for at the bar ! Thus avoiding the 10% service charge!

We were treated y the most rude lady on Saturday the 23rd sept. She didn’t even bother to face us to explain why we weren’t allowed to have food outside. I’ve never been treated lurks that before.. PS , her cheap tattoos added to her personality. Never going back .

Shame its only open Fri, Sat & Sun, as I would like to go more often.

Had a great lunch today in the beer garden, beside a beautiful garden pond. Really nice staff who were very welcoming. Thank you

Greats experience!, many fine young fellas working there which give high quality service a few weeks back. Olly, Cal and Riley were amazing xxx!!.

The staff who served us were very friendly, and the food was delicious. The chunky chips were some of the best i’ve ever had! I definitely recommend trying them, as well as their tasty desserts.

Myself and my lovely lady, plus my mother and father, all at starters and main meals and desserts and let me say it was 10/10 for the food , must say great location stunning grounds really nice place Thank you Brian

We love going here the food is 1st class the staff are very friendly it is very clean overall a good place to eat

Definitely up there with the best. Cant wait to come back!

We visited the barleycorn today as a spare of the moment drinks and dinner. The pub is ok, the old part being lovely. Not sure on the new part as it looks too modern. Drinks were ok. Sat at the table and ordered food. Slightly disappointed with it Ordered rib eye steak medium - came out overdone in a bowl kind of plate - no steak knife. Plate was a steak with half a roasted tomato and a quarter of a portobello mushroom - had to order chips and salad on the side (on top of the prize of the steak) and had to ask for dressing for the salad. Not what we were expecting for the prize you pay for it. Ribs and goat cheese salad were nice. Didn’t order desserts as it was taking too long to get the order in 10% tip rounded up added to the bill. Agree not mandatory but should not be added to a table of 2 in my opinion Pricey for the quality we got, had better food in other local ish pubs better priced. I don’t think we would be back any time soon

Nice enough. Feels like they have turned it all into a restaurant. Mash, veg etc seemed like it was bought in and heated rather than prepared fresh. Miller and Carter type of grub.

Nice welcome, sat outside on the patio with drinks. Came into the bar for dinner, fantastic liver & bacon. Great evening, definitely will return.

We literally had one of the best nights ever here.The food,atmosphere and the manager just made it perfect in every way!

Fantastic food and great service

What a lovely place to eat and catch up with friends. Excellent host, staff and setting. If only all places were like this....... We will be back.

I had the most wonderful experience here. The venue is absolutely beautiful. When the owner heard it was my birthday cause we were joking about it at the table, the team surprised me with a song and birthday treat! It wasn't requested by us, but it was such a lovely heart warming gesture. The main food itself was also outstanding! Well priced for the food offered, and would definitely go back again!!!

Had late lunch yesterday, Older lady was our waitress and was clearly grumpy, seemed like taking our order was a chore. Other staff were more helpful. Food was ok.

We arrived at noon and were given a very warm welcome by the landlady, very courteous bar staff sorted out some cold drinks for us very quickly - was an extremely hot day! The landlady organised the food order brilliantly (some of us were on the beautiful patio area, some indoors in the air condtioned dining area). I had the steak and ale pie, which was delicious, the chips were fantastic, my wife had sea bream and said that was lovely too. The waiting staff were very pleasant and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, the pub and the staff were tip top - thanks for making Russell's day go so well!

First visit for quite a while and was very impressed. Service was spot on and the food was excellent. Will definitely return.

Lovely country pub,serving food, Lovely gardens and a massive fish pond. Will be going back soon

Great little hideaway. Only open Friday-Sunday. Great garden space for little ones to run around in

Super Sunday roast We had such a super Sunday roast today at the John Barleycorn, heaps of roast potatoes and a good selection of vegetables too. Delicious gravy and Yorkshire puddings too. Also a big shout out to the very friendly waiting staff who couldn’t do enough to help one of our party who is a wheelchair user. Well done the John Barleycorn team!

Great place. Food is good. Booked out for the afternoon for a wake. Very considerate

Good selection of beers, friendly staff.

Just love th way the cater for the individual it is good tasty food highly recommend

NEVER AGAIN.. Absolutely terrible Staff haven't got a clue what there doing We arrived on time for our booking took 4 members of staff to find out what table we were sitting on then when they did find out which one it was they said oh the table is not laid so they had to set the table up. No children menu given just read out a few things off the top of there head. Asked about a dish but they didn't know. Wrong drinks Brought over. Deserts took 45 minutes to come out had to ask where they were then waiter told me that they took a long time because they had a problem with the fridge, not what you want to hear when all the desers had fresh cream on them. So over priced and on the menu it says 10% service charge is added to bill which is ok if you have had good service, bill was brought over they added 20% service charge and then rounded it up!!! They wanted £30 service charge for 5 people. When we questioned it they brought over some cash which still wasn't right amount and said they got confused because they were doing 2 bills at the same time. More like they tryed to rip us off!!!

Not a kid friendly pup even though we spent £250 on a two course meal been there a few times and was treated very badly Shane won’t be going back

NOT A PLACE TO TAKE YOUNG CHILDREN TO! Think this restaurants needs a reminder that it’s not a Mayfair Restaurant or the RITZ, its a pub in Harlow. I have been to this pub on many occasions and the last two times I’ve been very disgusted with the way we have been treated due to noise of our children. After calling to complain, it was suggested when children are crying we should ‘take them outside for a run around’ as that’s what she would do with her grandchildren. Being people with very successful businesses, this response and the way the staff acted is laughable & very unprofessional. £250 & a £22 service charge and this is how you get treated. Happy Bank Holiday!

Very nice indeed - food very good indeed and so was the service and the ambience. Thoroughly recommend it, please book as it gets very busy.

Really enjoyed a Sunday roast this weekend. Likened the roast to a home cooked one in all the best ways. Friendly and attentive staff without being overbearing - will definitely be back

Lovely food, staff very welcoming will be returning 😊

We had a wonderful meal for my 70th Birthday and all my family enjoyed it even the younger ones, a good time was had by all. Food and service was very good.

Lovely pub set in a beautiful garden. The food is good and the portions are large. Staff very friendly. We spent £125 for 2 course dinner including a bottle of wine. Would highly recommend and hope we get the opportunity to visit again.

I’ll rate it 5 out of five for this restaurant and bar because it is a home-made good. Cook old school, roast dinner good clientele good service good food, good wine. Good choice of ales would definitely be going again.

Sunday Lunch quite disappointing. Meat was nice but no where near enough vegetables. There was 4 of us and veg would not be enough for 2. Quite expensive for the quality and automatically add 10% charge. It’s an average pub with high end restaurant prices.

Very accommodating. Excellent food served by polite, attentive staff. Highly recommend a visit

Popular, lively Chinese restaurant. Nice food and really good service.

We’ve been regulars at the John Barleycorn for Sunday lunch for more years than I can remember. It never fails to disappoint and is without doubt the best Sunday roast in Essex…..and we’ve tried many….we brought along some friends this weekend who’ve never been. They too were very impressed and will definitely be back! If you’ve not tried it then you must. You don’t know what you’re missing! See you again very soon! 😀

Two roast beef, one pork and all were apparently excellent. How do they get that crackling so good? I had the last calves liver in the kitchen. Loads of good veg and perfect roast potatoes. All served by a young, attentive local staff under experienced eyes.

Excellent food. Vibrant atmosphere. Open Friday to Sunday. I would highly recommend. Me my husband and sister and brother in law had lovely evening.

Great venue and food that is top quality .

Lovely food, waiter & waitresses very polite & nice. The lady manager however very rude!

A very warm welcome from all staff. Food and service amazing . Lots of choices. Lovely ambience. Well worth a visit.

One of the best meals I've had in a long time. Lovely friendly atmosphere here

What can I say? This was a perfect meal for myself and my husband. We've not really eaten out a lot since the pandemic so we were looking for somewhere a little special to celebrate my husband's birthday and, boy, we were not disappointed. The venue is lovely - well decorated, very clean, nice original features and lovely and warm in this cold weather. The staff are a credit to the place. Everyone we interacted with, the waiters and waitresses and, we assumed, either the owner or manager, were lovely, pleasant and professional - it felt like a fine dining experience which we honestly weren't expecting. Was very special! I had the halloumi to start which was delicious, but my husband had the pan fried Mediterranean prawns and when they came up I instantly regretted my choice - I'd not seen prawns like that outside of a city restaurant. Glorious. I went for the Barleycorn burger for main as I had heard good things about it and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The other half had the calves liver and it was melt in the mouth perfect. All washed down with a very agreeable bottle of Gavi. The portions were substantial enough that, even with both of us being big eaters, we couldn't manage desert so plumped for coffee. We never felt rushed, we very much felt welcome. And it certainly was value for money. Two starters (including the prawns which were justifiably more expensive), two mains, bottle of wine, coffees and tip for just over £100. Felt like a bargain, frankly. We will definitely be back. Already can't wait! Thank you to everyone.

Very good Sunday lunch, don’t think I could fault a thing. Was asked how we wanted our beef cooked and all dishes (five) came as requested even the rares! Roasts were served up with lots of trimmings on the side and everything was full of flavour and well cooked. Starters and desserts were also all very good and we had really nice service throughout whole meal. Eat out regularly on Sundays and don’t know how we’ve missed this place, possibly our new favourite roast in Essex. Be interested to try the rest of the menu too.

Came for a last minute family meal and they made sure we had a seat and was a very warm welcome. Service was very good and fast from Ollie, The owners. Were very friendly and attentive. The food was amazing! The burger was unreal and...

The Sunday roasts are amazing everything was cooked to perfection staff were friendly and even the music and atmosphere was enjoyable would thoroughly recommend.

Had a really lovely lunch here today! Really cosy pub with freindly staff. The roast beef was top quality and was available rare! 🤩 Everything was really well cooked (although maybe a little under seasoned for my personal taste). But I had possibly the best apple crumble I have ever tasted! I'd definitely go back!

Went for a meal yesterday, and was very disappointed. Ordered a burger as sounded lovey on the menu. What i got was a flavourless hunk of meat. Could only manage 2 bites before sending it back. Then the service for desserts was extremely poor. Had to ask 3 times before they managed to get 7 desserts out. When the bill finally arrived, they had refused to take the burger off saying it was just down to preference and that no one else had complained. The did however take off the price of a dessert. In the end we had them remove the nearly £40 service charge and left no tip. We have eaten here several times and the food has always been good. But the prices on the menu do not reflect the quality of the food. £18 for a CHEESEBURGER is excessive.

Went for a meal yesterday, and was very disappointed. Ordered a burger as sounded lovey on the menu. What i got was a flavourless hunk of meat. Could only manage 2 bites before sending it back. Then the service for desserts was extremely poor. Had...

Lovely restaurant, lovely food, wonderful service. Our mini cab didn’t show up and immediately the manageress offered to do 3 trips to take us on to our next destination. This was when the local roads were so treacherous! Thank you x

This is the second time we’ve been here and it’s excellent. The food is superb and the staff v friendly.

Myself and my wife stumbled upon this place. We have always found the food to be amazing very tasty and at a good price. The staff are excellent I would recommend this place 100%.

This really is a lovely pub, and Saturday 10th was my 4th visit. Every time I've ordered something different. Yesterday i ordered fish with batter (cod i presume) Was a little tasteless but worsed of all I've been up all night with sickness and diarrhoea. I feel awful. Myself and my husband starved ourselves so we could eat a big me and enjoy it. So it definitely wasn't anything else we had eaten. This has completely put me off a revisit. Such a shame 😞