The Lion Inn in Chelmsford

Had an enjoyable dinner, food and service very good, have eaten here several times, great atmosphere and staff attentive. Only ever had one bad experience at The Lion which I have tried to forget. This evening made up for that.

From the ambience to the food to the staff, everything was absolutely amazing and faultless. Special mention to Elena and Jenny, who served our delicious food, and Max at the bar, who crafted some amazing cocktails. There are many more staff members whose names we didn't catch, but they all contributed to a wonderful experience. To all the staff at The Lion, you work so hard, and it does not go unnoticed. Thank you!

Lovey venue food and service. Third visit with group of friends which requires a deposit to be paid. On each occasion when we have asked for the bill the deposit hasn’t been taken off. This should not happen

Valentines meal was fantastic. Food was stunning, candlelit atmosphere was wonderful and the service was superb. Would happily book again.

Great food as always & great service from Tess, she was friendly & accommodated all our additional sides we wanted on our meals. Tess is an asset to the team

I'd stay there again. Nice place, good atmosphere. It's great in the summer!

Choose here for a Christmas get together with a large group of friends. Booked a Sunday lunchtime in December. The venue looked so pretty with all the Christmas decorations & lights inside and out. Great service. Great food. We all had a wonderful time. It has a large carpark for easy parking. It's my first visit, I will happily return.

If you like clients kids behaving like its McDonald's in the restaurant at twice the price it ok to go. Otherwise go somewhere else!

Great food, great service and usual great atmosphere. Family of four visiting for dinner. Consistently brilliant!

Lovely place, great staff, oh and the food my god! Its amazing. My only hope is you will still be able to book a table going forward, they introduced it recently and makes the whole experience better. My biggest gripe is when its busy its too noisy. I'd prefer they'd partition the open plan restaurant to baffle the noise as it tends to feel like a school canteen.

Just popped in for lunch, and the staff were accommodating

Looked after our chaotic 25 strong family party (ranging in age from a 96 year old in a wheelchair to a 2 years old) with great professionalism. Separate back room was ideal, menu and quality of food excellent and the waiting staff were great, and patient! Thanks everyone!!

Christmas Eve dinner superb as always

One of the best restaurants in Essex, good value, fantastic quality food and great service . I have to comment on the manager Leanne, what a professional, attentive and hardworking employee. She sorted out an issue quickly and efficiently. The Lion is lucky to have her.

Absolutely fabulous, food and setting was excellent as was service

Took my family, 6 adults, 4 grandkids for dinner. Steph, our server couldn't have been improved upon. Friendly, very funny and absolutely marvellous with the kids. Nothing too much trouble and all the various meals were served promptly, professionally and were delicious. Will 100% call next time we're down visiting our family ... 5 stars!!

Huge place with a big bar but there are only couple of tables inside for people want to drink only. So you either go outside in the winter or stand in front of the bar, that’s it.

Christian party here. Fantastic rooms, staff and looks great

Great place for all occasions. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the service was great. Throughly enjoyed the Blue Strawberry salad.

We booked a Christmas meal after excellent experiences on previous visits, but this time was a bit disappointing. Despite having a reservation for 7:15 pm, we were asked to wait at the bar and only seated 20 minutes later, even though plenty of tables were available. This gave the impression that the wait was orchestrated to encourage bar purchases, which left us with a sour taste. The potted pork starter was underwhelming and didn’t live up to its enticing menu description. There is no polite way of saying this, but it did remind us all of wet cat food. However, the main course of roast turkey was fantastic, and the crème brûlée dessert was also very good. The staff were attentive, friendly, and very helpful throughout. While the meal had its highlights, the initial experience and the starter took away from what could have been a perfect evening.

Beautiful hotel with really nice staff, lovely rooms which were very clean and felt cozy, food was also very nice and happily for me a good choice of GF menu items and they can accommodate for most allergies. We stayed overnight in December and I give 10/10 to whom ever did the Christmas lighting it was fantastic. We will definitely be visiting again.

Great Christmas dinner with several girlfriends. Great menu, plenty of variety, including for our veggie friends. The food was excellent, all three courses. Service was friendly and efficient. They didn’t fuss when we ran our Secret Santa at the table. Really delighted with the evening. We’ll be back!!

Always a favourite for a meal! Great service, great food and a quality which is good value. The baked cheesecake is my favourite dessert, which stops me from trying the other desserts!!The decaf coffee was good too. I'll be back, and I'm sure I will enjoy dining here again.

Stayed a night here and also had dinner with friends both of which were excellent! All staff were happy cheerful and made every encounter a great one. Would definitely stay there in the future.

Another lovely Christmas meal here! The portion sizes are perfect for our three course meal and theres a good selection of drinks. The quality matches up to the price. I definitely recommend it here and will definitely be back.

Afternoon out with Friends, food was fantastic and lots of, felt bad leaving. Service was so so, was left after drinks were bought and had to flag down to order and the same with desert, was not asked who was having a desert and just put spoons at 3 peoples places.. which I think is odd, if one orders soup u don't just give a soup spoon to anyone u ask and same should be with desert. Yes,we will back..

Had a xmas meal with friends there mid week. The food was delicious, generous portions too. The staff were all friendly and on point.

Great service and excellent food!

A lovely festive evening at "The lion" Boreham, with my elderly mother and 7 others who throughly enjoyed the evening.Our lovely waitress Tess, was helpful and tentative to us all - particularly Mum! Each of our 3 course meal was served hot and punctually and beautifully presented.Thank you to you all! Tess well done!.See you all again in 2025.Regards Della Burgess on behalf of the Burgess family.

Attended a wedding. It was lovely. Staff were excellent and a really good venue

Had a Christmas lunch today and the food, service and property are first rate. It was absolutely fantastic. Will definitely be back.

What a beautiful place! stunning wedding venue, lovely rooms & very comfy beds! Staff were very helpful, food was fab! 5* all the way!! definitely will recommend having your wedding there! Thank you for a lovely time 😍

Easy to find. Parking ample. Clean and tidy. Staff all speak English. Visited a few times. Recommend for beers and food

Fantastic Inn, the rooms were clean and more than comfortable, the staff clearly love their job and it shows in the the quality of service. The food was delicious, well done all at the lion

Stayed for a mini break to visit family in the area. What a fabulous inn. The service and food were excellent and the rooms were very well decorated with the most comfortable beds ever! The staff make this place, nothing was too much trouble and they all enjoy their work. Definitely be back 10/10.

Lovely place. Massive. Food was excellent table of 17 every order was correct didn’t wait long loved it

Always a good place to eat. Very popular with plenty of parking. Easy to find.

Plenty of parking and easy to get to. Lots of staff as this is a very busy pub/venue. Big separate function hall.

Attended a fabulous wedding, room was lovely and staff amazing

Just had Sunday lunch at the Lion, and it was first rate yet again. We have never had a bad meal there and we have been going there for years. Staff are always friendly and work very hard the food is always very good. Lovely friendly family atmosphere and we both said that once your there you can relax and feel you belong there. Cheers.

Excellent food good atmosphere but can get noisy. Staff excellent and location is convenient We have been as a couple and with a party of six. This place never disappoints I would highly recommend

Love this place!! The food is amazing. Went for parents anniversary meal with family and they were very impressed. The staff, although rushed off their feet, were friendly and helpful. Thank you !

Fantastic meal with friends - our first time here! Absolutely gorgeous roast! Prices very reasonable although service charge 12.5 % rather than 10 % not sure why. Staff very helpful. We all had an excellent time. Had a quick look at tge hotel next door, wow! Loved the astro turf lion standing guard.

A Quick thankyou to all of your staff for a beautiful meal on Sunday evening, we each enjoyed a starter followed by a beautifully cooked roast dinner and a few drinks. The service was brilliant and well managed the restaurant was lovely and clean and the food came out at a reasonable time of ordering this was our first time of visiting but we will definitely return. Many thanks Jemma

Very busy on Sunday but food and staff delightful. 100% recommend

Great food and service. Had a great lunch here.

We had a meal for my daughter's birthday, the food was lovely and brilliant service the staff were helpful and efficient. Will definitely go back

Very busy Saturday night dinner was s bit slow to arrive but we weren't In a hurry

I would have given a 5 star as I loved the place, ambience, and location. It was my first visit, and I had to say I was impressed. The only thing that took the star away was the service. I had to wait for 15 minutes at the bar 🍸 and eventually, i gave up and left the place after just 1 drink. There were 4-5 staff members behind the bar with only 3 customers, including me waiting, yet no one was served for at least 15 minutes. I understand the restaurant was busy, but I believe bar customers should be equally important.

Great food, great service and great ambience.

In for breakfast, team attentive, food great and open fire going. Felt welcomed and valued by the team working this morning, thank you.

We had a lovely meal with great company but being a large table of 12, where we were sat in the middle of the restaurant was incredibly noisy and struggle to hear Next time, would have been better suited at the back

Sunday Roast review - very mid. Roast potatoes were woeful, we were given a tiny plate of boiled, tasteless vegetables to share. It had a total of two broccoli florets. Yorkshire pudding was bland and cold. The meat was the only redeeming feature, pretty decent. The starter was decent. The restaurant itself is large and has a nice interior, the outdoors area was attractive. Lots of staff, who were friendly but could have been more attentive.

Brilliant place for food. Never had a bad meal when I have been to the lion inn. Recommend this place to everyone

Had a lovely meal outside. Food was amazing, service was good except long wait at end to pay bill but otherwise best meal both me and my partner have had in a long time eating out and very reasonable (£85 and both had 2 alcoholic drinks and a starter and main each)

Our usual lunch venue had closed so we looked for somewhere on our way home . Saw The Lion Inn and gave it a try . Really attractive pub. It was a boiling hot day 12/8 /24 and we were seated in the courtyard by a very nice smiley small blonde lady . Nice menu. We chose Cod with samphire and pea purée. The accompanying potato cake was really dry and needed some cream and butter , probably dried out because it was prepared a while earlier, but the rest was nice . The only negative was the attitude of the young waiter who took our order, ( I had to call him over ) and then he brought the Bill. I’d say he was rather bored and not particularly happy in his job. The only time he smiled was when we added a tip , which in fairness wasn’t much deserved by him personally. Will definitely go back because it’s a really nice pub. Would like to try a stay there too as it’s a hotel as well .

Used to adore coming here but on several occasions one has been left bitterly disappointed. Yesterday evening popped in for soft drinks and a beer and not food as dined earlier. Larger tables had empty and full glasses left on them including our own which had very full glasses left thus causing confusion as to whether the table was occupied along with discarded qcigarette packet. One had to look for staff to get the table cleaned despite several members of staff passing near to the table numerous times I had a non alcoholic cocktail which consisted of a small tumbler sized glass full to the brim of ice. I paid for a drink not something that resembled a Slush Puppie with very little content. Please ask in future if customers have finished rather than clearing their glasses and snacks,. Shame the staff were not so eager to clean the tables earlier. The Lion was a place we really loved and recommended to many people but sadly no more. I remember on a sunny Sunday evenings in the past the garden used to be packed, one could not get a parking space, not so yesterday.! Such a shame, as there were on past visits really lovely members of staff and the was food fantastic. Little point in complaining as when I once did I was treated in an a very dismissive manner. Our visits got less and less and yesterday was the final straw !

Steph our waitress was so good I had to ask her if she had shares in the company I’m a business owner and recognise a gem of an employee when I see one. The Lion is very lucky to have an employee like Steph that cares …. Our party of 4 all had incredible food Well done to all !

Amazing Sunday Roast, best we’ve had in a long time!!! Had Roast Beef (2 stunning thick slices), juicy pork belly with incredible crackling and steak and ale pie, all with bucket loads of veggies……and fluffy yorkies. A little on the pricey side, but so worth the money, will most definitely be returning again soon.

Lovely setting and great service helpful and friendly but the menu promises more than it delivers on a few dishes that I have seen or eaten , what a shame, otherwise it hits all the right spots

Met up with some of the clan for dinner. Went on a Friday evening and sat outside. Excellent meal had by the majority....steak pie was rich and tasty, personally I would have had a puff pastry top rather than suet. Also when did veggies become an extra cost? With had lobster bisque spaghetti which was a little tasteless. But all-in-all very enjoyable time.

Members of my family frequently dine at the lion. We love it! A really pleasant environment The food always excellent. The service friendly , helpful and efficient. An interesting menu at reasonable prices. Recently I had a family lunch for my birthday in their private dining room. A lovely room Again everything absolutely perfect We had our own waitress Steph who couldn’t have been more helpful and efficient. We were able to go outside into their excellent secluded garden as it was a lovely day Some family stayed there and highly recommended the rooms and breakfast. Do give it a visit. Just off the A12

Perfect place for meal just to pop in book a room and have a private group meal outside tables good spot on and service was fantastic bubbly polite well worth trying.even had a weeding going on and didn't feel busy at all .didn't stay in rooms so can't comment.

I have recently got married at the lion house and the whole experience was a amazing. The venue is beautiful and the courtyard makes you feel like you could be in Spain or South of France. All the staff were second to none and couldn't do enough for us and all the other guests, especially Georgina. Finally the food, we went for the grill menu and it was definitely a wise choice, as all our guests loved it and all they can talk about are the ribs!!!

We went for a party & was located in the sun terrace so it was like private dinning. We were a party of 10. Service was good, food was good all had a lovely time & have gone back since

I have often eaten at The Lion, and I have never been disappointed. It has always been very busy and had a noisy atmosphere, but on my last visit on a Sunday evening, it was quiet.

Had a lovely meal on 14/5/24 for my 40th birthday! Our waitress Steph was wonderful and was so helpful and friendly. The food was delicious and we will definitely be back!

I love this place . We have been a number of times and seen it grow over the years . Still great food and choice - great atmosphere, lively if not a bit noisy unless you sit around the side - always forget to take photos of the food to put on here - will do next time - great place to go , couples or family … celebration or just going out out

Service was very poor, feel like the area we were sitting gets forgotten..had to keep calling our waitress over.

The excellent venue for a birthday party great service and food very efficient staff

I've had the pleasure of staying at the Lion multiple times and it was always a great experience Easily 5 stars

Always our go to place for a Sunday roast or indeed any occasion, being somewhere local we can always trust which never fails to disappoint. Consistently delivering incredible food & hospitality - the management are always welcoming and friendly, greeting us on a first name basis - such a nice attention to detail. Highly recommend!

Fantastic meal. Food was piping hot and really tasty. Great selection on the menu and different specials. Staff were really attentive. Even though it was really busy, we didn’t wait long for food. Will be back again soon!

Went to a mid week evening wedding reception there. Very smart venue. Staff friendly, helpful and attentive. Good parking, and on bus route between Chelmsford and Maldon.

We stayed over night at the Lion Inn and cannot recommend this place enough! Absolutely 5 star service from start to finish. Food was amazing and all the staff were super helpful. The room was absolutely lovely, extremely well decorated and comfortable. We will definitely be back soon!

We stayed over night at the Lion Inn and cannot recommend this place enough! Absolutely 5 star service from start to finish. Food was amazing and all the staff were super helpful. The room was absolutely lovely, extremely well decorated and comfortable. We will definitely be back soon!

Oh dear must have been a bad day. Been here for years and always outstanding but today so very poor. Prices have recently really increased a lot. Still taking our coats off when we were asked for our drink order if any. Not many smiles from the team who were slow by previous standards but perhaps we upset them by asking to be moved to a different table. Late on I asked for a small glass of water and as it hadn't arrived after a few minutes I reminded the floor manager who slammed a glass down on the next table, said she had ordered it and stormed off glaring at me. Not a good advert for front of house and very unprofessional. Nevertheless we still we left a tip but may not be back as spoilt for choice for other excellent eateries in the area.

Had lunch here for a celebration, consisting of prawn cocktail starters that were £8.95, a reasonable amount of Prawns/crayfish with sauce and lettuce, plus half a slice of rye bread. The main course for me was a large haddock and chips , of which both were good. For my wife, she had the pork belly that had mash, cracker strips, a light mustard sauce. Overall the food was very good, but £190 (4 starters and mains, 3 desserts, 3 coffees, 1 bottle of processco and 1 bottle of water) including tips, was a tad expensive, I would have expected a bit better for that food was 4/5. Didn't use the rooms, so I can't score those. Good service and very nice looking inside.

Buzzing atmosphere, great food and helpful staff. Returning customer.

I’ve been to the Lion inn several times now over the years and have always been impressed with the ambience and the food is consistently incredibly tasty, really well presented and a reasonable price. The Lion however has surpassed even my expectations tonight by the level of service received from the most bubbly, kind, caring and amazing waitress I’ve ever known. My girlfriend and I wanted to say a huge thank you to Steph our waitress for the evening who brought the whole experience to another level. Thank you Steph for making a lovely evening even more amazing!! If you’ve been on the fence about going to the Lion, then go just to meet Steph!!

Excellent destination for lunch... Good menu, good price and excellent service ...

Had a meal here yest eve with family. Food was lovely. Our waitress was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble.

An unassuming place from the roadside but outstanding once in! Try the delightful bread board or perfect pork crackling; but starters may seem unnecessary as the portion sizes are decent. The latte is a definite must-try. While the sides come at an extra cost, the Homemade Fish Pie and The Lion's Homemade Pie are absolute delights, easily ranking among the best we've ever had. The service strikes a seamless balance - attentive and professional. The cosy ambiance is perfect for some Instagram-worthy shots. Remember, the kitchen starts taking orders at 12, but worth the wait. Consider arriving early or booking in advance on their website. Ample parking is an added bonus. Our bill for two amounted to approximately £65, excluding the tip. Visited a couple of times now! The ham, egg, and chips, along with the double sea bass and main tart, offer pleasant, but not particularly remarkable choices. While they don't quite steal the spotlight like some other menu items, they still are worth a try if not in the mood for a pie. You will have an enjoyable dining experience here.

Just came back from a lovely evening. Out waitress made our evening....she went above and beyond to make our evening special. Wish I'd found out her name for a name check. Food was as good as always.

One of the best pubs for traditional British food in the East of England, absolutely unmissable!

Wonderful roast beef for Sunday lunch. Only problem was that I had no room for a pudding. Service and general environment excellent. The staff work hard with a smile on their faces! Can't praise enough! Can't comment on the rooms as my family live very close by.

We went for a wedding. Lovely venue, great food and the staff were absolutely brilliant. They were so attentive and made the day really special. We stayed in the hotel as well and the rooms were lovely and the breakfast in the morning was fab too. Continental options followed by a great choice of hot breakfast. Thank you to all the staff that worked so hard!

I love this place. Incredible food. Fantastic relaxed friendly service. You can dress up here for a birthday or turn up in your Jean's. Everyone welcome and the atmosphere is always casual friendly and welcoming. My favourite place to eat in essex xxx ❤ pre booking not required which is great xxx

My wife and I have visited the Lion many times over the years and decided to hold our wedding anniversary in the function room at the Lion for twenty family and friends. The whole experience from booking to fantastic food and drink with help and hard work from all the Lion staff made this a great night for us all. Thank you so much to all of you especially Jennie who held it all together from Margaret and Paul Rayner

Wedding Venue My daughter got married here in March 24 - Wow what an amazing venue with wonderful food and top notch customer service. Our whole day was fantastic from start to finish, we stayed at the hotel the night before, housekeeping were able to get the bridal suite ready for my daughter to use early, they even helped her move her ‘stuff’ from her room to the bridal suite. The wedding planner stayed in touch with my daughter on and off all morning and ushered the wedding party to where they needed to be throughout the day, she was efficient and polite and always had a smile in her face. Wedding food Out of this world, to the point virtually all the guests commented on how lovely their food was. Serving staff An absolute credit to their company, every single one of them were friendly and polite nothing was too much trouble and their service always came with a smile. Hotel rooms Lovely, beds were large and comfortable room space was more then adequate as we were there of my daughters wedding you can imagine the amount of bags (including a wedding dress) we had with us - plenty of space to fit it all in and still walk around the room. Bath and shower were lovely. Tea bags were the only minor disappointment, easily rectified by a quick trip to local shop, if your reading this bring you own from home. Overall I can thoroughly recommend this venue, it’s biggest seller had to be the staff, customer service these days is almost nonexistent however this venue had it in spades! Thank you for making my daughters wedding day so so special.

Sadly the lack of service / attention made my son’s 21st meal / gathering a lot more difficult & stressful than it should have been !

We celebrated my father's 90th birthday here with a beautiful meal for 30 people, and couldn't have been happier with the food, venue and the service. Steph and the team who looked after us were superb. Many thanks to you all.

We’ve been coming here for years and I’m sorry to say that the service and food has drastically gone down hill. Staff are polite but have a tendency to just bump into your chair as if you sent there with no apology. Drinks were very slow to arrive at the table (a good 10 minutes) and the place was not very busy. Food was the most disappointing. The fish pie was far too salty - this used to a favourite together with skate wing (which hasn’t been on the menu for a very long time). Chips were not good and nowhere nearly as good as the duck fat chips that used to be on the menu. The ciabatta with the specials pate was shop bought crostini (brittle and tasteless). Haddock on the fish and chips was very thin piece of fish with thick batter. Finally £4 for a small bowl of peas and similar for mushrooms when dishes are coming up with no veg is an expensive joke. Needless to say we won’t be hurrying back. Such a shame…. If you could stop putting profit ahead of the customer dining experience that would be a start on turning this back to the nice place it once was.

We came here for a last minute Sunday lunch and were able to sit within twenty minutes, leaving enough time for a cocktail in between! We then were seated and ordered starters and pork crackling to share. The fresh bread was warm, soft and covered in thick salty butter! The roast lamb was cooked to perfection. However the portion of lamb was rather small considering the price was higher than the other roasts. We would come back here again but opt for a different roast… The car park was really busy but we squeezed in and then we were able to take in the beautiful grounds and attention to detail both within and external of the building.

Been coming he for years, foods always amazing staff are always very helpful especially Steph always makes our visit welcoming and fun

What a wonderful day! We were in "The Suite" for a birthday party and Steph was absolutely amazing! She was very attentive and was able to help with any questions we had. Steph took some great photos of the group. Thank you for making it such a special day, Steph!

It's amazing that this place is so busy all the time, even during weekday lunch! The staff do an incredible job as well, service was smooth, atmosphere great, and food was 10/10. My friend had the salmon special and I had the belly of pork, the jus was amazing and the crackling 'spot' on. I was so full but had to have a Malteser cheesecake. It was worth it! Will definitely be coming back!!

Had my 80th birthday celebration on 23rd March at your amazing Inn, food was excellent as was the atmosphere, the server Steph was absolutely brilliant and a credit you, she could not have been more helpful in making our evening a success, please tell her this is from the 80th jolly man. Thank you.

Had dinner with some friends. Chicken liver pate was tasteless, but the fish pie was great.

Just returned from a lovely meal at the Lion Inn. Great food, great atmosphere but biggest shout out to the lovely lady Steph who took over from our original waiter. Very friendly and informative. Alerted us on how to scan the code for the Specials board to save us getting up and going over to them. This gave us plenty of time to ponder over our choices. We were there with our 18 month old grandson and after eating his meal on his plate from home, Steph kindly took his plate and cutlery to wash them for us. Nothing was too much trouble so a big thank you to her. Hope you’re on shift for our next visit. We thoroughly enjoyed our early evening meal. Highly recommend.