The Owl in Epping Forest

Admittedly did not book but the table next to us had,and they were getting quite agitated but the wait from ordering to the food and arriving was at least one and a half to two hours we were originally told 1/2 hour which was fine but there was no update from the staff whom were obviously trying their best the food was OK apart from the all day breakfast (sausages overcooked) no butter served with toast. The staff were all very polite and helpful but if you are to busy to cope or understaffed you should tell people that way they will not be so disappointed. Maybe better heating in the conservatory is needed.

Only went for a drink, not enough tables for drinkers.

he food was so disappointing. I had a smashed burger, but there was nothing smashed about it—it was basically a traditional burger without a brioche bun. The side salad was limp, and other people’s food was equally disappointing.

Fantastic service and even a roast for the dog from the doggy menu. Lovely warning log fire.

Perfect afternoon walk and a couple of decent country ales. It’s been several years but a welcoming revisit to this historic pub. The landlord has clearly made some changes in recent years which are very positive 👏

Possibly the best fish and chips I've ever had

Didn’t seat us - didn’t give us food menus - didn’t want to serve us. OWL = only white love

Just a great family-friendly place in the forest with warm service and really enjoyable food that you can tell is prepped with care. I haven’t read other reviews but I will put my money on this pub being family run. In a very good way. We had Sunday roast and fish and chips today, but will be back to ‘try the burgers’ according to my 5 yo daughter.

Great pub lovely staff no restrictions on entry an hour before closing

A huge thankyou to Iris this afternoon for the amazing hospitality serving a big party and being so caring with the young children.

Great location, plenty of parking and always a warm welcome. Great food and good bar selection.

Myself and a friend go to The Owl most weeks after having a walk through Epping Forest around lunchtime for a drink although we have eaten there in the past. We always find it a very pleasant experience with a lovely setting, decent food and beer, a nice new coffee machine and very friendly staff, particularly Marie and Jo. I would also like to mention the gents' loos which are the cleanest pub loos I have ever been in.

Stayed over for a night due to a business trip, service was spot on! Food was great and staff were very friendly!! Room was not bad either 👍🏼

We tried a mixture of the lovely starters and had an amazing Sunday lunch and burgers followed by sharing some of the delicious desserts. The food was all cooked well with generous portion sizes and the staff friendly and helpful. Lovely setting too. You must give the calamari a try!

Roast dinner was really poor. The beef was clearly packaged sandwich meat, thin and fake tasting-nothing like you would expect from nice pub charging around £17 for a roast. Such a huge disappointment. The veg was also just plain and boiled. Avoid the cauliflower cheese. Everything on the plate needs huge improvement. Our food also came to our table no more than 5/10 minutes after we ordered which is a huge turn off. I can understand that roast dinners are ready in advance but burgers shouldn’t be in my opinion. On the plus side the deserts were good and the pub itself is really nice. Service was also great.

Excellent pub/restaurant with great staff, in particular Jo and Marie who are lovely. Could put back the paper towels in the toilets.

What a lunch, giant "doorstop" sized sandwich that I will definitely going back for!!!! And at such a reasonable price served but really friendly staff.

Beautiful place service great food good but there openess to gaving dogs is fantastic outside areas great for bring your dog

New to the area, and this is an amazing pub with exceptional food, a gold choice of drink and very attentive staff.

I’m tat little kid that said I’d give you 5 ⭐️, But honestly the food was amazing the BBQ Wings were tender,saucy and a relatively good portion all the staff were wonderfully and the Lemonade and Ice Cream Sandwich were refreshing and scrumptious, the atmosphere of the little park outside and the sun glistening on the reddish-yellowing leaves were amazing. Also the toilets were very clean , properly sanitized and the food came very quick , You must atleast visit this once! Also the chips are triple-cooked to the vast crispiness.

Went on Sunday afternoon,we hadn't booked a table, but thankfully they let us have a table,and the food that came was good I had beef,my daughter had chicken and her partner had lamb. They even offered dog dinners for those that brought dogs.

We met some friends here for lunch, the menu was varied and covered almost everything. Portions sizes were good and the waiting staff were great. We will definitely be back.

I visited this weekend with a group of friends for a Sunday lunch and it was excellent, particularly the roast beef! The service was really welcoming too. We will be back!

We had a lovely Sunday meal with family and friends at the Owl. The food was excellent, with generous portions, and was very good value. We will be back.

We had a terrific Sunday lunch at the Owl. The managers and all the staff were really welcoming and the food was delicious and great value for money. Very dog friendly too with a fun doggy menu! Would recommend highly.

Can't understand these negative reviews at all. This place is criminally underrated. Came upon this pub after a ride through the forest. Inside was cosy and outside was beautiful and green. Staff were fantastic too, but the highlight was the roast (pictured). Beautiful big serving of lamb and veg with heaps of gravy, served with a pint of English mild. Absolute heaven and I can't wait to come back.

If there was 0, I would have given it. They make you pay for the location, no other service. Their running cost is cut to the bare minimum. They have no shame to present dirty velvet seats, which were never washed in decades, glasses with lipstick on them, worse food than Subway (for poor and uneducated subjects, who ignore that not only they are eating toxins for their colon, but they are feeding the pockets of some capitalist on the top). The coffee ' machine ' is the last century 's one with the jug. If you have milk intolerance, no dairy alternatives. No bottle of water, only in the cans. Upsetting and squalid level of money making and greedy saving, with no respect for the customers.

Great place friendly staff willing to help in anyway they can. We was celebrating my sons 18th family celebration

Great device and food. Jo and iris were lovely. I’m now writing to use up my 100 characters. This does seem a little excessive

Been coming here years. Never disappoints. Tasty food.

The service was very poor, but the food was even worse. The chips were soggy, with lots of greasy bits, and the burger was bland, with the cheese completely forgotten. My jacket potato was passable but lacked flavour, and the side salad was limp with no dressing. The location might be nice, but the quality of the food and service is severely lacking. To top it off, they didn’t even have serviettes. I won’t be returning.

Great place to pop in for a pint. Especially if walking in the forest.

Great location. Great garden with views.

Nice local pub for great outdoor seating and bbq where kids can play too

A nice pub in the middle of the forest. Its a hidden but popular gem in tbe area.Enjoy the outdoor dining. Good food and drinks selection. Dirty fries was amazing. Friendly staff

Went for drinks with the family staff were super friendly and the bbq was really good will defo be coming back again 5 stars

We stopped here for a quick break on our dog walk through the forest. It's a charming country-style pub with a local feel, not like the usual chain pubs. There’s plenty of outdoor space, a kids' play area, and it’s dog-friendly, which made our Sunday visit feel relaxed. There was a BBQ going on, so we tried the brisket, wings, Cajun fries, and hot links. The food was tasty and of good quality for a pub, and around £30 for two made it even better. They have a good selection of beers; we chose the Hertfordshire IPA, which was less than £10 for two pints – very reasonable. The bartender, who might have been the owner, was friendly and even let me sample a different pint, which is always a nice touch and somewhat unusual for pubs outside London. The dogs loved their free treats too! All in all, we can't fault this easy-going pub if you’re out for a walk in the area or looking for a lovely pub garden on a sunny day.

Pizza was good, po boy roll was stale, bread on fish finger sandwich was stale and children’s chicken fingers were seriously over cooked. Dog friendly with water bowls although no longer do the doggie menu on the website. The bridge part of the children’s play structure was broken and actually unsafe to be open.

Loved the beer garden. It was a sight for sore eyes after a long hot walk in the forest. Service was prompt and friendly. Wife really liked the presentation and taste of the shish kebab.

Visited Sunday 18th August 24, very packed as normal. Ordered 2 Sunday Lamb Roasts which took ages to arrive, apparently kitchen was 1 hour behind with serving. Roast potatoes obviously had been under the heater or in the oven too long as rock hard, 2 or 3 very very thin slices of lamb and a ladle of vegetables (mostly shredded cabbage with 2 pieces of broccoli and 2 long cut carrots) Server just plonked plates on table and left without even asking if we wanted and condiments to go with our dinner, with we both wanted mint sauce. Dessert was ordered and again took ages to arrive (over 25 minutes) That’s how we found out kitchen was running an hour behind when we went to cancel our desserts as we was feed up with waiting. Very surprised with our visit as service is usually very good, also surprised to learn that The Owl allows the kitchen staff to Vape whilst cooking as glimpsed them doing so while waiting to cancel dessert.

A really nice pub to visit. Two careparks. Great view of the forest.

Strawberry and white choc Eton mess had very little merange in and no white chocolate. Every thing else was great

Didnt notice as we were outside. Lot of children all having fun but not a problem. Happy place to be.

We went here today for the first time, & although it's a lovely pub, with a nice vibe, the food was absolutely atrocious. We had what was supposed to be Peri Peri chicken, which was basically dry, roast chicken, with some kind of red sauce thrown over the top of it...While another member of our party had Kofte Lamb Kebab, which was raw inside. The only decent thing was the kids burger and chips. It's a real shame, because we were really looking forward to eating here, however, I doubt very much we will be returning in future.

Visited here to meet up with friends and ordered the half rack of ribs, missing corn on the cob and ribs were so dry, salad was rubbish and very expensive for not so good food! Pizza was lovely though! Children’s menu was very basic too.

Always a great lunch at the Owl after a gruelling bike ride through the forest. New menu is great!

Always a treat to be here the scenery and beautiful sky's outdoors and family friendly. Always want to come back here

The food is a good price and is soooo nice!! We had the smash burger and garlic king prawn taggatelli. The food came out quick and was nice and hot. The staff are so friendly especially Iris behind the bar. Thank you for making it a very nice experience. I highly recommend this pub

The Owl hosted our annual work event. We have used this venue for 3 years now and must say it’s always brilliant, food, staff and excellent location and atmosphere

For years we have walked to The Owl for lunch and found it reasonably priced. Just ordered dinner for me and three kids. One burger and chips, three fish and chips and four cokes. Meals were ready in five minutes max. Mushy peas had hard surface on top. Chips nice. Fish okay. Had to get own cutlery and condiments and sat on a bird poo stained bench in the garden. £81. Won’t return.

Great spot for some lunch with friends and family! Beautiful garden where we enjoyed our lunch, lovely drinks and food. Definitely recommend if looking for delicious food and great scenery!

This is a must visit if you fancy a wholesome meal in a lovely outdoor space. The garden is set out beautifully and buzzing with a good atmosphere. Our waitress was welcoming and service was quick. We had the chicken schnitzel and chicken kebab and both were lovely. Would definitely recommend to anyone walking through the forest and looking for somewhere to stop for a drink and nice meal! Will be back.

Enjoyed a lovely cod and chips. Kids loved playing in the playground. All round great family pub. Staff were friendly and always willing to help.

Went for dinner with the family, amazing meal, had the calamari followed by a hanging lamb kabab, everyone loved the food and good vibes all around! Staff were lovely too!

I'm writing this review solely for the health and safety of other customers. Since the recent change of management, this pub has gone completely downhill. It's now just an out of place, sticky, dirty and smelly establishment with terrible food. The entire place reeked, and the counter where we placed our order was wet, sticky, and filthy. The staff were uninterested and clearly didn't want to be there. I strongly advise people to avoid this place at all costs.

Never been there for dinner and thought we would take some friends who were visiting us from overseas. Lovely setting, and had high expectations. Disappointing food, rice from Chicken Souvlaki was neither spicy or well cooked - it was SO overcooked it was basically mush and little flavour. Service was good. It was a shame when leaving there were 30+ customers congregating around the door, mainly men and that felt intimidating. I guess after 8pm it loses its family friendly vibe.

Beautiful scenery and a flavoursome touch, would highly recommend a meal out

Great pub, staff were friendly, car park is free, and you dont need to log your vehicle to avoid a £100 fine. Lots of tables inside, and many more outside, including a childrens playground. Food was good and quick.

We come here every year , not sure what has changed, but food was terrible and i all group that was in agree. Potatoes was overcooked hard, roast was fatty, carrots hard as rock, desert sizes was like for little kids. The staff are nice and friendly, but when i came to coffee orders we had to keep reminding and ask where is coffee. The conservatory is really nice but compare to previous year was really dirty, spider webs, windows like have not been cleaned forever. Outdoor area was clean. I wish there would be fence from road where kids area is. Price -12adults, 7 children , drinks(mainly soft), main and desers was just over 700 pounds

Been going to The Owl for three years but unfortunately a change in management has caused me to have to cut ties with this pub. Despite claiming to be dog friendly they treated my dog poorly. On my most recent visit my dog was told she has to be on a lead at all times despite there being small dogs off the lead earlier in the day. I don't know whether the staff didn't see the small dogs off the lead or if there's one rule for small dogs and another for big dogs but this never was a problem before the change in management. My dog is a German Shepherd and is very well behaved and has been through appropriate training. I'll attach some images of how she was behaving at the pub and how she behaves in other places when off lead. I understand your allowed to have your rules but I can also take my business elsewhere if said rules seem petty.

Always enjoyable and haven't had a bad meal at all. The staff are always happy and helpful

Nice location, but not the busiest Friday lunch crowd. The waitress was great and food perfectly acceptable and plentiful...

prebooked over a week before I was due to visit so my family to celebrate my sons birthday. on the morning of my sons birthday I received an email telling me that my booking was cancelled because there was not enough room expected for us as the football would be on. Not even the decency to call. lucky I saw the email. Glad really as I'd heard it had gone downhill since the new management took over and the prices were way too expensive for the food which I have seen on these reviews has gone downhill too.

Really enjoyed my afternoon here , kid friendly and amazing service. Food was nice as well. Will definitely be returning!

What a gorgeous place to be especially in the Summer. Lovely big beer garden, dog friendly, spacious interior and a delicious new menu that apparently began yesterday. We had ribs and chicken and fish and chips. Absolutely delicious and great portions. We will definitely be coming back!

Food was very nice, but didnt have everything on the menu, with the waitress returning every couple of minutes, to let us know they no longer had what some of the group had ordered. Once that was settled & the meals arrived, they were very nice. Will visit again but earlier in the afternoon.

Food subpar. Service lovely. Prices meh.

Food is a little pricey but is great quality and delicious. Customer service is great, lovely smiles and custom. It is overall beautiful and well worth a visit if in the area.

Wife had mini fish and chips! 🤣 soggy batter! Rock hard peas! Not sure if it was an off day but will not be returning. Kids play area had seen better days and bits of fencing hanging off.

Food does not match the description at all, and is definitely overpriced

Excellent Sunday lunch, great portion sizes and cooked to perfection.

Under new management and new menu. Going down hill. Menus and food pictures shown do not reflect what is now on offer. Quality of food gone from good value excellent pub grub to over priced average gastro. Been going here for years but now looking for alternative. Don't believe brewery is restricting drinks such as Guinness 0 and sugar free sprite. Have recommended a couple of meals but this was under the old management as some are no longer available. Real shame

After years of dog walks over Epping forest, it was always nice to pop into the owl for a pint and a bite to eat with the family or friends. Unfortunately this place has slowly but surely gone down hill, with it's food and customer service. I was there today with my daughter and grandchildren for a bite to eat, the menu was poor, the bar staff are far from welcoming, and the four meals we ordered were well below par, Luke warm & poor quality, and the price is a bit OTT for what your being presented with. I'm afraid this pub is not on my list to return, and I will not be recommending it as I used to.

Our first time there, we ordered Pizza and we were very disappointed, they compared to cheap frozen pizza from Iceland food store

Really nice pub in lovely grounds but roast dinners on a sunday well below par

It was a family birthday, food choice was good, vegan options, service helpful and friendly. Nut free restaurant. Clean plates all round, including the children's. They cater for allergies, the building is disabled friendly and dogs allowed. There is a small children's playground. Good value, everyone had two courses and soft drinks, we spent £29.00 per head plus a tip. Lots of parking.

Lovely relaxing garden, Sunday roast was great with proper roasties. Only moan was that the gravy was very oily but apart from that an enjoyable afternoon.

I love how out-of-the-way this pub is, the surrounding area is calm and quiet which makes it relaxing to sit outdoors. Lots of cute dogs in the outdoor area which made the visit all the more pleasant 🐕🐾

Be prepared to wait a very long time (75 minutes in my case) for expensive, mediocre food and stroppy service. The staff at the bar were dismissive and irritable, reluctant to give us a bottle of water for the table because "people walk off with them". The food took a very long time, meanwhile others were arriving and getting served. Upon enquiry we were told that there is a wait and we should be patient. After an hour I was told that they prioritize indoor orders, but managed to get them to try and give an estimate on how far back our order was. They rustled through an unordered bowl of tickets and after this the food arrived within 15 minutes. The food was cold, the meat was tough, potatoes were old. One waiter apologized for the delay, nobody else did. The food is expensive, I was very disappointed. It's fairly kid friendly, with a playground that could do with some tlc but still not bad. Plenty of parking, close to beautiful Epping Forest.

Lovely family friendly pub in the forest. Great burger.

Been here a few times before but today’s Sunday lunch was terrible. Came with the family, I had Roast beef which was ok but you didn’t get much. Veg overcooked, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding very dry. You have to pay extra for the other sides, the cauliflower cheese had no cheese on it, the stuffing was dry and the pigs in blankets at £3.95 for x5 chipolatas of which only x2 had a bit of bacon on were pathetic. To top it off the gravy was like brown water. My wife had lemon and thyme infused chicken which you got plenty of but was very dry and didn’t taste of lemon or thyme at all. Won’t go into the starters and hasten to say we didn’t have desert. My 6 year old boy enjoyed the Yorkshire puddings. The waitress was lovely and very friendly. Won’t be going here to eat again though.

This is a true gem. The staff welcomed me, my wife and baby with so much kindness and made sure we were looked after. Even though it was busy, the food came soon enough and it was great. Very impressed and this will be our forest local from now on!

A nice lunch, good beer and friendly staff

Great country pub. Good choice of real ales.

Lovely pub in a great countryside location. Decent play area for the kids and plenty of space outside and inside. Dogs welcome throughout the pub

Lovely pub in the Epping forest with a great selection of drinks and food. Kids loved it and they were running around in a protected environment. Will definitely go back again

An unfortunate situation for a place once to be such high standard place. Now the food is just below quality and came to be quite a blunder. I surely hope the place Wil pick up it's traditional cuisine as it once was

Bar staff and servers are great as always, Shame the food was overcooked. Was a really great pub and recommended it in the past.

McMullens pub, on the doorstep of Epping Forest, limited selection of ales, good Guinness. Good selection of food. Good room inside and plenty of tables outside for food service which gets very busy in the good weather.

Me and the family visited the owl on what was an incredible Mother’s Day. This was our first visit since the new owners and were surprised to finally see a new menu on offer We were greeted very graciously and swiftly taken to our table. The food was exceptional I started with a Beutiful duck breast followed by an owl burger (thankfully it was beef and not owl meat) my other half had the sirloin of beef which was cooked to perfection food and service was superb. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a celebration meal.

Honestly… if I could rate it lower I would. We went for a Mother’s Day dinner, and what a dogs dinner it was, and to be honest I feed my dog better. We had to send back 3 meals out of 9. One roast the meat was uncooked - was meant to be a slow cooked beef. Try UNcooked. One roast the lamb was all fat, the potato’s were rock hard. And the other meal (the owl burger) smelt off (we think they put out of date cheese on the burger) disgusting. Barely an apology from the staff and the other meals was not up to even a low standard. Speaking of the staff the man that was serving us had a fingernail hanging off his finger. All he had to do was put a plaster or a glove on so you didn’t have to look at it, the fact he was touching our plates as well. Disgusting. Cost us a fair bit - wished we had listened to our friends who told us not to visit here, and to be honest it was our fault because we left booking somewhere for Mother’s Day too last minute - won’t make that mistake again would rather eat out of the bins. Best part of it was the magician - all be it self employed not actually part of the service. If we didn’t have to eat there just to see him would have enjoyed it.

The enticing name of the "Slow Roast Pork Belly" proved to be misleading. What arrived at our table was a tough, unappealing lump of pork, reminiscent of chewing boot leather, with poorly rendered fat. Topped with chewy crackling and served alongside dry mash and scant vegetables, it hardly justified its £16.95 price tag. This misrepresentation prompted us to reluctantly bring our dissatisfaction to the attention of the understanding server, who graciously compensated us for one of the meals. Sadly, the new menu seems disconnected from the preferences of long-time patrons like myself, who have cherished The Owl for over three decades. While stalwart favorites like the fish and chips and Owl Burger remain, the rest of the offerings fall short of expectations. The attempt at gastro fare lacks both the quality and flavor that once defined this beloved pub. Furthermore, the exorbitant £5 charge for a posh packet of dried dog food on the new dog menu is simply unjustifiable. My second visit under the new ownership only reinforced my disappointment. Until significant improvements are made, I cannot envision returning. As a loyal patron, I implore the owners to reconsider their approach: Embrace simplicity and freshness in the menu offerings. Bring back beloved classics like bangers and mash, homemade pie with mash and liquor, lasagna, slow-braised beef and ale, gammon, egg, and chips, prawn cocktail, all prepared with care using locally sourced ingredients. In my extensive history with The Owl, I have never encountered such disappointment until now. The subpar ingredients coupled with inflated prices are disheartening. I long for the return of the skilled chefs who once made The Owl synonymous with quality British pub fare, standing out amidst a sea of mediocre chain establishments. While the staff remains exceptional, the current menu alienates longtime regulars like myself, who once considered The Owl a second home. Having experienced and enjoyed fine dining elsewhere, I can confidently say that the current offerings fall far short of the mark. It's evident when the owner dictates the menu, rather than the chef. This current iteration falls short of what The Owl once represented and fails to live up to its legacy. The Owner blocked me from their facebook page for saying this.

The Owl is getting better every visit. I can recommend the location, Service and food quality. Looks like a new menu and chef, this was my selection today. Dog friendly..

Lovely food. Lovely hospitality. Dog very friendly. Brilliant value. Puts the other mcmullan pubs to shame. My family had a fantastic lunch here today.

Just okay. The beer was good but the food was not as good as we'd hoped for given other reviews and pictures. Service from the younger members of staff was friendly, but a bit abrupt from some of the others. The pub is family and dog friendly and was a convenient stop for walking in the woods. We would go back for a drink, but not to eat I don't think.

Stunning views with excellent service and food

We have a reasonably large group for an evening birthday meal. Service was fantastic, the food was excellent, the choice was brilliant, with plenty of vegan options. Food was served hot and timely. We will be back again soon. Thank you

This bar is run by Ladys, lovely atmosphere plus they make you feel at home so welcoming

Went there for late lunch. Staff weren’t particularly welcoming when we went in to ask if we were able to eat without a booking. The interior is very 70s and needs bringing into the 21st century

Lovely Sunday roast, great service, dog and muddy walker friendly.