The Queens Head in Maldon

Food was excellent and prices brilliant for what you get. Even have great beer

I went here yesterday. The food was awful. I had pie and chips. They had I think been microwaved. The chips were overdone and the pie was like a brick. Usually it comes in an earthenware dish with puff pastry. This didn’t look home made at all. It was shortcrust pastry not puff and looked like any you would buy in a shop. Hard and tasteless. I told the girl when she picked the plates up. I had ate hardly anything. She said I’m sorry. No question of a refund. I have been here many times and have enjoyed it but yesterday was just awful. I asked if there was a new chef and she said no. I don’t think I will be going back anytime soon. It has gone down in my estimation.

We took my dad here today as he spent a massive part of his life in Maldon and now he has dementia, we take him places he can hopefully reminise in. Food was great. Staff members we came across though were bloody rude. My husband heard them bitching about customers and slating other members of staff at the bar. No hello, thankyou or any pleasantries at all. First place I been that I didn't leave a monetary tip. Can give another tip though, if you don't like working with people in retail environment and can't talk to people nicely, DONT WORK IN CUSTOMER BASED ENVIRONMENT !!!

Honestly it’s so rare we go somewhere and everything is ok that when I took my family here yesterday I knew it would be ok but honestly it was exceptional! I had the Queens Head Burger which was huge and perfect I was so full and impressed it’s by far the best burger I’ve had out in years! My Dad had fish and chips which was fresh and generous portions he was also impressed. My partner has the 3 cheese ploughman’s and it was huge! We’d been hunting around for ages for a decent ploughman’s like we used to be able to get years ago and not only did they have, and have a selection but is was such a good portion and done so well we never want to try anywhere else because it simply won’t compete! Amazing view, nice sunny day, perfect food and drinks cannot recommend highly enough!

Ordered 3 meals and drinks and portions were generous and food was really good! Ordered Queens Head Burger which was huge, ploughman’s 3 cheese again which was decent size and really good and fish and chips. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the food, the view and everything about this place! Cannot recommend highly enough!

We visited on a beautiful day when they were extremely busy. They were courteous and squeezed us in. We have a wonderful and delicious lunch. The staff were upfront that food may take a little longer than usually because of them being so busy. This didn’t worry us. We only waited just over half and hour, (I have Defintely waited longer for food in busy restaurants) They were so apologetic for the delay that they discounted our bill even though we argued for them not too, as we weren’t put out at all. This just shows this pub sets itself very high standards and we would Defintely visit again.

We had lunchtime sandwiches. Salmon and cream cheese and fish finger. Both fresh made to order on granary bread. They also come with side salad, coleslaw and chip. Not expensive either and very filling. Inside the bar areas have a nautical theme. There is lots of seating in the dog friendly bar which overlooks the moorings for the well known Maldon barges that are moored there. There is also a seperate restaurant area with waitress service and an outdoor seating area which gets very popular on nice weather days.

Very good fish and chips. Nice crispy batter and good size portion. Managed to get an outside table without queuing.

The food is lovely Everytime I have visited lovely pub good prices had piri chicken and was better than nandos one. kids menu is great to

We enjoyed a late lunch here on Thursday. Ordered some J20, white wine and a Mango Cider. We took full advantage of the outdoor seating in the beautiful sunshine as well as many other families and couples. We ordered the Queens Head Burger, the Scampy, peas and chips and the Hot Seafood board. It was all very enjoyable, with great views and family friendly environment. If you sit outside, you need to go into the bar area indoors. There are steps and a ramp to gain easy access inside. Place your food order and buy your drinks at the bar and remember your table number. It is not table service.

Usually good food but got there just before 7pm to be told they had stopped serving food Information clearly states food until 8pm. Annoying and disappointing.

The only thing going for this pub is Aspalls on draft and where it’s situated. The food is pretty bad and expensive at that. A shame as it’s in a lovely spot and has real potential to be great. Also if you’re coming with young children, there are a fair few customers that smoke in the eating area outside.

We decided a waterside dinner would be very nice on a hot evening, we both had the scampi with an additional side salad, my wife likes a childs portion as she finds the adult size to much for her. We both had plenty of very nice and perfectly cooked scampi which so many places overcook, beer was fantastic and we really enjoyed it.

Firstly the positives- The location is beautiful, the pub is clean and the service is polite and efficient. However I will not be returning. The ale is terribly kept. All of it tasted like vinegar. The food is also terrible. The menu is dated, basic and very over priced. £10 for a cheap, chewy baguette with a small amount of filling is outrageous. The pub has gone downhill rapidly. There are no longer any pubs nearby so they can get away with serving rubbish.

Excellent place to visit and have a meal

Frozen packet food. How difficult is it to cut potatoes for chips? Brought in burgers. Rolls from a packet. Cheap cola not - the real thing. It is indicative of people's standards these days that anyone can spend money on freezer food and rate it highly.

Food was great value, large portions, very tasty, staff attentive and hard working, loved it and so did my mother!

Always has been expensive... But for where it is it's to be expected.. Staff not very welcoming...

Visited the Queens Head on a very busy Friday night following a lovely summers day. Pre booking essential and you get a choice of inside or a fairly well protected,outside. We chose to have a drink outside and eat inside in the lovely Dining room with views across the river. This pub is actually on the Quayside next to where the old Thames river barges berth so it makes this spot very interesting. The food was served in a timely fashion,considering how busy it was, by a friendly,helpful server. Two of us chose Haddock and chips which were very nice indeed. Parking can be an issue with lots of restricted 'Resident Only' areas and the nearest public car parks a fair walk away and some closing at 8.00pm! so do your research before you leave but well worth it for this special place.

Lovely pub in great setting, very busy due to the sunshine but staff coped very well and were honest with everyone about food wait times when ordering!! Was worth the wait!!

Adnams & Crouch Vale on tap. Extremely busy. Great atmosphere with gorgeous views of the barges. Good value. Hope to return.

Great friendly staff and good atmosphere. They have live music events and quiz nights 🌙

Really expensive! £7.50 for 3 cheap nuggets and 4 chips for kids and let's not talk about the £17 paid for a tiny fish fillet and 6 chips. Really expensive and tiny portions, I felt stung and I won't return sorry...

Very unpleasant service from the lady behind the bar. Unnecessarily rude to us before our order had even been placed & throughout our visit. A shame as otherwise a nice pub with a lovely view

Without doubt the worst burger I have ever had. There is rarely a meal I cannot finish and there has never been a hamburger I have not enjoyed. Until today. Despite costing nearly 17 quid and being packed with all sorts, it just tasted like cardboard. Took nearly an hour to arrive and sat half eaten in front of me for another 45 mins without any staff clearing the table.or asking how it was. Very disappointed and will not return.

Very disappointed and sad to say… I booked a table in the restaurant however when we got there, the waitress took our drinks order and on her return with our drinks she gave us the disappointing news to say there will be an hour and half wait for our food!… take in mind we now have our drinks!:( very shocked at our news!..and take in mind we booked our table!.. I said “but that’s why we have booked our table in the restaurant to avoid that problem as you advised us previously the restaurant has priority. My child of 5 years old couldn’t possibly wait 1.5 hours for food! We then went to the Huts for food and the staff member said “I’m sorry but there is a 7 minute wait I’m afraid!!”…I couldn’t stop laughing lol. I then said “oh that’s fine hun you beat the queens head at 1.5 hours AND we booked a table! She laughed lol. My 5 year old really enjoyed her chips lemonade and ice cream within 7mins!lol :)

Good food highly recommend it.lovely place to visit we sat outside overlooking the estuary

Absolutely lovely. The food and drinks are great, but the atmosphere is spot on. It's friendly and fun. We had an absolutely fantastic laugh. I really do recommend this place to anyone seeking a family friendly spot to stop.

Lovely place for a bite to eat and a drink.

This is a terrific riverside pub. We visited for lunch and the food was delicious. Seated outside in the early summer sun was wonderful. Order at the bar with your table number and be prepared for a wait. Buy a drink and relax while they cook

One of our favourite pubs to visit! Such a lovely little place! The food it’s beautiful! And the staff are exceptional! So friendly and just so lovely! One of the reasons we keep returning The pub itself is set in such a beautiful place, a great place to visit all year round! Couldn’t recommend this place more and will continue to visit!

Excellent food, good portions and very low priced. Very clean and staff all very friendly.

Excellent local pub with a good selection of ales and a spectacular view of the river

Food simple but good quality pub menu. Excellent staff, nice ambience too!

Lovely beer garden. Great food. Friendly and efficient service. Good value.

Had a lovely group lunch here today. The pub was really busy but even though we were a large group they managed to get all our food out with no problems at all. The service staff and the kitchen were so organised and really helpful and the food was delicious!! The bar staff were also very patient and nothing was too much trouble. Would definitely recommend x

Great location. Good menu, all freshly cooked. Very nice outdoor space as well as welcoming indoor space.

There were five of us plus Gilbert our dog! Very busy but that is always a good sign of a good pub/restaurant, we sat outside very pleasant, good service

Great value for money and beautiful views of the barges too.

Lovely pub on the Quay. Good choice of drinks and extensive menu. Sat outside, plenty of shade available too!

Have eaten here a few times. Yesterday was the mud race and they were really busy. Yet there was still superb service. Excellent food and great cask beer. Staff attentive, nothing to complain about. Add to that great views across the river.

Lovely little pub, very atmospheric. Great food and scenery

Very Disappointing, went with family for a special occasion, the food was poorly cooked, the haddock had lots of bones in it and seemed under done...The food arrived at our table within 5 minutes of us sitting down ( I do wonder how they cooked it in such a short time!) The staff seemed unhelpful and didn't ask how the food was etc....

What a little gem. Service was fabulous and food amazing

Nice food friendly staff great location.

Good portion and fresh but lacked a lot of seasoning and a bit bland. Our group had the pulled pork nachos as a starter to share, two burgers, pasta and hot seafood plate....we all agreed that our dishes needed a lot more flavour. One of our sides was also missing and never came.

Lovely place for a meal. Reasonably priced great atmosphere x

Revisited Maldon after many years away, and went for a meal at one of my old haunts. It was lovely to sit outside in the sunshine, overlooking the River Blackwater having a cold pint and a delicious haddock burger and chips (with healthy salad 😁). It bought back good memories of my days living in Maldon.

I could write a ESSAY .. VERY RUDE INCONSIDERATE STAFF ...2 ladie bar staff most unhelpful , asked how do we order , she said go back outside choose a table and come back , my father and i are disable so explained would take a while I said can she just choose a table for us and we will find it she said NO !!!!! we had to do it , father went out and found a table and shouted the number . I ordered 2 teas , the tea making equipment was the other side of the bar she put the teas on a tray left them 20-30 feet away knowing I was disabled and she said your tea is there and went into a back room !!! Food ok but simply never again..

Lovely pub, nice food. Staff friendly and polite. Really nice to see a proper list of 0% beer, cider, gin and rum. Much appreciated!

Wanted to take the grandchildren to Maldon, so asked around as to where friends would recommend for a family birthday lunch-- and the Queens Head came out tops. The sun shone. The river gave a grand performance, swans sailing majestically by, Thames barges ferrying customers on 40 minute trips.... We'd looked up the menu on line, so it was just a question of - find a table [ needed sun and shade], sit down and 'get your order in... Everyone chose something different: Queens Burger, Chicken and bacon salad, children chicken nuggets and chips, 'build your own' ploughmans-- seafood or 3 cheese ....I went for the hot seafood board..... We more or less cleared our plates, although they were very generous with the cheese so some was wrapped and taken home. It was a good day. Good food, friendly staff, and altogether a slick operation. There's a good children's play area near the carpark (£8 for 5 hours)... so we wandered back and became young again....

Nice place haddock and chips nice.

Lovely right on the quayside with an outdoor seating area. There is plenty of seating inside. Food was an excellent, good choice of beers. Staff friendly and helpful. Atmosphere wonderfull still has lots of original decor/features, a real pub.

Absolutely beautiful food and lovely staff

Local always freindly good fish and chips

Visited on Sunday 24th March 2024 to celebrate my Mum's 82nd Birthday. Had to book a few days in advance and was shocked to only be able to secure a slot late into the afternoon. Once we arrived there were plenty of tables free so not sure why we had to wait till gone 1500 but it is what it is. We ordered 3 mains in the form of an uninspiring vegetarian pasta (My mum's error), Fish and Chips as well as a Sunday Roast. I had the roast and it was wonderful. My son enjoyed his Fish and Chips and desert. Quite expensive but worth it.

Lovely food and wonderful service from staff who could not have done more to accommodate us and our children. There was quite a rowdy group visiting at the same time but the staff managed their behaviour well and it didn’t ruin our experience. We’ll definitely return.

Absolutely won't be going back here the worst experience I've had in a pub ever inside the pub, I've eaten here before and been here with my family outside and had nothing but good things to say about it but our experience today was unwelcoming uncomfortable and an awful experience we spent over £300 between the time of 2pm till and 5pm staff were just rude awful experience

This was my first time visiting the Queens Head Inn, and I had a lovely evening. The staff were very friendly and polite and the service was excellent. Although the menu isn't substantive, there was more than enough to choose for lunch or dinner. I had the Haddock and Chips. This was one of the best fish and chips I've had and couldn't fault it! The syrup sponge for dessert was also perfect. Prices, i would say, were along par with most restaurants at the moment, so moderately priced. The only downside is that parking is restricted, but there is a massive car park in Promenade Park 5 minutes away. I would definitely recommend coming here, and I'll certainly be returning again. Thank you

Lovely fish& chips. On the waterfront lots of outside seats..

Best fish and chips in Maldon :)

Had an evening meal here, it was excellent, very tasty & good value

I actually had a brilliant gluten free and dairy free meal. Nice ghost ship pint

Good food and great selection of drinks with great service. Just perfect setting when the sun is shining. Edit April '24...Still a lovely place to sit and eat and drink with friends or family.

Lovely pub in a nice location. Great food and drink, highly recommended 👍

Experienced the worst lunch time baguette every when visiting yesterday. Ordered Bacon and Brie - without butter. When served, the baguette was smothered in butter. The waitress' attitude when asked to change it stunk. So rude. The replacement clearly contained the same bacon and brie from the first serving, as there were the remains of butter on both. The bacon, brie and baguette were cold. I would have expected them to have been heated and the cheese melted. I asked the waitress to warm everything, but she walked away and wasn't seen again. I will not be returning. Utterly ridiculous service and attitude.

Stopped by for some dinner. Every member of staff looked like they didn’t want to be there, the food was good, ordered drinks but got the wrong ones. No check backs.

Staff are rude,definitely do not recommend.Thought we would take the family and friends for a quick drink on a bank holiday.Being busy is no excuse for blatant rudeness.Not one of them should be doing the job they are.Will definitely never return

We popped in for a quick lunch. All had the sandwiches they were very lovely and quickly served

A lovely place the food is nice and fresh I had a ploughman 3 cheese it was very good you get a lot of cheese I took some home to eat later . Great place to visit you can have a lovely walk and the a nice lunch and a very good beer.

Great food and location friendly and excellent service

Nice view this one is dog friendly

We have visited Maldon many times but never eaten here. We had booked and just as well as the pub was full with diners even though this was a cold March day. The ambiance is nice, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. The staff were friendly, the location was great with river views of the Blackwater. It summer it will be heaving and a popular spot

Great place for a drink and food

Bad News used to be a Great Pub. No Longer It just caters for people with Dogs, while having a drink thinking about lunch a couple with 2 Dogs arrived making 5 in total So no food for us. While finishing our drinks 10 min 3 couples walked in then out I wonder why. Food & drinks do not allways mix. Dogs sure but not where food is served.

Really lovely food offering a varied menu

Good choice of Superb food. Friendly staff. Lovely river side situation.

9 of us went here for a roast dinner this afternoon and Honestly please DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!! Save yourself please. The roast dinner was £17 for a small amount of poor beef, 3 roast potatoes, some undercooked carrots and over cooked broccoli, watery gravy and a mediocre Yorkshire pudding. The children’s roast was £10 which I think is a little steep for a kids roast. The service was friendly enough but the prices for what they’re serving up is absolutely disgraceful!!

Lovely pub right on river front. Inside and out seating.

Brilliant thanks warm happy chilled nice place omg great nice place here and you can enjoy your time

Found this place just sat on Maldon seafront. It was a lovely charm to the place where you can eat food at the bar, outside of the restaurant. We have dinner in the restaurant and it was lovely! Great surrounding when sat at dinner, warm and welcoming staff and tasty fresh food!

Fish & chips was really good, recommend!

What a place you would drive past this place without noticing it, but the food was absolutely delicious can't wait to go back.

Was lovely! Dog friendly area by bar.

Great place to visit. Good food

Their fish and chips are definitely the best!

Only stopped here for drinks. The food being delivered to other tables looked good and well presented.

Comfortable pub serving good ale nice views of quayside

Amazing food, great atmosphere, very dog friendly, highly recommended.

Always a pleasure to have a meal in this pub. Food is excellent and very good value for money.

You'd think being a busy crowded pub the food would be a bit average, but you'd be wrong. The haddock was superb, light crisp batter encasing perfectly cooked fluffy white fish. The chips were spot on too. They have a good selection of beers and the service is rapid and friendly. Definitely worth seeking out, especially when you can sit in the sunshine with a delightful view of the river and Thames barges. A perfect place to enjoy the last of the summer sun.

The Warm Cheese & Bacon Salad is absolutely to die for. The perfect treat after a lovely quayside walk!

We visit this Pub many times each year for both Lunch and Evening meals with friends and family. Very good food and large portions. Good selection of drinks and they're very friendly staff. Very consistent quality of service given we've been coking here for many years and it's quality is always maintained to a high standard.

We ordered 4 rounds of sandwiches (which consists of 2 sandwiches, chips, salad and coleslaw), and mentioned to the Bar staff that I have an allergy and could not have the coleslaw that came with it. The Bar staff were understanding. However a waitress appeared and questioned the nature of why I wouldn't have their "homemade" coleslaw. She went away and come back when we was sitting waiting for our meal and still persisted with the questions as to why I wouldn't have the coleslaw. It made me feel very uncomfortable and upset. To make matters worse, when our food arrived, I found that I had the sandwiches but only with chips, no salad. So I gathered that if you don't have coleslaw you don't have the salad. It seems that this pub does not know how to treat people with allergies, that we are an inconvience to them and their establishment.

Had the Sea Bass. Very tasty fish, the skin wasn't crispy, but we sat outside looking at the boats, enjoying the sunshine. The pub was very busy.

Extremely disappointed with the ploughman’s dish here. For something that requires minimal effort to prepare and zero actual cooking the cheese was flavourless, the salad was limp and the ingredients were cheap and poorly presented. £12 for something extremely substandard. Bar staff were miserable as well.

Very quaint, not a straight wall or floor! Rustic experience!

Picked a lovely day for it ! The sun was out and it was just wonderful sitting out on the river along with 50 or 60 others? There were two or three tall sailing boats moored up as well which made it even more special . The beer was lovely ! My favourite beer called broadside and food was excellent. All for £35 for two with drinks . Can’t be bad ! The only downmark is for the barman who really didn’t want to be there . But we all have off days . So thumbs up to this place ! Oh parking is tricky , but there are pay and displays five minutes away if none of the six or so spots outside the pub are available

Tasty + crispy fried squid appetiser, and the main with a freshly cooked pan-fried sea bass. Though the skin was not crispy, it was a good taste. (Side dish of ratatouille wasn’t good though)

Food not great, burger I had was slightly under cooked for what it was. Not much on non sugar drink selection for a person with diabetes.