The Railway Tavern in Chelmsford

Great pub, friendly bar staff .

Met at this charming pub with some old friends for a little Christmas drinks gathering. One of my pals has been a regular for many years and I've been here numerous times myself. However, whilst enjoying the array of many different beers you have on tap I was physically and verbally abused by one of your staff!? So, to explain we'd been in for a couple of hours and were enjoying the hustle and bustle of a busy Saturday evening, along with many other like minded ale drinkers. We sat, chatting, laughing, drinking and getting a bit merry. The table next to us had just finished their drinks and headed out the door. So, without purposely trying to annoy someone I casually lifted my leg and rested my calf on the stall next to me. Nothing wrong with that you'd think? I am due for a knee op in the not too distant future and when sat in the same position for a while my knee tends to tighten up a bit so. I'd just momentarily rested my calf on the little stool next to me to loosen off the tension a little. Then, some aggresive bloke, with a bald head shoved my leg off the stool, got in my face and shouted something along the lines of "Get yer feet off! You're not at home now! Who d'ya think you are?" Wow!? I was shocked. And to add to it, when I tried to ask him why he was being so aggressive? He continued to act like a Sargent Major and kept talking over me? How rude!? He walked off and I called out "Hey!" He then came back at me and shouted "Don't say Hey to me!!" There was no way of reasoning with him and my friends were also having trouble understanding why he wouldn't explain to us why he had a terrible attitude and an aggressive manner to the people who are putting money in his pocket? I mean if had muddy boots and the underneath of my foot was on a stool I could understand, as a glass collector you may be slightly annoyed with me, making a mess of your tidy seating arrangement, but you politely ask me to keep my muddy feet down please, no? The guys behind the bar were true ladies and gentlemen! Every time we went up to order they were very helpful and allowed us to "try before we buy." So, being pushed and starting an argument with us is not the way to keep customers coming back is it? He needs to learn good etiquette and how to treat his customers with respect before he's let loose in the bar again. Because while he's there our drinking experience will be ruined if we return. And next time I may not be so polite to him..

Best of the many pubs closest to the Bus and Railway stations

Didn't like it, just popped in on the way back from Brighton (Sussex/Essex game ) first and last time for me, give me spoons anytime

Wonderful pub, nice staff, we've encountered friendly locals. Minor disappointment this visit to learn the kitchen was closed, after COVID. An American couple from San Francisco, US visiting nearby Family.

Great place for a pint waiting for the train😀

A charming building housing a pub just minutes away from Chelmsford railway station.

Went in today on a bank holiday Sunday to wait for a mate and was refused service because I went to the toilet before ordering a drink the member of staff who was behind the bar was incredibly rude and seemed to not want any customers, will not be drinking here again

Came to the railway tavern to meet a friend as we had many times before who was not there yet so I popped to the loo before ordering a pint, as I returned from the loo the bartender refused to serve me because I went the toilet before attempting to order a drink. The bartender then told me to leave very rudely purely for the reason of going to the toilet before ordering a drink. Will never drink there again appalling behaviour from the older hairless gentleman.

Good boozy - nice secret graden area

Basically i was talking on the phone when i come inside and then i asked for a beer... Guy said he can't hear me so i move my phone away and then i ask again and said please after that i get back on my phone call when the bartender said that's is get out of her... What is this place you font serve people's who talk different language on their phone or what's the deal?

The bartender didn't serve us beer because I was on the phone I put the phone down and asked again can I have some beer the guy said okay then I went back on the phone and he got upset because of that and said "you know what you can go somewhere else to get beer because I'm not serving you" what a lad

Came in on Friday night 31st May at around 630pm. Bar and pub were very busy with a great atmosphere, was served very quickly as the bar was well staffed. Good choice of beers. Would definitely recommend

Always impressed with this historic boozer. Really wide range of ale on (6 or 7?) including lots of local brews such as Wharf and leigh on sea. Seems to be getting lots of spirits in at the moment with a large range of flavoured rums. Good price and far cheaper (and nicer) than the new one next door.

popped in for a quick drink whilst out intown. service and atmosphere was good. wide range of gins and draught bitters. have a nice sun garden out the back. Or just take a seat outside the pub.

Great coffee and really helpful staff when I missed my bus 👍

£6.60 for a pint of Moretti is simply indecent.

Great pub and great staff always welcoming the landlord is top notch but he review needs updating as the railway has not served food for several years. Cheers and thanks 'Emperor' Scott

A proper little gem of a boozer. Lovely.

Always a great place to be especially if you have just got off a train or bus from out of town

We popped into the Railway Tavern to have one for the road about 30 mins before closing time. My boyfriend accidentally knocked over his just poured pint of beer over the barman and we could see that the barman was a bit upset about that. We offered to buy him a drink and pay for any cleaning. He politely declined both and adding that he had to drive home. He poured another pint for my boyfriend and didn't charge for the spilt beer which we were very grateful for. It came to chucking out time and we finished our drinks. On our way out, my boyfriend once again offered the barman who had originally served us when we arrived a drink and a cleaning fee, and another barman who we assume might have been the manager piped up and told us to "hurry up and get out and you're not welcome here", to which I responded "wow that's rude". The barman then said "you're not welcome, don't come back". I've no idea what we have done to offend them, but he was very aggressive with his comments. I could understand it if we had done something wrong and we knew we had upset the barman over the spilt beer, but apologises were made at the time and an offer of a drink or cleaning fee was made and it was declined. Therefore it didn't warrant the rudeness we had when we left the pub. We have been going down there on and off for about six years, and we have never experienced this kind of hostility. Dreadful staff and the owners of the Railway Tavern need to replace them ASAP!

We popped into the pub tonight to have one for the road about 30 mins before closing time. My boyfriend accidentally knocked over his just poured pint of beer and we could see that the barman was a bit upset about that. We offered to buy him a drink and he politely declined saying he had to drive home. He poured another pint for my boyfriend and didn't charge for the spilt beer. It came to chucking out time and we necked our drinks. On our way out, my boyfriend once again offered the barman who had originally served us when we arrived a drink and a cleaning fee, and another barman piper up and told us to "hurry up and get out and you're not welcome here", to which I responded "wow that's rude". The barman then said *you're not welcome, don't come back". I've no idea what we have done to offend them, but he was very aggressive with his comments. I could understand it if we had done something wrong and we knew we had upset the barman over the knocked over beer, but apologises were made at the time and an offer of a drink or cleaning fee was made and it was declined. Therefore it didn't warrant the rudeness we had when we left the pub. We have been going down there on and off for about six years, and we have never experienced this kind of hostility. Dreadful staff and they need to be replaced ASAP!

Great local pub with good selection of beer and a really friendly atmosphere. 👍

A proper pub with a good choice of interesting beer on hand pumps.

A fine pub close to the station serving an outstandingly good range of well kept beer. Friendly service. Nothing not to like.

Got off at Chelmsford station and saw this pup across the road so popped in. Decked out like the inside of an old railway carriage, but they also have a big beer garden at the back. Lovely 🍻 and excellent prices 👍🏻 staff very friendly 😎 I'll definitely go back when in Chelmsford 👍🏻🍻🚂

A firm favourite when visiting Chelmsford, always a great selection of real ales and a nice friendly atmosphere

Great atmosphere, service and beer.

Barrel changed so got half old, half new pint. Had a few mouthfuls and tasted funny, fresh pint was fine. Asked them to change it and was refused and told it doesn’t happen with lager. Must have been something I ate apparently.

Excellent beers,all of them.good inside or out back or along the front.

Great pub, we love coming here. But was in Saturday evening and the usual service we get was lacking. Twice we came to the bar and twice was greeted by the two barmen and young glass collector on their phones. This led to us being served after two sets of gentlemen being served before us even though we was next to be served which is very frustrating as you can imagine. We put it down to there being quite a few new staff working here lately,We hope this was just a one off though as we love this pub and always tell our friends how good it is and how lovely the staff are. We will be back this weekend and are hoping this was just a one off and get the usual warm welcome that the railway tavern usually offers

Great place to go fo a drink with its railway theme interior and friendly staff

Visited after watching Essex cricket lovely friendly little pub a good selection of real ales 👍

Very expensive pub in the middle of Chelmsford.

The Railway Tavern Pub the best pub in Chelmsford (Essex) Good Helpful Staff Good choice of Drinks At Low Prices

What a wonderful gem of a pub. A wonderful old building. It has a deceptive tiny frontage but extends back with lots of comfortable seating. Very clean and tidy. An absolutely brilliant selection of real ale, lager and bottled beers. This included several excellent draft local beers. The staff were all very friendly and welcoming. I will definitely be returning.

Love the beer and happy bar staff!!

Friendly staff, good beer, chatty locals. What was the definition of a perfect pub again?

Pub within spitting distance of Chelmsford rail station, a wide selection of ales at both ends of the bar, the lounge areas are decorated loosely in the style of old railway carriages, with historic insignia. There is a pleasant outside area, running the length of the pub buildings.

I reviewed this pub 'a year ago' aprox with a statement claiming it was probably one of the most expensive in Chelmsford with a pint of Fosters costing £4.50. That was my first visit in 2.5 years. Well yesterdays visit set me back £5.30, which i believe is the 2nd most expensive (behind Oddfellows) in Chelmsford and a rise of more than 15% in a year ago. An Amstel also cost me £5.95 (may have gone up since) a couple of visits ago. Its a nice enough pub and situated by convenient bus and rail station, but not one i can afford to visit that often. Though i understand duties are so high and the government is to blame

Great boozer. Very well run & they know how to look after their beers. We will definitely return when next in Chelmsford.

Lovely little gem by the station. Cosy and lovely pub, plenty of outside seating as well. We easily miss a few trains home watching the world go by. Staff helpful and friendly.

Allways enjoyable to visit,good atmosphere and staff. Also nice to sit outside in the sun

Great pub, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and a good choice of ales. Beer garden to the rear. Didn't try any food but would definitely go again.

The beer in this lovely locals pub is outstanding,the jail Ale is sublime one of my real favourites,and a rare outlet for this superb 4.8 % premium ale, a real jem of a place with such Great bar staff and range of beers.

Lovely pub very friendly and welcoming staff, serves great coffee. Great atmosphere. Arrived to Morris dancer.

We did stop by to Catch a nice Sunny 🌞 Sunday

Always a nice place for a quick drink on the way home

A lovely pub with very polite and friendly staff, just like pubs used to be like

Good old fashioned pub good range real ale and great railway memorabilia

Nice, cosy pub with friendly people.

My first visit for a while and I liked the refurbished rear room, now much more cost. Real ale choice and quality good. A pleasant place to have a conversation.

Drunk people who were drowning the pub out were continually served when it was clear that they'd had enough. Usually this pub is brilliant, not tonight

Quick couple,with wife shopping. Clean,tidy and welcoming.

Friendly enough public house with a good selection of real ales. If you like the traditional pub experience rather than sports bars this place is for you. Also right beside the train and bus stations!

Clean Friendly pub,Reasonably priced Beers ,Nice Atmosphere

The beer and atmosphere are always great here

Proper pub . Excellent selection of well kept, fairly priced beers. Delightful staff. Interesting surroundings.

Maybe not your first choice of pub if you are a cream enjoyer. Nice staff though.

Lovely small welcoming old style pub.Highly recommended.

Excellent pub close to Chelmsford train station

Always a greet, friendly atmosphere

Brilliant pub, superb range of beers

Proper pub with a great range of cask beers served by friendly staff

Good old fashion pub, good beer, busy

Very good, proper pub. Serves good Guinness

Popped in for a quick drink whilst waiting for friends to arrive at the station. Only decent lager on tap was Moretti which I ordered a pint of. I was shocked to be charged £6.40 for the privilege. I know prices are going up but that’s ridiculous. It’s no surprise that so many pubs are closing and we’ll soon be left with very few. But when they charge such extortionate prices I for one will not miss them.

A piece of Chelmsford history. A warm welcome, real ales an 60 gins available, what's not to like?!

Proper pub good selection of real ale.

One of my favorite traditional pubs, friendly staff, good beer and reasonable prices.

Great friendly pub with a very good choice of ales.

Excellent pub for those wanting good ale a very pleasant ambience and sociable crowd. No frills just a good honest pub.

Fast service and a fantastic pub vibe

Great pub to grab a pint before getting the train home!

One of my favourite places to it. Good food, friendly staff and good value

Stopped for a quick pint or two after a train journey (go figure). Beer is good, more selection of ales and largers. Also, got decent gluten free crisps to boot. Nice friendly pub with some outdoor space.

Brilliant real ale pub just a stone's throw from the railway station. Large selection of beers and other alcoholic beverages.

Lovely pub friendly staff and try the strawberry and coconut gin lush

Great little pub before getting the train, never fails 👍🍺🍻

Sehr nett.....ich komm wieder :0)

Brilliant pub with great selection of ales, right outside Chelmsford railway station. Bar staff really friendly and knowledgeable!

Great pub serving some really interesting, well kept ales. Bigger on the inside than it looks from outside. Definitely worth a visit.

Really bad service I have a medical condition and needed the bathroom. When I asked the bar tender if I could use the bathroom, he rudely replied ,'theres toilets at the station' and carried on his conversation. I replied again stating I really have a medical condition in which the bar tender ignored me. Lucky enough the pub opposite was kind enough to allow me to use there bathroom.

Good choice of well kept real ales, excellent service and more gins than you can shake a stick at.

Always great staff, great pub!!

Great little pub had a good time here

A superb pub! Lovely staff and lovely ales. They're always very well looked after and have a great taste. A firm favourite of ours, we are regular visitors.

very friendly staff with a good selection of real ales and other drinks served with a smile. very clean toilets.

Lovely friendly little pub. Lots of locals and newbies. Not sure what else to say as I've got to write 100 characters. Done it.

6 different ales, most rom local southeast, local crisps f5om southeast very clean toilets small friendly bar in the heart of chelmsford. Verywell looked after ales. Always i will return when at chelmsford.

Went yesterday & had a lovely beer not drunk before that was a guest ale called St. Modwen Golden Ale, & I stuck to that as not sure if I will ever have it again. My wife loves the well kept Guinness here just the right temperature she says. Often stop here for a pint or two. Friendly staff as well.

Really lovely pub and the staff are very friendly. Enjoyed a nice evening recently and had a great choice of beers.

Bailey was very welcoming and friendly. He recommends a great lager that we never tried and it was the best I have ever tasted! Great customer service and social distancing

Very friendly pub. Lots of well spaced out seating. Good selection of beers.

Often pop in here after work work for a cheeky one. It's a classic pub, decent drink range and normally greeted with a smile.

Brilliant, very covid safe and good range of beers

Bar staff great, toilets dated, urine on the floor , not clean at all. Locals are abusive and rude, social distancing doesn't exist, no wonder why thier is still covid....

A great bar where you enter as a customer but you leave as a friend

The best pub in Chelmsford for a warm welcome, great ale, and safe COVID-19 precautions.

Friendly pub, clean and had a community feel to it. No stouts or porters at the moment, but that's just a temporary thing the staff member said, but there was a decent mild. Comfortable and welcoming, would recommend.