The Railway Tavern in Braintree

My friends and I had a wonderful dining experience. The Christmas lunch was excellent. The plate was filled with quality turkey, vegetables and trimmings. We were served by Megan who was attentive, polite and friendly. We are planning our next visit early in the new year.

The place itself is nice, right on the river. It was really cold in the room which spoilt the atmosphere and comfort. The food was OK, although one meal was messed up and therefore much later than the rest. Service could have been improved we felt. A heater could haveade a big difference too.

Lovely place to eat, with a good menu - have been several times with the same friends. Served this time by Lucas & Meg. Lucas was clearly learning his trade but was so helpful and polite I am sure he will do very well. All of the food was good, although the batter on the fish was a little well done and the chicken was a little dry. As we were in a group we did not like to mention it and put a dampener on the evening. Will be back in any case.

For the past 8yrs myself and my family have celebrated my mum’s birthday here. Each year the menu has become more lush, and this year was no exception. What an amazing Christmas dinner… 29 to eat, 21 with 3 courses… all done with quick delivery, staff were pleasant we had Camembert , Brie bruschetta, soup and salmon to name but a few options we had, the Camembert looked like a main dish.. and was sooo tasty. The main was turkey with all the trimmings, lamb rump with was lovely and pink in the middle, chicken supreme and I had a delicious salmon and leak tart which was filo based.. yummy!! And to top off some had the tavern’s home made brownie or sticky toffee pudding but I had the beautiful apple crumble. Sam, Tristan, Barry & Sue and all their amazing staff thank you for once again make our gathering homely, our belly’s full and most of all, making us feel every year that it’s the best place to be and start our Christmas.

Gracie is amazing at her job. Love going here for the atmosphere and the food.

Lovely Pub, served quickly good range of drinks.

Very nice pub, good menu choices and it was great that vegetarians and vegans have good choices as well. Good sized portions and the food arrived freshly cooked and hot. A nice selection of vegetables as well. Deserts were lovely and our server Megan was very friendly, helpful and efficient.

What a friendly service, great duo of waitress Megan and the bubbly Dani behind the bar. Food was generous and scrummy. Thank you

We had our Christmas meal there on Friday 29/11/24 for 27 of us. I can’t praise them highly enough. The food was fantastic and the service great. Everyone enjoyed themselves. The staff worked extremely hard.

Unfortunately our recent visit was not to the same standard as previous visits. Our table was in the bar section, not the restaurant, despite booking it 3 weeks in advance. Table not cleaned, had to get our own menus, 1hr+ wait for food, food quality not as good as previous visits - quantity over quality ! Staff were good but overall disappointed.

We sat outside by the river on a beautiful autumnal day

Great lunchtime menu . And views along the river.

Lovely young welcoming waitress very polite and knowledgeable about the menu! Sat down and food arrived in good time and tasted great! Slightly higher priced compared to some pubs we eat in locally but the waitress and food made it worth while! We will be back!

The food was great as was the service . Definitely recommend.

Great food, even greater service or server daisy was fantastic, just a great place to be.

Oscar, Gracie and Matt were exceptional with their attention to our table and their kind manner! I will be coming back as a result of their excellent service! Thanks guys!

A great meal with fantastic service

Didn’t have any food but lovely place for a drink outside by the river

Beetroot and goats cheese tart was really tasty and a good sized portion. Potatoes were not as expected from the menu and did not seem to be buttered and salad was basic with no dressing but all tasted fresh. Service was very friendly and professional.

Hidden gem lovely food and out side setting

Lovely pub with great surroundings by the river. Food was lovely. Waitresses very attentive (Darcie and Meg). They were very accommodating for my friends allergies. Large portions reasonable price.

Picked the railway tavern for our wedding anniversary, staff was great, food was good, wife loved the table by the river a+++

Lovely pit stop with the river blackwater going by

Also known as "Tavern on the River" per the sign ok one side. Overall Outstanding. 1. Value for money - great. Three beers, juice, two mains for about 55. 2. Food - great quality. Everything we had tasted fresh. Multiple vegan options and children's menu. 3. Beer - pretty good variety across keg and cask. About 9 options with two or three craft-style varieties eg. Level Head IPA 4. Service - excellent. Friendly and fast. Mains ready in fifteen or twenty minutes. 5. Atmosphere - outstanding..about 12 large tables outside next to a river with willows and ducks. Lots of space 6. Children : lots of space from them and a small playground with slide and climbing area. Children's menu available.

Lovely location by the river. We sat by the riverside and ate our lunch, the resident swan swam by and a family of ducks. Food was excellent.

been here a few times now think i will go for the scampi next time had fish but struggled to find many chips with it. salmon salad was lovely though. and bar staff very friendly

A warm welcome very friendly staff service was just the best and food was delicious All the the best 👍

Visited today for lunch never been before, absolutely lovely setting right next to the river. Staff were lovely and friendly food was Amazing for the price. My husband and I opted for the tavern club sandwich, it was a triple decker and certainly filling, it came with a lovely fresh side salad and some chips. Our daughter opted for fish and chips , which she really enjoyed. Looking forward to another visit very soon.

The usual warm, friendly service at the Tavern. Excellent food as always, comfortable environment and first-class service, especially from Hannah and Joe.

Best food, lovely staff, great view of the river. We're now regulars

We’re having our kitchen renovated at the moment, and the weather isn’t good, so we thought we’d try The Railway Tavern for dinner, as we’ve been past it a few times and thought it looked very nice from the outside, and always busy. Well I have to say it did not disappoint. We were shown straight to our table, allowed enough time to peruse the menu, before being asked for our order by Matt, who I have to say, was very good. He was very helpful with our choices and had a polite and friendly manner. Note to management… keep him, he is a very good ambassador for your tavern. The food was very tasty and hot, and did not taste or feel like it had been in the microwave, or under the hot plate for too long. Loads on the plate, so no room for desserts afterwards, which is a bit of a shame, as I do like a dessert. And what we couldn’t eat the boxed up for us. So yes I will definitely being going again. Thanks for a tasty evening.

First visit to Kelvedon, The railway tavern was the best with a wide range of food on the menu, the service was attentive and courteous, Daisy and Paige tendered to our every need, thankyou for a great meal

The Railway Tavern was at great find, the menu is extensive and covers most culinary choices, and Daisy and Paige and did everthing to ensue we enjoyed our meal, thankyou

Lovely location, good food, although we had to wait longer than you would expect. However staff really lovely. Car park very small for such a busy place.

Had a lovely meal here with the Mrs, thoroughly enjoyed it and will be coming back, perfect for families too

What a lovely lunch today, beautiful surroundings, well priced, although what stood out for us was the service, the two people serving us were so polite and helpful we couldn't fault our experience, as relative newbies to the village, we will be back. Thank you the Railway

Lovely pub by the river, decent pub menu with large portion meals 😋. IPA beers and local Maldon ale, plus Cruzcampo if you dare 😆. If you sit outside by the river and keep one eye on river bank, you may well be treated to a Kingfisher fly by or pose.

On arrival, I asked at the bar for a Bloody Mary. The member of staff perused a line of pre-mixed cocktails and informed me that they didn't do Bloody Mary's. So I was surprised to see it listed in the cocktail menu once seated at the table! They had no orange juice, a problem for the drivers in the group. The menu did not align with the on line version. I ordered fish pie, which was 90% mash, dry as a bone, and hadn't even been under the grill. I sent it back, and wasnt charged for it. When we got the bill our deposit hadn't been taken off. A bad experience that won't be repeated

Just popped in for lunch. OK, so it was Sunday, but service was slow. Had the sea bass which was excellent and made up for the wait. Worth a second visit if I'm in the area again.

Nice food with good vegan options. Friendly service and a nice atmosphere. Only real improvement is that I think the salad on the side of dishes could be better and more interesting.

Nice to go to a pub that does good food. Really nice atmosphere as well and staff really friendly We met some friends who wanted somewhere where dogs were allowed so I suggest there as half way between the 2 of our locations. Will no doubt meet there again. It also has a lovely outdoor area along the river. Definitely book if going.

Lovely little pub/restaurant, with friendly staff, and a nice setting. Unfortunately, the rain thwarted an attempt to sit outside, but the food was nevertheless wonderful! Scampi is pictured, and was 10/10!

Lovely sunday roast beautiful roast potatoes, staff friendly. Only criticism is they didn't know how to make a liqueur coffee, I explained how and it arrived in a normal coffee cup and to be honest couldn't taste the contreau, but would definitely go back.

When the sun is shining its a top pub to sit by the river and have a beer.

Great place and great food. Loved the outdoor ambience

Lovely Sunday Roast at the tavern, portions were huge and the food was tasty

Great place quick snack and hood selection of beers

Lovely pub nice friendly waiter . In beautiful surroundings . I had scampi and chips my friend had fish n chips which we both enjoyed .

Delicious food and hospitable staff

Very enjoyable seafood platter! Will need to return when weather is warmer and sit by the river

Lovely place to be especially in the sun !

Great food and service at reasonable price. Car park is a tad small so get there early if you've made a reservation, but there is alternative parking at the railway station.

Friendly staff, good food and beer.

Table for 5 booked for 7.30....45minutes after, the order was being checked? Is it 2 beef stews? at 9pm i still hadn't received my meal. Ordered the Irish special, beef stew not 1 piece of beef could i find in it...initially I thought perhaps there was a famine? they couldn't give me any beef it had disintegrated they said, so ordered the lamb hotpot... it was so hot without warning and burnt my mouth so obviously microwaved and the potatoes on top had been fried... hmmmm and the Irish duo played everything but Irish music! First time I have ever sent back a meal...

Lovely, cosy atmosphere with the log burner lit on a cold, grey and wet afternoon. Food was tasty and we were given generous portions. The bar staff were very welcoming and we received great service from Dani in particular.

Lovely meal. Restaurant went above and beyond to help. Great lunchtime experience. Thank you

Travelled here, looking for a good experience clearly best pub in the area with good but not amazing food as per other reviews. Limited parking at the pub, which was fully in use when we went If in area would visit again

Always friendly Always good food Always fabulous atmosphere

Exceptional quality food, service and atmosphere!! Definitely be going again especially when the lighter evenings come as there are extensive tables and chair situated next to the river!! Beautiful place 😍

I can't praise this restaurant enough. We held a wedding celebratory lunch after my daughter's wedding yesterday. Natasha & Christopher wanted a low key wedding with an informal lunch after the ceremony and chose the Tavern as they had been before and read good reviews. The lunch was arranged by Tash over the phone and via email with Sam. They closed the restaurant and small bar area for us for our family occasion - the room was perfect; well laid out plus with some of our own decorations added. We had pre-ordered the two course lunch from a number of different menu choices; all served piping hot and timely. Both courses were delicious - bravo Sam! The food and service was excellent. Just a shame we didn't get to meet Sam to thank her personally. You helped make a special day even more special - Thank You!

I went with friends from work lunchtime, the food was excellent and the service, also at a very fair price, plenty of seating area,and parking.

Brilliant pub, in a beautiful location. They have an interesting and varied menu with a wide range of beers to fit any taste. If in Essex, it's a must try

Fantastic Sunday roast and great service!! Food and staff were brilliant. Cheesy leeks and cauliflower cheese were super!! Megan and Daisy looked after us so well.

Really tasty food, incredibly reasonable and huge portions. Definitely recommend!

Fantastic service from fantastic staff. halfway meeting place for my family, will be coming again.

Smashing pub with outside tables along the lovely river Blackwater. Good if you want to eat , or just sit at a quiet table and have a pint. Had a bowl of lattice chips - fab. Staff great. Parking is limited. Enjoyed my visit there.

Pleasant pub food good staff friendly

We have visited The Railway tavern on the recommendstion of our son, who had visited in the summer and loved the riverside location. We have visited in November and January, so will look forward to the summer and an outdoor experience! The staff are friendly and efficient as well as considerate of your needs. The food is good, wholesome fare. Plenty of it too. I had Steak and ale pie which was both large and very flavourful. None of us had room for pudding. ( the bane of being an older diner!) The ambience is relaxing and a genuine smell of a real fire adds the final touch. We will be back.

Fab steak & ale pie. Staff very attentive & friendly. Food is excellent. Good range of local beers. Definitely recommend for lunch, evening or Sunday roast

My sister mum and I came for the Taco evening , absolutely lovely food! Staff were amazing and such a great atmosphere!! Eloise and Hannah B were amazing they couldn’t do enough for us ! The portions were great and the dips included in the evening were a great touch ! We are already planning our return in February! We are really looking forward to other themed evenings in the year to come ! Would highly recommend! We found out about the evening form signing up to their newsletter - definitely take the time to do so so you don’t miss out !!!!

Went here for a family meal. Food was OK but could have been better. Staff were friendly but service was slow. They kept forgetting to bring things that we asked for. Atmosphere good but rather loud at times which was a bit unsettling. Had an enjoyable evening but not sure if I would go again.

Very reasonably priced lunch in a nicely kept pub

Lovely meal as usual, cosy pub with roaring fire.. Nice menu. Warm atmosphere Friendly service. Our waitress Megan was very helpful.

Wasn't great food, mash was smash, veg had clearly been reheaten or nuked. The fish fingers were dry and over cooked. The pies were half decent but had clearly been bought in and weren't home made. Really disappointed with this as was fooled by the good star rating.

Proper pub food with a wonderful atmosphere and friendly staff. We visited the railway tavern for lunch, I had the Steak & Ale pie and my friend had the Vegetable pie, both homemade and absolutely beautiful. The staff were so friendly and the atmosphere was great, very comforting all round. We will be visiting again very soon and I already cannot wait!

Great range of vegan options, delicious chilli and cauliflower bites. Very generous portion, great for price.

Friendly and helpful staff. Food ok except for very hard broccoli, and vegan sausages were rather dry. Didn't need quite so many potatoes!

Was very disappointed that I was not told we would not be in the restaurant part , don’t have a problem eating in the bar area but on this occasion had I of known I would not have booked a table for yesterday . Too many of us to keep going to the bar to order .

The Railway just gets better and better. There were two life-changing dishes today: - the Bangkok Burger is a spicy veggie (even though I’m not a veggie) burger that takes you by surprise. It’s truly wonderful - a new desert added to the board: Espresso Martini Profiterole Torte. OMG! Forget everything, this makes your life complete! Well done Railway. Loving it.

Went to the railway today, there was 8 in the party for a family lunch, the meal was ok and we spent over £160 but when coming to pay the bill we find out that the owners don’t accept £50 notes for cash payment. No signs or warnings seen and nothing on the menu. Lucky enough we had another method of payment other than cash. Poor I think as £160 spend being paid with a £50 plus £20s and £10s I would have thought would be a fair cash method of payment. Will not go back.

Met as a group of 12 on a busy Friday right before Christmas and all ordered food. Everything arrived at the same time and was perfect, food was all excellent quality, and hot, and cutlery and sauces all delivered promptly. Could not fault at all, great food and great service, excellent value for money.

Absolutely love this pub, food is delicious and great outdoor space next to the river, very cosy with open fires.

This is our 3rd buffet at the Railway and Sam and her team have once again put on a fantastic spread. All our menu items were just what we ordered and nothing was left out. The quality of the food was excellent, Coffee and Tea were in constant supply, they had catered for the children and made sure we had everything we needed, looking forward to the 4th event. The fires were lit and the atmosphere was great, her husband looked after us at the bar so no complaints there. Once again thank you all very much. Steve & LIn

Very enjoyable lunch. Food was delicious and service was very friendly. Log burners gave a cosy atmosphere.a good vegan choice from the menu. Only downside was couldn’t enjoy a coffee as they only had dairy milk. I would have given 5 stars if they did oat milk and the other downside was it was very cold in there despite the log burners.

Had a lovely evening. Food was delicious and service by Danielle was impeccable. Will definitely recommend and for sure will return

A lovely establishment. First time visiting. Food was delicious and service was amazing! Danielle was very helpful and nothing was too much.

Nice friendly pub, good food too. Kids and dogs welcome. Friendly staff too. Have eaten here loads, always a good experience. Summer is the best sitting by the river. Would recommend.

The tavern staff were very welcoming and the atmosphere was enhanced by the wood burner, as this was the first cold day of the season. The menu was good, giving more choice than the normal pub fare. The beef bourguignon special was excellent, as was...

Friendly welcome from Megan our waitress. Excellent food and good menu selection. Lovely warming real fire.

“Definitely In the top 3 best roasts ever”Was the comment from the sister I took out for Dinner on the 19th November. Have to agree with her but may have trouble thinking of which ones have been better. Served by the lovely Dani and the...

Lovely meal with a real log fire and thank you to Hannah and Daisy who served us, would thoroughly recommend The Railway Tavern, Thankyou.

Great Sunday lunch with friends. Highly recommended. Food super.plenty of choice. Service and helpfulness of staff was amazing.

We have not been here lately for lunch and only once in the past but the friends we were with suggested coming here. I had the steak & ale pie, my wife had chicken supreme and our friends had lamb rump. However, I thought it...

This afternoon we held my daughters baby shower at the Tavern, we had afternoon tea for 18 ladies, the food was lovely. Thankyou for making this a lovely afternoon x.

A lovely end to a family weekend! What a lovely pub with a warm welcome and lovely staff, and fantastic food. We would highly recommend!

It was a lovely end to a family weekend. A warm welcome and great service from the staff and fantastic food. We would highly recommend!

Lovely pub Amazing food really friendly and helpful staff. Excellent value for money highly recommend have had food from normal menu steak was delicious Sunday roast fantastic

Visited earlier this year with family and friends to find roast dinners ran out by 1.30 so we hadn't been back for a while. However, food has always been excellent value with great choices and the Railway has a great cosy feel. Glad we re-visited...

We had Sunday lunch at the Railway Tavern in Kelvedon yesterday. The menu was easy to browse and to choose from . It provided all the information needed to make a choice. We sat at the “badger table” , the food was excellent, nice and...

Really good food and amazing service, well worth the money and the service was awesome