The Rayleigh Lodge in Rochford

Not normally a fan of ‘pub grub’ but had a fantastic meal with the wife. Large selection to choose from and food was really well cooked. Great range of drinks and the staff were extremely friendly and very helpful. First time I’ve visited in a while and the entire experience was a pleasure. Would definitely recommend.

Great local pub. Staff excellent drinks excellent. Food amazing all the time. Tandoori skewer is the best dish on the menu. Perfect everytine

Lovely pub and staff. Met some pals for a few drinks. The staff were very friendly and the beer was good. A great local pub x

Had a few drinks and fish and chips in the garden in the sun today. Great large garden that we could take the dog to. Food and service excellent. Good price too.

Lovely pub with lovely staff. The garden is amazing and the pub has so much history and culture. The food is unbelievable and the food is to die for.

Lovely Tudor pub where Henry 8th used to hunt from. Nice lawn outside with picnic benches

Had a great experience and a lovely meal as always. Curry night and quiz.

Had a lovely 3 meat roast dinner with turkey, beef and gammon and a good selection of veg. Cleared my plate but couldnt manage a dessert… they’re all very tempting so maybe next time!! Staff were very friendly and couldnt do enough for us. Nice surroundings. Will definitely be back

Stopped in for a couple of beers late on Saturday evening and it was surprisingly quiet.

Absolutely stunning, family-friendly local pub. Staff amazing, especially om, Chell and George who go above and beyond to make everything and everyone comfy! 5 stars all the way!

food always comes up hot, and staff are friendly.

Booked a table for 14 people Saturday evening. The table was set up for 10 people, despite the reservation board stating 14. Requested another table and more chairs but was told they were too busy and could not accommodate. Squeezing round the table, we then tried to order, no waiter insight. Someone finally came over and said the only way to order was via the app as they were short staffed. App stated they were closed for online orders. Found the same person who informed us to go to the bar. At the bar, waited, no one in sight, they were at the lower bar as there was 1 team member for both bars. Did not bother ordering. Completely ruined a 21st birthday, will not be returning.

We used to like going here because it was very dog friendly. They couldn't be more accommodating with how nice they were, with a doggy menu, including a puppuccino. Last time we went we were told that there is no dog menu any more due to health land safety reasons?? So on this basis I'm now judging it purely as a pub. The decor is okay and the beers reasonably priced, however, the food is poor and not great value. It's a shame as I was willing to overlook this as it was somewhere we could take the dog and give her a treat, but now won't be going back any time soon.

Food was really nice and the price was reasonable. Loads of parking and a nice pub grub venue.. Lovely large gardens for the summer 🌞 Give it a try

Great atmosphere, polite and friendly staff, excellent food and drink - would highly recommend!

Great new look! We come every other Sunday the roasts are amazing. The beef rib is my go too!

Had a lovely lunch staff were really pleasant and helpful. Pub looks great since it's recent refurbishment. Would definitely recommend.

Had a lovely family meal. Generous portions, steak cooked perfectly. Staff very friendly and welcoming. Will definitely return.

The staff service and food were great.

Quite nice, only had a sandwich and drink but will come back and try a meal

Amazing Sunday roast, especially the rib of beef

The service was perfect the setting cosy and like a home. The food beautiful. I was an old customer of the lodge some 30 years ago. They lost me when it went Thai but they have me again good value just what you want

All staff at the pub were lovely and helpful, the service was great and the food (and drink) was excellent. Nice vibe in the restaurant too.

Great food and drink in a historic building, even better after its recent refurbishment.

Lovely to pop in for a late lunch, it was really busy and the ladies behind the bar did a great job. The food was tasty and just what we needed

Terrible service - went for a meal with my wife having booked a table and on arrival was shown to a table not ready. Waiter was polite but obviously stressed as appeared to be working on his own. Attended the bar to order food and found a lady in front of me also waiting the barmaid to finish serving another customer where it was obvious a barrel had just finished,resulting in the barmaid just wandering off to change it with no words said such as “just changing the barrel back soon” etc… to change the barrel the bar maid had to go to a lower bar then into the cellar, just off a lower bar, where she was about 5 minutes before coming out and ignoring the bar I was at at. The bar maid then into view of myself and the other lady began serving customers in the lower bar who had been there for literally a couple of minutes followed by another 4 or 5 customers who arrived afterwards. After approximately 20 minutes of being ignored I called down to the waitress who promptly ignored the bar I was at and carried on serving, therefore after 25 plus minutes my wife and I left as obviously The Lodge doesn’t need dinner customers and drinks only to apparent locals is enough. Not recommended went!!

Love what they've done, staff very pleasant just not enough a long wait to be served a drink. It was busy but should have had more staff

I'm coming back, and with a nice cup of tea

Great food, good prices and friendly efficient service

Had a meal with friends (five), overall experience was good. The food was excellent! Friendly, helpful customer service and lovely staff. The restaurant area is comfortable and quiet to eat and chat. Unfortunately at times I felt the restaurant was little chaotic. The pub was busy when entering, it did take a while to be seated at the restaurant area. Once at the restaurant area, we had to order our own food & drinks or by the app. This meant ordering food, from the busiest part of the pub. Sadly I didn’t feel the full restaurant experience. Overall my experience was good, I would return again, but during a quieter period.

Great place for both food and drink, staff are polite and very competent. Good choice on the menu, served timely and with a smile.

Food well presented,piping hot and really delicious. Staff very friendly.

Great service! brilliant food, very attentive and caring will defo come back again

Pleasant atmosphere good value and choice.

We attended on New Years Eve for a late lunch and a few drinks. The staff are very friendly and attentive. The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere, nice decor, spotless restrooms, excellent selection of drinks. We also visited in the summer before its renovation and sat on the front lawn, plenty of tables, and a handy app for ordering drinks.

Been twice in the last 2 months, Christmas meal & New Years Day. Firstly, was very impressed with the food….. piping hot, good size portions and delicious. The service at our Christmas meal was good, however, the lack of decent service on New Year’s Day was a shame. I get it’s a ‘pub’ and there’s no-one to greet you as such, but it is a shame you have to find someone to ask where to sit. There were 2 ladies serving, the one with the longer hair is much more helpful & friendly than the other one- who plonked our cutlery at the end of the table without saying anything! I would go back as the good is so good, but I feel the service does need improving from some of the staff.

Visited the lodge on Christmas eve 2024 after we had such a good time on Christmas Eve the year before. Walked in mid morning on Christmas Eve and it was nearly empty. Went to the bar and the bar staff serving asked if we had a table booked, we said no. They said we could stand at the bar only as you had to book a table to drink. The atmosphere was terrible and there were only about 15 to 20 in the pub. We left and went to another pub in the high street and the atmosphere was brilliant. We have visited the lodge on numerous occasions before and have had a good time. We were so disappointed and it feels like the pub has lost it’s Christmas spirit.

Excellent Christmas dinner - on Christmas day. Great service, food, atmosphere

The Rayleigh lodge is our local, we always enjoy the food and atmosphere. The staff are always helpful, polite and welcoming. Thank you for a lovely New Year’s Eve Meal.

All the stars. Came down from Liverpool to meet up with some mates and had a chilled NYE lunch with them and all our kids. Great people serving and ace food - caters well for those with allergies. Get down to the Lodge.

Most enjoyable afternoon lunch food was excellent

Have visited this pub various times over the past few years but must leave a review based on having Christmas dinner here. Brilliant! Thoroughly recommend

Shocking food service, complete lack of available dishes, when choices made slow service and cold food delivered.

Tonight we had the Abba theme night and the performers definitely put on a great show. Good customer service from the likes of Kerry, Leah and Tom the manager. Will definitely go again. Highly recommended!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lovely evening with amazing tribute act. Friendly staff who are always polite. Food was lovely and hot. Great atmosphere for a girls night out.

Fantastic ABBA night at the Rayleigh Lodge tonight Great food, great atmosphere and faultless services

Came down for the ABBA Night, fantasic night and lovely food.

Had a lovely meal with friends and a few drinks too. Love the refurbishment. Christmas decorations look great and lovely lighting. Comfy chairs.

Group Christmas meal with 19 people. Initially it was nice, pub has been redone so it looks lovely. As with all group meals you have the list of who has what. Our server/front of house didn’t have a list which is unusual and despite confirming who was having what things arrived not on the list. We were initially asked to pay for them as they weren’t told otherwise but the meals weren’t on our list. No problem, initially it was only 1 extra but then 2 extra deserts arrived so the maths doesn’t add up there. We explained we had come in with an updated list in advance and everything had been organised and was written down (Christmas meals with lots of people are often a nightmare). Our server said she wasn’t told this so essentially it wasn’t her problem and we needed to pay. Finally it was agreed we didn’t as I pointed out that a lack of communication between staff isn’t our fault. This whole thing would have been absolutely fine and I would’ve been grateful for fast service and nice food especially with a noisy work meal. However some things ruined it completely: both staff rolling their eyes when people didn’t answer quick enough for what they ordered, “if you won’t answer I’ll just leave it” (genuinely 5 seconds and people were working it out with the list), slinging plates on the table, comments between both servers. Sadly everyone noticed and because of this we didn’t leave a tip. Patience and a smile doesn’t cost anything especially if you’re in hospitality

Walked in. No staff to greet us. Saw our reserved table in the top area to the dining area. Tried to book drink and meals via app. Nothing on set menu was available. Stood at bar for service but no one manning top bar it seamed in all the time I stood there. After 45 mins we left and had a lovely meal elsewhere.

Our family booked a reservation for 22, each course was delivered together on time, and everyone agreed the food was very good. The servers were very friendly, will visit again soon

Great food, good atmosphere, but unless you like being ignored, don't wait at the top bar for a drink. You always get overlooked for customers on the lower level. There is a convex mirror but clearly they don't use it.

Brilliant, service was quick, food was good, everyone had what they needed. Perfect family meal

We booked online but it doesn't mention you need to prebook your festive meal to get the same price. There is no table service, again we were not told, and sat there like lemons waiting to be served,after requesting to see the manager he gave us the online price. The food was ok but the veg 'seemed' to be frozen not fresh. I won't be visiting again, can't speak for the rest of our group.

Breakfast with Father Christmas experience was lovely, Service was fantastic and everyone made a great effort to make the morning magical for the kids.

We ordered 3 roast dinners with extras! When it eventually arrives freezing cold, 1 extras missing and only one small pot of gravy for all 3! We ordered drinks and they didn’t arrive either. The gravy went down the sink and I made my own. Usually we use Toby Carvery however thought we would use an independent as more personal, huge mistake! The potatoes are like the tinned new potatoes and clearly not cooked fresh, they had been reheated or at least tasted that way, not crispy and fluffy like you would expect. Dissatisfied is an understatement, I should have done my due diligence and checked the reviews first, however that’s on me. We shall certainly never use them again and shall stick with Toby Carvery. It’s a lot of money to spend and then to not even receive what we paid for is disgusting. No doubt I will get their usual standard response to this review that has absolute no sincerity attached. Spend your hard earned money somewhere else.

Booked for a family birthday for a large group. As it was the festive season we had to order the food in advance which was not a problem. We had a variety of meals and all orders were correct and hot when delivered. Everyone agreed the food was good, i particularly enjoyed the Sea Bass from the festive menu. The service was good and we were not rushed. All the staff were helpfull, efficient and friendly.

Food was good but charging £7.50 for a pint of Stella is ridiculous

2x dietary needs- gluten & garlic intolerant, gluten & lactose intolerant. Manager Tom spent time listening to my and my friend's needs. He then spent time with Chef, Dan, going through the evening menu and Festive menus to decide which items on the menu were safe for us both. Tom then typed up a safe-choice menu for us to choose from! What an absolute star! I took a typed menu choice back in advance of the night I had booked. On the night, Tom and his staff could not have been more accommodating and friendly. I have noise sensitivity, so Tom even found us a table in a quieter area! The food was cooked exactly as requested, it was all delicious and safe for us. There is a separate fryer for gluten free foods and a separate prep area which was cleaned down before our food was prepared. I am back there later this month, and I am really looking forward to it, knowing I will be safe to eat there. Thank you Tom and Dan and all the staff!

Had a meal and prosecco in the bar area with fresh cooked nachos. Friendly staff and good food, ideal for a casual night out.

Spent my birthday here, had an amazing meal, served by friendly staff. Really couldn't ask for more. It was such a pleasant experience we went back the very next day. (Got to milk it for your birthday!) Made dinning out during lockdown pleasurable (7th October 2020)

Excellent staff and beer selection .

I took my support group for lunch at the Rayleigh lodge. There were 21 of us. We had a private area for our group. We were very well looked after, the staff were delightful. The food was served hot and nicely cooked. Thank you rayleigh lodge staff.

Most definitely recommend great service, lovely food, we will definitely be going back very soon indeed.

Shell and co, thanks very much for your hospitality and celebrating a special birthday. Such pleasure. Until next time!

I went to The Rayleigh Lodge on Friday and was served by Lewis. He was very friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend coming here, great food and service.

We would like to give a mention to Shell and Leah who are very attentive to our tables. We were a large party of 16 and they were very good with the customer service… ***** Five stars 🤩

Another great meal here food service was perfect as usual love the new refurb looks amazing very welcoming

We ordered a roast. When the waitress came up and asked who had gammon I raised my hand. She placed the plate down. Asked who had another gammon we all said everyone else ordered beef. She asked if we were table 8. To which I said no. She then snatched the plate back and gave us the most evil look like it was our fault. We had to ask for knives and forks when our food came. Everything seemed like we were putting them out. Not a happy work force. Food was ok but roast potatoes were hard. Not soft and fluffy. I think it was extremely busy there and they were struggling to cope

Horrible food and service Won't go again

Beautiful food. Kept everyone in our group happy. Carvery was really nice and the lady serving the carvery was laughing and joking with everyone she was lovely 😁

Reasonably priced. We waited over an hour for food, chips were cold.The app wasn't very user friendly, eg. couldn't ask for no peas, add lemonade to our wine

Had a lovely family meal at the lodge, staff were more than helpful, food was brought out quick and hot. Amazing service bar staff were lovely couldn’t rate the place more

Great staff, really friendly. Enjoyed our meal.

Brilliant service, food and drink. Lovely steak and perfect guiness

Went to the Rayleigh lodge with my friend for the first time. Was very impressed food was fantastic staff very friendly and polite. We had the 2 course set menu. The caramel cheese cake was very yummy. The prices were excellent well worth the money. Will be visiting there again

I went here for dinner on Monday evening, had a mixed grill with a substitution to have salad, great value for money and we were served by George who was extremely friendly and checked in on us frequently and could answer lots of enquiries we had about the low calorie soft drinks they offer. Fab time, thanks George and the team :)

Had a family dinner, they looked after us well considering the number of people. Food was lovely. Staff were so friendly.

Absolutely brilliant venue, staff are friendly, helpful and you can tell they all try to go the extra mile in every way. Food was hot and well presented Not a long wait And good value for money Would highly recommend the Rayleigh Lodge

Food is still disgusting even after a renovation, went there today for lunch, nit nice, also send sloppy desserts back service terrible, never again

Beer,OK,Although The Guinness Didnt Seem Up To Par,It Usually The Best Guinness Around,But Not Tonight,Food Was OK,But I Now Take Great Exception To The Tvs Which Are Now Everywhere,The Upper Bar,Where We Used To Like To Sit,Now Has A TV Tuned In To The BBC News Channel,FFS! Why? And Walking Through To The Rather Nice Toilet, No One Was Watching,Get Rid,Also Now In The Restaurant Area,Again Why? Be Nice To Go Somewhere Whithout A Bloody Telly!

Absolutely superb place. Fabulous staff and fabulous food. Prices so very reasonable. Got a lovely welcome. Will certainly be going back. Great service and great surroundings. We thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday lunch, dessert and visit. Recommend this place

Had a lovely meal Sunday evening. Nice seating area. Staff Very polite. Cost of meal very reasonably priced.

Best meal I’ve had at the lodge for a long time. It was busy but staff were helpful and service was good. Just wondered if it would be possible to make one side of the pub a no dog zone. I just don’t want to eat my meal sat next to a dog that barks every time someone comes in the door!

The Food and staff were amazing, quality food, service was spot on.

Visited with friends. Good tasty pub grub. Love that dogs are allowed, made my day seeing various gorgeous breeds, as we were by a big window looking at the outside space. Staff were all polite & friendly. Clean and tidy in our area (I didn't go walking round). This was our 2nd visit and would go again. Recommended

Went Friday night with my family had the rump steak cooked perfect great service lovely atmosphere family friendly Roz who served us really looked after us will definitely be back

Went for a family birthday Group of 10 and the food was very nice also great value for money And the staff was friendly with good Service

Lovely location for a pub and lots of outdoor seating. I cannot comment on the food as I've not eaten there. Service at the bar was slow however seemed to be understaffed.

Went with a group of friends and it was quite busy but all things considered we didn't have to wait long to be served. Food was nice and hot and decent sized portions. Good selection to choose from and an option for smaller portions from a fixed price menu. Good value and plenty of parking.

Decided to try this place as we thought would have a late lunch. My husband went to the bar to order drinks whilst I looked at the menu. All we could hear were a group of men swearing sitting near the bar. Member if staff did not ask them to tone their language so returned the drinks and left. Would definitely not reccomend this place at all

Went out for dinner on Saturday and food and staff were great.

Pleasant stuff, lovely food, great crowd. Would recommend!

Was so lovely and staff was very welcoming and food was outstanding

Nice sunny afternoon with friends in the Lodge. Quite busy but staff dealt with it well and waiting was minimal. Good choice of drinks and reasonable price. Will be back soon

Poor service, whole place needs a revamp really run down, chairs worn out, sponge hanging out of seat. Main meal served before starter, so cancelled starter & had refund, ordered skin on fries and got chunky chips. Went to order a Mocktail which was on the menu, bar staff didnt know what it was, finally found it on the screen. wouldn't come back here if you paid me.

The setting was pleasant, and the staff were friendly and helpful. But the steak I had was tough as old boots and completely overcooked. Asked for rare, got well-done (and then some).

Haven’t been for a while so thought we’d give it a try. We were pleasantly surprised. My wife had the Calamari to start and she said it’s the best she has ever had. And we have owned an apartment in Tenerife for forty years so we know our Calamari. I had Lamb kofta which was tasty, perhaps a little garnish would be nice but it was fine. My wife had a Rump Steak and it was perfect. I had a Salad with Chicken Tikka. It was really tasty and plentiful. Overall it was a pleasant experience with good friendly service. To top it all there was a Classic Car Club meeting outside and with me being an owner of a classic car was a nice touch. We will be back.

The lasagne was lovely, the service really friendly, thanks for great afternoon

Food was exceptional. Sausage and mash very flavourful and the onion fries a great inclusion. Lasagna looked amazing too.