The Watermill in Basildon

Stood at the front of house for almost 15 minutes waiting to be seated. Once seated, it was another 20 minutes or so before someone came to take my order. 45 minutes later, my food arrived and it was NOT worth the wait. I’m had the mixed grill and I was really disappointed. The chicken breast was almost non existent, more like a budgie breast. Steak was overcooked and very dry. Sausages were thin and tasteless and the triple cooked chips were somehow undercooked.

Went in today and asked for a table for 2, was told there are no tables at all for tonight and can't book anything. Left the restaurant and checkeeld the website to find that there was lots of availability starting from a 40 mins wait.- yet the number of staff said, there was nothing! From the second I walked in, I believe I was treated differently. All the staff stared at me and left me waiting there for ages before even coming over to me. I feel the establishment treated me differently due to the colour of my skin!

We came to celebrate our anniversary. We had 3 courses and were absolutely stuffed after. Our server, Lyn was very friendly and polite.

Food was lovely and Lyn the server was kind. Little mix up with drinks but nothing that wasn't resolved. Always a nice visit and set menu was good price

Had to wait a long time for food to be served. When the food arrived it was cold. We couldn't get the waitresses attention to get drink refill. In the end we had to go downstairs looking for a waitress.

All I can say is that it was all average. The moral of the staff seemed very low.

As a beefeater goes the food was nice, shame about the endless chips being taken off the menu... But I digress Would like to give our waitress Nicola a massive shout out, as much as we where only there 2 days she went above and beyond each and every time we where in, from squeezing us in to tables when there was over an hour wait, to literally running around taking drink and sides orders from us, she deserves any recognition possible for her amazing service Would 100% recommend and if back in the area will be back again based on the service alone

A pleasent meal. Great service from Lyn. An ideal birthday treat. Thanks Beefeater

Staff nice food poor really grufty dirty everything sticky needs a lot of work smarting up. Area manager needs to get a grip

The food was perfection and the staff were so nice

Been there quite a few times. Seem to not have a few things on the menu. Rib's were good but have gone downhill recently we have mentioned it and were told that they have a new supplier. It's part of a pub chain so I suppose that is to be expected. Seems to gone down hill a bit. Staff still good but being let down badly by the company. . This is edited on from previous review. Pie was expensive for what it was. Spoon full of peas and small portion of chips. Company needs to sort out portion sizes as this seems to be the norm.

After waiting 50 mins after eating starter main meal arrived. Chips cold, medium rare sirloin that was ordered came up well done. Food sent back and following steak was closer to rare an chewy. Would not eat there again

Amazing service from Lyn today for lunch. Customer service was 10/10. Was very helpful and polite. Will definitely be returning also manager peter is always a pleasure and we look faward to coming back x

Sunday Lunch - arrived a 2pm - restaurant seemed relatively quiet. Asked the waitress for the sunday lunch menu as we only received the main menu. Waitress said only roast beef left - we ordered 2 roast beef which arrived luke warm. Two other diners were seated next to us and asked for the sunday lunch menu only to be told they had run out, they got up and left. Seems as though you need to get there at mid-day for a roast!

Food was only warm and not great quality, dirty tables everywhere, took awhile to be seated even after being noticed by staff

Very helpful and polite great staff and food will come back Time and time again

The place is first class the young guy that see us at desk and see us to our seats was outstanding never got his name but I gave him a £50 pound note to change up for the meal and he said he ain't seen one but the guy was outstanding I've seen him there before but an ambassador for your company so helpful and genuine and good at his job the breakfast was first class everything was hit or cold as it should be well done staff from the reception staff and cooks fabulous place and clean well recommend it

Alex was so lovely Stopped coming 2 years ago due to poor service. Today Alex put everyone to shame Brilliant young man. Great service, so polite. Will be back now. Thank god that horrible Karen isn't there any more

Visited yesterday early evening having not been there for 15 years. All the usual fayre in pleasant surroundings. Good size car park with access to the restaurant via a lift for disabled or less able bodied patrons. Friendly staff and prompt service. Several items (particularly desserts) had sold out, but this didn't spoil our experience. Would certainly visit again.

Quieter location, lovely tasty food, Great desserts - sundae is amazing!! Only negative is could do with more staffing.

Posting on behalf of my mother who had a poor experience here. She tried to contact Beefeater with her feedback as it could potentially be an allergy issue for other customers and her email went unanswered. She then tried to phone Whitbread to discuss, waited on hold for 30 minutes and when she finally got through the member of staff on the phone complained that the connection was poor, made excuses so as not to find the email and, when she did eventually find it, said that the phone connection was so bad that she had to terminate the call despite my mum being able to hear every word. Appalling service from the head office.

Good place for food, nice outdoor space

Food was lovely little bit of waiting but we’ll worth it will most definitely be back

It is shocking in here. Everytime we attempt to come here, the staff are miserable, the service is poor and the place is dirty. Highly recommend avoiding. Today was the final straw for us, we have given this restaurant numerous opportunities over the years as we live local but it has never improved. Today we booked for a 10:15am breakfast. We got to the restaurant and waited to be seated for 15 minutes. Even once the host met us, he was huffing and puffing, not making any form of eye contact and looked very miserable. We got sat at the back of the restaurant, surrounded by tables with buckets full of dirty plates and cutlery where they hadn't been clearing things properly. We was given a highchair for our youngest and it hadn't even been cleaned. It was full of wet disgusting food. Absolutely vile. My partner went to the continental breakfast section for our two children to get them some food and there was virtually nothing there. No pastry's of any kind left, only crumpets and some hard stale pieces of bread. We just left and didn't even eat. Never going to return. We went somewhere else and had a much better experience all round.

Even with a discount code, the food at this place really isn't that good. The food was bland, service was good, but didn't make up for the overall experience.

Food was really nice and enjoyable. Staff was lovely and very help regarding allergies and was a nice atmosphere

We have eaten here a few times now, they cater very well for intorlences and allergies and you feel relaxed about it there, the staff goes out of their way to help. Service is good, staff are lovely. The food is good too.

Excellent service and food,never been disappointed ,full marks to alex for his manor and great service ,and also the rest of the staff too

Been hear twice before and it was horrible the food was discusting and the place was filth....however....this recent trip. I dont know what has changed but the place was lovely and clean and the food was on point and the service was faultless. i woulf deffinatly give them another go and look forward to the next meal

Fantastic breakfast and no rushing about just taking our time and enjoying it

We ate their breakfast buffet which included everything. There was hot cooked food and I ordered the mushroom, tomato and egg which was fantastically good. At the continental breakfast I had their pancakes, Greek yogurt but there was plenty to choose from and everything looked really good. Then there were plenty to drink. For the price and the fact that you could eat as much as you wanted, but the fact that the children ate for free made it even cheaper :) We were 4 adults and 4 children. The staff were very nice

Vicky was very kind and served me quickly and even offered to let me try their vegan ice cream before committing to it and paying (as the regular ice cream was out)

spiders everywhere, food took too long, had rude customer service it’s just not on for told we were going to be sat down and weren’t we had to find ourselves a table apparently have a look at the pictures of the spiders, had to wait bloody ages to get our drinks at the bar aswell not happy at all

Called in for a coffee, service was great, served with a smile...

Good value food. Sometimes menu limited, food unavailable. Seating good. Plenty of room, not squashed in. Service good, not rushed.

Run down dirty beefeater, would probably never eat here again.

The food was beautifully cooked and piping hot when our waitress, Lyn, bought it to the table. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming and helped by Lyn, for who nothing was too much trouble. Wall to wall service and very good food, top job!

Waited ages to be seated when there was hardly anyone there. Food was probably thr worst I've ever had. Dry as ghandis flipflop. 2 of us Violently Ill the next day. What a waste of £100. Staff were decent and polite however chef lacking any chef skills . Do not recommend.

Had the steak was cooked perfectly 👌

Went here for ‘unlimited’ breakfast , but you have to order your fry up and it takes 40 minutes to get your 1 plate of food. So you’re meant to let the waitress know if you want more after but time you get your first plate and eat it there’s no time to order a second plate because breakfast will be finished! Scrambled egg was like rubber, portion was small. Not worth £10.99, stick to Toby!!

We stayed at the Premiere Inn next to this restaurant. The food was excellent. Not one complaint about the food from any of us. The waitress was helpful and kept our drinks topped up. Definitely recommend the place. We also had breakfast. The full English was fresh and well presented. You could also help yourself to cereal, Toast and crumpets, fruit and juices, yoghurts. Spot on!

This is no ordinary Beefeater, the food was excellent.

Enjoyed breakfast no complaints exceptional service from Tom despite card machine not working. Will definitely return.

Staying at the Premier Inn, and booked the all-inclusive breakfast. Greeted at the door with “have you booked?”, which we haven’t, then “I’m sure it’ll be ok, pick anywhere to sit. Tables strewn with uncleared plates and food. Sat down at a free table, and helped ourselves to tea and fruit juice from a messy breakfast area. Nothing cleared or wiped. Coffee machine not working. Employee came along reached across customers and pulled something out of the top. Literally 3 teabags left. Eventually a guy came to table, no sorry for the wait, just blunt. Same guy a few minutes late clearing tables of plates into a plastic container making a racket with zero regard for customers trying to eat their breakfast. Utter shambles. The place has seen better days.

We go for breakfast Saturday morning usually the same two chaps waiting. They are always good, helpful and quick

I hadn’t eaten here for years but thought I would give it another shot. Had to wait a while to be acknowledged but when we were the staff were friendly and helpful (particularly Gemma &Tom). Steak, salad and fish & chips were all tasty. Good value with Meerkat Movies discount. There’s a lift for disabled access and it says to ring the bell for assistance, but no one came and so my disabled friend had to struggle up the stairs. One toilet was broken and the place in general needs a refurb. Saying that, I would probably return for good value classic British pub grub.

Ladies toilets were a problem as in only one out of three working. Also for the size of the restaurant I would question if there are enough of them.

Good food but the restaurant needs a facelift

Food was tasty Gemma our waitress was os good. Checking everything was OK. Food delivered quickly. Thank you Gemma for excellent service

Gemma was an amazing hostess. She was attentive but left us alone to enjoy our experience. Nothing was too much trouble. Great food, great service. Thank you Gemma!

Had a great experience. Lynn, our waitress couldn't go out of her way enough to help us. Thank you so much

Food was very good.Sadly Minus 3 for the sloppy unprofessional staff. That need to be trained in hospitality. even the chef felt the need to apologize for there behavior. Our family night ruined by tardy staff.

They had run out of most things 3 or 4 chips on plate so waitress bought us more Steak was really chard suppose to be medium to rare no mushroom Just small chip 1/2 Tomatoe steak and not cheap

Our second visit to meet up for a meal with friends and yet again, we were really happy. The food is delicious and the prices reasonable. We would like to say a particular thank you to Karen D who was fantastically consistent as she was professional and cheery on both occasions.

Jane was absolutely lovely. We had several issues with the food, but Jane had sorted it out each time. The restaurant was a little loud and the tables could be spread out a little more.

Went for breakfast after staying in the hotel. Poor slow service, that had to be encouraged by the hotel PR team. Hot food was cold, and poor selection of continental breakfast food, no plates, no cups etc

Really nice friendly service from Alex at breakfast and from Jade at dinner. Thanks both

Great food, could of done with a little more on the plate, even if it was some salad to fill the plate but food quality was excellent

So visit - overnight stay with work. I received excellent service- quick and efficient with friendly welcoming staff. Lynn was great! I had a good steak and calamari but the salad was a bit soggy!

Dreadful meal for a Beefeater. Steak overcooked, prawns overcooked and brown limp lettuce, along with a over oiled, over cooked chip. Sent it all back and left. Went hungry, but put us off ordering another dish

Always have a great breakfast here and it's always made better when Alex is on shift. I've seen him deal with some grumpy customers to say the least and it's water off a ducks back, he is always so positive, cheerful and helpful.

Went for breakfast here. Was ok but nothing special

Had a lovely birthday lunch today our server Lyn D.was a lovely lady very attentive and helpful.She's and asset for the company.Thank you Beefeater for my birthday mains it was lovely. I would highly recommend this venue and company.

very warm friendly welcome with no rush to sit down at the table. Our waitress was lynn was very friendly and with a great sense of humour and gave us fantastic service. Food was lovely and we enjoyed a great night thanks again

We have visited numerous times for breakfast. Selection is amazing, service is fast and the staff are always extremely friendly and helpful

Went along to the Beefeater in Basildon and I can honestly say that the waitress, Karen D, was absolutely marvellous. That were short staffed and I could see she was rushing about, trying to do her utmost, so we had a great evening with friends. Thank you so much.

We live across the road from Watermill and often pop in for breakfast. The restaurant is clean and the food was great. We were seated quickly even though we had not booked. The service was quick and the buffet fresh. Plenty of choice for cereals and toastables. The kitchen supplied perfectly cooked food. Our server, Tom, was polite and mannerly, a gentleman who showed us to our table with a cheerful smile and a good humour.

Love this place ,it like going to meet your family. Very warm and welcoming all good polite staff.serving staff goes a extra mile has to be karen and tom. Well done . I think if it had a free salad bar it would increase foot traffic. We come here offen yes they can be a wait for food. Breakfast is brill kitchen manager does the best fried eggs. Lunch is great too ,but we love the sunday roast yummy.

Went to their watermill on Monday with my wife. We were served by Lynn. She was very friendly and her service was excellent, nothing too much trouble. Thank you Lynn .

Nice food at a reasonable price. The service we received was good service and our waitress Karen was very attentive and friendly.

Popped in for a quick bite to eat. Food was great for the money paid. Waitress (Lyn O) was very polite and attentive Great service.

We visited twice over the weekend. Karen & Lyn were our waitresses. They were attentive, friendly and helpful. The food was tasty, hot and served in a good time. The portions were not huge but decent enough sizes. We had beer and soft drinks which were fine. Cost of the meals & drinks were about average compared to other restaurants. As a rewards member we got discounted which made the meals financially easier. The restaurant, conservatory and decor were fine. We were all happy with our food and drinks. We felt most comfortable by our waitresses and our requests were met without any issue by Karen or Lyn.

Booked a table, but at first as arrived fairly early decided to have a drink in the bar area. A bartender called Peter was extremely helpful and certainly made us feel welcome. My partner is diabetic and asked his advice on what sugar free drinks they sell. Even though Peter had a a couple of customers waiting after us he certainly had knowledge of every drink that would be suitable. I would certainly give this gentleman 10 out of 10, Certainly one reason we will be back soon.

This is a great local location to come in for a few drinks and relaxation time :-) The staff are friendly and accommodating and somehow seem to always be able to remember your name and what you drink which gives the visit that extra personal touch :-) I find it a very relaxed and safe atmosphere to be in and would highly recommend a visit, whether you’re a family visiting for a special occasion, friends catching up for a gossip or just dropping in to do a bit of work on your laptop during the week. I have 5 stars 🌟

Karen D amazing service great sense of humour. Food was nice too had a blue steak and I would say cooked to perfection but I don’t like it cooked so good job there

Alex was a very polite and friendly waiter and over All I enjoyed my breakfast I would recommend , he was very precise with the making sure the person gets the right amount of food.

What a great experience at this beefeater my server Alex a young man who had a permanent smile on his face and was very attentive wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this establishment

Run down.Needs a update .2nd time the steak i had was full of fat and gristle.Also problem with a smell from toilets which management knew about but surely the place should have been closed until rectified.Also full of noisy and unruly people swearing .Will not go again and my advice is to avoid

I dined here for one night for dinner and then in the morning breakfast lovely family atmosophere positive staff everywhere didn’t catch there name sadly but to describe you had a blonde lady with glasses doing my area of dinner and she helped and served me the best she could even though she had 2 groups of 6 and a couple other couples and I was alone but still didn’t make me wait long and when she did serve me it was positive energy nothing was too much food was lovely too and then I came in this morning just after check out and was greated by a bald gentlemen who was on his own on the floor and again such great service went out his way to heat pancakes up for me and do anything he could while running the floor alone perfect display of customer service and hope this would transfer over to the other side of Essex lol thank you to the team who had me

Good attentive service from Lyn (our server) was always there just at the right time. Nice food and a good atmosphere for a Sunday dinner

Literally the worst service I have ever had at any establishment! I stay at premier inn once a month but this restaurant is by far the worst. Very rude and moody staff (apart from one young guy). I was the only black person in the place and was treated so badly yet I watched the lady serving me treating others with such a friendly welcoming voice but was cold to me. She didn’t even explain how the hot breakfast works and gives me an attitude when I asked where the hot breakfast section is. I asked for well done eggs, they came raw and had to send my food back again after waiting so long for the hot breakfast. My beans were dry, soggy hash browns and it was now lukewarm when it came back. I wanted to pay and leave but the guy serving others before me refused to take my payment and told me to wait his colleague will come and take mine and he walked away. I was so buffled, I would have given 0-5 if I could. I don’t usually write reviews but this had to be said.

Gemma is such a lovely member of your staff . Always smiling and always happy to help. Always great to come back here. I stay here at lease once a month. So always lovely to see lovely staff when i come back here. Gemma is a credit to your staff here.

We had booked a table but was greeted by some one shouting 'if you are not booked it will be an hour wait ' I said we has booked

A great dinner at this Beefeater. Menu was just the right size with the right amount of choice. Really good quality meals were served and great service from Lyn made this a memorable visit. We are staying next door at Premier Inn so it was the convenient choice and provides breakfast service for them too.

Visited with the family during school holidays. Food was tasty and hot, arriving to us in good time. I enjoyed the Beefeater combo, cooked just how I requested. Restaurant was clean. We will be back!

Visited with the family during the school holidays. Food was great, tasty and hot. Arriving to our table quickly. Staff knowledgeable of our dietary needs. Will certainly be back

Great evening and service by Lyn. Thank you

Cannot fault the staff who went above and beyond expectations.

Booked into the Premier inn next door and went into the bar for a drink. It’s been 20 years since I had been in there and remember it has being a nice bar. Not any more. Grotty broken furniture and loud music through poor quality...

Staff are very nice. Would love some more food options

Damp smell and extremely cold had to put coat on so able to eat dinner. Wasn’t the only one with coat on either

We had a surprise 40th birthday meal there with 30 people this evening. Karen D helped us make everything run smoothly for the birthday boy. She was super quick getting our meals out and nothing was too much to ask. Thank you Karen D for...

Haven't been for years. Food good and reasonable. Nice staff !!

Lovely Sunday roast with the family .Genuine service from start to finish with a nice atmosphere.My only suggestion would be to do celebration cakes perhaps?

Beefeater - Watermill in Basildon. I come for breakfast here with my children and occasionally a friend. Service is amazing and staff are amazing especially Tom in particular. He is a Great asset to your company, he is very professional and friendly and accommodating.

I was so disgusted with service and attitude of the guy Andy that was on shift. We walked in he was no where to be seen so we seated ourselves untill he appeared 10 mims later the continental breakfast was poorly laid out and lacking in food and drink. The coffee machine wasn't working. Another guest pointed this out to Andy who's response was it just coffee get over it. If your paying for breakfast that includes tea and coffee you expect to get it. Andy was rude and aggressive towards other guests which made it very uncomfortable to actually sit and have breakfast. The cook breakfast wasn't great either it was all very undercooked needless to say we didn't eat here the second morning. Overall very disappointing

I was so disgusted with service and attitude of the guy Andy that was on shift. We walked in he was no where to be seen so we seated ourselves untill he appeared 10 mims later the continental breakfast was poorly laid out and lacking...

Breakfast service was absolutely horrendous. There wasn’t a member of staff to greet you, so after 10 mins of waiting with other customers, we just sat ourselves down. No one to say how the service worked if you’ve not done it before, no menu’s on tables and the manager Andy was less than welcoming. He then went on to be rude to a customer and had a row about coffee machine not working and what was the customers problem! All done in front of other customers, some Who had children. Not acceptable service at all. Talking to other diners, they felt very uncomfortable.

On Wednesday the 6th of march at 8 35pm I was served by this emo girl called lissy I believe her name was she was so polite and helped me out alot you see it was my kids birthday and I couldn't afford a big...

So if you like to listen to drug dealers chatting about how they avoid police its the bar for you ,it shuts early and its basic and nasty and dirty, the food is not good the squid hasnt seen the sea in years and cooked in old dirty oil, the prawns are really really dead and the sauce has a heated skin nice not , give it a miss.