The White Lion in Braintree

We're visiting from America and stayed in the thatched cottage next to the White Lion. Cindy and Neil were the best neighbors we could hope for. They've been kind and hospitable. Every evening, they light a cozy fire in the fireplace and turn on some relaxing tunes. It seems as though the White Lion is an important gathering place for the village. The patrons seemed to all be like happy family members, but were also very welcoming to outside guests. We enjoyed their chili on rice, nachos and a classic smash burger. They had quite a few other options on the menu as well, ranging from fish & chips to a variety of pizzas. They also had a kid's menu. Of course, they had a broad selection of beers and ales (and soft drinks for tee-totalers like us). It was just a great place all round to spend a few hours and relax.

Fantastic welcome and a great atmosphere.

Kind, friendly atmosphere and environment. Warm and welcoming staff and will definitely be back again 😌🙏🩷💜🧡

Local pub with great food and bar

Nice pub nice people ,very relaxing,i will always come in here when local,service with a smile is hard to come by these days

Garden re done and looks fantastic. Such a warm welcome from Cindy and Neil.

Lovely traditional pub. Staff are very friendly. We had Sunday lunch, the first time we had ever eaten in there under the new ownership. We wasn’t offered any menus. We had a choice of Beef or Turkey, and an extra offer of cauliflower cheese. We all had beef and turkey, the turkey was ok but the beef was not very nice, wafer thin and tasteless, if I didn’t know better I would say it came from a packet already sliced, a bit like sandwich beef. The vegetables were good, the cauliflower cheese was nothing special and tasteless. The potatoes were ok but very small and uniform so I assume from a packet and frozen. The portions were decent. I would probably have Sunday lunch again but would choose the Turkey and no cauliflower cheese. We wasn’t offered any starter or dessert.

The White Lion Pub is a cozy gem! Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and delicious drinks. Perfect spot for a relaxing night out with friends. 🍻🦁

From start to finish, the team at The White Lion went above and beyond to make my mother's 50th birthday party a truly memorable occasion. The pub is a cosy and welcoming space, full of character and charm, and we felt like part of the family from the moment we walked in. The staff couldn't have been more accommodating, taking the time to understand our needs and offering thoughtful suggestions to ensure that everything went off without a hitch. The drinks were all delicious, and the birthday girl was spoiled with her favorite treats and surprises throughout the evening. The party was a huge success, thanks in large part to the exceptional service and warm hospitality of the entire White Lion team. We will definitely be back for future gatherings! Thank you again Cindy and family!

We recently moved into the area and have slowly started to visit local eateries and pubs, The Tripadvisor reviews for The White Lion made it sound lovely. Oh, how first impressions can be wrong! Firstly the site says the pub is in Castle Headingham, it’s not! It’s in Sible Headingham. Very frustrating when you have walked and it takes you completely in the opposite direction! How has the owner not noticed the site is wrong? So back to the visit. We walked in the front door to be told “oh good you’re here, the chef wants to close the kitchen as he needs to clean down to do the burgers for the football” there was no offer of a menu, starters etc, just beef or turkey, oh and chefs “special” cauliflower cheese. All of this in the first 30 seconds of walking through the door! We both ordered the beef, this was a disgrace to the culinary profession. The vegetables looked grey, like they had been cooked for ever and maybe even microwaved, the roast potatoes I’m sure were mass produced Aunt Bessie efforts as they were all uniformly shaped and sized, the Yorkshire Puds were definitely frozen ones. The cauliflower cheese (the chef makes the sauce himself you know!) was flavourless and covered in cheap mild cheese that tasted of nothing. The worst part of the meal was the beef, it was wafer thin, commercially produced, grissle, I would not be surprised if it was reheated Tesco sandwich beef out of a packet. All this for £15 a head!!!!! Whoever cooked that meal should be ashamed of themselves and should not have the privilege to be called a chef if that’s all they can produce out of a professional commercial kitchen. We will definitely not be visiting again!

Fantastic place Booked for a 40+ christening, more than easily accomodated. Staff were fantastic and the food was great. Stayed for a meal - food continued to be excellent. Thank you to Saffron and her family!

Highly recommended the landlord & landlady are absolutely lovely. Good sunday lunch absolutely awesome cake

Had a brilliant experience at the white lion ! We had our daughters christening party here the food was amazing and all the staff were going above and beyond for our family and guests . Brilliant with the kids too ! Highly recommend

A super friendly pub with a lot of local customers. Real ales available and food too on certain days. Sports bar at the back for watching football. They have live music too.

Great local pub, dog friendly too.

First time at this pub met my daughter and friends reunion past work colleagues last night Saturday 9th dec just moved to halstead. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening great band lovley staff great atmosphere will definitely be returning.

Really lovely little pub, the whole team was very accommodating and the food was excellent and reasonably priced. Thank you

Lovely pub. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. The food is delicious and so reasonably priced. There's a nice garden with plenty of tables, sun and shade. Definitely recommend and a return customer.

Staff very friendly and helpful, Landlady is lovely very welcoming and makes sure your orders are seen to. Food is fresh, very tasty and good for your money, I ate in garden/courtyard area nice and cosy with outdoor lighting lovely atmosphere.

Food was good. Quite a local pub. Drinks were well priced.

The new owners have made a big effort with the pub, food and beer. Love it, we have a family friendly local.

Beautiful pub. Amazing transformation by the new owners. It is now light and bright. Excellent food, great choice of drinks. Friendly welcoming atmosphere.

Nice and friendly, good food, a proper pub.

Really nice and friendly pub, popular with locals and dog friendly. We were staying nearby and called in one night for a few drinks and the following night for a meal - it was really nice, good value and good quality.

Lovely atmosphere very bright and clean garden lovely dog friendly staff brilliant food lovely real ale and guest ale available

Under new management and making a big effort to get it all right. Real ale (green king ipa) guest ales coming soon. Had cheese burger and chips with side salad, less than £10. Staff are helpful and friendly. New owners have made it nice and bright and newly decorated.

Has outside catering in the car park most nights Welcome to bring in the pub to eat along with a good choice of beverages

Very friendly, dogs are allowed with a wall of pictures of previous dog visitors. Good price and Bands play each week

Went with a number of family members to pop by for some drinks and snacks. We had a very disappointing experience. We asked for a couple of hot drinks (mid afternoon) and after a heavy sigh we were told 'well as long as no one comes in for 2 hours as I am on my own, if I have to'. We asked for ice a couple of times which never came. We did not feel at all welcome and left quickly. Shame as could have been a nice little place

Open mic night was a joy! Very talented musicians. Lovely place.

Friendly pub, welcoming hosts. Put on some really good bands. Great atmosphere.

Absolutely brilliant a little gem lovely tea and cake interesting back story of how the tea room came about can't wait to go back

Lovely smart little tea room with a 1950s style. Very attentive service and everything clean. Easy access from the car park.

good food quick service friendly staff

Lovely time visiting Violet's caravan cafe

Lovely place and lovely food Me and 4 kids so was nice 😁

Violet's Tea Room at the White Lion, brilliant.

A wonderful breakfast.Very friendly and superb food

I went to violets cafe today and it was lovely, really nice staff. Definitely recommend.

Had great arvo here, great to hear some live music

Pukka little place, family owned, log fires, homely a lovely little gem

Very nice had my btothers wake thier pleasant and welcoming.

Lovely local pub that's extremely dog friendly. Beware, Yvonne and Jim will spoil them! All the team and all the people here are really great. Live music every now and then a cosy beer garden!

Lovely pub warm and welcoming. Entertainment is really good. Live locally so we walk, but it does have a car park should you need it.

friendly staff and friendly atmosphere 👍

Visited the evening, lovely pub respecting all the covid restrictions. Staff were polite and really helpful.

I visited last August it is a lovely venue especially for music. They also have a Pizza Van on a Thursday Evening and a Burger Van on a Friday evening. Jim and Yvonne are superb hosts.

Brill all round great atmosphere good luck ne safe

Excellent friendly service as always!

Visited recently after lockdown as we were staying at the cottage next door to the pub. Owners of the pub were lovely and very welcoming, allowing us to park on the car park etc. Unfortunately food wasn't available due to covid but the drinks and professionalism of the staff were top notch.... loved it here. Would visit here again and our dog (Maisie the lakeland terrier)... loved the rear garden

We popped in without booking for an early Sunday lunch with our puppy on the off chance of getting a table and we were lucky. We were made to feel very welcome, Barley was made a fuss of and was given treats. We chose Roast Pork and Roast Beef which was served with piping hot fresh veg and enormous Yorkshire puddings. Very tasty. Well worth a visit, but I would advise booking just in case.

Sible Hedingham as others have stated. Very nice owners, dog friendly (we had our puppy and they gave him a bowl of water and some biscuits free of charge - awesome!). Food is really really good and the pub has a nice cosy feel to it. Highly recommended.

The White Lion is in Sible Hedingham, not Castle Hedingham as Trip Advisor suggests. Just had a fabulous Sunday lunch in this great traditional pub with great beer and sensible prices it’s thoroughly recommended. It’s also featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Great pub food and very reasonably priced (both food and drink). We sat in the restaurant area at the back. Would recommend and would happily return if we were in the area again.

We sat in back room and had a very nice pub meal. I had Prawn Cocktail and Scampi and chips. Plenty of it and nicely presented. Everyone enjoyed the food. The only problem was the room was cold. As where toilets. They gave a gust of freezing air when you walked in. All radiators were cold. A small fire blowing out heat was blocked by people sitting in front of it. Service was very good.

Visited the White Lion for Sunday Lunch. They fitted us in in their lovely Jazz Room at the last minute. The service was excellent, we weren’t kept waiting, or hurried at any point. The food was good; traditional Sunday roast with home cooked food. I had the sweet potato veggie bake, which was very tasty. Portions were just right; I often find them too generous and I end up eating food I don’t want because I hate wasting food. Lovely traditional puddings. Bread and butter pud was not oversweet and even the coffee was good. I will definitely visit again, especially as it is within walking distance of my house. The only improvement for me would be to have the vegetable accompaniment a little crunchier, as I personally prefer crunchy veggies to soft ones.