The Woodbine Inn in Epping Forest

I brought a voucher on Groupon for my partner and I. We went along around 4pm and didn't need to book. The car park was really messy and unkept so I had concerns. It needed a general tidy up. Inside was a little dated. BUT very welcoming. A lady took us to a table and talked us through the substantial menu. A man came over and told us about the place and how it is run. local produce and all cooked fresh. They even make their own ice cream. The food was delicious and we both left full and very impressed with the chief and his food.

Came here on a recommendation & we were very pleased we did. All the staff were extremely polite & friendly. We had booked, so we're seated nice & promptly. Lovely choice of food on the menu & specials board. Ordered our starters, when they turned up, wow, nice portion sizes, then onto the mains. I had the Steak & Ale pie, which was homemade & tasted delicious. My wife had the salmon, which again she said was delicious. Couldn't be tempted by the deserts, were both totally stuffed. So, all in all, food was delicious, portion sizes were...filling, service 10/10. Thanks, Woodbine Inn. See you again soon.

Nice fish n chips, not northern fish n chips nice, but tasty for a southern offering.

The food tasted amazing. High quality chicken, sausage, and king prawns. Fresh everything. Amazing chips. Very generous portions. Friendly service.

Lovely atmosphere and staff. Great veggie roast dinner. Lots of gravy too! Great spot for having a drink on a sunny day. Thank you.

Amazing amount of food. We used a Groupon voucher so incredible value. Lovely hosts.

Been here a few times now and decided time to write a review. The staff are wonderful and professional. Service is definitely king here. Which brings us to food, oh my if nothing else this will have you coming back repeatedly. The bar snack is a hotdog to die for main meals generous and cooked perfectly with excellent presentation. There are regular changes to the specials board. Occasionally there are the most amazing scotch eggs seriously really amazing. They often have live music too Both does get busy but in a fun and exciting way. So if you get a chance pop in to say hi give the handsome dog a stroke (not sure if it’s the pubs dog or a regular customer). And have a pint and a great bite to eat.

First time visit. Food and service is excellent Stall very helpful and friendly. Good menu to meet everyones needs Definitely we will go again

Wonderful little pub with absolutely fantastic food. I highly recommend the bar dogs, so good I could have one every day. All the food is great hand made pizzas to succulent burgers and so much more. Staff are very friendly and have a no nonsense approach. Oh and regular live music nights, it gets busy during these but well worth it as the vibe is electric. Basically whatever you want from a quick pint to a full blown slap up meal you cannot go wrong.

You won’t find a better hotdog. What a brilliant place food is superb and the people who run it are so friendly as is the big black dog who is gorgeous. Visited a few times now and had a selection of their menu. Can’t fault anything. They also have regular specials on a board oh the ice cream is to die for too. Go there have fun and feel great.

The food is amazing. Well cooked, well dressed and portions are above average The team are re very friendly and accommodating .

Absolutely delicious food and a great selection of beer. The fish and chips was delightful and the chips were nicely fried. The homemade ice cream was one of the best ice creams I’ve had as well. The outer garden space was lovely and away from the main road. The staff was friendly as well. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my visit here.

Great Food, Great Service, Great Staff........ Highly Recommended !

what a find popped our heads in after a walk was a bit early but they welcomed us in and served us a drink anyway lovely staff had the best burgers we have ever had and even though we was full tried the ice cream (home made) and was excellent we are definitely coming back guy running it made it he was so nice and informative telling us about the food and beers better than any chain pub cannot fault it thank you for the amazing time

Yummy home cooked food. After a lovely dog walk. Very dog friendly, providing a filled water bowl for your dog🐾Delicious pudding with the smoothest homemade ice cream😋Hubby highly recommends the beer too🍺

Superb food, and service. The staff are very friendly. Highly recommended.

So quirky and the food is just delish. All homemade and you can really tell. The staff can’t do enough for you. Really is service with a smile. Had a Sunday roast, date and walnut cake with ice cream (homemade) for dessert. Would highly recommended, especially over a chain, the Woodbine Inn had really charm 🥰

Excellent meal and good service. This pub never disappoints whether it's a weekday meal or Sunday roast! Would definitely recommend them to family and friends...

Pizza was excellent, and so was the service!!

Amazingly delicious food. Best pub food we've had in years. Lovely home cooked food and home made ice cream. Great portions.

The owner was very friendly and accommodating as we didn’t book a table but he managed to find one for us. (Note: it was extremely busy on Sunday around 1 pm. Reservation is recommended.) He made sure the table was clean and told us a bit about the locally sourced ingredients and their home made ice cream. I had chicken Sunday roast (£17) which was nice. I give it 4/5 for flavours. Portion for fish n chips was large (£16). A nice find.

Amazing locally produced food and friendly dogs welcome too and the best homemade ice cream

The starter was OK but the chicken burger wasn't that nice tbh

Good selection of drinks. Food is nice. Pub a little tired, could do with a freshen up.

Five star service. The host was very good and food was amazing. Large portions and lovely homemade ice cream. One of the best pubs I have eaten.

Got the Groupon deal three-course meal for £28 for two. The food was lovely, decent portions and the lady that served us greeted us with a big smile and was happy, friendly and helpful. With the deal we had there was a £7 surcharge for the steak and £3 for a Stilton or peppercorn sauce. My partner had the steak which he couldn't stop raving about for days afterwards and he would quite happily pay £40plus for a steak of that quality. He was a very Happy customer. I had the chicken katsu and rice which they very kindly changed from chicken to quorn for me, it was delicious. Our starters and deserts were equally delicious 😋 We sat in the conservatory section of the pub, I thought it was going to be cold in there but it wasn't it was nice and cosy. We will definitely visit again as we have read so many good things about the roast dinners here, can't wait to try it!

This was our second visit for lunch and it didn't disappoint. The Woodbine is on the edge of Epping Forest, in pleasant surroundings. The food was delicious and served by attentive and hard working staff, who were very pleasant and helpful. We will be back.

Attended here as part of a group on deal and what an experience, when we first attended from the outside didn't think it was going to be that great, the pub was on the high road which didn't really give it the best look, but was i wrong, as soon as we got in we was greeted with a smile and the service was amazing throughout, the inside was very cosy, now lest talk about the food, as a starter i got whitebait which was so nice my partner got the stuffed mushroom which was equally lovely, as a meal i went for the steak which had a £7 surcharge, what an amazing steak it was, so tender and delicious, it was cooked exactly as i asked, the mushrooms, the chips and tomatoes was amazing, as a desert went for a brownie and home made ice cream which was soo soo nice, as a whole, the meal was a 10 out of 10 and i would have gladly paid double what i paid for that meal, so anyone thinking about going please dont think and do it, you wont be disappointed, I've reviewed a lot of places around the world and this place is in my top 10 easily.

What a gem . Fantastic food . We both had the pork chop , mustard made and veg cooked to perfection . Proper butchers chop . Tge wine was so well prised. Desert was fantastic I has banana and walnut cake . With home made coffee ice cream oh my gorgeous. I dont think I've ever been able to leave such a great review on all aspects of a visit. Looking forward to going back for a roast 😋

Went today with my husband the food is all freshly cooked from local farms it’s was delicious and the service was amazing the lady was so friendly well done

What an amazing pub. Friendly staff, warm cozy atmosphere, a great range of cask Ales and omg the food was awesome!!!! Homecooked food made with love and care and boy could you taste it. From Terry Choc orange icecream to scallops everything was cooked to perfection. Will definitely be back. Thank you for the best Valentines meal ever. X

Wow! Food was amazing. We had Prawn Cocktail to start then T-Bone steak which was huge and the Persian lamb which was so tender. Shame no room for dessert. Lovely service from Jules, thank you. Made to feel very welcome , even from their lovely dog. Would definitely recommend

Lovely roast dinner, service was great. Will defiantly be going back.

Great food, great service. The food was delicious

Very friendly service big portions and very tasty well worth a visit Thank you

Their 1st place as pub of the year is well earned. Thoroughly enjoyed their Sunday Roast and the kitchen even found some red currant jelly to go with my Chicken Supreme. Great customer service and traditional atmosphere.

Fantastic food and service always a selection of ciders and real ale

Absolutely love The Woodbine. Great cider, great beers, great staff, great food. And great Morris dancing if you're there on Boxing day or the right Monday evening in the summer.

Amazing food and service, highly recommend

We picked the Woodbine based on its reviews and because it was a half-way point between 2 families (Bucks/Kent) We parked in the park car park across the road, went for a quick walk to kill time and then braved the road crossing to the pub, where we were immediately shown to our table and ordered some drinks. We already knew the menu was proper "pub grub", so we knew what to expect... and it didn't disappoint. The food was fresh, hot, nicely presented and thoroughly enjoyed by all. The beer selection was perfect, a good mix of local beers along with some more popular lagers, and I was delighted to be served a pint of the UK's 2024 best beer. The only very slight negative was that service was a little slow, but they mentioned that everyone had arrived at once when we got there. In the end, it just meant we spent a little longer catching up and savouring the food & beer a bit more. If we're passing again, I wouldn't hesitate to pop in.

My husband and I recently invited friends and family for a drink and dinner the night before our wedding at the woodbine inn. Despite it being a Friday night in mid December, the pub allowed us to book a number of tables (which ended up being the entire conservatory) with no deposit, or need to pre-book any food or drink. The staff were fantastically friendly, and dealt with staggered dinner orders, split tabs and bills and navigating hot food through lots of standing guests. We ended up spilling out into the main area of the pub but again the staff were great about this. The food was great (pizzas were popular on the night) and the drinks and service was very quick. Can’t thank the pub and staff enough for the evening - highly recommend!

Had a lovely 3 course meal at the Woodbine tonight.Food excellent, service excellent and very friendly staff. This is a must visit place.

Found this pub by recommendation. The food was marvellous. Big portions. The staff very helpful and friendly. Dog friendly as well. Will definitely visit again when in the area

What a great meal @woodbine_inn An unassuming pub on the edge of @eppingforestht with possible the best steak I have had in years and fantastic homemade icecream. It was busy and some staff were off sick but the wait didn’t feel as long as it was cos of the great banter and vibe. And that steak was worth the wait.

Beautiful venue and the food was fantastic

Amazing 3 course meal and the portions were so generous! The apple crumble with cinnamon was to die for - and the sea bass was gorgeous 🥰 Thoroughly enjoyed the evening and will definitely come again ! Can't wait to try the extensive ciders on offer . Thank you for making my other half's birthday special ! And so nice to get a proper meal just before Christmas that we all really loved. Well done 👍 And the Terry's chocolate orange ice cream was lush :)

We have just got back from a most enjoyable meal, all the food was home made. Despite being short staffed and rushed off their feet, our waitress Victoria was outstanding and all the other staff were all very friendly, and just want to say thank you to all the kitchen staff for the delicious food. We will definitely be back. Thank you.

A little gem of a place. Old fashioned,good quality, British home cooked food isn't a thing of the past here. Steak and ale pie was lovely and probably the best mash potato I've ever had

Went to Woodbine with my husband and two daughters for lunch was very nice and service was great.Becky the waitress was sooo friendly and nice made it even better. We have already booked to go again .. it will become a regular

Lovely Christmas Dinner with family up to 20 of us nothing was too much trouble, food amazing xx

Found the pub by accident and it was a great mistake! 🤣 Friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere. A good selection of food and drinks including vegetarian food! I had a Guinness and the Mushroom burger with chips. The burger was fully loaded with cheese and sweet peppers 🫑 😋. There is lots of car parking space at the front of the road, but be careful pulling out as there are fast cars going either direction. The best part was I was supporting a small business 🥳

Great place to have a group meal, we had 15, staff and service was excellent, was very busy, which is always a sign of a good pub.

I went to the Woodbine yesterday with my friends. We all eaten from the vegan menu for the 2nd time. The food was amazing. 4 of us had the nutroast, and apple crumble with custard for desert. Both courses were delicious. The others had different vegan choices from the menu, which they enjoyed. The staff were lovely, very friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. We'll definitely be going there again. It's definitely worth a visit, I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed.

A proper pub, with great beer. I tried a bitter and a mild, both really well kept and top notch. Dog friendly. The food is good and the staff are brilliant. We'll definitely be back.

I came here for the Sunday roast. Very good and a reasonable price.

We have passed the Woodbine a few times and not stopped by, what a mistake… if you are in the area or even if you aren’t make this place your next trip for great home cooked food. We were met by the lovely Wendy, who chatted to us and made us feel extremely welcome. To start I had the scotch egg, oozing of course and my wife had the Prawn cocktail which was huge. We both had the Steak, which was done to perfection, I don’t know how we did it, but we both found a tiny space for a fantastic dessert to finish. Forgot to take photos as was too busy enjoying the food :) If you do nothing else, make sure you get to the lovely Woodbine Inn for everything you want and need from a great pub, with character and delicious food, including a substantial vegan menu. Sooner rather than later. They also have themed nights, so check in the pub or online.

Absolutely brilliant, great food, brilliant atmosphere and the staff are lovely. Very busy and has an old style pub feeling. Would definitely recommend.

Wonderful friendly staff who make you feel very welcomed and know their stuff when it comes to good food and drinks. My husband and I are vegetarian and vegan and the roast dinner we had and desert was one of the best yet. Traditional food done well.

Roast dinner was excellent and we were made very welcome and well looked after as was the dog. Love a walk through the forest to visit here whenever I get the chance.

just got back from lunch today 13th October, i must say that it was the worse meal we have had there. The potatoes were hard as were the parsnips, my husband's lamb was mostly fat and the cauliflower cheese was grey in colour and looked like it was made several days ago. The staff seemed more interested in taking together rather than coming up to ask if everything was alright, we had to go to the bar to get drinks as no one came up to the table, it wasn"t as if it was busy. Unfortunately the crumble we had hardly had any crumble on it and what there was was so hard you could not eat it in fear of breaking a tooth. When eventually the girl came to the table to take our plates i told her we were disappointed in the lack of crumble and how hard it was, she just laughed. We have been coming here for years and know the governor quite well, although he was not there today, I am sure he would be disappointed in this review but I felt very strongly that the lack of service and the quality of food was very poor. It Was not cheap we paid £79.00 for the two of us, sorry but won,t be coming back any time soon.

Had a light lunch of just jacket potatoes so basic food order only because thats what we fancied. What we did notice is how fresh the salad was. Agree with other post, staff are very welcoming and friendly. It wasn't busy at all so can't comment on how busy it can be. What we dodn't know is that the pub hosts weekly different music events and my teenage daughter can attend which is nice. Will be trying it out next week for 80s DJ event. 😁

Good traditional pub. Excellent roasts. Great staff and great atmosphere. Also good value for money. Place was buzzing.

Went to the Tapas night. Food and Music were really good.

I love this pub. It is friendly down to earth and you can tell the staff really want you to have a good experience. The food is great. Big Yorkies and great taste. The best roast dinner around Loughton and Buckhurst Hill

Always enjoy this pub, fab collection of 'real' cider. Great staff and atmosphere, brill food. I'm not a pizza person but love one here, everything's home made.

A wonderful place with very friendly staff or whom nothing was too much trouble. Our food was great and they have a great selection of beers as well. Highly reccomended.

Great experience great food lovely staff realy friendly

We stopped here for lunch and had a pleasant meal for reasonable prices. The waiting staff were kind and friendly. The car park is very small and we parked across the road, which was a paying car park. Apparently, we could have just validated our number plate in the pub for free without paying at this car park.

Great selection of ales and ciders, always a warm welcome.

Friendly pub Ok sunday roast ... Great dessert !!👍 Great Cider 👍 Nice service from friendly staff !!

As someone who has for 50 years been always on the lookout for great pubs, the Woodbine has been my standout favourite since Rob and Julie took over some years ago. There is a wide selection of top beers and lagers, perfectly kept. When I have eaten in the Woodbine the food is fresh, locally sourced and very well cooked. Most of all, Victoria and Rebecca behind the bar are the most welcoming and efficient pub staff I know. Even visiting dogs are given a biscuit and a bowl of water. Outstanding all round.

Had a great Sunday lunch and my daughter who is vegan also had a great Sunday lunch. The homemade ice cream is a must. Good selection of craft ales and gin.

Good beer selection. Nice staff. Calm atmosphere and a rustic interior. Also has a formidable car park and beer garden. Can't explain why exactly but this place is just perfect to stop and have a drink

Eclectic menu with many traditional pub dishes served fresh and hot. Good size portions and great service. Parking can be a bit tricky.

Great place to eat , staff were fantastic , the food was out of this world , would highly recommend this place , even the friendly welcome to this pub

A traditional pub with great food. The Steak n Ale pie.. wow, literally full of big chunky pieces of steak, so full, when you cut into the pie, there was no 'air space' between the pastry and steak. The burger...again, very generous in size and was enjoyed. Ham, egg and chips...home made chips I might add....I was ama,Ed the fried that had this, actually left some of the ham the portion was so generous. Last but not least, pizza, again, so big they were unable to finish. As for the staff, absolutely fabulous, very friendly, and made the whole experience complete..... We will be back!

Fabulous place i love the ambience. Highly recommend .beers are excellent I recommend Erdinger .i ride loop in Eping forest then find this lovely resturant by chance and enjoy so much.

Lovely chain free pub! Staff go above and beyond! Food is incredible, and the portion sizes are over generous. Highly recommend the halloumi salad, the plethora of ice cream choices!

Fairly unassuming little pub on a busy road that is an absolute gem. Their Sunday roast was fabulous, excellent quality with generous portions, all for what feels like a very reasonable price. Also, they offer a gluten-free option that our coeliac son was delighted with. Being able to have the same meal as everyone else, Yorkshires included, means a lot to him. Impressive offerings on the kids menu, too, and even my daughter's sausage and chips (she's not a roast fan) was good quality. We'll definitely be back.

Loved the food and the beer was a quiet night not many in but would recommend as food was very nice

We stopped on a long drive to ask if we could use the loo, we stayed for an hour, ate a lovely lunch and had a great chat with the staff. A true diamond of a find, try it out if you're any where near.

Fabulous food, wonderful beer selection (even had an.old watneys red barrell on the go!), great staff. The only downside was tiny car park, meaning we had to pay to park across the road.But that is really nit-picking. Could not fault a thing with the food, and the ice creams were gorgeous.

It's an unexpected gem at the edge of the forest. Leave space for some of the owner's home-made ice cream.

Delicious fish and chips. Stop by when around, you will not be disappointed

First visit to this lovely pub, and we were delighted and impressed. Very friendly and efficient service, great food (Sunday roast enjoyed by both meat eaters and vegetarians, delicious ice creams) and great value for money. We will be back!

I would give more stars if I could. Delicious roast and outstandingly friendly and attentive service.

Really good food and the best home made ice cream! The service is very lovely. Our favourite pub☺️

Just had the Sunday Roast here and it was incredible! We opted for the mixed roast platter so we got to try all 4 meats and they were all delicious. The homemade ice-cream was amazing - had the hokey pokey, tea & biscuits and Terry's chocolate orange (my fav). The staff were all so lovely and welcoming. We had our Springer with us and they were incredibly dog friendly. Was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and service. Would highly recommend and will come again!

We visited here after reading reviews about the Sunday roast. Having booked in advance and being gluten free, we were advised that I could be fully catered for. Often or not, I have to miss out on the extras and just get given meat and vegetables. But not here, I was delighted to see when my chicken roast turned up, it came with all the trimmings, stuffing, pigs in blankets and an actual gluten free Yorkshire pudding!!!! We were also served with extra gravy. Not only was the food delicious, it was fantastic value with very generous portions. The service was friendly and if you are looking for a great Sunday roast, I highly recommend.

Amazing!!! Delicious food and extremely friendly staff ******

I must have driven past this place hundreds of times and never gave it a second glance. However, initially introduced to it by a friend, it is now a place I would highly recommend. Easy on-line booking. A warm welcome on arrival. A choice of table - bar or conservatory - we chose conservatory, which was warm and comfortable on a rather chilly day. Great service - informal, friendly, good for a laugh. Superb food - two of us had the little duck parcels as starters, which were wonderful, the other two portobello mushroom (I wonder it left mush room for anything else!!) and a huge plate of garlic bread. We all had the hot dogs as mains - one veggie, one wild boar and two jumbo - all splendid. All washed down with Adnam's Ghost Ship - which was in perfect condition. And then, of course, the home-made ice cream. Worth coming here just for the ice cream. The outside could do with smartening up - but not TOO much or this place will be 'discovered' - which is so often the cause of a decline in standards.

Proper old school pub. And all the better for it. Service was incredibly friendly. Dog friendly and has a gorgeous view...if you can ignore the road.

We had a lovely meal there. Can highly recommend the homemade steak and ale pie and homemade ice cream. Excellent hosts.

Lucked into eating here on a rainy afternoon while cycling near Epping forest. Good grub.

Do not be put off by the slightly shabby outside. This pub is FANTASTIC! visited with friends as halfway point between us. Lovely warm welcome, very dog friendly. Brilliant selection of ales, lagers and ciders on draught. Very clean. Sunday roast exceptional, meat fabulous and proper gravy. Good selection of vegetables, vegetarian roast looked lovely, all homemade. Homemade ice creams excellent, but the star of the desserts was the apple crumble tart, cooked properly in an oven (not microwaved!) with gorgeous crisp pastry and just the right amount of spice, delicious. We will definitely come back and highly recommend this pub. Ticks all the boxes for friendliness, service, dog friendly, excellent food and drinks. We wish this was our local!

Very nice countryside pub with a true soul

Do not be put off by the slightly shabby outside. This pub is FANTASTIC! visited with friends as halfway point between us. Lovely warm welcome, very dog friendly. Brilliant selection of ales, lagers and ciders on draught. Very clean. Sunday roast exceptional, meat fabulous and proper gravy. Good selection of vegetables, vegetarian roast looked lovely, all homemade. Homemade ice creams excellent, but the star of the desserts was the apple crumble tart, cooked properly in an oven (not microwaved!) with gorgeous crisp pastry and just the right amount of spice, delicious. We will definitely come back and highly recommend this pub. Ticks all the boxes for friendliness, service, dog friendly, excellent food and drinks.

A Monday Evening, quiet drink with dinner then this is a great place 👍 food was A++ and good selection of drinks on tap..

Just what we needed and more! We had booked for a birthday lunch celebration after a good walk around Epping forest. A warm welcoming atmosphere, for us all, including our 3 dogs. Fantastic service, delicious food and good company, couldn't want for more. Very impressed and thankful 😍

Great place with very nice service and good food Dog friendly place too 😊