The Woodman in Epping Forest

Very nice food and the ambiance was great

A fab meal with freshly cooked food which was served quickly and tasted great. We were very grateful that they took us as a large booking with children last minute. We were provided with a table at the back of the pub which was a fab area for us to be able to spread out and children move around. All staff very friendly and helpful too. Shall definitely return if in the area . Many thanks .

Best pub in Ongar; great atmosphere, lovely food & very friendly staff. I would highly recommend.

Went for my birthday lunch today,dissapointed , ordered fish and chips , fish was overcooked and the batter tasted burnt. However the ploughman’s which my dad had was great.They also took long to clear our plates . Service wise, the young server was lovely , the older lady was rude. While serving our food by the older lady, I had to reach over and grab my plate and while tending to my brother my hand must have knocked over the fish but she didn’t seem to care or asked if I wanted something else. Will not go back . Plus points is that it s in a great location and a traditional pub

What a disappointing lunch Roast dinner used to be really nice Today the food was luke warm soggy roast potatoes shop bought Yorkshires Cold meat. Dirty tables plates and glasses left on tables the 2 hours we was there What's happened

Stopped off here today as never visited before. Loved it and overlooking beautiful fields. Very relaxing.we will be back for sure

Classic Bike show in the field to rear of Pub, The Woodman

Good food and drinks, very good friendly staff

Food is fantastic and the staff were very friendly. Food menu was plentiful and our order came quickly and portions were generous. Can't wait to come again.

Having been a regular to the Woodman for many years and knowing most of the staff and the manager I can honestly say that I wont be going back for a while. I came recently and was frankly very very disappointed as were 2 of my group with the quality and portions of the food. Yes everyone has put up their prices but this should not results in much smaller portions/quality. The night that we came here Chevelle was not here who is very very good at dealing with problems. My starter was the pate. I have had this before and loved it. It was plentiful, not so this time. I had literally a slither of a piece of pate, no salad dressing and instead of the French toasts advertised I had a bone dry piece of French bread! Before ~I had two large pieces of pate, 6 French toasts, salad dressing. It was frankly awful. I had the ribs and can only say I was mortified at how small the rack was, it was literally tiny, a few chips and coleslaw. It was like a Childs meal and it was lukewarm. This was circa £18.00. I have had this meal on a number of occasions before and it always came with salad and the ribs were usually plentiful and big. I was so disappointed that I asked for the scampi instead as I simply refused to pay for a tiny meal. 2 of my friends had the hunters chicken, one of them couldn't cut the chicken it was so tough and the other lady said that hers was tasteless. One other complained that her Salmon was bone dry. Unfortunately on my friend mentioning this to the head waitress we were met with; well we have been serving all day and not had one complaint! To say I was furious was an understatement. My friend said that she felt as though she was being called a liar. Had Chevelle been there I would have mentioned it straight away, however my friend asked me not to say anything as she just wanted to go. I have been using this pub for many many years and can honestly say that the food had improved massively in recent months. Not so now I am afraid. I haven't been back since, pity as its a lovely pub but the prices and lack of portions extras such as salad have gone. The portions are tiny and frankly I can do without the sarcastic remarks.

Great pub with good ale & a great view

Have eaten here many times when food was enjoyable. Cannot say the same on my latest visit. My starter of Prawn cocktail was tasteless. I ordered the cod & chips for main meal, which was overcooked and very dry. My partner ordered the Greek Salad as a main as directed by waitress that came up very large. Mainly large chunks of tomatoes, cucumber & lettuce. With very little feta cheese and much too much oil used. Maybe quite a while before returning.

Nice pub, looks good, very friendly

We love the Woodman and are fairly regular visitors. We came as a family group to eat, and it was just bang average I’m disappointed to say. My husband’s starter was still frozen in the middle so that had to go back and be taken off the bill. One of the other starters was a really oily chicken dish that was only half eaten. Mains were ok but we all felt a bit put off by that point. I’m so fed up of going to pubs in this country and paying a lot of money for frozen food that’s just been banged in the microwave. As Gordon Ramsey always says, it’s all been cooked by Chef Mike! The Woodman is absolutely not on its own in doing this, it’s widespread, and the pretty large food bill that we paid at the end really wasn’t worth it. The staff are lovely and were working really hard with a smile on a very hot day, but we just don’t get hospitality right in the UK, more often than not it’s an expensive disappointment.

Not asked if food was nice. Not offered dessert, not asked if we needed anymore drinks very disappointing will not be going back

We ve been coming to the pub, since when they only served sausages back in the 1980s. The place is lovely, the service is great and the food is outstanding, would thoroughly recommend.

Good food, great atmosphere, friendly staff. Always enjoy the dinners here, from evening dinner to Sunday roast.

They should try to give a full cup of coffee.

Sat In the garden for a meal. Wonderful young friendly staff. The girl working the outside bar was so very helpful and friendly. Allbthe young staff worked extremely hard keeping tables clear. Thank you.

Friendly pub that does a cracking Sunday roast, but also offers decent alternatives for those who don't fancy a roast. Proper country setting, middle of nowhere, which makes it a little hard to get to but worth in my opinion.

This place is a pub & restaurant. We like it here very much, we have been to this place several times. The restaurant itself is not big, but cozy, a huge garden with a wonderful view of the fields. The garden has a children's playground, you can also bring your pet, they are welcome here. The dishes are simple, but you will definitely have a delicious meal. The service is great, the employees are helpful. This place is suitable not only for the family, but also for celebrating various occasions, such as an anniversary, birthday, baptism. We will definitely visit here again. ❤️❤️❤️

It was perfect weather sunny gardens clean and friendly would recommend highly.

Lovely lovely pub with great views over country side and great garden food was fantastic with very good menu . Service was great with a good seletion of beers spirits and wines would reconmend for a treat or if your in the area will be back . Loads of parking .

Met some friends here for dinner. Friendly welcome and orders for drinks taken quickly. Food was good and huge portion. Staff throughout were friendly and pleasant. Lovely country pub. We sat inside but gardens looked lovely.Would definitely return when in that part of Essex again.

Great place for a mid week meal....and the sun was shining!!

Always loved the woodman. We have been going there for years.

Nice food, lovely outdoor garden, scrimpt a bit on the chips, food is pricey so would expect a bigger portion. Could do with having some dog water bowels dotted around the garden seeing as it's dog friendly. Staff good though no check back on food. Overall good pub, good food and good staff would recommend

Beautiful country pub with picturesque views. Recommended

Phoned our order through after a long days golf, and food was served to us withing 5 mins of arriving... Excellent all round.. Thankyou

Won’t be returning ..awful food and service …had better McDonalds

Very warm and friendly welcome, all service staff were attentive too

Nice venue, good portions of reasonable food

Ordered a latte cost £3.5, came so sweet. Asked bar lady and she said the milk they use is sweet?? I said but you didn’t inform that before I order and where on earth you get pre-sweetened coffee? She said this is how we do, not even offered a refund. Would come again.

Definitely worth a visit and we have been here quite a few times, especially on a warm sunny day in the garden looking at the view. Beer is kept well but food is only satisfactory (had very snotty, undercooked eggs with my Ham egg and chips on my last visit).

Proper old skool pub, had few munchies here in my time. BBQ house outside in the summer. Staff are luvely. Great in the summer on the massive selection of garden tables. Great in winter, real wood fire. Good selection of beers.

Very nice food at reasonable prices. Very pleasant staff.

Lovely Sunday roast in the woodman 1st time back in here for at least 25 years was still the same a gem of an old English pub will come back in the near future 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Love this pub/ restaurant, we come up to Essex to take our elderly mum out for lunch every month and this is the 2nd time we have been here and can’t recommend more. The food, the staff and the drinking glasses 🤣 are fantastic. Both times we have eaten here have been really good! We will definitely return! We all loved our meals and all went for the specials Board this time. First class chef and waitresses

Lovely pub and setting. Food was ok although beef was tough and one order was wrong. We thought the bill was quite high and was hand written, not itemised so unsure what we paid for. Waitress got a bit flustered and patience seemed to be wearing a bit thin. Lots of steps up and down and some parts of the ceiling very low but not a problem for most people. Probably best to go on a quieter day.

Thoroughly recommended. Latest visit was a family lunch for six on Good Friday. Friendly atmosphere, friendly professional team, great service, good food, beer Battered Cod, Peas and Chips was fantastic. We like this pub all year round, it has a small terrace and a large garden with a lot of tables and nice view over a pretty paddock and fields.

Thoroughly recommended. Latest visit was a family lunch for six on Good Friday. Friendly atmosphere, friendly professional team, great service, good food, beer Battered Cod, Peas and Chips was fantastic. We like this pub all year round, it has a small terrace and a large garden with a lot of tables and nice view over a pretty paddock and fields.

Nice selection of pub food. Low door entrance to establishment with no health & safety sign. Husband hit his head! Service poor, staff abrupt & rude looked unhappy within work place no polite welcome or smiles. 1st visit and won't be returning or recommending.

Went for the abba tribute night with 3 course greek meal. Staff were fantastic, food was nice but not my cup of tea. Service was excellent as was the atmosphere. Entertainment was amazing. Highly recommend the abba tribute night,

Love this lovely old pub. Every time I’ve been, the service has been great and despite being really busy (good sign of quality), they’ve always found us a table. The roast dinner is top notch and very generous. Lovely grounds outside too, overlooking farmland.

You receive a lovely warm welcome from lovely friendly staff. Food is and has always been delicious. Great choice on the menu with few extra options on the specials board. The homemade pie is a proper pie, proper pastry top & bottom and tastes just wonderful 😋. The homemade Cheesecakes are lighter than they look! They are light and airy and we had Rolo cheesecake, delish! If you've not been here before or haven't recently visited, do yourselves a favour and book yourselves a table and enjoy home cooked delicious pub grub in a lovely country pub. They are a dying breed, so keep this one going! 😉😁👍🏼🍷🍺

Soggy steak and ale pie hard mash on top no tast vegetables raw sorry won't come back a bit pricey

Excellent service. We sat outside as we had a dog and everyone made a fuss of us and the dog, who was given a sausage Food was lovely and so nice to have a range of desserts to choose from.

Great Pub, great staff and great food. My only issue is the sad lack of Low Alcohol/Alcohol Free beer. One lager and one cider. These days, you should also have at least one ale as well. So many of us can't/don't drink alcohol but still love pubs. The Woodman is also in a place where there must be a designated driver so I am sure it would sell well. Please get a better selection!

Last minute decision whilst out riding our motorbike. Lucky enough to get a table with super welcoming staff,and the food was brilliant. I recommend the steak and kidney pudding and my wife's lamb roast was excellent. Dancing Debbee was lovely and looked after us.

We booked the woodman for a specail birthday celebration, we had the round table which was excellent, staff looked after us from the time we arrived untill departure and the food was great. Many thanks to The woodman, we will definately return.

Once again another lovely visit to The Woodman! The venue is lovely, staff are excellent and the food and drink is always high class, well presented and delicious. We will return again very soon and would encourage anyone reading this to add it to your list of places to visit!

Fantastic, traditional pub, good food, great to stop in for a drink after golf at Toot Hill

The best for us was the service. The ladies serving the tables were so welcoming, warm, helpful and friendly. Second best, the sticky toffee pudding! It's divine! The lamb and pork belly roasts were very nice. I would have liked the belly to have more crispy skin, but the meat was tender all the way through. I would love to go back in the summer to enjoy the great outdoor beer garden they have at the back overlooking great countryside views. Thank you very much.

So disappointed 😞. I've visited and eaten many times before here. Unfortunately today the food was so awful I could not eat it my meal. I chose the Belly Pork. It was so tough I could not cut it. I complained. The £19 was deducted from the bill. I will think twice before eating here again. Such a same as a beautiful location. A lovely oldy worldly pub. Staff very nice.

First time going to this really quaint pub for Sunday lunch, car parking right there, I had a most delicious chicken and mushroom pie and the others had Sunday roast food was really tasty and the service was quick but not rushed at all and very friendly it had a lovely atmosphere, luckily we booked as its very popular, there are tasty looking vegetarian options also and the waitresses were so friendly I felt I knew them.

me and my partner booked a christmas dinner at the woodman and was very impressed with the service and the way we were treated, the staff were very friendly & welcoming . The christmas dinner was amazing and there was a great atmosphere , we both had a great christmas day at the woodman and would highly recommend it, we will definitley coming back to the woodman more often & will definitley be there for next christmas day . THANK YOU tony & kim

Nice atmosphere surrounding this amazing pub! Definitely recommend going here on a nice evening with your family or friends! Food was outstanding, and I highly recommend going here again some time -Oliver t.

Had heard this pub was nice, looked at the menu, and thought to myself, oh god, just another pub grub place. I couldnt have been more wrong. This place i feel is all about the specials! The pub food it serves is amazing, the steak pie was out of this world. The waiter we had, was a young chap, didn't seem interested, was a little rude and had a bit of an attitude, but didnt dampen the night. the rest of the staff were nice enough. But honestly, go for the food!! this place's idea of portion sizes is......amazing. could easily share most dishes. Will be back.

Good food, good service and a good price. What else can you say.

Had the best time there with family service food atmosphere perfect can't wait to go back very soon definitely recommend

Went as a group food excellent service great good choice of beer highly recommended

We went to the Woodman to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary. The service prompt yet relaxed, the food delicious and the atmosphere calming. It was a lovely evening. Thoroughly recommended

Lovely meal beautifully decorated pub very friendly atmosphere too!

We’ve been to the pub a number of times with family or own never had any problems but over the last month when the lady in charge with the blonde hair who is really nice was not there on this occasion we had our French dog we’ve us ask to sit on top sittings area as we done a number of time we’ve the dog was told not severing there anymore it was 5 30 in the afternoon so we had to leave and get a takeout 2 more times went to eat was told stop dinners at 6pm this was all on Sundays we said we wouldn’t go back again but gave it a chance as we enjoyed the food there but the staff were very poor once again standing at the bar taking about what time thay can get away we were ask if we like dessert we said yes but can you give us 10 minutes as we just finished eating dinner never returned half hour later we ask for the bill my wife had booked a table for midweek but cancelled it this all seems to happen when the tall lady with the blonde is not around apart from this the pub is nice just make sure you go when the nice blonde lady’s there

Took my mum for Sunday lunch service was impeccable staff friendly can’t speak highly enough will definitely re visit

We had a very enjoyable meal in the woid man . Very friendly pub.

Nice location, parking, friendly atmosphere

We visited here for my dads 80th birthday. Food was lovely. All the food came out together which is good. Staff so friendly and service amazing. Roasts are lovely. Thank you for a lovely evening

Great food. love their service.

Gorgeous roast dinner and dessert , staff are friendly and attentive. Lovely garden area .

Would of been 5 star; the food was delicious, the staff was friendly, atmosphere was great.. only downside was when we ordered the food they took the order to only then tell us 20 minutes later they had run out of pork belly and had to substitute it for turkey.. I feel they should make you aware at the beginning so we can change the order but other than that was great!

Lovely food great setting enjoying the summer evening in the garden. Will definitely be returning

8 of us went on a lovely sunny day and chose to eat outside. Inside is very nice but the weather was to good. Out of the 8 of us there was not 1 complaint about the choice/price/quality/location or service. Top marks

Friendly and helpful staff. Pretty quaint and old Essex pub. Nice back garden with a patio area and a field

Always nice to go there, lovely views and staff.

We had my mum's wake here as we often came here as a family for get together. Service was excellent and the chef did amazing food. Definitely would visit again if in the area

We often came here as a family years ago so had our mums funeral wake here. Staff were so friendly and accommodating. The food was fantastic and the surroundings perfect. Everyone comments were positive even though it was a sad occasion it made a good celebration of her life to have it there. Thankyou so much 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We had a lovely afternoon/early evening outside in the garden, eating 3 courses. All the food was fresh and tasty. Chips were only thing we found indifferent. Nice and helpful staff. We will go again.

The food was Ok, and the service was fine. It was not Wow, but good enough to recommend the place. The outdoor area is good, and it has a separate bar. Plenty tables available outside, and it looked like it's pretty much fully booked inside (It was Sunday afternoon). There is a small playground for older kids. Good size parking.

This amazing little pub is now a favourite of mine, great staff, great food and great views. What more is there to want from a pub.

Again a nice big garden for Elsie and if you have kids. I was told the food is good too.

What an amazing atmosphere! Fantastic staff and fantastic food ! I have never ate such a good chicken Caesar salad ! I tried this salad at many London places - and I can guarantee 100 % percent that Woodman makes the Best !

Lovely little pub restaurant, beautiful location and view.

A really great place good food and service polite staff

Lovely garden and drinks, but food extremely overpriced. Priced as a top restaurant, but food bland and without sufficient accompaniments with basic presentation.

Long time visitors to the Woodman, unfortunately today was not one of the best. We (2 of us) arrived just before 1:30. Was seated and ordered drinks. When drinks arrived promptly we made our food order for starters and mains. Starters arrived shortly after and were delicious. However once we finished our starters mains were nowhere in sight. After nearly an hour we enquired about our mains and were told ‘we’ve been very busy’. Nearly 10 mins later they arrived. My mash was cold with lumps in, my veg (which is usually excellent here) were tepid. My pie filling was piping hot although the topping was overdone and had gravy poured over it - not to everyone liking. Wife’s fish was tepid likewise the crushed potatoes and veg. Poached egg was fine! It would appear we’d been forgotten. The fact no one enquired whether we’d enjoyed the food was equally disappointing. The staff were generally very good. We’ll visit again and then decide whether it’s worth preserving with. We’ve started to visit the nearby Rabbits, which is very good, so whilst we have a sense of loyalty to the Woodman we won’t ignore any shortcomings such as todays.

Long time visitors to the Woodman, unfortunately today was not one of the best. We (2 of us) arrived just before 1:30. Was seated and ordered drinks. When drinks arrived promptly we made our food order for starters and mains. Starters arrived shortly after and were delicious. However once we finished our starters mains were nowhere in sight. After nearly an hour we enquired about our mains and were told ‘we’ve been very busy’. Nearly 10 mins later they arrived. My mash was cold with lumps in, my veg (which is usually excellent here) were tepid. My pie filling was piping hot although the topping was overdone and had gravy poured over it - not to everyone liking. Wife’s fish was tepid likewise the crushed potatoes and veg. Poached egg was fine! It would appear we’d been forgotten. The fact no one enquired whether we’d enjoyed the food was equally disappointing. The staff were generally very good. We’ll visit again and then decide whether it’s worth preserving with. We’ve started to visit the nearby Rabbits, which is very good, so whilst we have a sense of loyalty to the Woodman we won’t ignore any shortcomings such as todays.

We have been to The Woodman many many times - pre & post covid, and have always had a good experience. Sadly, today was not one of those times! It started off well with the starters, but after that it all went wrong. After waiting over an hour for the mains - with no staff coming to our table to explain the delay, I finally asked where they were. There was a look of panic, as it was obvious we had been forgotten (all we saw was desserts coming out of kitchen). When we finally got the meals, they were disappointing to say the least. Both were tepid and, in my husband's case, the pie crust was burnt, the mash lumpy & the veg cold! My fish (haddock, on the "specials"), was rubbery, the crushed potatoes tepid. The only 'good' bit was the poached egg - obviously just cooked. Tbh, we only ate it - as we were so hungry by this point!! The staff knew we weren't happy, as no-one asked us if everything was ok, especially when paying?? I didn't leave a tip (as would normally do), and the only reason I paid the whole amount was because we had had better times on previous occasions! VERY very unhappy!

We went here today for a birthday lunch and what a lovely service we received. The meals were good size portions and the sticky toffee pudding was absolutely delicious. We will definitely return.

Nice pub lovely staff food good good portions served quickly

Lovely outdoor area and beer garden. There was ample room to sit outside. The roast was reasonably priced, I had a pork belly roast, which was delicious, and although it looked small, it was enough. The pork belly came with lots of crackling and was delicious! The only downside was that the service was quite slow and we ordered our food at the bar rather than waiting for the staff. The indoor seating was incredibly busy.

lovely historic building. Great Location and great views with outside space. This place is a good all-rounder with a great British menu with a good variety. The staff are friendly and accommodating.

Horrible fish and chips bones in fish chips and peas hard Lovely setting great service shame about fish and chips

Our 1s time was just perfect home made steak pie totally perfect, 2nd visit lasagna again perfection, the puds beautiful and the staff so friendly and welcoming 100% perfection

Have lived in ongar a few years now have been trying all the local pubs in and around the area This place is in top 3 lovely grub great location And friendly staff Highly recommend

Brilliant pub and amazing food. Staff very helpful and friendly. Only point I'd make is they need more parasols outside as it was a beautiful day but we struggled with no shade in the garden. We would have stated longer if there was.

Lovely family meal for fathers day! Should have sat inside but was accommodated outside which suited our party better. Lovely food and our servers were great food very good a great experience all round so many thanks will be back.

Wonderful staff with food that’s so good the views from the garden are so pretty and relaxing there is a menu with lots of choice with specials that change daily

Lovely setting. Very quiet when we went for Sunday dinner. Food was below average. Second visit here. Be ok for drinks but not food as both times below expectations.

Food good today June 1st. veg a bit crunchy. Young girl who started to serve us was very polite and helpful but older lady with glasses was rude and condescending whilst we were ordering. No need to talk to us like we are five year olds.