The Woodman in Epping Forest

Staff were lovely and very patient. Food was great; lots of fun Easter options for dessert (carrot cake was especially nice). Was an overall lovely experience.

Lovely meal with my husband and Mum, they kindly fitted us in at short notice and we are grateful they did. I had the Good Friday special of pan fried monkfish with potatas bravas and a romescu sauce with samphire, it was divine. Nice food, good service and great atmosphere

We went mother's day (although we were not celebrating mother's day, but somethingelse. We were not advised in advance it was a set menu (£50pp), and they would only serve us from this limited menu. Starter of prawn, crab & avocado was really nice. However, the roast dinner was inedible, beef was like old rope, roast potatoes were half raw, as were the vegetables. A few others in our group had the cod, which was soggy and undercooked. Took over 3hrs just for starters & main, and then over 30 minutes to get a coffee. Much better places around with better food, better prices & better service.....would not recommend.

Terrible service. We ordered 3 drinks and 3 meals. They bought out 2 drinks, but forgot my dad's, so he had to go and ask them for it. Then they bought my parents meal out, and i was still waiting for mine. We called a man over who worked there and asked him to chase up my meal. My parents had then finished their meal and i still hadn't received mine. We asked again where my food was and they said they would go and ask the kitchen. 20 minutes later I still didn't have my good, so we asked to speak to the manager. She apologised and said " we will make sure you food is extra special". They bought my food out 15 minutes later. The chips were cold, the gluten free burger had no gherkins in it, the salad that was meant to come with it was 3 pieces of lettuce and they had put coleslaw on the plate even though we told them I couldn't have it due to an egg allergy ( mayonnaise contains egg). It took them over an hour to bring my food out. Overall a terrible experience and we wouldn't eat there again.

Had a very disappointing day experience at this pub/restaurant, they are either very poorly staffed or badly organised or both. Parking was a challenge and admittedly it was very busy. I ordered food and sat in the garden which is very nice. The main reason for my negative review is that my food never arrived, after an hour of patient waiting in which I was never once checked on I went back in. A mistake had obviously occurred and the only saving grace is that they did not argue the refund. Though I had to ask to have the drink refund this was not offered at first. I had to leave because of time so never got to try the food..

Visited the woodman yesterday, for Mother’s Day, and what a fabulous experience it was! Food was delicious and well presented, service was spot on and staff couldn’t have done more for us, was served by a lady called Debbie, she was great, doing magic tricks with the kids. They have a great garden with lovely views and play area for the kids. Highly recommend this place and look forward to re visiting

Highly recommend this place. Went there for mothers Day, and what can I say. The food was top notch bordering 5 star food. Staff were just as professional considering how busy it was. As for the manager, what a polite young lady, even gave my mum a box of chocolates. 10/10 keep up the good work.

Absolutely Appalling Experience – Avoid at All Costs!!!!!!!!!! If I could leave 0 stars, I would. Our visit to The Woodman in Ongar was nothing short of disgraceful. The food was clearly frozen, poorly prepared, and arrived late despite us being seated on time. However, the most disturbing part of the evening was the appalling behavior of the staff. The small blonde lady treated us with utter disdain, making us feel looked down upon from the moment we arrived. To make matters worse, the manager—who wore glasses—was shockingly aggressive. He got in my mother’s face, who is battling cancer and was already feeling overwhelmed. His hostile demeanor, finger-pointing, and lack of empathy were completely unacceptable. No one should be subjected to such mistreatment, especially in what is meant to be a place of hospitality. This experience was deeply distressing and will not be taken lightly. I will be taking this matter further. Avoid this place if you value decent food, respect, and basic human kindness.

Very disappointed with yesterdays afternoon tea.service was absolutely terrible. One pot of tea between eight of us was so it was weak. one plate of sandwiches to share between eight of us. Same goes for the cakes it should have been one at each end of the of the table. Poor service.

Lovely time at the woodman, highly recommended. Singer was excellent book for afternoon tea.

The service is poor for large party’s happy to take your money but can’t work a large party tried to charge for food twice on 2 different bills and and tried to charge for a meal that my daughter could not cut the meat and it covered her in gravy so returned for something else to which I was still waiting on my meal my daughter got her replacement meal but I was still waiting for mine which I ordered first by the time mine arrived after telling the service staff the rest off the family had finished there’s it was a birthday meal

Me and misses had king prawns for starter's the sauce It came with was oily and we both agreed just not to our liking apart from that the dinners were lovely

Great pub with a large menu. Food portions were large and well cooked.

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

Excellent food, lovely atmosphere and friendly service

Lovely lunch experience 20 Feb - not been there since pre-covid - food was tasty very well presented. Lovely friendly staff, child friendly - would recommend

Lovely old country inn, loads of atmosphere good food and very friendly and efficient staff 😀

Have been regular Friday lunch customers taking my mum every week. Happened to mention when booking it was my mums 90th birthday and turned up on the day to find staff had bought flowers chocolates and a card for her. This place is second to none . Lovely food, fantastic staff and owners, and a great atmosphere.

Lovely country pub very oldy worldy beautiful inside and a lovely fire 🔥

We had Christmas lunch 2024 at The Woodman. It was fabulous, the staff were very attentive and super friendly, we felt very looked after. The pub was decorated beautifully and it felt so Christmassy. We haven’t eaten out at Christmas for a long time but we are so glad we did this year, the food was great, very generous portions, we couldn’t manage the last course we were so full, but we were able to take it home.Lovely atmosphere, my children loved the talking Santa! Thank you to everyone at The Woodman for making our day!! x

Have been for lunch in the pub a few times & it’s always been outstanding, so this year we decided to try Xmas Lunch for the first time! For what it cost & what we received was shocking! We had the beef which was so tough I’m still chewing now the Brussels Sprouts were so raw my mum tried to get one & it shot across the table, the potatoes were frozen ones & so were the Yorkshire puddings. Our starters were the best but it went down hill after that. Cannot tell you how disappointed we were to have an awful experience when usually it’s so nice. For what it cost I feel so let down what should have been a lovely lunch.

First time out for Christmas dinner and what a massive disappointment tough beef frozen vegetables I even had a knife dropped down my back , my sister x niece where very upset as thay wanted to treat me after such a bad year I have had and the price I should of been perfect

Well what can I say, Christmas lunch was an absolute let down, the service and hospitality was good but the food left a lot to be desired, starters were basic and nothing special, the main was disgusting, the veg was like rocks and extremely hard to cut let alone eat but we had to as we had nothing in to eat at home. I mean 2 roast potatoes, 3 brussels, about a tea spoon of cabbage and carrots, over cooked stuffing and extremely chewy beef 2 slices but my husband only got 1 slice, for £125 was just not acceptable. Desert was lovely but could have been hotter and the cheese board was minimal, we even had to ask for more crackers as we had 3 crackers between the 2 of us utterly ridiculous. So all in all our Christmas Day was spoilt due to sub standard food so we honestly wished we had not bothered and believe me we won’t be rushing back!

Truly Delicious food, creative Christmas decorations, fine cut crystal glasses, but unfortunately the service was marred by the attitude of a young, dark haired, slightly built, young chap who seemed inconvenienced by our custom, tripped over my foot without any acknowledgement and had an overall disagreeable demeanor.....a shame this bad apple has been allowed to detract from the efficient, friendly service provided by the other staff...

Excellent service and delicious food! They catered so well with a large group of people. I can highly recommend this pub.

Fantastic food and amazing service as always.

I cannot express how lovely the manager and staff were on our evening there. I have a shoulder problem and also use a stick and needed a chair with an arm which was provided for me. Not only was it provided but the manager checked up on me all evening. I have never experienced such kindness before. Bearing in mind there was 12 in our party and the restaurant/pub was fully packed the service all round was first class as was the food. In addition they provided a singer for the evening named Fil and he made us all feel as if we were part of the entertainment. What a voice and personality! If you want an evening out this is the place. Thank you.

Lovely food, drink and staff....what more can you ask for.😊

Good atmosphere, good food, attentive staff 👍

A very disappointing meal. My friend and I had the chicken and mushroom pie with fresh vegetables and mash. The mash was very good, vegetables fresh but very undercooked and the pie was a mystery! Thin soggy pastry on top (as if microwaved) and the filling although generous was surrounded by a white, unknown thick substance .. did ask the waitress if it was potato or bread sauce and she didn't know and didn't find out. We ate pieces of the chicken and mushroom and left the remainder. With hindsight, should have returned it. My friend's request for lemon meringue pie with ice-cream was delivered with cream and my strawberry sundae was just strawberry ice cream of a rubbery texture with no strawberry sauce just a dollop of cream on top. I have eaten there on a few occasions before but won't in the future. The two stars were awarded for good mash, pleasant atmosphere and reasonable coffee.

It's a lovely traditional.pub. Great customer service. But th3 food we ate was average. The chips seemed barely warm, and in truth tasted reheated. Th3 fried eggs were nice and runny but th3 white section wasn't cooked enough. Thr ham was fabulous. I'd definitely come here again for a drink.

We went for a Birthday lunch. The food was nice and hot, can highly recommend the pie of the day. Staff very friendly, and you can have a laugh with them. A proper old fashioned English pub, amazing atmosphere,. Must be good as was full at lunchtime.

Brilliant country pub with excellent food and service. Worth a visit with some great driving roads surrounding from London.

Very nice food and the ambiance was great

We are on a mission - to find a pub where we can enjoy a traditional ploughman’s lunch. The Woodman is our best find to date. The ploughman’s tasted absolutely delicious, comprised of all the right ingredients and was served by the friendliest of staff in a welcoming environment. Highly recommend.

Lovely food, friendly staff, came for mid week lunch and was so lovely and came back Sunday with family. Highly recommend

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.