The Woolpack in Chelmsford

I had a main meal and a pint early evening. The cask ale was fine, although there was limited choice in the way of cask ales. I had lamb shank which was very fatty and didn’t have very much meat on it either. I told the barman and he said he would pass this on to the kitchen, but I never heard anything more. Perhaps I should’ve followed it up, but I didn’t. The lamb shank was £17.95 and I thought it was a bit of a rip off. If you like big screens showing sport on TV, one arm bandits and 70s disco pumping out then this might be the pub for you, but I don’t think it’s my cup of tea. I doubt I’ll be going back.

Super-duper pub . With some great events on. The food looks good too, but I haven't eaten there yet.

Excellent Ambiance and amazing staff

Friendly, established "Local" good food, great staff.

Friday pm 2.30 friendly staff only 2 other customers scruffy beer garden . 2 pints not good didn't finish tasted bad. No I didn't complain they should know what the quality ale is they are serving . Sorry for iffy review been there loads in the past ,always been good.

Sandwiches overly over priced for what you get. A simple tuna mayo Sandwich will cost you around 8pounds. I would suggest them to use better quality bread and add some crisps or side for 8pound. Comment is made purely for changes to be made as the pub and staff are very welcoming just the food quality is ablet down. I wouldn't return.

The place is dead. Went with my mate for a lunchtime drink after being away for so long. Saw the place was meant to be open at 11am and though it'll do. Got there about 5-10 past and it was closed. Thought oh maybe we got the time wrong, came back later and saw it was still closed. A person was nearby who said that the place is like this where the owner lives here but sleeps in at times past opening. I'm sorry what? This is meant to be a greene king and the owners sleeping in on shift? If I slept in on my shift I'd be chewed through, citated and had it on record for a year and yet the owner of a pub is sleeping in past 11am?!?! Unprofessional! Gave it one more chance a few weeks later and came in an evening when it was open. Place was quiet as anything so had some drinks and ordered food. The stuff took ages to sort out and the whole time there was a member of staff sat on his phone around the bar doing nothing and surprise! Surprise! It was only the owner! I feel sorry for anybody working here it must be atrocious to work under people like that

Visited this little gem for my dad's 70th Daniella was amazing and sectioned off an area for us all. The bar staff were amazing, friendly and attentive. Would highly recommend!!!

Good selection of beers available and lovely tho sit in the sunny beer garden

Surly staff, no personality and £5.50 pint of ale when other places care £4.50.

One of the best 'locals' in Chelsmford. The inside has lots of comfortable seats, booths, tables etc. With a separate room that had a pool table. The beer garden is wonderful and the food is top notch. Would definitely recommend

Woolpack is always a friendly welcoming pub. I used to like the antiquated urinal but that has been replaced now. A range of 4 ales on including hogs back. Ale is well kept and average cost for the area.

Excellent pub for real ale and a bite to eat

Always a good range of ales and a varied food menu.

Lovely little pub, good events, terrific beer garden. More guest beers would be nice but great pub. UPDATE 2024 Still the same however in the current climate its beer selection looks much more attractive than it did five years ago. Recommended. The four stars for food is for the beer - not food.

Disappointing Roast dinner 2 small pieces of beef. Large uncooked parsnip and large portion of stuffing (with roast beef)lots of Swede and overcooked spuds, the worst I've had.

Nice pint good selection of real ale

Wanted to try here for a Sunday roast with the family and we wasn't disappointed. The food was amazing, as was the service and the beer selection. Was my first time coming and certainly won't be the last. Great little pub with the best roast I've ever had.

Amazing Sunday roast. On spur of the moment, table reserved, lovely traditional pub & a roast chicken meal that was delicious. All at a good price. I expected it to be more expensive being in the city but it’s cheaper than our village pubs! Will definitely be back

Good selection of real ales. Bar staff very friendly. Good atmosphere for a Tuesday night in January. Worth a visit.

Lindsay is an absolute star...! She is fantastic at customer service and just makes you feel at home. Absolutely fabby experience and would definitely go back..Thank you..xx

The Woolpack offers a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere, making it a standout pub in Chelmsford. The open mic nights are a definite highlight, showcasing incredible local talent in a cozy setting. The staff are really friendly, there is a huge selection of food and drinks at a really great price, keeps me coming back for more. Cheers to The Woolpack for creating a space where music and community thrive!

I have been going regularly to this pub for over 20 years but since the current Landlord took it over a couple of years ago it has, imo, become one of the very best pubs in Chelmsford If you like your pubs to have a wide and changing quality beer selection, beer festivals , live music and good sports coverage, with friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere, then I would highly recommend you pay the Woolpack a visit

Carols and Christmas quiz last night. Great time had by all. Thanks Woolpack!

Today we went for lunch it was my first time there my sister and my mum have been a few times,the most friendliest staff,we were made very welcome,the food was also lovly and served by a smiley lady called lindsey,bless her heart,the owner was also very chatty and friendly,i will be calling in again and wud highly reccomend it.look foward to going back.Thank you.

Visited on a rainy Monday evening in October. Cosy, welcoming, plenty of space, good range of ales and wines & live sport on a big screen,

Good service and lots of outdoor seating.

I live near always great beer , lovely bar staff

Nice Friendly pub with pleasant staff

I love this place and specially Gemma she was amazing I love her and the pub is a nice place!!!

What great pub staff always friendly and attentive the food is great food at a reasonable price the pub has a great atmosphere with a lovely beer garden. What ever mood your after weather a quite corner to let your thoughts wonder or drink and a meal with friends and family. The Woolpack has it all.

Fantastic Sunday roast ,in my opinion the best I have had in Chelmsford

Went on a hillbilly music night , great fun , beers good too 😄

Popped along last Friday by chance ,and must say what a great afternoon was on a pub crawl only going to the Irish bar first and having been in O Conner’s for years now I’m not impressed by the beer garden it’s lost all its charm since Margret passed away.The staff at woolpack friendly was lucky enough to enjoy the Reggie and curry nite well done guys great afternoon evening defo be back

New managers, staff, quick service, friendly staff, clean premises.

Excellent back street local, 7 ales on the bar, lovely homely interior, with good friendly bar staff.

Lovely local pub. The staff know some guests by name. Food was lovely and its Not over priced, which is a bonus

Interesting place.... not really worth a return visit but not an unfriendly place.

Excellent pub with very welcoming staff great food at reasonable prices as decent portions, great range of beers definitely coming back

Home town, home team, home boy, home man, serves the best ales in the business, the Coronation Ale was delicious, enjoy the experience of Green King IPA . Cheers .

Joined a family party! Lovely atmosphere. Very friendly helpful staff! Excellent evening!

Recently came here for the beerfest bring held here. The beers were of good quality. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Just a bit dated. But they sell motetti on tap so ??

I love this place and every time I'm in Chelmsford I make a point of visiting at least once. Friendly helpful staff, really good food and an excellent array of ales - especially if you catch the beer festival.

Delicious Sunday roast at affordable price. It was our first time there so I wasn't sure what to expect but definitely do not regret it. The place is also cozy and the staff very friendly. Will definitely come back.

Very underrated on google. The best lamb roasted that I’ve ever had in Chelmsford. Really nice customer service, and the place is really cosy too.

Great Sunday roast. It looked and tasted so good that we forgot to take pictures.

Proper local pub in the midst of the city, often with entertainment and a well sized patio garden area to catch the sun, or inhale smoke, depending on your view on life.

I came here with my mum for a Sunday roast and it was soooo tasty! We both had the roast beef, which was really tender.... Roasties were so good we ordered extra! Reasonably priced too. Staff were friendly and nice and chilled atmosphere. Would 100% recommend the roast and we will definitely be coming back!

Gemma & Ellie were very friendly and welcoming also our roast dinners were delicious will definitely be back looking forward to the summer so we can spend some time in the beer garden 😊

We go to this pub regularly and the new owners have done a brilliant job with it. All the staff are friendly and welcoming, the beer is always at a high quality and reasonably price and the food is excellent. The beer festivals are a particular highlight too.

A great pub, we had a really good Sunday roast, loads of veggies and a really well cooked lamb shank. Great value for money. Friendly, helpful bar staff.

Been in a few times recently for something to eat and a couple of beers Great selection of real ales and food was amazing too The staff are great and am always made to feel welcome even though I am normally on my own I think it’s Gemma who has served me the last couple of times I’ve been in and she always has a smile on her face, is very engaging and makes me feel comfortable when eating alone, whereas in other places I’ve eaten I have felt awkward

The new - well just celebrated a year in - management have turned the pub back round into the fantastic pub it was Great atmosphere, friendly staff, good selection of real ales, beer wine and spirits and a really good looking food menu Really nice for a quieter weeknight drink as well as a lovely weekend venue, good events and band nights and fantastic regular beer festival

Been in a few times recently for something to eat and a couple of beers Great selection of real ales and food was amazing too The staff are great and am always made to feel welcome even though I am normally on my own I think it’s Gemma who has served me the last couple of times I’ve been in and she always has a smile on her face, is very engaging and makes me feel comfortable when eating alone, whereas in other places I’ve eaten I have felt awkward

Fabulous pub, with great staff, good food, and a homely atmosphere. Since being taken over last year the Woolpack has quickly become one of my favourite pubs in Chelmsford. With quiz nights on a Tuesday, Sceptics nights once a month and beer fests throughout the year. Also the beer garden is a real suncatxher in the summer. 100% recommend.

This was my favourite pub of all time in the late 2000's when they expertly combined local Hillman's sausages of varying types, different flavoured mash and expertly kept real ales, with boardgames and quirky events. Early in 2022 I happened to be in the area and it had declined, but recently I have been coming back to Chelmsford and popping in and it's back on form with new management. The sausages and mash are generous in portion size and the real ales are superb and I can see that they have the usual science style talks back - everything a proper pub should be.

Both the chicken burger and beef burger we ordered were well cooked and tasty. Served with a pint. Happy days

Decided to go for a beer and a bit of grub and had the gourmet beef burger. It was damn fine, and I would definitely eat there again.

My local is back to its best. Great ales, good food and now live rugby!

Your reply is a total lie, and we can prove it. You charged us £2 per dish more for the stew than the published price and did NOT refund anything. Congratulations on now dropping to one star based on your lies. Feb 23: Bad organisation lets them down. The menu that was published on their website and Facebook page 2 days previously is suddenly wrong when it's time to pay. Advertised at one price, no mention about it when ordering then increase price when it's time to pay claiming the menu was a mistake. And no-one noticed this for 2 days? Poor form. Nice food + beer but this behaviour is appalling Great pub and friendly staff. Great range of ales. Lovely garden space outside. Always a nice place to spend time

Great pub friend staff good service

Utterly dreadful. Popped in for a quick drink while on errands and necked it as quickly as I could before leaving. Atmosphere was horrible, staff were clearly unhappy and I’m sure I overheard one of them say the owners was “borderline stalking” someone. I think I’ll take my business to Mos Eisly Cantina next time for a more welcoming experience.

Great pub once again, and a great team working to get it back to where it was, as a real local, community pub with great real ales.

Lovely friendly staff! Excellent food! Fabulous evening!

We had an engagement party at the Woolpack back in November and it was brilliant. Lex and David were super helpful and accommodating, there was plenty of food and everyone had a nice time. I would highly recommend them for parties or events! The pub generally is also lovely for a visit or a meal, great food, drink and atmosphere.

Dreadful experience, really going downhill Owners have clearly given up, staff are miserable and customers are made to feel like a burden. I would avoid this pub at all costs and spend your money where it is more appreciated. Disappointing for a Green King franchise

Dreadful experience, really going downhill Owners have clearly given up, staff are miserable and customers are made to feel like a burden. I would avoid this pub at all costs and spend your money where it is more appreciated

First time back to this pub since the new management team took over and it's back to what it was 4 years ago and better. Friendly staff, good range of drinks, all day food too. We had drinks and lunch. Wow, the Curry goat is a must. My husband had the veggie sausage and mash which was great too. We definitely recommend The Woolpack

I had 40 birthday hear the good wasn't great for what we paid for it, it claims to be a family pub the whole time the bosses was watching our kids giving us evils, made you feel really uncomfortable wouldn't recommend at all.

We've been to the Woolpack a few times for drinks in the garden during the better weather, it's a great outdoor space. The new owners have done a really good job on improving the inside so that it remains a traditional, comfortable and welcoming pub....

Well kept pub, good beer, a staple for Chelmsford

Great pub great eve and staff amazing with gd service cant wait to go again!

Ownership changed recently and this pub has returned to one of the town's better pubs. Close to five stars (Oct 2022).

New management Absolutely amazing place thankfully the manager who ruined the place has left and now David and Lexi are running pub Great food and drink (they cleaning place perfectly unlike previous management) They now host rum and reggae nights, beer festivals, 80s brunch and more Support local pub again You won't be disappointed

Revolting food and bad service. Extremely disappointing waited over a hour for expensive inedible food. Mens toilets were also extremely in need of a good clean!

Great atmosphere good beers nice staff

Great transformation by the new gaffer "Dave" not the cheapest in the area but great value for money. Amazing food.

Excellent 'proper' pub. Great range of guest beers and welcoming new owners.

Had a great visit to the Woolpack. Under new ownership and it is back to how it used to be. Always a friendly service and cooking great food. We will definitely be returning. Thank you!

From Canada but we are traveling around the UK and we stopped in Chelmsford tonight. My dad and I popped into The Woolpack to have a meal and a pint. We enjoyed the food and there were plenty of beers to choose from. We enjoyed ours! Friendly staff. Thanks for making us feel welcome!

Liked the garden and enjoyed the drinks .

In response to new management. Not the best-kept beer in Chelmsford that's quite an arrogant assumption. I attended the Timothy Taylor's festival last weekend and was disappointed with the plastic glasses. It affects the flavour of the beer. Draft beer is well-kept now and nowhere is the best-kept just kept to industry standards. Best-kept is impossible as pubs should follow temperature for guidelines by breweries. Really arrogant response.

Nothing bad to say about it, it is an older style pub.

Best real ales around. And best quiz on a Tuesday.

This place is great. One of the best beer gardens in town. Had stopped coming here, but the new owners have turned this place into a great pub again!

Have to keep an eye on the pints being served. Frequently seem to acquire a big head in nonlined glasses. But the beer is kept well and the atmosphere is pretty good.

Great little Easter beer fest going on Super friendly staff great atmosphere from the locals.

Really disappointing lunch at the Woolpack, Chelmsford today.. food took over an hour to come out, slimy chicken wings, very dry tasteless burger and unfortunately toilets were not clean either, won't be returning

Went Easter Sunday as seen the whole weekend advertised as beer festival with live music. Fair enough the beer/ ciders had mainly run out but no music 😭

A friendly welcome and 8 ales on handpumps. Easy walk from Chelmsford high St .

Good beer garden. Enjoyed the eater beer festival in the sunshine 🌞

Now under new management and much improved atmosphere. Nice garden.

Lovely place and very helpful nice ppl working there will definitely be back x

Good to see the Woolpack getting back to where it belongs. Ales are consistently good. Easter Beer Fest coming up.

Good choice of beer and well locked after at the bar. Would recommend.

Excellent local ,no fuss just superb atmostphere and beverages to match

Hesian curtains, a less than hospitable barmaid, in need of a lot of TLC. Beer was ok. Shame. Edit: In that case you certainly will, good luck!

The pub is getting its old mojo back. Dave, the landlord is lovely and introduced himself, but then we didn't really see him again. Even when it got busier he wasn't really around to be a real 'front of house' presence, which makes all the difference. The roast was lovely, and hopefully as 'word spreads' the locals will return.

Popped in this evening for a first visit since David and Lex took over. Five real ales on, tried three and all in good condition. Made to feel very welcome. Good mix of customers just chatting and enjoying each other's company. Glad I came - will pop back again soon. Wish David and Lex all the best.