Toby Carvery in Chelmsford

First time I’ve been here today,will definitely return.

20-03-2025 on a am breakfast. We arrived today to have a breakfast for two, the staff on entry was fine. We went to the food counter and pick up a plates to self serve our self's. I had to pick up and remove atleast eight to ten plates from the stack as everyone of them had food on them. I had no one to report to and bring it to there attention at the food hot plate and did call out several times. Eventually the staff that served us, when we walked past, I told her of this issue, and stopped other customers from using the plates. As a food and hygiene risk to others, is very poor as the plates looked like they had been sprayed off but not washed correctly. I'm sorry this was disgusting and I will seriously consider not going to a toby carvery, if this is what I have to look forward to.... I do have photographic evidence as well. It was disgusting considering I go to toby many carvery's in essex all the time.

Had a lovely Sunday lunch. The food was delicious..and our server was great. (Jake) He was charming, professional, attentive.. a credit to the company. He really made it special. We will be coming back for sure 👍

Wasn't great food, i had a plate of hot food the time the gravy and sauces where replenished I had a cold plate.....I was told by the lady from the kitchen I'm on it ain't i..just rude......prices have risen but the service and atmosphere have gone down......disappointed..... .

Had a lovely carvery, all fresh and delicious...ice cream sundae was nice too

Was enjoyable on a Friday afternoon after visiting Hanningfield Reservoir for a walk on the trails. Not too busy. Great food, great service, and lovely staff!

We went for lunch at the Runwell restaurant and was served by Jake, he was such a pleasure to be served by and had a lovely welcoming attitude! He really made our day with his cheeky personality and was genuinely fantastic with all of his tables! Would be love to be served by him again :)

I thought let's go for a carvery. Drove around the car park, and there's no spaces, so i wait for 15 minutes, no spaces, and give up and leave. I now get a parking fine in the post for £100. AVOID THIS PLACE

This is a lovely restaurant that offers good wholesome food! The staff are wonderful - very personable and friendly along with being unobtrusive whilst we were eating. Our server Lisa J was so kind and helpful. She explained everything we needed to know and our drinks etc were brought very quickly! She was really friendly and helped make our meal! Thank you Lisa!

Lisa j is a great waitress and cannot do enough for you she is always happy and she is a credit to Toby carvery

Food was absolutely lovely tonight, the waitress Lisa Jackson is such a kind, friendly and lovely waitress, enjoy being served by her 🥰

Veg on carvery was not the best, cabbage dried out and peas hard. Also chef carved very little meat on our plates. Turkey was little.more than a carcass and very dried out.

Went with son,his wife and 2 grandchildren. Meal lovely. Staff very good

Very nice staff. There is guy who works there called Jake. He is very kind and has brilliant customer service

Great food, but a little cramped inside for my liking. Always big que and tight for space. Turkey & Gammon top drawer 👍

Today we visited and just turned up without booking. We had a wonderful time and giving this review. Sally thank you for the pleasant experience and for taking care of us. After last time of our visit and you being new management at the time, this is a credit to you and very pleased to have a better customer experience. This was a challenge for you and a hat taken off to you. Very well done, I shall bring other guests next time. I was also pleased to see a more better meat selection and our food was hot. From a customer view like myself you nailed it. Thank you and wish u success as new management. 👍😁

You know what to expect and it delivers Visit again, still good, server Jake was excellent,fudge cake perfect

Had a lovely meal today served by Jake

Jake was very helpful even though he was very busy

As always, a great roast dinner, thank you to Jake who was friendly, extra helpful and very efficient although he was rushed of his feet .

Really disappointed with our first visit here, so many things to say and unfortunately nothing good. Understandably, went at probably the worst time (late sunday evening) being probably their busiest day of the week and when the staff were clearly checked out and tired but have been to other branches at this time and not had the same issues. Totally get it too, I have worked in a very similar chain, but we never would have go away with the same lack of energy and effort as what we saw today. See more in comments.

Lovely place to go. Great atmosphere staff are lovely. Served by Jake who is a great character with an amazing service

My 3rd time coming here. Had a lovely birthday lunch. Nice calm atmosphere, food is so nice. served by Jake who had a great sense of humour.

Food was excellent and our waitress Lisa W went above and beyond to make our first experience one to remember. Will be back.

I am writing this review to say a big Thank you to Jake our server this evening. What a lovely young man. So friendly and helpful. From the moment we sat down he welcomed us. He was a joy to talk to. You should be very proud to have him as a member of staff. Well done Jake. Food nice for 3 out of 4 of us, my Son was given a plate of fatty gammon, which was inedible to eat. Overall we had a lovely meal.

Lovely food and excellent service from Lisa W. Thank you!

Busy but the queue moved quickly and the food was kept well stocked. Our waitress was very helpful (Lisa W) and efficient. Would definitely recommend.

Always lovely food and polite staff. Slope and steps to dining area and toilets. A fair bit of parking too

The roast was incredible. The staff were all very nice and friendly. I would highly recommend you and your friends to go here.

Loverly meal and will attend again,but i choose 3 different meat's and only got one slice of each meat skimpy on that side but overall Loverly Sunday meal.

Arrived on time given a booth for 6 when the only fit for 4 then given a table once settled then asked to move because of someone in a wheelchair needed our table, started choosing starters were told no prawn cocktail this was 1.30 ordered something different only 2 chicken poppers no cheesy mushrooms, the restaurant was absolutely packed long queue for carvery only one person serving and getting fresh meats from kitchen long delay, our waitress so apologetic but not her fault. Will definitely have to think twice about going again which is a shame as usually very enjoyable and visit often

We were seated quickly and seen quickly too! I have allergies and was treated brilliantly! They gave me the option to have it picked for me and brought to my table. I felt very allergy safe and looked after. Thanks guys! ❤️

I visited Toby Carvery Runwell yesterday for my Mums 91st birthday. The food was lovely. Staff very friendly including our server Tanzi. She made us very welcome & even brought a pudding up with a candle on to sing happy birthday to my Mum. Thank you Tanzi 10 out of 10 mum was delighted 😀

The food here was very nice, would differently come back, the service was good too. The car park could do with someone to pick up all the rubbish scattered everywhere. Apart from that thank you

Very busy, the children meals were small, salad was awfull, no coffee machine

Food was great and reasonably price

Annoying that one of the most expensive drinks on the menu (refillable soda) is not priced on the menu if you are going to charge £4.30 for a drink have the decency to put the price on there mug off factor hate it won't be going there again.

I have always gone here, we had to get our own drinks because no waitress came up to us, the carvery all the vegetables including the roast potatoes where dry if this was my first time I would not go again Has this carvery changed hands new manager I might be eating elsewhere discussed with it

The food was great but it was difficult getting served. Once seated we saw people who arrived after us being served before we were even asked if we wanted drinks so eventually we had to go and ask to have someone take our order. While eating one of the servers was having a drawn out conversations with customers they seemed to know which might explain why it was so bad. Again we had to go and find someone in order to pay. It’s a shame because the food was really well cooked.

Excellent food and service. Amazing value

Really good place, better than my local, worth travelling the extra time to visit this one, looks amazing since the renovation too.

You know what your going to get. Nice roast reasonably priced

Great meal, good value for money

Food cold over change people

The food was yuck the price are bloody disgusting the craw toy thing not every one like to pay by card is go down the hill I never coming back

Me and my partner went for lunch at 12, was shown to our table after a short wait and served by Olivia. Friendly staff with a happy and funny chef serving us and the food was nice and fresh. Olivia was very helpful and didn't leave us waiting too long, considering it was a busy Sunday. :)

Great food and brilliant service from Jake.

Thank you, Olivia. Very welcoming and Great service

Great food and great service from Olivia! Thank you!

Jake is a truly exceptional member of your staff. Helped with our choice of the wine and dessert- delivered to our specific needs Very friendly and approachable you man

Extremely good quality. Very accommodating for a birthday party. Waitress Olivia was standout.

Had 50% off main meal deal, really great value for a substantial meal.

i went there the veg was cold hadnt been refilled when asked rhere was no urgency to replace it ended up me not eating my dinner as it was so cold

Lovely roast dinner friendly staff

We were very impressed with the food staff very attentive we are coming again in two weeks

Our server Christine went above and beyond, What a lovely lady, so helpful, nothing was too much trouble, The food was great but she made our trip to the Toby, 5 stars Thank you Christine xxx

Wonderful selection of meat and veg at the carvery although slightly colder than expected Great value for money

Fatty roast lamb, small portions of meat, 1 order which wasn't carvery came out late whilst others were eating and was substituted

Absolutely gorgeous carvery on Sunday. I took my Australian girlfriend for her FIRST ever roast dinner experience and she was begging to go back for the next week. I will definitely be returning

Arrived to find the most horrific queue for food we've ever encountered. We estimated it would take 30 to 45 minutes to reach the pass the queue was that bad. We walked out because that is just unacceptable and total miss management of the booking system. It's unlikely we will be back!

The restaurant itself was lovely. However, I was very disappointed with the food. Cauliflower in the cauliflower cheese was hard, but not surprised as the pieces were really big, and the cheese sauce was not cheesey and very sparce. I think it was macaroni cheese, but that was very mushy and again not very cheesey, so maybe it wasn't what I thought it was. Potatoes were cooked in beef dripping, which sounded lovely, but I couldn't cut those!! I can go on, but that's enough. We didn't bother with dessert! Sorry

Always good value, can be crowded at peak times. Food was great veg were fresh.

Always great food, as good as mine but I don’t have to cook it or clean it up!

The staff at this restaurant are polite, helpful and doing their best in a packed environment. So many customers were waiting in the entrance to be seated, it was impossible to see the check-in desk or understand the crowd weren't in a check-in queue. I expected front-of-house staff to spot us, but they were inundated and attached to intercom systems. If it hadn't been for another kind customer letting me know where the check-in was, I'd have waited until past our book-in time. There was only one seat available in the entrance for the disabled. Staff were acting like A&E co-ordinators allocating scarce hospital beds rather than tables, there was such a tight schedule on bookings. They were kind enough to find us a seat near the carvery queue as two of us used walking sticks. They were also kind in dealing with allergies very promptly. The staff were brilliant but the system was overloaded. The place was so jam packed it felt like being in a cattle shed with people shoulder to shoulder and walking past tables every few seconds. The floorboards under my seat were repeatedly shaking. I felt sorry for the staff, that Toby Carvery management were treating customers as cash cows and not people. Also the yorkshire puds were ridiculously large and stone cold. Not the sort of place you'd want to go to get some R&R. The "slow roast lamb" was not particularly tender either. The other food was standard veg and reasonable value for money. Won't be back, though, particularly not on a Sunday!

2nd time visiting since refurbishment. Lisa the waitress was lovely and Dan the server was very polite. Great food snd service yesterday x

The German lady at front desk was superb!

Friendly and efficient staff. Good value for money. Only downside was some of the vegetables were luke warm.

Very busy.Lot of older patrons.Staff very friendly and polite and service great considering how busy they are.Chef at carvery friendly and jovial.

Had a lovely carvery at the Toby in Wickford Essex. The food was plentiful, hot and tasty. Service was excellent, our waiter (Jake) was brilliant, friendly and polite ensuring we were happy with everything. Thank you ☺️

Lovely carvery. Lots of choice of meat and veg. Staff and kitchen staff friendly and helpful. Only reason I have given four stars - the men's toilets were shocking. In a place where they serve food, workable and clean toilets should be a priority.

We go here when tired and cant be bothered to cook. Is an option for quick meal where you dont need to dress up. Food is usually really good plenty of vegetables, 4 different joints of meat. The interior is now looking quite nice as recently had a refit. Staff are friendly and helpful. Good value but wouldn't choose here for a night out unless there was a large number in the party.

Very clean restaurant, happy and helpful staff, food was really good, delicious throughout

Service very good , carvery plentiful, well laid out, and always refreshed.

Lovely carvery, service ok, car park is a nightmare, 1 way in same way out! Other than that great, definitely would use again.

Usual Toby Cavery was served a generous amount of meet, vegetable selection was limited in comparison to other Tobys, but the roast potatoes were brilliant and certainly as good if not better than many restaurants. Staff were friendly but certainly under pressure due to staff shortages.

Jake’s service was excellent. Very friendly and efficient.

Jake’s service was spot on and food was delicious

Fantastic service from Jake today, so friendly and cheerful. A great selection of meats and sides. Particularly enjoyed by the birthday boy.

Food was excellent. Service great, friendly staff. The place has been refurbished nicely since we were last there, mainly more tables to eat at.

I was asked about any allergies that I had, I was very impressed as the waitress immediately went to the chef and sorted everything out,

Visited with friends for the Christmas carvery lunch which was fine. Starters and dessert served at the table by helpful staff. Very reasonably priced. All in all good.

Enjoyable not too packed, food good

Food was great apart from having to ask for scrambled eggs to be made which took an age as no one wanted to tell the kitchen. By the time a cook appeared the food on my plate was cold.

Everything was good from service from polite and helpful staff to the food which was very nice

Tried dinner service and breakfast service as was staying at hotel next door. Dinner was okey. Overheard staff complaining about how dirty a table was left by a family didn’t think this was appropriate for other guests to hear at all. The breakfast was dry bland no flavour at all one of the worst breakfast I’ve had won’t be trying it again. Upon me asking for a takeaway box as the atomosphere wasn’t good I was met with a look and the waitress proceeded to ask if it was for my breakfast like I was going to steal all their food I found this quite amusing 😂. I’m a bigger girl so felt very judged. Do not eat here if u want tasty food and to feel good about yourself because it will do the opposite.

Meals have never disappointed, lovely place to go too.

This is the best Tobey carvery in essex. Food is always hot, and the staff are great. Never turn up here and get told they are out of some food. We always use this one.

Clean friendly and helpful staff

Lamb was hard burnt beef was ropey would not go back again

Staff were very accommodating as we booked a table of 6 for my mums 84th birthday, Mum is in a wheelchair and Dad unsteady on his feet. The staff sat us near to the serving counter. The decoration has been updated and is warm and welcoming, the food was hot and plentiful, staff were quick to replace food items. The staff were all polite and our waitress (Denise) was really lovely, she took time to talk to my Mum, wishing her a happy birthday and was very patient with both of my parents. To top it all off my Mum was presented with a little birthday brownie with a chocolate happy birthday written in sauce, a very lovely touch. We enjoyed our meal and wasn’t pushed to order deserts or felt rushed to leave. Finally the price was very reasonable. I can’t find anything to improve on - thank you

Orginised a family gathering after christmas, and had amazing service! The guy behind the bar ( sorry did not catch his name) was really helpful and rather funny.. we all said how nice the atmosphere was and also went way and beyond in helping us. If you have any employee programme we would like to nominate him for the service we got. Thank you

Staff were excellent but nowhere near enough of them

Packed as heck right before Christmas but service was still good and food was fresh and delicious.

I cannot use enough superlatives to describe how wonderful our visit was on Boxing Day. Although the place was expectedly busy we were seated in a timely manner, the food was served promptly, there was no queue at the carvery which was an added bonus and the service was second to none. The most special mention goes to our waiter Jake who was absolutely superb and made it one of the best visits we have ever experienced at a Toby carvery, he was first class and an absolute asset to the business. This chap couldn't do enough for us, with more people like him in the restaurant you will be flying high! Thanks again for a cracking day!

Waitress Denise was brilliant. Couldn’t fault her. Lovely food

Absolute shambles for Christmas Day in there for nearly 3 hours got NO PRE ORDERED STARTER waited over a hour, carvery was ok then got NO PRE ORDER Dessert after waiting over 45 minutes VERY DISAPPOINTED

Absolute disaster 1hour wait still no starter so gave up and just had carvery Deserts never came so left Felt very sorry for staff who were left to take the brunt of the complaints from every table in the restaurant We reported the matter to Dave(manager) and will contact him after the holiday period

I wasn't holding my breath on this being any good as I've not been to a Toby for a while (evening meal) as the last few times it wasn't that great. But, the meal my daughter and I had was really really lovely. We had the carvery, the meat was cooked to perfection, there were plenty of roast potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings. It was all hot and really tasty. I was pleasantly surprised. We finished with pancakes and a cookie dough sundae which were equally delicious. The restaurant itself was clean and tidy including the toilets. The staff were all happy which is always a result. I would definitely return and recommend to anyone who fancies a decent carvery at a decent price.

Fast friendly average roast dinner cooked for the masses, no Michelin star but does the job. Waitress staff very friendly, I tipped her. The chef who carves the meat needs to cheer up a lot! You dropped a star due to this point. Sorry if you were having a bad day.

The food is always to a high standard. Staff are friendly and helpful. Highly recommend a visit