Toby Carvery Chelmer Tavern in Chelmsford

AVOID No point booking because you just sit anywhere Don't expect to eat all your breakfast at once, no eggs, mushrooms, potatoes beans or sausages when we queued, twice went up for an egg and there were so many people waiting we never got anything so what seemed like a cheaper breakfast wasn't when all we could get was bacon, hash browns and toast. The place is dirty and understaffed.

Lovely food once again. We were served by the lovely Megan, who was friendly and helpful as ever. Definitely recommend.

we started off by entering through disgusting doors. we went up to the bar as the poster instructed where we were greeted by the most horrible staff ever. i have never in a million years been treated like this in my life. we asked the price of a breakfast where she continued to huff and puff and roll her eyes and then tap the screen agressively and continue to give us a moody attitude. the food was stone cold and loads of the food was missing. hash browns were undercooked, beans felt like they were not cooked at all and had to wait around for 5 minutes when we were the only customers for a tea even though the staff member made eye contact with me multiple times. when she came over to the till, she said “what do you want” in a horrible demeanour. I would like my refund. i will be contacting the manager and call. Not to add the toilets were unhygienic when i tried to change my baby’s nappy.

Today I visited the Toby in Chelmsford with my family. Have to say that the service and quality of good was first class. Our waitress Megan was a real star, she really went the extra mile to assist and make our visit a visit to remember. Well done Megan and well done Toby

Had a very enjoyable meal with friends. Our waitress, Megan was really lovely and made us feel welcome. Will definitely be visiting again. Thank you 😊

Really lovely lunch, haven’t been for a while. Wasn’t too busy when we went. Food ok but Chris the server was excellent, happy, polite, chatty and helpful. Girls serving and on front desk could smile more and look like they want to be there would help. But thank you Chris.

What was great? - hardly anyone in the place so no long queue for food What to improve? Where to start? Beef so tough you couldn’t cut it. Turkey and gammon very dry it had been sitting too long. Roast potatoes so overdone there were no middles to them. Mashed potato had been sitting there so long it was very dry and a spoon couldn’t get through it to serve it. Carrots dry and curled up. Peas like bullets. Lack of other vegetable choices. Gravy not very hot and we had to ask the waitress to get some of the sauces refilled. They weren’t busy so it could have been done before. I realise it’s a cheap meal but it was just awful.

Was told we had to sit in the bar seating area as we had a buggy for our new born child and order at the bar… not a problem but then had to wait 15 minutes to even be served at the bar, multiple staff walked past and just ignored us. Finally got our food and it was utterly rubbish. Potatoes were hard on the outside and raw in the middle, hardly any veg, stuffing was dry and most importantly the gravy was like number 2 toilet water… watery as anything!!!!! Staff didn’t care if we was there or not and food was the worst from any carvery we have had

We regularly go for a Toby and are never disappointed but this was our first time at the Chelmsford one and we won't be returning. We booked a table here at 7:30 on a Sunday which should really be peak time but the carvery looked like it had been sitting for hours, the potatoes were hard, veg and meat dry.. Very disappointed. Staff were pleasant and management helpful.

I’ve been a veggie for many years and was really pleased to see such choice for vegetarians. Good service from friendly staff

Excellent food, with excellent Service with a wonderful personality by our waitress Teigen will definitely return again thanks for a wonderful meal x

Went to toby carvery last week and can i just say how amazing the service was. i was greeted by a lovely girl called jamie and she continued to serve my table. Me and my family felt so welcomed and she went above and beyond and made us feel so comfortable. She was absolutely amazing.

First time with the breakfast buffet, lady at the bar didn’t even smile asked what drink and handed you the mug, I read on there website the breakfast was £6.49 wasn’t explained that the unlimited tea and coffee was an extra £2.50 but I thought that to be good value. Queued up for toast, 1 revolving toaster is not sufficient to serve the amount of guests. Queued up for breakfast and 1 was not the only customer to comment that the plates felt like they had dried mash potato on them. They were not smooth but looked clean .. I was not aware you had to request scrambled egg or black pudding until another customer advised me of this by which time I had already plated my breakfast. The bacon was cooked but all stuck together and could not be separated, the fried eggs all had solid yolks. Myself and my family found this very disappointing. The 2 jugs of filtered coffee as soon as it was put down was empty, how are 2 pots enough to cater for the many customers you have in your establishment. There was also an elderly lady who hit her head hard and I don’t believe a first aider could be found. Please take this as feedback that can be improved upon .. I really didn’t see the point of addressing this to a member of staff you looked very short on the ground and not sure it would have been taken seriously. Thank you for taking the time to read this I shall come back in the summer and revisit

Absolutely Brilliant food Fantastically Brilliant staff Great Family vibes Kieran with the loud shirt was fantastic

We eat at Toby Carvery Chelmsford regularly and we have only compliments for the staff and the quality of food. We went on Thursday (7th March) and were served by Kieran and Niall, two lovely members of staff! I loved the new dish: salmon and spinach wellington. All in all, we find the Carvery really good value for money.

Usual good meal. Carvery meat nice and tender. Good choice of vegetables. Still prefer to have the plates warmed, like the old days. Food cools down to quick. May be down to health and safety. I have mentioned the warming of plates several times.

I went for a takeaway carvery.and Harry the chef served me. he was very thoughtful and considerate of how he put my food in the takeaway box and I thoroughly enjoyed my food! I would definitely go back again as this was one of the best carverys from Chelmsford Toby I've had in a long time!

Very friendly atmosphere, was waited on by Steve, super friendly, polite and a genuine nice guy. Made our experience that much better.

Best Toby carvery we have visited yet, they where really accommodating in regards to my daughter with disability. The lady that served the meat was really helpful and understanding when it came to plating the meat up seperatly so they wouldn't touch. As this is a trigger for my daughters Autism. I believe she was called makalya, lovely young lady.

Always a reliable roast, so reasonably priced. Special mention for our server, Liberty. Nothing was too much trouble for her, would want to be on one of her tables every time.

Always love a good roast dinner and Toby never fails especially when I don’t wanna cook on a Sunday for the family. The place was busy, busy, busy but my table was all ready for me and my family and we were greeted by our lovely waitress called Liberty I think she had blonde hair. Honestly could not fault her, she was so busy herself running around for other guests but anything I asked for even though she probably had enough of my family’s requests. Had a lovely, relaxing dinner made all the better by great service. 5/5 will be definitely coming again!

Went in for a late lunch, was seated nice and quick our waitress Ceryl was really good she made us laugh, and was proper friendly and polite. we had the carvery, that was lovely and shared dessert. With drinks it was pretty reasonable prices would bring the kids next time due to that.

Another brilliant experience coming here with my family. The food was spot on as was the service. Will definitely be coming again

As bad as a restaurant can be. Long wait for dried and awful food. 2 of our party decided not to eat as it looked so awful. Staff surly and untrained. Never again!

Lovely meal great staff, cheryl was our waitress and she went above and beyond for, us cant wait to come back next time, thanks.

Went to Toby Carvery for dinner and will not be going again. We arrived and got seated straight away, drinks were taken and went straight to the carvery. I ordered a medium drink but got given a pint instead but the waitress did apologise. When...

Fantastic service all round. Food was delicious. Can't fault it at all. Will definitely recommend to all my friends. Very much enjoyed the Yorkshire puddings

amazing food, amazing service every time. would definitely recommend to anyone. myself and my family all came away having enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

You can't beat this buffet breakfast for the price it's offered at. The food is always hot and fresh, constantly being rotated at the morning goes on. Great service by the staff. Chef always does a superb job. Less than a tenner for all you...

We regularly visit here for monthly catchup with the family as we are all over the county and this is a great central location. It's got good parking to cater for all of our cars which is a bonus. The staff are lovely, always happy...

Greeted by Leah, who was very pleasant, and she showed us to the bar to wait (only for 5 mins) for our table to be prepared. Niall in the bar was friendly and very helpful. We were served our meats at the carvery by Axel...

Great service, all around very helpful and communicative. Jonny was especially good to me, making sure I was taken care of, even though I had a bit too much to drink. Good portion sizes too.

Booked a table and was told they weren't sure where they were going to seat us. Waited for 20 minutes to order drinks. Kids meal was possibly unavailable, waitress said she'd check and come back to let us know and didn't. When it did come...

I recently came to Toby for my Sunday dinner with my family. I must say I really enjoyed it. The yorkshires were particularly fluffy and not flat like in previous times and the meat and veg were nice too. However, there was a big queue,...

We eat regularly at the Toby Carvery in Chelmsford and we are very satisfied with the service and quality of food. In fact, we went twice for lunch this week! We’ve always found all of the staff very engaging and helpful.

Visited the Toby Carvery in Chelmsford today with the family for a roast dinner. From the moment we entered the doors the staff were very warm and friendly. The food was exceptional and service cannot be faulted. Thank you so much best Toby I've visited...

I can say ive had some great carverys in my time, but this carvery was exceptional way beyond my expectations great job!!

Had my monthly treat of a roast dinner, I couldn't be happier. I left the restaurant with a bulging stomach and if it were humanly possible, I would have eaten more. The service was brilliant. The price was great. I will definitely be back next...

I came while supporting a group of adults with learning disabilities. We were as always made very welcome. The gentleman looking after our table was fairly new and he worked hard to make sure we were happy throughout our visit. The food was fresh and...

We was served by Megan who was very helpful and efficient. Food was all cooked lovely and well presented . We will definitely go back soon

We had a really nice meal and were very impressed with both the food, service and the helpfulness of our waitress Megan. I am coeliac and have to be ultra careful what I eat , my husband is a vegetarian .Megan was completely informed on...

very pleased with services a lot of beautiful faces there and smart people very nice lots of laughs when being served my food loved it !

Would like to say a big thankyou to Harry the chef and Liam for the brilliant service we received for our grandson birthday meal which made the day very special for him again a big thanks to all xx

Had a lovely lunch on Friday with my Nan and her friend. Warmly welcomed by Niall and Danielle at the door and served by both Jaime and Cheryl. Staff are always super friendly and food was delicious and piping hot. My nan and her friend...

Friendly and warm staff, beautiful hot food, perfectly cooked, great choice of meat, all succulent and fresh. Can't beat it. Love this site, one of the best ones in the Essex area.

We visited this place this afternoon at 3pm ... there was no one at the reception when someone came they apologised and sent us to the bar .. again no one was serving when we were seated in a back room which felt cold and...

Quite the worst experience you would want on a Christmas night out. We had ordered from the Christmas menu and as requested submitted our choices well in advance. No pate and only one prawn starter so we skipped this course. No pigs in blanket despite...

Wouldn't bother guy's, staff are nice and food nice but management is awful and rude. Have a son with autism, ordered a dessert and ice cream. 20 mins later dessert come out to be told no ice and not had ice cream for days. Apparently...

Hadn’t been before but it lived up to bill as a carvery. Meat was good and the additional choices good. Service was very good and friendly. If you like a carvery good

After not visiting here for 5 years due to the standards being low (cleanliness, service), we thought we’d give it a try again. I was fortunate enough to receive a 50% off mains voucher for Black Friday week, so I booked a table for 7:45...

Visited at 6pm on a Sunday evening, despite booking in advance we waited 10 minutes to be seated and were standing for nearly 45 minutes in the queue for the carvery. There were 50 people in the queue and only one person carving. After this...

Usual dilemma on a Sunday when we realize we want a carvery and haven't booked! So our local carvery's were fully booked, having tried the 2 closest toby's we saw that this one had plenty of spaces left to book....now we know why! Firstly we...

Food was amazing, roast potatoes were lovely and fluffy. The carver Axel was super friendly and gave us a decent meat portion. Server Liberty was very welcoming and made sure we had everything even though it was busy. Would defo go back and suggest to...

awful, waited about 10 minutes to be seated, food was luke warm, cauliflower was rock hard, eventually managed to attract waitress attention to order dessert which she brought out in a reasonable time but forgot to give us spoons, said she would get some but...

The Yorkshire were soggy and the cabbage and cauliflower were rock hard , should have asked the chef to come and eat it!

very poor quality food. turkey was being sliced from the scraps of the carcass, no beef available for another 2 hours. vegetables were cold and unappealing selection. gravy was barely warm whole place needs a bit of tlc and retraining of staff

Although the food was cooked well and tasty, I couldn’t enjoy it because it was lukewarm and went cool very quickly. The premises itself needs some refurbishing as it is looking very tired and grubby.

Hiya loves I’m sally, I had a lovely experience here with my grandchildren, service was amazing and so was the food!! Staff were really helpful and lovely, would 100% come back and definitely recommend

Shocking service. I actually left without eating the food. Sadly I had paid as I was having takeaway. But the member of staff was so rude and the place was filthy. Avoid and find another Toby to go to, there are some nice ones around.

Good roast which is very good value for money. Staff are lovely. Our waitress was Jamie and she couldn’t have been nicer

waited almost ten minutes to be seated - there were only 5 other people in the restaurant. the manageress was rude, couldn't be bothered and her clothing was filthy dirty. we were told to go to the counter when ready, we had to wait another five minutes before they had finished their chat in the kitchen, we could see them through the door window. our waitress was lovely but the manager was shocking and shouldn't be there. safe to say that we will not be going to this Toby again, we will travel to Braintree where the service is always great

The breakfast was very disappointing. Although the sausages and bacon were nice and flavoursome , everything else lacked flavour including the potato, bacon and cheese hash. The tomatoes were very watery, and again lacked flavour. The worse thing however was the fact everything was very tepid despite the place only just opening (it is buffet breakfast). My coffee was okay but I felt the overall quality for what I paid represented poor value.

Well where to start , food cold, over cooked vegetables ,no lamb or beef the serving area filthy dirty with food and fat over counter, no sauces to accompany dinner .. As for the premises ....toilets (ladies may I add) are absolutely disgusting my shoe got stuck to the floor , toilet paper on floors hasn't seen a cleaner for weeks ...... Blinds in the seating areas are broken and an awful cold breeze running through, people moaning its cold another couple we heard will not be back...

Always go with my dad and Megan always takes care of us. She is so pleasant. Food is always good and great value for money

Come often with my family and always served with a smile by Megan. She is very attentive and helpful. The food is always great and good value for money

Just disgusting, no love or care in the food quality or preparation, if you serve meat that is so gristly that you have to leave your table to get rid of it in the toilet because you can't physically eat it and don't want expose...

Beautiful atmosphere, lovely staff. Food is always fresh and served with care. Lovely bar area as well for a couple pints after eating.

Came in for a quick lunch the other day and was over the moon with the service I received. Everybody was so welcoming and it had a lovely atmosphere. I was served by a young lady called Leah who was excellent; nothing was too much...

Had a fantastic time at my dinner where me and my friends were treated with such kindness and respect. Food was lovely also. Our bellies were very full and nourished. Will definitely go again.

First time back at Toby Carvery since Covid and had an amazing meal! The service was excellent by all the staff and they could not be more attentive. Drinks were provided really quickly following our order. As a vegetarian our waitress took the time to...

There were four choices of meat, ham, pork, turkey and beef. However, after that the vegetable selection is limited to what I am used to back home. I did enjoy tiring a Yorkshire Pudding, and the gravy was very good. Restaurant is needing a bit...

Had a lovely meal , wish the food could have been a bit warmer, the Yorkshire pudding was very greasy, but all tasted very nice, would definitely go again.

Had a fantastic afternoon here with the family on my daughter's birthday. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was good and our server, Destiny, was absolutely brilliant - attentive without being too intrusive and made my daughter feel special. You can never go wrong with...

Years ago my grandparents would clean this building when I believe it was named the Berni inn. Years later it’s now a Toby Carvery and with Chelmsford progressively becoming bigger and bigger, wether you have a shopping trip, a day out at the various areas...

I came to Toby with my partner who is very anxious around groups of people, Destiny seated us in a quiet area in the restaurant where no one else was seated, she made sure not to seat anyone near us during our visit which made...

The food was lovely. Didn't have to wait long at all. The air con is absolutely fantastic for the heat, which made the meal much more comfortable. Very good value for money. All of the staff were really attentively and welcoming. Our waiter Steve was...

We enjoyed a lovely meal at the Chelmsford restaurant. Our waitress Makayla was lovely, she was very friendly and attentive. There was plenty of staff carving and replenishing food so the queue was short, even though the restaurant was busy. All in all a great...

Very tired. Food warm. Meat not replaced when nearly finished. Could not believe the condition of the blinds which were literally half closed and falling apart making the interior very dark. The waitress Makahlia was the only good thing!

Our visit to the Tobys Carvery in Chelmsford didnt start of great and quickly went downhill, from the lack of service to pure disgust of other customers behaviour which staff witnessed and just watched. When we arrived there was no staff anywhere to be seen,...

This was a bad experience in relation to the food and the attitude of the staff. Carver shouting that there was no one else trained to carve the meat, complaining that it was taking 5 minutes to serve each person as waiting on meat and...

We went as a family this evening, ordered 5 meals 2 small and 3 large we were given a child’s small 1 round and 3 oval which we thought were large as that’s what we asked for yet we were billed for king size upgrade...

The place was filthy. I know it’s dated and in dire need of redecoration inside and out but it wasn’t even clean. We were sat in a corner, facing a window and there were chunks of old food on the window sill that someone’s child...

Very slow service on a quiet night. 15-20 mins to take our order. We nearly finished our meal before we got our drinks (which were 2 empty glasses as it is self pour). Food was good. No check backs carried out. Made to feel unwelcome....

Never visited a Toby Carvery before. Not sure I enjoyed the experience. Long queue for carvery, plenty of food on the floor and kids around to tread it in. Noisy, but then I was there pre kids bedtime! On a positive note the food was...

Great food and wonderful service from Liberty. Went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. We will definitely come again.

Haven't been for a Toby carvery for over 10 years and don't think I'll go again for a while. The food is so cheap, meat was OK but everything else a let down for me. Hard veg, flat Yorkshire and cheap dessert, not a very...

Slop. Saw a staff member itch their bum crack and then serve food 😭 manager really unfriendly. made my school dinners in my special measures school look Michelin. Had more gourmet meals served from a vending machine.

Tried here again for lunch. Food is good but chef a bit tight on the meat, only got tiny flakes of turkey no proper slices. Had dessert apple pie & custard, big enough portion but pie heated in microwave so pastry was rubbery.Apart from that...

Never having had a bad experience at Toby thought we’d book again, this time Chelmsford. Once again not disappointed food was excellent and plentiful. Service by all was brilliant and Megan who helped us at our table was super. Definitely will be visiting Toby again

I came to this Toby Carvery on the 17/01/2023 to collect an order, the manager was a man named Sam and he was very welcoming, friendly and helpful. Couldn't fault his customer service it was beyond the standard expected. I haven't been to this Toby...

Visited Toby Carvery on 02/01/23, with 11 people that was pre booked weeks in advance. When arrived, there was minimal amounts of food, ie no yorkshires, cauliflower cheese or Macoroni cheese. They had 2 meats left, had run out of the rest. Poor service, waited...

My Wife booked for Christmas day for us and our 3 children aswell as my Mother & Father-in-Law to enjoy a Christmas dinner which they were looking forward to as they had always had Christmas Dinner at home, on arrival the manager couldn't find our...

Discusting service,waited over an hour to be seated,kept getting told ready in 5 minutes.found our own table,not even layed,got our own cutlery and crackers.Waited to long for starters so went straight for the mains.waited to long for dessert so left.won’t be coming back on Christmas...

Usually have Christmas at home - wish we had this year too unfortunately. Waitress was very nice and clearly swamped with work due to staff shortages, however we waited an hour to be sat which is shocking and defeats the purpose of booking time slots....

Absolutely farcical, booked our meal for 1:30pm, was seated at 3:10pm! Tables filthy, never even got napkins, cutlery or a drinks request. Waitress was the worst I’ve ever seen, didn’t give a toss, the manager hid in the kitchen and refused to come to our...

Booked our xmas meal for 3 oclock and still werent seated until 4 which was then that we had to find a table ourselves that had been empty for ages, we kept getting told 5 mins, if they had said an hour we wouldnt have...

Visited for an evening carvery. Staff were clearly rushed off their feet. Had to queue for ages to get our meal only to find that most of the vegetable trays were empty or, what was left was luke warm or congealed. My husband said the...

Really good meal. Food was cooked well, especially the Turkey and Beef. Plenty of different vegetables to choose from. Nice and relaxing time.

I have eaten here several times, mostly on a weekday but on this occasion, it was a Sunday, never again!!!! Not enough food for the amount of people that were there, had to wait about 20 minutes for the yorkshire puddings, but if you just...

I went to toby carvery with my sisters, for our pre Christmas get together.the place looked clean ,we got there just on 12 midday, so they wasn’t busy, the meat was lovely ,the only problem I had was the vegetable’s . They were only just...