The best restaurants in Boreham and The Leighs Chelmsford East of England

We visited The Aviary for the first time at the end of the August.It was lovely.We wondered if we had just been lucky or if such fantastic food is par for the Course. Therefore we returned in October and I can report that it was no fluke and this restaurant is really special. Since our first visit it has been refurbished and also created a separate room acting as a bar serving light food. We stayed with the beautifully appointed restaurant and chose from their special lunch menu which is very good value at £ 25 for three courses and offers a number of choices with a diverse range of options. I started with the satay chicken with peanut sauce.In common with all the courses the presentation was superb.The chicken was very moist and the sauce was excellent.My wife opted for the avocado prawn and was surprised and happy that not only did it taste nice but the serving was most generous. We both had calves liver and crispy bacon served with a jus,mashed potato and broccoli.It was perfect.Every component of the dish was clearly made with such care and creativity.The sauce was enjoyably rich with a hint of sweetness.The chef clearly cares about the food he produces and succeeds with flying colours. For dessert we could choose any from the a la carte menu.I chose to have the banana bread pudding which was very nice and bananary ! My wife had sticky toffee pudding serviced with vanilla ice cream which she thought fabulous but she said it would have tasted even better if served with custard. The waitress whose name we found out to be Egle was brilliant.She made us feel very welcome,was very efficient and helpful and also had a lovely personality.She was proof of how important a server or manager is. A restaurant close by still very good but not as good as The Aviary had a great manager but she left and her departure left a real void. The Aviary is very fortunate indeed to have such a brilliant employee. We only have one concern and that is in trying to offer changes on the lunch menu more regularly some great dishes are taken off like the Atlantic cod.No doubt the calves liver will be replaced in time which would be sad as rather surprisingly it is not offered on the a la carte menu. It so happens that both our visits have been at lunch time.We are planning to go in the evening too.The prices for the evening are certainly no higher than those for the other high end restaurants indeed maybe slightly less. All in all The Aviary is a stunning restaurant both aesthetically and with the quality of the food.It is one of those rare places where you know you are going to be a regular after the first bite of food.

I Visited this lovely, clean and personable cafe with a friend on Sunday morning. Owner and staff were very welcoming and friendly. My friend had a full English brekkie and I had poached eggs on toast. We were both pleasantly surprised at how quick the service was. My friend commented on how nice all of her breakfast was. My poached eggs on toast was also really good. Finished off with a nice cup of tea. We would definitely come back again and I would recommend this place to all my friends. Thank you Lainey and team.

I recently found out this place, the staff is very friendly and the food is amazing! I think they do the best kebab in the town and it's already my regular place!!!

Great place! wonderful food! Big portions for main! Amazing! lovely owner and staff ❤️ would recommend!

A hidden gem tucked away off the main road. Great place for a drink with a great garden. Unfortunately no longer doing food.

Excellent food good atmosphere but can get noisy. Staff excellent and location is convenient We have been as a couple and with a party of six. This place never disappoints I would highly recommend

Great meal, as usual, meeting old friends. This is our pub of choice in Boreham. Busy on a Friday night, but able to chat easily. We all love Duo of Chicken - a firm favourite.

Very good service and food, Nothing not to like. I’ve eaten at a lot of Turkish restaurants and this is up there with the best.

Tried the Dahl and it was very tasty and nice kick too it Looking forward too trying more! Delicious

Best pie and mash I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a few). Their new chef is brilliant and obviously takes pride in their work. The staff were really friendly and made us feel welcome. Prices were very reasonable too. Will definitely be back again soon

Delicious breakfasts. Happy, friendly team. Our 3rd visit and certainly not our last!

Lovely clean comfy rooms , BUT it was the staff that made this stay exceptional. Staff were helpful and warm and friendly and they made such a difference . Special mention to Harry who was on front desk who was so helpful after we had had a long journey travelling with children .

Had a wonderful meal at this great pub, food was superb and the menu is extensive, so much choice. A family meal, we all chose something different and it was all very good. The service was excellent too, friendly and efficient staff. Lovely atmosphere, will definitely be back.

Great place to stay in Chelmsford and fantastic staff!

Had prawn toast v nice and special rice s/s chicken all good will use again