Disappointing to say the least. Sunday lunch recently. We were a party of 11 booked in at 12.30. We started with a choice of 4 meats lamb, pork, beef or chicken. Turns out they only had beef or pork left. Fine, not a problem. My mum and my brother ordered sea bass. They came back and said they only has one sea bass left. Fine. The food arrived. My stuffing was still frozen in the middle. They reheated, which was fine. The one sea bass was dry and my brother who had now ordered the beef burger with onion rings, both of which lacked taste, they needed basic seasoning. I tried his meal and completely agreed. The kids meals were messed up, hey ho. By now we just wanted to go. My father, however wanted his favourite dessert, ice cream. A choice of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Wow! He ordered a scoop of strawberry and vanilla. They came back and said they only had strawberry. This is a frozen dessert for goodness sake. Supermarkets were still open at 12.30pm, they should have prepared and stocked up. We were early lunch guests ! I was grateful to be out and not cooking, however I would rather of paid to eat somewhere else. We won’t return, basics weren’t thought about and so I won’t be giving the Theydon Oak my hard earned cash. Wouldn’t recommend due to food or service. The bill was nearly £400, we all expected better. Sorry Theydon Oak, not a great review I’m afraid.
nick hickin
Stopped off whilst on a walk for a spot of lunch. Already had thoughts of a ploughman's lunch and was delighted to see one on the bar menu complimented with a pint of Inchs cider. The quality was very good but and this will seem odd to most the portion was huge to much for me personally. The price of 12quid could be adjusted to 8-9 and the portions accordingly.
Kate Nelson
Really mixed experience for father's day, some good but some pretty bad. We booked a week in advance and paid a deposit. We were explicitly told roasts would be served outside but when we arrived on the day they said no. Another person at the bar complained that they had been told the same thing. Forced us to sit inside in quite a dark and crowded room with full tables all back to back on a lovely hot day. The food was pretty good but took a very long time to come, we were waiting about 40 mins between courses which would have been ok if it was all adults but we had hungry young children with us and it was very busy and cramped inside which made it quite stressful. The playground outside is good for young kids. The garden looked nice, but didn't get a chance to sit in it. The service was very haphazard. They kept bringing drinks and food to the table that weren't ours, their system needs refining. I wouldn't describe the service as particularly warm or friendly, not sure I saw a smile from anyone and barely got a thanks as we left. Perhaps an inexperienced team on a busy day, but still not ideal when you're spending a lot of cash for a special occasion.
Nicola Bublynskyj
If i could put no stars i would, the waitress was so rude she needs training with people skills i had the bill thrown at me twice for her then to walk away and not once bring the card reader over or ask if i was ready to pay. She was more interested in putting cutlery on tables of an empty restaurant, there was 2 tables to serve and 2 waitresses and 1 waiter no one even came over and asked us if we wanted a drink or if our food was okay or if we wanted desserts , the food was of poor quality even the peas where cold. (chips were tye only thing that was good only thing we all ate)
GJ Bell
Great music thanks to Mike Happninboy for that. Quality food & great beer & Cider choices?
Dilip Morar
A gorgeous village pub, with fabulous food and service! The Pie & Chips was a nod back to the good old days, very hearty meal.. thanks guys, look forward to our next visit!!
ronsgaler
Met up with my sister from Epping. Happy to discover my favourite Doombar available but was served in a London Pride glass. There followed some banter about "can't get the staff" joined in by some locals. Their range of drinks (and glasses) is impressive and the staff were wonderful especially the very elegant and knowledgeable Robbie. Had a very reasonably priced meal and drinks but wasn't warned about the size of helpings, they were enormous. We only managed a half each and my sister was delighted with her steak and kidney pud. I settled for the fish and chips. Shall definitely go again. A fun lunchtime.
Kate123789
Arrived at 5:55 and asked if there was food as we had travelled for two hours to the area to for a wedding. We were told that they started at 6pm and it would take about 10 minutes for the oven to warm up. We said this was fine and we were seated. We were the first ones in to order food. The pub gradually got busier (due to the football). Both of us had pretty much finished our drinks when the starters arrived, and then nearly an hour later, I asked the team member where our mains were as we had been waiting for longer than acceptable. He offered to remove the food from the bill/put it in a take away box. The food service bell rang during this conversation and our food was finally delivered ! We did not get a check back, and if we had, I would have said the chicken burger was dry and over cooked. We had to quickly eat the food as we needed to leave. We received our bill (which was nearly £50 and I was astounded that they had not thought us to compensate us. I asked for the manager (karen move, I know) but we were very disappointed, but the fact that it wasn't even busy when we arrived, and that the long wait and the lack of quality in our food. The manager offered us a measly 10% off as all he could do, and seemed annoyed when I didn't accept that. He said the pub was busy because of the football. The place was pretty much empty when we arrived. I work in a Greene King pub myself and would not accept this of . Thank you for the disappointment.
Plamen Kuzev
Amazing place! It’s 500 years old and the atmosphere is stunning. Food was great and portions were enormous. Staff are friendly and did everything possible to help and make us feel special. Sure it will be one of my favourite restaurants in the future.
Angeliki Apostolaki Iosifidou
I had previously given 5 stars, but had to change the rating following my today's visit. After over an hour of waiting (it was fairly busy), I received a burger that was burned and the potatoes were undercooked. I returned it and got a refund, but I didn't have the time to wait for another hour for a replacement.
Restaurantji Recommends
R7920YXlaurah
Last minute booking in which they accommodated us. A lovely warm welcome and was seated quickly. Service in the restaurant was good and food AMAZING, the portion sizes were huge! Would definitely recommend Sunday lunch to anyone.
Oscar Matzener
12:30pm on a Friday afternoon.Fairly quiet but got busier.Fabulous food. Freshly made so took a bit of time to come but was worth it.Friendly helpful staff.Definitely will be back.
Sunshine63430769876
Had a really fantastic sunday roast with friends this pub is so friendly . Its like being with family and long lost friends food is so good makes you want to keep coming back well done all
AJ S
Stopped by accident and I m glad I did. Amazing food at reasonable prices and excellent staff . Lots of space outside, including kids area . Will be back next time I am in the area.
Charles Lodge
Fine for a quiet drink and meal, great food and good fun for the kids
Disappointing to say the least. Sunday lunch recently. We were a party of 11 booked in at 12.30. We started with a choice of 4 meats lamb, pork, beef or chicken. Turns out they only had beef or pork left. Fine, not a problem. My mum and my brother ordered sea bass. They came back and said they only has one sea bass left. Fine. The food arrived. My stuffing was still frozen in the middle. They reheated, which was fine. The one sea bass was dry and my brother who had now ordered the beef burger with onion rings, both of which lacked taste, they needed basic seasoning. I tried his meal and completely agreed. The kids meals were messed up, hey ho. By now we just wanted to go. My father, however wanted his favourite dessert, ice cream. A choice of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Wow! He ordered a scoop of strawberry and vanilla. They came back and said they only had strawberry. This is a frozen dessert for goodness sake. Supermarkets were still open at 12.30pm, they should have prepared and stocked up. We were early lunch guests ! I was grateful to be out and not cooking, however I would rather of paid to eat somewhere else. We won’t return, basics weren’t thought about and so I won’t be giving the Theydon Oak my hard earned cash. Wouldn’t recommend due to food or service. The bill was nearly £400, we all expected better. Sorry Theydon Oak, not a great review I’m afraid.
Stopped off whilst on a walk for a spot of lunch. Already had thoughts of a ploughman's lunch and was delighted to see one on the bar menu complimented with a pint of Inchs cider. The quality was very good but and this will seem odd to most the portion was huge to much for me personally. The price of 12quid could be adjusted to 8-9 and the portions accordingly.
Really mixed experience for father's day, some good but some pretty bad. We booked a week in advance and paid a deposit. We were explicitly told roasts would be served outside but when we arrived on the day they said no. Another person at the bar complained that they had been told the same thing. Forced us to sit inside in quite a dark and crowded room with full tables all back to back on a lovely hot day. The food was pretty good but took a very long time to come, we were waiting about 40 mins between courses which would have been ok if it was all adults but we had hungry young children with us and it was very busy and cramped inside which made it quite stressful. The playground outside is good for young kids. The garden looked nice, but didn't get a chance to sit in it. The service was very haphazard. They kept bringing drinks and food to the table that weren't ours, their system needs refining. I wouldn't describe the service as particularly warm or friendly, not sure I saw a smile from anyone and barely got a thanks as we left. Perhaps an inexperienced team on a busy day, but still not ideal when you're spending a lot of cash for a special occasion.
If i could put no stars i would, the waitress was so rude she needs training with people skills i had the bill thrown at me twice for her then to walk away and not once bring the card reader over or ask if i was ready to pay. She was more interested in putting cutlery on tables of an empty restaurant, there was 2 tables to serve and 2 waitresses and 1 waiter no one even came over and asked us if we wanted a drink or if our food was okay or if we wanted desserts , the food was of poor quality even the peas where cold. (chips were tye only thing that was good only thing we all ate)
Great music thanks to Mike Happninboy for that. Quality food & great beer & Cider choices?
A gorgeous village pub, with fabulous food and service! The Pie & Chips was a nod back to the good old days, very hearty meal.. thanks guys, look forward to our next visit!!
Met up with my sister from Epping. Happy to discover my favourite Doombar available but was served in a London Pride glass. There followed some banter about "can't get the staff" joined in by some locals. Their range of drinks (and glasses) is impressive and the staff were wonderful especially the very elegant and knowledgeable Robbie. Had a very reasonably priced meal and drinks but wasn't warned about the size of helpings, they were enormous. We only managed a half each and my sister was delighted with her steak and kidney pud. I settled for the fish and chips. Shall definitely go again. A fun lunchtime.
Arrived at 5:55 and asked if there was food as we had travelled for two hours to the area to for a wedding. We were told that they started at 6pm and it would take about 10 minutes for the oven to warm up. We said this was fine and we were seated. We were the first ones in to order food. The pub gradually got busier (due to the football). Both of us had pretty much finished our drinks when the starters arrived, and then nearly an hour later, I asked the team member where our mains were as we had been waiting for longer than acceptable. He offered to remove the food from the bill/put it in a take away box. The food service bell rang during this conversation and our food was finally delivered ! We did not get a check back, and if we had, I would have said the chicken burger was dry and over cooked. We had to quickly eat the food as we needed to leave. We received our bill (which was nearly £50 and I was astounded that they had not thought us to compensate us. I asked for the manager (karen move, I know) but we were very disappointed, but the fact that it wasn't even busy when we arrived, and that the long wait and the lack of quality in our food. The manager offered us a measly 10% off as all he could do, and seemed annoyed when I didn't accept that. He said the pub was busy because of the football. The place was pretty much empty when we arrived. I work in a Greene King pub myself and would not accept this of . Thank you for the disappointment.
Amazing place! It’s 500 years old and the atmosphere is stunning. Food was great and portions were enormous. Staff are friendly and did everything possible to help and make us feel special. Sure it will be one of my favourite restaurants in the future.
I had previously given 5 stars, but had to change the rating following my today's visit. After over an hour of waiting (it was fairly busy), I received a burger that was burned and the potatoes were undercooked. I returned it and got a refund, but I didn't have the time to wait for another hour for a replacement.
Restaurantji Recommends
Last minute booking in which they accommodated us. A lovely warm welcome and was seated quickly. Service in the restaurant was good and food AMAZING, the portion sizes were huge! Would definitely recommend Sunday lunch to anyone.
12:30pm on a Friday afternoon.Fairly quiet but got busier.Fabulous food. Freshly made so took a bit of time to come but was worth it.Friendly helpful staff.Definitely will be back.
Had a really fantastic sunday roast with friends this pub is so friendly . Its like being with family and long lost friends food is so good makes you want to keep coming back well done all
Stopped by accident and I m glad I did. Amazing food at reasonable prices and excellent staff . Lots of space outside, including kids area . Will be back next time I am in the area.
Fine for a quiet drink and meal, great food and good fun for the kids