The Bell has a long standing reputation for good food, and based on our first experience it's well deserved. We've eaten in a few Michelin restaurants, and some items were certainly very close to that standard. Lamb scrumpet and the Heritage Tomato Salad (both starters) were excellent; but the one item that really would not be out of place in a Michelin restaurant was the “homemade petit fours” (really, really well made with a lot of care and thought). Our main courses were nice, well cooked, well presented. Good selection of freshly cooked vegetables. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Sensible prices, no automatic service charge (which is nice to see).
MJH1
Let me preface this review by saying I totally acknowledge we were 30 minutes late for the booking (a group of business people from across Europe who had delayed flights so our meeting in Basildon overran) the waitress (who was nice in actual fact) was pretty shirty when we arrived (at 20:30 not 20:00) saying we must order quickly We then had three courses rushed out to us in 90 mins, bar closed at just after 10pm and the staff were literally taking glasses away as we were chatting - very weird, just not made to feel welcome In terms of food - dishes were interesting, tasty and stylishly presented - but not without flaws The pasta on the salt beef raviolo was overly al dente (ie hard) - it needed 30 secs or so longer My pork main was great A few folks said the liver dish was over and a bit tough Desserts and cheeseboard were very good - as were the coffees So food almost great, rushed service not so much
Danny Reynolds
Great food and wine .. what more can anyone want apart from good company.. had it all!
Irene Bates
Great dinner last night. Superb goat’s cheese risotto and best liver and bacon ever for our mains. Our starters were fantastic too. Great service, staff very polite, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Thank you - we will be back
Pauline Van Dijk
great food excellent service.
nikijallen
Had an absolutely spectacular lunch. Been coming here for over 20 years & it never disappoints. The food today was epic, as good, if not better than any Michelin stared restaurant. Strongly advise a visit.
John M
Great place to eat great food, no freezer to microwave slop here. Staff friendly & helpful, would definitely recommend.
Jessica Jade Taylor
Great lunch, good atmosphere
Drinks ? and wonderful historic venue
Had a super day ❤️
handif
Nice beamed bar and restaurant. Welcoming staff as I was staying here as a lone traveller for work. Great real ale. Food prices on the higher side, but really good. Arrived a little late, so didn’t want too much so chose olives instead of a starter - gosh they were GOOD with cornichons and chillies. Unusual version of gnocchi as a main, but super tasty with lovely veg side including fab shredded cabbage and heritage carrots. After a long day and an awful journey this was really welcome, so a nice plate of food, glass of wine and early to bed. Perfect thanks.
Alan Pumfrey
Lovely room, amazing food, service and staff. Plus ample parking, ideal!
Restaurantji Recommends
Bob Quinn
Great friendly atmosphere and great food
David Spencer
Stunning food as per and great service.
Dee -
The food was great and the room was very clean and spacious, I stayed in the Josephine suite. The pub had a range of drinks and the staff were friendly. This was my vegan meal.
Stephen Salter
We went to the Bell Inn for our anniversary meal, and what a fabulous meal it was. The food was excellent, beautifully presented and tasted amazing. The service was excellent and the staff were very welcoming, polite and friendly. Thank you to the Bell for a great evening, with exceptionally good food, we will definitely be returning.
Lisa Webb
Friendly, very helpful, attentive staff. Chef even came to our table to guarantee our dietary requirements were met. Lovely experience. Room was warm and bed extremely comfortable. Highly recommend.
The Bell has a long standing reputation for good food, and based on our first experience it's well deserved. We've eaten in a few Michelin restaurants, and some items were certainly very close to that standard. Lamb scrumpet and the Heritage Tomato Salad (both starters) were excellent; but the one item that really would not be out of place in a Michelin restaurant was the “homemade petit fours” (really, really well made with a lot of care and thought). Our main courses were nice, well cooked, well presented. Good selection of freshly cooked vegetables. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Sensible prices, no automatic service charge (which is nice to see).
Let me preface this review by saying I totally acknowledge we were 30 minutes late for the booking (a group of business people from across Europe who had delayed flights so our meeting in Basildon overran) the waitress (who was nice in actual fact) was pretty shirty when we arrived (at 20:30 not 20:00) saying we must order quickly We then had three courses rushed out to us in 90 mins, bar closed at just after 10pm and the staff were literally taking glasses away as we were chatting - very weird, just not made to feel welcome In terms of food - dishes were interesting, tasty and stylishly presented - but not without flaws The pasta on the salt beef raviolo was overly al dente (ie hard) - it needed 30 secs or so longer My pork main was great A few folks said the liver dish was over and a bit tough Desserts and cheeseboard were very good - as were the coffees So food almost great, rushed service not so much
Great food and wine .. what more can anyone want apart from good company.. had it all!
Great dinner last night. Superb goat’s cheese risotto and best liver and bacon ever for our mains. Our starters were fantastic too. Great service, staff very polite, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Thank you - we will be back
great food excellent service.
Had an absolutely spectacular lunch. Been coming here for over 20 years & it never disappoints. The food today was epic, as good, if not better than any Michelin stared restaurant. Strongly advise a visit.
Great place to eat great food, no freezer to microwave slop here. Staff friendly & helpful, would definitely recommend.
Great lunch, good atmosphere Drinks ? and wonderful historic venue Had a super day ❤️
Nice beamed bar and restaurant. Welcoming staff as I was staying here as a lone traveller for work. Great real ale. Food prices on the higher side, but really good. Arrived a little late, so didn’t want too much so chose olives instead of a starter - gosh they were GOOD with cornichons and chillies. Unusual version of gnocchi as a main, but super tasty with lovely veg side including fab shredded cabbage and heritage carrots. After a long day and an awful journey this was really welcome, so a nice plate of food, glass of wine and early to bed. Perfect thanks.
Lovely room, amazing food, service and staff. Plus ample parking, ideal!
Restaurantji Recommends
Great friendly atmosphere and great food
Stunning food as per and great service.
The food was great and the room was very clean and spacious, I stayed in the Josephine suite. The pub had a range of drinks and the staff were friendly. This was my vegan meal.
We went to the Bell Inn for our anniversary meal, and what a fabulous meal it was. The food was excellent, beautifully presented and tasted amazing. The service was excellent and the staff were very welcoming, polite and friendly. Thank you to the Bell for a great evening, with exceptionally good food, we will definitely be returning.
Friendly, very helpful, attentive staff. Chef even came to our table to guarantee our dietary requirements were met. Lovely experience. Room was warm and bed extremely comfortable. Highly recommend.