This is fast becoming a very good local pub,with friendly staff . I is on the village green, with…read moreparking at rear The management appear to be making great efforts to create a good atmosphere,with great food (at reasonable prices ) . I think they are doing a great job Steve B 18/10/2009

"the royal oak" a 5 min walk from ockendon station. my first impression on looking at this "ye…read moreolde" pub was well presented and clean, upon going inside initially it was dark. a very clean refurbished pub with a marble bar and exceptionally clean and pleasant surroundings. the bar staff were very welcoming and greeted me with a smile, they were attentive and made me feel as though they had known me for years. the beer garden has a relaxed tone about it with parasols and seating for over 100, the grass and border flowers are immaculate, whilst i was there, there was a wedding party in the other side (the restaurant) the food i hear is superb and well worth a visit on a sunday.. my overall impression is this is a place you can bring your wife/ partner to and will both be impressed at the attention to detail and warm friendly atmosphere... terry h (an impressed member of the public) 08/october/2013

Great place for a traditional pub lunch. Burger, sandwiches, fish and chips and meat pies. I went…read morewith the steak and ale pie. It was awesome. Came with mash potatoes and peas, tasty gravy...filling but not over the top. Eating areas inside and outside.

My first "traditional" English pub, so take this review with a grain of salt…read more Visiting from the states and our hosts took us here for dinner. Staff was friendly and the place's ambiance was exactly what you'd expect an English Pub to be. Had the Steak Pie and jacket potato. Food was well done and there is a lot of "steak" in there. I quote steak because in Texas steaks are particular cuts and are always grilled or baked/roasted. The meat in the pie was what we'd call roast - which isn't roasted but rather slow cooked. It was a nice place and I'd recommend it.

Amazing food and service, always made to feel welcome great value for the quality and portions…read morehighly recommend the mixed roast! You won't be disappointed!

The Shepherd & Dog was just.a pub which was very popular but I never had the inclination to drink…read morethere. That was then but now it's been revamped into a restaurant that serves dishes that are of very high quality. Their Sunday roasts are good value with plenty if taste. The staff are friendly, polite and extremely efficient. Customers do like to dress up when they dine here and I don't blame them. As it does add to the ambience

Right, although I'm on the Newcastle Elite Squad of Yelpers and very proud of what the Toon has to…read moreoffer, I think I may have found a place which would make me up-sticks tomorrow and move to Essex. Yep, seriously - Essex... I know! However, the Bell Inn at Horndon on the Hill is truly something else. Totally not what I was expecting to find a few miles from Lakeside shopping centre (which is work-related, the reason I found myself in this part of the country, just in case you were wondering...) The location is a 15th Century coaching inn overlooking the hills down to the Thames Estuary. As you go into the main pub area, which leads through to the restaurant, you step into an authentic English country pub atmosphere, low wood beams, open fire, numerous ales on tap (the local pale ale we had was excellent), random brass items on the wall, but all done properly and not in the faux manner you get in some pubs. What really sets this place apart is the food. Wowser, this was superb. When we mentioned to colleagues that we were going here, everyone said we would not be disappointed and they were not wrong. The menu changes regularly to reflect seasonal produce (a big tick in my book) and the quality of ingredients and level of cooking was top notch. Starter was English asparagus wrapped in parma ham served with the richest hollandaise I've had in a long time. The main was a breast of guinea-fowl, served with various veg, each individual item cooked to perfection. To finish was a dark chocolate cheesecake with hazlenut ice cream. Each course went down a treat, I was actually a little sorry to finish as it was that good. All served by very friendly and professional waiting staff, their attention to detail was second-to-none. You know when somewhere gets it right on the money, well this place has got it and then some. It comes as no surprise to learn that The Bell has won numerous industry awards including being on The Sunday Times Food List as one of the 10 best gastropubs in the UK. So if you ever, ever, ever find yourself 'dahn sahrf' anytime soon, get yourself along the A13 and make a reservation here. Oh and they also do accommodation here, sadly this was fully booked on the night of our visit. However, I'm back down to Lakeside next month and you know where I'll be staying this time...

An excellent dining room which is open on Mondays as well. It has never failed \to please…read more Adrian Winbow

A typical English suburban pub. A large single bar decked out in wood with plenty of seating…read more A large garden with seating for summer and to allow children to roam. A reasonable range of standard beers is on offer with a small menu of typical pub grub.

Over the last 3 years, the current owners have transformed this local pub into a family friendly…read moreenvironment, with a fantastic garden and a superb menu of food. Well recomended

What a fantastic pub/restaurant. Comfy, friendly surroundings with wonderful helpful staff. Nice…read moremenu with the 'usual' pub fare, thankfully not too long and over extensive. Plenty to choose from for any palate. As it was a Sunday lunch three of us stuck to a roast while the one other in our party decided to be 'adventurous' on a Sunday with fish and chips??? I must admit the plate arrived and it did look delicious and smelled so fresh. The roast beef arrived two 'as it comes' with one preferring well done. All of it perfectly plated with plenty of vegetables, all so fresh. Only one slight problem, the knives need to be sharpened. I noticed that all three of us were 'tearing' the beef as it should have been cut. However, maybe I should have requested steak knives. All in all a delightful Sunday lunchtime with friends and we will certainly be back soon.

While visiting England from Los Angeles I Had a lovely lunch with my parents and service dog, we…read moresat by the fire and enjoyed a cozy afternoon drinking Guinness and eating traditional pub food. Our server was delightful she was so friendly, very pretty girl with braids, and while serving food also busted out a mean log fire to keep us warm. Truly a woman of many talents !!! She was truly awesome. We enjoyed the lunch so much we went back to have dinner before I returned to the U.S but were greeted by a very unfriendly older woman, I'm assuming she was some kind of management because she was brandishing a bunch of keys and rudely informed us from across the restaurant that unless we had booked online we could not eat. The pub was empty except for a table if 4 so not sure why she didn't welcome our business. This is the difference between good staff and bad staff, had we not had such a wonderful prior experience this pub would be getting a one star review. So management you can thank the pretty girl and the dude working with her that afternoon for the 5 stars. Your welcome.

This place are so accommodating and helpful. I booked our post funeral buffet and I cannot fault…read morehow kind and helpful the team have been. Keep doing what you do so well.

Really good food! Service has always been good too…read more Has a nice bar area and plenty of seating for dinner. Personal favourite are their pies, the pastry is yummy!

Located on the way out of Upminster/London, the bus stop outside marks the last point in which one…read morecan use an Oyster Card for buses before leaving zone 6. Because this, this pub somehow resonates a 'village' feel (even though it is part of a chain), especially seeing as it backs onto Essex fields. The drink selection is average/good with the prices reflecting that. The food is your generic 'chain pub' food. Burgers and so on with roasts on sundays. The atmosphere here is always quiet, never packed out and no TV's showing sport or pool tables. This sometimes works against the place, as a Friday night here often feels like a Monday afternoon. The actual property itself is extremely nice, with a big seating area, garden, car park and a local legend about a the haunted mens restroom! If you live local, and would like a quiet pint, then this is the place. For others who live closer to Upminster town centre, then the trek to the pub is not worth the effort when there are similar places in town.

Not a bad venue with outdoor seating. Part of the ember inn chain so have standard pub food which…read moreis average and a good selection of drinks. Often find they host a lot of wakes so busy with people. It gets very busy in the summer and sometimes finds the garden is full of bees/wasps. Overall an ok pub but doesn't offer anything that specials

Food was average, definitely not worth the price. Over cooked and dry. The Yorkshire pudding was so…read moredry it turned into a pile of crumbs. Ambiance was pleasant, average noise level. Service was good but the check came back with an item we didn't order and the items we did order were billed at the incorrect price. Two stars are for the lemon tart. Sadly we won't go back.

service was great, nice, friendly and welcoming!…read more the food was mediocre at best. the price was ridiculous! over charging for the food, won't be going back nice beer though

I live in Brentwood and my boyfriend and I tried the Horse and Groom for Sunday lunch…read more The staff are very friendly. It's a very relaxed pub with chart music playing in the background and a big TV playing Sunday films in the corner. The cost for a Sunday roast is approx £15 for 1 course, £18 for 2 courses and £23 for 3 courses. The options are very limited however, with no vegetarian choices. The roast was average - my boyfriend had the lamb - it was a good portion though with great crispy roast potatoes and a big yorkshire pud. After enquiring about a vegetarian meal they made me a vegetable stir fry mix, which was a bit disappointing. The staff were really accommodating however and for a drink down the local I would definitely go back, but the meal wasn't worth the money. There are lots of other pubs and restaurants in Brentwood serving much better food at much lower prices on a Sunday.