please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
As with most of Loughton it is very Essex/East - end boys done good sort of place, in saying that most are friendly, however, very loud. Great outside in the summer.
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Great location for a pub but that's about the only good feature. We tried two of the bitters and they were undrinkeable , at least the barmaid exchanged then for lager. It's a historic listed building but the interior seems to have been updated by someone who's colour-blind; there were even twinkling "Christmas lights" in August ! Total Bling !
We looked at the menu, lunch time only and noticed that both food and wines were expensive
Disappointing, as it could be so much better .
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The Gardeners Arms is at the top of a hill and is a lovely pub on the edge of the forest, although outdoor seating is limited to few tables out the front. Open fire in the winter and decent food all year round. Definitely one to seek out.
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Visited again last Saturday about 5pm. Pub seemed to be full of baby buggies and wailing kids. Several people waiting to be served and no sign of any bar staff. Some tables were full of dirty glasses. Gave up waiting but went back about 6.30. Most of the babies had gone but there were four dogs wandering around instead, a couple of which were nearly as noisy as the babies !. There was one barmaid, a young lady who was both charming and efficient, but unable to cope with the workload.
Adnams was undrinkable so went on to Fosters as a safe alternative: noticed that they still charge more for two halves than one pint, and their wine prices are exorbitant.
It's still an attractive pub in a nice location but starting to look scruffy and in need of some TLC. And a staff review !
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We found this pub in 2010 when we moved to Loughton and we thought it was a jewel. I'm not sure whether there's new management or what happened, but in July 2012 we took our entire family there for lunch and were disappointed. We tried again twice, but today after taking my friend there for lunch, I have to say I won't go back. The portions have halved (I'm still hungry after having Oxtail, Mashed potato and vegetables £10.95) and my boy had a children's sausage and chips charged at a cool £6.50. (This is literally a single tiny sausage with a handful of chips.) Now, this would all still be fine if the mashed potato hadn't tasted like washing up liquid. It is such a shame. I've recommended this pub to so many of my friends and now I feel really bad that I did.
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What a little gem. Almost stumbled upon this pub in the winding and hilly lanes of where Loughton becomes the Epping Forest. If you didn't know you might be in Cornwall or Devon. Lovely old-fashioned look and feel to the building - classic Essex weatherboarding - and a warm and cosy atmosphere inside - all nooks and crannies and dark wood. Actually it was full to bursting, such is it's obvious popularity. Sunday lunch was excellent - good quality food and generous servings. Beer was Adnams and was first class. On a summer's evening the views across London must be magnificent. the only drawback I could see about this place was posssibly the lack of parking. But highly recommended and will definitely be back.
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Great pub but I still can't fathom out why it isn't open until 7pm on Sundays. I would have visited at least a dozen times more this year if it could be open when people most want it to be.
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It's a pleasant, homely olde worlde place, with a blazing fire in winter.
Quite friendly staff, but some of them seem determined not to serve customers too quickly, perhaps they think you'll appreciate the drink more if you have to wait.
I go there quite often, and agree with other reviewers thet the beer is generally poor quality and quite expensive (and they charge more for two halves than one pint) Better to stick to Lager.
Food is OK, just the standard pub menu you see everywhere, but you can get far better, and cheaper, elsewhere.
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I used to live in the area and visited at lunchtime recently for the first time in many years. Nice pub and friendly people with good beer - Doom Bar, Black Sheep, Adnams - but food somewhat over priced for what you get. Scampi and chips descibed as "jumbo scampi" but it wasn't jumbo at all and with only 7 pieces it wasn't great value for �8.90
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Tucked into the Adnams bitter and Sharp's Doom Bar at a wake yesterday afternoon, both in fair condition. Nice proper pub, hasn't changed over the years which is good because if it isnt broken, don't fix it.
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Popular pub on top of hill giving great views over London. Adnams was fine, if a little on the pricey side. Rear of pub has a restaurant. Looked at menu and thought overpriced - battered fish, chips, peas and tartat sauce at �12.90! Would go again for the pub atmosphere, beer and location.
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I have visited this pub more than once and my most recent visit was comparible to all of my ealier ones... Its a pretty pub, it attracts a nice crowd of people and has probebly the nicest ambience of any of any of the pubs in the area, but the beer isnt great, its not terrible, but is rarely very good, which is a shame, as the pub could be exceptional.
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Now for something about the beer in this pub.It is all very nice to comment on the food and i am sure that to some people it is very important that they have a water bowl for the dog (sic),but to a lot of us (if not most of us) we go to a pub for a decent beer and have a good chat.After all,that is what a pub is.A place selling beer.A lot of us would prefer to go to a cafe or a restaurant for food.No problem with food in pubs.I love it myself.In a pub beer should come first and if you get decent food then that is a bonus.Now this is a very nice pub perched on the top of a hill with absolutely fantastic views over East London and Canary Wharf.But the beer.oh the beer.Fuller's Pride at �1.50 a half was absolutely and totally crap.Now if the food tastes anything like the beer then i dont think i would want to eat there.If a pub is going to serve good food then it should serve good beer.Perhaps the water wasn't for the dog but for the people who cant tell the difference between that and a decent pint.
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Fantastic pub, serving fantastic home cooked food, best Salt Beef in the county!
Views are amazing and a very peacefull spot.
anonymous - 12 May 2006 12:14 |
this small pub is in a brilliant location at the top of a steep hill which overlooks the whole of the city, docklands etc. very near epping forest, pretty road, lovely area, the staff are very friendly, good food, water bowls for dogs!
greta jenkins - 9 Aug 2004 21:22 |
