Green Man, Ingraveback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
driven past many times whilst in essex, and always liked the look of the building, a wonderfully pretty white building, set perfectly off the road.
i had the opportunity to pull over and pop in this weekend, and i was very pleased with my visit. the garden is spacious, and the back edge of which looks out onto farmland. very nice. the interior is nice and traditional, and there was a good bunch of locals creating a nice atosphere.
i was disappointed that the pub is a Shepherd Neame pub, as all the ales were kentish. nothing against kentish ales, but when in essex, it would be nice to drink essex beers.
in conclusion, a stunning building with a pretty good pub inside.
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I'm not sure if the current management are the same as some of the previous reviews but if not there is an alarmingly odd trend...
Having recently moved back to the area we were looking forward to having a nice local to pop to now and then but after experiencing their appalling and pretty bizarre customer service at the weekend, we can safely say we will not be returning.
The visit started off well, we had decided to go with friends for a late afternoon drink and having 5 young children between us, we were pleasantly surprised on how lovely the garden was but also remarked about how quiet it was for a Sat afternoon in July. We decided to stay a little longer so thought we would get the children their dinner here but as the weather was slightly chilly we asked if it was ok to eat inside which they were more than happy to accommodate. The kids meals themselves were fine, nothing spectacular but fine with large portions and all seemed well. The age range of the children were between 9mths and 3 and as can be expected was a fairly lively dinner time but not especially so and we were the only diners at the time.
Towards the end of the meal is where things turned sour - as we were finishing a lady which i can only assume was the landlady came in and asked to clear some plates as the tables we were using were fully booked for the evening. An unnecessary pressure but fair enough we thought and decided to finish our drinks outside. Our friends took the kids into the garden whilst my husband and I cleared up the tables. At this point the cheery woman came back in, stood for a minute then asked, 'is it just the children who have been eating' to which we replied 'yes but we have been drinking outside for the last couple of hours and had a couple of dishes ourselves - is there a problem?' The lady then said 'well i'm sorry but there's an awful lot of mess considering you just ordered kids meals, i wish i had known'. I pointed out that it was probably quite clear what we had ordered when we placed the order at the bar which they happily took the money for, and we had asked to sit inside which they had agreed was fine - but aside from that we were in the process of tidying anyway, to which she replied 'well just look at the mess i'm going to have to get the hoover out and everything'! I told the lady what a shame they had such an attitude given it was our local pub but not to worry as we certainly wouldn't be back again with such awful customer service as there were plenty of other more accommodating places and the woman replied ' i don't think any restaurant would be pleased to have you'!
Still reeling from the outrageous rudeness, we met our friends outside and in my haste left a set of keys on the table - soon after a surly looking man who we can only assume was the landlord came outside and grunted we had left keys. 'Don't worry, we won't be back' i called to him, to which he replied 'i am very glad to hear it, this is our home and we don't need people like you wrecking it'!
Now i appreciate toddlers are not the most tidy eaters but it honestly wasn't that bad and considering we had spent around �80 in an otherwise dead afternoon i think the attitude of the owners was outrageous and quite ridiculous - it all seemed to stem around the issue of having to get the hoover out, but saying no restaurant would be happy to have you just is downright rude.
We appreciate not all pubs are child friendly and would prefer to be adults only which is fine, but don't have a kids menu and if you don't want kids younger than a certain age then don't provide high chairs. Simple as that.
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Visited Sunday evening (as the Old Dog closes at 9pm). Had a sound pint of Hooky Gold in a convivial environment. Can't comment much more but inclined to go with West rather than Lord Essex,
Honestly, prefer the OD but a safe alternative.
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The previous negative reviews have clearly been left by disgruntled individuals on a personal vendetta against the people who run this pub!
It is obvious a lot of time and hard work has gone into renovating and improving this lovely old pub.
The bar staff are friendly and the food is very good, with a good selection of special dishes. Large selection of beers too.
The beer garden is fantastic on a summer day, with plenty of tables, a pond and BBQ area.
I think some people forget pubs are for adults, not playgrounds for their children.
I think some people forget pubs are for adults, not playgrouds for thier children.
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From the outside, it looks like an idyllic country pub. With its tudor beams and low ceilings, its appearance is a beautiful example of traditional architecture and design.
Then you walk up to the bar, see a scowling barmaid who grunts "wot can I get yer' and the whole experience changes into something a lot darker. The barmaids were constantly bickering about the landlady, something interesting to listen to but I was waiting for my drink at the time and would rather have been supping lager. Obvious regulars come in and are welcomed with a smile, grope and free drink if they are lucky. I noticed a few apparently 'free' drinks being passed around, where's mine - thats what I wanted to know! All this fake comaraderie makes 'not so regular' customers feel a little isolated and out numbered.
You walk into this pub and expect something homely, traditional, welcoming. Just what you expect from such a proud old building. But the reality is that the bar staff are dreadful, the 'home made' food is about as home made as fish fingers, the beer tastes dirty, the toilets smell and the owners couldn't give a sh*t if you didn't visit their establishment again!
Don't waste your time, go to the Boar's Head or Old Dog, just a minutes walk away.
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The pub has a nice garden and the people that use the pub are friendly. The beer and wine are good and the food was ok for the money. But i think the lady that runs the pub Lyn needs to attened a customer training course on how to talk to customers and staff before she spends any more time behined the bar. she was also a bit rude to people with young children which in a lovely village like this could be a big mistake.
Maybe Lyn should stay upstairs out the way away from people.
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I must have been in a different pub to the last reviewer. Having moved into the area recently I was delighted to find a local that provides a great welcome (Len and Lyn are superb hosts), at least 3 good real ales and good food, sensibly priced. The work Len has done on the beer garden is impressive and it's a great place to chill out. Highly recommended.
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The Green Man, Ingrave, Brentwood.
This pub does not welcome children.
The lady that runs the pub Lin, does not like children.
She is rude to the staff, rude to her customers,and has no people skills.
In all fairness if you want a drink in a nice pub this is not for you.
Walk straight pass and go to The Bores Head or The old dog both in ingrave, both nice friendly pubs.
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this pub is lacking atmosphere. lacking goog wines sold by the glass, and lacking good owners. by good i mean polite!!!
I've never come across such rude people in any other pub or restaurant. They seem to have no clue about how to speak to customers or how to interact with people in general. i have no idea how they keep their staff, they never seem to be very pleased to be at work!!! and i cant blame them.
The prices are too steep also. and instead of asking you to drink up at 11pm, they just turn the lights out on you!!! which is really nice!!!
all in all, quite an unpleasant experience.
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TERRIBLE. THIS IS THE ONLY WORD TO SUM MY DINING HERE AT THE GREEN MAN.
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No great atmosphere, but very friendly barstaff, good value food and small choice of real ale served.
Unfortunately they don't have the sky tv any more...but still a nice place to drop in for a quick pint.
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Beer was more than drinkable. Plenty of space. Piped music a little loud.
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Now a 'Big Steak' pub after a short while as a 'Real Fire' pub. Beer kept well. No atmosphere (apart from cigarette smoke.) Family room. Needs to change hands again to restore it's identity as a charming country pub.
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Recently refurbished. Excellent food and beer. 2 main courses for the price of 1 on Monday evenings. Proper fires now wintwer's here.
caroline - 10 Oct 2003 18:28 |
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