The Red Lion - Braintree

The restaurant was not impressive. The food was of low quality and not worth the price. The cost per person was £30–40. The food was rated a 1 out of 5, while the service and atmosphere scored a 3 out of 5.

We called last minute to make a reservation for a family of four after being let down by another restaurant. The staff happily accommodated us, fitting us in about 20 minutes later. The restaurant was busy but had a relaxed atmosphere. Our food arrived promptly and was all hot, fresh, and delicious. The standout dish for us was the sticky toffee pudding, which was amazing. Thank you for a great evening. The average cost per person was between £30-40.

This restaurant had the potential to receive five stars, as the food was very good. However, despite the polite service from the staff, we were disappointed to learn that we could not order mash with a pie instead of chips, and were not allowed extra gravy. The explanation was that they prepare exact portions for each meal choice, and therefore cannot deviate from that. This policy was unexpected and disappointing, as we believe that guests should be able to choose what they want to eat and not be limited by the restaurant's decisions. It was a shame to see such good food let down by this lack of flexibility.

We have been coming here once a month for just over a year as a girls get together catch up. We are aware of the early closing of 10pm. Food was excellent as usual. But the issue we had was being constantly chased by staff, on this occasion, one of our party was a little late for our booked time of 7.30pm. Staff came over and said we needed to order soon as kitchen was closing this was 7.40. At 9.10 staff came and asked us to pay as till was closing. At 9.30pm we were basically told to leave as they were closing. We were outside in the car park at 9.40pm when all the staff left, the doors were locked and the car park lights turned off, leaving us in total darkness. On getting home I checked the opening times and they still stated10pm as closing. We were a little disapointed, as we felt our night out had been tainted by the pressure to hurry up our evening. We would have spent more on further drinks and maybe desserts, had we not been chased out the door. Dietary restrictions: We come here because one of our group requires a gluten free diet

Gorgeous pub, the ambiance is so perfect. Comfy seating and candles, I enjoyed my visit. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5