Five Bells in Braintree

Thank you to Simon and all his friendly team, for all their hard work and Great Customer service which we received today. We dined at lunchtime with our Children and Grandchildren and we all agreed, how wonderful our meals were, they definitely deserve more than 5 stars!! Looking forward to our next visit, see you soon.

Friendly pub, great new menu, and best of all NOW GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY….. stunning views from a beautiful building. One of the best pubs around.

We visited the Five Bells yesterday afternoon as a family of 11 and a dog.From stepping foot in the door Simon, his family and staff welcomed us with open arms and took care of us for the afternoon.The staff were all courteous and polite and considering the size of our party, they dealt with all our requests with ease.The food was amazing, and no glass was left empty.I highly recommend this quaint village pub whether it be for a drink or a meal. The location is beautiful, it is dog friendly and as previously stated Simon, his family and staff were all absolutely amazing.Thank you once again for making our afternoon enjoyable and we will be back very soon

Setting is beautiful, the heart of the countryside. Take a drink and sit outside to enjoy the wonderful view.Went for lunch, I didn't have a starter but for those that did, the comments were very good. Especially for the Scotch egg and Piccalilli. Mains ordered were Roast Chicken, Pie and Risotto. Good piece of chicken and a massive Yorkshire pud! Pie was also huge and Risotto a good portion. We refrained from desserts.Staff were a plenty, some slightly unhappy to be at work by the look of their faces. You could clearly tell who management was who was happy and smiling and ensuring we had everything we needed and the floor was running well. We were asked about three times if our meals were ok.Would return to certainly enjoy the view and the peaceful setting.

Had a brilliant lunch here today both the food and the service were amazing far beyond any normal country pub in the middle of no where, the young waitress was smiling and helpful from the word go. Shame her Dad was a Leeds fan, as a Millwall fan the only downside of this superb place. I will be back for Sunday lunch.

It is a beautiful pub and when I went in for the pub quiz it was a fun night but went in again another day for food and it was so bad, the food wasn’t nice at all and sadly the staff didn’t even know how to pull a pint between the 10 of them who were working, 4 drinks took them 20 minutes to serve and the pub was pretty much empty so not because they were busyI got a salt and pepper pork crackling small plate for just under £4 and was so shocked when they brought out a bowl of pork scratchings simply poured from a bag you’d buy in the shop, it came with a dip too which was something completely different to what was on the menu but I wasn’t told it was different until I asked if it was chilli id been given and the guy didn’t seem to care that I’d been given the wrong thingHad sausages and mash for main, the mash was smash and the sausages weren’t cooked fresh, just reheated2 of my friends had pie, steak or chicken piesBoth were bad, looked like cheap microwave frozen pies which the pastry was tough and hard on top and soggy around the bottom, both served with more smash

We visited today for lunch. I have been many times in the past and love this pub. Perfectly positioned - overlooking rolling countryside. However, it has been a couple of years since my last visit.The pub has definitely had bit of a face lift since my last visit - a very smart interior.Upon arrival, the staff we efficient and showed us to our table - throughout the service was friendly and efficient.The food was pretty variable - I had squid to start - this was nicely presented, but did not taste particularly home made.My wife's main course was nut roast, but was pretty limited on vegetables.I ordered Steak and ale pie which really wasn't great - the contents of the pie was lacking in steak and where steak was found was quite fatty. The 'ale' gravy tasted generic and very salty.My wife's chocolate fondant was apparently very good. However, my ice cream arrived semi melted and tasted like cheap supermarket ice cream.

Popped in for dinner with my daughters and what a lovely country pub.Food was excellent, staff were attentive and atmosphere gave a really nice feeling.They have a corner with bits for all the kids to do and games for the family to play.Lovely views over the countryside.Will 100% be back in the summer evenings.I can see other negative reviews and understand everyone’s experience is different, but I can honestly say our experience was great. I find it hard to criticise an industry that has struggled for 2 years, no one wants to work in and they are doing their best to make the pub work.Well done to the 5 bells team, you are doing an amazing job.

Feels like a Wetherspoons now. Unsure where all the old staff are going but it feels an entirely numb pub now lacking charisma. No longer a nice village pub to visit. May as well save your money and visit elsewhere as not a cheap at all. Also, weird sofa set up, where is the big round table?

Lovely country pub, dog friendly. Clean and spacious interior with a nice mix of traditional and trendy decor. Food was excellent and great value, service from Dan was top notch, very friendly and professional. Our new favourite pub! We will be back soon.