The Ivy Lounge in Chelmsford

A lunch time visit with the kids, experience could have been better....The place itself is nice, and the staff we spoke to seemed nice and friendly - the let down unfortunately was the quite long wait for food (an adult brunch breakfast, a kids sausage and chips and a portion of chips). It wasn't incredibly busy or anything, but it was clear that others were having similar wait times. With two small children a long wait for a not overly complex food order wasn't good enough. (Most restaurants would also aim to get kids meal out ASAP or ask if we wanted them out ASAP). To add to this, towards the end of the brunch I realised it didn't actually arrive with everything it was supposed to... bit late by that point..!The food itself was good (scrambled eggs in particular was very nice) but as mentioned above the other bits let the side down which is a real shame.

Visited on a Thursday evening with a party of 6 people. In summary:Venue/atmosphere/service – 9/10Food 5/10 (but 8/10 for the Dirty Chicken Burger)This is a lovely place in terms of décor/style/layout/character. You really feel you are going out for a treat evening. The décor and atmosphere makes the place feel classy and the waiting staff are great – friendly, helpful and efficient.Drinks – we had four cocktails (see photos). Cocktails looked great but with the English Garden cocktail it was hard to taste the gin. Raspberry and Vanilla Martini got top marks and Mojito was fairly standard.Food – between us we had Olives and Sourdough Sharing Bread to start, followed by the Seared Seabass, Sunrise Bowl with Avocado, House Beef burger, Dirty Chicken Burger, two small plates of Bang Bang cauliflower and Fried Halloumi as our mains.Starters - The Sourdough Sharing Bread was warm and delicious with salt scattered over the top. The olives are very plain and somewhat harder than I would have liked.Mains - The Seared Seabass with noodles was lovely but both people in the party thought it was let down by insufficient noodles. The Sunrise Bowl wasn’t listed as a “light” dish so I was expecting a more substantial main course salad– there was too little rice and very little avocado (two pieces underneath the salad). The dressing on the salad was tasty but too much of it given the lack of rice etc to soak it up – I was left feeling hungry and price for the salad was relatively expensive for what it was. The House Beef Burger and fries were fine but nothing special and over-priced (better off with Byron burger). My daughter was expecting to have more food than she received with the two sides of Bang Bang Cauliflower and Fried Halloumi eg the cauliflower she said was delicious but only 3 pieces. The person who had the Dirty Chicken Burger was the happiest and said it tasty and huge and very enjoyable.

What a great place. Eating and drinking that offers that slightly quirky difference. The Interior is funky and fresh, kind of like visiting an Art Gallery as lots are on offer.The staff are really accommodating and helpful.The food is lovely, fresh ingredients and well presented. The cocktails are great as well.The cost for lunch is probably higher than average but with the service and perks it's worth it.

What a fabulous place! Went for the first time last night and had the best evening. Venue lovely, staff very attentive and polite. Food and drinks excellent. Great place and highly recommend. Place was buzzing and such a wonderful atmosphere.

This place has charm, character, quirkiness and feels like a nice treat whilst still being somewhere you can walk in any time of day for any occasion. Child friendly too. Staff are very attentive and friendly and make you feel special. Will 100% be back to try the dinner menu.

The food was good but they need to work on the portions (at least for the lamb), the main plate we got was mostly bread and barely any lamb. Service, drinks and atmosphere excellent

Good venue. Cosy decor. Slow but friendly service. We chose from party menu. Nice selection starters tho could have been more as we were large group. House burger was very tasty. As was buttermilk chicken. Steak was average. Would go back

The staff were excellent and the uniform matched the welcoming atmosphere. The food is exceptional and came quickly. A thoroughly enjoyable place to eat, drink and socialise. Highly recommend for any sort of gathering. The Cosy Club really lives up to its name.

Came here for breakfast. Food was really nice and the portion sizes were generous. I did not want two items included in the breakfast so they let me choose other items to have instead. The decor and vibe is good and the staff were also really nice which ensured that we had a great experience. I hope to return for lunch to try out their other menu. Keep up the great work!

Great atmosphere. Relaxed seating with funky furnishings. On a sunny day there’s even an outside balcony with seating area overlooking the river. Friendly staff. Haven’t had a chance to try their food menu, will definitely be looking to visit again to experience their dining. For drinks I highly recommend a visit.