Spread Eagle — Restaurant in Brentwood

Sadly not a good experience at all here and wouldn’t recommend. We came to the Spread Eagle as it had good reviews and we were meeting friends in the middle (not local to the area). There were four of us, two dogs and a baby - I had called earlier in the week worried about the space and was reassured that it would be fine, although upon arrival it was quite clear there wouldn’t be ample space at all with a party taking up half the pub. Aside from the squeeze, the service was poor which was the main issue.

We arrived and were asked if we wanted our food to be put through (we were asked to pre order our mains a few days prior). We weren’t even sat down yet, the other guests in our party hadn’t arrived and hadn’t had a chance to look at a menu to browse starters or order a drink as we were still in our coats.

Once seated, it then took over 30 mins for someone to come and ask us if we wanted to order (and at this point still hadn’t been offered a drink yet). The server was trying to rush away so quickly we had to ask if we were ok to order sides with our mains or a drink.

When the starters arrived two of us were still eating when all the mains then turned up and the starters were taken away half-finished. The servers didn’t offer any condiments with our mains or additional clean cutlery, all of which we had to wait an age to ask for because no one was around serving. Then as we were eating the you finally decided to pay some attention but continued to take away our plates which is extremely off putting whilst some are still eating and frankly rude to lean across people - there really was no need to take the plates as there was plenty of space on the table for everything. The food was below par too, the meat was tough and chewy and everything else felt like it had come out a freezer and microwaved.

Before someone from management responds to say that ‘there was a christening party on the day’ and ‘you were busy’ - I’m afraid it’s not good enough. We’ve been to plenty of busy pubs for a Sunday lunch and we’re a chilled group of people who can understand you’re under stress. Simply put, there clearly wasn’t enough staff and severe lack of training and attention in all areas as everyone seemed clueless. We also booked in advance so if you had over committed yourselves with a party you shouldn’t have said yes to accommodating other tables when we could have easily gone elsewhere and had a more enjoyable time. Safe to say we wouldn’t recommend and won’t be going...

Different Gravy!!!!!

Brentwood is not shy of options when it comes to ordering a roast dinner. However, when you ask multiple people of where they recommend, and the Spread Eagle is a regular 'Top 3' suggestion then you know it must be something special.

It's been on my radar for some time, but this past week the moment came where I was able to see if it was as good as the locals suggest.

This is where I will struggle for the right words to do this place justice...

This roast dinner was quite simply the best I've had in recent years. It would be easy to say "it's the best I've ever had", so I'll settle for this... If I'm in Brentwood and want a roast dinner... I'm 110% going to the Spread Eagle!!

I'm not sure if this is a standard option, but we were a group of guys who were enjoying the Bank Holiday festivities and wanted something to tie us over. We asked whether we could have something knocked up for the 3 of us, and they rustled this absolute beauty up. We felt bad asking, but nothing was too much trouble. We were treated to a monster Tomahawk (Pork), Honey Glazed Veg, Truffle Oil Roast Potatoes, Succulent Beef, outrageously crisp and tasty stuffing and Yorkshire Pudding's sent from heaven. All of which was accompanied by copious amounts of gravy.

To be honest, we were absolutely blown away by this feast and we were more than tied over for the rest of the evening. After an hour or so, and having seen multiple roast dinners popping up around the pub (unsurprisingly), the Chef popped out for some fresh air and we couldn't thank him enough... Top fella too!!

This pub is a must visit for me... If the worded description & attached picture of the roast dinner are not enough to win you over, then trust in the fact that this little gem sits within a beautiful backdrop of Brentwood, serves cold, crisp Moretti as well as an array of other tipples. The vibe is warm, fun and engaging and above all else... The owners are clearly all for the customer and go above and beyond to ensure this pub stands on the shoulders of Britain's greatest industry!

Get down there, get a roast dinner on order... but...

My friend and I had a lovely meal yesterday evening at The Spread Eagle, Brentwood. I had a Mushroom Bourgiugnon Pie and my friend had the Egg and Bean Salad. Both dishes were presented really well and tasted lovely. My only criticism is that at 7.48 pm we went to order dessert and the kitchen had been closed with no warning. It is my understanding the kitchen closes at 8.30 pm, which is the time advertised. We had arrived and placed our main food order at 7.00 pm and quite quickly after eating went to order dessert. I would have appreciated it had a member of staff found us to let us know the kitchen was closing earlier and to give us opportunity to order dessert. The lady serving behind the bar was lovely. Polite and friendly and working hard, especially considering she was on her own. However we weren't offered menus when we arrived and mentioned our table booking, instead I had to go back to the bar and found the menus myself stacked in a basket on a chair facing away. We ended up having to go to another pub to get dessert and a hot drink (currently no hot drink machine at the Spread Eagle). The pub also needs to update its website and social media. The website advertises a weekday set menu. When we got there we were told it was unavailable as menus were changing. I think that the Spread Eagle is a great pub that does good food. But we were both disappointed with our overall experience which doesn't make me feel like I'd like to revisit, which is a shame. If you are thinking of going I would still go for the food but perhaps call ahead to manage...