The Rose & Crown — Restaurant in Brentwood

The Rose and Crown — A Lovely Pub Let Down by the Kitchen The Rose and Crown is, without doubt, a lovely pub with a warm, inviting atmosphere and genuinely kind staff. The service is friendly, attentive, and welcoming — the sort of place where you immediately feel you can sit back, relax, and happily spend a few hours drinking and dining. However, this was my second visit, and sadly I have to say the food remains a real disappointment. What this place desperately needs is a skilled chef to overhaul the menu and teach the kitchen how to cook to its true potential. Even the simplest things missed the mark. Our bread board was just about passable but could have been so much tastier and better presented. On my first visit, I ordered the Thai vegetable curry — a dish that sounded promising but arrived bland and uninspired. When I asked if chicken could be added, something suspiciously packet-like was hastily thrown on top. This time, I opted for the chicken breast Sunday lunch. Where to begin? The chicken was dry and rubbery, the roast potatoes dull and lacking the golden crispness you expect from a proper roastie. The Yorkshire pudding was acceptable, but the vegetables were almost inedible — overcooked, tasteless, and completely joyless. It ranks among the worst Sunday roasts I’ve ever had, which is such a shame considering how charming the venue is. There was, however, one redeeming feature: the crumble dessert, which was genuinely nice and offered a glimmer of hope. Still, it’s disheartening that such a fantastic pub, blessed with wonderful staff and a great atmosphere, is let down so badly by its kitchen. Perhaps a visit from Gordon Ramsay wouldn’t go amiss. Until then, I’d say it’s worth popping in for a drink and the ambience — but don’t go expecting a...

A fantastic place midway between Brentwood and Chipping Ongar. There is plenty of off-road parking that's free.

Step-free access leads directly into the main bar with dining areas to either.

The menu is typical of gastropubs with some out-of-the-ordinary options on the day's specials, such as pineapple and plum crumble.

On this occasion, as it was new to us, I played safe but thoroughly enjoyed the massive haddock that spread across the plate accompanied by perfect chips and peas.

The food was cooked to perfection, and the generous main course servings leave little room for one of the tempting desserts.

However, I was intrigued by the dessert special. I enjoyed it, but I'm sorry to say that pineapple and plum crumble was not a good combination. By contrast, my wife enjoyed her hot chocolate brownie.

I can imagine it to be a warm, welcoming place to visit on a cold winter's evening.

When we visited, it was mid-afternoon and we were the only patrons, but it was comfortable and service was quick.

As I was driving, the cappuccino that I order was perfect.

As it is a pub, there is a wide choice of beers, wines, spirits, etc at reasonable prices.

The restaurant prices are typical and a first class meal can be had for under £20 - excluding drinks and other extras.

Certainly a place to visit and if at any time we are passing by and in need of some refreshments, it is definitely a place to stop.

Service is good and a tip...

Disgraceful Parking Charges For Customers The Royal Rose have contracted a parking company to charge customers a £60 fine escalating to £100 if they do not enter their car registration (on arrival) into a NEW system they are implementing. A system that staff are failing to notify customers about either on arrival or during their visit.

As a new mum I visited with other mums on 7th Feb. We thought it would be quiet being a Monday however on arrival were informed that there was a wake taking place in the restaurant, so we just had coffees in the bar area - something we all paid for in cash and didn’t keep the receipts (not that any proof of purchase has been requested by the parking company).

A new parking policy would be easy for anyone to miss at the best of times if the staff are not flagging it on arrival or during your visit and even more so when you’re trying to get in anywhere with a baby alone. It’s the last thing you are thinking about.

We’ve appealed to both the restaurant and the parking company and the appeals have so far been unsuccessful even though they haven’t disputed that we were actually their customers on the day - the charges remain due to a technicality - something I...