Six Bells — Restaurant in Chelmsford

The party I was with had a really nice time here, and given that it was a big anniversary that's the main thing and why I'm giving a generous 3 stars.

Personally wouldn't choose to return to this establishment. As a vegetarian I found my options severely limited. It was a good thing our visit was on a Sunday because that afforded me the option of having a nut roast, the main menu had no stand alone vegetarian options (I presume the sausage and mash would have the sausages lazily substituted?) There was one other option on the specials menu, but as someone who isn't keen on peppers I didn't fancy my chances with a roasted pasta salad. Given that vegetarianism is increasingly popular now it's disappointing to see vegetarian meals be a total afterthought at best.

The food was acceptable, I've had better, I've had worse. Portion sizes were... Well, obscenely large.

The worst thing about my evening in particular though was the chairs. I don't think I've ever sat on such an uncomfortable seat. At the time of my visit I was 37 weeks pregnant and by the end of our meal I was 5 minutes away from asking for an epidural. I wasn't the only one uncomfortable, so it wasn't just me being pregnant that was the issue. The seats were rock solid and the back of the chair forces the occupant to cave in on themselves rather than supporting upright sitting.

Staff should also be aware that customers can hear them talking and frankly I was appalled to hear the person I believe was a supervisor/manager saying something very loudly about "retards". The swearing I could brush off as just a bit of slightly unprofessional colour, but casual ableism is just disgusting and you should be taking a long hard look at yourself if you're that comfortable shouting ableist slurs in a pub within earshot...

I had high hopes for this place based on previous reviews. It even made me feel a bit more secure last minute on a Sunday to see reserved seats throughout the restaurant, which made me think it was highly sought out for. Their roast at £14.95 pp was a bit extortionate for what you’re buying. The “roast” potatoes were boiled more than roasted I’d say. I ended giving mine to my friend but he wasn’t too impressed either. Most of it lacked flavour, from the Yorkshire pudding to the gravy. Not a fan of crunchy broccoli and carrots. Meat was a generous amount but I hated the consistency of it. I only ate it as this was our third try eating somewhere without having to book. Friend who has the lamb said the meat was delicious but wasn’t impressed with everything else. Especially when you can go Toby carvery for half the price. Garlic bread with cheese starter was really mild garlic. Was a glorified cheese baguette if I’m honest. Kids meals for almost £8 is silly money. Granted you get a drink, and dessert but there were no options just to order one side as my daughter doesn’t each much and would’ve been good to have a “little tums” type menu rather than a menu which seemed suitable for a child aged 5+ Menus were basic, wasn’t good on the eye. Interior of the pub generally wasn’t very welcoming. Felt a bit cramped and dated. I only gave two because we were seated without booking and staff were nice to my daughter....

Family if 5 waited 50 minutes before our order was taken. My husband had to get waitress' attention or we would have waited even longer. Price - quantity of food is not justified anymore. I had the stuffed mushroom starter for £7.50. you get one mushroom and one third of one. That was very underwhelming. It tasted nice but I felt ripped off. The main was similar. I had the pork medallions. Again it tasted nice but the portion size was not big enough. I was still hungry after my starter and main. Desert was nice. I had the apple and gooseberry crumble. I did not find any gooseberries in my crumble and it was heavy on the topping compared to fruit. I thought the price was justified for the desert as it was a big portion. Overall the food was very nice but portions for starters and mains are too small for the price now charged. Will we be back? Possibly some time in the distant future but not this year as it has become too expensive and portion size...