The Fox And Raven — Restaurant in Chelmsford

The pub decor was very nice and also clean, however the customer service and menu offering was terrible.

I booked using the pub's online booking system for a Saturday night selecting the 'Weekend Treat Menu'.

Upon arrival we were placed on a table in the middle of the dining area, next to a very loud party of about 10 people but we tried to ignore this as it was a Saturday night. However, after about 30 minutes of attempting conversation, we had to ask the waitress staff if we could move tables as we could not hear ourselves speak.

We chose the pub due to the 'Weekend Treat Menu' that was offered on the website (£32.50), however upon ordering, we were only given the A La Carte menus. I asked the waitress for the Set Menu however she looked at me blankly and confused and said that she didn't think they were offering that menu so went to check with her Manager. She came back and confirmed that the menu was not being offered, with no apology or explanation at all. We were very disappointed as this was the main reason we chose the Fox and Raven pub. It seemed that the waitress was completely unaware that the pub even offered a set menu, which makes me wonder if they have ever offered it (despite their website stating they do).

The waitress then advised us that various menu items had run out, which ended up being 70% of the menu. I only eat chicken and seafood (in terms of meat/fish), so there was a very limited selection of menu items remaining; there were no olives, no calamari, no flatbread, no pizzas, no chicken curry and various other items. We were very disappointed by this considering it was a Saturday evening and would usually expect a pub to plan ahead and cater sufficiently for Saturday evening demand. The restaurant wasn't even that busy.

The service was also extremely slow. The waitress took our drink orders upon being seated, but we had to wait approximately 40 minutes just for our mains to arrive (we did not order starters).

Once the food came, the prawn skewer (£18.95) only contained 4 or 5 prawns and was accompanied by a very small handful of boring salad leaves, with a tiny amount of feta over the top. I found this very overpriced for the size and quantity. My friends ordered the pork belly but they said that it was very chewy and fatty.

Overall, this pub has a lot of potential due to the location and decor, but sadly the customer service, food offering and pricing was extremely...

Booked a table for four , on boxing day as had friends from America over , on arrival service was slow too be seen to table , then whilst being seated no welcoming really , also drinks took a long time too come ,, then as we had booked the 3 course we where asked what we would like ,, then only too find out had sold out , of what we all wanted as starters , which was very disappointing so then decided to order the mains ,, which came and presentation of the plate looked like it had just been thrown on there ,, also friends plate was missing things ,, also the ambient temperature in there was not warm ,, and friends left there jackets on ,,, after eating main was asked which desserts would like ,, then again only too find out that had sold out of the desserts our table would have liked to order , so had to skip desserts same as the starters ,,, so only had the main mess , I know it’s Christmas and it’s busy ,,, but it didn’t look busy this evening,, staff where tired and miserable really ,, i then asked to pay the bill ,, in which I was discounted a amount ,,, but really should not have payed ,,, for any of it due too completely spoiling our Boxing Day festivities,, Seriously it was like something out of carry on film ,,, I have never seen or been in such a complete mess ,,, I wouldn’t recommend myself ,,,, I don’t have massive high standards,, but tonight was beyond a joke , AND THIS IS WHAT YOU COME BACK AS A REPLY BELOW !!!!!!!! Apologies, understaff , that’s not any help too me ,,, I don’t need too be told this ,, I had too pay to experience it for a evening ,,,, Also the worst thing I heard was a random staff member I spoke too said ,,,,, I WOULDNT EAT HERE MYSELF , AND MANAGEMENT HAVE NOT A CLUE ,, and I find your feedback reply to my review absolutely disgusting really ,,, should not have paid for any of it really ,,, still have receipt ,, I don’t think that I will be returning really as once...

Although i had previously given a 4 star rating for the fox and raven, i have felt the need to re-access this down to just 3 stars. First impressions of the Fox and Raven are an idyllic setting over looking the pastures around the river. A quite quaint building providing an ambience suitable for any occasion. The Fox and Raven has a very good selection of real ales, lagers and wines, enjoyable for most palettes. We found all the staff were most helpful and showed great professionalism. The menu is well thought out, giving plenty of variety for most people. Unfortunately, it's the food that let's the Fox and Raven down. I was going to try the 'Handmade Fishcake', as the description sounded most appealing. As the description only said 'made with white fish', i asked the bar man to find out which white fish it was, as there many white fish available - some fantastic ones, and some not so good - anyway, on his return he said 'the chef says, it just says white fish on the box'. I was rather shocked that a restaurant of this standing is not making their own meals. It doesn't read too well, when, the menu says 'handmade' clearly implying (though, i agree it doesn't state 'homemade'), that it has been freshly prepared. I consequently decided to opt for the fish and chips. The chips were great. Their triple cooked chips are really flavoursome and chunky, just how a chip should be. However, the fish, that wasn't so good. Although the batter was nice and crisp on the outside, underneath it was very doughy and soggy, which wouldn't normally happen if fresh fish is being cooked. It's a shame, because like I said it looks a great place to go, but on our occasion they let themselves down with the quality of food...