Garrards — Restaurant in England

This was our first visit with my family. The location is great and you can find many options for parking. The restaurant is very easy to access if you have a push chair. It looks very modern and definitely more busy than the previous restaurant before. Inside is very simple but again a very warm and modern touch. We arrived without reservation and the waiter was very friendly and professional and offer one of the biggest table, seat were very comfortable and very spacious. A young lady came few minutes later asking for our drink, she was very polite i do think she was new because she didnt really know the menu but she stayed very professional and she asked the chef when she didn't know the answer, so she took our order. My partner had a classic burger, my older son a classic burger from the kids menu, my youngest decide to go for some pancake with syrup and bacon, I decided to go for a chicken burger, prawn chillies and some fries with cheese and pork and milkshake. The drinks arrive first, my milkshake was made with load of ice so the top was thick but underneath was very runny, I was expecting more American style milkshake with ice cream. The food... I will start with mine, my king prawn was good but not woth £8,50. The chips with pork and cheese was good and I had plenty to share, I really enjoyed my burger, tasty and big. My son found his burger a bit dry, the burger came without cheese... My youngest son had pancake and this was a disaster, they came with jam and this was not mentioned on the menu. The pancake was dry and dense he didn't eat them and I can't blame him. We called one of the waiter and he appologise for the mistake and offered to remove it from the bill. My partner enjoy her burger and my chips :). On our way back the waiter who show us our table ask us about our experience and that was very nice of him, my partner mentioned the pancake to him, so he did explain this was a recipes for vegan but again this was not mentioned on the menu as we would have never pick this for our son what was confusing his explanations was different from the other waiter who said that was one of the chef mistake. There is a burger place opposite, not that I rave about that place either but I would in future choose Henry burger over...

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Garrards.

I came here for my birthday, for a rack of pork ribs. Particularly, I came on a Thursday as this is when steak and ribs are 50% off if you order them with a side.

The ribs were alright, same thing you'd get at a harvester, just a lot more expensive. My wife's steak on the other hand was a low quality piece of meat, full of sinew and gristle. It also did not come with a sauce, this was a £5 additional charge.

The best part of the meal was the dirty fries. I cannot fault these.

Service was nothing special, just average if a bit slow.

But still, an 8.5% service charge was mandatory and this is where I draw the line. The prices here are outrageous, more expensive than London for regular pub grub, and just because it's all so expensive, the service charge is also.

I wish it were normal for venues to pay their staff appropriately rather than dipping their hands into the pockets of their customers, but alas still this practice continues.

If you're reading this review, do yourself a favour and go to Continente Café a couple streets away. I actually do tip there because the food is great, the prices are great, and the service is always friendly. They serve good cuts of steak, cook them properly, and they come with a sauce and a side, which would cost you around £38 here for an inferior product.

Garrards, you should consider dropping your prices to something standard for Essex and stop adding a mandatory service charge for a 2 person table. You won't be...

Very unfortunate experience at Garrads. Visited at lunchtime on New Years Eve, restaurant was completely empty except for one table. The server took us to a ridiculously squashed in table for two in the corner, so tight for space in fact, that you couldn’t even put the chairs opposite each other because of the table behind. I am a big guy so I asked if we could move to the table behind, a four top. “No, I can only seat you at a two top” was the reply, then when I went to sit at a more spacious table for two, I was told it was booked, the same answer I got when I chose any other table in there, despite no cutlery being laid at any of the other tables. Ridiculous, the restaurant was deserted. With arrogant, dismissive service like this, I dread to think what the food is like. Went across to Henry Burgers instead and had a wonderful meal with excellent service. Update: Garrards replied to this review with a predictable barrage of excuses. Yes, your server was arrogant and no, you weren’t fully booked with tables arriving imminently. As I mentioned, we dined at Henry Burgers across the street and upon finishing our meal, walked past your establishment which was every bit as empty as when we walked in. In future, instead of taking 5 minutes to pen a hasty, ill thought out reply, use that time instead to talk to your staff member about the basics of...