The Fox Inn Finchingfield

Vine Eno Gastro Pub Limited

➤ Vine Street Great Bardfield Braintree, Essex CM7 4SR, United Kingdom

Carta • Bars • Steak • Coffee • English

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"Last weekend my wife’s family held a gathering of sorts at the Mulberry Tree in Braintree. The food was possibly the worst I’ve eaten and was as far from being reasonably priced as it could be. All the little locals are now owned by chains and we pay our hard earned for frozen nuggets and chips sat with groupon vouchered benefit family’s glued to their phones whilst their half bred kids run riot and then there’s the staff of whom we are an inconvenience to. So when my sister in law and her boyfriend of whose family supply most of the genuine restaurants in the Essex and Suffolk areas with their meat instead of brake bros, they happened to mention the Vine in Great Bardfield. With my 10 year old son racing locally and friends attending to spectate we soon got talking about lunch? We happened to mention the Vine and once the track action finished we were quickly making our way to sunny Great Bardfield. The Vine looks like a traditional pub from the front and has parking accessed via the side entrance. There was a large garden with tables and play area for the kids to play. The restaurant itself is small with a quirky feel and the staff not only very welcoming but they can talk by opening and closing their mouths. There is no pre booking (according to the website) and we arrived unannounced as a group of 7 and got seated right away. The menus were clean and the food has different names so you can read it and not opt for the usual default setting so many of us so often do. We opted for Disco Brisket and The classic burgers, fries on the side with additional onion rings, mozzarella bites and a double portion of chicken wings. The kids had burgers too and this is where things for me set the standard as my youngest of whom is on occasions fussy with his food ate the whole thing before insisting it was the best burger he had eaten. I have to agree as do our friends. The portions were large enough to request a box for the chicken wings to take home, of which when asked the staff were obliging. We had an extremely nice meal with drinks and the bill was a little over £100. The Vine not only exceeded my expectations but has set the bar for other restaurants to catch up or end up as yet another curry house. Cannot wait to return for what will be an adult only evening and my only negative comment was not trying the desserts. The nearest ice cream to us is a drive to Thurrock or to Snugburys in Cheshire so a milk shake or rare flavoured ice cream would be 10/10"

Zafra

➤ 5 The Green Finchingfield, Essex CM7 4JS, CM7 4NN, United Kingdom

Carta • Beer • Tapas • Italian • Spanish

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"My wife and I visited here last night. The restaurant is located right in the heart of the beautiful village of Finchingfield . Upon our arrival we were greeted by the owner Frank who could not have been more helpful or friendly. The restaurant was lovely and warm and had a lovely relaxed atmosphere. We had a three course meal which consisted of garlic ciabatta for starters . We both had rump steak which was cooked exactly as we had asked. Frank also made some home made mayonnaise for my wife to have with her steak. For dessert I had Eton Mess and my wife had the largest sticky toffee pudding and custard she had seen I obviously helped with that as well). All of the food was freshly prepared and was of an excellent quality. My wife booked to take her Mum for Mothering Sunday before we left . Thank you Frank and staff for a very enjoyable relaxed visit ."

Winner's

➤ Brenthall Road The Green, CM7 4JX, Braintree, United Kingdom

Carta • Cafe • Vegan • Cakes • British

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"My husband and I stopped off here on our way back from a short break and we were not disappointed! The staff were very friendly and the cakes were absolutely delicious. I'm a Coeliac and there was even a gluten free one for me. Usually...these are a little bit dry but this cake was moist and perfectly cooked. My husband even commented on his Victoria Sponge as being the best he'd tasted! Top marks for Winners! We'll be back again definitely."

Horse And Groom

➤ Cornish Hall End, Braintree, United Kingdom

Carta • Pub • Steak • Vegan • British

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"Wow wow wow! I have never been disappointed with this pub, that has consistently served me the most delicious food over the past few years with the loveliest owners! I used to thoroughly enjoy their cheese and bacon burger which is one of the best around in Essex easily, as is their lasagne. Their roast dinner is amazing but since I’ve transitioned to Veggie, their Vegan food has proved to die for! Their vegan cheeseburger is nothing short of unreal and their vegan Jambalaya was incredible- full of flavour. Can’t recommend highly enough. We always save room for desserts as the cheesecakes are the most delicious in this area, out of this world tastes! As is the rest of their extensively varied menu. Even with the pressure of high amounts of catering to deliver for their Mamma Mia movie screening night, the Horse and Groom Team went above and beyond with their service, presenting us with outstanding food quality. All of that is without getting me started on their friendly team and homely countryside setting that’s beautifully furnished with an extensive outdoor area that faces the village’s pretty church aswell as their characteristic interior beams . Can’t wait to see you guys again real soon!"

The Blue Egg

➤ Braintree Road, United Kingdom, CM7 4PY

Carta • Coffee • Salads • British • Chicken

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"I’m local and been coming to the Blue Egg on and off for some time. Whilst the Setting is very pleasant and the food consistently of a good quality the general persona of staff has become increasingly uptight and ill mannered. We have still visited the premises on the basis that the bad service is worth suffering for the good food and Child friendly setting. It would be great to pop in, have a wholesome lunch then leave not feeling frustrated from a negative interaction with snobby or negative staff member. The waitresses really need to learn to smile they all look miserable. As a customer I have often felt like a inconvenience to staff members when visiting the restaurant and been meet with cold, in genuine, ill mannered responses when ordering, enquiring ect. This is the case more often than not."