The Punch Bowl

Went for a Sunday Roast and we enjoyed a lovely meal. High quality ingredients cooked with skill and obvious love. The ingredients are also locally sourced, including the meat. Lovely to find somewhere that is so passionate about the provenance of their food. Not your average pub meal. Even in the bar area we enjoyed spotless linen on generously sized tables. Dogs welcome in the bar too. Would certainly recommend and we will be back.

A charming pub, with a warm atmosphere and ambiance. The staff are super friendly, the food is excellent, and my pint of bitter went down well. A gem hidden in the Essex countryside.

A truly superb pub. Locally sourced, seasonal food. Lovely staff and owner. Cosy, welcoming atmosphere. We stopped in on a whim whilst walking the dog and enjoyed ourselves so much that we came back the next day. Highly recommended.

+1

Again, what a great lunch we had at the Punchbowl yesterday. You can taste that everything is freshly cooked & to a fantastic standard. Looking forward to going back very soon. Thank you so much Rob, Sally and your friendly staff.

Cozy meal and lovely pub, a lot of seating outside with Childrens climbing frame, very chilled atmosphere, attentive staff and great food.

been here a couple of times now can't recommend it enough highly quality food nice setting very accommodating and the new girl Sophie was just lovely .

Great traditional pub but with a very high standard of cookery and service. Fantastic for families too, but not chaotic. These guys work incredibly hard to make sure everything is done to a high standard. This pub is their life. If you want a classy Sunday lunch surrounded by beautiful countryside in a gorgeous little pub go and see them!

Fabulous food and service. Prices are on the high side but it was really nice. We went on a Sunday and had roast. Delicious. We will be back at some point.

Visit this pub/Bistro on recommendation of our neighbours. It has been recently renovated we were told. Nice pub. We had a quick lunch . Soup was nice but had to ask for bread and butter...not sure if it was an omission. I had the ox heart with salad ( unusual) but tasty. I think the menu is on the pricey side for a country pub. They have an outside barbecue menu which was extensive and reasonably priced but you have to eat outside, not inside. Nice decor and attentive staff.

Fantastic pub. The food is and service is superb. I took my mum here for Sunday lunch. Sardines to start were the best I've ever had, followed by roast beef which was outstanding. All cooked fresh and local produce. Might be a little more expensive than the awful chain pubs with pre made centralised kitchens but worth it, a true gem.

As many people who live in the Southend area, I will remember the Punchbowl and probably the landlords, John & Linda Lyons from the 70's, & 80's. This was a regular for our family, my farther especially, pretty much lived here as my parents were friends of the landlords, and as a family we spent many a Sunday here, especially for the Oyster festival! Returned after 35 years from Kent for an evening meal, to find an up market version of the old pub. Lovely setting , super food and attentive staff, just go for a pint, or barbecue in the garden or as we did, a lovely evening with family in the restaurant for a treat, or perhaps just go for the nostalgia if you remember the old Punchbowl. It's still got that lovely atmosphere, probably will always be my favourite pub. Good luck to the new landlords they are doing a fantastic job!

Just love this place, everything about it, the setting, the food, the service. Informed them in advance when booking it was a special birthday and they couldn't do enough to make our evening memorable. Our meals were sublime, the best of seasonal produce expertly cooked. Service second to none, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. The Punch Bowl might be a little out of the way but a trip here is definitely worthwhile!

Great pub food with a focus on the classic roast. Service was the stand out with the food as a great supporting act. Thank you

We had a lovely visit to the pub with friends and our children after a countryside walk in the brisk winters air around Paglesham. Our waitress was superb, she was extremely personable and great with our kids. We even were told after how well our kids behaved at dinner which was great to hear. The food was delicious and I would say the value matched the quality of the food served. All in all a lovely visit and thanks to the owner for gifting a little something to the children. Happy new year for you and your business!

We visited last night for my son’s 13th birthday (he is quite a foodie)! The service was wonderful. In fact they had even put up a birthday banner and sang happy birthday when they brought out my son’s pudding. This made his day! The food was delicious. We had a variety of starters, mains and desserts including the brill, sweet breads and seafood stew as well as the tart tatin and creme brulee. All lovely and full of flavour. Oh and the triple cooked chips, which I always dream about. Try them! My daughter (8) is somewhat fussy and somehow they even managed to produce homemade chicken nuggets (off menu) so she was catered for too! The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, not that easy on a dark, rainy February evening mid-week!

My wife and I had a fabulous meal at the Punchbowl. This was our third visit and first time for a roast. The pork was exceptional and a delicious cauliflower cheese. We love to friendly and relaxed atmosphere and can’t wait to return.

What a find - booked Sunday lunch here after many recommendations. So glad we did. The food excellent - Pork shoulder with crackling was delicious and moist, and the beef my wife had was tender and could be cut with a spoon. It's easy to identify that everything is made on site. Yes, it's not cheap, but then you get what you pay for. Service was excellent and they were very busy. Finished off with a Tart Tatin. Couldn't fault any of it.

I have been here 3 times since it was reopened and the food never ceases to amaze me. A great chef, I must say. As for the staff, they were very friendly and welcoming. A lovely place for a drink and a chat but if you do go please try the food as you will not be disappointed. I have read other reviews and some people have said it's a bit pricey but you get what you pay for.

Second year in a row booked te pub for a birthday party! Rob and Sally are amazing! The food is to die for! The garden area is perfect to accommodate adults and kids. The outside bar is a new addition, 👌

Before me and my friends booked the PB for lunch I did check the reviews online as there does seem to be some mixed ones but also so many positive ones. I am glad I didn’t take any notice as I would have missed out! Thank you Sally for being lovely and helpful and also it was good to meet Rob the Head Chef as well, a real character and has so much passion for his job. This was the first time I have ever been to the PB and it is stunning as soon as you walk in. Bar staff and servers all well presented and atmosphere was great. We had lunch in the garden which was beautiful and had a great view across the fields, I would recommend seating near where the Tortoise is located in the corner as the views from the table are great! The menu was smaller than most pubs, but this I see as a breath of fresh air because it shows its all local and fresh produce and not just put in a microwave and heated up. Great selection of soft drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Cant fault it! 5* Highly recommend and will see at the Petting Zoo at the weekend!

Visited again after being impressed the first time. This is such an idyllic setting, the garden is fantastic and our kids loved the bouncy castle. We have found the food to be consistently good and always well varied from each visit. I used to visit the Punch Bowl with my parents as a child, and it’s great to see it back in action and tastefully put together. We will be back again for the bbq! Well done team.

We recently had a Village evening meal event here and it was faultless on every part. The staff worked their socks off, Happy, helpful and smart. The food was awesome considering we had a fixed budget. Comments from all those who attended have been great and a lovely evening with great surroundings and food was the constant remarks fed back. Thanks Rob and Sally and the staff once again. We'll do it again!!!

Had a fabulous Sunday roast dinner at the Punch Bowl . Food was presented beautifully. The cauliflower cheese with the roast meats was exceptional. The beef and pork belly cooked perfectly . Biggest Yorkshires I’ve ever seen ! A creative menu very different to other pubs in the area , home made breads etc The pub has been beautifully restored , maintaining the history throughout. Great selection of ales and wines. Dog friendly with a garden that will be a real draw in warmer months. Staff without exception are very welcoming and friendly . The owners Rob and Sally deserve every success.

This is such a beautiful pub. We booked a table for 2 in the restaurant with our 3 month old baby and were met with such amazing friendly service by the whole team there. Started with one of each of their oysters, and a glass of fizz. Extensive but reasonably priced wine list, we had the Rioja with our main course, as recommended by Jen, and it was delicious. We followed the oysters with the most creamy perfectly balanced soup. I had an incredible sirloin with fantastic chips and my wife had the purple broccoli pie which she couldn’t stop raving about, accompanied by new potatoes. The chef definitely knows what he is doing here and you won’t have a disappointing meal. The service is really stand-out and they couldn’t have been more accommodating to us on our first restaurant outing with our son. Thanks for being genuinely hospitable, we’ll be back!

Went for lunch today and had one of the best Sunday roasts in a long time. Roast pork belly and roast beef. Other dishes included stuffed lambs heart and a great scotch egg starter. Simply great. We will be back.

Staff are bubbly, welcoming and friendly. Food was great. The chef even put a little smile face on my scotch egg (which as a 37 year old man I greatly enjoyed), and it was cooked perfectly with a runny yoke and all the white fully cooked. 5* would recommend

The Punch Bowl is an amazing choice for not only a pub but also a restaurant using a variety of drinks and meals, The Punch Bowl’s region consists of an original Tudor style architecture which adds to the festive and cozy atmosphere, The drinks contain the perfect measurements and authenticity. As the meals are brought around by the waitresses, the flavours and historic recipes contribute to the incredible vibe of The Punch Bowl meaning my rating of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Excellent menu, food, portions, drinks, service and cosy country pub atmosphere. This is definitely worth the travel to a destination experience. Despite sitting next to a rowdy Xmas lads party we loved our visit and staff made us way more than accommodated even offering seats by the fire for dessert. A premium but unfussy pub menu that is worth its weight in gold and the chef even came out to ask if we’d enjoyed the food at the end just showed care and love for what they do. Will definitely be coming back again and again.

Just back from a superb lunch at the Punch Ball with members of my family. I am sure we all have an image in our head what we’d like the ideal country pub to look like, and here we have it: The inside immediately looks welcoming, cosy, and at this time of year, very festive indeed.The service was attentive, friendly and very efficient. As for the food: It was outstanding, in particular I’d like to mention the cod, with compliments to the chef. Overall it was a real treat to have lunch at this beautiful pub, and I can’t wait to come back soon, it would be lovely to visit in the warmer months, when it will be possible to make use of the beer garden. The Punch Ball has only been open for just under one year and the fact it was fully booked shows that many more people appreciate the good food, drinks and atmosphere.

Myself and my partner attended the punchbowl tonight. It was amazing! The staff were so friendly and showed us around the new garden area in preparation for the grand opening. The food is insanely good! The scotch egg started and pig cheeks are insane. The menu changes every so often to match the changes in locally sourced produce. The pub is very family friendly and provides a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. We went at 7pm and pre booked online it wasn’t super busy inside and the waitress was so lovely and attentive. We will be coming back again! Big massive thank you to the team for making us so welcome! 🩷

Excellent meal, food was exceptional. Customer service excellent. Can't wait to go back

I went there for a first date with someone special. I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. Staff were great, really friendly and welcoming. The cook was super nice came to the table to give us special greatings. I love this pub. Definitely would love to go back.

Amazing fresh food , warm and friendly atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit. X

Amazing! Outstanding food from locally sourced ingredients. Great service in a peaceful location and hosts, chef Rob and wife Sally are stars! Beautiful restaurant with so much local history and the ales were great too. They also do themed evenings with quizzes, wine tastings, etc. We had Sunday lunch with a couple of starters to share followed by roast pork and veal liver plus desserts to finish. A real taste experience and the menus change daily. It's not typical pub grub and the quality reflects the prices, so I can't understand some of the lower review scores. This old listed pub with its oak beams and open fires has been transformed into a warming and atmospheric experience..and because of that we will definitely return! Very much recommended.

Lovely Sunday lunch at The Punch Bowl. The pub was really busy when we arrived on a cold January day. We received a warm welcome as our coats were taken and and we were shown to our table in the nice warm restaurant. The service from Sally and Emily was well judged and made us feel very welcome. The roasts were great. My wife had the pork belly and I had the mixed meat roast. It was all really very good; tender meat, fluffy roasties, well cooked veg and lovely cauliflower cheese with leeks, not to mention the gravy. We couldn't fault a thing. Thank you Sally, Rob and Emily. Not the cheapest pub Sunday lunch, but if you like crisp white table linen, polished cutlery, lovely food and great service, all in a country setting, then it's for you. Highly recommended.

Had dinner here for new year, was delicious, food so fresh and full of flavour Highly recommend a visit here, you won't be disappointed

Lovely old pub with a real fire in the winter, fantastic food and a friendly welcome. We were there lunchtime for a birthday lunch.

Great quality pub/restaurant and rather off the beaten track. The service was excellent, I just wish we had had a bit more space as we were in the bar area and it was all a bit cramped. The space was ok for 6 adults but we had a baby and small child. I loved the food but would have liked a little more wild trout (starter) and venison (main). However, all the other meals we had on our table were adequate to large!

Was really looking forward to eating here but left very disappointed. Service/staff, ambiance/atmosphere all excellent. Food was the let down. Pie was dry inside (nice pastry though), needed more gravy over than that on plate as did liver main dish. Sole fish dish was extremely salty and could not finish. Cauli cheese side dish was burnt and cheese sauce was solid. Two desserts were not heated right through - cool on inside. Prices on the high side especially bottle of wine. Hopefully this was a one off.

This place came highly recommended so we thought we’d make the drive out. Well, I can’t remember the last time I was this disappointed with a meal. Overpriced and tasteless. The pork roast is a large fatty pork chop. Potatoes and cauliflower cheese were overcooked and dry. Didn’t get it at all and they had the nerve to charge £28. To top it all off it was like 35 degrees plus in there and very uncomfortable. Couldn’t wait to leave.