Book a table for dinner, eat at the bar or pull the curtains to the Drawing Room, our intimate private dining room that’s perfect for smaller gatherings, dinner parties and informal business meetings.
Food took 40 minutes to arrive after ordering. Food was lovely but service appalling.
Thank-you for your comments. We have high standards for food quality and service, but we did not meet expectations for your meal. We don't pre-cook anything; everything is prepared fresh. As there were no starters ordered, your main meal started cooking right after the order was received. The chicken breast takes 30 minutes to cook, which is why it took so long for your first plate to get to you. We apologise that this was not conveyed to you and hope you give us a chance to make up for it.
Fabulous food, in lovely surroundings. Good selection would definitely book again.
Perfect festive meal for the Twixmas period! Thank you!
Food was very nice, the service was slow, but the staff very friendly and pleasant.
They were very accommodating to all of the diners with children. Lovely family atmosphere. The car park was very full as there was a marquee taking up many spaces, but luckily plenty of space at Swan meadow.
Beautiful pub especially at Christmas time. Decorated wonderfully. Excellent service. Fabulous food. Definitely visiting again when we return next year.
Excellent food and good service. Only constructive comment I would make is get rid of the plastic straws and drop prices of food and drink.
Steve, thanks for your feedback, we are going to have a look at pricing as part of our business review in the new year with feedback from guests as part of that process, we are also going to be reviewing our sustainability with a particular focus on plastic however we already implemented a change in straws so whilst they may look plastic they are actually a biodegradable cellulose structure. We decided that paper straws don't function as straws so found what we think is a good solution Charlie
The Eight Bells has greatly improved since our last visit. The décor and arrangement of the furniture is much better, more comfortable and user friendly. The menu was imaginative, wholesome and very tasty, enjoyed by all in our party. But overwhelmingly the greatest improvement was the service. The waiters were unfailingly polite, efficient land respectful. This was very different from our previous visit. Congratulations to the management and whoever has responsibility for staff training. We will certainly make another visit and also recommend the Eight Bells to our friends and family.
Great service but menu choices disappointing, probably geared more towards families on a Sunday. Quality of food very good though.
Lovely atmosphere and decor, delicious food and wine, great service. A real gem is Saffron Walden.
Lovely atmosphere, food, service and decor. We were very pleased with our visit.
Bring over the Xmas period I expected to wait for food and service but overall this was very good.
Great food with attentive, friendly staff. Would recommend.
Beautiful building, punctual service and amazing food. We will definitely be returning!
The Eight Bells was lovely and we did enjoy eating here, but the price of a roast dinner was just SO high for what you get. It was nice, but nothing special, and we got two quarters of roast potatoes each! Although it was nice, the overpricing means we will not go back, as you can get really nice roast dinners in other local places that are just as nice, or nicer but at a more realistic price.
6 of us visited on a Sunday afternoon after a walk around Audley End and Saffron Walden. We brought "smart casual" clothing as that had been requested but were not aware of any checks being made. Food was enjoyed by all (5 x turkey and 1 x Smoked Haddock), and desserts also liked, included in the £22 price. Nice venue, being an old barn with exposed beams etc. Tables nicely separated so no noise intrusion. No background music that I can recall (good).
This is my favourite restaurant in Saffron Walden. The food is consistently delicious,
the service very good and the staff very friendly. I would recommend the Sunday lunch. Melt in the mouth beef enormous Yorkshire puddings and delicious vegetables
A lovely meal with family for a pre Christmas get together.
The staff were very friendly and helpful.
The food was excellent.
Thank you .
I did object to this rather underhand practice of adding a ‘discretionary’ payment to charity particularly when you are not told what the charity is. Most people wouldn’t notice the addition.
I thought the food was quite pricey for what it was.
Good food, great ambience and excellent service. I would definitely recommend for a dinner for 2. They also have tables for larger groups and a private dining area.
Great atmosphere, comfortable and welcoming environment. Excellent food, both choice and quality made all the better with fantastic service. Busy bar with good atmosphere too. Highly recommend
Great choice of good quality food. Good service in lovely surroundings. Overall a very positive experience.
Great service as usual - limited options for vegetarians (only 1 main and starter and no alternative for Sunday roast). Always a lovely setting to dine in.
Great food, wine and atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday lunch here with friends. The dining room is really lovely.
An indulgent Sunday lunch, started, for no particular reason, with a glass of Champagne. And the meal was worth it!
Gorgeous food and lovely location. Highly recommended
Lovely dining room, excellent service, good food and drinks and lovely relaxing atmosphere
Please, could you put a more ambient music a lower lights? More vegetarian options would have been appreciated as well
Fantastic meal yet again. Couldn’t fault any part of food or service. We wanted a lazy long lunch and it worked well. We weren’t rushed. We will certainly be back before long.
food good, people cheerful, service speedy. very happy, especially as we had a 20% off coupon, which made it good value as well.
Had a turkey roast and was beautiful food. I'd say a little over priced but still very nice and would recommend.
Returned to the Eight Bells after reading the the great reviews on trip advisor. We were not disappointed, food was delicious, service very good all in all good we had a very enjoyable family dinner.
Excellent Food and Service.. Comfortable but minimal places to just sit and chill. But we will definitely go again..
we were very well received and the staff were helpful in accommodating our party of 6. the food was good . the only issue we had was service was a little slow but then the place was very busy. the quality was excellent.
Catered well for my gluten free issues..... very tasty!
Large party was noisy and made our service slow. This should have been planned for so not to disrupt the service level.
We often take guests there as the dining room is so pretty, the staff friendly and the food is good and very good value.
We had a fantastic Sunday Lunch here, the staff were attentive and the food was excellent.
Nice place for lunch before visiting Audley end house. Our guests were amazed by the Sunday roast and massive Yorkshire puddings. Only downside was lack of baby changing facilities but staff let us use their spare room for it.
Recommended!
Great food, great service, great ambience. Would definitely go back
The best food in Saffron Walden by a country mile.
