
The Dog & Pickle
Quick info
About The Dog & Pickle
The Dog & Pickle is a restaurant in Ongar occupying a building dating back to the 16th century, run as a family business serving modern European cuisine alongside traditional British fare. The main dining room, the Willow Room, carries the seasonal a la carte menu, and open fires sit through the space for cooler months. A beer garden with its own outside bar and kitchen runs a street food style menu through the warmer months, with beers, ales, ciders and cocktails from a menu that includes seasonal specials. Starters take in scallops and beef tartare, and sharing roast platters arrive with potatoes, veg and Yorkshire pudding, with a vegan option on the Sunday roast. Sorbet is offered for dessert, including a vegan version. Reservations are required, and dogs are welcome throughout.
Good to know
- ReservationsAccepts reservations
- ParkingFree parking lot · Free street parking · Paid parking lot
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, parking lot, restroom, seating
- Good for kidsGood for kids · High chairs · Kids' menu
- DietaryOrganic dishes · Vegan options · Vegetarian options
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention sharing roast platter, yorkshire puddings, scallops starter and sunday roast.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention sharing roast platter, yorkshire puddings, scallops starter and sunday roast.
Customer Review Summary
The sharing roast draws the most consistent praise, with reviewers repeatedly calling it their top-rated roast, prized for flavorful pork, well-cooked veg and generous portions, though a few note the platter leans heavy on trimmings over meat. Close behind, starters like oysters, scallops and beef wagyu impress most diners, alongside standout desserts such as a sweet and savoury dish and a vegan sorbet described as one of the best. Service is frequently singled out as attentive and friendly. Recurring gripes include small starter portions, inconsistent drink strength, and pricing several feel outpaces the experience, with one bill reaching two hundred pounds for two. A vegan Sunday roast was flagged as overly salty by one diner. Most seriously, one reviewer reports a Yorkshire pudding that tasted and smelled spoiled, and describes staff dismissing the concern rather than offering any resolution, souring an otherwise long-standing fondness for the place.
Customer Review Summary
The sharing roast draws the most consistent praise, with reviewers repeatedly calling it their top-rated roast, prized for flavorful pork, well-cooked veg and generous portions, though a few note the platter leans heavy on trimmings over meat. Close behind, starters like oysters, scallops and beef wagyu impress most diners, alongside standout desserts such as a sweet and savoury dish and a vegan sorbet described as one of the best. Service is frequently singled out as attentive and friendly. Recurring gripes include small starter portions, inconsistent drink strength, and pricing several feel outpaces the experience, with one bill reaching two hundred pounds for two. A vegan Sunday roast was flagged as overly salty by one diner. Most seriously, one reviewer reports a Yorkshire pudding that tasted and smelled spoiled, and describes staff dismissing the concern rather than offering any resolution, souring an otherwise long-standing fondness for the place.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“We visited The Dog & Pickle today, and from the moment we walked in until we left, everything was outstanding. The food was honestly some of the best I’ve ever had. I really enjoy good-quality meat, and I can genuinely say the meat was top quality and cooked to perfection. The table service was exceptional too. Isabel and Dominika looked after us throughout our visit and couldn’t have done any more to make our experience enjoyable. They were friendly, attentive, and a real credit to the restaurant. An unbelievable experience from start to finish. I would highly recommend The Dog & Pickle to anyone looking for fantastic food and excellent service. We’ll definitely be back! Thanks again Archie ASLC DETAILING”
- Google user
“Me and my wife love this restaurant. We discovered it a few years back and we always like to treat ourselves on spacial occasions to go here with our dog. However on our latest visit we decided to go for a roast because we’ve never had one. We was eating the Sunday roast and all was going well but towards the end of our meal my wife started eating her Yorkshire pudding and spat it out immediately and said it has a bad taste and had definitely gone off. She then proceeded to cut it open and smelled it and said it smelled really bad. I then had a sniff of it and immediately put it down and couldn’t believe that she’d put that in her mouth. We double checked the Yorkshire pudding it was definitely gone off, one part there was very small dots speckled around it and another part the texture was off, the deeper you got into the Yorkshire pudding the worse it was. When the waitress came round to take our plates she asked was everything ok and I then mentioned about the Yorkshire pudding and she apologised and went to speak to the chef and came back and said the chef said they was cooked fresh this morning and there was nothing wrong with them but was sorry my wife didn’t like it. I couldn’t believe that was her response I thought we might of got some kind of discount or something or at least the manager come over and apologised again it honestly felt like we were not believed or it did not matter what we said they just wouldn’t of done anything about. I would have given the rating a 3 star if I didn’t have such a basic response from the waitress. It has definitely put us off coming back”
- Google user
“Food was good, location and settings good. - 7/10 over all - expected more considering reviews and gastro perspective. Drinks were inconsistent in strength and the glasses. Portions quite small. Expected more especially considering the pricing.”
- Google user
“We visited this place today, following a review I saw on social media,the food was lovely the staff were great, the atmosphere I didn’t really feel particularly today but maybe that was just today….my bill was £200 for two of us….was it a £200 meal..I’m not sure… it was without doubt very good food that I couldn’t fault but was it £200 good..sadly not, I’d place the steaks on a similar par with miller carter which is cheaper and the sides etc are included, taking nothing away from them this was a great meal but very expensive in my opinion and would I return…sadly not.”
- Google user
“Really like this place, will be back again. Food was outstanding. Tried the Easter special cocktail - the Ferrero Rocher, very nice, they went down a little toooo easily. Special thanks to our waitress, Dominica (apologies if that isn’t the right spelling!), for being extremely attentive and naturally friendly. Recommend booking a table in advance.”
Highlights
“Ranked number 92 in Top 100 UK Gastropubs, 2 AA Rosettes for 3 consecutive years, Hardens recommended. The Dog & Pickle (Free House) dates back to the 16th century & is a family run restaurant serving a mix of modern European cuisine & traditional British fare with a relaxed pub atmosphere. Enjoy our seasonal a la carte menu in our main dining room (The Willow Room) & cozy up by one of our many open fires or through the warmer months join us in our large beer garden fully equipped with outside bar & kitchen serving a gourmet street food style menu alongside all your favorite beers, ales, ciders & cocktails. Set lunch menu, Specials menu & Sunday lunch menu also available.”
- Fireplace
- Great beer selection
- Great coffee
- Great dessert
- Great wine list
- Popular for lunch
Amenities
- Wi-Fi
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Accepts reservations
- Outdoor seating
- Dogs allowed
- Dine-in
Show more amenities
- Family-friendly
- Vegan options
- Bar onsite
- Cozy
- Beer
- Coffee
- Offerings· 10
- Alcohol
- Cocktails
- Free water refills
- Hard liquor
- Healthy options
- Late-night food
- Organic dishes
- Small plates
- Vegetarian options
- Wine
- Pet-friendly· 2
- Dogs allowed inside
- Dogs allowed outside
- Planning· 4
- Brunch reservations recommended
- Lunch reservations recommended
- Reservations required
- Dinner reservations recommended
- Dining options· 7
- Brunch
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Catering
- Dessert
- Seating
- Table service
- Popular for· 1
- Solo dining
- Facilities· 1
- Restroom
- Crowd· 4
- Groups
- LGBTQ+ friendly
- Tourists
- Transgender safespace
- Accessibility· 3
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
- Wheelchair accessible seating
- Highlights· 4
- Fireplace
- Great beer selection
- Great dessert
- Great wine list
- Atmosphere· 4
- Casual
- Romantic
- Trendy
- Upscale
- Parking· 4
- Free parking lot
- Free street parking
- Paid parking lot
- Usually plenty of parking
- Family-friendly· 3
- Good for kids
- High chairs
- Kids' menu
Location
Restaurants near The Dog & Pickle
- Forest Kitchen4.93585.5 mi away£20–30Good for kidsReservations
kebabs, chicken soup, virgin mojito
- Nando's Harlow4.21,3485.7 mi away
peri peri grilled chicken, loaded fries, halloumi fries
- Kervan Kitchen Brentwood4.76676 mi away£20–70Outdoor seatingVegetarian optionsWheelchair accessible
large portion sizes, live singer performances, beautifully decorated toilets
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dog & PickleOutdoor seating · Vegan options · Vegetarian options | 4.5463 | — | £40–100 | sharing roast platter, yorkshire puddings, scallops starter |
| Forest KitchenGood for kids · Reservations | 4.9358 | 5.5 mi away | £20–30 | kebabs, chicken soup, virgin mojito |
| Nando's Harlow | 4.21,348 | 5.7 mi away | — | peri peri grilled chicken, loaded fries, halloumi fries |
| Kervan Kitchen BrentwoodOutdoor seating · Vegetarian options · Wheelchair accessible | 4.7667 | 6 mi away | £20–70 | large portion sizes, live singer performances, beautifully decorated toilets |
The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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