Thank you for stepping up and doing an amazing job. You kindly stepped in to do a large Christmas/ retirement party for us with over 40 people at short notice and did don amazing job. Food was great all arriving together, staff courteous and helpful mended up be a great night. Thank you so very much to you all. Especially Julie and Joe.
Since the pub came under the new management team, the atmosphere has definitely become warmer and more welcoming. Gareth and Jules are friendly, approachable, and make a real effort to chat with customers and get to know the regulars, which has been great to see. That said, there are still a few areas where things don’t quite feel consistent yet. The biggest current issue is the new car parking scheme which clearly has disheartened the community looking at the hundreds of negative comments on Hellesdon Facebook community groups. Having to renew your number plate every 3 hours is so tedious to keep up with especially on music events where the bar is busy and the system is hard to get to, really discouraging you to stay longer and feels like a money grabbing scheme, punishing the community and loyal customers just wanting to have a good night. Recently I’ve been going to The Bull for a couple of drinks with friends and family due to the food prices being a bit too expensive for what you get, enjoying the recent music events and good selections of drinks. It’s been very refreshing to see how welcoming Gareth and Jules are, genuinely wanting to get to know the locals. It’s nice to see Gareth pouring himself pints, looking after the pub well even when he has a drink in his hand as he nips in and out of the kitchen and mingling behind the bar with the customers, as well as giving away free drinks and topping up the odd couple free of charge bringing back the community spirit and having typical comforting landlords who don’t see financial gain as their main priority. It’s great to still have a wide selection of board games available and the much loved slot machine which is definitely also loved by Gareth (not judging wish I had that much spare cash to use on it too!) it’s a bit of a shame to see lately that the interior of the pub is looking a little neglected, when walking through to the garden there is clear water damage to the walls coming from the ceiling, the new pathetic excuse for hand dryers in the toilets are a joke along with the broken soap dispensers and can’t help but notice a lockbox has now been placed over the thermostat in the corridor, relaying a sense of distrust in customers and just looks tacky. I’ve also picked up on the fact that when the owners aren’t around, staff uniform and general presentation can become quite slack for example aprons not being worn and shirts untucked. Although Gareth and Jules are brilliant at what they do it’s clear to see there are still problems with the owners higher above, with countless much loved previous staff members leaving and new staff only lasting a couple of shifts before following suit. These changes have made me think how staff are being treated by the new owner Dan, with Gareth and Jules being greatly under appreciated and could be so much more successful elsewhere. As convenient as The Bull is at being my local pub I feel I won’t be visiting as much in future as it’s clear to see the owners only care about money not the overall pub.
Had a Wednesday carvery which was well below average. Roasties tasted like old oil, garlic sprouts under-cooked, beef was tough, Yorkshire was hard, stuffing was rock hard, parsnips rubbery and red cabbage sweet and sickly. The other meal was shicken and flat bread. Really bland, tasteless and boring. Both meals very very over-priced for the poor standard of food. Everything on the menu looks to be too expensive. Lovely lady served us, very friendly. Little bloke behind the bar was unwelcoming. Lots of free parking which is great. Pleasant atmosphere, if a bit dull. Won't be going again until they get much better food and lower their prices. I think the menu is far too big for them to do anything well. Cut 2 thirds of the food out and do a smaller selection better. Such a shame as we like to support local businesses. Sorry to give a bad review. I really hope they take note as many reviews say similar (poor food, over-priced) and we'd like them to succeed
Very disappointing new menu. All 4 of us were disappointed. I tried the pizza- but tasted like it was cheap pasta sauce on dough. I didn’t finish it. We sat outside, and asked for salt and pepper, the barmaid told us someone would bring it out, and 20 minutes later nothing, so poor service too. Very disappointing, used to be quality food but gone downhill, won’t be returning
Had a nice visit to this pub. It's all nice inside with plenty of space. The food was good. They were doing 25% off so we got three mains, two glasses of wine and a beer for just under £50. Service was good and we didn't have to wait too long for our food. I will be visiting again.
We went when it was The Chestnut and it was ok, as The Bull it was fab!, the staff were great the food superb, the menu varied and with great vegetarian options mixed in with the main menu. We had a tomato, avocado and a Philly cheese, the bread was fresh, the steak cooked perfectly and the best sweet potato fries. We will be back
This pub looks recently refurbished. Free parking. The staff were reasonably helpful. Photos of our food on this review. Two of our party asked for a signature salad and a linguine, and an extra plate so we could share both dishes. The staff upsold us 2 side salads to go with 2 vegan linguine. Dry spinach leaves with no dressing, were placed around the pasta for an extra £3.50 each. We were offered mayo, but this was not vegan. The linguine was dry with few vegetables. It was disappointing to spend £14.00 each for a small portion of pasta surrounded by dry spinach leaves (we were hungry). Good wholesome and tasty vegan food is easily achieved. Sadly many pubs like this have a way to go with offering healthy vegan dishes. Many charge a premium for limited and unimaginative options. My guest said her £15.00 three cheese and mushroom burger with fries was tasty.
Enjoyed a family meal out at The Bull today. Great atmosphere and a lovely selection of food - everyone had a great plate of good. Personally enjoyed the three cheese and mushroom burger, followed by cheese and biscuits. Complete cheese overload, but very nice indeed Great chips accompanied the meal and absolutely no complaints.
The Bull Hellesdon is located at The Bull, 197 Reepham Rd, Norwich NR6 5QA, UK
You can contact The Bull Hellesdon at +44 1603 515075
You can find directions to The Bull Hellesdon by following this map link