Horse & Groom, Braintree

Open when I passed by last week!

Seemingly altered a bit since Ray's review, the front room has a boarded floor with a pool table and a dartboard where there is also a brick fireplace which has a stone jar on the hearth so probably unused. The area runs uninterrupted to a carpeted side room also with access to the bar, some old wood panelling here, beyond a rear area with exposed roof trusses looked to be a dining room with a garden beyond. Steins and jars in a glass fronted cupboard. Wonky floors and walls suggest age but you cannot date the pub from the front. A proper log fire in the back room. As with most pubs around here it is GK country, IPA, London Glory plus Landlord as a guest. Food served, a specials board listed ribs and cajun chicken.

A GK Tied house, I entered the lounge side bar from the main street and was told if I wanted to go into the public bar I had to go back out into the street and go through the other door which was unusual. Lounge side was quite big but fairly sparse and the bar side was a little drab and dark for me, mainly the usual keg stuff with a GK IPA.