Village pub & restaurant in Great Bentley, Essex
The pub closed in 2017 and reopened in May 2019, and it’s been the village local again ever since: a three-room bar and restaurant with home-cooked food, and a ceremony room licensed for weddings.
The pub
A country pub near Colchester for a quiet pint, a family Sunday lunch or a big celebration.
A proper village bar with cask ale on the pumps, a changing guest ale alongside the regular, and a real fire when the weather turns. Coffee, lattes and tea too.
Freshly prepared, home-cooked food with table service. Where we can, we buy from local farmers and butchers.
Our rear room can be booked for birthdays, christenings and anniversaries, and our ceremony room is licensed for weddings.
Food in Great Bentley
Everything is freshly prepared in our kitchen, with meat and produce from local farmers and butchers wherever we can. The specials board changes daily with whatever’s in season.
Come on a Sunday for roast beef, pork or chicken with Yorkshire puddings and a jug of gravy. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are always on, and afternoon tea is served by booking.
On the board
Example dishes from our menu. Ask about today’s specials when you book.
“Tender and tasty Roast Beef, great vegetables and gravy”
“I opted for the mussels and I can truly say the best I’ve ever eaten.”
“Fantastic place, very welcoming staff and fantastic food at a very reasonable price.”
“We had a lovely evening for my Dad’s 80th birthday. Abi and the staff were very professional and couldn’t do enough for all of us.”
“Nice ambiance, cosy surroundings, good tasty home cooked food at a reasonable price, always good attentive service”
Our story
Years gone by
Known over the years as the Royal Fusiliers Arms and the Royal Fusilier, on Aingers Green Road.
2017
The doors closed and the village was left without its pub.
May 2019
Refurbished and reopened as The Fusilier: bar, restaurant and wedding venue.
Today
Listed as an Asset of Community Value, and back to being the village local.
Wedding venue near Colchester
We’re registered for weddings, naming ceremonies and vow renewals, with a wedding coordinator throughout your booking and on the day itself. Christenings, anniversaries and big birthdays too.
Find us
To confirm with the owner: these are the hours most recently listed by CAMRA (September 2026). The current website shows different hours.
| Day | Bar | Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1pm – 7pm | — |
| Tuesday | Closed | — |
| Wednesday | 11:30am – 11pm | 3pm – 7:45pm |
| Thursday | 11:30am – 9pm | 3pm – 7:45pm |
| Friday | 11:30am – 11pm | 3pm – 7:45pm |
| Saturday | 12pm – 11pm | 12pm – 7:45pm |
| Sunday | 11:30am – 8pm | 12pm – 5:45pm |