It really is all about the beer at The Rising Sun in Brentwood. Landlord Martin White prides himself on taking great care of his cellar and his customers.

“I’m so proud that The Rising Sun is the only Brentwood pub to feature in CAMRA’s latest Good Beer Guide.

“Keeping a good cellar of beers in the best possible condition is a key priority. We also believe the pub’s friendly atmosphere is another reason customers keep coming back,” said Martin.

Part of the Admiral Taverns Group, the pub is Cask Marque accredited and when it comes to reputation, Martin believes in letting the quality of the beer do the talking.

It certainly is the right place to go for an enjoyable drink. If it wasn’t such an old-fashioned term, you might call The Rising Sun a proper boozer but it’s more upmarket than that. Either way it is a traditional pub that serves drinks, not food. Unless you count a jar of pickled eggs or the countless varieties of snack packets on display. Of the five draught real ales on the bar, one is always from Brentwood Brewery and one is a guest ale.

“We are one of the few remaining traditional pubs. Whilst we’ve made improvements we also remember our roots. We feel we’re custodians protecting our industry’s heritage,” added Martin.

Having taken on the Ongar Road pub just under two years ago, Martin has been busy refurbishing it whilst building a loyal core of regular customers. Very early on his efforts were rewarded when, in 2014, The Rising Sun won Essex County Council’s Leisure and Tourism Best Traditional Pub in Essex Award.

It’s not just the pub’s open fire that makes for a warm welcome. Visitors find the atmosphere so hospitable and inviting that, before long, some soon make the transition to become regulars themselves.

The Rising Sun is at the centre of a thriving local community and has a varied schedule of regular events. Monday is quiz night, supporting charity, Essex Air Ambulance Service. In darts season, The Brentwood Essex Super League team, sponsored by the brewery, plays home matches in the sports bar. Midweek, Chess Club members compete in the lounge bar. The function room is taken over on Thursday evenings by a local role-playing group. Incidentally, the function room is available to hire, seating up to 12 people, or 25 standing.

The pub’s entertainments programme is varied with folk bands, charity fund raisers, race- nights and sometimes Tarot readings.

Karaoke and live music feature on some Saturday nights. A regular jam-night is held on the third Saturday of each month for musicians to pitch up and perform. Full details of what’s happening at the Rising Sun can be found on their Facebook page.

The small courtyard garden was refurbished last year and more improvements to the area are in the pipeline. The Rising Sun is a staunch supporter of the brewery’s annual Brentwood Pubs in Bloom competition, so far competing each year and winning certificates of merit.

Locals must like what the pub is doing because they often bring in tokens of appreciation, like bunches daffodils in spring and to celebrate St David’s Day, home-grown beans and tomatoes in summer and cakes to share on birthdays and special occasions. Perhaps this gift-giving can be explained by karma. Why? Because, very generously, Martin buys each of his regulars a pint on their birthday. What better way to celebrate than with a pint of Brentwood Beer? Cheers to that.

Beer & Bar Snack Match Suggestion

A pint of Brentwood Beer and one of The Rising Sun’s highly nutritious, traditional, sumptuous, vinegary, ever-popular, pickled eggs. If www.eggpub.com is to be believed, it seems the most enthusiastic pickled egg fans in the country live in Essex and London.

If you’re not brave enough to take on a pickled egg, (they do tend to divide opinion) there is an impressive array of traditional bar snacks to choose from – roasted nuts, crisps, and savoury biscuits as well as traditional pork scratchings or continental pretzels, all of which will partner an award-winning pint of Brentwood Beer perfectly. For the king of all bar snacks though, a well-timed visit to the pub on a Sunday lunchtime is required. It’s when the much-lauded home-made bread pudding is likely to appear on the bar, courtesy of Martin’s Mum, Barbara.

Opening Times

Monday to Thursday 3 – 10.30pm, Friday 3pm – midnight, Saturday noon – midnight, Sunday noon – 10.30pm. Bank Holidays noon.

[email protected]
01277 213 749
144 Ongar Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9DJ