Chinese Cottage in Tendring

Big menu, lots to choose. But got set seafood meal, share for 2 at the end. Best decision! Food was delicious and fresh. The portions were more than enough.

Pre booked for a 1pm lunch today. Only people in the restaurant ( 5 of us ). Owner and staff were pleasant and helpful, as we were asking questions of our vegetarian family members'meal expectations. No buffet per se. Owner explained that as not many people were in, they would cook us a selection. Selection of starters was hot, fresh and tasty. Selection of mains, from a choice on a card was a little limited, but what we ordered was fresh hot and tasty. Would recommend completely.

First time at this restaurant. Ceilings are very low, which can't be helped. First impressions were that it needed a refurb. Food seemed very expensive. Ordered set meals which were good and came out in a timely fashion. Atmosphere was very strange. Seemed the waiting staff didn't get on. Wouldn't go again, but this is a personal choice.

We went for the vegetarian set menu. It was the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. I would recommend this to everyone.

Phoned and booked a buffet meal for six no mention at time or online that you had to complete by 8.30 pm . Have always heard good reviews for food from here . And it was exactly that was tasty. But service was appalling from the moment we got in there we was rushed,they wouldn't change plates or cutlery for clean . Happy to take your money quick enough and get you out . If we had of been treated better we would have drank more instead of going to tbe pub next door . Won't rush back shame . As like to support local businesses.

was lovely food really lovely but felt rushed went for valentines night everytime you sat back for a breather itd be have you finished shall i take your plates

Very enjoyable meal, very hot tasty and plentiful. Wish it was closer to home. Excellent service, excellent food.

Very friendly staff, always welcoming and the food is fantastic with very good service. I would highly recommend the Chinese Cottage

Totally ridiculous that they are not doing the buffet on a Thursday or Sunday evening. This makes zero sense as it was not a self service buffet, everything was cooked fresh and brought to the table. Could have easily carried on with the buffet and to blame covid for not doing it anymore is a joke.

We were staying at nearby elm farm country park in a lodge. Ordered a takeaway from here as saw some Good reviews on here and it did not disappoint! Would highly recommend!

Our first visit since lockdown, all COVID appropriate. Sitting at table and being served freshly prepared dishes is so much better than take away (which is good by the way). Crispy Peking duck already forked from the bone, sizzling beef on a hot plate was soft and perfect, little bits of salad still cold from the fridge. What’s not to like? Don’t forget the car park at the back (just past the restaurant if you are coming from Colchester direction), which is now where to enter as well.

Chinese Cottage is a regular of mine, I've no idea why anyone would give it less than a five-star review. The building is old and full of character, staff are polite and friendly, they can't do enough for you. The food is top-notch, fresh and tasty. We've been coming here for years and we get more than enough food. I recommend the shared platter for starters, and the curry (chicken or veg) to follow. The cashew nut and pineapple rice is lush. Highly recommended restaurant.

We love coming here friendly staff and the food is great would recommend. Be mindful of the narrow entrance for parking but enough room for a fair few cars.

When the family come to visit ,the highlight is going to our local Chinese for Sunday lunch. Delicious food and plenty of it

Visited with a large group of 18 people, food and service was excellent. Also have the take away quite often and this is usually a nice meal. Could do with a bit of refurbishment internally and maybe the car park tidied up a bit. Satay chicken was excellent as was the crispy chilli beef, my only criticism would have been portion sizes were a bit small considering its a buffet.

first time here and definitely be our last, food portions were small, with not much flavour,The staff were, lets say not very professional, we had the menu dumped on the table and wasn`t even asked if we wanted a drink, we had to ask them, when we did get one it was flat and had to be changed. Also I think the staffs dress code needs to be addressed,in my opinion leggings should not be worn by any waitress in any restaurant or any establishment.The place smelt very musky and could do with a redec, the Bill was £42 and for not a lot of food, my partner had to eat when we got home as he was still hungry,

They advertise the all you can eat days as a buffet but you actually chose from the main menu as many times as you like until you are full. Beer and wine and even soft drinks a bit over priced but still worth the money with the all you can eat. Car park at the rear of the restaurant

Very impressed, lovely Chinese restaurant, we had been recommended to go on a Thursday and we had the buffet selection. Couldn’t fault in any way and would recommend to anyone

We came for the Thursday evening buffet which was lovely! Food was fresh and flavoursome and the wiating staff were helpful. We will definitely be visitng again! The only thing we would like added would be the choice to leave a tip on the card machine as they thoroughly deserved one.

We went here a few times. At first it was excellent, then the food went downhill. The last time we went the food was awful and the seat that my husband was given was soaking wet. We were told it was water that had been spilt and given a different chair. When we got home discovered it was urine! Disgusting place will never be going there again.

I do not call a few slices or iceberg lettuce on a plate vegetarian friendly nor from a menu of 50 dishes call fried beansprouts, chilli mushrooms and mixed vegetables a main course... Rubbish food and terrible value for money if you are vegetarian, my meat eating friends had a better deal though and a choice of 8 starters but just 2 vegetarian ones22.50 is daylight robbery

I visited the Chinese cottage on a Friday evening, admittedly from the outside looked a bit disheveled with the small awkward entrance. However, the food was probably the best Chinese food I have ever tasted. The service was attentive and there was not a long wait for the food. Would definitely recommend and if I am ever in the area again, will go again. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’

The best Chinese in this area by a mile! Would highly recommend. Prices are reasonable and staff are very welcoming.

very nice food little bit on dear side especially wine but really nice food. staff very pleasant and very attentive.we stayed in holland on sea so a little bit of a way not far but well worth it.

We’ve lived in the area for years, but somehow we’ve not visited before.

2 of us went with friends a few days ago. It was our first time, but our friends had been before on numerous occasions, so were familiar with the routine. We went on a Thursday evening when there was a tasting menu to try.

5 of us came here for my Mum's birthday and was disappointed. One waitress spoke to another like trash saying she had put down dishes wrong when it was fine and that she wasn't listening to her and so on. Then we saw her physically pushing her away and saying to go elsewhere and talking to her like dirt. This poor waitress did nothing wrong whilst serving us and was so polite and there is never a reason for someone to embarrass another member of staff, especially not in front of customers. It made us very uncomfortable and we didn't want to be there. Annoyed we spent over £100 here as it wasn't worth it. The toilets were absolutely disgusting and everything in the restaurant felt sticky.

The meal was without doubt one of the best Chinese we have had for quite sometime,with very good Service

sunday buffet all you can eat dishes being topped up continuously good food staff on hand for ordering drinks etc and polite and cheery

We have been eating at the Chinese Cottage now for quite a few years, both dining in and taking food away. The takeout is always impressive, very generous portions for your money, and the best Chinese that we have had in the area!

Lovely meal, buffet meal superb, as always. Made welcome as we walked in, food and service could not be faulted. How lucky we are to have Chinese Cottage on our doorstep.

I arrived in a cold restaurant and knew that this was going to me a bad experience... I was left to wait in the reception area before I was approached by a member of staff. Showed me to my table and was given menus where food was extremely overpriced for a buffet. Only had the menu for a couple of minutes until I was asked to order by whom I believe his the owner. Felt too rushed. I asked for more time and she walked away. Once I’d ordered I was given starter plates and a finger bowl. Plates were covered in yellow stains and put me off eating, the water of the finger bowl was slimey. The food came out and I was disappointed by the small portion. Once cleared again my duck came out in minutes and was extremely rushed. It was too crisp and was a small bone which could have easily been digested by my 5 year old. When mains came out they didn’t all come at once. I had to wait 5 minutes compared to everyone else before my main even arrived and by then most people had half eaten their meals. I asked for a drink and was never given it and when asked a member of staff she said sorry I forgot but still never gave it to me. I was charged £3:80, yes £3:80 for a pint of coke!! I will not be returning!! Staff are rude and rush you, barmaid does bring you drinks and the place is filthy!!! Extremely disappointed!

To start with I was left to stand in the reception and area for 10 minutes before anyone even said hello to me, then sat down in a run down restaurant and was given 5 prawn crackers to share between four people.... and they were like eating plastic. The starters ca,e out and was the best part of the meal, the duck was extremely crisp and too over cooked, and I found a hair in my rice dish when the mains came out. All the plates were stained and staff were extremely unhelpful, just stood on their phones and when I asked a certain member of staff for a drink I never received it. Utterly disappointed.

Always enjoy going here, but hadn’t been for close on six months but am happy to say that it was still as good a ever. Great food, fantastic service couldn’t fault a thing.

We went for a birthday celebration found the restaurant poorly decorated needs an overhaul. Found it cold and musty which impacted on the food. Food was average not great. Wouldn’t go back there’s better out there.

This is an excellent Chinese restaurant, one of the best in the area. My wife and I go here regularly, often taking our grandchildren who the staff treat very well. Food choice is excellent and the food is well prepared, and not a bad price either. Be aware if you are tall that the building has low beams, so watch your head.

Visited for the Sunday buffet, been there many times and can not fault the food or the staff. However the restaurant is not centrally heated and therefore was absolutely, bitterly cold. Due to how cold it actually was, we ate in our coats and left as soon as we’d finished our meal.

Chinese Cottage had been recommended, so went for a takeaway, as I was staying nearby. Staff were pleasant and helpful, I didn't have to wait long and the food was excellent and free extras. Thoroughly recommend it.

Characterful old cottage, now a small and pleasant restaurant. Off road parking area to the rear of the building. VERY small door ( with a step ) if entering from the carpark so people with limited mobility might want to enter from the street at the front of the building.

We went there for my daughters 21st birthday on 13th August 2017. We had never been before so didn't know what to expect but the food was lovely and plentiful. The staff were kind and attentive. Would highly recommend this restaurant. We will be going back in the near future.

Excellent food served with a smile.Best chinese takeaway in the area at a reasonable price.A continued family favourite for us.

Como el personal era fantástico, la comida es buena, pero podría ser realmente increíble, como el lugar, lástima!

Estamos alojados en Elm Farm Country Park y pedimos una comida de aquí esta noche. Excelente servicio de principio a fin. Todas las comidas que pedimos eran de buena calidad y muy sabrosa.

Durante su estancia en el Spa de Lifehouse elegimos a mirar fuera a otros lugares para comer y de Tripadvisor recomendado aquí.

Precioso restaurante de comida había con amigos encantadores y la comida estupenda. Muy limpio y agradable, con mucha variedad de comida, todo servido caliente. No comimos todas nuestras y personal dispuesto a poner en una bolsa de perro para un amigo la comida del día siguiente.

Me and my husband have been eating here for 9 years and we are never disppointed, the staff are very friendly and the food is always brilliant. It is a little pricy but in my opinion it is well worth it

Very mixed review.We live locally and have not tried this restaurant before. The starter crab and sweetcorn soup was not very nice and we sent it back. However the main meals kung po chicken and sweet and sour prawn balls were very nice. The staff were very friendly and efficient.

Ordered a takeaway from here as our usual Chinese was closed, the food was ready in a reasonable time, the lady who served us was very pleasant and the food was very nice. Would recommend to family / friends and colleagues.

Having moved to the area 2 years ago I was desperately seeking a good Chinese restaurant. On a recommendation I tried this one. So pleased; being veggie it's sometimes difficult to find a Chinese with choice that doesn't have soggy vegetables! This has some veggie choice & always well cooked. Maybe rather cold in the restaurant itself & low beams mean taller guests need to watch their heads but the food & staff are terrific.

been many times...always a great meal always lovely served onto a lazy Susan staff friendly ..nice atmosphere thank as always

My wife and I have been eating here for 3 years without a problem. The food is very good indeed and the service is friendly and 1st class! There is a dining area too if you want to eat in. Would definitely recommend. Mark & Lisa

Chose the set menu as we were in a large group. Food was average compared to other Chinese restaurants I've visited, (Rice cold and stodgy)Service was sadly poor/average, though they were very keen on pushing the drinks, not being keen on flat overpriced coke declined the numerous offers.Should have suspected things may not be worth what you're paying for when the you realise the carpets were "sticky". Generally the whole place needs a bit of a refurbishment if its going to compete with other restaurants in the village/area.Probably wouldn't be making any bookings in the near future.

We had a smashing night here . There were 15 of us . Was well looked after the food was served nice and quick . And very nice it was too would recommend to go to .

Very enjoyable, with kind staff and good food. Best Chinese food you can get in the Clacton-On-Sea area.

Visited a few times food always great good ,very friendly staff will have a chat with you ,they treat my granddaughter like a person and chatted with her making us all feel at easy .as I say great food and staff

The Missus insisted we go posh rather the usual £11.99 buffet at Charlie Chans in Clacton, we had no booking but was shown a table for two, which could have sat 4 so immediately I thought happy days nothing worse than being cooped up on a little table, we had set meal, and it was fantastic, all hot freshly cooked, the portion sizes were great in fact there was almost too much, Staff were great, polite and not bothering you all the time, very pricey came to £81 pounds for two which for a little village just outside of Clacton some may argue is quite expensive, but you do get what you pay for, I wouldn't order the set meal again but would go for individual dishes but will deffo be back.

I normally get a take away from here but the other night on a wim my family decided to come and sit in. We were greeted by the manager, who as always was friendly. We sat down and had are drinks taken by a lovely waitress, didn't quite catch her name. We the set menu dinner which had plenty to eat for all of us, and came out piping hot. It was a lovely evening and will definitely be back again!

Dined here two nights ago with Mrs Bun and Slippery. Mrs Bun loved her Vermichelli and crispy chicken Slippery Sid had the vermechelli with Kung Po King Prawns and Sliced chicken in sauce I ordered Hot Singapore chow mein but ended up with the Vemechelli as well, which I had with a chicken curry .Whether is was because we were in the bar when they said out dining table was ready, the food was already on the table but I found the food was not that hot All the food was excellent but not cheap.especially the set meals

We visited August bank holiday weekend - had a lovely meal - one of the tastiest Chinese meals I have had - no MSGM so no jitters after eating!

I ordered a take away to be picked up at 21.30! I went to pick it up but could not find the restaurant as I'm not local to here. Due to having no signal in this area I couldn't ring up and ask. I finally find it after driving past 6 times!! To find it closed at 21.45 even though they aren't meant to close until 22.00. So now I'm without a dinner. Thanks.

We visited a few months ago and thought food was ok but nothing special. But went again last night and the food was very tasty, good quality and nothing wrong with the service. Certainly glad we gave it another chance.

This place really needs some tlc ! Lovely looking building , but very drab inside. The plastic plants should be binned ! We asked about drinks before we ordered, as the drinks menu really needs updating. Staff need some product training as drink wasn't I ordered !! Then second attempt , and again wrong order. The food menus really need throwing away and starting again. Nasty , sticky and no distribution of what the dishes are. We ended up ordering a set meal. Food nice, but not very hot. We ended up taking the main course home rather than eating it here, as the place was so depressing !! I wouldn't come back or recommend it until a lot of changes were made. The bill came to £67, ok value but have had a lot better

Booked a party of 11 people Service very poor 3 of us had the rice served late curry was full of salt Very expensive and one person overchrged

We ate here for an early dinner, selecting from a buffet menu as a party of six with our two small children.The Chinese was lovely and we were very full by the end of it. There was no grumpiness from the owner. She was helpful brining the children's dishes out with our starters and helping us to keep them happy. We've been here a few times but brought our parents over tonight as well and I dare say we will be back again

Terrible rude owner, very abrupt and talks to you with a very rude tone! Abrupt with kids, portions very small and very pricey! Food was tasty but I would not eat here ever again until I see an "under new management" sign. We spent £100 and all left starving!! If the owner reads this please take some lessons in customer service and perhaps learn to smile!! Place needs a good clean very filthy!

When we visited this restaurant we were looking for a pink building, like the one pictured on their website but we missed it as they had changed the colour. We turned around at the roundabout and drove in to the carpark. The steps into and inside the building were not mentioned in the description, neither were the low beams but we were told of them as we entered.Loads of choice at the buffet, all hot and tasty with choices to suit everyone in our party.

Went to get take away from here as we were staying at life house spa & hotel.Went in and had a rude Chinese woman run over and say no tables, you can't eat here, whilst trying to usher us out.My partner said but we want take away, she paused and her colleague said come this way.When it was ready the same Chinese woman didn't even give the bag to me in my hand when I put my hand out to take it she just put in on the table and walked away.Racist, rude and disgusting service!

Disappointed. In laws had been for the buffet a few weeks earlier and loved it. Got there at 1.30pm today and by 2pm they were hardly refilling the buffet. The resturant was full but you were limited to what you could have as they weren't bringing anything out. We waited a while to see if they refilled the buffet and a waitress assumed we had finished and took our plates! Starters were tasty but mains particularly the chow main was cold. Expensive for what it was. Won't be returning.

We stayed at the Lifehouse Spa and from seeing the reviews on tripadvisor regarding the food there we decided to eat out at Chinese Cottage. We booked a table prior to arrival just in case other guests had the same idea & this was fine.Had slight trouble parking, the space out the back was a bit muddy so had to park on the road, no real problem really.Wondered if because we'd booked it would have been that embarrassing thing where the restaurant was empty but there were 3 or 4 tables already taken. We were shown to a table for 2 which was in between two larger tables one of which was very noisy, this is probably just the layout of the restaurant. We were slightly cold but there was no issue to turn on the portable heater with agreement from our fellow dinners.Food was very good although we ran out of duck, I think this is the first time I've had rice paper left over.Overall I would recommend and met expectations.

Seven of us visited this restaurant for a birthday meal. We had the set menu with some additions and everyone enjoyed the evening. Food is well cooked and well presented Staff give efficient and friendly servicePS why is this listed as a Clacton restaurant when it is Thorpe le Soken?

We had the buffet on a Sunday and although a little on the pricey side (drinks aswell) the food was of a very good standard. You could order what you wanted and it was cooked fresh. Would go back again.

A buffet lunch on a Sunday. Plenty of hot dishes filled up regularly. It was a very popular Sunday lunch and you need to book to get a seat. Will call back again very soon

OMG, absolutely beautiful. The staff are very attentive and curtious. The food is beautifully cooked and present, and tastes superb.

I drive here to get a good quality Chinese meal although there is a Chinese take away much nearer to my home. The food is good and in general as good as I can get without traveling too far a field. I wouldn't wax lyrical about it it it offers good value and Ithaca car park do is easy to access. A pleasant place to eat if your looking for an above average Chinese meal and happen to be in the area.

We have experienced different food on the menu and it is all very good. We have visited quite a few times and are happy to recommend it. There is a good atmosphere and service is also,good.

A warm welcome awaits, very attentive and friendly staff . Excellent menu plenty of choice and tastes amazing

A quaint restaurant very attentive staff and excellent food. A great place to take a group of friends.

You always get a good meal here and they will accommodate you if they can with special requests! Service is friendly and helpful, they are really lovely!

We took lots of friends advice and booked a table for 5 for a family get together. They were all raving about it being the best ever. The staff were brilliant, it is an old perhaps listed building but needs tlc, the furniture has seen better days.....you can see where I am coming from. The menu was extensive as is any Chinese, it was however very expensive, and very average. We get a better Chinese from Great Bentley and that's a take-away.

Walking through Thorpe looking for somewhere to have dinner. We stopped outside the Chinese Cottage and thought let's make a change and eat somewhere different.We were pleasantly surprised when we walked in and found it so comfortable and quirky inside. The staff were very attentive and helpful. Food was wonderful and plenty of it, especially the Indonesian rice. We will certainly recommend it to all our friends.

This was the first time that the other half and myself had been to the Chinese Cottage for some years. A friend of mine uses it for the midweek buffet and says it's good but based on last nights meal this was very poor. We phoned at 8:30pm on the off chance of getting a table which we did so sat down at 9:00pm. A nice welcome and plenty of warnings about the low ceiling. Prawn crackers arrived and drinks order taken so all good so far. The menu was very unimaginative but we choose the old favourite crispy duck with pancake rolls to start. For the main I asked if they could do chicken chow mein and veg curry which was fine plus egg fried rice, chicken and cashew nuts in yellow bean sauce and flaming lamb with ginger and spring onion. The first course arrived with the sliced cucumber and sliced spring onions clearly pre-prepared as they were squashed, soft and freezing cold, I suspect covered in cling film and stacked in the fridge. The duck was tasteless on the outside which was strange as it's the crispy bit that is the best and the soft inside meat had a 'gamey' taste. This could be that it was not farmed duck but local so that was ok, albeit unusual . The main course was very poor apart from the requested chicken chow Mein and veg curry that were not bad. The egg fried rice was tasteless and sticky in fact not fried, the chicken with the cashew nuts had no spring onion as a base flavour, big pieces of cornflour coated chicken and far too much MSG. My lamb was appalling, again coated in cornflour and MSG, the flaming dish that should be cast iron was a plate covered in silver foil. The sauce was clear and bland, mainly because the 'burned' flavour of the highly heated dish was missing. It was a huge disappointment and finished off with a poor nights sleep due to the need for copious amounts of water!We like Chinese food, normally using Trongs in Ipswich, and this resturant is a million miles away from what we are used to. For me, if you need to pre-prepare one of the key parts on a very popular duck dish on a night when you are only 60% full and rely on fake flavour for dishes that must be ordered a lot then it tells me of a resturant who are either living on past glories or just ready to retire.

Staff very friendly, food wonderful. Reasonable prices too. My friend had a bad cough and they even gave her some throat lozenges!

First time visit... Warm welcome, did ring to reserve table. Good job too as very busy.. Buffet lunch... Good selection to choose from. Lots of starters I enjoyed the garlic mushrooms , ribs a must. crispy duck in pancakes... Lemon chicken very nice... Also the choice of mains was very good...noodles, beef in black bean sauce... Sweet sour pork .plus more also rice... Desserts pineapple fritter ice cream or banana fritters... Coffee or tea... Amazing £11.00 pp for lunch.... On a Sunday Service very nice very attentive but not fussy.. Very enjoyable.. The only time we waited was to pay the bill...but was good service..I sure we will do a return visit.

We have been eating here for several years and have found this restaurant to be consistently good. Four of us ate here on the Sunday evening buffet menu and we all thoroughly enjoyed the food and the experience. The buffet is slightly cheaper than the normal menu and rather than help your self buffet style, you can order what you want from a reduced menu. We had a round of mixed starters, followed by Crispy Duck for four then four main courses, puddings and Chinese tea. I would recommend eating here and we will certainly be back.

As always the food from here was delicious. However, our food took over 30 mins to arrive and when it did they completely forgot our starters and just brought out our main course. By the time our starter arrived we'd finished our main, also the duck was lukewarm. It had obviously been sat out for a while ready to be taken to us, but for some reason had been forgotten about. A few other tables were also experiencing issues, I did note one table had to wait 20 mins for a jug of water, while another finished their starter and had a 40 minute wait for their main. A massive let down for such a good restaurant.

Brilliant place to eat. Staff very good. Food can't be faulted. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was comfortable

Although we have been here for take aways it has been quite more than a year since we have eaten in the restaurant. We had always enjoyed celebrating special occasions here but this time we left disappointed. We had the buffet and the food was very good but seemed more sparse than before, although the price had increased. The waitresses were pleasant, but it was very quiet and lacking in atmosphere, I think some sort of European popular music was playing which didn't help. We felt rushed, courses coming too quickly and by 9.00 the restaurant was empty, so we left after only an hour expecting a lovely evening out and feeling let down. Something was missing, it was certainly not the Chinese Cottage we had experienced in the past.

All of our friends enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and the live music. The service was good. We had a fantastic evening like the year before. Last July, we celebrated a friend's 50th birthday and requested some special seafood out of the menu, like lobster, soft shell crabs, etc. It was excellent. So you can make request for special dishes in advance for special occasions. We are thinking to do it again for a friend's coming birthday.

We had a lovely night at the Chinese Cottage last Friday. The food was, as always fantastic, especially the lobster. The staff are always lovely, friendly and fun. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We have never been disappointed with food whether we eat in or take away. We are always happy to recommend the restaurant.

I've been to Chinese Cottage a few times before and it has always been very quiet, but this time it was a busy Saturday night. The decor is probably not to everyone's taste, it feels a bit like you're in someone's sitting room but I think it adds to the charm of the place.We chose the Valentines Day set menu which was lovely, the sharing platter for starters included prawns on toast with sesame which were cut into heart shapes, and, as always, all the food we had was absolutely great. The majority of the staff were really friendly and welcoming and the service was excellent (although a couple of them seemed a little nervous and the phone was constantly ringing). One waitress was truly excellent and had a great sense of humour (I wish I knew her name so I could mention her!).We had a great evening here and the roses and chocolates at the end were a lovely touch. Thank you!

Maybe is ok if you're a meat eater, but terrible for vegetarians. No tofu on the menu, and when I asked if they had any they laughed at me. Really didn't enjoy my visit, and felt ridiculed.

We had our first takeaway from here at the weekend (I've eaten in the restaurant but many years ago) our takeaway was excellent. Normally we like perhaps a curry from one chinese, the ribs from another and then something else from somewhere else - we can never get them all right from one chinese - this one we could. It was excellent food, we collected it, it was well packed and piping hot. We'll definately be returning

always a great place to visit. buffet nights on thurs and sun are a must. great value, great service and beautiful building

We visited the Chinese cottage this weekend and was really disappointed just how much this place has deteriorated over the past couple of years! On approach of the restaurant what used to be a welcoming site is now dirty blinds menu covered up with bin liners and masking tape and the overall impressions is very tired! The food is still good but the place needs a through clean and especially the toilets (which could do with some decent hot running water!) The staff are run off their feet and not particularly showing this is a great place to work! The sad thing is we used to go here on a regular basis and could always rely on recommending this to our friends and family. No longer I am afraid it is in desperate need of a makeover and feel also it is very overpriced compared to other restaurants in the area that provide better service and much better surroundings.

We have eaten at the Chinese Cottage for many years but over time it has become poor value for money with high prices, and the general level of cleanliness and decor has been completely neglected. The food is still quite good but if you like to eat late then you will be unlucky as we have been advised when trying to book a table for say 9pm that the Chef wants to go home by 10.00. The toilets are quite unacceptable, the gents has a very low pressure of water at the basin which results in a trickle of cold (no Hot) water barely enough to wash your hands, and the floor is more like going for a paddle! This I have experienced on more than one occasion.I addressed my concerns to the female manager, she responded with being too busy and not enough staff to clean. I tried to continue my conversation with her and she turned her back on me refusing to discuss the lack of basin water, let alone no hot running water or soap! Clearly there is a lack of proper management /front of house This restaurant is a heath hazard, it needs some investment in a complete makeover inside and outside, I don't even want to think about what the customer doesn't see in the kitchens etc!We will not be eating here again any time soon.

Visited this restaurant on a recommendation on one of their buffet nights. From being greeted at the door to being seen on our way, the service was friendly and attentive. Best food we have had in a very long time. Buffet-style was very good value.

We have eaten here a number of times and have had perfect food every time. The buffet on Thursday and Sunday are good value for money. The smoked shredded chicken is simply to die for and the crispy duck is wonderful. The cute cottage is an unusual place to have a Chinese restaurant but it is quaint with a lovely feel. Would highly recommend this restaurant and will revisit many times.

We haven't had a Chinese meal for sometime because of poor food . However, we are visiting one of our favourite places, Frinton and staying at the very good and reasonable Lifehouse Spa in Thorp Le Soken, last night we went to the very excellent Harry's Bar in Thorp Le Soken but tonight for some reason my partner wanted chinese food so we ventured to the Chinese Cottage in Thorp Le Soken what a lovely restaurant staff and food. The best chinese food we have tasted for many, many years. If staying close by check out our two choices of restaurant you will not be disappointed

We visited here for my son's 18th birthday. Staff enabled us to set up the table early with balloons and confetti, which was a really nice tough as we wanted to suprise my son. We visited on the Thursday night buffet, where you can order as much as you like from the menu and it is cooked freash to order. I absolutely can not fault the food - everything we sampled was by far the best we had ever had. The portion sizes were carefully calculated so that you could sample without over indulging. The service was fanatstic too - very attentive waiting staff that made you feel nothing was too much. The only criticism I would have is the actual place itself, it seriously needs some TLC and modernising, but if you are willing to see past this then you be in for a treat. If you're a real foodie then this place is a must.

We have been eating here for years the food has always been great until now we started with stale crackers they were bendy like plastic and the rest of the meal was like eating dog food I'm not sure what happening to the Chinese cottage it's a real shame