Clacton Pavilion in Tendring

We did enjoy the bowling the only downfall is how expensive it costs us just for 1 game instead of playing more game time so that's why they are a 2 star instead of 5.

One of the best places Clacton has to offer. Great food. Reasonable price. Good afternoon out with the kids x

This place is somewhere nice that you can take family for a relatively cheap place for bowling and some food. The bowling was good and we didn't have to wait as it was so quiet. We didn't get any food so I don't know what the service is like. I know it was a quiet weekday, but I think the customer service could have been a little better. Even with no one there, it felt like everything was rushed when serving us, just to get the interaction over and done with.

very surprised and so much to do for a pier

Great entertainment for the kids.

Busy and lots to do, places to eat, play and drink.

Was told there is a minimum card payment limit of £5 when I went to get some chips. Obviously took my business elsewhere. But after some research I found this.... There is no.minimum card payment law which means that there's nothing stopping businesses from setting a minimum spending limit. However, there are rules set out by card networks which state that any merchant accepting their cards cannot set a maximum or minimum limit. So will be reporting this to visa,MasterCard etc etc

Didn't go in here as was told dofs not allowed

Family friendly and great atmosphere. Could do with some air conditioning near the pool tables as was very warm, but had fun anyway.

Brook who works the formula 1 is the best staff member she is helpful and polite and excellent customer service skills a credit to the team

Had a good time playing pool wit family, great atmosphere and friendly staff

Great place to go spend time and a little change with the family

Kids loved it, plenty to do, got a round of golf too. Was great, staff were all very nice.

Avoid the owner is a bully to young venerable girls trying to threaten them telling people he can do this and that threatening to damage a car by slashing a ladys tyers this is not the actions of a real man this is nothing but a man child that needs to grow up and leave young girls alone please take this advice incase you encounter any problems

Brilliant experience, Member of staff Marcia went above and beyond, she was very polite and helpful, highly recommend her for a supervisor role absolute pleasure meeting her, valuable member of your staff thank you 🙏🏻

£14 for a wristband, most of the limited rides either broke whilst on them or just wasn't working, all of the pay to use machines were turned off yet still took the money, then they refused a refund. Absolute joke. Avoid

We went for Pavilion Bowl and had a great time. The price was low and the alley was empty. A couple of disappointments though were that the sides were either up or down all game (not great for families), at the bar we received out-of-date food (though this was quickly swapped), and the alley was not flat. When my 3yo child was using the ramp, at the low speeds, you could see the tendency to go left, bouncing of the left rail multiple time without crossing the centre; this is only possible if the lane is tilted. All that said, the place was quiet and the staff were friendly. We had a great filmily game and would go again if in the area.

Staff great,couldn't complain about anything.

Attended childs party at soft play, children had a good time. It isn't very warm if your sitting in the cafe. There wasn't enough staff as getting a drink took 15 minutes. In the amusements the machines had run out of tickets but no staff available for refill. This wasn't good as children disappointed not to get their tickets as staff too busy serving at the counter. Basically not enough staff on shift. Shame as not likely to return again soon.

Good place to go & play 10 pin bowling 🎳

These people are absolute criminal . They rob people blind and think customers are stupid. I'd also be careful of letting teen age girls in that place with the reputation of some of the staff. Sloppy Jisepi is defo a suspect

Great amusements and attractions.

Bowling was fun but include food and the price is too high. As a family of 3 we paid £50.50 for 2 games of bowling at 5pm on a Friday, which I thought was a lot but manageable. When we got there we decided to get food too and ordered from the restaurant 3 mains, 3 drinks and 2 sides which cost £65 and were of reasonable quality but very difficult to eat at the lane. (I seem to remember they used to have a bowling menu of easier to eat finger foods). Overall we had a nice time but came away feeling disappointed with the price and unfortunately it will make us think twice about booking there again.

Nice clean place, enjoyed the bowling we went on half price Thursday or it works out very expensive. We did get a drink which was pricey and took ages to get served as only had a couple of staff. Be aware there are quite alot of stairs down to the bowling and amusements so if you are not good on your feet check it out first.

Went just before Christmas so was very busy. Has arcades bowling and pool under one roof. Always love going.

I went and played pool and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was with the bowling lanes and bar and also plenty of pool tables

£4.50 entry, I chose this soft play as it's a lot quieter than the one on the pier. Kids had dinner which had to be ordered at Armstrong's restaurant, and had trouble working out table numbers as they were numbered. Kids enjoyed themselves and there's no time limit so they stayed a few hours

Very nice decoration and bawling

Very friendly, very clean and tidy. The decorations are great, well the reindeer are nice but sadly you have to be really close to hear it due to the jukebox

Came in with a family group on a Sunday lunchtime. The lane was quiet so we were able to spread out a bit and get comfy. Prices are relatively reasonable; £8.50 for an adult for one game. Only real complaint was the price of drinks at the bar, which we felt were quite steep.

Nice food and reasonably priced

Friendly welcome but frustrating machinery problems

Great coffee, dog friendly in the bar area

Staff really great. It's lost a star, just because of price. Two rounds of bowling for two people, £29. I do enjoy the atmosphere there too.

Children loved the bowling, it was quite empty when we were there 4.30 on a weekday. Seating area needs some attention.

Nice relaxed game of bowling with a restaurant on site or you can just have a couple of beers

Childs pre booked and paid party experience disappointing, staff not helpful, one meal short, peas and beans unavailable, kitchen staff rude, only rectified after argument, complaint procedure not satisfactory. Managers non existent! Not worth the price!

They made my husband remove his hat and he has recently recovered from chemotherapy. Was very upsetting. They said some people with hats had caused trouble, I pointed out his age and the young lad said "you'd be surprised who causes trouble". Seems like management need to work on this more, as its very short sighted and probably discrimination for no good reason. I'm sure whoever caused trouble had shoes on... but nobody was made to remove their shoes.

Loads of machines on the way in to entertain, prizes could be improved in the 2p's to entice, but varied for all ages, sloped for wheelchair access and to lead to the toilets as well, but very slim corridor to get to both male and female toilets ( they were clean when I last visited and have a cleaner's clean check on the wall chart outside). There is two access slopes to bowling lanes and comfortable settees for waiting your turn, Bowling 🎳 come in different weights, not sure if bowling balls get wiped ( should have asked this at time of play ) but had my alcohol gel on me, but couldn't wait to wash my hands. Game lasted about 40min to memory with 5 people playing, it is loud so any sensitivity hearing aids of preference should be worn by young and old alike. Game enjoyed by all but if you don't meet criteria for family saving it's expensive I found

Never I write review this my first time ,honestly I called today he answers the phone make him self didn’t hear me and hung the line and never answer back ?

As others have mentioned, I got kicked out for wearing a hat. I have ASD and I panic without some kind of headwear in public, pathetic establishment.

Lovely place to take your children

Security shocking, I saw them literally get into an altercation with a family because the dad was wearing a hat, rude trying to be aggressive ….. sad little bunch, I will never return to this joke, heart goes out to the family that we’re treated like that…

Told to remove my hat!! Numerous people wearing hats today as it's 27 degrees, security and management need to grow up and get real. I'd rather take my custom somewhere more friendly, security threat? Really we don't live in Syria what a bunch wannabes

Great place Great views Good food Nice staff Very efficient and helpful

Although pricey, it was a good visit and was clean and tidy.

Loads to do Kids loved it, best to get a wristband when you get there.

Really helpful staff and good, but bumpers not working properly made it difficult for some children. We had a fun time.

Booking a party on their website is impossible. Didn’t get any answer.

Rides closed at 18:00 on a Saturday evening, really disappointing for me and kids.

Lots to do here for kids it's quite loud but expected to be as lots of machines

Great for a quick game of bowling and the bar is good but I think you pay for the bathroom still? What year is this, definitely not the year where I carry 20p in my pocket… not sure if that still applies but it did when I went. Also the lanes break a bit often, balls getting stuck etc but not sure if that happens all the time.

It's was nice, but the prices of the games are high. Bowling was fun but very old and definitely needs a complete scrap and redo

Visited here many times and always had fun but we came here for bank holiday before kids back to school and was serve by a very arrogant man behind the counter, we done 2 games and my wife got told she needed to wear trainers which was not a problem but when she asked a question as to why you have to wear trainers the man got very rude and very defencive. we walked over to the lane where my wife was putting on her shoes, i went over to the bar which is when the same man came over and said to my wife if she had a problem and to say it to his face, this was a big bloke was 6ft and my wife is small 4ft lady which led the wife to get very upset and felt targeted and didnt want to play anymore. I spoke to the manager which was told they dont do refunds and said that he would speak to his employee amd nothing else he can do. Myself and the kids carried on playing as we couldnt get our money back and we got stared at the entire time we were there by all the staff. we will not be going back here and would not recommend it to anyone.

Bowling balls are dreadfull.Freezing in the Winter.Staff are great

Fun times bowling with friends.

Was great not been bowling in a while, was brilliant and we won couple cuddles on grabbers

Booked a bowling lane for 5 of us for 1 hour,but lane kept breaking down & we wasn't offered any extra time or money off.....staff didn't seem that interested in doing much👎

Bowling was fun, the price wasn't! Either I'm getting old or £54 for a family of 4 to have 2 games bowling is somewhat excessive!

Great amount of rides for kids excellent prices

My grandson totally loves the soft play area.

A lovely time spent in the tenpin bowling centre.

Great little gem of a restaurant

Could do with a few more rides and not such high height restrictions as there isn't much there and certainly not a lot for anyone age 8 and over

Bowling not good, lane had faults, wrong score, wrong pins, wouldn't reset and expensive. Friday 17th.

Excellent bowling and first class lunch

HAD A LOVELY TIME WHEN WE VISITED YESTERDAY BUT THE MAN BEHIND THE SERVICE COUNTER NEEDS A PERSONALITY TRANSPLANT AND CUTOMER CARE TRAINING!

Nice place to eat bit expensive but also lots of amusements and bowling

Outstanding service in Armstrongs…Again! Thank you all for making our evening one to remember. Nothing was too much trouble for the two girls that took our order and the chef’s food didn’t disappoint either, the dishes were well presented and tasted out of this world. Thank you so much. DS

So much to do here, pool, bowling, arcade machines. Definite winner for a family trip.

Went bowling here for my birthday, the lane had multiple faults which meant the scores were wrong, we had to change scores manually, we asked the staff for help and was told they would reset the pin from the back, they did and still.made no difference, didn't register strikes thought pins were still up when they weren't. Made a fun bowling evening very tedious

Wanted to have some drinks while we bowled but when we went to the bar we were totally ignored by the staff who were more interested in chatting amongst themselves, not what you expect when there was hardly any other customers in the building

Enjoyed the bowling, decent meal in the restaurant. Polite and friendly service.

Brilliant time kids loved it adults evern more has so. Much to do there x

A super day out. the young man working on the high ropes was a top fella.. helped my grandchildren build their confidence... freindly.. very professional... food and bowling also very good... highly recommend

Great fun for the kids and adult kids like me. And somewhere to sit and have a bite to eat and coffee.

Good fun, not expensive I thought, (5.30pm), and clean.

Sept 2022 - LENNY - my husband and I visited recently we approached lenny as we wanted to bowl but it looked to be closed, we asked him excuse me is the bowling close he turned around looked at us and replied “ WE ARE CHANGING SHIFTS OKAY “ he’s demeanour was very intimidating and his voice was extremely raised. My husband and I both looked at each other in total shock lenny was waving a plastic envelope thing in his hand full of money and then walked off. We then debated if to stay or not. We did however stay as we really wanted to play. This is the 6th time me and my husband have visited here and never have we been asked to change our shoes but this time Lenny decided my husband had to he made my husband change when we believe it was personal and that he was targeting us for some reason. My husband only ever wears boots. Lenny made us feel awful intimidated and targeted not to mention he had all the staff staring at us too. A few nights later when we visited Lenny done the same by talking about us to the staff he was even egging on the security guard to make my husband change his shoes again we will never return to this place it is awful that staff make customers feel like that. The place is nice it’s clean and it’s a good vibe but not with Lenny he will make you feel awful.

OK this is my second time here. My girlfriends meal was lovely, the chili con carne I ordered a lasagne. Was the worst one I have ever had. They're is nothing good about it. The other thing I didn't like was we couldn't sit where we wanted. An empty restaurant with only a few tables occupied we was restricted where we could sit. Sorry but this is not good. Our first visit was really good. But this time if our was the first I would say never again. I will try again and this will give my definitive review.

Went for family bowling 2 adults 2 children for £24 which we thought was ideal for two young kids, however the lane we got given was faulty, was giving strikes when one or two pins were knocked over, then we had pins completely dissappear. When i went to complain about the fault and the pins disappearing i was told the man will go and sort it, i then tried to tell the woman about the other faults she walked away Then at the end of the game it said our time limit had been reached meaning we couldnt actually finish the game, again i went and tried to speak with the man this time and he completely disregarded what i was trying to say and told me to speak to the woman, when i said id already tried and she walked away he said shes the one who can sort it and also walked away. Definitely wont be returning which is a shame

A great evening and was nice to see people out enjoying themselves

Nice place to walk.about, have a drink etc..... other seaside towns should take note!

Has definitely seen its best days, a few of the rides only half work, one girl had to push a kiddies ride to get it started, which had worked fine earlier and alarmed a parent who had got on with his young child, some of the staff don't appear to care, I asked one girl who was very abrupt and rude to all kids and adults why she was working there as she clearly didn't enjoy it, she said she had been moved from a nice job, to which another parent said that's still no reason to be rude and abrupt, saw a couple of people ask where they get tokens as all rides advertising so many tokens per ride only to be informed everything wristbands only now, apart from all this half of rides and staff very good and kids with us seemed to really enjoy what they did go on several times.

Great fun, not too expensive. Plenty of places to eat, and something for all ages to do.

Awful experience at Ice Cream & Chips @ the Pavilion. It's the stall opposite the big wheel, staff very rude and unhelpful. I bought an ice cream for my 6 year old son and he tripped over the decking step ( which should have a yellow mark to highlight it is a step). My son has a visual impairment and struggles with depth perception, and in a moments lapse he fell over the step and dropped the ice cream. It cost £3.80 for one scoop and I politely asked the lady whether she would replace it, I would have paid the extra £1 for the second scoop ( 2 scoops are £4.80) but she refused saying " It isn't our fault he dropped it". Even if that is their policy, the way she said it was very rude especially looking at my 6 year old who had just fallen over. It doesn't cost anything to be a nice person!

Clean and tidy we come bowling here when visiting family absolute fantastic bowling alloy staff are always friendly and helpful and the alloys are good aswell

Excellent, so much there for the family to do together.

Lovely place, kids enjoyed a lot. Good family space and decent crowd.

Did every activity on the pier went bowling 2 nights grandchildren had a gr8 time very enjoyable

11of us played and never realised until the 6th round it was not scoring properly the assistant was very helpful tested the lane's and adjusted the camera the game was void as he tested it plus the scoring was all wrong he spoke to the manager and he would not refund or give any of us a free game poor show as we live in Clacton and spend a lot of money there bad customer service our evening was ruined

Great for kids could do with few more rides

Great place for children's rides but didn't like the one price wristband entry fee.

Good value for money day out for the children

Had great fun bowling tonight staff were helpful and very nice, we had a slight technical problem with the lane, but they sorted it in no time and we was back playing. Food was really nice as well, I would recommend there burger to anyone. Thank you so much for a fun night.

Had a good time when ever I visit here

Its a lovely place to go, since it's inside, the weather won't stop you enjoying yourself

Plenty to do for all ages. Rides for younger children, soft play, bowling and some arcade amusements as well as a restaurant and ice cream parlour.

Poor Service Rude Staff , Said could use Wristband's on Pier Ride's ..... couldn't not so UnHappy with service never visiting Clacton Agane

Great atmosphere. Good pricing. Helpful staff.

Lots of different varieties of games to cater for all ages extremely quite on a weekday. A standard fun day out. You have games where you can shoot hoops with a basketball, from arcade driving and motorcycle games alongside your standard direct and grab a toy game. for the slightly older kids and teenagers you also have pool table and bowling alley. All in all a good family afternoon out to cater for everyone. everytime you play you get tickets from the machine which you can redeem at the end dont forget them as its easily forgotten