Cloisters in Colchester

Had a really nice meal here at the weekend, food was great and the service was even better. I think our server's name was Katie, she was excellent.

My partner took me for a birthday meal and it felt extremely special. The restaurant is beautiful. The food was exceptional and well presented. Great wine list. Service was good and our waiter was friendly and attentive. I cannot fault it. A great place for a special occasion.

My wife and I enjoyed Sunday lunchtime at Cloisters, using a Gift Certificate that was a present from another member of our family. It was our first visit, and we were well and courteously looked after. The service was attentive without being intrusive. The requirement for one of us to be 'gluten free' had been logged and remembered at every stage of our three-course meal. The food was perfectly prepared. The atmosphere was relaxing. The wine list was comprehensive.

Cloisters restaurant and Greyfriars Hotel are simply sublime. Superb architectural features supported by a modern renovation and excellent cuisine.

We recently dined at Cloisters as part of the romance package at Greyfriars Wasn’t sure what to expect but we was blown away The setting was very relaxed and cosy which made an ideal setting for a romantic meal. The service was exceptional with all staff very courteous and at tentative We dined from the set menu and both chose pan fried pigeon, fish & chips and sticky toffee pudding. All dishes were very nice and the portions were more then substantial. I found the prices to be reasonable if I was to pay Overall I would recommend Cloisters if you are going for a special dining experience

Ate as a couple for evening meal while staying at the hotel. Was initially disappointed that despite booking in advance the restaurant hadn't let us know the road would be closed for the christmas lights turn on when we intended to arrive. Finding the restaurant in the building wasn't difficult but there was a lack of signage. Followed by another swift disappointment that a third of the main meals were not available that evening leaving no vegetarian option and only one red meat option. Over the course of our meal only two other covers were served. We had been sat down for about 5 minutes before staff turned on the ambient music. This led to a real lack of atmosphere. For starters I had braised venison with pickled blackberry. A poor dish. The venison was overdone and under-seasoned, reminiscent of cat food. The pickled blackberry wasn't sour and couldn't cut through the bitter mushy meat. The radish was watery. The onion rings, despite being incredibly thin and small did have a good flavour and texture. I would not recommend. My partner had the ham hock terrine. This dish was very fresh and vibrant. A balanced dish although lacking any one punchy flavour to elevate it to a great dish. As a main course I had the one available red meat, braised Ox Cheek with marrow. The jus was rich and beefy and the marrow was well seasoned. The ox was miles better than the venison that had been cooked the same way, although still a little overdone for my taste. The creamed potatoes had good consistency and flavour. Overall a hearty dish for a winters evening. My partner had the maple glazed pork chop with apple and cider. The star of the evening. A good sized pork chop, well trimmed but with enough fat for flavour. Glaze was strongly flavoured but not overpowering. Good light touch on the apple and cider elements which could have been oversweet (especially with the maple). Would recommend. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding and a cheese board. Both were good enough although a couple more cracker's wouldn't have gone amiss on the cheese board. Overall I have the feeling that this is a restaurant trying to be finer dining than it's capable of being. If it aimed a little lower there's the potential for a very nice restaurant here but sadly it didn't make that mark in this current state.

Having been on a wonderful tour of this gracious refurnished building in the centre of Colchester, we took up Greyfriars’ offer to make dinner reservations at its Cloisters restaurant. The reception and restaurant staff were superb, friendly, and efficient as was our welcome on arrival. The setting is also ambient and comfortable and on the Monday night we dined it was far from crowded. Our deal provided for a complimentary glass of some pretty good wine - Sauvignon Blanc and Dona Paula Malbec - and choices from the 3-course fixed menu. The starters we had were pretty good: cauliflower and truffles soup for my wife and a very good braised pork cheek bob bon with compote and purée for me. So far so good. Then, the problems: tough, tasteless, precooked pork chops albeit with a tasty sauce and puréed potatoes. Good thing we had sharp steak knives and the sauce was tasty! But, then, I thought just how tasty the pork chops are that I cook on the grill.We finished with a pretty good sticky toffee pudding and plum and pear crumble and creme anglais - and a nice little plate of Bon Bon’s for my wife’s birthday, which was a nice touch.So, an otherwise please evening was marred by the main course. Yes, of course, we could have sent the pork back but then we would have had to wait another 20 or so minutes for replacements. For that reason, restaurants must get it right first time. Pity, as this restaurant has a lot to offer, particularly with its pleasant ambience and excellent wait staff.Should we give Cloisters another chance. It’s often a risk eating at hotel restaurants. So, I really don’t know.

Part of the Greyfriars Hotel and available for non residents and residents . An extensive Table d’hôte & À la carte menu is available seven days a week. We had a wedding reception meal for about 60 guests which was excellent. Service was exceptionally well cooked and service was friendly and efficient.

i arranged a lunch in the Cloisters restaurant for a small group of friends and family - none of whom had been here before except when this building had been a school or adult ed establishment. A lot of money has clearly been spent on the conversion.As there were more than 6 of us we had to choose from their "group menu" but it turned out to be nearly the same as the regular a la carte menu. The menu had an adequate variety, with several items of local provenance, and the kitchen seemed to cope well with one of us who has a gluten intolerance. All of us thought that the food was good and well presented. The portions were adequate rather than huge but we would not have wanted any more at lunchtime. The service was not all that fast, but we had a lot to talk about so it was not a problem for our group, and one can see that serving a whole group at once presents some problems. But service was perfectly competent and the staff were all very pleasant. The dining room had a couple of large stained-glass windows but otherwise hardly any view of the outside, which is a pity for a room on the ground floor. Perhaps this simply can't be done in a building of this age and complexity. The wine list had an excellent variety including some wines from non-standard countries e.g. Essex and Lebanon. While some were expensive - aimed at the expense-account customer - there were enough at reasonable prices. Overall we all enjoyed our meal and will be happy to come back again. I'm a bit surprised that earlier reviews haven't been all that enthusiastic, but the restaurant is fairly new and maybe they have only recently found their feet.

Just the two of us! Sensational setting, amazing food and great service. Lamb was devine. Prosecco - oh so chilled.

This experience was disappointing because we didn't realise when we booked that the main "Cloisters room" would not be open. Our wedding anniversary fell on a Wednesday night. Shortly before attending we viewed the menu and realised that the Al la Carte menu was only available Thursday - Sunday. We viewed the alternative menu and decided we would proceed as we hadn't visited before. When we arrived we were shown to a smallish side room with about 5 tables in it. We were seated near the window looking onto the High st but the wooden shutters were closed even though it was still light outside. We asked our server if we could open these but were told that they liked them to be kept closed so diners were not observed by passers by! I would have thought that could be free advertising for them and assume that if you are happy to sit by the window you would expect this. The room felt claustrophobic for me and my partner, one table was behind the door. I didn't like the decor here either, gaudy chandelier and sconces with large pink roses and the carpet designed to look like shabby chic and presumably horrendously expensive- looked tired and faded.The food was excellent and the portions were adequate for us but I know others who have heartier appetites would be disappointed. Service was good although we were attended by 4 different people throughout our meal which was baffling as there were only a dozen other diners.Afterwards we peeked into the deserted Cloisters bar and it looked attractive. We would have much preferred to be seated here. Overall the food won our rating and we would return to sample the Al a Carte menu now that we know the set up.

En general, la experiencia al entrar en el establecimiento es buena y se ha gastado un montón de dinero en que le da un factor, sin embargo, el servicio debe subir unos cuantos niveles para que coincidan con el lugar. La lista de vinos era bastante bueno pero caro y la comida era muy buena, pero las porciones son pequeñas, y la camarera no ofrece ninguna lados que el plato principal son realmente necesarios.En general, el lugar es agradable, pero por favor, capacitar al personal de