Coast Inn in Colchester

Lovely location. We went on a Sunday evening. Beautiful pub with good beer and dog friendly. Very welcoming place. Would definitely visit again.

Perfect location, with a lovely view, lots of tables, both inside and outdoors, in sun and shade. [ Options of benches, chairs, all clean and comfy, plus umbrellas.] Very small car park across the road, but remember to log in your car registration number. Modern order idea, chose from the menu, at the table, go up to the bar, to place your order. Food delivered to the table, very quickly. Staff exceptionally friendly and helpful. Service first class, food delicious, really large portions, lots of choice, [with some good variations, eg. fish in batter, or same fish pan fried.] Starters and yummy deserts available, and great selection of drinks. Couldn't fault it.

It is so hard to find somewhere good to eat on a Monday as many places do not open. We were recommend The Coast Inn by some friends as they open 7 days a week and were not disappointed. We really enjoyed the fish and chips and the homemade pie was delicious. We shared a Bakewell tart and it was definitely the best dessert we have had!

Great potential, but absent/inexperienced kitchen staff may have let the food service down I heard. We called before attending (about 5) and was told the kitchen closed at 6, last orders at 5:45) so we left the beach nearby and were there in a few minutes after parking was a challenge. We were in the establishment by half past and were told the kitchen was closed, and we informed them we had called etc. They let us join the food till queue and ended the queue there. Another group came in after, and were told they were too late, but allowed to join their friends ahead of us. Then the fun started as they proceeded to delay and delay orders until about 5:45 or later and were not dealt with fairly by the staff who had allowed this. Eventually the group allowed us to order as we had worked out our order before but were abusive as they had not considered anyone else, but this had been noticed by staff but no action taken. When the food came it was well presented but of no standard we would have expected from the location. We could have probably equaled it from bits at the local inland supermarket. Again, great potential, just needs to be ran better and standards reinforced to unruly patrons. yes new customers will come through, but keep the ones that will come back too.

Went for veggie roast Sunday dinner, expectations were not too high but at £16 each didn’t expect 3 frozen veggie sausages as the centrepiece.

Food delicious. Pity about the wind Tuesday evening

Great spot for fish and chips and a pint in mersea. Building is lovely decorated and plenty of seating

Fantastic meal outside in the sunshine with fast service and HUGE portions.

Lovely spot to enjoy good food good company and lovely views.

Unfortunately, the reason for going was a funeral wake. The staff were friendly, good service, great food and great location. Very simple process to add car details for car park. 10/10

Lovely place lovely food as always x

Great location in the seafront. Tasty food and nice atmosphere

Disappointing. Prawns tasted of water.

Excellent location and view of the estuary. Food superb as too service. Definitely worth a visit and unlikely to be disappointed.

I've always loved the skate dish here on a very limited menu but now you've taken it off!! I'm glad you offer the fish pan fried though as an option

I really love visiting here, food and service is faultless. Great location, ample seating and beautiful views

Terrible. Save your money and time. The service was deplorable. It took 90 minutes to get strictly average food that came from plastic freezer bags such as french fries and battered fish to our table. Was it reasonable at least, you ask? It was not. The staff were either clueless or borderline surly. Don't go there. They shouldn't be there.

Lovely place to rest after swimming. We ordered seafood platter, there was delicious chowder, the cold bits were less nice. My partner ordered fish and chips which were excellent. Wine is expensive but it is worth to pop in, chill out and enjoy the Seaview.

Food was good quality and bigger portions than I was expecting. Staff were attentive and always smiling.

We eat at The Coast every time we visit our son who lives in a care home on Mersea. We would be confident in ordering anything from the menu; food is consistently beautifully cooked and every dish is well thought out with lovely combinations of ingredients. All staff are so pleasant and helpful but we have to mention Roseana specifically who always goes the extra mile and delivers a beaming smile with every dish! The circumstances of our visit are sometimes upsetting and Roseana's caring, warm and gentle nature makes such a difference. Thank you so much, Roseana, chef and the whole super team at The Coast!

Really lovely place to have lunch or dinner. We had two great meals here and would highly recommend. We will be back. Sat outside and loved the view.

The food is always as exceptional as the food. If the weather is nice, this is the place to be. If the weather isn't nice, it's gorgeous inside too!

Lovely large pub with modern interior and outside tables. Didn't eat but food looked incredible!

Fabulous food and views across the river. Friendly staff and good prices.

Great meal and service reasonable priced menu

Had a lovely meal , Although a sign to say ' a little waiting time for food ' we didn't wait to long . We ordered starters, soup of the day and Whitebait very delicious and large portions. Tbh if we'd known how large the portions were I think we would have just ordered the mains. We had scampi, chips served with salad again delicious. Would recommend the Coast Inn a very good place to eat .

Absolutely brilliant! The food, service and location, couldn’t fault the Coast Inn. We had the seafood platter to share and it was a very generous portion for 2 people, along with a side of chips. Would recommend.

The waitress Rihanna made the experience so much more enjoyable and the food was also amazing.

The food here was disappointing. First, we had a crab mac and cheese and this was fine as a mac and cheese but there didn’t seem to be much, (if any) crab in it. Next we had two beef wellingtons, which is where the real problem was. The portion was large but it didn’t taste of anything at all. Both the meat and the pastry were tasteless and the sauce was just okay. This really bothered me because they charge £28 for a beef wellington which is a lot of money. This is probably the nicest pub in the area in terms of view and ambience but I felt extremely ripped off with the food I was served, as it was top quality prices for sub-standard food.

The Coast Inn has a very friendly team. The food was great; the starters, mains and desserts all perfect. The view from the terrace is great. We had a really nice afternoon there. Highly Recommended.

Despite signs warning of delay, the food was delivered quite quickly. I had a very generous portion of whitebait followed by a roast turkey dinner. The staff were friendly and the location allows most diners at least a glimpse of the sea.

Thank you to The Coast Inn for hosting our annual LBRR run round Mersea Island. Everyone I spoke to was helpful before the event and all the runners commented on how good the food was. All the staff including the kitchen were able to serve us efficiently despite being descended on by 20+ hungry runners. Thank you

Excellent everything, the food is cheap and not great, but you sort of get what you pay for, the small plates are £7, and they are ok, so good value.

Great food. We went for fish of the day. Service was great and nothing was a problem. Absolutely fantastic restaurant, we are allready planning a return visit. 😁

Oh my, what a wonderful discovery. It was a last minute booking and we were well accommodated. The service was on point. We were checked on to make sure overseas fine. No problem at with placing orders. The waitresses did a fabulous job of getting on our orders out quickly. So so polite. The decor was easy on the eye. Some historic items can be purchased. You have a choice of seating, bar, restaurant, terrace or outside area overlooking the bay. From starters to mains…. The food was simply divine. That we just wanted to savor the flavor’s. My father in law has not stopped talking about the mussels, just how fresh they were and the broth. I had the chicken liver pate, It was so delicious. Even the salad with the dressing had lovely flavors. To finish we had pan fried fish of the day. The texture of the fish so delicate and so well seasoned. I never eats peas, these were just so fresh I just had to eat them. If we could have a place like this in London. I would definitely be a regular. We will be back and thank you. This place is amazing in every way possible!

great food and service,unfortunatley we had a table next to us that were particularly loud. left earlier than we would normally do ,did not try sweets which I must say looked lovely. Will defornatley go again.

We went to the Coast Inn on Monday lunchtime. The food and service was great. We had the fish platter with some battered fish bites and chips. The food was freshly prepared and delicious. Also, we drank Lucky Saint which was on tap. We sat upstairs and had a great view. The service was friendly too.

Looked lovely from the outside, alas the fish and chips is hugely overpriced and the battered haddock was probably the most bland fish I’ve ever tasted. Way too much hard batter and seemingly not seasoned whatsoever. The small “mcDonalds” paper cup of homemade tartare sauce was a joke for the price and size of the fish. £18 is the most expensive fish and chips I’ve ever had and hopefully the most expensive and tasteless I will ever experience! It was nice outside, alas we were not permitted to park up nor sit on the decking as they had a “huge” private function happening imminently, which didn’t arrive in the hours we were here. Also the soup was average at best.

Came for lunch yesterday and it was yummy 😋 and it came pipping hot and stayed hot even sitting outside 😍 and the chips were amazing 👏

This place is a favourite of ours. Great food, lovely views, especially on a sunny day, great service and prices.

It wasn't the experience we were hoping for. We had a table for 10 on a busy day over the Bank Holiday weekend. Some of the food was slow in coming out, and a couple of dishes were sub-standard. We were told there was no manger in the restaurant, but the owner has called back since and offered a refund.

Very comfy sofa upstairs and great views across the river.

Nice, clean, and with good service from staff. Quite pricy for food but what we had was tasty and well presented.

Thank you the coast inn for a wonderful meal our seafood platter was absolutely amazing , the value for size amazing !!! obviously so fresh and tasty would definitely recommend 5*

A wonderfully friendly pub. Fresh, varied menu. Great ambience. Beautiful views. A perfect meal.

Coast inn: a disastrous dining experience My recent visit to Coast Inn in Mersea was nothing short of a culinary catastrophe. We have been here multiple times in the past and never ever experienced anything like this before! Anticipating a delightful seafood platter, we were instead greeted with prawns that tasted as though they had been marinating in ammonia. When we raised our concerns to the manager, they brushed us off and even had the audacity to attempt charging us the full bill. Though they begrudgingly removed the offending dish from our tab, there was a glaring absence of remorse or apology. Shockingly, a quick glance at previous reviews revealed a recurring pattern of similar complaints, indicating a glaring failure to learn from past mistakes. In conclusion, my experience at Coast Inn was a dramatic disappointment, marred by abysmal service and unacceptable food quality. I have informed the local health authorities about their shocking food hygiene practices, given they handle raw and uncooked food. Please watch out and report if you experience any similar issues.

Lovely spot for a drink and a chat

I booked a table at the coast for 6 to7 people. Two people had to drop out and I rang the coast and they were most understanding. When we arrived we had a wonderful meal from the menu and the board. The fish chowder was wonderful and the main causes were a delight with portions very generous. The service was first class We will be returning and are looking forward to it

We booked for 6:30pm, it was already busy. Meal options were great as they have a specials board as well as the menu. Quality of the food was really good and the service was excellent. Perfect evening!

Genuinely welcoming staff, x4 diners, 10oz ribeye melt in the mouth and perfectly cooked, beef burgers were also mouth watering and juicy, fat chips were a perfect accompaniment to the beef, veg curry was also very good. All freshly cooked and came out hot (ideal for a chilly February evening!). Deserts were decadently delicious. Prices very reasonable for the quality, will return and would 💯 recommend. Well done and thanks to all at the Coast Inn ❤️

We had dinner here. Food was good, but not excellent. Seafood chowder was tasty but far too much cream- made it quite heavy. Gish n chips came offered as pan died or battered - I went battered and the batter was light and the fish well cooked - very good. Real ale was cloudy and not up to scratch- swapped 1 pint for something different and both were cloudy. Bar staff was mix of good and rude - different people. Menu overall - you need some vegetables guys. Not one vegetable dish offered as a side Overall food was a decent quality but lacked imagination. All pretty beige. Nice setting

Fabulous food - the 'posh fish finger sandwich' was highly recommended & didn't dissapoint 😋it was excellent. Very pleasant, friendly staff. Luckily we had booked as it was very busy.

Great place with spectacular views. Food and staff are of a high standard and the ambience is great for all ages

REDUCED TO CLEAR Seafood Platter for crazy 17.50 is an absolute disgrace. We were waiting for it for 30 minutes for daily specialty and… received absolutely cold set of prawns and smoked pieces from fridge. The same tasteless experience as in Tesco's reduced to clear cheapest prawns. They were cold and not fresh at the same time. Both me and my wife had stomach problems afterwards. Absolute disgrace.

Vegetable soup was raw and tasteless, the fish and chips were tasteless with burnt and over cooked chips, the coffee was also weak… very nice staff and a lovely setting but the food was terrible, same as it was on our last visit 2 years ago.

Pretty setting near the harbour....lots of outside seating with lamps to keep warm

Great place. Great views and great food

This is my second visit and today was New Year's Day 2024. It was so busy but the staff were so helpful running around laughing and joking with all the customers. The prawn sandwich was massive with a delicious salad and chips. What a great place. The whole atmosphere was great. Top of my Mersea Island list.

Been there before and will gp again.

Lovely view if sat at front of pub,or outside. Food good

Yet another nice lunch. Always a place I enjoy eating at.

Fabulous meal, fish platter for 1 as a main or 2 as a starter. Absolutely delicious, well presented, fair price for portion size Great place, some lovely views. Staff friendly and helpful. Parking opposite. Will definitely return when next on Mersea. Thank you!

Good autumn atmosphere, food and drink.

Really nice food, very nice staff and a really nice atmosphere.

Friendly staff and really good food

The pan fried Skate was superb, open fire, good service, best place to eat on Mersea !

Visited The Coast Inn with my partner, her family and a close family friend on Saturday, and we couldn't have been happier. We were served by Ellie who was very courteous, attentive and polite, I didn't even have to order another drink as I was offered one once my drink was almost empty. The food was reasonably priced, well portioned and delicious, and we will certainly be back!

Lovely pub in a nice location right opportsite the sea. I've been here a few times whilst visiting mersea and have always liked the place. Came here today for lunch with friends who had never been, and they really enjoyed it. Look forward to returning.

Great brunch experience, lovely decking outside and the view from upstairs is so peaceful ( if a view could be described as such)☺️

We enjoyed a lovely meal here on Saturday night, service excellent, food plentiful and good value. Resturants busy great atmosphere.

Food was not fresh tartar sauce was stored incorrectly tasted off when questioned was told are opinions doesn't matter and refused to even offer a discount for the food that was left on the plate will never be using this restraunt again better off going to fish an chip shop

Great restaurant by the waterside. They made a custom breakfast for me too

We had a baby shower here recently where we hired out the whole top floor and the staff were fantastic as well as the wonderful space. It was a beautiful day and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. Thanks for helping us make some lovely memories.

Very welcoming with varied menu. The staff are attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. Food is generous and delicious. Atmosphere is cosy. Kids welcome, three indoor eating areas and large outside dining area.

Always fantastic here nothing is to much trouble beautiful food amazing staff Linda and Joseph were super with my young joseph lol ,love it love it love it

Seafood amazingly fresh & delicious - young, friendly staff super welcoming & attentive!

Enjoyed our lunch of posh fish finger in ciabatta bread came with side salad and chunky chips only £9.00 well worth the cost and was yum as well

To be able to eat lunch outdoors in October was a treat. Very pleasant with lovely Seaview.

The fish tasted off the batter was dark brown the chips were dark brown because the fat needed changing. The ribeye steak was frazzled. We went for a late lunch on the 25th September we we were very disappointed. Such a shame the location is amazing.

Super food, good service and a nice location on the mystical Mersea Island.

Fantastic food in a great location! We ate outside and it was lovely. The only downside is parking is very limited so you may have to park off road and walk.

We had a lovely meal at the coast inn, Friendly great staff .Would highly recommend. 100% be visiting again .

Beautiful pub inside and out with delicious food and friendly staff.

Friendly service with good food. A mix-up with our food order threatened to ruin the evening, but everything was resolved and complimentary drinks given.

Warm welcome , decent selection of beer / wine lager. Sat in the balcony hoping to get the sunset but clouds & weather brought that to an end but if either were better it would have been great. Online booking was good. Service was prompt & we had haddock & rock each x3 - portions are massive ( quality v good) so in hindsight 2 for 3 would have been plenty ( we had no starters / deserts). Had a decent bottle of Pinot Grigio - £76 - good value. Would go again

Came here on a lovely sunny day for lunch and sat outside. Had a brilliant sea view and watched the comings and goings of the other customers many with their dogs. I had the haddock and chips which was hot and tasty with crispy batter . My friend had the moules which she enjoyed. For pudding I had the Black Forest Trifle and my friend had ice cream with Amaretto Velvet unfortunately, they forgot the Amaretto! However this was sorted out after bringing out the shot of Amaretto then having to bring out a new ice cream as the first had melted during the wait. The waitresses were pleasant and helpful and it was quite busy . The small car park was full but we’d parked up the road anyway. A lovely setting and the food isn’t bad . Would come again

the best bakewell tart ever to finish off another excellent meal at the coast Inn our first visit since the upstairs lounge and balcony has been added Great fish and chips and a perfect sunset you could be anywhere in the world highly reccomend xx

Great location to eat outside on warm day. Good was v. good and with nice variety.

Very disappointed we were recommended by a friend to go and it was awful, we were sat right next to the kitchen door which flung open every 10 seconds with staff rushing past it was hot and noisy. I asked to move tables and was told no not possible. The waitress then asked if we were ready to order food when we hadn’t even had a drinks order taken. When we were ready 2 of us wanted fish cakes and they only had one left. The starters arrived very quickly and then were not cleared away when My husbands main arrived very quickly on its own, he had finished his dinner before the other 4 mains arrived. When they did arrive there were bones in the fish cakes and shell in the scampi, the portions were massive and everything deep fried within an inch of its life. I raised all concerns and my husband main was removed from the bill but the whole meal was awful, £100 not well spent on overpriced, deep fried dissapointing food

Great view from the garden. Friendly staff. Nice beer

Great location, great food, shocking customer service, and tricky parking

Fish and chips very very poor . Also expensive £18 .

I ordered the seafood platter and was rather disappointed, the salmon was slimy, the mackerel like leather, prawns tasteless, seafood chowder split. I will not be returning as this is a seafood restaurant and the quality was very poor

Lovely experience friendly staff and fast service. The food was amazing. I had a seafood platter that was so big I had to take some home. Staff were happy to help box up my leftovers. We went as a group of 5 friends and a baby. A high chair was provided straight away. We will come back and would recommend highly.

We chose the 2 platters because we love sharing and were really impressed! The choice of seafoods included in each one was very good and all were cooked nicely. I hadn't had rollmops before and was pleased to find that I like those too! The addition of duck spring rolls and cheese fingers was great too. Thoroughly recommend.

Nice afternoon out with a good friend a meal each very good and a couple of drinks a nice pub by the water front

Lovely pub, we had lunch one day and dinner another, the fish was crispy on the outside and just right on the inside with lovely chunky chips and tartare sauce. I had the mushroom stroganoff the other day and it was very nice. My partner had seafood platter which he said was nice and the children had burgers and pasta. They also stock a good variety of flavoured vodkas and gins to try and ciders. Def recommend and will def be back Staff friendly and smilyb

A bit manic as there was a party for someone going to Australia, but staff very helpful and service very good. Some good ales, and food was very good. Stay later and enjoy a sunset.

Lovely venue overlooking the coast at West Mersea. There is a main restaurant as well as a large covered decking area and seating outside.

Went out for a family walk, called at The Coast Inn for a coffee and cake and was made most welcome, even a drink and biscuits for our four legged family members! We enquired about lunch/dinner and was advised dogs were most welcome in the bar/decking area but unfortunately not in the restaurant (understandably). Went back that evening, had a delicious meal and even got to watch the sun go down! Fabulous, can’t wait to go back!