Lobster Smack Canvey Island in Castle Point

This is a very old pub with exposed beams and features with a old charm that creates a lovely atmosphere. The food is good for the price, quite typical pub grub menu.

Great menu with good choice. The kids menu's portions are big, main menu portions were a bit smaller than I'd hoped for. Lamb shank in particular was not very meaty. 10 of us for dinner and we all enjoyed our meals. Lovely pub and very good service. Would definitely go again

Nice place visited there on Saturday 12th October 2024 the service was slow the drinks were far to overpriced the food was delicious and hot but certainly not enough of it for the money had to go home and eat something because we were still hungry wouldn't visit again

Very poorly cooked gammon and chips. Tasted as if all cooked in same old oil. Black bits of debris on chips. Unsalted sloppy peas. All in all disappointing. Could be so much better at this quaint old pub.

Lovely setting, that felt very cosy and homely. Service was ok, though there was a long delay for two meals as they had run out of one item (egg to go with gammon), so those meals were held rather than serving and bringing the missing item to follow, meaning we had 5 people eating and 2 waiting. The held meals seemed to have been sat for a bit before serving as the meat had started to harden. Sadly, the food quality certainly did not match the prices, and was not good value. It's a shame, as the menu looks great, but after this experience we won't head back.

A great meal with friends. Good choice on the menu, I had the beef and venison pie, it was lovely. Adrian and Ty gave an excellent service. Friendly, attentive and professional.

We was here on Friday 4th October for my friends mums wake. We were very well looked after by Tai, Ajay and Grace. These three went above and beyond when my phone went missing. They not only let me use their own personal phone to contact my husband but also kept calling my number until my phone was located. It had been picked up by accident. Thankyou again!!!

Warm atmosphere and the service from Grace & AJ was great! A really satisfying experience, and I’ll definitely be back!

Lovely pub, but not the cheapest beer. Paid £6.05 for a pint.

Value for money, friendly staff. We will be back for the best food

Friendly staff especially Grace and Joanna, couldn’t be more helpful. Food was delicious we will definitely be back as soon as possible

Over priced and not very nice, never had cold broccoli in a salad before and built peas, now I know why

My dad and I arrived on Tuesday at 1.30 to be told once we were seated that there would be a 45 minute wait for food. I ordered a haddock, cheese and spinach fish cake with salad and dad ordered a lasagna. Our meals finally arrived about 50 mins later. When I bit into the fish cake I realized it was still frozen! I complained to the waitress who shrugged it off by saying that it hadn't been 'probed to check the temperature'. She took my plate away and sat watching my dad eat his meal. They brought another warmer version (not hot but hopefully cooked) of the fish cake. I was not charged for my meal but will never eat there again!! Poor service and poor attitude by waitress.

Been to the Lobby several times in the hope the food is better than the previous time. Took my family for dinner on a Sunday afternoon, wasn’t busy at all but once again the food was really disappointing, dry, tasteless, cold and over priced. If the management want to charge the prices they do then I suggest taking a serious look at the chef and staff. To order and eat one course we was over 2 hours because the service is so slow. Unfortunately we won’t be returning which is a real shame, it’s such a nice place to visit it’s a pub the island should be proud of, it’s just a shame there is now pride in the food they serve.

Lovely old pub and a great feel good factor. Charles Dickinson loved this place and I can see why. The staff are absolutely lovely, you actually get acknowledged, how often can you say that about a place? Now the food…I waited 30Mins for my food, lovely lady apologised for the wait but 30Mins…come on!!! When my food did arrive, chips were really dry, bacon on my burger was burnt. I won’t be ordering food from here again. However… drinkers are really nice and chilled out. I felt extremely relaxed with the atmosphere here. (UPDATE) Why do you have staff standing around talking to each other when the tables outside need attention? Even then, you have to wait until they finish their conversation to be served. Tables are full with empty glasses, and the amount of rubbish left around the tables is horrendous. This palace has really gone downhill. If staff don’t want to be there, they should get another job. Management is poor too. Just look at the mess. None of you would even pass an interview working for me. The Ginger guy with ginger beard, looked like something from the walking dead tv show. Shocking!

We came for my mums 84th birthday and booked early at 6pm because both her and my cousin like to eat early. The service was slow and the food wasn’t great as the chips were burnt and we had to ask for a steak knife for my mum as the gammon was a gammon steak. I can’t blame the lady who served us as she was also running backward and forward to work behind the bar. I have eaten here many times and never have I known the service/meal to take so long and we got my mum home later than we hoped. A disappointing evening, and it has put us off visiting again for food.

Went here for the first time didn’t really have a good roast at all and very basic for the money. The potatoes were aunt Bessie’s deep-fried potatoes. Very greasy and no effort at all went in to this. We had to point out that there was a few things missing off our dinner. Just got told the kitchen has run out. The cauliflower was burnt with some melted cheese over it, not cauliflower cheese and the slightest. The Broccoli wasn't tender stem as described In the menu. The chicken burger was throne together with hardly any sauce. The place wasn’t all that busy but there was glasses left out on most of the tables. And the toilets needed a good clean. The staff were pleasant though, but I think they knew not to ask how our meal was. So we only felt it was right to leave a review on here.

Really quaint little pub with nice garden. The staff are friendly and helpful. The only thing that lets it down is the food. Great for place to have a relaxing drink but give the food a miss!

Didn't have first course I ordered although it was on the menu. 1 1/2hrs in told me they didn't have the main course. I had asked for. Waitresses did what they could, but management / chef not offering good service.. Friends took us there because they use it regularly. I doubt they will go again. Took money off the bill when we complained

My experience personally was fine but watching people wait to eat for over an hour if not longer when there was only 4 tables in is shocking and put me off of ordering food. The amount people I've seen refunded is crazy it looks like they are doing all the tables 1 by 1 rather than doing several tables at once it's honestly awful watching people having to eat in between their starters and thier mains. I wouldn't recommend eating here at the moment due to the long waiting times. They really need to sort out the kitchen here as I've heard a lot of people complain outside about the length of time waiting and won't be coming back it's awful. It used to be such a great pub and now is falling on it's ar*e someone needs to sort it out and soon before everyone goes elsewhere!

Bar staff friendly Food service slow Food not great Outside uncover seating tired and unkept

Needs improvement. A party of 4, out for a family Sunday lunch, we waited over an hour and a quarter for our food. After a couple of enquiries with the waitresses, I raised this with the manager who didn't seem to be at all aware and said they were busy. There were quite a lot of people outside but the restaurant was fairly empty. Sadly, when the food finally arrived it wasn't great. The vegetables were cold, and the carrots and parsnips so undercooked, you couldn't cut them, despite the very long wait. The meat was ok but it and the Yorkshires looked and tasted as if they'd been sitting out for a while. Overall it was a disappointing experience.

I'm so glad they've finally made something of the garden. More seating, under cover areas and new kids play area.

Great pub in a lovely location. I had the sausage and mash, which were very tasty, but barely warm and slightly small which was a shame. Staff were friendly and very attentive. I think I should’ve had the sandwich which looked much better.

Had a great family get together, well laid out dining area and a very attentive barman. Thank you

Staff & food was lovely will be returning & so dog friendly

After waiting an hour and half, the meal we got was terrible! The hunter's chicken was so dry, I couldn't eat it.

I hired the function room upstairs for my partners surprise 40th birthday last night. I want to say a huge thanks to Paula who helped organise the venue along with the food. And a huge thank you to our barman Matt who was outstanding! Also to all the other staff who helped prepare and organise the night. I would highly recommend if you need a venue. Thank you all again so much.

My partner hired the function room for my birthday and just want to say how great the service was from all staff! A special mention for the bar man mat as he was fantastic! Very friendly and funny and all our guests loved him! Highly recommend hiring the suite again! Food is always great here too

The Lobster Smack held My son’s 40th Birthday in their venue upstairs, they were helpful attentive, and Matt the Barman was excellent making it a special evening for all! Thank you 🤩

Overall a very nice place to visit, food& service very good..

Friendly staff, tasty food, great location

First time visit. 4 of us went for a Sunday lunchtime treat for my mum and step dad. We were dissapointed with 3 out of 4 meals. 2 had fish and chips which the peas should have been minted peas but were standard garden peas and were cold and hard.Chips were frozen chips and also cold.Fish was ok. I had the sharing platter but was dissapointed as there was never enough for 2 people in my opinion and a bit overpriced at £19 for 5 wings,3 chicken strips,a bit of breaded squid and a small Camembert.(Garlic bread was just toast with garlic butter spread on it).All was cold except Camembert and Strips). My step dad's meal was good(Hunters chicken). Not the best for £60(4 meals). Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

Great place, only had a drink, but they do deals on food. We sat by the seawall while we had our drink. Clean, friendly and welcoming

Was raw , heard them talk about it in the kitchen after was taken and no apology or nothing.

Went to the lobby for dinner, previously the food was great, this time I had to send a meal back. Sausages were so burned that I couldn't get a fork in to cut them. Red cabbage and mash were cold. ( really cold) the replacement fish and chips were OK the starter was nice, as was the desert. At the end we were overcharged by £ 12 . It was cold in the pub area and so dark you could not see your food. Staff were apologetic. We were told to get our own cutlery. I got my replacement meal ages after hubby finished his. All in all a disappointing night.

Diddnt eat here but food deos look good had a beer

Three of us reserved a table for Sunday at 3pm. Didn't get served until 4pm. As too busy. On the whole food was good although parsnips were raw. Why serve them??

Firstly, I can't really fault the service. It was fine. The food however,not worth the (pretty long) wait. We ordered a sharing platter and the steak and venison pie. The sharing platter wasn't really that great. Not really enough for two, rather tasteless and bland and they burnt the haloumi! The pie was fine but the mash tasted like it had come out if a packet and the vegetables were either very overcooked or undercooked, I'm still not sure which. My Mrs couldn't cut the parsnip with her knife. I would drink here again, but I'd probably get food elsewhere.

Food was nice. Staff was nice. Had to wait one hour for food. Manager was useless. Not normally this bad.

Lovely pub in a slightly unexpected location. I was hiking by the Thames and bumped into it quite literally. It was a great place to have some rest and a cold pint. It looks much older than the surrounding industrial area around it, lovely interior with some maritime vibes. I haven't tried the food this time, but the menu was fairly rich in range. Very good pub overall.

Terrible service. Waited 45 from ordering to being served lunch. It was not worth the wait. Not very nice and chips were cold. Very frustrating and disappointing.

Wanted to congratulate the Lobstersmack on offering us an amazing venue yesterday for our son’s 18th birthday. The function room upstairs is just right for a gathering, great atmosphere, two different areas to offer suitability for young and older guests and a great sized bar area. The bar staff were extremely attentive and helpful. Paula the lady who we booked everything through was very helpful too and the buffet that the Lobstersmack chef provided was delicious. We was highly complimented from our friends and family what a wonderful venue that not many people knew was there with a tast delicious buffet. The chef came out to check on a couple of occasions that as hosts we were happy with the buffet and I can’t thank enough how great the staff were to make my sons birthday a most memorable night. We would highly recommend and will definitely be using again if the need arises x

We have for more years than I can remember frequented the Lobby to mark family occasions. The food and service up until last year was faultless. The last couple of visits were OK, but not the best. Our visit this weekend was disappointing. Lots of items on the menu were unavailable and what food did come out was either undercooked or lukewarm. Inexcusable for a pre booked Saturday evening party of 14 guests.

Food definitely better than I remember so would definitely recommend.

Didn't eat here but it looked good. Nice place for a beer on a sunny day.

Nice old pub full of character with good drink selection. Lovely staff and good outside space. Food is good value

Food undercooked and cold, staff attitude just as bad as the food. No apology after a two hour wait. Won’t be going back

Went for Sunday lunch. Ordered cauliflower cheese as an extra didn't arrive until we had eaten half of our meal. Sunday lunch should of been served with roast parsnips, roast carrots and tenderstem broccoli. Our meals arrived with an unappealing mixture of peas which were hard, carrots and parsnips, boiled. On mentioning to the waitress that our meals were not served with what was advertised she just said sorry about that hun. Service was poor and food mediocre. Sunday lunch is advertised as the best on Canvey, I beg to differ.

Friendly people, had lamb shank looked as good as it tasted 😋 definitely reccomend. 👌

Lovely food staff very pleasant

We came to eat last year, really enjoyed it so came back today for another visit. Great friendly pub, excellent outdoor space and very dog friendly. Coffee was served with no spoon to stir the sugar (trivial, but still..) Last time we ate here the food was excellent in both taste and value. The service was also great. Today we ordered the fish and chips. Whilst the fish was good in both portion size, taste and with a crispy batter the chips were under cooked. The mushy peas were cold and the tartar sauce could have done with a shake/stir before it was served. All seems a little petty but still if I'm paying £15-£16 for a meal I expect to be able to eat it all.

Food and staff excellent. Did not like the idea of it being a dog friendly pub. I had a nasty fall when a bulldog got behind me and tripped me up. I'm still suffering the effects of the fall. Don't think I will be returning any time soon.

Went here tonight for the first time for my sons birthday meal and was not disappointed the staff were lovely especially our server Steve who went above a beyond and was very friendly the food was amazing and kids loved it will defiantly be coming again and recommending

Love it here, always great food and service.

This place used to be so damn good. They only have two people on staff . One is the bar girl and the other is the waitress one is strict and doesn't listen the other is too busy. They should employ more staff it was so stupid when the CHEF had to come out with the dinners ! A chef is supposed to be in the kitchen although I thank him and he was very polite. The peas were disgusting and they didn't have any j20 so they gave a watered down version instead blurgh. The scampi and chips and crumble and garlic bread were the only good things. I enjoyed it but still a let down. Good hygiene just low on staff

Waiting meal to be ordered 30 minutes when meal arrived scampi was cold, peas hard and chips not cooked enough

Just popped in for a quick half. Nice atmosphere friendly happy staff. This place is very dog friendly. We didn't eat but what we see looked very nice and the prices we perused looked very reasonable.

Came on a Tues night for bingo. Great atmosphere, friendly staff and reasonable prices at the bar.

I had my 77th Birthday there last Friday with my partner and two daughters with their other halves and it was a disaster The staff did not seem to be bothered, two meals had to go back as not hot. My partners fish was 80% hard batter with dry fish inside, my steak meal had almost cold peas and my starter calamari was mostly batter. We could only order two sweets as one was not available and the two looked as if someone had thrown them on the plate. We have been to The Lobster Smack many time's, so what's happed, our bill was £220 for 6 and not worth it and spoilt my day totally (will NOT be back).

Fantastic pub and setting’s, disappointed on the potion of chips my son had £3.50 staff was friendly but unfortunately seemed like I got the cold shoulder and was told that’s the price. really disappointing.

19 of us went for lunch today. Steve excellent waiter. List of food and names supplied by me . Food disappointing, many plates left with food on. Fish all batter, little fish . One plate returned. Found part of restaurant draughty sitting near door, was quite cold . But saying this, we have had very good meals there in the past and will go back and try again .

Went with sister today for afternoon Tea. The bread on the sandwiches were dry and hard. The scones were like rocks and inedible and then the clotted cream was all melted and runny. Only thing nice was the tea. Sorry won’t be having that again

We hired the upstairs for a wake and were very happy with the service and food. The staff were very helpful and pleasant.

Staff excellent great parking and all the fresh air you want 😀

The one star given is for seating us. After high expectations I came away very, very disappointed. I was sat at a table with a wet patch after being asked to wait while they got one ready for us. I felt like we were sat in the corner and abandoned. We were offered no service of drinks on arrival, nor a good ten minutes after being sat. There were two vegetarian options. I chose the pasta. I got about a portion that was more a starter size rather than a main. My partners fish was hot and cold in places. We won't be coming back for food there again.

We went for lunch for my husband's birthday, we went with sister and 100 year old dad. Dad and my husband had the fish and chips, they were generous portions and apparently very good. I had the salad with chicken breast which was delicious, my sister had the chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich. Again, our portions were generous. The service was good and the beer kept well. They gave a good selection of non alcoholic beverages too. I would definitely recommend. It's a beautiful old pub with a nice atmosphere and helpful and friendly staff.

Had lunch with my sister. Good beer, good food and staff were friendly and service was great. As always.

Brought the family here for a meal. Food expensive, not fresh and not generous. I ordered a chicken burger that cost £15.50 and it was small. Better to eat at home, we won't be coming again.

Hired their function room for my brothers wake, very nice service and went back on another day to check out their food with the family. Brilliant prices for the quality of food. Steve served us who was an absolute legend. We came back a third time for food and he remembered all our drink orders so never had to tell him our drink orders. And the food was actually fantastic Nice one chef. Nice family atmosphere. Not too busy and free parking outside and kids can come and stay at any time

Nice place to eat with an average type pub menu at fair to middling prices. Pleasant staff but I do not like being on Canvey for too long because I’m a total snob.

Visited on 28th December for my birthday, very disappointed, various items missing from the menu, place was empty but the service was terrible

Visited The Lobster Smack on Friday 22nd December for lunch and the food was delicious. The service was great despite it being busy. The two young gentleman were very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend this hidden little gem.

Food over cooked service none no atmosphere at all. Would I come back absolutely not

Staff were lovely and friendly, and helpful with bringing out birthday cake. Server didn’t know what drinks were on draft. Food was poor - tasted like it had been brought from Iceland and reheated! Expensive, for poor quality.

Very relaxed atmosphere, great staff and dogs allowed to, what's not to like.

The pub was lovely, very old, good features. Four of our main meals were fine, however the fifth meal which was meant to be sharing nachos was very small and served up with out any sour cream. It was queried and the waitress came back and advised chef had run out. Really it was a small bowl of nachos with squeezy cheese. They took it off the bill.

Great place well looked after by friendly staff. Nothing is too much trouble. Food excellent and reasonable prices

Sad to say the food was awful last night. My aunt had the Gammon which was tough and salty and I had the Turkey and Ham hock pie, sounds lovely on the menu. There was nothing in the pie apart from a thick gravy, the potatoes were not crisp and the vegetables were soft and spongey. The best bit was the pigs in blankets. There didn't seem to be enough staff. Then to top it all the coffee machine wasn't working...again. We eat there quite a bit and my aunt says the Sunday carvery is lovely. It's a pity the menu is so small in choice as we are not burger lovers. Hope it's better next time.

Food not so good this time, bit expensive for what I had. I had the steak and venison pie,the filling was nice but the pastry was hard and the veg was limp.

We was in on Saturday afternoon and we were impressed with everything that we had a hard a great time

Plenty of parking, directly on sea wall. Nice staff, good food

Great place for a sit-down meal. Roast looked great. Chips and chicken wings were lovely.

I went to the lobster smack for a meal last week and was served by the lovely Tai and Holly. The food was great and I didn’t have to wait long. I particularly recommend the chicken and pancetta pie made by Ajay and Ellie, it was brought out hot and tasted perfect. Overall, service and food were more than I could’ve asked for, will be returning soon!

Cute little pub upon the sea wall, friendly staff, we were served by Ronnie who was lovely, and fast to take our orders. Food was warm, tasty and presented nicely cooked by Ellie and Ajay in the kitchen. My daughter had a kids meal that was good value for money and good portion size as well-even came with a free dessert. I had a perfectly cooked steak sandwich served with the nicest gravy I’ve ever had. Great food and service all around. Will be back soon for quiz night on Wednesday

Lovely meal out with family, perfect for a gentle afternoon meal. Staff were welcoming, and service was spot on.

Great looking pub with history. Service was a bit slow, but it was very busy.

Live in Cornwall now, but lived on Canvey for years before moving away. We've been coming to this lovely atmospheric pub for decades. Despite a lot of changes in the area and on Canvey island in general, this place hasn't changed too much and is still nice to come to. Didn't dine, only visited downstairs bars on this occasion. Clean toilets and pleasant staff.

Food was really nice and staff very pleasant

Amazing place for food and drinks... A good hospitality from the staff... Food is amazing and the quantity was good enough. we ordered chicken wings in sticky sauce and House sharer and we loved it... worth the atmosphere and ambience.

It's a great pub, lots going on, and a lovely position

Pleasant staff and helpfully. Not sure about having two types of potato on my plate. Mash and roast. But we enjoyed our experience

Great food , fantastic service , would recommend a visit

Service good food not so good . Other comments are excellent so had high expectations the kitchen must have had an off day the sausages were dreadful and on the menu claims they are nominated for awards I don't believe that. I would try again if in the area but very disappointed with the food I was served. To be positive dogs allowed in the bar area seems very kid friendly (I have no kids) and really good parking.

Absolutely recommend this restaurant, great food, very friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. Our food was fresh and well presented, the service was excellent. Will definitely be visiting again. 😊

I was sitting on my own with a dog outside for 15 minutes and I couldn’t figure out how to get service, as I assume dogs aren’t allowed inside and table service outside is not available … never mind…. next time I won’t have the dog with me. I really appreciate the prompt response to my review. I have revised my review and look forward to visiting soon.

Most of the food was under cooked

Love coming here for some dinner, always great service and the food is always spot on! Also bring my doggy in the summer to enjoy the huge garden

We were a prebooked party of 16. Made very welcome, excellent service. All plates arrived together. Good portions, excellent food. Big thanks to chef and lady who took our orders!

Had a wonderful wedding reception held at the lobster Smack in September 2023.Paula,Holly and the rest of the team did an amazing job and helped to make our day special.They went above and beyond and made the room look amazing! This much more than we expected. The guests were made to feel welcome and we were made to feel special.We could not fault the food and the service, thank you!