Lobster Smack Canvey Island in Castle Point

Your typed out menu didn't really inspire or convince, sorry. Lovely quaint pub, which we stumbled upon, nice polite barstress. Upon entrance, I think the regulars thought we might of been Clint Eastwood's for a moment, although to be fair, we are from London. Same thing I think. 🤭 Drinks, I won't say that cheap. But hey ! it's Britain ! Right by the estuary, and it was mad windy over the sea defence wall that afternoon, when we had a peep.

On our visit, they were on the verge of changing management, so the menu wasn't as extensive as it usually would be, but there was still plenty of choice. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. They have disabled access but not accessible toilets for disabled people.

Nice atmosphere and friendly staff and customers. Our server Harley was really lovely. He was polite and addressed all our menu needs and a credit to the company. The only thing was the sausages I got were not good and were poor quality but otherwise the rest of the food I got was good. The toilets were clean too. Would be happy to go here again though.

The lasagne was excellent sticky toffee was amazing. The young man who served us was extremely helpful his name is Harley . Very polite and 1 st class service. Thank you

Had the best time, food was amazing the bar staff Harley was the most sweet and attentive best bar man ever x

Best calamari we have ever had. The food is amazing.

Update: Visited again this weekend, was pleased to be able to get a 1pm table on a Saturday during Easter weekend. Great little place in a rather odd location but the charm and the warm welcome of the staff win you over. Good facilities, I noticed a baby changing located at the Ladies. Outside lots of space plus an upstairs area. We dined in the restaurant, very clean and tidy. Love the old charm of the place including the fireplace. Ordered drinks which came quickly and then food from the varied menu with lots of choices. Very satisfied customers. 19 April 2025. Lovely place to come with the family. Really enjoyed the atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food loved it.

Lovely friendly pub, we arrived on a Wednesday quiz night, we didn’t join in but was fun to listen. We had a sharing meal and few drinks.

Had a meal today (Sunday). First time in the restaurant. Service was friendly. Food tasted nice however items missing off of the Roast on both myself and my Wife's plates. Portion size very small given the price. I had the trio Roast and had one slice of each meat and the slices are litteraly paper thin. As I say tasted nice. Was missing Mash, Yorkshire Puds and Crackling on both meals. We didn't realise at the time but just commented that it seemed expensive for what we got. If we had of realised we would have asked. Also to note menu states unlimited potatoes and puds but staff were busy in the other bar and not about to ask until we had finished. All in all a nice meal but did leave feeling a bit disappointed given it was our first visit. I don't think we would be back on a Sunday for a roast but may visit again on a different day for another meal. Has potential but currently there is another big contender on the island that is much better and cheaper for Sunday roasts. I won't name as I'm not writing the review to send trade somewhere else. I am just giving constructive feedback back so the restaurant has the opportunity to take note and improve. Many Thanks

Lovely original,characterful pub in lovely off the beaten track location

We had a lovely lunch a couple of weeks ago, spur of the moment, thoroughly enjoyed it !! Our waitress Paula was excellent 👍🏻👍🏻

Great pub in a great location, always let down by poor quality food and small selection of beers and ciders.

Had drinks. No.food but it was nice

Great staff, food is delicious. Pet friendly area accommodation is fabulous. The fact that the chimney was on, made it so cozy. Can’t wait to be back.

I have visited the Lobster Smack on quite a few occasions over the last 10 years and did so again this last Sunday 30th March for Mother’s Day dinner and have to say for the first time I was very disappointed. The food was ok, some wasn’t cooked to the usual standard )potato’s were soggy and the service was quite bad, we waited quite a long time to order to start with , then one drink was forgotten along with 1 starter, we then waited quite some time for the table to be cleared only to then be asked about desserts before our mains had even been served. I then had to go to the bar to ask for our bill as we were waiting a good 15-20 without anyone coming to our table (at which point the restaurant was actually half empty), then had to send the bill back as the £25 deposit we had paid hadn’t been deducted. Fairly disappointing to be honest and such a shame. ☹️

I had the gristle (supposedly steak) and caramelised onion ciabatta and it was horrible. There was not one piece of edible meat it literally was all gristle, it made me feel sick. When I complained they COULD NOT have cared less. This was my first time here but I will definitely not come back and I do not recommend it

Well worth a visit lots of history very old.

Really friendly staff, first time eating there, could do with a few more veggie options without meat alternatives, Roasted Stuffed Peppers, Pasta Arrabiata or Lentil Ragu might be nice. I had a starter and side as a main which was Harissa Hummus and seasonal veg which was nice.

At 3 o'clock on a Sunday, you don't expect the food to be running out. The menu was very poor as everything was off and not available. The food that was served was overcooked and poor. The only thing that was good was the staff .

Lovely traditional pub. Always nice atmosphere, and great service. Very popular.

I was very unhappy with my visit on Thursday 7th March. Food was cold, oven chips instead of home cooked, which I have always been served here before.We were recommended the Hunter Chicken, when it arrived it had been heated in a microwave and tasted like cupboard, definitely not freshly cooked. Service was non existent and music coming from the kitchen was so loud, when the door opened you couldn't hear each other speak. I'm so disappointed that I have lost somewhere that used to be a lovely place to eat, I won't be going back.

Love this this little gem of a pub has everything highly recommend the roast dinners great indoor and outdoor atmosphere lovely staff very friendly great for families the only downfall is selection on beers

Wednesday 19th February evening family meal for 4. Everything was spot on. The main meals were cooked to perfection and the desserts were plentiful and lovely. Thoroughly enjoyed by all even having one of the desserts altered for my wife. Prices were very reasonable.

Service was ridiculously slow. Wasn't even busy. Mains were okay. Dessert was terrible. Staff weren't very welcoming.

Very nice pub Reasonable prices My meal was only just warm, the sausage and mash. My order for a hot chocolate was forgotten, I had to return to the bar. The toilets are freezing. The pub does not get warm due to the main door having no proper porch to close, very cold pub

Fabulous staff, food was of good quality

Family Xmas meal. My husbands scampi was served cold/raw in the middle. Notified staff, meal was taken back. Other people on our table had all finished their meals by the time my husband got his meal back. None of the food tasted great but I realise it's just "pub grub" but I still don't expect raw food. I then went to pay the bill, I nievely assumed the scampi would of been taken off our bill. Or maybe the kids dessert, or a drink as a goodwill gesture. But no, it wasn't. I asked the young man at the till take the scampi off the bill - he then called the manager. I refuse to refer him to a manager- he was the most rude man. He said as he rectified the scampi( threw it back in fryer) I must still pay for the scampi. He spoke to me with such anger. I have worked in catering for many years and as a family we eat out regularly, I have a good understanding of the restaurant trade and customer service. Never have I dealt with such a rude man. I chose not to carry the argument on for the sake of £15. I paid the bill and asked for his name. To that he waved his finger and said no way I'm giving you my name. I can describe him pretty well.. He had a long beard sectioned with hair bands. It's a shame as all the other staff were pleasant. I hate to leave this bad review, if the meal was taken off the bill I would of felt that it was sorted on the evening. I'm aware mistakes are made and I do believe it should of been sorted there and then. We will not be returning. Note to others - check your scampi and stay away from the "manager" Merry Christmas.

We had a Christmas meal here yesterday ( 21st Dec.) all 13 of us had lovely hearty dinner, roast Turkey was plentiful and delicious, my husband had the sea bass which was amazing, some had duck which was excellent. The table was set full of Christmas cheer, crackers, Santa hats looked very festive. The atmosphere was just perfect. We certainly recommend The lobster Smack and will definitely come again soon. Thank you for making our day! Although we didn’t get any sprouts on our Christmas dinner I’m sure we’ll make up for it on Christmas Day 😂.

Just had Christmas menu for 13 people, food service atmosphere fantastic

Highly recommended this restaurant. Took my family there today for lunch. Food was nice, staff were friendly, reasonable priced, nice location, and not too busy.Cheers 🙏

The food that was right was lovely. The problem was that loads of it was wrong and the staff just wasn't bothered. Lovely place to go for a beer tho.

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.

Lovely pub great food friendly smiling service I recomend the lobster smack don't forget the ale hobgoblin 5% yummy

Eaten here a few times and would have previously given 5 stars. But the food seems to have changed, same menu but different taste. We was brought incorrect dinners to our table and assured they was ours. (One should have been mixed roast and one was supposed to be a kids meal) when pointing out one clearly didnt have mixed meat on the waiter then touched the food (to move the Yorkshire out the way) and inspect the meat. He then proceeded to the kitchen to check, came straight out and said sorry these aren't yours. Meanwhile my mother in law had already started the supposed kids meal. The waiter picked up both the plates and took them straight over to another table! We was shocked as he saw she was already chopping up meat and he had touched one meal. Value for food is good, 4 of us and the bill came to around £70 but all round weird experience with the waiter. Left us questioning the hygiene

Popped in for the quiz night, God I'm showing my age ffs

Lovely pub with great character - Sunday roast was excellent and service was really quick and friendly! Will be back

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 🤩

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.

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.

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

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.

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.