Lobster Smack in Castle Point

We booked afternoon tea which cost what we thought was a reasonable price of £15 per person. It was supposed to consist of 4 different sandwiches each, cakes, scones with jam and cream and a trifle type dessert. The sandwiches were insufficient for one person let alone two. There was a small doughnut each and a tiny chocolate brownie. The only thing that we enjoyed was the scone jam and cream. The staff were friendly but because the pub became busy no one came over to ask if everything was okay. We did go up the bar and asked if it was possible to have another round of sandwiches but they said that was all it came with. But as I said it was totally insufficient for two people. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, which is a shame as we normally enjoy our meals here.

We had a meal in the bar area early Saturday evening as we had a dog with us. Great food - all freshly cooked - unfortunately the table of around 6 next to us were swearing and used the most foul language extremely loudly for the entire time we were there. The bar staff were either oblivious or ignoring them and these were clearly regulars - they looked very comfortable - the only brief respite was when they went out to smoke. I did leave a voicemail that night and an email review that they sent through but no one has bothered to respond. Been going to the Lobster Smack for a while now - it has certainly changed - we won’t be back.

Staff very rude. Chucked off a table near the bar because it is a regulars table. Our custom is not as important as any regulars here. Made to feel very unwelcome.

Steve our waiter was excellent.... friendly and efficient, food was also excellent. I'll be back on my next visit to canvey

I went here for les fryett wake and I can tell you the food was excellent and the service from staff excellent I dont usually go to pubs but I and I live in Chelmsford but I would tell anybody it is worth going there for a meal

What a lovely pub ! Had a great evening with friends. The food was great and good value . Steve our waiter was excellent as we’re all the staff . Thoroughly recommend it .

We live locally so use here occasionally. We had lunch today. Award winning pie with no top. So Mash top which I agreed. Then no mash with the meal. My wife had the beef roast which was Frozen & poor quality veg and beef. Very poor quality food. I won’t be back in a hurry.

Good location, and n attempt at preserving a Smuggler feel. How ever the first beer pulled was sour, the 2nd pint Rudolph was much better, but still cloudy. Ordered 2 fries and 2 cauliflower cheese. There was 12 chips in 1 bowl and 11 in the other plus bits, not good at £3.50. The Cauliflower Cheese I imagine was pre frozen as the cauli was hard and wet. Can't speak about other items on the menu.

Arrived and was seated quickly. Drinks ordered. No Merlot as they had run out (looking at previous reviews I now realise they had run out some time ago) but offered alternative which was fine. Ordered calamari and prawn starter, waited 20 minutes for frozen calamari on top of some chopped up lettuce to arrive. No explanation given about the missing prawns. Had to stop someone as they run out of the kitchen to ask about the missing prawns, server went to check and was told they had run out of prawns. I wonder if they thought we wouldn’t notice. The server did comp that part of the meal but would have been nice to know in advance. Another half an hour and our mains arrived. Turkey burger (festive burger) was good and is the reason for the 3 stars. I had a fish finger sandwich (figured you can’t go wrong). Was looking forward to the chunky bread with the sandwich and the bread came out thin and dry. Sandwich was cut in two, one half was missing the fish finger which was disappointing. Didn’t bother complaining as there didn’t seem much point. We were sat right by the kitchen and could see that the staff were in a small area and were working hard. The servers were trying their best. Reading the previous reviews I am assuming that they have either changed chefs recently or taken more customers in over Christmas and were struggling to keep up.

We visited on Christmas Eve for a family lunch before Christmas Day. There were 7 of us, so a fairly large table. Service was very good, we received a lovely welcome and were shown to our table. All the food on the menu sounded good, we opted for their usual Sunday Menu, rather than their festive menu. Sadly, the food did let it down. I have the muscles for starter which were lovely, however not everyone enjoyed their starter like I did. The main problem was when our main courses came, sadly, a lot of the food was cold. I have the pie and whilst the pie itself was hot, the veg and mash potatoes that came with it was cold. Three people ordered burgers, all of their chips were cold. One of the burgers itself was also cold, so we thought that it had sat there whilst the other meals were plated up. We visited here after a lovely New Year’s Eve meal back in 2021, so thought we’d try it again. Sadly after this experience, we’ll look for somewhere else next Christmas Eve.

Booked a table for 5 of us for my sons birthday in the restaurant area and get a phone call 2 hours beforehand to say that the restaurant is currently closed but can eat in the bar area which is not what we wanted. Digusted to be told at short notice and had to make other plans at the last minute. Not good enough.

Very, very disappointing. For the price one would have expected more than frozen roast potatoes, globby gravy and 3 Brussels!! Would NOT recommend the festive menu.

Went here for our family Christmas meal the food was of microwave dinner standard we were really shocked. When we arrived the welcome was a bit hostile I think they had staff problems and wasn't coping well under pressure. They forgot the Stuffing and bought it out separate and cranberry sauce wasn't on the tables we were asked to raise our hand if we wanted it so overall I would say primary school standard

This is the first time we have visited since the refurbishment. There was four in our party. It was quite busy but we were seen to straight away and shown to our seats. We ordered the three meat roast and was very promptly served. The food was excellent and plenty of it. No room for pudding unfortunately. My only complaint was my wife got a bigger portion than me. But on the whole a very enjoyable experience. Many thanks to the staff.

Very good food great service,great atmosphere just a very comfortable pub that ticks all the boxes..

The Lobster Smack is tucked away, down a long road, past some gasworks and a cluster of houses, nestled next to the sea wall on Canvey. It's a fair sized pub/bar/restaurant, and this was the second time that I have been here. This time , I was taking my mother, who is in her 80's for lunch. I had booked a table online, and I like the fact that you are given a time slot, in this case 12-2, so you know how long you have and equally how long the pub wants you there. We were shown to a table, and the place was quite empty - however it soon filled up, and by the time we left, close to 13:15hrs, there were very fewempty tables - not bad for a Tuesday lunchiltime. I had the Chicken Satay with Asian slaw, for starters which was a good size. Taste was fantastic, and the dish was served promptly. For mains, I just wanted a burger, and I can absolutely recommend this. The beef in the burger was seasoned really well, it had a definite Herby tast to add to the beef flavour, and was cooked pefectly for me. Likewise the sauce and trimmings were both tasty, and plentiful. My mother had the mushroom bruschetter with cheese sauce, which she mentioned was very tasty. For her mains, she had the beef and venison pie, with vegetables and mash. This too was of a good standard, and a decent amount of food for this size of meal. My mum actually left some of the pie crust, and when I asked her why, she replied that she was saving room for dessert. I don't have a sweet tooth, so took a coffee, whilst my mother ordered an ice cream sundae, which had Xmas pudding brownies and brandy flavoured whipped cream. She at the whole lot, which surprised me, so she must have enjoyed it! Overall, I really like this place. The decor is how I remember pubs from yesteryear, and the staff are polite, attentive and friendly. Will definitely be going back and heartily endorse it.

Lovely food, 19 of us! Excellent service, friendly staff. Highly recommended. Great prices! Excellent dessert!

We had an impromptu visit to the lobby last Sunday after deciding to meet up with some of the extended family. Arrived and were told by staff that the downstairs restaurant was fully booked and didn’t have room for us as we had not booked ahead so we were sent upstairs where we were made to feel welcome by the young girl behind the bar Tai, who was able to serve us quickly despite it being quite busy. We informed her that there were more of us who were going to arrive and that we would order food a little later on, she advised us that there was no turkey roast available on the day we visited, which was slightly disappointing as it meant my wife had to choose something different beside a roast dinner, but she explained that it was due to a problem with ordering, so we understood, was not a problem. Within the hour everyone had arrived and we ordered various meals and I had the steak and venison pie which was warm and delicious. Service from Tia and the other lady with blonde hair who brought us our food was great fast and efficient. Would like to thank Tai personally for her food and drink recommendations, politeness and for letting us know about the children’s meal and pudding for £1, was greatly appreciated, she is a credit to your team! Food was enjoyed through out the family and we will definitely be returning. Everything was clean and tidy apart from the fac t it was a bit chilly upstairs. Nice location beside the sea. We will be back with a booking next time!

Had a lovely dinner, the staff were excellent the young gentleman (I think his name was Roman) was so kind, happy and was really helpful. The food was excellent and my whole dining experience was perfect.

Had a lovely lunch, staff, Paula and Ellie are brilliant, very helpful and attentive, food was absolutely lovely

Having visited many times for food, we booked without hesitation, on arrival it took for the locals to get the bar staff to serve, even though empty in the pub, there were no other diners in the restaurant, the service was ok. We were advised...

Booked in for Dinner. Initially all was good. When the main meal arrived, one of the dishes was the pie. When it arrived, it was cold! I complained and whilst the meal was taken away, there was no apology nor did I feel that the...

Visited on a Sunday evening for a meal with my family and everything was great. Clean and cozy little pub, staff are lovely. We were served by Ronnie and Holly, who were both very accommodating and helpful to our group. Drink order was taken quickly...

My partner has been several times over the years but this is the second time on Sunday that the vegetables were underdone and hard. We hoped it was a one off last visit but it has happened again, witch is a shame as we like...

My wife and I popped down for a Latte and Cappuccino and both were lovely. I also visited Lobster Smack to book in for Christmas Day. The young gentleman Ajay was extremely polite, helpful and very friendly. He assisted our needs in booking a table...

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...

Nice, clean little pub in a beautiful area beside the sea wall, staff are friendly and accommodating, we were served by Holly and Grace. Steak was cooked perfectly and sandwich was tasty made by Jodie and Ajay. Good value for money will be returning.

Went for a family lunch, was served really quickly, kids menu really good value for money for the portion size and nice range of options. I tried the new pie, was hot, moist and very tasty. My partner had fish and chips and minted peas....

Massive thank you to Paula and Gill for excellent service! They were extremely attentive and friendly! Our chefs were Tom and Ajay and our ribeye was a perfectly cooked medium rare with dauphinois potatoes on the side! Highly recommend

Came for Lunch the other day , Gill was our waitress she was absolutely wonderful so friendly and helpful and always made sure we was happy, she definitely deserves a positive review

This place used to have a good variety of beers and good priced food . £6.80 for a pint of pale ale is a joke , also the range has reduced dramatically . £15.00 for fish and chips . The cleanliness has also dropped ....

Price rises here are crazy it cost £11 fir a pint /2 small bottles on nine alcoholic beer. You will drive away your local customer s after 15 years we will never return. Such a shame as it was a khcejy place to go

Popped in for a quick meal after work. Paula our server was quick with the menus, drinks and food. Could’ve ask fur more. Thank you!

Great new menu, lovely staff We were lucky enough to be invited to the new menu taster We had the mussels as a starter and they were very tasty. My partner had the steak and venison pie and I had the Gammon The vegan cheesecake...

Lovely gem of a place, clean and tidy with welcoming friendly staff. We came in and ordered some lunch. The food was delicious and did not disappoint 10/10

We organised a surprise 80th birthday gathering for my dad. We booked six months ahead and felt that we were organised and everything sorted out properly with the staff. I felt disappointed and annoyed about the supposedly lack of communication with the staff here. They...

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...

We went on a busy bank holiday. The food was delicious and despite the bar, beer garden and restaurant being busy the service and staff were great. Very good value for money.

I can remember seeing the 'Lobster Smack' some 60 plus years ago as a young boy when we would walk around the sea wall to peer over the top. Yesterday was the first time that I actually went inside. It's a pleasant public house offering...

Lovely lunch and friendly staff - especially Natalie who made some great recommendations and was very attentive. Thank you!

We stopped by for some lunch and some sun and made use of the lovely outdoor seating area. We ordered two chicken burgers and a sandwich, all served in good time and were very hot and tasty cooked by Jodie and Tommy in the kitchen....

Wonderful food, fantastic service, everyone was very friendly and helpful, food arrived promptly and well presented. Will definitely go back again.

Lovely old pub on the seafront with lots of parking. Booked `Afternoon Tea`. Wraps, sandwiches, scones with jam & cream. Plus 3 other assorted desserts. Tea in china pots everything perfect. Great service from Steve & all the staff.

Lovely outdoor area to sit in the sun, great food had the fish and chips and the cheese burger, highly recommend the lobster smack. Staff are very friendly and helpful too 🙂

Great experience in this lovely old pub. Staff are all lovely, polite and very helpful. Had the fish and chips tonight, it was amazing. Also have a board with specials on it and a set menu option. Will definitely be back

Great little spot with lovely staff, had the steak and it was cooked to perfection! Charlie, Tai and James were a great team and made our visit lovely and comfortable! Keep up the good work guys!

I can highly recommend a meal here. Asked for a medium rare steak and a actually,got one cooked exactly how I wanted it. Thanks tai and Jodie for making my first meal out,in a long time, enjoyable. Great atmosphere too. Definitely be returning .

The Chicken & Bacon Pie was to do die for! I requested mash on top instead of the pie lid and it was so nice! The mash was creamy and crispy on top! Definitely recommend the Pie with the mash on top instead! Will be...

My Friend and I came for dinner last week and we’re extremely impressed with the food and service. The staff were very helpful, friendly and welcoming. The pub is very accommodating to people with allergies as I have a gluten intolerance. I will be back...

We visited the lobster smack with my two little kids and the staff was all so lovely and very attentive, we was served by grace who was so friendly and really good with the kids, food was lovely! Highly recommend will be back to visit...

We were served by the wonderful Steve. He was very welcoming and friendly and made us feel at home. He was polite and helped us decide what to order on the menu. Would definitely recommend coming here and will come here again. Thank you steve!

Used to love coming here, for the variety of food they did, but the menus are very limited now, which is a shame. It’s the same food all the time. The food can be very hit and miss, sometimes nice and fresh, sometimes cold and...

Went for dinner with my family, had burger, and fish and chips. All came out hot, fresh looking and tasted amazing, was served in a timely manner. Staff was great with kids, interacting with them and really helpful. Would definitely go again.

Great night once again at our Favourite Local! Ribeye was cooked to perfection, and our waitress Natalie and Tai were really friendly and welcoming! Can’t wait for next weeks bingo and quiz night!

i came for dinner the other night which i must say was one of the best pub dinners i’ve had in a while! the atmosphere for the evening was lovely! one member of staff went above and beyond for our table , which the woman...

It’s been a while since coming to eat here and have always had good things to say but today things have gone down hill, it must be a decent thing as other people haven’t had the best experience either recently, it wasn’t particularly busy, we...

I have had Sunday lunch here many times and it has always been really well cooked with crispy roast potatoes good quality meats and thoroughly enjoyable, I haven’t been for a couple of months or so and I was shocked when I had Sunday lunch...

Went with husband for his birthday , not a very extensive menu , we both had steak cooked nicely , our waiter Steve was very attentive & a lovely man

Firstly tried to order a glass of rosé prosecco to be told they don’t serve it by the glass, even though it is clearly advertised on the menu! Waitress queried with manager who then swung by our table to say that they didn’t have any...

Had a lovely meal the steak was the best one have tasted cooked by Tommy really recommended service was good

STEVES BINGO!! Won a bottle of wine and £135! The food was lovely and the whole experience was perfect! Highly recommend going ♥️ Thanks Steve! Great host

Thankyou so much to head chef Tommy!!! Best steak I have had in a long time, cooked to perfection!!!

Awful food gray mash thick condile gravy just warm chicken cold did not send it back waited long enough for 37 pound horrible have not been there for over a year only went because could not get oysterfleet so full no car space never going...

Thank you for a lovely family meal! Our waitress Natalie was lovely and helpful! The food was tasty and hot and we thought there was a great selection as they also had specials on chalk boards. Wee will be back soon!

Food was excellent, staff were very friendly and polite all round great evening will definitely be back

A lovely welcoming pub. Food was nicely presented, tasted great and came within a reasonable time considering how busy they were. Have been several times over the years and this management have got it nailed! Even got a cozy blanket for the chilly summer evening...

Celebrated a family Birthday with lunch at the Lobster Smack. Good food with a variety of choices to suit everybody. The young lady, Lauren, who served us was extremely polite and helpful. Made it a good day. Look forward to coming again in the summer...

Visited with a few friends on 30th May. Good food and drinks - made better by the waitress Lauren, amazing service!!! Will be back

Went to lobster smack for dinner last night and was served by Lauren, who was really pleasant and helpful. Made our evening even more enjoyable! Nice place to then walk with the dog along the beach

A nice little pub with lovely Sunday Roast, quick service and friendly welcome! Definitely will be back :)

Really disappointed. Hunters chicken looked like a child had made it . Tasted only ok but only half a chicken breast . For £14 I expected a bit more . Beer was good and service was fine .

Below average Sunday roast, very poor value for money, food was short of being warm, staff didn’t seem to want to be there, we won’t be returning and we would rather spend our money where it’s appreciated or where there is the opportunity to at...

The staff and food have gone down hill since the change of manager. Staff don’t seem to care , after pointing out my pint was flat the young lady told me it was because the glass was warm ….. why are you serving me a...

Had an amazing lunch with friends everything was served and cooked to perfection definitely be back, Megan and James were extremely attentive really made our day

We went for my daughters 5th birthday meal. The restaurant was empty so we sat down at a table to be told off by a rude older waitress telling us we needed to book and should have waited by the bar to be seated. We...

Amazing food! Highly recommend. This is a lovely little pub and it’s dog friendly. The staff were all polite and our food came very quick

Amazing food, reasonably priced and our host summer was polite and helpful throughout our whole stay.

Lovely little pub by the sea wall with a great outside area with a bar which was open whilst we was there (weekend). Friendly helpful staff and also delicious food! Will definitely return!

The food was amazing, staff are really friendly. Highly recommend going here for something nice to eat.

Came here with my husband and children for a family dinner. The food was really nice, the service was very quick and the children loved it.

We walked in as a table of 6 and were greeted in a friendly manner by Steve who quickly sorted us a table where we could put a buggy. Steve was attentive and ensured we had everything we wanted. Great food and great location.

The food was really excellent and Steve’s service was exceptional, thank you so much for such a good experience!

Sunday Roast Triple was delicious and the ribeye was cooked to perfection ! And staff were so friendly and helpful! Will definitely be going back! Highly recommend!

Fabulous lunch with friends, had the chicken and avocado sandwich that was really yummy. Staff are lovely too. Highly recommend!

My wife had a starter with half it missing my daughter had a starter that was nothing like the menu We had garlic bread with cheese but all it was was cheese on toast My wife's main was just premade rubbish ot of plastic bags...

Had an amazing evening, the staff were very quick an attentive to our needs and requirements. A pleasant and fulfilling evening with fantastic food. A place I would surely recommend

Had an incredible evening at the lobster smack!! Great drinks and food!! Staff super friendly and very welcoming!! Would definitely recommend popping in for a visit!!

A nice warm welcome, nice little pub, Amazing staff couldn't fault them. The ribey was amazing cooked to perfection 🥰

Food was lovely. Great old pub with lots of character, the staff are amazing and are polite and very hard working, nothing too much trouble.

Amazing food 10/10 Staff were very lovely a helpful will definitely be returning for more food and drinks

We had a fabulous time. The food was super tasty and nice and hot. Our waitress Paula was very friendly as was the duty manager Summer. We will be back soon!

Amazing afternoon tea, food was lovely and we were looked after by Natalie. Definitely recommend the Lobster Smack.

Food was excellent. Lovely little pub by the sea.our server was steve very nice and polite and served us well.

Wow what a poor place to go. We went with my son and his wife for early Mother’s Day meal. Nothing on menu available and what we did get was rubbish. Obviously they still charged us full price. I did not touch mine and left...

Went for lunch yesterday Must have a new barman his name was MO He was the best barman I have ever meet friendly polite good at his job . Keep the good work up, pubs need more people like you to survive x

Great service with consistent check-ins, even with supply issues, Paula solved any issues for the 9 people family. The food was good quality and well portioned. The service was quick in spite of the busy time. Further comments from the family: - superb - fish...

Service was very good. Mo served us and was very efficient and likeable. In fact all staff were lovely. We all enjoyed our meals and look forward to coming again soon.

Our waiter Mo was very pleasant and efficient. Food was hot and well presented. Really enjoyed our visit

I cannot fault the service i recieved after hiring the upstairs for my 50th birthday. Food was amazing as always, the staff were attentive and nothing was a problem. They even went above and beyond to get me a dj at the last minute, when...

This is the second time my husband and seven year old have visited the restaurant. Again service was amazing and food is so tasty.