Martello Lounge in Tendring

Really nice place that caters to all types of people visiting for whatever occasion, lots of outside and inside seating, whether that be upstairs or downstairs.both food and drink are great and plenty of options available, reasonably priced for being right next to the beach. Staff are top-notch.

I rented a deck chair from here—they charge $20 upfront and refund $10 when you return the chair. The place has a nice atmosphere, and the staff were friendly.

I just love this place . Great views overlooking the sea and inside it is huge but warm and cozy. Good friendly staff and reasonably priced. Only dropped a star as the hot chocolate was not good on this visit, however we were offered a replacement. Almost forgot to say they allow you to take the dog in as well! A Good place to go !

Went evening run out if different foods was not busy Had a wait when food came one meal at a time each person had finished before the next person got their meal very poor service we have eaten her before and never had a problem

We ordered by the QR code. The food took over an hour to be served. It took over 5 minutes to complain about the service! The manager wasn't managing, he was too busy making drinks. How does that work? To cap it all, one of our group was violently sick in the evening; he ate the Korean Chicken. When you order via the QR code you asked to give a service tip, which I did. That was a mistake, as the service was awful. Overall not a great experience.1

Just called for a coffee , absolutely brilliant and tasty

Ive always liked martello lounge but it has seriously gone down hill. Very over priced, small portion, dirty tables (had to ask for it to be wiped . seriously?) and toilets smell. Food tbf is quite nice.

Good food nice place overlooking the beach

Had a good lunch here with lovely views over the bay and pier. Food was all really tasty, brilliant vegan menu, kids meal was a good standard and the staff were friendly and helpful. Only 4 stars as the tapas plates could have been a little larger and out of our 3 dessert choices, only one was in stock! Would return if back in the area.

Upon entering the lounge we were greeted with hostility by the host/manager and we felt as though we were not welcome . The glasses given to us were not cleaned properly and when we asked nicely for new ones ,the waitress/runner rolled her eyes at us as though we were inconveniencing them even though the restaurant was not too busy. The only good thing we had was the food ,which tasted great fortunately. I'm sure this is not the standard of servicing as I've seen many great reviews from many happy customers and only hoped our list would've been the same .

I visited the lounge Sunday 6th April. I only ordered drinks when me and my family visited. The young brunette lady who took my order at the upstairs bar sighed and rolled her eyes when I ordered a milkshake and a smoothie, as well as a couple of coffees. We only received the hot drinks, and were missing the milkshake and smoothie. After waiting 15 minutes, I went to check where they were to be told they will be brought over to the table. I waited a further 10 more minutes, and went back when we still had not received the 2 drinks I ordered half an hour prior to complain. I was told that “we are just making them now” but that was no good to me as my family had finished their drinks and were ready to leave. The manager (Aimee?) seemed rude and reluctant to honour my request for a refund but finally accepted. This was 3 weeks ago and I am still awaiting my refund. I am highly disappointed with the service I received and will not be returning.

Surprisingly good. Great menu, quick service, my husband had the burger and enjoyed it. My son had chips and Louisiana's chicken breast, and I chose from the tapas.

What a dump! We ordered a variety of burgers, all of which arrived cold. Half way through our meal, the staff decided to open the front windows to allow their evening's entertainment to unload. We were left sat freezing, so decided to leave. The staff couldn't care less. Having visited many fabulous lounges around the country, we will not be returning to this one! This has to be the worst restaurant in Clacton.

My husband and I took our two dogs for a walk on the beach in Clacton today and felt like getting lunch. Clacton probably isn’t the most inspiring of places to eat so I was delighted to see a branch of the Lounge chain had opened right by the pier. We sat outside on the ground floor terrace (there’s a first floor one too). The menu is extensive and caters to most dietary needs. My husband had the birria tacos and I had a tapas board. Both were delicious, we were not expecting it to be so nice! Service was good - they brought our dogs a bowl of water soon after we were seated, and when a family next to us left behind a dreadful mess (why do people do that?!) the staff were quick to clean it up and sweep the floor. Would definitely go back!

Dog friendly. Great to find one of the 'lounge' chain restaurant on the coast

Nice location, busy but not chaotic like other spots. If you’re vegan or gluten free, this has the best options while visiting the pier

Best bar in Clacton right now. Quite expensive but so worth it. A great place to sit and enjoy a pint with great views.

The food looked better than it was. We waited around 20 minutes after ordering for our food and when it came out I had a tiny portion of sweet potato fries and my burger had two little lumps of chicken in it rather than being a proper burger. My boyfriend’s toast was soggy from the eggs, and for some reason he only had half a mushroom lol. I wonder if a smaller menu would be better to focus on quality of food. Can’t really fault the service the staff were friendly and the atmosphere was what you’d expect from a lounge

Lovely setting and staff very friendly and welcoming, only disappointing part is that the menu has recently been changed and is now evident that the portion sizes have got smaller! We normally always order the tapas with Choice of 3 dishes….4 x chicken wings, 2 x lamb koftes and hummus with pitta. On this visit we ordered the Louisiana fried chicken instead as no chicken wings now an option, very disappointed to only find 2 chicken dipper like pieces on the plate with a bbq dip. I did question this with staff as thought this may have been a mistake but was told this is what you get now since the menu change. Well I can’t believe that would cost £4.95 on its own! Not value for the money, therefore, will no longer be ordering the tapas!

Really great service and let the dogs come in !!! Just getting a 4 cause sangria was small for 14 quid and had jelly sugar versus brown sugar or what not . Overall would return !!!!

Good place to sit and relax. Great views. Dog friendly.

One of of our fav spots! Food is delicious.

Busy busy busy, Tasty, easy to order Beautiful view of the sea! 🏖️

This place is part of a restaurant chain, using the word Lounge in their names, i.e. Valero Lounge in Witham. Upstairs dining has a nice view of Clacton Sea Front and the famous Pier.

Great place very atmospheric. Dogs allowed and children right on sea front.

Great service and friendly staff

I NEED MORE STARS , THIS PLACE IS FANTASTIC IN EVERY WAY! The staff are A1 , happy, polite all down to top managing I'd say.

Stunning atmosphere! Good food and service.

Excellent staff, good food and excellent views. Keep up the good work. 👍 We'll be back!

Found this place by accident and couldn't have been happier. Staff greeted us at the door and were very friendly and accommodating.Our little dog was allowed in which was lovely because it was very windy on outside to sit.Food and drinks were hot and delicious.Will definitely be coming back.

First time to visit the Martello Lounge. Will definitely return! Friendly staff, quick service, lovely food, beautiful setting.

Great place, tasty dishes, beautiful interior

The waitress was not very friendly when she came to tell us “no outside food allowed”. The food itself was average.

Great location next to the pier with lovely staff. GF menu is extensive and staff reassuringly confident about GF measures. Food was really good, and waiting staff and kitchen staff a pleasure to chat to. Thanks!

After driving around and one place being too noisy and another one being closed for refurb, we went to Martello lounge for the first time and I am glad we went, food was amazing, we could hear ourselves talk, prices were good, spaciously seated with a view across the sea,only downfall was the soft drinks didn't taste right. Overall a great place with amazing food, will be going there again. 😁

My dog and I love thos place! We go every day when we are visiting. Lovely gluten free and vegan options as well. Right on the beach ⛱️

One meal came and wasn’t great (it was really really busy)- how they handled it was superb (replacement meal, drink while we waited and the chef came to say how long it would take)- excellent service and completely went the extra mile!

Brilliant place, right on front the by Clacton Pier, dogs, cats, allowed great food, lovely atmosphere order food drinks by scan, service with a smile. Coming again.

Amazing transformation from a messy takeaway chippy n bric shop to a music food n decent place to meet up over a drink. Amazing artwork and decor it better than my home and staff are so kind and although casual dress code it makes the atmosphere just like your favourite place.

A beautiful, seafront restaurant. The decor is very bougie, the restaurant is clean and tidy. Plenty of room both downstairs and upstairs. Friendly and helpful staff and the food was excellent. Fairly priced also. Highly recommend.

It’s a nice place not really our scene, a tad expensive as we live local its a holiday makers venue.

Visited for the first time Thursday 30th Jan 2025 at approx 6pm. Received a warm welcome from staff. Decor is quirky which is nice and plenty of nice artwork and lighting. Atmosphere very good. Waiting staff friendly and attentive throughout our meal. Vast selection of food on the menu. Fresh produce and all very well cooked. Would definitely be returning and recommend,

Really lovely destination eating with amazing views. Food and service is always great and has some tasty beers omn tap

Very clean, quick service, good atmosphere (e.g. music not so loud you can't talk!) and excellent vegan options - a separate vegan menu with loads of choice, not just one or two dishes, and 2 cocktails for £12.50 after 5pm. (Spicy margarita was very nice!) The food tastes great too - the bang bang cauliflower was excellent, and fried things are very "clean" tasting, like the oil is fresh. Loads of seating upstairs and downstairs, and tables have lots of space between them so you're not rammed in hearing other people's conversations. Great location too - very nice place to be as the sun goes down and the pier starts to light up. Definitely worth a visit ! It's dog friendly too 🐕

This really is a great place to have food and drink and enjoy the company you are with

Came in for some food and stayed after for drinks with my partner. Food was amazing and both the women on the bar towards the end of shift were very nice and welcoming.

Nice place to stop for a coffee and a snack on the sea front right by the pier.

The Martello Lounge in by far the best place to eat and generally chill-out in the town. The ambience is excellent, the food delicious, friendly staff and to top it all, dog-friendly. Highly recommended. Update: had the Tropical Dream soft drink ..... wow! Tastiest drink ever!

13 of us were booked in today for our family pre xmas meal, I have been several times with my 16 year old coeliac daughter before but it was a first for the rest of the family. We were offered table service as there were a few of us, which was great. The staff were attentive, we wanted some food to come as starters and then to have mains which they accommodated. It couldnt have been better. We had a brilliant time, our age range was from 5- 90years pls plus a 3 month old baby and nothing was too much trouble. We were seated downstairs as requested and the food was lovely. Definitely recommend 👌

Great atmosphere, lovely food and good service by Raoul and the rest of the team

Very friendly place over looking the pier and sea front . Sit outside on lower or upper balcony or inside on comfy chairs . Quick service and tasty grub . Dogs welcome .

Fast friendly staff good choice of drinks

Over 45 min wait for drinks, after an hour and 30 min waiting for food we demanded a refund, complete lack of staff on nov 5th (firework night), 14 days later and several phone calls inc emails finally got refund, our family meal celebrating my late sisters birthday was a disaster, definatly won’t be coming back, my first and last time 👎

We visited on a quiet early evening and had a very tasty meal, upstairs overlooking the sea. Nice, friendly staff with very pleasant decor.

Delicious food for reasonable prices. The atmosphere is so lovely. Very calm and relaxing. Soft furnishings and sofas provide a comfortable visit, with great views of the Seafront. Staff have always been super friendly and attentive. Favorite place to eat in Essex to date. Highly recommend visiting.

The best thing to happen to Clacton for a long time. We are regulars and love it. We are in at least 2 or 3 times a week. Highly recommend their breakfast menu and the tapas. Food always lovely and hot. Staff are super friendly and always ask how you are.

You can enjoy delicious food by the sea here. Great coffee and friendly service. Dogs are welcome too 😊

We didn't eat there this time but all in all the staff atmosphere and food looked really nice and dog friendly 👌

Really nice, very clean toilets, good food, friendly staff, comfy chairs/couches and great views 💙

Stopped in for a hot drink and was pleasantly surprised we could take our 2 dogs in as well. There is even a dog menu. Lovely friendly staff.

Brilliant place staff excellent food lovely enjoyed the night

Nice cosy place by Clacton beach with great views. Great food and friendly staff. Tried their 'tapas' (great flavours 😋) and will certainly be back for more 👍

Yet another superb lunch at Martello lounge amazing soup and a flatbread to die for, still my no1 place to eat in Clacton excellent in every aspect,can't see how they could possibly improve in any way

Absolute gem of a place, art deco design wall paper & art work, right on the beach. Spotless clean in & out. Views amazing, & wow all allergies covered. Food was lovely well priced can’t wait to come back in the summer

Short staffed, food lovely but not hot.

Ok seaside Beach Cafe, trade seems to have dropped off and reflected by the amount of staff, hence the quiet atmosphere. Good food and prices are reasonable. Although over £7 for a small bowl of churros isn't cheap.

We love it here, so dog friendly, our chihuahua loves it here. As do we, writing this whilst enjoying lunch.

Good food and service. Drinks are expensive for a Clacton bar.

Great food. Great service. We were a big table but they coped well.

Felt welcomed, friendly staff. Lovely deco and great music. Loved it! Made a silly order mistake and was resolved by lovely lady with no hassle!

We regularly use lounges restaurants as we love the menu choices, especially the vegetarian/vegan choices are great. However, with this lounge, the location is amazing, it is right on the sea front, it's on 2 levels and on both levels you can sit outside/inside and look out to the sea, it is wonderful.

Lovely place, great decor and the shakshuka brunch was fantastic

Average food. Popped in for the first time with family. Ordered two Mac and cheese and a tapas board. Mac and cheese was stupidly runny and watery. The tapas board was average.. typical chain company food.. Would come back but wouldn’t get the food we got again.

I have been here a few times now, the food is absolutely delicious and comes out very quickly. However, last time had to wait for 20 minutes for drinks and today it took 30 minutes and some chasing when restaurant was relatively quiet! By which point food had already been nearly eaten. Disappointing as food is so lovely.

Why go abroad when the UK offers just as much. There is something quite quaint about that European feeling of the quiet ambience of late night wining and dining. An evening visit with a backdrop of soft lighting, outside sea view seating, or relaxed inside elegance made this place really appealing as a visitor. Staff equally are the window and sales presence of a brand, and despite what may have appeared as a long day, still the staff, acted with the utmost of customer care. Drinks were ordered, and with a pleading question requesting dessert, a few minutes later, a great tasting treacle sponge was delivered to our table. The decor was like something from the Dorchester Hotel. It was something to be admired, although it may not be to everyone's taste, yet to me, I liked it. Both internally and externally, the place was clean and tidy. With free parking nearby, a good appealing menu, this was a great choice and in my opinion, a lovely venue.

Can't say it's one of the best meals I've had, but it was okay. Thought I was being ignored when I was waiting to order, but table service was good. All in all not a bad experience.

Very hit and miss , sometimes service and food is great but last visit waited an hour for meal , items missing , no condiments ,waiter disappeared never to return so I won’t be either .

Nice place,staff are friendly and food was good. Dog friendly.

Lovely relaxing place to stop for a drink and or food including a good selection of soft drinks and delicious cocktails. I love the different levels, balconies, very comfy seating and quirky furnishings - what's not to love. 😁

Wow, what a fantastic transformation! Years ago, this spot was a rundown greasy spoon, but now it's been beautifully renovated into a charming two-level venue. We sat upstairs with a lovely view of the sea. I enjoyed a delicious cauliflower curry, my mum had the chicken curry, and my wife tried the halloumi. The atmosphere was wonderful, and the staff were delightful. I highly recommend this place. The only downside to Clacton is its MP, Nigel Farage, but otherwise, it's fantastic!

Nice ambiance and a pleasant view of the beach and pier. Only had drinks

I love finding that there is a Lounge where I'm staying. This one was lovely, as expected. The food was good, the staff friendly and cheerful and I found a lovely quiet corner to enjoy my meal after a long day. Would thoroughly recommend.

Everytime we visit clacton we make a point of paying a visit here someday maybe more then once. Friendly staff, great atmosphere and great food.

Great food, really enjoyed the atmosphere.

Hello unfortunately we didn't have the best experience. We normally attend our local rossos lounge which is amazing but as we are on holiday and also my birthday I booked martello lounge. I ordered 3 gluten free tapas dishes but once served to me was told no gluten free bread so had to just eat my edmabean dip without! And they forgot my sides so had to wait on that and once they came my meal was then cold. Half the party was eating whilst the other half were still awaiting for their food which arrived 15 mins after the first half had eaten. My daughters then ordered churros for pudding. The wait was over 30 mins (clearly forgot until my husband went up again) and once arrived no cinnamon sugar had been added. Once I complained the churros were taken and the tiniest dusting of sugar was added. After this I didn't want to complain again and quite frankly felt like the whole birthday meal was ruined. Due to such poor service and an uncomfortable atmosphere, table was sticky and we even had to ask for cutlery and sauce. Was such a shame as I held rossos Lounge so highly especially with my coeliac disease, but left martello lounge feeling we just wasted £150 on a very bad experience plus the place wasn't even busy so there was no excuse. I emailed to complain but no reply on that either!

First impressions on arrival; a quirky place with random framed art all over the walls. Plenty of seating both indoor and out on two levels. Staff greeted us almost immediately. Staff suggested us sitting up in the stage area as I'd requested a quieter part due to anxiety.They were very accommodating to my needs. We ordered at the table using the QR code which was super easy. Very soon after my order was accepted Staff had bought cutlery. We ordered: Mains: Bhudda Bowl with spiced chicken A side of halumi Parmasan and garlic fries Cowboy Smashed Burger with salad and coleslaw. A side of halumi fries Desserts: Banoffee cheesecake x 2 Drinks: 1 x berra merotti pint 1 x zero alcohol berry merotti bottle. The bill came to just over £80 including tips. I love to eat out and leave good honest reviews. The Martello Lounge is by far, THE best place I have had the pleasure of visiting. The food wins hands-down over every restaurant, bar, pub I've eaten at. You'd be crazy not to have a meal at this venue. If the chef and his team haven't won awards, I want to know why! All in all, a wonderful meal in a wonderfully quirky venue with excellent, attentive staff and the most amazing Chef and kitchen team and THe best way to celebrate out 6yrs together.

Right next to the pier with views out to sea. Staff very helpful, meal was tasty

On the pricier side but the building and atmosphere are beautiful.

Absolutely wonderful The staff, the service The food, the atmosphere and the cleanliness superb

Great service with a smile, and absolutely stunning views of the North Sea when you sit upstairs and look out 😊

Firework night , was busy but we got a seat prior to leaving for show. Good service at bar, polite and friendly 👍

Really good instantly greeted in a friendly polite manner, great quick service and large choice of food. Nice friendly atmosphere and really clean. Couldn't ask for more.

We loved every minute of our visit we stopped for a coffee and then we returned for lunch which was fantastic all the staff were very welcoming and it was super dog friendly which was what we wanted just to chill and enjoy our experience with a nice cold beer overlooking the sea cannot praise Martello lounge enough great value with a beautiful interior thank you for a pleasant visit

Such an authentic lounge just on the seashore. Definitely worth to visit for their soul food and terrace! Great view, but avoid to have a food on the trace, there is a high chance to be attacked by the seagulls, what is exactly happened to us😁 Big portions, they won’t leave you hungry. Fair prices, definitely recommended!

Been here many times with absolutely no complaints. Staff very pleasant and helpful, food very good and all reasonably priced. Would thoroughly recommend.

Great place to eat, gorgeous food, looking out over the sea and they allow dogs in!!

Popped in on Sunday evening, odd place , practically only people in place and still took long time.

I took my otherhalf here for lunch for he's birthday. After looking at the reviews majority was good so we went. Lovely atmosphere and beautiful decor but I should of listen to the bad reviews as there 100% right. My otherhalf had a burger and chips and a cocktail and I had a few tapas dishes with a strawberry milkshake. My other half burger was fine but you get hardly any chips and dollop of coleslaw, he's cocktail tasted like pure alcohol definitely not a mixer/cocktail. I had squid that was basically batter and it was stringy inside , prawns with a chilli sauce that tasted burnt and my milkshake cream tasted off. I should of said something but no one came to ask weather everything was okay and as it was my otherhalf birthday I didn't want to ruin it more by making things awkward. I'm not one to leave bad reviews but after seeing alot of people with the same experience as me it's not on. Alot of people are struggling financially and it a luxury going out definitely my situation. You expect a decent service.

Nice restaurant with sea views. We had a great view, especially on the upper floor. The staff is very nice, but seems a bit disorganized. Food itself (Buttermilk Chicken, Harissa Flatbread and Bang Bang Chicken) was very good. However, the Bang Bang Chicken came instead of the Bang Bang Cauliflowers I ordered. Since we are not vegetarians, it wasn't bad and still very tasty. Price-performance ratio is on the border of “too expensive”, but it’s still okay. The whole place seems a bit dingy (the table was sticky, for example).

Lovely food, as long as you don't mind waiting to be served. Over 20 mins at the bar waiting to be served. Good gluten free & vegan menus. Lots of drink options, which may be why the bar takes so long to get served!!