Mersea Barns Shop & Café Restaurant in Colchester

I live on the island and Mersea Barns has long been one of my places to have breakfast or lunch. The staff are friendly and the breakfasts have been consistently good. See you again soon.

Great place plenty of space with no sergeant majors telling you where to sit or what to do very laid back which we loved excellent coffee and scones and extremely fiendly staff ..........nothing was too much trouble

I never usually leave reviews but felt compelled to write one after attending Mersea Barns. The food is very highly priced for the area - i'd say close to London prices - but the quality is just not good enough. I had a fish and chips, the chips were cold and incredibly salty, and the fish was really bad. My friend had the chicken caesar salad but there was no dressing on it, so it was essentially chicken and some leaves. We ordered some cake hoping it would make us feel better about the bad lunch, and whilst they looked amazing, they were completely dry with no flavour. Everything came to around £50 which I just find so overpriced for what it was. I will say however that the the waitresses were kind and approachable. It's such a shame about the food as it's such a lovely location and shop!

i visited a friend who was staying on Mersea Island, and she recommended this place. I'm so glad she did. What a lovely place, plenty of parking and a large play area for anybody with children. The staff were so friendly and really helpful. We needed a couple of changes to our order, and they were really happy to do so, and also offered alternative ideas too. Absolutely gorgeous food......and so many choices of CAKE !! :). I really look forward to visiting this place again. Thank you Mersea Barns x

Wrong order delivered there was a pasty with a hot dog in it and red onions we were told it was chicken and the pastry was inedible the cake was dry and musty We ate and ran

Went as a group of nine, the lady in charge as we ordered the roast told us there was a "thin" bit of fat running through beef. This is to be expected but on arrival our dinner was absolutely inedible. The beef should NOT of been served especially at £22! I do not believe this was a Hereford cut of sirloin, it was just gristle and fat. As we were eating we then heard her tell customers the beef had been taken off the menu. The pork belly was burnt with no crackling. We had to ask for cauliflower cheese as it was stated on the menu the beef came with it. A tablespoon of gravy on each dinner, and all very cold.Service was poor, asked for high chair and ended up getting our own, nobody around when we wanted to send our dinners back or ask for extra gravy/drinks etc.We felt they knew the day was a disaster as nobody once asked how was everything... apparently the usual chef was off and the two currently on terrible, we overheard the lady tell other customers. The food was so dry and so dissapointing. Only 50% off the two dinners that couldn't be eaten, I suggested the full amount should be deducted as it was so poor yet she disagreed so we had no choice but to pay. They were clearly understaffed in the kitchen and should of shut rather than serve that day! We are all locals and will not return.

Superb food, lovely atmosphere and great friendly staff. I left my mobile in the loo and when I went back to collect it, past closing time, the staff were in the process of trying to contact me.

Good to return. Very pleased to get Tea, Coffee, lovely Shortbread and a Loo! Arrived @ 4.15pm and their nominal closing time is 4.00pm! Often wondered why do Tea Rooms close before 5.00pm? 3.00pm is time for the Englishman (& woman) to take their Tea. Anyway, delicious Shortbread and a fine Macchiato. And several of Chrissie's fabulous Images of local Mersea scenes to enjoy. Hayling Seagoon

Called in with a friend and had a great experience and in a lovely setting. The Barn is very spacious, immaculately clean and the staff were fantastic. They were very helpful, friendly, and accommodating. We both had the mushrooms on toast which were very tasty, the best I've ever had, as was the toffee apple cake which the waitress warmed through and she gave us some cream - it was all delicious. When we I was on my way home I realised I had left my phone in the loo. The place was closed but the staff were still there and they were just in the process of trying to locate me so that they could return it. I will definitely be making a special trip for lunch again.

Stopped for brunch after a walk, mushrooms on toast were wonderful, service was amazing, we will be back to try the cakes!

Cracking Sunday lunch , great service , always a winner.good value for money, chilled atmosphere. Crumble was amazing.

Food is excellent, lovely atmosphere and most amazing friendly staff especially Sarah who accommodated 9 of us at short notice. Will return when next in the area.

Really lovely place to have a meal or snack. Stopped off after a walk along the Cudmore Country Park coastline and enjoyed coffee and scones, which were delicious. The staff were friendly & service was excellent. Surroundings are very pleasant and there is ample parking. An added bonus is the shop which sells fine food, drink and other household items.

Booked a table for 4 for breakfast really lovely. cooked well, presented well. great staff really friendly. Went for a walk after along east Mersea and the went back for tea and cake.

Have eaten here before and really enjoyed it. Today may have been an off day. Food was ok, well cooked and decent portions but have eaten same things elsewhere and enjoyed them more. Shared a bowl of chips which came with a garlic mayo but the chips themselves had an almost garlic-like aftertaste. The most disappointing aspect was the service, Tea was served but we were left to go find some sugar ourselves. Mains were served - this time we had to go find cutlery for ourselves and there was no offer of ‘can I get you anything else’ I.e. cutlery, sauce, salt and pepper. I could understand if the items we had to find were missing from our table because we’d just walked in but it had been reserved online earlier in the day.

The service was dreadful. Wrong order delivered to my friend, not an apology in sight! Staff looked miserable and completely inattentive, we had to call someone to take our order even though the place was almost empty. They had savoury scones to go with soup but would not serve one on its own, I was told only enough are made to go with a soup order, so had to have a fruit one. Needless to say we won’t be going back!!

We stayed on the caravan site for a few days and it was recommended to have a bit at the cafe was within walking distance. The food was lovely and reasonably price. I would definitely recommend the Fitness Freak..

Just had the most delicious katsu chicken baguette - top quality lunch and a really nice place to visit with friendly attentive staff

Very average meals, nothing special for the price. We were quite disappointed as we only go out very rarely for a treat and it wasn’t great standard at all. Scones were delicious though.

Just got back from having a lovely lunch at mersea barns, and what a lovely afternoon we have had. The service was fantastic and the food was absolutely delicious! My daughter really enjoyed the sandpit and balancing beam area (some buckets and spades would be nice, although they did have a couple of digger style trucks for the kids to play with) and the messy play area looked fantastic, I will definitely be returning and booking a messy play session very very soon! Overall, a really lovely afternoon, and can’t wait to return again!

My family and I went for a drink at Mersea Barns this morning, and we’re really disappointed with the service. We waited 15 minutes for 2 teas, a coffee and a juice. My husbands coffee came and we then had to wait ages for the rest of the drinks. The cafe wasn’t even that busy. Frustratingly I could see the tray with the rest of our drinks waiting on the counter! The lady that served my husband was extremely blunt and rude and he observed her being the same to the gentleman in front of him in the queue. One of the cups was also dirty. It’s such a shame as this is a lovely spot and the shop is really nice and reasonably priced.

Came three during a holiday and really enjoyed it, we had breakfast 2 of the times and lunch another, but each time took a slice of cake away with us (this cakes are AMAZING) my daughter enjoyed the playarea too. Will defo be back

The worst experience I have ever had. Whilst I was there, there were 4 dogs in the conservatory whilst people were eating, One table had 3 small dogs with them and one of the dogs was actually sitting on one of the chairs, another one had its front paws on the table. So very hygienic, and nothing was said by staff when she brought their order to their table. Also I noticed a loose dog outside urinating on the furniture whilst its owners just looked. In Spain if your pet urinates outside against street furniture or trees they have to spray with water, so all dog walkers take a bottle of water out with them whilst walking their pets, perhaps you need to adopt this procedure !! I bought a cheese scone to take away, and it was stale, hard and tasteless. In all a very unpleasant visit. PLK

Had the worst roast dinner of my life today. The beef was so tough a dog would have struggled to eat it. I was there with my wife and baby and brother and his wife and son. We had three roasts and all were terrible! Me and my wife hardly touched our food. The service was slow but passable as it was busy. We went up to pay and I told them I wasn’t prepared to pay for the two roasts as we had hardly touched them! The lady at the desk said the owner wasn’t there and the chef said no one else had complained so we ended up having one free. Although we didn’t eat either.I didn’t want to cause a massive seen as I was with my family. Just wanted to give people the heads up. Spend your money else where. Loads of places to eat don’t wast your money there

Been coming here regularly for a while now and the service, coffee and food is ALWAYS brilliant. Many thanks especially to Sarah for going above and beyond.❤

Visited with friends today and had a really tasty lunch, pea and ham soup served with a warmed cheese scone, would highly recommend! The food here is always delicious and the service is warm, friendly and professional. We are so lucky to have Mersea Barns...

Pleasant enough for a quick coffee or lunch the food looked nice and service was friendly , but not much to see or do . The shop was pretty minimal a pop in not a destination

We visited here with friends for lunch, we sat inside. The choice on the menu was good our friends had the fish cake which was home made. Very good service, I had booked in advance which was good as it is very popular here.

Excellent food and service. Great staff. Amazing experience. Wide range from the brunch menu and gorgeous cake.

This is a place worth supporting. I say this as the choice of places to eat particularly of the tea and cake variety are somewhat limited on Mersea, and that would mean in many places a chance to raise the prices to a semi captive...

Just been for a family lunch and this is our second visit and I must say once again the food and service was perfect All food was prepared fresh nothing pre-made or frozen. And it showed Can’t wait to return thank you for a great...

Visited for 'brunch', choices on breakfadt menu very good, quality of food also good. Shame is they are either saving on their heating bills or, as there's no evidence of any heating appliances, assume there's none! Don't go on a cold day would be my...

Lovely place to stop on for coffee and cake, lunch or even breakfast. We found this place by chance whilst out in Colchester and stopped in for the Sunday Roast. The staff were friendly and the young waiter who looked after us was extremely helpful....

We was recommended this place by someone , we walked in we sat in the dog friendly area with our dog we sat their patiently whilst the short haired waitress cleaned tables spoke to other customers, took orders from two other tables that arrived after...

After the cake we ordered for my sisters surprise 40th didn’t arrive, I ran into Mersea Barns to see if they had one I could buy. They didn’t, but i was gobsmacked when they suggested they quickly make one for our lunch, taking place 2hrs...

The Barn is a very attractive building and the dining area is a nice space to eat in. We had lunch here, the food was very tasty and very well cooked. The produce was of a very high standard and the dishes were in a...

So impressed with the food we had today for lunch Food was home made , fresh and delicious. Every dish we ordered came out looking like love and care had gone into the food which is a rarity at the moment Staff we helpful and...

Wow what a hidden gem. High end Restaurant quality food at it’s best. Everything was freshly made in house by amazing chefs All our food was served with a smile by friendly and attentive staff. Everything was piping hot and cooked to perfection we can’t...

I have been here before and always had a good breakfast but went today and it was pretty dire. I ordered the veggie breakfast and was told that they had run out of veggie sausages the day before?? I suspended my disbelief ie why couldn’t...

What wonderful treatment I received on my first solo visit here. Not my first visit to Mersea Barns though. That was back in 2020. The coffee was delicious. The Sunday Lunch menu had a good choice of meals on it plus a couple of specials....

Went for a breakfast with friends and was very disappointed, especially as this was not a cheap place to eat, personally my breakfast was poor, bacon was barely cooked, hash brown was barely cooked which I’d say is the most easiest part of a breakfast...

Nipped in for a late lunch - limited menu but easily found something. Curried Parsnip Soup was de-lish-ous! Just the right amount of spice.

My wife and I thought we’d try again after being disappointed the last couple of visits. Having been presented with dirty, stained menus, I ordered granary bread cheese n pickle sandwich, my wife ordered mozzarella ciabatta. My sandwich arrived with what looked and tasted like...

We have visited Mersea Barns for several years, but unfortunately post-Covid it has really gone downhill (and that’s across a few visits so not just a one-off experience). The menu selection is much smaller than it was, and the quality is nowhere near what it...

Second trip of the summer; this time with my sister and nephew. A great venue for a young family. Lots of activities for children. Dogs welcome. Good value and quality offerings.

Visited for lunch with my grandaughter (13). We opted for Caesar Salad -with chicken- and basically had a plateful of Cos Lettuce ,few shavings of parmesan, croutons which did not taste fresh and three slices of chicken - at a cost of £11 each, It...

Been here before and it’s always been pricey. 2 kids sausages and mash probably cost a pound to buy, £8.00 A small quiche and a tiny salad £11.00 and two coffeesTotal £24.50!! Mersea Art cafe was busy. Mersea Barns weren’t. It has good outside space...

Stopped in with my mum for a look around and we wanted some cake to takeaway (which we did). We ended going back the next morning to get more before we left for the rest of the family because it was so good. The shop...

We went as a last minute decision for a 'first day of holiday' lunch. A good selection of meals was on the menu and we both picked the mackerel pate with toasted sourdough and a lemon and fennel dressed salad. We ordered coffees. They came...

Excellent cheese scone and lemon tea. Very friendly staff. The shop sells a wide range of interesting local gifts.

Took the young grandchildren. Perfect - playground, out door seating and user-friendly. Quick service, all our choices proved popular.

We've been visiting the barn for a number of years mainly for breakfast. It's always been a friendly place with good quality food at a reasonable price. However this isn't the case anymore. There is a lack of staff and the ones there when we...

Have been coming here since it opened and it was always the place to come for a fabulous breakfast, but today was dreadful. Ordered bubble and squeak, and it was all lumpy parsnip with carrot and watercress, not a potato in sight. My husband complained...

Good spot for a big breakfast after the local Parkrun on Mersea Island. Quality meal but quite pricey. Entertaining adjoining shop with fun knickknacks and collectibles.

Another great place to have lunch and do a bit of gift buying. The menu is good but not overwhelming with some lovely lunch options. All reasonably priced and locally sourced produce. The adjacent shop has good selection of gifts, produce and children's toys. All...

Came for the water trail with my two daughters. It’s a lovely location and building. Weather was good and we were able to sit outside near the small park and sand pit to have some food and drink. Amazing cake and brownie. Great sizes. I...

Mersea Barn is a very light and spacious place to eat. Very clean and welcoming with shop that sells unique items to keep or give as presents. The food is always freshly cooked and plenty of it with the most friendly staff. We eat there...

We booked a table for lunch for my Mum's 70th birthday as she wanted a family visit to Mersea beach ... we often visit East Mersea and my mum had spotted the Mersea Barns on route to Cudmore Grove country park and had always wanted...

Absolutely gorgeous food. Had a huge bowl of mussels which were perfectly cooked. My friend had a huge breakfast. The staff were extremely helpful and super smiley. Will definitely be returning. The wine we had with the meal was perfectly picked out by the super...

First of all I would like to say I’m a local thats lived on the island for 30 years and I’ve always tried to support local business but I’m afraid I find myself extremely disappointed with our last visit to Mersea Barns the coffee and...

Have been a few times now as I really like the food here. One Sunday in the summer that we went, they had a bbq going, and the food was absolutely delicious. Other times i have had food from the main menu, again fab. Especially...

We've been in the habit of having breakfast out on a Sunday morning, and we thought we'd try the Barns. It's a lovely place, and their take away pasties are really nice. However, we had to wait 45 minutes from ordering to receive our food,...

We visited for Sunday Lunch last weekend, the service was excellent, food was very good and there were lots of good vegatables but it was expensive compared to most good pubs in the area. The thing that did let them down was their coffee very...

First visit. The best lentil dhal I’ve had. Bought the scones and pizzas from frozen cabinet as they looked delish. Tea ☕️good and strong. Waitress service quick and friendly and helpful. Great surroundings ☀️🤗

Had been told this was quite a good cafe so visited for lunch while I was there. The surly waitress who took my order told me she would not serve tap water with ice as 'we have bottled water & cans that are cold.' So...

This is the first time I have eaten here & I had a scrumptious breakfast- smoked salmon, poached eggs, granary toast & watercress with delicious strong coffee.

We arrived on Friday around midday for something to eat and sat in the garden for a long time without anyone attending to us. It said on the table signage that they would come to us. My daughter then went inside and asked for a...

Really enjoyed our lunch today. Best cured salmon I have eaten. Staff were very friendly and the food was delivered very quickly. We will definitely come again.

We visited on Sunday with friends and whilst the food was very good the service was just awful. Service in general was just slow and forgetful and the lady who served us was abrupt and rude. It took the edge off a lovely meal and...

From the moment we arrived to the moment we left it was the most disappointing experience. Not only was the service very slow, we were barely acknowledged and everything was too much trouble. When my tea turned up without the tea it was as if...

We visited Mersea Barns today for the Sunday BBQ as a group of 6 adults and 3 kids. The food was lovely and would really recommend. However, the service was not as good. The person serving us made us feel a inconvenience and was quite...

We were really looking forward to eating here after hearing and reading reviews. We arrived and were seated quickly with our order taken speedily. It appeared busy but not manic however our food still took 30 minutes to arrive. The ploughman's we ordered was delicious,...

Popped in here to get some take away lunch and it was lovely! Our rolls were packed FULL of very tasty ingredients and very filling.

No matter what time you go during opening hours you can be sure of top quality food and drink. I went with my elderly mum for lunch. We chose a main course from the specials board and when it arrived it was of the quality...

After staying at a nearby holiday park we decided to go for a breakfast before going home, as the restaurant on the park was closed we decided to try here. We where greeted by a friendly member of staff who gave us the option of...

We ate here twice for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Good menu and such fantastic sausages and avocado to mention just two quality ingredients. Service was really good and so friendly and coffees and breakfast came in good time. You can reserve in advance. An...

Whilst out for a drive , we dropped in on the off chance they had a spare table…. Right result, some of the best roast beef we have had for some time, even allowing for lockdown. An added bonus was the politeness and efficient of...

We ate here and it really is a premium breakfast. The Cafe was popular and I would definitely recommend it. We had the Full English and the Scrambled Egg on Toast and both meals where fab. Service was fast and efficient and staff where friendly...

We called to check if there was enough room, told yes. We then were seated and left fit more than 25 minutes without being asked for a drinks order or apologised too for the lack of service despite being less than 6 feet away from...

Our first meal In since lockdown. Parking was easy and plenty of it. Was welcomed by really friendly staff who were really happy to have us there. The barn shop is amazing and really well set out. The breakfast was great. So fresh, and the...

We stopped here for lunch during a visit to the island. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. We sat outside in the heated marque; plenty of space and Covid safe. The food was excellent. We all had the small beef and Guinness stew and...

If you are on Mersea and want a cup of tea or coffee accompanied by a cake - there is nowhere better! Their cakes are superb.

Had brekfast here this morning, the vegetarian brekfast was brilliant! Really filling and big portion. I’ll be back with the family as I know they’d enjoy it too. Staff helpful and well priced. Thank you!

Unexpected lunch visit to Mersea Barns with my brother and his wife. Wonderful food, beautifully presented and super helpful staff.

Great find for an impromptu breakfast, yummy coffee, great fresh produce for breakfast, friendly service and great setting. We sat in the garden with our dog, tonnes of water bowls for the dog, big play area for children & lovely undercover area with outdoor seating.

Great place to eat for family. Outside play area for children. Lovely food and helpful staff. Thank you.

Great breakfast as usual, and lovely to have the outside space in these covid times. Friendly staff.

Before the lockdown me and my family has attended this restaurant on multiple occasions and very much enjoyed it. However in our return after the reopening of restaurants we were in quite a shock. The menu was now lacking in any of our usual favourites...

Disappointing lunch menu choice since we last visited. Either £6.50 for a filled roll or soup or £25-30 for a sharing platter. The vegetarian platter at £25 did feel grossly overpriced. Shame the choice seems to have become so limited.

Fantastic brunch Stopped here today for brunch and it was amazing. Sausages and bacon top quality, all cooked nicely, served really hot and didn’t feel rushed despite them being really busy for the Rishi Deal. Good playground and field for children. Shop stocks goodies for...

Went in to this cafe just to be nosy as cycling past. Looked at the fish platter and was hooked ( scuse the pun). This is much more than a cafe. We ordered the fish and meat platter and up popped 60 pound which thought...

My husband and I shared a fish finger baguette and was nice but my sons kids pizza was dreadful. For £6 It was a burger bun top with a chunky tomato sauce and cheese but was so wet that the burger bun had gone all...

Thank you for the delicious Cream Tea Box we collected. It was a thank you from my house bound parents for all the care we are providing for them in getting provisions where could especially in the beginning where people had hoarded and they needed...

Met with large group of friends. Made welcome and staff very accommodating. Coffees and hot chocolate drinks good. Worth a visit.

Just been for lunch here and had a really lovely time. The barn is spacious, light and airy. The food freshly cooked, well presented and tasty. I was served by Mandy who was very friendly and efficient. I would definitely go back

Stopped off for coffee,and went back for lunch. Nice place and pleasant staff. Food was good, but a little pricey. We will go back.

Treated the family to breakfast out and we were not disappointed, there was a good choice, and the food was lovely. Will definitely be returning.

Stopped for sunday lunch as we often eat here, the food is really nice and there is a large shop with all kinds of products from kiddies toys to local made gin. Really worth a look! Staff are great and really friendly, they all smile,...

Probably the best cup of coffee I have had in a long time. Very nice people and a great location. Nice cakes

We arrived at midday as per the hours and was asked if we wouldn’t mind waiting before ordering as breakfast had overrun, thankfully we weren’t in a hurry as it was nearly 30 minutes before we were able to order and a further 30 minutes...