Robin Hood in Tendring

We have been visiting Clacton on Sea for a number of years now for two or three visits per year and we used to class our visit to the Robin Hood as one of the highlights of our break. Sadly we were badly let down today although my wife could not fault her meal of the pie of the day. My meal however consisted of the highlight being the chips which were lovely and piping hot. My gammon, however, was nearly cold and topped with cold broken yolk eggs draped all over the place and gammon juices all over the bottom of the plate. Raised the issue with service staff and was offered a begrudged apology. Not good enough. We will try again on our next visit to the area but will probably not set our sights so high on what used to be excellent reasonably priced fare that we really looked forward to. We always base our experiences on two strikes and you are out!

Visited today and had booked a table. Firstly we waited 5 to 10 minutes to be seated after being told to wait at the bar to get drinks to then be told we will get drinks at the table, we walked to our table and were told that the young man will be over after he has taken another order we then sat there for another 20 minutes with no staff interaction. From working in a larger M&B restaurant myself and handling up to 15 tables myself the one staff member in there only had around 5 tables and stood around at a table talking to other customers rather then getting on with his job.

Visited on Easter Sunday and was disappointed to say the least. Our table was booked for 4pm and they made us very welcome. It took 35 minutes to get our drinks after speaking to waitress. Our starters did not arrive until 45 minutes later. Our main meals didn’t arrive until 5:20pm. Two ladies on table behind us had waited for an hour and half for their meals and still had to wait another 10 minutes plus for their vegetables to arrive when they had almost finished. The food was very nice but come on Robin Hood you need to sort this out. Obviously there are not enough staff yet bookings keep being taken. It just seemed really disorganised and people running around aimlessly. This is a real shame as the venue is fantastic, but people will stop visiting if you don’t solve all the issues, and quickly.

Went for Easter lunch ... We went for christmas lunch & was fantastic , unfortunatly cannot say that about today's visit .. Arrived at 12.45pm .. lunch arrived at 2 pm .. Had to ask for veg ,food was just luke warm , cauliflower cheese was hard .. Waited 45 minutes for pudding .. This is such a shame as the Robin Hood had such a great reputation ...

Booked our table for 4pm Easter Sunday we had a friendly welcome, it was extremely busy, we were shown to our table drinks order was taken, after 40 minutes we asked about our drinks waitress apologised, nearly an hour to get our starters. The poor ladies next to us had been waiting 1 & 1/2 hours for their meals. We finally got our mains after 1 hr 40 mins our veg was brought to us separately along with the ladies next to us by which time they’d almost finished their main! My roast was okay not great as price would suggest! Why oh why are you taking so many bookings when clearly there’s not enough staff?? The staff were working really hard but not achieving anything! It was just chaos! It’s such a shame because the venue is great. It was also a shame to hear so many people complaining with the poor staff having to apologise to everyone. Come on Vintage Inns sort it out because people will vote with their feet & go elsewhere.

Came all the way from near London to visit my mum in st osyth for Easter and booked up to take her to Robin Hood as we had a lovely meal there Mother’s Day. Well what happened between then and now?? Terrible service. Sat down at 3.30 finally got our food at 5.30 but with no vegetables or horseradish sauce which we asked for. The vegetables finally came up after we had dinner. Totally useless and a waste of money and effort.

This is a Lovely cosy pub/restaurant warm and friendly staff food was amazing with a lot of choice and dog friendly which we love would definitely be back real soon

Alarm bells should have rung at a once busy restaurant being at less than 30% capacity on a Sunday lunchtime. We went to The Robin Hood for a family meal today, Sunday, 24th March. The food, service and ambience were all abysmal. The roast dinners were inedible. A pate starter arrived very heavily seasoned. Who does that?! The roast beef was so overcooked it was curling on the plate and very very tough. All the veg was overcooked yet cold and soggy - except the cabbage which wqs undercooked but still cold! Roast potatoes were unsurprisingly cold, soggy and deep dried. The pigs in blankets came with white fatty bacon so were sent back. Someone removed the bacon and returned the sausages to the table. Cauliflower cheese was obviously frozen as it was freezing cold and rock hard. In all it was a very unpleasant experience. A staff member threatened to kick us out if we warned any other incoming customers about how bad the food was alas no one else came in! The children’s meals were no better. Cold, greasy chips and a hair in the garnish. They also had hard burger buns Don’t waste your money here. Hopefully the only people getting kicked out will be the managers who took over in November before they run this place into the ground.

I don't know where to start really. The food was horrible, the service was about standard. Even the ambiance wasn't very good.Fairy lights don't make a place look nice. The children's burgers came out with rock hard buns, one patty,a slice of lettuce and cold chips. It was cold and rubbery. The roast beef was a half inch thick (also cold). I was surprised by how cold it could be after being in the kitchen for 30 minutes. Im guessing that the long wait time wasn't it being cooked but instead was it sitting on the side gathering dust.The veg was barely unearthed and the carrots were hairy. How do you even get carrots like that? They were also not peeled on one side. We asked for no fat on the pigs in blankets which is a reasonable request but they couldn't even do that.They peeled some off and brought it back.I would never recommend this place to anyone. Also threatened to kick us out because we made jokes about some of the food we got to some passers by. Drinks were fine which are hard to ruin. Back to the children's burgers. The chicken tasted odd and was occupied by no sauce, cheese or anything to make it up to standard. The beef burger made the consumer feel sick and have a stomach ache. How bad can you be to do that. The prices. The signature burger was around 18 pounds for a handful of toppings to be chucked on top of each other. If you're thinking of coming here, don't. I'd recommend McDonald's if you're looking for food that is cooked properly. Trust me, the one star review is incredibly deserved. If I could give none I would.

Lovely setting, friendly staff and great food. Dog friendly in the bar side which is great

We regularly visit The Robin Hood since moving to Clacton from Kent back in the summer last year. Today we just called in to have a drink whilst on our dog walk. The barman Conner who served us was really friendly , polite and helpful. Ashley was also there today and he was really welcoming as usual. We love this place and it's great we can have our dog Pickle inside with us 🐶❤️ Thank you all at The Robin Hood, Maria, Keith and Pickle x

This is our local Vintage Inn but unfortunately we stopped going here last autumn due to the very poor service. All the good staff left last year as did the manager and I’m afraid standards dropped considerably. Today we decided to try a takeaway Sunday roast as other people had said it was ok. I booked it to be picked up at 3pm. The pub was extremely busy with people complaining about lack of staff and tables not being available at the time booked. Our roasts were eventually brought to us at 3.20 in cardboard pizza boxes!! I will admit after first seeing it and being disappointed it was actually very nice, although not very hot. If they intend having this service they need to use bags/boxes that will keep food hot

Incredible food! Amazing staff!! Wonderful Atmosphere!!! The roast was incredible!! What a wonderful pub to have a drink and some food!!!

Over the past year an unfortunate deterioration in this old pub. The new management has altered the interior and squeezed as many tables in as they could. However they haven't increased their staff causing intolerable delays and wrong order being plated up and delivered. Part of the food (roast potatoes) only old to warm and I noticed other people also left them on the plate and mash potatoes watery. Had hoped to have seen improvement from previous visit but not to be. Will try somewhere else next time to throw my money away.

Wonderful food, great friendly service 😋

Sorry but a dreadful place ..rubbish food ,rude staff and if I can be bold to say all need a wash …..,wot a shame “the Robin Hood” how dare u call yourself that ….not much robbing the rich to feed the poor ,more like chavs feeding the people…totally bad show …yours s.n .brookkes

Very dissatisfied overall. Badly run, slow service, rude staff, food very average small portions, expensive.

Poor service from owner rude and clueless

The food was great and the service was excellent. Nice place to eat. Cannot fault it.

Service was giving a 5 star due to one lady being exceptional during service, the rest no so much. food wasn’t the best and the wrong orders originally sent out

Unfortunately if I could leave below one star I would we sat down at 1715 and it was an hour later the starter arrived when we asked for more cutlery for the main it was just thrown on the table 45 minutes later we were still waiting for the mains ,on top of this we had informed them on booking that 2 of the party were gluten free this seemed to be totally ignored, when the food eventually arrived the roast potatoes were lukewarm and it was as if they had been in a deep fryer the carrot was disgusting we had to ask for the apple to go with the pork another 15 minutes the gravey tasted bitter and the accompanying vegetables looked greasy we declined the sweet wwe would never go there again in my opinion it has really gone down in quality cannot cope when busy

I had a lovely lunch here with my mum on 8-3-24, staff lovely, manager really nice. I had my newborn with me and they asked if they could get me anything etc. food really nice. Thanks ☺️

Good food but small portions, quite pricey. Lack of staff and delays in service spoilt everything

Excellent food. Friendly and helpful staff let down by slowish service. Dog friendly.

A really nice pub with great food. A little expensive, so not your everyday experience but well worth the money.

Good food good service would go again

Great pub for a relaxed atmosphere and dog friendly too! Food was great quality and a perfect children's menu. Sky the waitress was friendly and helpful.

Dropped in for a quick drink, and had a couple. Nice venue, authentic and friendly vibe. Didn't eat, but maybe next time :)

Tuesday 27th February 2024 . We chose to pop into the Robin Hood after visiting family for tea . We had previously visited once before and once again we were delighted by our visit. All staff and Management were very attentive and polite and nothing was to much trouble, despite the Manager having to deal very courteously and politely with two disruptive rude customers. They moved table and chair around without asking while having a domestic!! Our meal and service was excellent. We'll be back next visit to the area . Keep up the good work.

We thought it was terrible, we were booked to have or valentines 3 course meal at 8.30 we would have liked it earlier back it was fully booked. We arrived early to have a few drinks before eating. At 8.30 we asked if our table was ready and was told, “no it’s not ready yet we will let you know when it is” So we sat and waited until 8.45 and then was abruptly told to go to our table as the kitchens were closing at 9pm. We sat at our table and waited to place our orders and waited and waited until 9pm and no one came. So we got up and went back to the bar area and was quickly followed by the waiter saying in a rude voice. “I was just coming to take your order” which I replied,I thought the kitchen close at 9pm. And I got a rude reply saying yes they are closed now because you took too long to sit at your table. I think this is terrible behaviour not on did we not have our pre booked Valentines meal we were made to feel that it was our fault which it clearly wasn’t.

Beautiful food, staff very friendly, service was excellent

Recently went back after quite some considerable time and was really pleasantly surprised. This is part of the vintage Inn chain and has a good selection of food, and the pub itself has a nice cosy atmosphere.If you download the vintage Inn app there are always special offers/discounts. I will definitely go again

Food pretty good but don't expect a packed out pie or a plentiful dessert.

first visit to here and we all had amazing starters and main meals before heading to the spa! garlic mushrooms, prawns and chorizo and my hunters chicken were so tasty!! highly recommend! staff were lovely and friendly had a enjoyable meal here today! thank you all!

We were made so welcome with our young dog Pickle. Our food was delicious and the staff were so helpful . Loved the atmosphere. We haven't lived in Great Clacton for very long and we felt at home at The Robin Hood. We will be back . Thank you all, Maria , Keith and Pickle xx😊🐶

We had a fantastic meal this evening. The staff made myself , my partner Keith and our dog Pickle so welcome. The food was delicious and we loved the atmosphere. We haven't long moved to Clacton and we will definitely be back. Thank you all, Maria, Keith and Pickle x 😊🐶

I am updating my review as I have previously had a number of poor experiences in this restaurant, however there is a 100% change in staff and standards since it is under new management. The service and food are very good now, we have returned three times in a month and found all three experiences to be excellent.

Friendly staff. Happy to accommodate allergies. Good food and good portions.

Visited last Sunday, the pub was lovely and welcoming and felt very cosy. We all ordered the Sunday Roast. The food was well presented and was probably one of the best roasts we have eaten in a restaurant. The service was great and the price didn't break the bank. Highly recommend.

We booked a table for two a week before but ended up sitting in the pub side and not in the redsturant we had to order from the bar .When our meals came mine was completely wrong .The chap was very apologetic reordered it and removed it from the bill .The area we sat in was so noisy as there was a lads birthday party which is fine but not comfortable to eat our meal ,we couldn't hear each other .Disappointing all round I'm afraid. Food was OK and I loved the oyster Bay wine

Great service. Nothing was rushed...would have liked a adults only room.

Great staff and friendly. Service was quick & efficient. Requests were being dealt with quickly and efficiently. Friendly atmosphere. Spot on.

Best food in Clacton. Very friendly service. Becca and Ashley do you proud.

Staff were friendly,helpful and happy. Food was good and a wide selection on the menue.

A lovely little gem of a pub, pop in for a quick bit to eat while out doing quotation for my business, very good service and food nice a quick from the time we ordered our food to eating it was around 15-20 minutes just what you need when you have appointments to get to.

We were welcomed by a lovely young lady by the name of Becca who showed my wife and I to our table, we ordered our drinks and then she brought us our menus, she gave us plenty of time to place our starters and main course, when the starters came we were very pleased with the way they were presented on the plates, equally our main courses piping hot and full of flavour, we have absolutely no complaints with both the quality of food and high standard of service, Becca our waitress was very courteous and helpful asking us if everything was okay 10/10 to this charming young lady.

After leaving an answer phone message last week asking for availability to hold a wake at the Robin Hood I didn’t receive a reply, I called again the following day ( varied times throughout the day ) no response, called the following day to be...

I had Hunter's chicken and it was lovely, The sauce was in a small pot so it was not smothered in sauce. The fruit crumble was delicious.

Good parking easy access but mind your head if you are tall low beams. food excellent very friendly staff.lots of olde world charm.may be a little on the expensive side but you only get what you pay for.i would return

Took our nervous little doggie Pickle & we had such a warm welcome. Staff were very caring & considerate regarding her nervousness. Lovely supply of doggie treats available. We had a delicious nicely presented lunch. Will definitely be returning 🐾 ❤️

Service very efficient. Very relaxed atmosphere. Food of an excellent standard and a wide choice. Drinks were a little pricy.

We called ahead to check if they were dog friendly and their response was a definite yes and very friendly. When we arrived we and our dog were greeted by very friendly staff and customers, all of who continued to make a fuss of our dog throughout lunch. The food was good and flavoursome and well presented. All in all it was a couple of enjoyable hours well spent.

The food is great. The staff are great. But service a little slow due to staff shortage

Good parking easy access mind your head if you are tall low beams.food excellent staff friendly.

The Host was very friendly and attentive but I'm afraid to say the food was not at a standard I would expect . We did not complain because it was an offer but had it been full price we would have asked for it to be taken away.

Food was great, drinks were great, staff were great

Very good all round. Will be back

Nice Pub. You have Guinness, which is my favorite beer.

Great pub, great staff and awesome food to, me and my dad had a table booked today for half 4 on 9th Jan 24 we had a nice warm welcome to the gentleman who was on at the time, the food was great and Well presented to, the chef was very nice and polite to keep up the great work :).

Me and my dad visited this afternoon at half 4 and we couldn't fault it all, All the stuff was very friendly and approachable and the food was absaloutly amazing and reasonably priced to, I definitely Will go back, A big thankyou Liam

Put the heating on. It was a cold day but it was very cold in the restaurant. A fellow diner did mention this to a staff member. Accessible toilet was filthy. Food ok and staff member polite

I have n allergic reaction life threatening with onion they were so professional and thoughtful wiped down whole area and started from scratch. And service was so professional. Food was beautiful cooked so well and fast so happy with our first trip.

Had a lovely Sunday roast today at The Robin Hood. A lovely atmosphere and had a yummy lamb roast. Thanks Ashley for 10/10 service! My favourite Sunday roast in clacton!

Decor inside & out could do with a spruce up. Meal was good and staff pleasant and welcoming.

Extremely pleasing. An enjoyable visit and lovely atmosphere. Great service by Jack. The food was well served and very tasty. Throughly reccomend

We went for dinner before Christmas and it took them about two hours to serve us, one of the waitresses was not very polite to us. The most normal food.

2nd year of going here for Christmas lunch. Really nice. Food is very good and meal portions are good with extra veg on the table. The staff are all lovely and want you to have a great experience and a good Christmas lunch. We were not rushed between courses. Great effort from all the team who were working their Christmas!

Food was excellent and waiter was incredibly friendly, inviting and generally very nice . Servers name was Jack

This being our 8th Christmas here, we were sadly disappointed this time. While past celebrations were filled with a fantastic festive atmosphere and delightful food, this year fell short. The ambiance lacked Christmas spirit, resembling more of an expensive Sunday lunch than a festive occasion. The staff, although understandable during the holiday season, seemed disengaged, lacking smiles or Christmas cheer. Throughout the 2.5 hours, we weren't once asked if we wanted drinks, having to flag down a stressed-looking waiter. While starters arrived promptly, the subsequent food service took an excessive 1.5 hours with no drinks in sight. The starters lacked garnish, and the scallop dish was a single scallop in mash with melted cheese. The terrine was unappealing, accompanied by hard bread. The mains slightly improved, but the beef in the Wellington was overcooked, and the vegetables were disappointing—soggy parsnips and overcooked sprouts, possibly mixed with greens. Desserts raised suspicions, as it seemed they might have been kept under a hot lamp, affecting the cold desserts with the result of melted mousse and a raspberry bomb that instead of being cold was warm and served in a hot bowl. I think next Christmas we will be looking for another restaurant to celebrate at.

Friendly welcome ,& food was fab .

We had Boxing day dinner, food was really good….staff were really polite & attentive

We visited the Robin Hood Christmas Day, which we had booked and pre ordered food for back in August. When we arrived we were not greeted with a smile or a merry Christmas, the staff seemed stressed (understandable who wants to work Christmas Day) we were seated and shortly after had our drinks order taken by a lady who bless her evidently didn’t want to be at work at all. Our starters came before our drinks. The duck was rock hard- inedible. Mains were just about ok and desserts were again, in-edible. The atmosphere was horrendous as every guest in our section was having problems with the food/wait times etc… staff took forever to clear old plates so much so, the next courses were coming out with old plates still on tables. When we spoke to a staff member about our experience they agreed that the food was not great tonight. No Christmas music or festive cheer at all… A real shame as we paid ALOT of money, over £100 for two, frankly awful meals. A shame as it was our first Christmas dinner out experience and likely our last.

Thank you very much for a fantastic Xmas eve meal we have booked fior next year with fantastic service thank you very much best around

Our second visit here for a Sunday lunch roast - would highly recommend. The food is delicious and freshly prepared and very generous portions! Lovely atmosphere in the pub and very friendly staff. Thank you.

Food here is very hit or miss. Dinner this evening wasn't very nice. Chips were rock hard, chicken was OK. Pudding was absolutely disgusting. Service was very slow. But we've been to The Robin Hood many times and the food has been amazing, shame.

Festive 2 course meal. Thoroughly enjoyed. Ashley was very attentive and checking if everything was OK. Other staff friendly and helpful. First time here but will come back again. A+

Absolutely fantastic service, food and atmosphere. Highly recommended.

We visited The Robin Hood for a quiet drink, a lovely atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff with reasonable prices. We will be returning.

Nothing was great. I am truly sorry to say that every aspect of your service needs to be improved.

We went for a family meal with 4 adults and three children. Table booked for 3.30. We sat down at 3.20 and were still waiting for our mains at 5.20. We didn’t take long on our order. No real dithering. Were told the computer meant...

Poor service waiting for drinks and meals.

5 Star service from start to finish. Special shout out to Jack, Katie and Skye along with the kitchen team for their excellent customer services. The food was absolutley beautiful - well presented, hot and good portion size. Would highly recommend.

Lovely pub , warm cosy and inviting in the winter.. all beautifully decorated for Christmas. The staff work hard to keep up with this very busy pub… the chef is certainly kept busy . Food was lovely, really tasty and well presented. Don’t go and...

We had a Christmas meal here on Sunday. The staff were amazing and very attentive. They couldn't have done more for us. The food was excellent. I would highly recommend this venue. Special thanks to Jack, Ash and Sian

Waited over an hour for pre-ordered starters. Drink orders never appeared so had to go to ygd bar to get them.After another hour our mains still hadn't come so we left. The food we did get, some was nice, some not so much. Appalling service, would never go there again.

My daugher and I had lovely meal from their festive menu. We both had roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by christmas pudding and custard. The food was delicious, and the service was excellent. A special mention for our waitress, who was friendly, efficient...

What great staff experienced knowledgeable Helpful Outstanding service Great ambience Will be back Oh food Fantastic

Very nice food, cider and staff! Great service

This pub was amazing they are dog friendly food is to die for , was waited for hand a foot , wonderful pub would definitely be returning 5*

We were regular customers for many years. However, last 3 times we were extremely disappointed. First time, no non alcoholic beer and food was clearly worse quality ( fish very greasy and over cooked), second time, still no zero beer and 5! Position missing from the menu. We had only main as starters were not available. Last time, just last week, big changes! We have been asked to find the table by ourselves, no table service anymore! Table was dirty and sticky! Staff not interested in you at all! And smell at the bar horrible! We decided not to eat and left. I’m afraid we won’t be back anymore. —- Dear Sian, (unfortunately your email is not in your response, therefore please see my response below:) Thank you for responding to my review of The Robin Hood. I appreciate the effort to address our concerns, but I feel it's necessary to clarify some points, particularly since your reply seemed to undermine our experiences as customers. You mentioned that customers are generally telling you that you're doing a great job. While this may be true, our recent experiences, unfortunately, tell a different story. As regular customers ourselves, we feel our feedback should be given equal consideration rather than being seemingly dismissed. Specifically, regarding the non-alcoholic beer, it was indeed unavailable on two separate occasions within the last 3-4 months. This was a significant gap, especially since it had been a consistent choice for us in the past. Concerning the menu items, I cannot recall the exact dates when multiple options were missing, but this certainly occurred during one of our visits. The absence of choices was noticeable and impacted our dining experience. Our last visit on 13th November was particularly disheartening. We were asked to find our own table and contrary to our previous experiences, had to order and collect our drinks from the bar. We were also instructed to return to the bar to place our food order. This self-service approach was a stark departure from the full table service we had experienced and enjoyed previously. Ultimately, we felt compelled to leave without ordering food due to the overall decline in the atmosphere and service quality. Notably, two staff members near the door saw us leaving but did not acknowledge our departure or inquire why we were leaving. This lack of engagement starkly contrasts with the warm hospitality we once enjoyed. I understand that every establishment can have off days, and we appreciate the ongoing efforts to improve. However, it's crucial for us to share our genuine experiences to provide you with a clear picture of the current customer perspective. Regular, firsthand observations at the pub might offer you a more accurate picture of day-to-day operations. Engaging sincerely with customer feedback, without questioning its veracity, is also essential for genuine improvements. This will be my final feedback on this matter, as I feel all necessary points have been addressed. I hope these insights are constructive and lead to the positive changes that The Robin Hood once embodied. Kind regards,

Staff absolutely amazing, food scrumptious and honestly mouth watering, drinks divine, no complaints, definitely recommend Ashley, Fonzi and Becca, absolutely amazing people

Lovely pub , lovely atmosphere lovely manager & staff. We been in this pub every night whilst visiting friends always welcomed with a friendly smile. The manager always took the time to chat to us even the ramdom conservation about the tinned ham! 🤣Would highly...

I went for an evening meal with my sister. Plenty of free parking. A very warm welcome from staff and this warmth continued until we left. It's a lovely old cosy pub that offers some very tasty food. I'm vegetarian so chose macaroni cheese and...

Food was amazing. We had been a few times before and it was not nice at all. However yesterday it was really lovely. Staff were amazing too, happy and helpful.

Friendly staff, delicious food, fairly priced too. Stuffing in bacon was fantastic! They even sung happy birthday to my dad. I liked that they didn’t add a service charge automatically. Will definitely return.

Just would like to say thank you to the guys that are working at the Robin Hood pub. They’ve just took over absolutely food was brilliant the waiters and everyone was so friendly and helpful so much better than what it was. When we last...

The menu had a good varied selection to choose from with only one item not available due to an earlier run on pies. the food took a little bit of time but I don't mind that so long as it arrives hot which it did. The drinks took a little bit longer as the bar area was very busy so distracted the bar person from getting to those of us in the restaurant waiting for drinks. All in all though we could manage understanding that he was very busy serving none eating customers.

Great food, atmosphere and staff. Plus parking

Slow to be served, although many tables empty, staff pleasant,

Lovely food, lovely atmosphere, reasonably priced and very friendly staff