Seafood at Dawn in Colchester

Friendly staff,lovely seafood restaurant we ordered crab,mussels, prawns and oyster,fresh salads.definately worth a visit if your on the island

I was so happy to see that Sea food at Dawn had taken on a bigger premises in West Mersea . Phoned for a reservation today but was told full 10 mins later I got an unexpected call saying a table available. We had oysters , scallops , prawns and local wine . All reasonably priced and great quality. The staff are lovely and very attentive. Had a lovely chat with one of the female owners . Absolutely love this place and can’t wait to return Thank you

Great food as always Fresh fresh fresh. Oysters Seafood platter and seafood loaded chips to share A lovely jug of Pimms and a latte to round it off. Staff and owner so friendly and welcoming Our favourite place for seafood Well done Seafood at Dawn

Great food, plenty of choice and fresh as you could want. Seafood in a lovely environment overlooking the estuary, and thankfully dog friendly out in the terrace so we could have our pup with us too!

This was the best meal I’ve had in a long time. Delicious fresh seafood, amazing value and the friendliest staff. Outdoor covered seating accommodates dogs and is lovely in nice weather (and not so nice probably). Wine prices are reasonable too. Unpretentious but top quality. Highly recommended.

Fabulous find Lovely staff in a cute little restaurant serving gorgeous fresh fish at excellent prices Closes at 5 on Sundays

Excellent sea food restaurant. The service was great too. We really enjoyed our experience and the new location in West Mersea.

Myself and my wife booked a table for lunch on Wednesday, the day after the opening of the new premises in West Mersea. The refurbishment looks fantastic and they now have double the amount of seating available. I had a pre starter of 6 oysters, still great value, then we had mackerel pate and prawn cocktail for starters, both presented beautifully. For our main dishes we had skate and the re named perfect platter which has a bit of everything ( see menu photo) plus a portion of tasty crispy chips. If you have never visited S. A . D .make sure you book in advance otherwise you could be disappointed.

What a gem! Unpretentious, seafood restaurant and great value. We had reserved a table to celebrate a big birthday and were greeted warmly. We chose the hot and cold platters to share plus a couple of main courses and we had so much food they kindly packed it up for us to take home. Amazing value, oysters £1 each, and the platters were very generously portioned. All delicious. Wine and coffee good as well. Highly recommend and hope the move to West Mersea goes well, and doesn't change the ethos of the place!

Another great lunch at Seafood at Dawn, East Mersea! Oysters, scallops with garlic, and skate, with wine and beer to wash it all down, very nice. What's not to enjoy!!!

Went here to celebrate my aunts 90th birthday. Lovely staff, very friendly. Menu is all seafood but good choice. Ordered a seafood platter but changed oysters (yuk) for more for more pickled herring, but when the platter arrived couldn’t believe how much food was on it. Really excellent grub but had to leave some as just too much. Really good value and lovely friendly staff. Would heartily recommend.

Fresh local oysters at £1 each- bargain prices. Lovely local wines and very friendly service. Absolutely top experience.

Great welcome and fresh tasty food with excellent service, would recommend and return. Good value for money, Chablis was delicious and Oysters were divine.

Wonderful meal. The food was superb, and was beautifully presented. The staff were friendly and attentive. The prices were very reasonable. The place is very clean and nicely decorated. The atmosphere is relaxed and convivial. Heartily recommended.

Eating in the sun outside the shed is heaven, a bit like the lucky finds one comes across in parts of Europe. Good luck with the relocation team!

Excellent as always. We have been going here since Paige opened Never had anything other than excellent food and service.

Loved this restaurant could not get over the friendliness and the food. If you like shellfish this a must, the prices were very reasonable, the choice is a bit limited but there were prawns, scallops, oysters, mussels cooked and served in various ways, and the seafood platter was very good at £17. Would definitely be going back.

What a gem! Was taken here with friends who, after reading reviews, had booked for a weekday lunch. Well..... The restaurant is small but airy and not crowded. There is outdoor seating. Dogs are allowed at outside tables. The food is exceptional and not expensive. My friends started with six oysters, fresh from the local oyster beds, at a cost of £6. My starter - smoked mackerel pate could well have been a main course with a large pot of mackerel, toast and salad. My main course, seafood linguine, a large plate of delicious linguine with ample fish content. Reasonable priced wines including a couple from a local vineyard. Staff were cheerful and friendly. The venue is closing in December due to the lease expiring but the restaurant are planning a move into West Mersea to open at a new restaurant in the High Street in April 2024. They hope to have a wider menu at the new venue but the existing one has plenty of choice for most people.

Gorgeous food, wonderful service, perfect portion sizes and a lovely buzzing atmosphere, would highly recommend😍

As usual the food, service, value for money excellent.we had a small sea food platter to start all very nice sweet cured roll mops especially. Main course scallops and chorizo and salad new potatoes again delicious. Wine good quality fair price. Sea food lovers paradise!

Excellent food, friendly and efficient service. Went here with family for lunch, very pleasant atmosphere, everyone loved the food, fish platter starter to share, dry tasty, I had the prawn special served in five different sauces set out in individual bowls, delicious. Would highly recommend

We arrived without a reservation and were very lucky to be accommodated by the charming and lovely staff (we will book in future and suggest anyone visiting does too!). The ambience is lovely and gives you a real feel of being in a seafood restaurant, I had the seafood platter and was not disappointed and it was really nice to see the very local beer and wine on the menu (highly recommended). Going back soon!

Excellent food. Astonishingly reasonable prices and very relaxed friendly setting. My wife had the hot platter which was amazing value and tasted fantastic

This was our first visit. It most definitely won't be the last. I can't fault it. It was a joy. The restaurant isn't 'grand' but the ambience is! Casual and welcoming. Fun, but highly professional service. My friends had a skate wing, and a hot platter -which I drooled over- but was more than happy with my two, very generous starters, mackerel pate on a superb salad, served with toast, and sweet herring, the best I've tasted, also with salad and bread. We shared a bottle of excellent and inexpensive wine and finished the meal with sticky toffee puddings and lemon posset. I wish them every success with their new venture and hope whatever it is that makes Seafood At Dawn tick can be bottled and taken with them.

Had lunch on Saturday and it was fantastic. The staff are all so friendly and we even had a chance to chat to the owner regarding their move to West Mersea early next year.I had a pre starter of six oysters that my wife watched...

What a find. We visited after viewing the reviews on FB. The welcome was really genuine and the menu was extensive. We had the scallops with chorizo followed by the Prawns 4 ways. The food was excellent but I left disappointed that I couldn’t try...

We took two very close friends to experience some fabulous sea food . They loved it . Friendly service , not rushed , but more importantly wonderful food . This is why we keep returning

Seafood here is in abundance, the presentation is good & the prices are very competitive, staff are attentive & the place itself is quirky & makes for a really relaxed but fun dining experience.

Lovely little restaurant in East Mersey, tucked in off the main road with a fair bit of parking out front. We had the mixed warm platter which was huge! A real bargain at £15. Loved the oysters and mackerel. My partner had the crab salad...

We fancied a day out from London so decided to go to West Mersea where we have been many times to the Company Shed. Before going we checked the menu and found all was not as it was. The prices were alarmingly more than before...

Our third trip to this wonderful place. We sat outside and had half a dozen plump oysters whilst making our choices. We ate a bowl crammed full of prawn cocktail and scallops with chorizo. Followed by a fantastic Dover sole, simply fried and served with...

Visited Seafood at Dawn today.The food was excellent.Prawns and crab as starters. Scallops, dressed crab and mackerel as mains. Seb looked after us and had excellent interpersonal skills. Well done all the staff.

We really recommend this restaurant, its 5 star rating is well deserved. It was well worth the 2 hour drive. The wonderful fresh fish and Seafood exceeded our expectations. It was exceptionally good value , especially the Seafood Platter ,the locally sourced Oysters and English...

Welcomed with a friendly smile by Seb, who looked after us during our meal. Really well clued up on Gluten-free and other allergies. Food was hot and delicious, and a friend said the local wine she had was lovely. For starters we had tiger prawns...

The most quaint little place for delicious seafood . Staff were amazing service fab , food especially the local mersea oysters sublime !

Excellent value and service . The hot seafood platter was divine , really friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Can’t wait to return .

Good fresh fish dishes on offer. Simple , unpretentious setting. Friendly staff. Fairly quiet. Sensible prices.

Best seafood I have ever had at a fantastic price. Very friendly Service,great choice of drinks to compliment the food, a must visit.

First time visit to this lovely restaurant staff are friendly and welcoming We ordered oysters, cold platter, prawn cocktail and sweet cured herrings All were delicious For our main courses we ordered skate wings, chowder and seafood linguine super. The portions are generous, fresh and...

It's almost a year since we were last here and it feels even better than before. We were greeted by Sebastian who smiled and charmed every customer during the busy service. That the restaurant was pretty much full on a Wednesday lunchtime is testament to...

Had lunch 5 people including 2 small children .The service was good ,staff very friendly. All the food served was excellent , i would reccomend this restaurant .

Welcoming and friendly ,lovely service . Food was perfect tasty fresh fish tasty salad accompaniment.

Fantastic fresh seafood dishes served in generous portions, great choice of wines and beers in a quaint little setting with very friendly, polite staff. Full compliments to the chef it was just wonderful - we will be back!

Our first visit here was last August and I honestly didn't think it could be bettered but I was well and truly proved wrong. If you love your seafood this is the place to be, good quality seafood at a reasonable price. We had a...

Come to venture and try as we love seafood!! Kids like the plain and simple but I went for recommended dishes!! Service and food good but I felt cold in restaurant

No frills, airs and graces, just top class seafood and friendly service. Local oysters at a price that justifies ordering a dozen, fresh and flavourful cooked fish, local wine, and tucked away from hustle and bustle. Perfect for leisurely lunch on a quiet day out.

Unexpected find on Mersea Island - Pleasant and kind staff. Food was lovely and catered for the whole family. Will be visiting again.

We found this place buy google and what a find , absolutely lovely seafood staff and great value for money ,will definitely be back

First time at Seafood at Dawn and will not be our last. Service and welcome was first class. Prawn starter and 2 mains, one being scallops and the other skate, was the best we’ve ever had. A great little find,

We have wanted to try this restaurant for some time, had an early lunch for 2 on Friday, seafood was excellent, a great experience! In fact we bought 2 take away platters for supper with friends! Restaurant is good for simple seafood, prepared and served...

Cycling to Mersea visited with friends for a late lunch Our friends hadnt been before both both said what a great find Super fish ,good staff and a wonderful comfortable venue Will call again i am sure!!!!!

The food is fantastic and the staff were brilliant. Had the King Prawn platter and potted crab starter, delcious. Will definitely come again.

My wife and I discovered this place almost by accident as we were driving from East Mersea to West Mersea. Very unassuming from the outside but really quite nice inside and the menu is simple and enticing.We both opted for the warm seafood platter and...

This restaurant was on my list for our Mersea Island holiday and it was as nice as I heard! I dropped by on Sunday to get some seafood takeaways. We wanted some dressed crab but was told it normally had to be pre-ordered. However, the...

Have say that yet again Seafood at Dawn have excelled themselves . From a last minute booking the service has been second to none . Great welcome, great food, grilled mussels, grilled oysters, followed by garlic prawns and a beautiful wing of skate. Followed by...

The delightful Paige Bennet has taken over the wonderfully quirky Mehalah’s from the Hayward family and has created a brilliantly successful restaurant with the freshest of seafood and fish all locally caught and sourced. Paige worked at Mehalah’s so was very familiar with the ethos...

Had a fantastic lunch here with a friend. We had a platter each, one with fresh oysters and one with grilled. The food tasted beautifully fresh and the local Mersea oysters were amazing. The staff were friendly and helpful and there was a good atmosphere...

A friend of mine recommended this restaurant and said I would love it, boy he was so right. We arrived just as they opened at Midday on Sunday and were greeted by the very pleasant female staff. I have to say if you love your...

We bought Oysters, prawns, herrings from Seafood at Dawn to Take away (we just didn't have time to eat in sadly) and can honestly say we were not disappointed with the quality of food! Absolutely delicious! The young lady who served us was so lovely!...

All to often seafood is overcooked and tough but not here. They REALLY know what they are doing and the price is VERY reasonable. One word of warning, take a good appetite with you if you order the cold platter!! 6 oysters, pickled herring, smoked...

We visited Mersea for a week in August. Booked the "Company Shed" on Coast Road as a result of reviews. Booked "Seafood at Dawn" for the following day, as we love our crustacians !! Well, food at both was a similar quality - Excellent !!...

Visited with ten friends on the 6th August. The team serving were super friendly and helpful. Great start. They bought blankets out for our dogs to lay on and put umbrellas up for us as it was lovely and sunny! The food was some of...

Seafood was fresh, well cooked. reasonable priced. Service excellent. Highly recommend the prawns and fish. Did not wait long at all for our food. 😊

Really interesting menu of fresh seafood, well cooked with a light touch and reasonably priced together with a very good wine menu and friendly service makes this a really enjoyable dining experience! Unpretentious and outside seating available if you have a dog with you. Take...

A friend and I had a late lunch here last weekend and it was excellent. I had the prawn platter and I couldn't recommend it highly enough. Lovely staff particularly the owner - her name isn't Dawn! - and I'd definitely go back if I'm...

What a find! We were staying on a nearby campsite so decided to check this restaurant out for a late lunch and so glad we did. It was a lovely day and we sat outside with our dog water - bowls provided. The staff are...

Been on the Island for years and discovered this little gem today. Fantastic food in a lovely environment. Staff were great too. Will definitely revisit very soon.

Four of us took a trip to Mersea to find the restaurant we wanted to eat in was closed! Yes we should have booked first but we didn’t! Quickly googled to find a place to eat - we were all looking forward to some sea...

What a fantastic place. Nothing pretentious, from the wine glasses which I'm sure came free from Esso many years ago, to the paper napkins and sachets of pepper This place is unashamedly sea food. Utterly brilliant oysters, plump, sweet fresh as could be, served with...

Paige and her staff are with out a doubt the most incredible team I have ever met in a restaurant, from walking through the door and all the way through service you as the customer always come first. The food speaks for itself amazing and...

Friends from Colchester have told us this is a great place! We are coming with them on Sunday 26th June for lunch and are looking forward to it. Incidentally, we have a load of cleaned scollop shells - 30-40? Would you like them for decorative/artistic...

Yesterday visited another seafood venue, this was similar but far better organised, staff well trained and delightful The food is beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. Salad dressing was beautiful. Toilet functional and clean. Was it worth the 90+ mile round trip.....absolutely!

I had unexpected guests arrive yesterday to West Mersea. I literally landed at Seafood at Dawn as Paige was closing the kitchen down. She fired up the stove, made a vast amount of hot prawns and scallops in record time. Packed me off with the...

We ate here twice & both times - delicious. The skate wings were perfection and the second time my Mum & husband tried oysters for the first time & it won't be the last! The seafood platter was fantastic. Ambience & service professional but relaxed....

Excellent sea food Good portion crab štartér was fantastic The scallops cooked garlic where beautiful The Fish Linguine was Excellent full of fish and prawns not too much sauce just the right ammount They do take away to the fish platters looked fantastic they must...

This was an amazing array of tasty seafood. We had the seafood linguine, which was perfectly cooked, packed with fish and prawns. Our sea food platter was huge and every morsel a delight!! The staff were accomodating and flexible, allowing us to make our own...

Just WOW! This is definitely the best place for seafood in England. We have travelled the world but never had anything as fresh and as tasty as this meal. It is simply outstanding. You would not think of this place to be exceptional when driving...

Second visit. Food is excellent and excellent value. Service is excellent too.. very friendly and considerate. Providing the weather is nice enough to sit outside, the restaurant is very dog friendly too

Food fab, fresh caught seafood,Reasonably priced n the staff are lovely too. Now one of my favorite restaurants

We both decided on the seafood platter and we were not disappointed. The service was efficient and friendly and the food superb. We went on a Tuesday lunchtime and it was very busy - not surprised.

What a lovely, unique seafood restaurant. We took my Mum here for her birthday on Sunday 1st May and we were most impressed. The girls serving were so helpful and lovely, despite my children being a bit noisy at times!! They have a fab juke...

Having originated as an offshoot of the excellent Company Shed, but offering a few more creature comforts this hidden gem had been taken over by a young and enthusiastic team who excel in serving outstanding no-frills seafood at great value. Even though it involves a...

Came upon this place quite by accident. Looks like a transport cafe but the food and service are both excellent. They even alerted us to an impending high tide which would have prevented us from getting off the Island.

An excellent choice, super service, a friendly atmosphere and very high quality ingredients. We felt safe in that tables were well separated and the restaurant was well ventilated. Prices were very reasonable and represented outstanding value for money. All in all a super experience, this...

Staff so welcoming and helpful and the food was excellent highly recommended the fish was so fresh.Also the prices were very reasonable

Went yesterday for lunch which was superb. Staff and owner amazing, we were held up as driving 95 miles and traffic was horrendous, called to let them know twice and was told no problem. We arrived to find Holly the waitress very welcoming and giving...

All the food here is good. We had skate, fish pie, oysters and king prawn plattet. Reasonable prices and good service

Visited today ! Oh my! The food was out of bounds , Probably the best seafood we have ever eaten , Oyster heaven !

Really fresh seafood, most of it landed that morning, provides for exceptionally tasty dishes when cooked as well as this restaurant does. The potted crab was delicious as was the scallop starter. The main course prawn platter was delightful, very tasty prawns cooked 4 ways...

Four of us booked a table in Seafood at Dawn after a nice coast walk on East Mersea. The food her is great and good enough value to have made us all want a return visit. The staff are helpful and friendly and the lady...

We visited for Sunday lunch as it was recommended by friends, and the food was amazing. We were a party of five and we all loved our dishes. If you like fresh seafood, it really is a must on the island The Prawn platter and...

Wonderfully fresh food in a lovely setting run by a group of local friends. Great to know that so much of what is on the menu was brought from the sea just hours before, sometimes by Paige herself. A great wine and gin menu too!

Stopped here for lunch two days ago after a wonderful walk around the area Again superb food ,a chowder as good as any i have had and i have had many! Such pleasant staff a credit to all who work there ,certainly our favourite fish...

This little restaurant was on the main road just down from Cooper's Beach holiday park,it is only open lunchtimes 12-4pm as according to owner/ waitress no demand later than that,my husband booked at table at 3pm,he had the seafood platter and asked if two items...

Our meal was excellent and service fantastic just need to offer more green veg not just carrots that would be great

Beautiful seafood had lovely lunch starters potted crab grilled green lip Muscles Mains Scallops in garlic Prawn plater prawns in honey and walnut prawns in garlic prawns and hot and sticky prawns It was absolutely delicious

We came here as we were staying very close and had eaten here a few years back on another visit. The service was lovely and helpful. They made something for my daughter that wasn't on the menu which was great and she thoroughly enjoyed it....

Great family lunch with scallops, oysters, crab and prawns. Everything we had was really good, including the local oyster beer. We could have had wine, with limited but good choices, and quality soft drinks too. It feels very seaside, with simple decor and plenty of...

Service was lovely and friendly. The seafood was well prepared and cooked to perfection. The potted crab to die for. We went for Claire’s 50th lunch and enjoy every bite. Glad I booked they were constantly turning people away not surprised

Having moved to Mersea Island six months ago we have been hunting to find good places to eat. This place is unpretentious, reasonably priced and every mouthful delicious. I sincerely recommend it. (I took leftovers home as the portions were so generous and they are...