Smugglers Cove in Tendring

Amazing food and amazing service. Sam was our waitress and she was very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. The food was hot, fresh and delicious and would recommend 100. %

Excellent service Liam is a brilliant manager nice food all ok Sam the waitress was very good and attentive would go again

Friday evening meal with friends. It was busy but staff were attentive and had drinks served quickly. Starters were nice and had a little wait for our mains, but staff kept us updated. Premises are nice and clean. Food was nice and good value for money. Menu choices have definitely improved. We would definitely return.

Food is always lovely / all staff helpful it's a lovely place to go for all occasions I always recommend this place to all my family and friends

We met up with family and friend. had a lovely catch-up, lots of chatting, and Sam our waitress was so friendly and attentive. nothing was to much trouble and everything was done with a smile. Thank you Sam for making our evening special.

Food was delish x we had the festive burger !!! And my friend had jam sponge and custard

Food,service, and staff were excellent. However the furniture was very shabby. There were scratches all over the table and holes in the upholstery of the chairs.

Food was great, service was first class and friendly

I apologise for the food rating as I didn't actually have food on my last visit but by the smell of it and everyone's happy faces I would say it was really good. The staff are amazing, extremely friendly and remember exactly what you are drinking even though it was a busy dinner service. I will definitely be coming back soon

Yesterday was the best meal I have had in Smuggler's Cove. The food was hot and tasty- a big improvement on my last visit. The service was great, two very pleasant female members of staff served us and we were made to feel welcome by all the staff. Well done.

A certain member of staff needs retraining regarding Customer Care. Front of House was his main role. I’m polite and friendly even tho my job is as an undertaker. This person was totally the opposite.

Staff helpful. Lisa waitress worked really hard

Great food, servers were amazing. Greeters need to learn how to smile! Comfortable and plenty of parking space.

Great food and service. They cater well for gluten free allergues too which is excellent.

Waited 45 mins for order. Dirty smelly glasses. Odd chairs and table was in a state of damage and I cannot accept the damaged table should have been in use in the restaurant.

We had a small family gathering for my father in law's wake here. Part of the inn was kindly reserved for us. Really lovely atmosphere. Felt private but not isolated. The food buffet was simple but of a great standard. Staff were exceptionally kind, courteous and respectful. I know that my mother in law, sister in law, husband appreciated all you did. It brought comfort to what was of course a difficult time. Thank you.

Delightful. Food good staff friendly

Food is great as is the service one critical issue is sometimes you are put in the non waitress area and it becomes a different experience

We seem to go here more and more, can't really fault the food for the price, staff are always very pleasant, great

Hi I'm disabled the team was very perfessional and helpful with me thank you very much

Not a bad place but the service and food are not very good the carvery was very basic and some of the food was not very warm.

We had not booked for a Sunday carvery and thought we'd take our chances (rooky mistake) The front of house staff were brilliant finding us a table and settling us in the food was amazing massive burgers and lovely carvery roast. Can't fault it.

Very welcoming & quick to take our order. We all had a regular carvery which had a good choice of meats & vegetables. The only problem was the beef was not as tender as it normally is. A bit disappointed with that but overall a pleasant experience.

Decent pub, helpful staff. Good food and reasonably priced so cant complain :)

You must visit and see for yourself k

We had visited before. And decided to visit again because we had a 30% discount voucher. As it was busy a member of staff advised us to use the QR code to order our food. Nobody told us there was no way to use the voucher on line so no discount.

Easy booking online. Although the staff member who served us seemed to be rushed off of his feet and there didn’t seem to be many more staff around to assist and it was really quite busy.But he was still really friendly and efficient and the food was very good, if a bit slow.

The fish and chips were excellent. Not so the carvery. I asked for turkey and gammon, a regular size plate. The turkey and gammon joints were flat and a carved slice was difficult ,the gammon had a lot of fat round it and the turkey was one very small slice. The vegetables had sat on the pass, hence the carrots were hard skinned but ok when cut in half. The winter veg mix was dry, no liquid at all and much of it was stuck on the bottom of the dish. Not the usual choice of veg,

We both had the carvery but because there was not many people in the restaurant,the carvery wasn't hot like it normally is, it was just lukewarm and there wasn't much choice of vegetables,but apart from that everything else was ok.

Will not be going again, drinks OK food not worth the effort

Had carvery. Was not impressed. Food lukewarm. Maybe because it was not busy it had been sitting around too long. Also plates were cold which didnt help. Possibly if I visit again I'd try a main meal it might be hotter. Choc fudge cake was very very gungy and difficult to scrape off spoon. Very few customers and was quiet in there.

Awful. Carvery was dry and cold. Potatoes rock hard. Sirloin steak grissly unedible. Dirty dinning area. Blocked toilets. Management unfriendly. Never go back.

Cosy looking place but unfortunately the food is about on par with whether spoons and the service is worse. Only saw two members of staff waiting tables, on a quiet evening where it was almost empty and even then they managed to take 20 minutes to come back for payment after the bill, forgot the sauces that were meant to come with our burgers, and didn't seem to know which beers they had when asked. Food itself was basic, edible but not anything to write home about and quite cheaply priced. Go here if you just want to fill your stomach, aren't in a rush and are on a budget, it's average all round.

Went for a family birthday, was a nice atmosphere and food was great. Parking was free and plentiful, busy friendly atmosphere.

Main restaurant was busy but there were free tables, however we were shown to a table in what looked like a cafe area near the toilets. We were the only ones sat in this very basic area with cobwebs all over the ceiling. We were told that we could order on the app or the waitress would take our order. When the waitress came she said we had to use the app which we did. I took my wine back to the bar as had ordered a Pinot Blush and definitely had been given a Zinfandel (completely different colour and too sweet) the man on the bar disputed any mistake on their part until another member of staff pointed out it was wrong so that was corrected. I had curry which was tasty and as expected for pub food. My partner had the Classic burger which did not look very inviting and was extremely overcooked, by the time anyone came to check on us we were more than halfway through and he didn't want to make a fuss. Considering McDonald's was across the road we could have got a fresher, tastier burger there for less than half what we paid! A disappointing lunch experience.

I can't believe all the 5 star reviews for this restaurant. Me & my 5 friends have just had a meal to celebrate 2 birthdays. 2 meals were sent back because they were cold. 3 carvery's were the worst we have ever had. The beef was not edible, it really was like rubber. We complained & was given 6 minuscule pieces of turkey, hardly made up for the beef. It didn't help that the knives were so blunt they wouldn't even cut the yorkshires. 2 other meals were acceptable. When we paid we had no apologies & were still charged full amount. Never ever again will they get our custom. Absolutely horrible, it spoilt our evening. Well no surprise here, I'm still waiting 3 weeks later for a reply from "The Relevant management team" They just obviously don't care.

Brilliant food and service at a very reasonable price

The check in was very easy and the gentleman who helped us at the check in desk in the pub was very friendly and knowledgeable.

Great service, helpful staff and great food

Good food the person that met us at the door needs tidying up very scruffy but served by the girls well the noise was too much with the TV music and general noise

The beer is excellent but the food is well below par. Even for "pub grub" ! I had the mixed grill and asked for a rare steak which I would describe as medium. The egg looked like it had been cooked at breakfast and was incredibly dry. At no point has anyone checked if my meal was OK and to get another drink I had to go to the bar! The barmaid was very friendly. I will not stop for breakfast in the morning based on tonight's egg! I will be saying herein 2 weeks and hope for a better experience.. However as a place to stay for the night the bedrooms are excellent with comfy beds and always clean. I have stayed before and must say that the food previously was good as was the service.

reception v good and friendly. room was cleaned to a good standard.but seeing as it was a double room with 2 of us checked in i thought we should have had 2 chairs not 1.

The staff was very pleasant. Food was very good prices was good nice place to sit and have a chat with friends

A go to place for a family meal, the carvery was ok, had to wait to be served but friendly service. No booking needed. This may be different at busy times.

We visited yesterday for a 70th birthday and too say Brooke was an outstanding waitress she was very polite very good with our order and drinks she is a credit to this company! Thanks Brooke x

Exellent experience: fast service, lovely food and great atmosphere.

Always greeted with warm welcome. Nothing ever appears to be too much trouble, I.e dietary needs, chef spoke regarding a certain meal requirement, very obliging and understanding

Very nice should you sit down with your husband have a meal and talk

Very tasty steak perfectly cooked lovely hot chips and good value steak.and drink 12.95

Only been a couple of times and latest visit had great customer service, polite and friendly staff. Food is good for price and only lost star as carvery Yorkshire was a bit too dry for my liking but for the price it's totally acceptable and I don't do many carveries because I find food dries out sitting under the heat too long. As to atmosphere it was a lunch time and not crazy busy but everyone seemed friendly and enjoying their meals so that's all positive. Definitely worth a visit and I will be back in future.

Enjoyed a lovely carvery meal here yesterday! Lots of meat given which was very well cooked. Didn't feel rushed either. I will definitely be going again.

Good bar team. Carvery chef brilliant. Only let down by our take away cakes being dry

Wonderful food. I enjoyed the turkey roast dinner and the sherry trifle cheesecake for dessert. Yummy!

Charged us extra for something that was labelled as £5.99 but upon paying it came as £9.99...

Sunday evening carvery - fantastic. Will be going back again for sure.

We walked in and waited for the front of house person to see us. We asked if there was space for 5? Had we booked was the answer and no we hadn’t. This was answered with a disgruntled I’ll have a look. A Table was found for which we were grateful. On queueing to be served there was only one person serving and a queue was beginning to form. Eventually the other server who was cleaning the bar served us. We ordered and the server clarified that all the meals were to come out together as opposed to a starter first and 2 children’s meals as mains. Unfortunately this did not happen and we had to ask for the children’s meals to be brought out as the nachos had gone through as a starter. I ordered an adult cheeseburger and was surprised and disappointed that it was literally an extra burger and more skinny fries, this for an extra £6. Our table wasn’t cleared while we were there and there was no interaction from the staff. It was our first visit and our last. A real disappointment!!!

Great outside space when it's not raining

Friendly staff, good variety of food and a reasonable price

For the cost of the food it's OK 👍

Arrived earlier than expected but were welcomed. Friendly staff good food and nothing too much trouble.

Overall good experience. Food was tasty. Staff friendly. Could do with a little refurb but nothing too bad. Will no doubt visit again.

Enjoy coming to smugglers cove always have a good meal and staff lovely. I have one big moan and that is the tables they are all scratched and need to be re vanished. Then I will give 5 star.

I took my familey for Christmas day dinner all ways go there but starter was poor dinner was normal and desert was poor shame really would not book again for a Christmas again 61.pound each but was carvery we booked this in Nov at to say what we wanted at to stand at cavery for 30mins until we could sit down when we booked we thought it was a sit down dinner deliverd to our table not to stand for carvery prawn cocktail was on a side plate went home upset for Christmas day

Nice place to eat polite and helpful staff will be going again

House keeping terrible.trying to find a table not piled up with dirty plates ( no it wasn't busy) and when they were cleaned away only table surfaces wiped.the place is scruffy and dirty .we sat in the large cow on wall area ,table top sides and frames/ legs food stained,wall by cow disgusting.. scratched surfaces dirty salt pots ...the whole place is a mess ...I work in restaurants let's hope your kitchen housekeeping isn't like the front of house ....will not return ,will tell everyone. And to the reply left below total rubbish as I watched five being redressed ....very poor front of house ,only top surfaces were wiped ,no sides before dressing so "LIERS"

We stayed away for around 6 months as the food had gone down hill it was cold when arrived at table the waitresses had a couldn't be bothered attitude but we decided to give it another try and ibhave to say a vast improvement resturant was busy food arrived in a timely manner was hot the waitress couldn't do enough bless her appeared to be short on the floor. My only critique is the gent that was on front of house and bar looked untidy and unkept wearing crocs and socks shirt hanging out I didn't think he was part of staff and a customer at first. Not a good impression to give

I had my birthday meal there with my sister as she had booked a table she even gave them a balloon which was on the table I had a carvery but the roast potatoes were a bit hard but managed it, my sister had hunters chicken which took about 20 minutes to get to her meanwhile I had Finnished my dinner & she was still Waiting but eventually she had her dinner she wasn't very impressed then she had a cake for me & one of the waiters bought the cake through which was nice but they didn't give us a knife or any serviettes so had to make do with her dinner knife & a couple of serviettes from another table but I had a nice time with her

One of THE worst carvery’s I have ever had. The food was pretty much inedible. Stale and probably left out for hours. The waitress was lovely and very understanding.

The food was great. We had carvery, which didn't disappoint. The waitress was a little slow at coming over to us to take our orders for dessert and to clear away the plates, but the atmosphere was brilliant. We booked for boxing day dinner whilst there, and they were incredibly understanding about our autistic son with sensory needs. They made accommodations to the menu to suit his needs, so we're now looking forward to a lovely family meal!

We visit the smugglers cove regularly. We have never had a complaint and are always more than satisfied with the service and food. Waitresses are always very polite and we always make sure we treat them to a tip. We visited last night for my daughters birthday meal and had a lovely time. All plates were empty 😀. We have also enjoyed 3 Christmas day dinners with smugglers cove and will be returning again for this. We will be back soon. 😀

It was my daughter birthday so it was a very important evening for us. Pleased all round

I love it been here 3times so far and it's warm welcoming and inviting food delicious

First time visit to Smugglers Cove. Great service from Lisa and great food! Would definitely visit again in the future.

Absolutely lovely roast staff very nice and helpful,warm and cosy atmosphere definitely recommend.

Excellent food, I had the gammom, egg & chips, my wife had scampi & chips, It was delicious, it was that good a meal that we came back the next day and the food was excellent. The staff were lovely,

Breakfast and continental was great and not a bad price either. Good selection for cereals and porridge. Lisa served us with a smile as always we love coming here and seeing a smile makes it even better.

Lisa was amazing, best service!! Just a shame the frying pan broke so I couldn’t have an omelette! She soon made the experience better

Wonderful service from Lisa nothing was too much trouble for her especially she was run off of her feet and the restaurant was very busy. Thank you Lisa for great service

Food was good and our server Lisa was very kind and polite. Food came fairly quickly and the carvery had all expected of a carvery

Easy online booking. Friendly greeting. Quick service. Food hot generous portions and Tasty. Reasonable prices. Recommended

The meal I ordered was hunters chicken, the bacon was so burnt I couldn't eat it, bearly any cheese and the bbq sauce was non-existent, the plate was so hot the salad was warm and couldn't eat it, it was mentioned to a member of staff but nothing was offered and when I paid I asked for a receipt as I wanted to email and complain but was told they don't give receipts and the man taking my money was having a conversation with a staff member who was in the room behind him and wasn't really taking any notice of us,and as I left I heard the staff member bitching about me

The hotel was lovely, and the room was cosy and clean, with enough space for a family of four. The staff was friendly and supportive, even though we had minimal contact. However, I personally didn't like the fixed shower; I prefer a moveable shower head.

I didn't go to the smugglers cove just walked past

The rooms were lovely, the beds were so comfy, the best nights sleep we have had in ages. (for both nights we stayed!) The food was lovely, the croissants and pain au chocolats in the mornings were gorgeous! Liam gave us exeptional service. He was caring, attentive, funny and an all round great guy. We cant wait to come back to clacton to see him again at smugglers cove!

Lovely friendly family pub with food everyone will eat at a reasonable price

The rooms are lovely, the breakfast was lovely, the Irish man serving us was the best and really welcoming. We can't wait to come back 🥰

Great service from the lovely Brooke

very welcoming when entering, helpful staff, always a lovey greeting by the waitress for our table, service very good, food excellent, lovely atmosphere while dinning there, overall a very good experience.

Shocking food, took an age to arrive and when it did we wish it hadn't! Won't be returning.

Rude staff overpriced beers, rubbish public transport

What a lovely place for food. Fantastic food, great quality, and always fresh. The staff always make you feel welcome, Lisa in particular, always has a smile on her face and ensures everything is perfect. Great menu, and I'm yet to have a bad dish. The carvery is great quality also. And at reasonable enough prices for me to keep going back. Highly recommend this place.

We stopped for Dinner before boarding our Ferry from Harwich. Quick service and nice food (though the deserts were not fantastic).

Great service, friendly staff. Food was delicious and took no time at all. The family left happy and fed

Very disorganised needs a lot of improvement with the food.

Very disappointed. Doubt I will return after visiting there on numerous occasions

Sticking tables wrong orders expensive no atmosphere not enough staff at waitress rushed off her feet

Had a great carvery good veg meat was lovely Came back next night had the fish was fantastic will come back next time we are in the area

Visited this week and it was fantastic, the staff were all friendly with great customer service and all with a smile.

Nice pub with great food The carvery was fresh good portions

stayed here for a few nights the rooms where alright the beds were very comfortable but i would have to say it was not a nice thing to see hairs in my shower that weren’t ours… and to add when we went for breakfast we found hair in our food which just put us both of the food for the day, too add the air conditioning was only blowing out cold air no matter how hard we tried to change it and we tried call the number numerous times and no one answered and we even tried the emergency number and still no answer which was SHOCKING! the air conditioning was also leaking and the remote fell off the wall…