Smugglers Cove in Tendring

Great service, helpful staff and great food

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 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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

You must visit and see for yourself k

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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!

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

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 🥰

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

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.

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.

Rude staff overpriced beers, rubbish public transport

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

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

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

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…

Absolutely rude staff don’t care About allergies tell you to check the website The food I wouldn’t feed my dog Dried out tasteless food Dirty table

The maitre de alone would be a good reason alone not to go back again. Failed to greet or acknowledge us. We told her our name and booking time, she looked at the computer and walked off. She then wiped a table without bothering to lift menus and sauces up to clean properly and then grunted that's your table. We had a carvery most of which was cold. The waitress who brought our drinks over was very pleasant and was it turned out the only positive feedback we can give. Will not be going back anytime soon.

Slow staff.Food unappetising. Would just give this place a miss

Visited Tuesday evening. The woman on front of house (topknot on her head and shaved at back) very rude and unwelcoming. We asked for a table and she barked at us to look down the other end or go outside. Wasn't told that it was bar service to order. I work in customer service and making an impression counts but she was just vile. Ordered burgers, wasn't told at point of ordering it came with a drink. So when we found out afterwards and asked if we could have it, we were refused. Considering we spent a fair amount, he could have thrown them in as this also stopped us from spending more money there. Burgers were overcooked and very dry. Will not be returning or recommending.

I like this place it reminds me of harvester brewers faye etc same sort of meals and quality etc.i have not had any issues. nice place to go with family.

I had a meat up with my brother's don't often get the time,as we all live so far apart, the meal was very enjoyable 👍🙏

Assistant manager rude zero customer service skills thinks he is doing you a favour. Place unclean tables all graffiti and not clean food bland and small portions crust on pie as hard as a brick place needs a good clean and upgraded we won’t be back

Cooked breakfast was meh, coffee was weak.

Went for lunch, it was really nice.

Service good, staff very friendly.

Initially disappointed because I had booked in person with a request for a party of eight to sit at a round table. On arrival it was clear that the table had "inadvertently" been given to another group. The waitress was clearly embarrassed and apologetic, but the manageress was blunt to the point of being rude, implying that the booking was only a request not an assurance of getting the table. Fortunately, the waiting staff were very pleasant and helpful and the food was value for money. I do think the overall look of the restaurant is now tired with the tables badly scratched and wobbly.

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.

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.

was lovely christmas meal wasnt much of a christmas atmoshere but staff friendly

A very long wait for the meal and absolutely streaming hot in there ate outside with wasps flys and ants

Went here for a meal,tables was dirty and sticky and badly scratched carpet dirty and generally did not look clean,some of the food was just warm,there was a fly around the carvery meat and staff looked totally bored would not be returning or recommend.

Reasonable, the place needs a revamp inside, tables and carpets

Couldn’t praise the smugglers cove enough.. fantastic staff from the Liam the manager ,bar staff and cleaners. We had a great welcome and everything explained to us. Rooms nice and clean. Parking perfect and food lovely. Thank you Liam 👍🏾

Absolutely great place to stay, cant wait to go back

Lovely place to eat lovely food definitely returning

Very messy. Cornflakes all over the floor next to our table. Presumably left over from breakfast. Every table sticky. Not good

It's a nice enough place, came in for a drink (to join friends who were there already, eating). It didn't seem too busy but I just couldn't get served at the bar, a real shame. Just 1 gentleman bar person working very hard firefighting but it was hopeless, I gave up after waiting 15 minutes or so with no sign of him getting any nearer to serving me. I'm not a hospitality expert but if you're taking orders for food AND serving drinks at the bar, one person simply is not enough.

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.

Overcooked.bland. Dine early they run out of carvery food. Plenty of vouchers offered to get you through the door. Personally I would use the back door to escape.

Food was amazing, staff were friendly, highly recommend eating here

Stopped at the smugglers cove with family for dinner. Big regret. First impression was the staff seemed so miserable especially the man that took my order at the bar. Food arrived in a reasonable time to our outside table. I had a steak and ale pie with chips and peas. The pie can only be described as descusting the tiny amount of filling was dry and overcooked and the pastry was inedible, rock hard. The peas were the ok edible bit. Grandson had a carvery, again this was also overcooked and would go as far and say burnt. So if you like your food overcooked and inedible and a depressing environment then this could be the place to go. If you enjoy normal tasty food and a smile then don't.

We booked to come here for Sunday lunch with my husband's mum and dad. We have been to this restaurant many times before and th food is always nice but this time the was horrible. Me and my husband had the carvery and it was horrible. The roast potatoes was watery, soft and horrible. We complained to a manager, ( think he is the new General manager) my husband ask to have our meals changed which they did to something off the menu. That meal was OK. The new general manager was a bit over the top. We have been here many times in the past and always had a nice meal. The other manager with ginger hair is so lovely, so friendly, always goes out of his way to speak to us when he sees us, very nice man. I don't think we will be back again. We will go to The wick lodge in Jaywick Lane, fantastic food there and staff are so friendly. We would gone there today but they are redoing their kitchens. A disappointing meal

A great place to stay, my wife and I stayed there whilst attending a family wedding near by. A clean comfortable hotel, very friendly staff and a good breakfast. Good value for money.

7 people went . 4 of the meal were wrong. Run out of some meals on menu and a lot of the drinks weren't available. Not a good experience. Management need to buck up. Serving staff very apologetic and needed to deal with customers

Lovely food and excellent service. The family loved it and kids loved playing outside in the climbing frame. Children portions are great too.

Last minute plans to go for food and they were accommodating of a large party.. food was all hot and fresh and staff were friendly and helpful especially the manager he deserves 5* rating of his own.

Food was nice and the hotel is nice service is nice aswell it’s worth going to and it’s not far the from the clacton Peir

Was staying in the hotel with family so got together in the evening for a family meal. The staff were pleasant and attentive and the food was good value and quality. Plus if you book direct you get 20% off the meal price. Would highly recommend

I visited again on Thursday. Once again the food and service was excellent. I was welcomed and served by the beautiful Abigail who once again was excellent and very professional. Nothing was too much trouble 😆. Probably the best waitress in the business 😆👍

Lovely and very welcoming staff "Karen& Liam " amazing breakfast with very, very good coffee.

Thought we would try out this relatively new pub/restaurant. The pub serves the usual pub fare with the addition of a carvery. Met by a very freindly smiley waitress. Unfortunately we were seated at the furthest table from the carvery. I am disabled and it would be very difficult for me to walk to it. The waitress kindly offered to collect my roast for me, but my husband said he would carry my plate, but it was very hard to walk there and back to chose what I wanted. The carvery was very nice, crispy potatos, nice vegetables, the beef was tender but the turkey was very dry. My husband had scampi and chips which he thoroughly enjoyed. The only criticism I would make is, that it would be a good idea to try to seat people with disabilities nearer to the entrance and toilets. The restaurant is of a long narrow design with carvery and toilets at opposite end to the tables. We would definitely would visit this pub again for food and next time book a table to explain my needs.

Food led pub next to retail park. Not expensive, though carvery costs more on Sundays than other days. Two plate options sizes. Mixed grill filling. Plenty of parking