Smugglers Cove in Tendring - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

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…

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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 👍🙏

Cooked breakfast was meh, coffee was weak.

Went for lunch, it was really nice.

Service good, staff very friendly.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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 👍🏾

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Was a really nice stop with the family

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

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.

The staff in the pub were fantastic. Karen was an excellent server she made sure our table was alright for us. Kept up on making sure If we were okay even when she was really busy. Our runner (didn’t catch her name)I know she had brown hair and she was younger, was really sweet with my little sister and made sure that her burger was correct before leaving the table. We were visiting from the midlands and staying at a park nearby. On our way back though we should pop in for some food. Liam was a legend, got my grandad talking and recognised that we were from the midlands. Had a nice chat with us before we left and had my mum reminiscing about Daniel o donnel! At most pubs we have issues because my grandad is a very picky man, my sister can only eat certain foods in a certain way. As someone who works in hospitality a trip to a pub without a family member having a problem is a blessing! Thanks so much for making the last moment of our holiday so lovely!

The temperature in the restaurant was very warm even with the windows and doors open, but the food and service were as spot on as always 10/10

Good food, welcoming staff and affordable!

Poor service down to not enough staff, not down to the staff themselves . Tables were in a terrible state, with graffiti etched into the table. Food was OK.

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 love coming here. My mum is a coeliac and loves the gluten free menu and feels confident she can eat her meal without the fear of being ill. My little one loves the slide whilst waiting for her food and overall a lovely eating experience. Thanks so much

A comfortable and friendly place to meet friends and is easy to get to.

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

Got the order wrong, brought out a beef burger rather than the chicken burger I ordered. Asked for a Pepsi no ice but with a slice and got the opposite. Dessert was disappointing advertised as sherry trifle cheese cake, with custard, but came out with four small dots of custard and four small dots of trifle, at £5.99 disgusting price. We had a discussion with the table next to us of six women and they were equally disappointed and said they would not eat there again.

Server was polite , food and drinks came quickly , table wasn’t set but was cleaned very quickly , food was hot and tasty ,very pleasant experience

Great place to eat service was good,carvery selection was both good and plentiful, good access for guests in wheelchairs.

Excellent choice of food, reasonably priced and lively and hot when served. Service was excellent

Sadly the Carvery was very disapointing. Only small joints of meat under the heat lamps hence very dry meat.. For the price not good value. Would i eat therr again no.

The service was lovely and welcoming, especially Liam, who was a really friendly man who talked to us alot.

Went for breakfast at Smugglers cove, staff were very friendly made us welcome and couldn’t do enough. Tea, coffee and juice were unlimited, pastries, fruit, cereal and toast were all included with the cooked breakfast. We could swap items on ordering, the food was cooked to order and excellent. Will definitely be going again.

We went for meal and there was four of us when it came to ordering we were told there was No chips only fries or mashed potato which my parents do not eat fries we left due to this feeling hungry and annoyed staff just laughed and found it funny Will NOT be returning disgraceful

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

Had dinner here for my mum's birthday and was made to feel welcome. Friendly staff, good choice of food and drink and a very relaxed atmosphere.

Been there three times and the food and service has been consistent. Great place for a meal, whether it is a breakfast or main meal. I will be going again soon.

Beautiful place with lovely food. Staff were amazing! Thank you for looking after us.

Lovely, friendly place. Nothing was to much trouble. I have a gluten allergy which they catered for with an ngci menu . Service was fast and the food was delicious. We will definitely be returning at some point when we are back in the area.

A lovely meal and great staff. Very happy to have dinner here. I had Hunters Chicken which was was tasty.

Great service, great food and Staff were excellent. Thank you

For a First visit here all in all it was a nice evening good food the table service was very good especially the young female who served our table who served us with a smile and will be looking to return in the near future

We were on holiday in Clacton & went to Smugglers Cove twice. Both times the food & service were exceptional & should we be in the area again we would definitely come back. We were quite a large party with 2 buggies & 2 with disabilities & you were very accommodating. Thanks

Excellent budget friendly hotel/pub. Staff were really friendly and helpful, food was as expected and very tasty

Great breakfast, very friendly / helpful staff and timed my visit just right before the crowds, :-)

Descent food for the price our waiter was great and new his job inside out he was friendly and helpful

Great place for an afternoon luncheon.

Exceptional food excellent service well worth a visit.

Had cod chips and side salad today absolutely delicious 🤤 keep the good work up chef 5 stars 🌟

The service from Brooke P was brilliant, she had a constant smile and was very kind and helpful both days we visited

Me and my husband were very pleased with overall experience, my husband is in a wheelchair but was treated very well. The food was delicious, we will certainly come again. Thank you to all the staff.

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.

Great place in Clacton-on-Sea to get a quick bite to eat with some great price's. Service can be slightly slower with busy periods

Booked table Sunday morning for the afternoon. We opted for the carvery. Could not be more happy food was 10/10 meats cooked perfectly and veg choice was excellent and also cooked perfectly. One of the best carvery meals around. Staff were spot on too. Cannot fault the place.

Lack of food items. No rolls for burgers. No carvery.

Awful experience from start to finish. Myself and husband haven't been before but other family members have and enjoyed it previously so came for a birthday. Took ages to get served for drinks, ages to recieve the drinks then ages to order. Took ages to recieve the two starters and then to get mains Took over 1hr and 20 mins. Two of us chose carvery and got told we can go get it as others will get their food soon. There was barely anything left, dried up minging looking food we refused to have it and didn't want to order anything else as won't be able to eat with others. Got told if we have a burger or similar could get it in 10 mins but we didn't want to order food we didn't want. Kids food was fine, vegan chilli was fine but the 3 others who had food were very disappointed. It was dried up, over done rubbish food. We didn't get any updates on food, times, anything. We eventually got told to pay only for drinks after back and forward with a few people. The whole experience was absolutely awful and we would not recommend. Karen listened and helped the best she could and looked overwhelmed which was sad to see and she said this didn't normally happen. She is the one that made sure we only paid for drinks and was really decent. So thank you Karen we are grateful for your understanding Edit to their reply. I don't think we met the assistant manager unless it was Karen, it took ages to be dealt with. It wasn't busy in there so no excuse for times for anything. Why take orders if its near the end? We asked if it would be refreshed and we got told yes. Hearing your staff walking about making comments smirking and shaking their heads talking about the situation is so unprofessional. Literally none of that experience was our fault. So amazed at the good reviews here considering it was so bad. Maybe we were just unlucky and it was a bad day, it wasn't bank holiday it was a Tuesday. It was enough to put us off going back .

We have been regulars at the Smugglers Cove Clacton since it opened. We would always recommend our friends to visit as the food was always nice and the staff pleasant. However in recent months the restaurant has become tired looking and the food not quite as good as it has been in the past. Portions are smaller (the button mushrooms should be renamed micro mushrooms) and it seems like the chefs have lost their mojo. Staff didn’t take away our dinner plates before bringing our desserts so we shoved them down the end of the table. Tables are scratched and the walls dirty. Not sure if we’ll return now.

Breakfast and dinner , service was Disorganised, food standards are very poor the roast dinner was poor with cold potatoes, limited veg peas only! Left under the heat way too long . Breakfast Was extremely poor with bad customer service - when would you greet someone with what do you want ! Sack the manager in control and have staff trained . Dinner only thing that was ok was the drinks . I’m going to place a review on trip advisor

Very expensive, three drinks came to £14.59 Will not be returning.

Very poor ,we had friends to stay at Weeley bridge holiday park with us it supposed to be a celebration but we didn't eat together very disappointed

helpful staff, good hot food. menu seems smaller at moment. Loyalty card ?

The manager is so welcoming that we felt at home. Absolutely brilliant service provided by all staff and includinf the manager.

Had a carvery meal here. Meat was nice and tender. Limited vegetables. Meal could have been a lot hotter.

We went here today as we always try to visit when we are down. Today was definately the worse visit. It took over an hour to get our food. Two had the carvery, we sent them up before ours arrived as they were so hungrey. We thought it was due yo it being busy but the waitress said it wasnt very busy. The people on the next table waited half an hour for their jelly and ice cream!!! We decided not to order a dessert as the waitress went to a table who arrived after us to take their dessert order even though we had been finished a while. We ended up with a Mcflurry! Very disapointted on this visit. 😟

Really enjoyable experience, had a lovely Carvery and also great service even though the waitresses were rushed off their feet

What a great time we had at this lovely restaurant Service was great, food superb, nothing more to say

Booked table greeted with a smile, ordered carvery sat down waited a while for drinks but overall food was outstanding, well done to all chefs 💯

A nice pub, and one I'd recommend for 'capping off' a day on Clacton seafront. The staff were friendly, the service was fast, the portions were good, and the prices were fair.

I honestly don’t know how this place gets such good reviews! We were greeted by a very hostile lady which didn’t give off good first impressions but it was late in the day so decided to eat in still. We then had a meal missed off our order and had to wait 15-20 mins for it to come out meaning the rest of the table had already finished there meals. At the time we decided we wasn’t going to complain about it until the service then became even more hostile. The service overall was frosty and unwelcoming! Safe to say we won’t be returning again!

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

Staff very friendly and helpful.lovely carvery and service excellent.

Staff were really helpful food didn't take to long over all very happy

Very happy with my service from Sam, would recommend!

Decent food bit out of the way so it's quiet

Lovley atmosphere. Food was ok and service was fair

Food was awful, made me feel unwell whilst eating it, left without eating our meals