The Alma in Colchester - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Great meal with good service and friendly staff.

Had another lovely evening in this pub , food , services , staff and everything last night was great , highly recommend this place , they had a 50th birthday in the garden for about 100 people , live band , hog roast and the service was still A1 , can’t fault it 👍🏻🍺

Went for Sunday lunch, what a mistake. Roast potatoes had been sitting around for how knows long; cold, hard on outside, empty in the middle practically unedible; parsnips rock hard under cooked; some other over cooked vegetables, and roast beef that needed a steak knife and a good chew. Definitely wont be going again.

14/08/2024 Two delightful young ladies serving us, along with tasty food in a lovely setting. We'll be back. 18/08/2023 Lovely lady serving. Great variety of meals. Tasty food. Good parking. Clean toilet.

We went to the Alma for a beer and not to eat although the Sunday roast looked very good. We sat outside as quite mild and they had infrared heaters. The beer, IPA, was very good. It was busy but plenty of staff to serve at the bar. Lots of outside space, tables and chairs. Another visit to eat this time, the food was excellent and the service very good. This time I had and enjoyed the Speckled Hen beer on tap.

Lovely English pub serving gluten free food.

The food looked superb, a large range of beers, even alcohol free Guinness aa well as great friendly bar staff and a lovely beer garden! We will definitely be back to sample the food!

£5.80 for a pint of Guinness on Wednesday. I bought one on Tuesday for £3.67 in a Wetherspoons in Croydon, South London...appreciate country pubs are struggling, but that is ridiculous.

I really liked this little country pub. I didn't eat but the food looked good from what I saw coming out. The garden looked good as well. A proper pub pub.

Lovely cosy country pub! We got the sharing roast board for 4 people and wow was it alot of food! So much meat and veg, all super tasty. Firm favourite was the pork belly! Highly recommend for a sunday lunch out

Lovely pub. Friendly team and great food. Great pub to have on the doorstep. 👍🏻

We arrived after a visit to Colchester Zoo. This is a very cosy, welcoming pub. Staff were very friendly. The food was very tasty and we all enjoyed our meals. My husband said the sticky toffee pudding was one of the best he had eaten.

Lovely little country pub in a beautiful setting. Lots of parking, friendly staff and the pub was warm and inviting. We bought a pram and the staff were so accommodating. We both had a Sunday roast, which was cooked to perfection. Recommended for Sunday Roast.

We visited on a Saturday morning for breakfast, I had the vegan option and was able to exchange items, my friend had the normal fry up. Everything was delicious. Pub was nice and quiet. Would highly recommend.

Unfortunately I forgot to take more photos, but wow! what a welcoming pub! I used the what'sapp service to book a table and was responded to straight away. Turned up and a lovely lady greeted us, we sat outside, a little nippy still but in the summer you can see it'll be perfect seating outside, food was absolutely stunning, chips were triple cooked and to die for! I will 100% be back for more. Service was amazing

Delicious food, service and atmosphere were great. Compliments to the chef!

Irish night at The Alma was a huge success. The food was exceptional as it has been consistently on our last few visits. Similarly, the service is always warm, friendly and accommodating. The addition of the live music was brilliant and really added to the atmosphere, so thank you very much to The Alma team

Really great breakfast. Quality food at a reasonable price. Great way to start the day. Thanks all. Looking forward to the next one.

Lovely lunch in a great atmosphere and friendly staff.

Great Local pub with reasonably priced pub grub

Traditional Pub with old world charm. Good service. Could not try much of the food as we were late with kitchen closing at 8pm. Beer was nice

Spent a wonderful evening here celebrating with a group of six friends, plus one dog. Service was quick and friendly, while the food was hot and delicious, with generous portions. On top of this, thanks to the special January offer, three of our main courses were half-price! Will definitely return.

Our first visit on Sunday and couldn’t fault it! The food was lovely. Highly recommended.

Lovely country pub , had the most delicious beef stew , service was great & prices realistic & good value , loved it !

Attentive and friendly service. Lovely food and dog friendly. Look forward to coming back soon

Visited for the first time with friends last night, a very cosy little pub with a warm welcome from the staff. There was a good selection of beers to choose from and a very tasty looking menu, beef and Guinness stew was lovely and everyone else thoroughly enjoyed their meals. Service was excellent and prompt, we will definitely be returning.

Celebrated mums 69th bday, friendly staff, amazing atmosphere , excellent food we had a Sunday roast the sharing platter also looked amazing will try next time.

Excellent food quality and service Spot on

The food at the Alma was next level. We shared the roast platter and it was delicious. Also fell in love with the Shepherds Pie croquettes and would highly recommend them. The staff are all really friendly too and service was impeccable. The pub was lovely and festive too.

Love this pub and food is fantastic, especially the sunday roast sharer

Thank you for a lovely lunch today at a very reasonable price. Clean pub and tables, friendly staff, a pleasant experience.

Had another amazing roast dinner here today , hot , fresh and just the right amount of food for us , friendly staff , chef came out to see if all was ok and told him it was excellent … which it was High recommended this pubs for food , drinks and a lovely time , you won’t be disappointed 👍🏻👍🏻😎😎

My son and I called in for early evening meal. We both had steak and kidney pud, it was the best we had had in a long time, very friendly staff. Defo recommend 👌 dog friendly. Will go again.

We came in for a mid-week light lunch & it was fantastic! I had the pork souvlaki wrap & it was delicious! Very generous portion sizes & excellent value.

Went for a mid week lunch and it was so good I’ve had to write a review! We had burgers and they were the best burgers we’d had in a long time! Definitely going back :)

What a lovely inn. good beers , great food and lovely staff. if you in the area, then the Alma is the place to go. top marks.

Good food, lovely location and great service. We went for Sunday lunch and the food was excellent. Loved the different dining areas. Definitely will go again.

We have been here over the years and always had a lovely Sunday lunch. Unfortunately, today, we had a very disapointing experience. Flaccid, anaemic, chewy beef with lots of gristle and barely cooked roast potatoes. My husband had a roast chicken dinner, a scrawny chicken quarter which again had flaccid, pale skin. I did ask if the chef had changed recently and was told that there had been a change. Such a shame as we really liked going to the Alma for a treat. The waiting service was very good though.

Just wanted to say a massive thank you to the chef & staff at The Alma!! We’ve just had a superb “sharing roast board” for 2 and it was delicious. Our waiter was also very attentive with our drinks. We will be returning for sure :)

I'm a local that doesn't go to pubs all to ofter but every time I eat or stop in for a drink, no matter what day of the week, I'm always happy with the result! Always good food and friendly staff but today's roast..... Omg!!! To say I'm in a food coma would be an understatement!! The sharer platter for 4 is well worthy of a gold star in my opinion. There's loads to go around. Get yourself in! You will not be disappointed! Kind Dave

This visit was just 2 oldies R and I for Thursday lunch. It was almost empty even on a nicd sunny day. Service was very good as was the food which came in good time. The food was a bit pricey. Menu is availabke on line with no specials on offer.

I have been to this pub several times this summer and every time the food was delicious. However they have now changed the menu and the chef. The new menu is awful; there was nothing on it that sounded remotely tempting. Their old menu had lots of lovely dishes to choose from, you really were spoilt for choice. I ended up going for the smoked chicken Caesars salad. The chicken was not smoked and it looked like it came out of a packet. There was also not that much of it. Caesars salad does not have tomatoes and cucumber in, but this one did. It does however usually have croutons which this didn’t. It also had a very small amount of dressing. I had to put mayonnaise and salt on it to make it edible as it was so bland. It was overpriced for what was essentially a salad that looked like it belonged in the 70’s and chicken from a packet. I will not be going back.

Is my local, so I'm a little biased, but The Alma is a lovely relaxing proper quality English country pub. Friendly, lovely staff. Good food. New (well, since just before Covid) management have done an excellent job during a difficult couple of years. Really been a hub for the community and a source of quite literal cheer, thanks, guys and gals! Edit: Another change of management but still a lovely local. Food is less adventurous than it had become but still good!

Lovely place, staff were excellent. Food was delicious. Portions were generous. Would definitely come back again and thoroughly recommend -well behaved and pleasant people - give this pub a visit.

Excellent staff. Lovely interior, generous and delicious food portions. If you are well behaved and pleasant people, definitely worth a visit.

Stopped in a few times for dinner with the wife on the way home. Friendly service. Food is great honest food (bear in mind it's pub food people, not Gordan Ramseys 5 star restaurant). Large portions. Tasty. What more can you want? Nice quiet location. Dogs welcome too which always makes me smile. Benches/table out the front and in the rear garden if you like to be outside for food during summer .

Visited this pub for the first time yesterday and can honestly say that the welcome, the service, and the food were exemplary and to top it all, the price was so reasonable. Lovely clean toilets! Well worth a visit to a nice country pub and we will definitely be back soon.

Really delicious lunch, friendly staff and lovely surroundings. We live locally and are really enjoying how the pub is now. Feels worth the walk!

Gr8 place food, staff & ambiance

it’s my local so of course i am biased - but it’s such a friendly pub and the staff are always happy and pleased to see you if your new or old!

Excellent food and service today😃

Sunday lunch in the garden was really good. Pleasant surroundings, great food and excellent service. Highly recommend.

It’s a nice pub for some good pub grub and a pint but it always has a strange toilety smell when you walk in.

This is my local pub and love the place but last night went for the new Wednesday Curry night with friends! It was amazing and tasty and great value - as a die hard meat eater i had eaten the Vegetable curry first it was so good - Beer here now is always good and they try to keep 4 real ales on and the staff are all so friendly and welcoming lucky to have it as my local!

Went last Sunday for a Roast, we decided to go for the sharing roast……..we were not disappointed!!! 3 different meats, pigs in blankets, stuffing, giant Yorkshire puds and loads of lovey veg, the Cauliflower cheese was delicious! Liked it so much we’re going back today. If you fancy a decent Sunday roast definitely give this place a try, staff are friendly and it’s excellent value!

An absolute fantastic village pub with plenty of charm and character. We hadn't been to the Alma for some time and we understood that the pub had recently been taken over and as such we decided to visit for lunch, and what an improvement compared to what things used to be like. The food was brilliant and plenty of it, the beer, an important factor for me, was excellent. The staff were absolutely fantastic and couldn't do enough for you. The overall price for lunch was very reasonable and we will certainly be revisiting this venue. Totally recommended..

Had a lovely Sunday roast, delicious and good value. Staff were friendly and very helpful, especially as we hadn't booked and popped in on the off chance. Our first visit but will definitely come again when we're back in the area, thank you

Had a great meal here last Sunday. Service was fantastic, the staff couldn't do enough for you. We had the super roast for two, which was excellent. Plenty of food and good quality; you'll struggle to find value for money like this anywhere else in Colchester imo. Strongly recommended!

Visited with hubby had a really lovely meal. The alma is a beautiful English pub with country charm. Portions were huge and the food very flavorsome. Can't wait to book again.

My partner and I had a 10/10 roast dinner at the Alma in February. We took the dog along with us, as we usually do. The staff and atmosphere was brilliant. We heard the pub had changed hands but the old chef was back covering at that time. However we returned at the weekend and I was very disappointed to find that the roast dinner was lacking in all area’s i.e taste, presentation and effort. This is a great pub to visit so I hope you can take this on board, so we can return and enjoy a Sunday roast in the future.

Friendly service, nice beer, excellent food. Good atmosphere to the place

Nice location, food was reasonable, and a good selection of beers.

Seems like they might be short on staff here, but 5 stars as the food was lovely and the waitress Zara was brilliant.

The Alma had been recommended to us so we thought we would give it a try. When we went in I asked if they were still doing food and asked if we should order drinks before we sat down. The waitress said no, she would take the order. She seated us then gave us a menu. Turned started wiping down the table even though we were ready to order drinks. When she came back she took our food and drinks order. When our food arrived we were asked if we wanted any sauces, to which we replied ketchup and mayo, we also asked for some more drinks. The sauces never arrived. As we had finished eating I stood up to pay just as the other waitress brought our drinks over which we said we no longer needed as we had finished. The food was very good, the service was awful especially as the pub wasn't full.

Recent menu change that isn't displayed on website. Recommend the burger, seabass and lamb shank

Really nice atmosphere and staff

Great pint, food delish and friendly helpful caring staff

Stopped in for dinner as a family after visiting Colchester Zoo. Cracking food, nice beers on and very friendly people all round. Would recommend.

I wrote a review of this pub in October 2018 and it wasn't good. But what a change! We have eaten there several times recently and it has been a real pleasure. It is very Covid secure, the staff are friendly, the service excellent and the food has always been well cooked, tasty and fresh. All in all, we would recommend it to anyone and we will be back there very soon.

We have actually eaten in this pub before and during Covid-19, inside and out and have never had a bad meal. I've never put a review for them on-line before. During this disasterous lock-down now,m more than ever we need to encourage people to visit GOOD estabglishments that offer an experience you can thoroughly enjoy. It can be a chancy thing with Pubs, however you won't be disappointed. Service impeccable and selection of dishes superb - always changing so you never get bored with the menu selection. The chef is excellent as are the friendly bar staff.

Four of us visited for lunch. Good Covid measures in place. We ordered our drinks and food, drinks arrived promptly and then a 45 minute wait for our food followed. 2 had the burger, 1 had the veg curry all of which were good. Unfortunately one was served the chicken which was pink and bloody in the middle. The homemade coleslaw served with the burgers was grey in colour and tasted off. At the end of the meal we mentioned these issues to the waitress, we were fobbed off with being told the chef would just say it is the dark meat in the chicken (when clearly not cooked properly). Regarding the coleslaw we were informed that other people had complained about it, but it wasn't off chef just puts something 'funny' in it!! Certainly won't be back any time soon.

I have visited the Alma in many occasions and not once have I ever been disappointed! All the staff are a credit to the pub and are so polite and helpful.The landlord is friendly and always happy to have a chat.Food is top notch and so delicious never had a bad meal here.Drinks menu is large with a variety of good beers, wine and Gins etc.Also my daughter is disabled and the stuff have always done everything in there power to make us welcome and comfortable.Well worth a visit if you want a nice local country pub.Great work Alma see you again soon.

Amazing food and service, safe to go through these times. Friendly atmosphere would highly recommend

Lived in the area for 25 years and visited the Alma after 5 years recently. Will not be going back!!Be very careful of the bottled beer prices, as no size is printed on the drinks menu and they are 100% more expensive than the supermarket. Perhaps that’s the reason why size not shown.That’s some profit margin!!I asked what size of bottle of Punk IPA I would receive for £3.60.Despite assurances to the contrary that it would be a big bottle, I was served with the 330ml size.So that’s £7.20 for a pint whereas it’s £5 (on tap) at The Cricketers in Eight Ash Green.So that’s where I will be going.

We visited on a Wednesday lunchtime during a week off work, and the general ambience in the beer garden, added to the smells of the griddle wafting across the courtyard, made me feel like I was on holiday in another country! Service (with covid rules) was excellent, the staff are friendly and attentive and serve as fast as they can. There's quite a lot of space outside (and 3 portaloos so you don't go indoors at all) but it's advisable to book as they do fill up the tables pretty quickly. The menu is much more varied than some menus are at this time; we were spoilt for choice, even for vegetarian options. Both main dishes were delicious and well-cooked. There are a choice of draft beers to keep hubby happy, too. We'll definitely be back.

Had the most amazing lamb Gyros and skinny fries, wine delicious and the staff welcoming and outstanding service. How lucky are we to have such a fabulous local pub.

This pub has invested heavily in its garden offerings and has a newmenu i believe. I went here saturday and was blown away by the service and quality of food. The chorizo was fantastic followed by the alam beef burger which had great flavour and wasnt dry at all. i managed to taste some of the chiken too which i will be going for next time.I will certainly be returning here soon.

Had the best fish & chips I've tasted in years!! Thanks David & Sara for continually thinking 'outside of the box' for the greater good of the local community! Well done to you and your fabulous staff - keep up the good work! We shall definitely be back for more!!

We popped into the Alma on the off chance. I was very impressed with the friendly staff and lovely surroundings. The meal and service was very good and bar staff were welcoming. While we were there they were making sure that all their neighbours looked after with their needs if they weren't able to get out after having to self isolate. A real community pub. Kind and friendly.

Great food (loved the vegan pie), great place, but above all GREAT people and welcome. We arrived after a recommendation to find a really busy pub. We must have looked a bit taken aback, but were immediately grabbed by a really friendly local, turned out to be the owner who found us a table, took our drink order personally and went to fetch them. Must admit, he was quite right recommending a Weston's none alcohol cider. It was lovely, AND on the house!!! He also sent someone over quickly to take our food order. Food was really tasty and really good value. We can't praise this pub enough. Our only regret? we're only staying down here for 1 night!!!! But next time, we know exactly where to go.

What a lovely little pub. They squeezed us in and it was magnificent. All the staff were helpful. We were going to leave a tip but found it had already been taken out of the money we put down for the bill.

I like the changes made in the pub by new landlords. Excellent atmosphere, friendly staff, cosy and good selection of drinks. Would be quite nice to see a bit more on the menu but apart from that...very happy.

We were shopping at Tollgate and were meeting friends for a Friday afternoon drink, they suggested we meet at this place and as I had never been and my partner a few years ago we agreed, It seemed a friendly place and our little dog was welcomed, wine was of good quality and the Guinness nice and fresh, but the place lacked atmosphere, perhaps a different day would be different but sadly not to our taste.

they have a good selection of food which is always to a good standard, the bar is very warm and inviting. however they do not have a dart board or pool table anymore which is very sad to see.

just been their for a belated Christmas get together, as we were all working in the build up to Christmas catering for everyone else Christmas parties.so for all 10 of us to have no complaints only positives and we all work in the catering trade. Shows the high standards that we received in all area.food excellent.beer, drinks excellentservice excellent.Atmosphere faultless.

Popped in for a quick drink for first time, dog friendly pub, popular with locals. Good selection of beers, specials on 4 pint pitchers. Didn’t get the chance to eat but menu looked pretty standard and the wines were reasonably priced.

This pub is one that keeps on giving the choice of food is good beers a plenty. The menu choice is good and the food is well cooked,served,and priced will be back again.

New owners, big make over great staff and good food at a fair price what more can you ask for, will be coming back.

No complaints about the food or choice of ales. In fact the food was of a very high standard for a pub (we had the smoked haddock pie and the burger). Despite this we did not enjoy our experience. This seems to be very much a pub for the locals and if you're not a local, everyone seems to look at you as if you shouldn't be there. We felt decidedly unwelcome, ate our meal quickly and left. We won't be returning, and it's my guess the staff and regulars will applaud that decision.

Went for lunch and had a roast. The food was nice. The service is good and friendly. The pub has had a refurb and looks much better.

We sat outside and the burger was absolutely delicious!! The service was also really pleasant and the prices are reasonable.

Quaint barren pub with no atmosphere - party of 6 of us chose to eat outside as when eaten inside previously the smell of the toilets was very strong. Bar staff (all of one) was lovely she could’ve done with some help as serving bar and waiting on tables meant slow service. Being a vegetarian the choice was very very limited I can go anywhere and eat fish n chips or a curry. Fish wasn’t all that , batter rather doughy but not greasy. Gammon was very tough.

Yet again we’ve had a meal and drink at our favourite pub/restaurant The Alma!

Enjoyed my time in this traditional neighbourhood pub. The ambiance and the friendliness of the staff were all wonderful. I’m glad I was there!

We’ve been coming to the Alma for quite a while and today I’ve tried their burger. Well... I had to see their chef and shake his hand! It was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection. If you’re serious about burgers, it’s a must !!

Never been there before what a gem good beer well cooked food quirky menu touches and a proper pub as well

Nipped in a couple of times while visiting family who still live in the area.

Just popped in for drink and business chat. Such a friendly welcome made to feel very welcome must go again

Great little pub in a great village I grew up around and thought we’d give it a try especially as they’ve been advertising a new chef in village publications. Service wasn’t great although my curry was good, my wife ordered the ham , egg and chips specifying the eggs were cooked on both sides....chips were Luke warm & eggs were cooked on one side but hardly at all on the other, on the plus side the ham was lovely...all in all disappointing so we didn’t didn’t bother with desert!...my wife mentioned it at payment & the staff member didn’t really seem very interested & said she’d tell the chef

Very friendly, cosy traditional pub. Nine of us had a three course Christmas lunch and everyone enjoyed their choices. Great freshly cooked, tasty, hot food. Good value and would recommend!