The Blackwater Pearl in Colchester

Great hot pot and dumplings just what we needed and what a great view thank you so much

Paper plates, paper cups, horrible coffee burnt eggs and bacon. Worst breakfast I've had I many years, oh and had run out of mushrooms but didn't address this in the price

Absolutely disgusting was served mouldy bread , lady cooking rude not even offered a refund . Served on paper plates just an unpleasant experience never ever again! AVOID

We were staying in Mersea and visited this venue 4 times during our week long stay. The venue is conveniently located with a car park close by and there are public toilets across the road. We received a warm welcome on our first visit this certainly influenced our desire to return. The coffee was a particularly hit especially with my step mother who is particular with here coffee during our visits here we try the warm sausage rolls these were a fantastic hit with the young people in our party. The cakes were delicious and very well received. On our final visit we decided to eat full meals as the lighter food had been so delicious. We had the black pearl burgers. Again these were well cooked and very tasty. The food is served on good quality takeaway containers. I have absolutely no issue with this as this is clearly stated on the menu and you are able to bring Owen plate if that is you’re desire but all of our group felt this wouldn’t have been necessary. All in all a very pleasant time was had each time we visited. We all felt this cafe was a great venue and offered something different from the higher priced venues nearby. Thank you for the great service and value during our visits. We will be returning soon.

There are some shocking reviews of this cafe here, but I think they're all a bit harsh. Food is OK and as you'd expect for the price, probably better value than the other café where I had breakfast the previous day. Furniture obviously recently replaced and, whilst the corner chairs look a bit quirky, comfortable enough and the tables were clean. Not completely convinced by their argument for paper plates, but at least you know they're clean too.

If only we would have read the previous reviews I would have saved ourselves from an miserable experience. We simply ordered a bacon sandwich and bacon & egg sandwich + 2 coffees as takeaway. We waited for over 20 minutes and finished our not great coffee well before food arrived. It was not busy and ended up going to the counter to see if we had been forgotten. The food was eventually served on a paper plate so asked for takeaway, this was met grumpely by lady doing the cooking who was very disrespectful, rude and condescending to the young lady on the till. Both of our sandwiches had the end crust slice and the bread was stale. Quality of ingredients poor, service poor and won't be going back there.

Very friendly loving food highly recommended

What I particularly liked when I visited the cafe was the location with a view of the harbor. The food (small breakfast) was freshly prepared and was appealing - as was the coffee that was also served. The price for both things was comparatively cheap (relative to other cafes on the island that I had visited) due to a combo offer!

Waited 30 minutes for two baguettes. Staff were on their phones and squirting cream into each others mouths. When I politely asked how much longer my order would be the lady cooking shrugged and said ‘whatever’. Paid £7.50 for a tuna baguette which had hardly any tuna or sweetcorn. Bins overflowing in the car park and dirty tables.

Weird for 3 reasons: 1) It’s possibly the only place I’ve eaten where the owners appear genuinely put out by your presence. The simplest questions, such as asking where the toilets are (there aren’t any) are met with irritation- bordering- aggressive responses. 2) The food was very average and took an age to arrive 3) Everything is served on plastic or paper plates. I saw someone served ham, egg and chips on a pizza box. Clearly this is an attempt to save money but the management give an odd and highly aggressive defence of this on their menu. On the plus side they also give some hints and tips if you’re not a fan of this policy- such as bringing your own plate and scraping the food off the cardboard it’s served on. If you’ve forgotten to bring along your china dinner set for a day at the beach though, your locally sourced (where possible) cardboard goes in the general waste along with everything else.

Stopped here for a bite to eat, unfortunately I'd not read the list of bad reviews beforehand, if I had, I'd definitely not put myself through the stress, rudeness of the staff & bland microwaved food we got served. I don't know how this place operates but would highly recommend avoiding at all costs!!

This could be a fabulous little cafe with its great location but unfortunately it is a dirty establishment that doesn't seem to care or take pride in it's business Rubbish and food remnants litter the floor, that doesn't appear to have been swept for days, just left to blow into the estuary across the road. Tables hadn't been wiped for days. Asked for a cloth twice and in the end had to fetch it myself. Had an expensive cheese and pickle sandwich with the smallest amount of grated cheese all served up on disposable plates. Used cutlery had to be placed in a filthy swing bin by the rubbish bins. A young, inexperienced girl was serving ice cream and was openly reprimanded by a senior member of staff for failing to fill the ice cream machine/issues with filling the cones. Was sad to witness - please give an appropriate level of training to the young lady rather than belittling her in front of customers! One positive point - good Mr Whippy ice-cream!

Lovely lunch. Bit windy but nothing much the cafe could do about it.

Had been to the cafe for a number of years so thought we'd get my elderly dad there for a change, NEVER AGAIN. At 12.45 i ordered the families food from the menu then requested scrabbled egg on toast for myself, omg with that a passive-aggressive female appeared stating they don't do scrabble egg after 12!! The polite young cashier appeared embarrassed. There was nothing polite in the way this woman spoke at all. I explained to the cashier that I would return to my family to look at the menu to reorder. When I returned to the cashier I apologised for my pervious order, I said quitely the menu didn't state anything about before 12 like other items did, omg with that this white haired passive-aggressive, rude and ignorant manger appeared beside me (she was sitting at a table eating her lunch!!) She started shouting about how she knew what was on the menu as she had written it, she continued to shout telling me they were to busy to serve scrabbled egg, i did say did she want us to leave due to her passive-aggressive behaviour, she stated she didn't care. I returned to the family who were in the next room but horrified what they had heard. If it wasnt for my elderly dad needing to be fed we would have left. Shortly after this young waitress plocked a tray of food on the table and walked off!! She clearly didn't want to be there!! No matter, smiles or anything. Omg then the food, burger had no taste at all with some funny cheese in it. The jacket potato was dry then the cheap fried, very greasy chips (no potatoe inside) arrived covered in microwave processed cheese. I regret not getting photos of the slop. The hygiene of the place wasn't good, carpets with food on in the corner. (Did get photo) Unable to see any toilets inside the cafe, they do have public ones opposite. We will NEVER BE GOING THERE AGAIN Right on the seafront and No fresh fish on the menu

Had been to the cafe for a number of years so thought we'd get my elderly dad there for a change, NEVER AGAIN. At 12.45 i ordered the families food from the menu then requested scrabbled egg on toast for myself, omg with that a passive-aggressive female appeared stating they don't do scrabble egg after 12!! The polite young cashier appeared embarrassed. There was nothing polite in the way this woman spoke at all. I explained to the cashier that I would return to my family to look at the menu to reorder. When I returned to the cashier I apologised for my pervious order, I said quitely the menu didn't state anything about before 12 like other items did, omg with that this white haired passive-aggressive, rude and ignorant manger appeared beside me (she was sitting at a table eating her lunch!!) She started shouting about how she knew what was on the menu as she had written it, she continued to shout telling me they were to busy to serve scrabbled egg, i did say did she want us to leave due to her passive-aggressive behaviour, she stated she didn't care. I returned to the family who were in the next room but horrified what they had heard. If it wasnt for my elderly dad needing to be fed we would have left. Shortly after this young waitress plocked a tray of food on the table and walked off!! She clearly didn't want to be there!! No matter, smiles or anything. Omg then the food, burger had no taste at all with some funny cheese in it. The jacket potato was dry then the cheap fried, very greasy chips (no potatoe inside) arrived covered in microwave processed cheese. I regret not getting photos of the slop. The hygiene of the place wasn't good, carpets with food on in the corner. (Did get photo) Unable to see any toilets inside the cafe, they do have public ones opposite. We will NEVER BE GOING THERE AGAIN Right on the seafront and No fresh fish on the menu

Enjoyed a few hours chilling with drinks after our trip with friends to radio caroline, beautiful spot to relax, and the ice-cream was very good.

Had a great afternoon good music great company

food was below par definitely more a cafe vibe, not a great visit, but others experiences may be different

Went for an icecream today. Bought 4 Mr Whippys and upon paying the girl behind the till tried to make out that my mum had taken a calippo. We then told the girl that we hadn’t taken a calippo and once we had left we realised that we had been charged for it! We found the girl extremely rude and could not believe that she charged us for a calippo that we did not have! We live on Mersea and have done for many years but after this we will not be returning!

Had the breakfast and arrived on paper plates this after I had asked for one item to be changed and you would have thought I had asked for money out the till, the reply and look I got from lady doing the cooking was not great. Cheap ingredients = Poor breakfast would give this place a wide birth

Really friendly staff, plenty of choice, fab location. A favourite of mine.

A group of us called in for a coffee and something to eat on a motorcycle day out. What a let down . The menu if you can call it that is shockingly bad bad with next to nothing in the way of choice. I had the cheek to ask for a omelette and they were asking each other if they did omelettes. Which they didn’t. Burgers and fries if you can call them that seems about it. If it didn’t come in bread they didn’t do it. As for the fries. Luckily you barely get any. I would think they would taste better if they were cooked in oil from an old transit van. It was clearly old and hadn’t been changed for a considerable amount of time. Avoid this place at all costs as there are some nice places along the front. You have been warned. This is my honest opinion and I am totally independent of any business on Mersey island.

A nice small car boot sale. 50p parking on a nice, well mown field

Staff are very friendly and eager to please. I visited at 1pm and ordered the Bacon and Brie served with Onion jam toasted focaccia. It was delicious and the portion was generous. All in all a lovely place.

Always a great place for a coffee and a bite to eat

Had breakfast (all day & a large). The food was fantastic, quality produce, well cooked & presented, absolutely superb and a five star recommendation. Will definitely be back for more . BEST BREAKFAST EVER !!

We had lunch here it was lovely. Really good quality food. I had a Brie, bacon and caramelised onion panini and my daughter had an egg and bacon baguette. The lady who served us was really really nice and friendly. They have outdoor seating, an indoor patio type bit for if you have a dog and inside seating.

Friendly staff and lots of veggie options. Not huge but nice seating area outside. Fabulous freshly made doughnuts and lovely coffee

Great value breakfast. Not fancy but very good. Service is friendly & efficient. Lovely sit outside on a nice sunny day.

We came on a miserable rainy day for a breakfast whilst visiting Mersea island. We ordered 4 bacon baguettes with teas and coffees as they come with it as a deal. It’s around £5 for a filter coffee or tea with bacon baguette. The baguettes are soft and a good size with a light covering of butter. They come loaded with bacon we always tend to ask for the bacon well done as not too keen on the fat unless crispy. Staff are friendly and helpful. There’s seating inside and a small conservatory as you walk in with a smaller amount of seating for those with dogs.

Another lovely find on our motorbike adventures! Beautiful coffee, will come back for some food real soon.

Went there Easter Monday for a ride out with three friends and saw a sign by the till say “HOT CROSS BUN AND HOT DRINK £3.50” so went for cappuccino as my hot drink only to be told that it’s extra for a cappuccino and “HOT DRINK” only applies to tea or coffee…. So I went for the cappuccino thinking I would just pay the difference and it came to £6.50 a cappuccino on its own comes to £2.75. So I paid £3.75 for a hot cross bun on a paper plate🤯when a full English came to £7.50 with tea or coffee and bread and butter or toast….. What an absolute rip-off and will not be returning…. See photo

Loved it, great food and menu. Staff very friendly and welcoming

Excellent breakfast and good coffee

Great cup of tea ☕️ and a banging burger 🍔 Happy friendly staff, definitely be back next time we’re are visiting Mersea Island , Maria

Great little place with a lovely view. Very popular . Really good value for money!

Great simple little cafe with estuary views. Good food

Lovely little place Good food Good price Very welcoming

Nice visit, nice cake and coffee.

A lovely shelter from the weather. The brie and bacon sandwich was amazing

Smashing little place. Really friendly.

Definitely going back..great place

The staff were friendly enough but service was slow (it wasn't particularly busy) and the food was really bland - I had a burger and chips and the burger was completely tasteless. A shame because it's a lovely setting, but I wouldn't bother going back.

This is an Aladdins cave of good value food and things for a day at the seaside.

We had such a lovely lunch here today. The homemade leek and potato soup by Chloe was possibly the best I’ve ever had and defo welcome after a long windy walk. The homemade lemon drizzle cake by Ashley was just scrumptious, it was even still warm as it was fresh out of the oven. Both Ashley and Chloe were cheerful and helpful. I will definitely return.

Delicious food and great service. Would highly recommend.

A nice setting. I had a jacket potato with cheese and beans and my partner had a burger. The food was nice, in fact my partner gave his birger 10/10. My only complaint was that I didn't like the polystyrene plates that we were given. If we're eating in it would be nice to have proper plates. We would come back.

Great little place, warm and friendly

Booked for the Ross Revenge ( Radio Caroline) tour today. Needed a cup of tea and bite to eat, so came here as very convenient . Great breakfast ( which included a hot drink) at very reasonable price and friendly service . Clearly a place that is popular with locals.

Random selection for a Sunday morning breakfast that delivered on all fronts. Some might say unconventional but that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Great location opposite the estuary.

Delicious American breakfast, fresh pancakes! Quirky atmosphere.

Extremely rude and unfriendly staff. Was left standing at the counter while member of staff chatted with delivery driver and continued to fill up freezer with ice-cream. I had to ask whether she was going to serve me ! I suggest customer service training.

This is a nice, freshly decorated cafe building with a nice long terrace area out front which is partially covered so good all year round I imagine. I popped in on Saturday at about 12.30 as one of a group of about 12. It was half full so we were able to sit at a couple of tables out the front. The staff member taking the food orders was friendly, effective and quick and you got your coffee there and then rather than having to wait so top marks on that score. There is quite a wide ranging, decently priced menu. I chose the Ham eggs and chips with a white coffee which cost £9.90, not bad as the portion was a decent price and it is quite central to the main waterside area of West Mersea. The food came quickly in a small pizza box with real knives and forks which made sense and was nice, the eggs were a little crispy but ok. A friend chose the doner kebab and salad but asked them to remove the chips (who orders a doner kebab when they're sober??!!). It took a long time to arrive as, no doubt, they had to fire up the doner kebab grill and get the meat heated up. When it did arrive it had one single strip of singed doner meat and a few other greasy strips in a small, crisp pitta bread, a table spoon of bland coleslaw and a spoonful of red onion. It was awful. Another reason people only eat doner kebabs when they're on their way home from the pub. I fully appreciate that we arrived en masse and the kitchen is small hence the time taken to cook a variety of meals however I think that if it is on the menu it should be ready in the wings not being woken up from a cold start. I would eat there again but would stick to the conventional menu options which you can see others are eating as they will be ready to cook and part of an established process.

I gave this a one star as I couldn't give it a 0 The lady on the till was great but the lady cooking the food didn't look happy and also would not change the fried eggs to scramble you also get your food served up in a cardboard box this is one step from Greggs that use bags I would never return to this place again and will not recommend this to anyone 😡

Staff unfriendly, food awful. Would not recommend. My mum and I shared the pulled pork panini and fish panini which were both so bad.

Have been sailing all week & starting going into the Blackwater Pearl on Sunday. Staff are rude & miserable. It's like how dare you come in & want food. So ended up having breakfast at Dabchicks sailing club. Much better service, food & happy staff. Had to go back to the Pearl on Saturday as Dabchicks not doing breakfast. I asked for 2 black coffee & 2 ham, egg & chips. Got my head bitten off & told we're only doing breakfasts. My daughter mentioned briefly & cranberry panini once again told curtly sorry I mean rudly we're only doing breakfast. Both of which were on the menu. So a sausage bap & sausage roll for one ordered. I decided against any food. Both bap & sausage roll were tepid & stale. Both coffees were white. She was obviously deaf as well. So overall not a good experience. Think customer skills need some work.

Nice place for a hot drink and cake. Nothing special but a cosy place with seatings inside/outside or in the conservatory area. Not much staff working. Had to order and pay at the till point, therefore not much of a service and a welcoming service. However the girl who served at the till was very nice and friendly with a smile.

Well presented and delicious food. Attentive and friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere

Cannot believe this place. Firstly could not have just fish fingers and salad (didn’t want a sandwich) had to have it as fish fingers and chips even though I didn’t want chips. All food was served in either polystyrene or cardboard boxes including the ham fried eggs and chips that we also ordered and if to complete a totally underwhelming experience you had to put the cardboard boxes etc into the large wheelie bin, after emptying your ‘slops’ into a bucket and then the cutlery in another bucket. No effort whatsoever from the establishment apart from making money from mediocre food and getting their customers to clear up for them. So anyone wanting to use this place I suggest you give it a wide berth not worth going there.

Food was great but not particularly impressed with how the person running the place today was speaking to her staff. Very rude and aggressive. Did not make for a nice atmosphere.

Breakfast in a box , pre cooked and disgusting, served by surly staff.

Basic home cooking . Friendly staff and reasonable prices

A good cafe with reasonable cost food. The patio is wheelchair accessible although a little steep. They have a conservatory on the front with two tables. This is also wheelchair accessible but entry to the main cafe/shop is via a door with a large step. Public toilets, including disabled are available in carpark opposite Certainly highly recommended this cafe as they are good quality products at affordable prices!

Wow! What a lovely breakfast 👏👏 In a stunning location.

Lovely little place . With excellent food and lovely staff . Dog friendly too. Will come back again for sure

Great for a tea and coffee, does nice well priced food. Perfect for getting all your gear for crabbing on the pontoon nearby

Great location, very friendly staff and tasty jacket potatoes. We parked just opposite ( free for one hour) . There is a selection of gifts available .

Very nice and easy jacket potato and good coffee.

Nice place breakfast is good staff polite and friendly

Always a lovely cafe to visit when in Mersea.

Staff are always friendly, food always fresh and lovely atmosphere

Lovely cafe by the estuary. Good selection of hot and cold food. Had a lovely decaff tea and very nice hot cross bun. Also sells a number of seaside things ideal for families enjoying the Mersea coast.

Excellent lunch stop for cyclists. Good choice of tasty good value light meals. Five of us were there today

I suppose serving meals in cardboard boxes saves on the washing up but I think I would absolutely have to draw the line if I ordered pork chop, veg and gravy for lunch and it was served on a newspaper folded in half.

As a person in the same line of business my customers would go nuts at breakfast in a box so far after covid. However good food good service.

Funny place really. No plates, just boxes or poly containers. Reasonable quality food and appropriately priced.

Kayaked over from Osea Island with friends just for a cup of tea and a bacon baguette. Absolutely lovely, perfect fill up for the trip home . Thankyou.

Excellent se=vice and good value food

My wife and I have visited here before so decided to return. However, not again! Whist waiting for a coffee, my wife was given over £9 in change from the till. The assistant then went into the kitchen and placed several HANDFULLS of chips into boxes. No use of gloves, no tongs or serving spoons, just bare hands. Later, the same assistant went to sort out the bins outside b y pushing down the rubbish, When challenge about washing hands, se assured me that would be done. However, she return to normal work after only wiping her hand with a dirty tea cloth or similar - no soap of water involved! We cancelled our food order, and received a full refund. We were courteous and acted reasonably, but the assistant was initially very unprofessional. Refund was given without any problems. We will not be returning as we do wish to become ill. Do these people have Food Hygiene Certificates?

Great little find! Lovely little cafe and gift shop. We ordered hot drinks and got free bacon sandwiches 😳👌

Fantastic breakfast. Would definitely visit again.

What a great cafe. Location is amazing just opposite the sea and the floating pontoon. You can sit outside on a nice day or when wrapped up warm. Or inside in the restaurant or in the dog friendly porch area. Now the concept is everything is served in cardboard pizza boxes so you order your food and pay, the food comes you eat it then go to the bin outside and scrap and waste food into a bucket, cutlery in another and box in the recycling. Maybe not for everyone but I am cool with that. We ordered large full English breakfasts which were very nicely cooked and were very large although they do one even bigger. At under a tenner with tea and toast it was fantastic value. A couple on the next table shared the American breakfast which was pancakes and that looks great too. We met the manager lady and she was so lovely too. So all together a great place and would definitely recommend and would visit again.

Great little cafe, 1 hour free parking opposite, public toilets in car park. Great view. Good breakfast, reasonable price. Crabbing nets and seaside goods inside for sale. Friendly staff. Was served in polystyrene which is not great in my personal opinion

Shame they serve breakfast in a cardboard box. Bins need emptying.

Good little coffee stop whilst on a bike ride. Nothing fancy, but good hot coffee 👍

Nice food, good service and great location.

Fantastic rest stop with a great menu and the staff are very good and friendly. Also has a good shop for all your seaside needs.

My parents have a static caravan on the island and this is a regular stop off point for drinks and ice creams when we are out. The staff arevalways friendly and helpful. They have a nice selection of fresh scoop ice creams as well as the normal shop selection. They serve breakfast and lunches. They are also dog friendly. If you fancy a bitvof crabbing on the jetty, you can purchase crab lines, buckets and bait. Also have a nice selection of gifts and toys.

Nice location, very limited parking, food was good and fairly priced

Thank you for a fabulous buffet and excellent service for my husband’s birthday.

I have been going here for years and could not fault it one bit! The staff are wonderful and the food is always on point :)

Just had a wonderful breakfast Lovely spot to sit for a bit watch the world 🌎 go by Staff very friendly Good, well cooked food

I wouldn't ever recommend eating here. First off not everything is available on the menu. The kids can't swap the tea and coffee out for juice or water. We wanted one order of eggs on toast and got charged for a full English. We waited over an hour with 2 starving kids. The breakfasts then came out in cardboard boxes, which included burnt bacon, buttered bread, a tiny pot of beans that looked like it had been there for hours and the fried eggs were hard boiled. Its also not cheap when you are charged additional money for a juice and a change of breakfast. All in all one of the worst places I have ever had the misfortune to eat at. We will be sticking to the restaurant on West Mersea Holiday Park, better prices and a decent breakfast.

The management is poor; resulting in an unrealistic menu for the single staff member. Management are more likely to give excuses than accept the plethora of feedback given on Maps, there really is a history here. Beware that their "No swaps" policy is only overridden in their Breakfast Bap, "All of the above can be adapted for vegetarian or gluten free" (sounds awesome!) only applies to that bap and not the 4 items above it (oh). The result is an underpaid, overworked, worker gets asked reasonable questions and doesn't have the capacity or latitude to achieve small variations that customers want which means you pay more for less service. Go here if everywhere else is closed, but I'd probably go elsewhere or bring a picnic.

Always good food and service and dog friendly

Second time visiting here and unfortunately won't be returning. Queued 10 minutes to order and waited another 25 for food. Ordered a special breakfast, chicken burger and a sausage baguette. Bacon was cremated, baguette didn't have butter in it. Went in to ask if food was coming due to amount of time it was taking and other people getting food before us that had ordered after. Both myself and another customer were shouted at from the kitchen "you've only been waiting 20 minutes", no apology and just plain rude.

Traditional breakfasts which were very welcome on a cold & windy day. Also big menu of simple and tasty lunches - think Panini and Jacket Potatoes. Lovely view of the estuary and boats. Super friendly. Indoor and outdoor tables.

Lovely English breakfast in a box.

A great find. So pleased we came across it. Food is really good quality and very reasonably priced. We have eaten in here numerous times now and always been really good. Very friendly staff great atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit for breakfast, brunch, lunch or tea and cakes or hot doughnuts.

Great place for drinks and food lovely staff