The Boatyard Dedham in Colchester

Beautiful location and delicious food, .

Lovely spot but bit disappointed with the cafe approach. Bit of a wait to be served. No smoking area Riverside.

Today, afternoon tea and a sundae . Blooming marvellous xx Staff lovely and food good.

Went in for 20 mins for a coffee and got a Parkingeye Parking Charge Notice for £100. Staff not helpful to get this removed and now got to fill in data and give it to a company I do not want to share data with to get the fine removed. coffee was also rubbish and food is bland. Views of river are nice but not worth it.

Unfortunately our experience here has been tainted by a parking fine from Parkingeye!

Wow, pulled in with my son and purchased two ice creams from their ice cream parlour, sat on their picnic benches for 17 muntes enjoying them and now receiced a Parkingeye Parking Charge Notice for £100.. won't be coming back!

Staff were so friendly, boat hire was great fun and food was superb!

Lovely setting, helpful staff, tasty food and excellent service 👍

Good service very helpful Food is very nice, Out side you can take the boats out for a price gets bise in summer time Went to day not open But we had a nice day tea room in the village is very nice very worth a visit

We came to the Boatyard for lunch but there was no room. After spending 12 minutes in the car park, we’ve since incurred a huge parking fine from the dreadful company that the Boatyard uses to manage its parking.

Was nice but got treated with a £100 parking fine for parking there for 40 minutes

Been here plenty of times for coffee and cake but today we came for breakfast 😋. My wife had the Boathouse breakfast and I had the Veggie breakfast to which we were very satisfied. As a note Veggie sausages come in all sorts of styles and these were like quorn one's ( I don't know exactly as I didn't ask) they were very nice. But be warned they have a spicy kick which might not be to your liking. Service was good and staff were quick to point out that your car registration was required if parking there. Presently it is 3 hours free parking. Also having a new puppy we were pleased we could sit inside as it was cool outside for sitting in our inappropriate clothes for the temperature. Great to see an Essex café being more Suffolk.

This little gem is right on the water and in perfect location. The staff and service are fantastic.

Came with family sunday.£16.50 for burger and chips.had to pay extra for child to have a few beans.as it was Chips OR Beans.joined a huge queue to order food.then our table was right by the queue so we had to eat with everyone next to us queueing.bums pushed into our table !! Not nice.put us off our food.poor menu ..extortionate prices.With the high proce it should table service not 45 minutes to queue. Boat hire £25 for just 1 hour.we needed 2 boats.I Will not recommend to my friends Id neva go back Very dissapointing

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! I ordered a salmon quiche and it was UNBEARABLY HOT, IT BURNED MY TOUNGE. I know that food is good when it's hot but this quiche WAS MINIMUM 200 DEGREES. WHEN I CUT A PIECE IT WASN'T STEAMING BUT WHEN I TOOK A BITE I WAS BURNED. THEN CAME THE SHOCKING PART, WE ASKED FOR THE MANAGER BECAUSE MY TOUNGE WAS EXTREMLY RED, BUT HE LAUGHED AT US! HOW DARE HE!! THEY DIDN'T EVEN SAY SORRY! I CAN'T EAT FOR A WEEK NOW. If my child would of ordered this meal, we would need go to the hospital with a burning injury!! I'm so disappointed and defenetly not recommend this restaurant for anyone especially for families. THEY DON'T RESPECT THEIR COSTUMERS. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE. IT'S NOT HOSPITALITY IN 2024!

Great place 👌🏻 Would recommend this place

Great service and a good range of taste food and drinks with a lovely view of the river. Don't forget to now add your car registration at the counter.

Nice scenic place (though not extraordinary one) but very disappointing experience with service. Coffe was served NOT HOT & without ordered Croissants (those were already cooked) and it took them 20 minutes just to warm them. No invoice was provided. Even they refused to acknowledge whole order should have been served at once or must be given atleast an option at the time.of order. Staff was also rude. Great disappointment as I was visiting with guests.

I enjoyed a lovely birthday and Mother’s Day lunch at The Boatyard with my parents. Unfortunately it was pouring down so we couldn’t sit outside, but the restaurant is nicely presented inside, so we didn’t mind at all. I ordered the ploughman’s, which was very generously portioned, and my parents both enjoyed their dishes. Service was very good. I look forward to returning in better weather!

Wonderful setting, very helpful and friendly staff. Super fresh food which was presented well and good portion sizes. Would recommend

Beautiful scenery, but menu was very limited....mainly burgers and sandwiches, no healthy dishes. I tried chicken with waffles in maple syrup, but they didn't compliment each other at all. Business setting didn't work either...waiting for to be seated and then asked to queue at the counter to order your food was not pleasant. Instead of enjoying scenery you had to stand inside to get your order in. There was 9 people behind the counter and only one serving till. It took us good 10 minutes before we could order the food or drinks. Really disappointing experience. I would recommend business owners to rethink their business model as with so many staff you would expect much efficient service. Even a second till or having qr codes on the table to order your food would resolve the queuing problem.

Lovely place on the river with a great balcony/outdoor area. Dog friendly. Lovely coffee and food (pastries/cakes and sausage rolls were great!). It was a shame we had to que for so long to order rather than having table service. It was very busy. Also there was some issues with parking we were told we would have 3 hours but with queuing then queuing for boat hire (also purchased from here) we were over 3 hours and some people were being told off. I will however be back for breakfast/lunch very soon!!

Booked a table for 2:30pm. Waited for a table until 3pm. Was told it would be a 45 minute wait for food to arrive. Even though no one told us in the run up to ordering.

Great spot right on the river and adjoining the boat hire. Can be a little crowded at times, but when you see the location it's understandable.

Beautiful location and lucky enough to get a table outside overlooking the river. Warm welcome and lovely staff. We had an open Pestrami sandwich and Ploughman's. Absolutely fantastic.

I did not come here for food, but rather for a drink after a delightful rowing trip down the river. The prices are quite reasonable considering the stunning views and the peaceful ambiance.

Great location by the river. Four breakfasts, overall good. One comment, beans on breakfast were "smokey" not very juicy, and very few - beans on breakfast should be plain.

Worst service. Staff were friendly, but waiting 15 minutes in a queue with only three people ahead of me is ridiculous. Then waited ONE HOUR for the food to arrive - which was a sausage and bacon sandwich, and French toast. They need way more staff.

Waited 1.5 hours for food, all the staff seem very stressed, no one comes to check on you took ages to order as queue was so long staff are hard to get hold off of you need to ask anything Food came luke warm and I was very dissatisfied with my buttermilk chicken waffles and they were missing the potatoes which took me my entire meal to flag someone down to ask, they went and got them and they were filled with grease. If you have children like me it's very difficult to keep them entertained at a table for such a length of time to be delivered sub par food that is pricey We won't be eating here again

Lovely food & service next to the river, oarsome!

Sausage rolls are good value and flavoursome, boat hire was very simple and good value for money

Absolutely beautiful location, awesome food, great service. Came for brunch on a sunny Friday with our young family. Just got a table so advise showing up in good time if you want a good spot! Google Maps had a link to book tables but we didn’t use it. The club sandwich was the biggest I’ve ever seen and had all sorts of yummy fillings. Not a ‘traditional’ club but I’d say it was better. And I struggled through it all 🤣 Great cakes and coffee too. Perfect brunch spot.

Lovely staff, location and nice, fairly priced food. Great place to ealk the dogs and sip a beer afterwards.

We were a table of three on a busy Sunday morning, we only ordered hot drinks, cakes/scones and a breakfast bap, the hot drinks took a while to come, the cake came but the food that had to be warmed took a very long time to come... Had to go check they hadn't forgotten us. Coffee was alright although I paid a lot for a syrup I couldn't taste and the gluten free orange cake wasn't very nice. It's a beautiful setting but the poor waitresses were rushed off their feet and every table was chasing up their orders. Wouldn't go back.

Just stopped off for a drink after taking a boat out, lovely views of the river, would go again to try the food as it looked very nice

A lovely place to stop in Dedham for a coffee whilst doing a circular walk

Breakfast really bad had better at Tesco's waiting 45 minutes for breakfast my bill was £36. Lot of s..t never will I go back

Nice breakfast,dog friendly too.

Shame the owner didn't like motorcycle parking outside entrance. We are all retired and respectable people and one even a Victor! Funny how judgemental people can be!

Nice service and stuff, nice atmosphere

A lovely place to sit and eat inside or out with a view of the river. Great food choices from deli to bigger meals and light lunches Highly recommended..

Peaceful relaxing place to have breakfast or lunch, we had breakfast and it was perfectly cooked. Definitely going back for more!, after breakfast, floated down the river in a boat for an hour. £25 for a hour we thought was very reasonable, and so was the price of breakfast definitely for the quality. Thanks for a great day!.

It was such a lovely place to visit and eat

Came to the boathouse for a row boat ride and a meal with my boyfriend for his birthday and as always the service was amazing. The staff are super friendly and when told about my allergy they had already alerted the kitchen and the staff on the till before I even went up to order! Very clean and lovely atmosphere and the food was amazing! The burger was cooked just right and was not dry at all. All in all a very pleasant visit and will definitely be coming back :)

Lovely place with amazing food and sweet treats. Also can hire a row boat and head down the Rover Stour! Decent outdoor seating and very easy for takeaways for a nice walk down the river. Highly recommend a visit, with free parking on site

Perfect for lunch. Great food for the price.

Stunning location. Lovely to sit outside by the water. The food seems very over priced to me. One slice of toast with just avocado cost £10. The brownie had a hair in it and we wasn't even offered a refund. Nice enough staff but just didn't really want to help we was a party of 4 and I asked for a water jug but was directed go the water dispenser to carry 4 glass outside.

Nice food Friendly staff Lovely location by the river

Food and drinks were bad, but it's a nice place when the weather is nice

First visit here on a rainy day but did not spoil our visit. Very nice cosy setting facing the river. Ample car parking. Service was excellent. Only one disabled toilet and one other for men and ladies. Will definately return in the summer where you can dir outside

Bad place because we had a fight with one of the workers her we are never coming back!

Didn't get to sample the food this time. Was far too hot inside to be fair

Looks like a lovely place, but was very disappointed to find them closed on a Monday (and tuesday) despite having researched online ahead of time and finding nothing to indicate this would be the case online...Google said it would be open and there was no information anywhere to say they wouldn't be. Also found some poor folks there had been locked into the car park and were desperately trying to contact someone to get them out. Apparently the staff who locked up know they were there....

Great food and great customer service

Very disappointing roast beef, with hard parsnips and too much red cabbage padding it out. Service fine but not exceptional

Stopped for coffee here and to admire the views of the river.

What a lovely place even on a rainy day! Would have taken a boat out as well if it wasn't for the bad weather. The staff were brilliant, nothing was to much trouble.The food was substantial and of a high quality. I would have take pictures of our cakes and kids chocolate Sunday but we are them before I could do so. All in all we would go again.

The extremely hot weather early September boosted their trade, but overwhelmed their capabilities. Planned to eat in the restaurant, but the slow moving queue at the bar to order put us off. Purchased some snacks from the kiosk with the boat hire. Expensive and served by a grumbling lady who moaned that the queue was going the wrong way. Overflowing bins & uncleared tables. I can accept that they're overwhelmed during mini heat waves, but it's a licence to print money on that location, so some more preparedness (staff) would help. Purchased some drinks from the vendor pitched up opposite in the field as they were a fraction of the price, colder and quicker (friendlier!) service. It's hard to distinguish between the venue and the clientele.

What a delightful spot! Had lunch here with my daughter (& our dog) today. We sat outside, river view is idyllic. Good menu, we chose burgers (beef and plant). Nice, friendly service, prices are fine. Food was great, fabulous chips. Good portion sizes. Nice big car park, good toilets. What’s not to like?! We’ll be back - the cakes looked yummy.

I recently dined at Boatyard Dedham, and my overall impression was somewhat mixed. While the restaurant boasts a beautiful riverside location, the food options were disappointingly limited and fell short of my expectations given the prices. On a positive note, they do offer ample parking space; however, the 3-hour time limit could be a drawback for longer visits.

Lovely and simple meals at The Boatyard sat alongside a calming river. Smokey beans on toast was hearty and recommended. Lemon cake was nice and moist.

Great place right on the river, lovely lunch

Nice cafe, we took 3 dogs and it worked well. They sell my favourite posh pop of rhubarb and strawberry

Lovely surroundings, food fab , refreshing pink gin and great boat ride on the river . Super time.

We had a very enjoyable lunch yesterday at the boatyard.The food was well presented and we're able to provide vegan alternatives.The staff were very efficient and curtious.The surroundings were clean and comfortable. Unfortunately we did have to suffer from a barking dog which made conversation difficult. Maybe there could be a stipulation buy management that dogs have to be outside and not in the enclosed area especially when people are eating. I hope we can return when this has been resolved.

A rather pricey average coffee but otherwise a lovely cafe.

These stars are given to the dinghy Hire staff, NOT THE RESTAURANT. Approached the Portage to ask a question on my paddle Board, firstly got shouted at by the young boy that I couldn't approach, I asked him if the Kiosk sold tea and coffee, He shouted 'WHAT, so I repeated my question, he asked the kiosk owner who said Yes, I told him that his manners were disgusting and that I was going to report him, and I did, the kiosk owners employ him, reason for rudness, her word not mine, He is from Italy, so thats ok then, a price of one cup of tea and coffee just over £6.00. The bins are never emptied, and most importantly, NO RAMP FOR DISSABLED ACCESS. Conclusion, Take your own beverages and eats,

Waited 40 mins for a pint in a line with no air con , (6 fans above not workin) and 6 staff behind the bar with 1 till ! Such a shame !

Great food. Wonderful area. Friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommend 👍🏻

One of my favourite brunch places ❤️

Went for lunch today and had the best burger i've tasted in a long time 😋

Shocking visit. Burnt vegetable tart to be told it isn’t burnt it’s caramelised, I’ve never seen caramelised pastry before. Owners rude and clearly very stressed. The chef had walked out mid service apparently, owners words not mine. People queuing for very long periods of time to order food. Such a shame as it is in a lovely location

Always nice food and friendly staff.

Stopped here for a coffee with lovely views of the river.

Nice spot watching people enjoying the river! Outside seating busy as was the queue to get food, indicating how well thought of the place is!

Great place for lunch. Lovely food. Perfect location.

Food looks nice but not that tasty

Unfortunately quite a few wasps outside. Cant be helped.

A very nice place to eat at, right next to the river.

We hired a boat on Dedham River with friends, was super simple to do, and had no queue waiting for the boats either. Little bit more difficult than it looks, haha, but we didn't capsize. Great day.

Quiche dried out, other members food wasn't up to much, such a shame as they have a lovely location but we will never buy food again

We were there on a busy Sunday. Superb food. Friendly staff. Lovely view. Absolutely recommend.

Would have been 5 stars if it wasn't for the wasps.

Very disappointing wait in line to order food then another long wait for food, chips and burger both overcooked, chips cooked in old fat, seemed staff really did not know how to cope with a very basic menu. Very poor not recommended

A really lovely place for breakfast and lunch by the river. Great menu and the cabinet food displays very appetising. A full bar available as well as usual hot and cold beverages. Add very good service from the staff for the complete package. PS: You can also rent a boat for a row on the river!! Enjoy. 👍😊🍕🍰🥪

Fantastic place to unwind. Banks are glorious for a picnic and the water is beautiful for paddleboarding. Feels very inclusive with everyone giving it a go. My son was able to learn in a safe space and had a truly wonderful time

We witnessed some long queues to order food, luckily we got there right on midday. This place would benefit from a mobile app to order from the table, appreciate this place must get really busy, but would prevent a long time standing to order food and could include an estimated time. Having said that we had ploughman’s and was very good quality.

Lovely setting, lovely atmosphere, however, unfortunately stops selling food an hour before closing time on a Sunday which was disappointing.

Beautiful seats on decking next to the river, with boats, ducks, wildlife x

Staff was awesome. Will be stopping in again for sure.

Always good food here - lovely place on the river

Good food and service with a smile as usual.

First time here , had a lovely lunch really lovely and big portions had sweet potato fries included with this meal too just forgot to take picture as come in separate bowl , will definitely be coming back soon , I recommend to anyone lovely setting to by the river .

Have been coming here for years as a local, but today the food was poor - a beef burger (which was a tough piece of steak, should have been listed as a steak burger) Waited an hour for the food. The service - albeit from lovely youngsters who were trying hard - was chaotic.

I can't rate food because I have not had any yet. We booked online, but no table was reserved. Took 10 minutes to speak to somebody. The staff are friendly and helpful when you get to speak to them, but after waiting for an hour now still no sign of food. Have noted other tables having orders confused, which probably doesn't help. Menu is a very limited, but looks nice enough. Price is slightly on the dearer side. *** UPDATE: was served just after this review. Chips and hashbrowns are good. The "burger" though was well-done (ruined) steak, served in a soaking wet bun, gross. I am told the open prawn sandwich is also sub-par. Wo t be coming back for food.

If I could have given this place a 0 star review would have been best… attended the place on Father’s Day, pre booked a month in advance, asked for a menu on many occasions and finally the day before decided to call to be rudely spoken to by a waitress after speaking with the chef we finally got a menu sent with very minimal food and very dearly priced, the chef went above and beyond and added steak as requested, I was called to ask if I could move my table time from 3:15 to 2:15 as the kitchen closes at 4, after waiting so long for a menu I thought was a little rude considering I would have to rearrange 12 guests!!!!! When we finally arrived early at there request I was given a table that was not set and dirty I of course asked to move and the waitress was not happy and decided to tell me at 2:15 that I need to hurry our order before I even had the chance to sit down as kitchen closes at 4, I replied with enough is enough I will not rush my table when it is only 2:15, the waitress walked off and no one came back to take a drink order for 30 mins when the drinks arrived most were incorrect again the waitress very rude and stated that they have been very busy and everyone is tired… not really what I want to hear when about to spend £28.00 on a steak !!! 45 mins later after ordering food it arrived and much to our surprise it was all incorrect the steak was so small and thin all side wrong, with this happening the new male owner decides on Father’s Day to come to my table and state we asked you to come early we don’t take 3:15 bookings even though I had confirmation on my phone I asked to speak to him away from the table as was very embarrassing, I explained the food is incorrect and everything that had gone on and was told there was nothing he could do and to salvage what we could and not to worry we won’t pay I explained that’s not our aim we just want nice food and a good atmosphere how it used to be he carried on being very sarcastic to which point the chef came out and managed to lighten the load he asked me to write all food down and he would cook it, while it was being done our waitress continued to let us know how poor the place had become and that a lot of staff are leaving and some crying in the back office again not what you want to hear at a family dinner !! They need experienced front of house staff and for the restaurant to have a uplift some table cloths and a more welcoming environment, the menu needs to be more catered to all not just the upper class…. We ended up paying for the drinks and tipping the chef so all in all still paid £80 even though the chef insisted not to as I stated we were not looking for freebies just good food… bring back the Sunday roasts and and some pleasant non confrontational staff members , I would so love to come in and manage this place along side the owners to actually help them as no one wants to see a business fail

Dreary place and they are missing a trick with its beautiful location - dirty tea pot with weak tea and stale scones ! Disinterested staff too -

Arrived at the boatyard for a meal with my sisters we were all busting for the loo , was greated by a young blonde waitress who asked how can I help , we responded with where are the toilets please to which she replied “ they are for customers only !! The nearest toilet is on the high street “ with how Rudley she had spoken to we decided against eating there and made our way to the high street for the loos instead . She had not even asked if we were eating in , very abrupt rude young lady who has turned away our business for sure …

Unfortunately the kitchen was closed, it was the day after fathers day which we heard was busy. Still they had the deli open with salads and sandwiches. Cakes were really good and nice cold beer. Right on the river. we had a great spot. Will visit again

FOOD 5/5: A small menu packed with quality items. The Floured Brunch Bap with bacon, sausage, and egg is a must-try for those who enjoy big, flavourful bites. The Smashed Avocado on Toast with Chorizo is also impressive. The presentation is good, and the ingredients are likely sourced from a quality supplier. The sausage roll is very good, although not the absolute best I've tried. Just a heads up, the Iced Latte may leave you wanting more as it doesn't even nearly fill the glass. SERVICE 4/5: Polite, friendly service with helpful recommendations. The staff maintains eye contact and engages with customers. Ordering and payment at the bar adds to the casual and relaxed atmosphere. VIBE/ATMOSPHERE 5/5: Perfect outdoor ambiance, especially on a hot day. Tables are strategically placed to accommodate both sun and shade preferences. The river view adds a calming touch. Not ideal for a noisy party, but great for a peaceful and enjoyable experience. VALUE 4/5: Expect to pay a bit more for the quality ingredients and the lovely view. Our bill came to £31.50, including the flat white, an iced latte, and a sausage roll. It's worth the splurge for a satisfying meal in a picturesque setting.