The Coast Inn in Colchester

Had booked a table for lunch. Arrived and could immediately tell the single member of staff serving drinks behind the bar was stressed. When we were eventually offered service we were told to wait to be seated and then our drinks order would be taken. We were ignored by the staff member dealing with lunch bookings. When she did speak with us she was hostile and rude. Suffice it to say, we left without having had a drink or lunch. Such a shame as it was my birthday.

My son came down from peacehaven for a pre mothers day lunch on Saturday 30th March. It was glorious weather so we sat outside with wonderful views. Cod and chips mushy peas wonderful far too much on the plate could not finish it all. The sticky ribs my son had looked yummy he eat all of his with chips and salad. All in all fantastic

My rating of this visit is not on the food but on the service particularly by a member of staff named Linda! She is rude, dictorial and bolshy! Absolutely no way should be front of house! Ruins the restaurant and great food!☹️

Food was really nice with fast service. I would recommend and will be returning! 👍🏼 I recommend the chicken burger! 🥳

Been here a few times and the food is always great, best to sit outside with a view of the sea when it’s warm enough.

Really great lunch..nice selection on menu..makes you fancy everything..and we had four different dishes and they were all excellent..nice friendly service..good value for money

I need to update from my review a few years back.

Spent the day on the beach then walked to the Coast Inn for a pint and something to eat. The lunch did not take long to arrive at all and was delicious!

We have found that the food is some times good and some times not so good, but never bad. The decor is a little tired a bit like Marmite, you will like or hate it.

We come here regularly either as a couple or with friends. The food is great and be sure to look at the specials board for fresh fish of the day. I recommend the skate wing with caper butter it’s very good as is the haddock and Chips which is so big it overhangs the plate ! Staff are good, service is good...go visit !

Excellent food and ambience, if the haddock had been any bigger they wouldn't have a plate big enough. Superb.

Had an early evening meal with friends here. Place was very busy. We shared the back dining room with a huge family table who had several children running around and whinging babies. The food was excellent. The service was so efficient the mains came out before they'd cleared the starters. The restaurant can't help who's at the other tables or how much noise they make but all in all a very nice place.

Lovely pub with leather sofas and roaring fire, very cosy. Slow service at the bar I think they had a internet problem. Not a lot of choice of gin. Restaurant lovely and comfortable, had a very noisy table near us with a young baby but think the grownups made more noice then the baby. Large restaurant with 3 rooms. Food very tasty and well cooked. The largest portion of fish and chips I have seen. Very good service and friendly staff. Nice pub in a nice setting. Will definitely return, it would be nice to sit in the garden on a warm day overlooking the water

This place is a gem! More of a restaurant than a boozer it really knows how to cook a piece of fish. I had haddock which was really big, fresh and not greasy. Highly recommend

We had been here before so I know The Coast is always busy so I did book the day before. We were met with a friendly smile, shown to our table and given the menu. Drinks order was taken and our choices. My fish and chips arrived promptly and what a feast! Very fresh and the batter was so light. You certainly need to be hungry, My friend had pan-fried skate which was a little dearer but just as big. We did find later that there was an option for a smaller portion on certain items on the menu. We were too full for a sweet. Lovely setting, great food, beautiful décor - check out the "dandelion" lights in the side room.

We've eaten here many times and can thoroughly recommend it. The liver and bacon signature dish is excellent and you need to be hungry! a good selection of real ales, lagers and wines. Give it a go.

Went here after walking along the beach. Had dog with us but this was not a problem as we start outside. Whitebait was amazing with buttered brown bread. My friends really pleased with theirs as well

Booked by e mail pre ordered food as we only had an hour to spare super hot food excellent staff and comms Thank you

Plenty of parking, and very busy, unfortunately we were too late to buy food as the kitchen was closed, but the food coming out looked nice. They offer fresh coffee as well as a bar. Dogs seemed to be welcomed inside the pub. There was plenty of seating outside too.

We enjoy eating at The Coast Inn the food is always of a good standard and the prices are resonable. They always have a good variety of fish on the menu which is always fresh

First time visit, our food was wonderful and tasty. service was good and staff very friendly and helpful.

I met friends with their children to exchange Christmas gifts today.

We have been visiting your restaurant for over a year since we have been living in the island .... but after out last few visits I can assure you we will not come again. May I note, the food is never a problem. Staff on the other hand are underwhelming and unwelcoming !

Whether it's just a quick drink when out dog walking where the dogs and humans are welcome. Or maybe a night out with great company and interesting people. Thank you Lloyd Molly Hannah and Tracy for great service. I have eaten here a few times and really enjoyed the food.

Fabulous food, I chose the slow roasted pork belly which was delicious, everyone thoroughly enjoyed their choices and all were very generous portions, great service from staff, and a lovely place to sit with views over the estuary. All agreed we will definitely be returning

Spent a lovely evening at the Coast Inn. I can honestly say the Pan fried Skate I chose was superb & equally my husband's Cod. We were extremely pleased we chose to eat here. Staff attentive & pleasant. Wish we lived closer.

My wife, our dog and I recently visted East Mersea to find a 'fish' restaurant. We arrived about 1400hrs on Sunday - big mistake almost impossible to find parking anywhere as yellow lines everywhere and what little car parking spaces next to restaurants.cafes, were full. We went to the end of the seafront and had to turn around, could go no further. So we decided to give it a miss and go home. On the way back we saw 'The Coast Inn' with a carpark and one space! we went for it. We opted to sit outside with our dog with others and theirs. We could have taken him inside as other people were taking their dogs inside. Our chosen seating overlooked the sea front (tide out). Although it was a chilly and overcast day, the sight of the numerous yachts and boats was atmospheric. We ordered x 2 skate and chips, a cappuccino and a pot of tea - cost £35.

The Coast Inn, is very easy to miss, tucked away near the waters edge. It has two car parks, but best to book in case it is busy. Location, food and staff are superb. They cannot do enough for you. They are also dog friendly, so you can expect your pooch to get pampered!

Nous sommes allés déjeuner vendredi midi. L'accueil fut chaleureux. Une grande ardoise, nous informe des mets à l'honneur en plus de la carte. Le poisson est excellent, les boulettes "fishcake" merveilleuses et les lasagnes maison moelleuses. Tous ces plats accompagnés d'une salade et de frites. Le vin blanc peut être pris au verre et celui choisi était parfait. Les desserts ...wahou brownie magique et tiramisu surprenant. N'hésitez pas à faire escale au Coast inn, merci encore à leur gentillesse et au délicieux repas.

We all enjoyed our lunch at The Coast Inn, very pleasant staff and great food was had by all. Recommend this place but best to book.

We all had the sunday roast beef, x 4, and it came very fast with all the trimmings

We stumbled over this place for a quick snack before the tide times, allowed dogs in the bar ! Result! Team are so friendly and helpful ! I ordered a posh fish finger sandwich not expecting much for eight quid and my other half ordered a sausage and onion baguette !

Wonderful fish (skate and cod), light crispy batter, moist fish and 'proper' chips. Couldn't fault it. (see photo). Excellent selection of beers, at a very reasonable price. Finally, the staff very friendly and efficient.

Thirteen of us enjoyed a delightful lunch to celebrate my husband and daughter's birthdays. Fabulous food and setting and service and lovely touch when the staff, unasked, came out with candles in chocolate brownies whilst singing Happy Birthday. Thank you!

We often eat at the coast inn, food always first class, reasonably prices and staff extremely friendly and helpful.

Lovely little restaurant close to the estuary and harbour, very friendly with a great atmosphere. We went for lunch here last week on a lovely early autumn sunny day.

This is a nicely situated restaurant overlooking the estuary near the boatyards. If you are there during the sunset - it is stunning!

Visited a number of times now and always enjoy the place. Food, particularly fish, is very good and surroundings nice. Service is good too. Last time we visited, I had the belly pork and it was heroic.

We took our dog for a walk along Mersea beach and decided to stop here for a bite to eat. I am not a fish eater so was glad to see that there was plenty to offer for non fish eaters. I decided on the homemade lasagne and my husband had the scampi. We were both extremely happy with our choices. The lasagne was just perfect. Plenty of meat in a rich sauce and topped just the way I like it, with lots of cheese. My husband said the scampi was cooked to perfection. Although the chips were of the frozen kind (as another reviewer has mentioned) they were good quality chips and well cooked. To sum it up in one word.... PERFECT!!! Have already recommended to family. The staff are very friendly too and helpful.

Came for.a.last minute lunch. Ordered the haddock and chips as had had this before and was excellent. Very disappointed this time as chips were frozen.and peas dried out. Fish was still excellent. Service great and the restaurant is lovely. Up you game!!! What a shame.

Stayed in Mersea for a few days and our host suggested we ate here. The best suggestion of the year! Wished we were staying for a fortnight!

The days boat catch! Does it get any better than that?

Four of us ate here one sunny Thursday lunchtime in September. We sat outside with our dog. The food was delicious and my fish of the day was 2 wings of skate beautifully cooked. Others had a generous portion of fish and chips. The dog even got a couple of biscuits. A very relaxing experience thank you.

Extremely disappointed, we ordered 2 roast dinners pork and beef, both plates arrived and to look at they were very bland and beige, no green veg, the roast potatoes were rock solid and didn’t have any taste, the Yorkshire pud was soft, a small bowl of cauliflower cheese turned up not enough for two people! We will not be eating a roast here again.

Our first visit today to The Coast but it won’t be our last. Very friendly staff, we loved our two waitresses. The haddock chowder is just blooming wonderful, a big hearty bowl of scrumptious loveliness, a meal in itself. We had cod and chips and the fish was cooked to perfection, still moist and tasty. Needed a trolly to roll out I was so full! Definitely going back and will sit out the front with our little dog.

after a disappointing start to the with another restaurant, we chose The Coast Inn. what a fantastically happy, relaxed and easy restaurant! everyone was super helpful and keen to help us as we had my little 2 year old for the day out. Gluten free...no problem! great table service, food was superb we ordered the skate and the honestly it came out perfect but way too big! The batter on the fish was light and crispy, the fish perfectly cooked by the perfect chips! they have non-alchaloic beers for sale as well as a full bar.

We go to this restaurant regularly. Sorry to say yesterday was our last visit. We have never been to the coast and all received what we want. There are always one or two orders that can’t be filled. The last straw was yesterday, our table was 4.30 and they had ran out of Sunday roast on a Sunday. It was still on the board though. They serve food until 7.00. So in our view this is ridiculous. Also once again charged for something we didn’t receive. We have in our view given a lot of chances to improve, always the same excuse. “It’s been a mad day” how hard is it to cook more.

Popped here for a drink on Sunday, but may have eaten..... but what a dump.... popular but way understaffed and poorly managed.

Took our grandson and granddaughter for a day out crabbing yesterday (3rd Sept) and on our daughter and son in laws recommendation decided on lunch in the Coast Inn.

What a great place to sit outside..enjoying the lovely weather..with nice cold drinks..and great home cooked food..helpful friendly staff..real value for money..will return when next on Mersea

This is a nice restaurant in a very interesting location. As a New Zealander I am always a bit sceptical of the quality of British fish but am happy to report that I very much enjoyed the skate. Also wonderful service and great ambience within the restaurant. When you are finished you can dash over the road for a bit of crabbing. The kids will love catching some good-sized crabs and then throwing them back!

Booked for dinner, midweek. Attentive, helpful staff. Reasonably quick service, despite being busy. VERY generous portions, served hot! Tasty. We will visit again, but perhaps not during the busy summer season!

Came across The Coast Inn whilst looking for somewhere to park and from now on, my SATNAV will mark it with a rosette. Beer battered cod and chips and pan fried haddock were both excellent right down to the peas and chips, lime, lemon and sauces. In other words we ate the lot, which took some doing as portions are generous. Great service and a pleasantly seaside decor. Worth the journey to Mersea on its own.

We visited coast inn on bank holiday in August. Staff are very friendly however the fish and chips we ordered was very disappointing. The fish was watery and tasteless! Did not enjoy at all🙁.

Went here today 27/08/18 for a meal for an anniversary.

We revisited the Coast Inn as part of a large pre booked party today, the lunchtime service was excellent as was the food, we really enjoyed lunch today.

Lovely staff, food amazing - one of my favourite places to eat dinner, nice setting to chill with friends - will be back soon!

Our 3rd visit and eventhough it’s always busy the staff are always relaxed and efficient. Nothings ever too much trouble for them. They have daily fish specials as well as a large fish menu- tasty staters and desserts too. (Top Tip- if visiting from outside Mersea remember to check the tide times!)

Been using this pub / restaurant for a number of years when visiting Mersea and it continues to improve. The fresh fish is fantastic. Good selection of beers, wine and coffees. A must if in the area.

Really good huge portion of fish and chips plenty of salt and portion of mushy peas went down an absoloutly treat

We went in for Sunday lunch. We hadn't booked but they fitted us in with no wait. We all had fish and chips and the main course portions are enormous - I was the only one who could finish it!

We ate at The Coast Inn last night and the fish and chips were as delicious as ever. Massive portion of fish for the Adults, food chips too.

Unpleasant rude staff. They would be in shock if they weren't on an island and had to work in a really busy bar in central towns! Employ people who can keep up with serving.

Stopped here for all day breakfast and ice cream. The place is cheap and food is ok. The staff were all really freindly and it has a nice relaxed atmosphere.

Went for lunch, we hadn't booked and they kindly found us a table, waitresses were very nice, we had prawn cocktail (not too many prawns) & deep fried brie - this was nice bit could have done with a little longer in the fryer as the middle was still fridge cold, mains burger & chips - lovely hubby ate the lot, i had roast beef, all the trimmings were good but beef was rather chewy and I get bored keep taking bits out of my mouth so gave up!! I did ask if I could have crackling and that was lovely. All in all we will return but I also feel the need to mention all the young waitresses may benefit from some advice on clothing, seeing someone's knickers through their see through leggings every time they serve isn't appealing, same goes for ill fitting tops and bras on show, call me old fashioned but the "older" waitresses looked very professional x

We visited for a birthday lunch on a trip to Mersea. The fish and chips was lovely. Great choice of fish and you can choose to have it pan fired too! Would defiantly come again. Good price and service, but most importantly great food.

What a lovely meal we had, 10 of us all had a delicious meal cooked to perfection. Staff were so helpful and welcoming. Totally lived up to expectations and we’ll definitely return... thank you

Great venue lovely decor and setting with outdoor area and large carpark. Food was of a good standard and very friendly staff only negative was a excessive wait on food

Stopped for a light lunch today, the food was absolutely terrible. Had a cheese & chutney baguette & the bread was stale. The cheese was that awful bought in pre grated plastic stuff, that has absolutely no taste of cheese. So lazy not to grate a decent block of cheese when you’re charging £8 for a baguette with a handful of chips. The garlic ciabatta was equally as bad (same cheese) & stale bread again. Such a shame because it’s a beautiful setting & the young members of staff are very pleasant. We would have a drink here but I’m afraid we’ll eat elsewhere in future.

Turned up without a booking on a hot summer evening (rain in the forecast), but were quickly seated inside at one of the last tables. We both decided to order fish and chips- very good, but the fish was a little too large. I'd have preferred a smaller portion and the possibility of one of the yummy sounding puddings! Perhaps they should offer 2 sizes and different prices?

We only had a drink here so can’t comment on food but can just say that the place is lovely and clean and the staff are very friendly . The food did look nice but we had booked elsewhere so will try it next time we go . The beer garden is very nice with a little bar outside and looks very quaint . It’s right on the harbour so a really nice view to sit and have a drink .

The breakfast was about a £1 dearer than some places but it was well worth it. A really good plate full of breakfast food, clean and served with a smile,

Lovely place to sit and down and have a drink. Sunday lunch is fantastic, also allowed dogs at the front of bar if you wish. Friendly staff and reasonable price for everything. Would definitely recommend.

Nice fish and chips spot, has lots of space inside and outside. Tasty food, slightly overpriced but big portions though.

Enjoyed sinking a pint and eating food at this place, highly recommended. We had starters and mains, we did have a slight issue with one meal due to personal preference, staff were lovely and understanding and even removed the item from the bill. They then proceeded to tell us some local tourisim tips and recommenations which was really nice. We went back the following day (but ate something else) lovely food, lovely staff, highly recommended.

Visited this pub over the Bank holiday weekend great little place, with great views food was excellent had the fresh fish and chips, deep fried brie, burger, and chicken salad all were cooked perfectly

We took visiting friends for a meal and received a very friendly welcome upon our arrival. We all chose fresh fish dishes which were delicious. Yo Boy bitter and a bottle of rosé complemented the meal well.

This place sits along the coast line of Mersea Island and has great views across the bay. The inside is done up and it’s like going into someone’s home.

Lovely garden overlooking the sea with great cake available! Friendly staff and good views make this great for a quiet afternoon!

Visited here Monday and had drinks . Really friendly bar gent serving . Lovely setting and angelic views . Highly recommend. Standards are high here and spotless restaurant. Can’t wait to return .

Six of us ate here on Wednesday and had a lovely meal. I would recommend the cod & prawn mornay but all the dishes were superb. Staff are great, good prices. Definitely recommend.

I was visiting on my boat and found this place for evening dinner lots of gluten free options I chose £13 for gluten free liver and bacon and mash Garvey vegetables it was lovely really lovely. Coors light larger which I can drink as it’s less than about 5 parts per million so all I all very happy . It came out within 20 minuets I had it outside as it was busy but all good as a warm evening. I’ll definitely return. 10/10 friendly service.

Been to the coast inn before and have such lovely food and service, the only problem we had was when we pulled into the car park, two cars parked and the occupants left there car park and walked off up the road!! I have to say we were there for a couple of hours with no return!! The signs saying you will be clamped didn’t seem to put them off having my elderly mother with me I had to leave her in the car park whilst I found else where to park!! We were then late for our booking but I explained to the lovely waitress my situation and she explained that they cannot police the car park and people say they will return and never do so they have to clamp down on people popping somewhere else first, and that people swear and are rude to the staff when they approach people !! I can only say my experience was lovely as always thank you

Visited for a family birthday. Booked ahead which was a good idea as they were very busy and we were a party of seven. Great food. Waiting staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. We sat round in the other side to the front door and that was lovely. Loved the 'Specials menu' but wish it could be located perhaps in two places as you have to rush to choose before being seated and also people are continually walking past it. However, food was delicious. We will definitely be back.

I travelled to Mersea Island this morning looking for a nice venue to hold a family gathering for up to 60 people. We wanted good food, good service and a great atmosphere. Before we could look at restaurants I had to pop into the jewellers with my mum to collect something.

Really lovely food can't fault that, fish very tender and my partner had risotto which was perfect, however over 45 minute wait for food and took long time for staff to get back to us with drinks etc. However they were busy and when I asked how long food would be as it had been 45 minutes already, they apologised and gave us some free drinks and when the food came, I must say was worth the wait.

Recommended by our B&B; landlord as a seafood restaurant we were looking out to dine there with plenty of choice for fish. Seems that you can have fish pan fried or battered. Looks great...... but you can only have two kinds of fish, cod or skate. Rather disappointing for a seafood restaurant I would say.

We never write reviews but we just had a really lovely lunch; the best liver and bacon, pan fried cod with a tasty caper & lime butter and then we shared a fudgey chocolate brownie. Portion sizes are amazing, great value for money.

The food at the coast is really good but you have to be very patient as the service in the evenings is very slow indeed, we were advised of a 30 minute wait but it was nearer 50 minutes, the staff work hard but the organisation must leave a lot to be desired, overall it was enjoyable but a bit more efficientcy with the speed of service and it could be a whole lot better, a place like this with its views should be at least a 4.5 star rating.

Yet again another fabulous meal at the Coast Inn fresh fish good atmosphere and great location. The staff are very helpful and friendly. Great choice on the menu roast dinners of epic proportion locally caught fish and a superb range of specials every week

Stopped off for an early dinner. Chose haddock from the gluten free menu. Very exciting to have lots of choices for me. The haddock was beautifully cooked with capers chunky chips and peas. Will definitely be back for that. Great value for money too. Winner winner

Absolutely brilliant, Perfectly cooked locally line caught haddock with Perfect chips and mushy peas. My wifes hallumi and salad was also well received and with a terrific view over the estuary this is one pub I can't recomend highly enough (a nice pint to)

We have eaten at The Coast on many occasions, but I felt the need to write a review following our Sunday lunch here today.

Lovely pub but I would advise NOT going on a Thursday night. It’s music night and I regret that this will be the last time we attempt to see something good in it. The only people enjoying it are those taking part.

Went here today for birthday meal for my wife’s uncle 90th birthday.

Stopped here on a lovely sunny day in Mersea got a table outside and had some lovely snacks and drinks pleasant place friendly service

Great location overlooking the seafront. Reasonable selection of beers and friendly staff although stretched when we visited in the evening. Two of us had fresh fish from the enticing selection of specials. Portion size was large but both portions of skate were so overcooked they were so dry and cardboard like you couldnt separate flesh from bone. Such a shame so close to the coast. I read other reviews and hope it was a one off but the QC that night was lacking.

everything was perfect. the best roast ever. pork or beef . ots of meat , home made yorkshires and lots of lovely fresh veg.

The Coast Inn is one of Mersea's treasures. Always a warm welcome, excellent beers and food in a comfortable setting. Staff are always polite and helpful.

Ate here as The Victory down the road where we were staying didn't serve food on a Sunday evening. Meal was very good with excellent service from the friendly waitresses.