The Crown in Colchester

Have been here before and had lovely food and hospitality but today was first to arrive at 12, door unlocked by a scruffy person with dirty clothes who asked us to sign our car registrations in then show us to our table which was under a stairwell at the back poorly lit ( the restaurant was empty) I said can we sit elsewhere please, was shown a table by the fire. Scruffy man said he would be back to take our drinks order after 10 mins he did, I said can we order food as well he said he was doing drinks orders first then would be back, 20 mins later he hadn’t returned so my friend ordered at bar. Food arrived I had ordered fishcakes, these were dry and over cooked, no broccoli just spinach which was over cooked and wet, 3 small baby potatoes which were hard and no hollindaise sauce which was down on the menu, I said I wasn’t to go pay for this to my friend but she said she had paid when she ordered. Pub busy now and couldn’t speak to anyone so left disappointed.

went here for lunch yesterday, slight delay on entry but after that good service, very attentive staff, food great , atmosphere excellent overall a great experience, will be back

Met up with 2 friends for lunch. Meal ok. Teapot missing a lid, pointed this out and was told no lid available!! Came to settling the bill. Bill split 3 ways. We rounded it up to £30 pounds each to include a tip. I put £30 pounds as did the other diner and the other person paid with card. Emma the waitress said it was 10 pounds short. We were confused by this, she took the money away and came back saying it was £20 pounds short. I checked my purse and knew I had paid the right amount but paid the extra 20 pounds as it was getting embarrassing. Why wasn’t the money counted out in front of us? I felt really upset when I left as my small meal ended up costing me £50. I work hard for my money and can ill afford this loss. Will never return. Emma asked for a review and this is it. 😡

A group of five of us ate here recently and had a wonderful experience. We were seated in a relatively private dining area and we were served by the lovely Amelia who could not have been more helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. The drinks and the meals were very good. Dinner was hot, tasty and plentiful and our mini deserts were perfectly adequate too. We would be very happy to meet and eat here again

Good service and choice, reasonably priced

Cozy atmosphere, great food and friendly service 🙂

Fantastic food and service at The Crown - we love it here, gorgeous venue and service from Joanna.

Thanks for all your help Bella ❤️

Wonderful service and delicious food. Served by Joanna and she was brilliant!

Great meal at the Crown, Joanne the waitress was very friendly and responsive Good food good atmosphere and great evening would highly recommend

Such a lovely place. Hostesses were amazing and food was a treat. Amelia and Zoe were so attentive and even helped us with some knowledge for holidays too. Highly recommend

I was very pleased with everything food was amazing and didn’t have to wait that long, the staff and service was perfect really friendly and helpful. Went with my partner and would recommend you give it a visit. Atmosphere is very good as well and a great location if you’re travelling and want to stop for some good food.

Service has good but the food was served cold

Friendly warm welcome. Chicken curry mains were dire

Very good experience, will keep visiting although we are one hour away.

Lovely surroundings and food was nice. Little slow on staff taking order but friendly and good at there job

Pizza was missing so one of us didn’t have any food!

Seated on time 3pm on a Saturday busy to begin half empty at 5pm service was bit slow and sporadic I guess understaffed. Watch out for the 10% service charge.

Good food at a reasonable price.

Went here over the Christmas period whilst visiting my partners family. Had a lovely meal and would recommend the arancini for starter and fish cake for main. Felt like a nice British pub

A lovely relaxing Sunday lunch. The Trio of meats was outstanding. Go hungry!!

Decided to try Christmas Dinner out with friends this year, you hear so many unhappy experiences shared as it's a very busy time of year, and an important occaision, so if it is not the best, people are very disappointed. We booked lunch here on Christmas Eve. What an unexpected treat this place was! I have driven past it 100 times without thinking about going in, I've missed out. We opted for the set menu, choice of either a starter and a main or a main and a dessert, or we thought maybe we would make it to a 3 course set lunch! Very generous portions, very fairly priced. I felt we had very good quality, portion size and value for the money. We ended up eating onlya a starter and main course only as no-one had space left for a dessert. Warm, friendly, great staff, dog friendly, child freindly, welcoming, cosy atmosphere, lovely ambience to the place. I had scallops in some kind of cheesy sauce for starter, with ciabatta, and a traditional turkey lunch. It was completely divine! Perfectly cooked, the right balance of everything, very flavoursome. All of us were happy, no complaints from 5 people. Will return and has restored our faith in the idea of eating out again next year.

Will never use these again ever son went for a drink 4 times and didn't know he was to put his reg of car in and got 4 fines ll went to a old address that he did not get mail passed on and now he's got a 1000 fine asked to have this reduced as we never got any letters for this and we have proof we had a drink as its on our bank statement and they said no. this was not his fault The TV screen you have to put your reg in is so small you miss it and it looks like a booking in for a meal screen no one told him This needs to change and stuff should be asking you if you have put your reg in before serving you it a disgrace I will never use this place ever again YOUR SIGNS ARE NOT CLEARER ENOUGH WHY DO YU NOT LEARN FROM THIS AND THERE IS NO NEED TO BE RUDE TO CUSTOMERS EITHER

Lovely atmosphere, we was given a lovely booth which felt really cosy with the added cushions. Roast dinner was lovely & serves quickly. Service was amazing, staff were so polite & friendly. 100% recommend

Hard to rate the service objectively but overall it was pretty poor and cold! The vast majority of our group sat eating in their scarves and coats, the pub was so cold despite an open fire, there was a very cold draft throughout. Unsurprisingly our food arrived cold, all our starters were sent back and half of our mains. Won't be returning and wouldn't recommend, so many more nicer places.

Very nice and cosy pub. The food is excellent, and the portions are large.

served by Emma, food was delicious and every person working was friendly and polite

Nothing available and shouldn’t of been open in my opinion with only a third of the menu available

Came here for Christmas day, and it was wonderful. The service was fantastic, the food was amazing, and even though they were busy, we weren't rushed. All the team had a smile on their faces, and it really did make the day special. This is the first time I and my family have been out on Christmas day, and because of whole experience we might make this a regular thing now! Thank you.

Went to celebrate our twin sons birthday after several good previous meals. This one was a big disappointment!! Sprouts we're cold, roast potatoes reheated and as for the steak in the pies this was I edible! We mentioned the steak to the waitress but no apology or offer of discount. Sadly we won't be back any time soon

Pleasant little gastro pub, lovely decor and nice servers: only thing I'd say is that the main ended up being different temperatures (e.g. burger patty was hot but the pulled pork on top was not) but that's such a minor nit-pick compared to the rest of the experience.

Absolutely lovely place and food was excellent

Excellent meal, very friendly staff, very Christmassy, we really enjoyed our evening, highly recommended 10/10

Went for Christmas meal with friends, had the duck pizza was delicious! With side of fries, could of had a few more fries but good food!

Love this place, wonderful atmosphere, lovely staff and great food, well worth a visit

Popped into pub Friday lunchtime after finishing work for Christmas, they were packed but really nice atmosphere and service. Highly recommend I will be coming back again for sure! P.s beef brisket sandwich was quite spectacular for 11 pounds.

The ambience of the Crown is really nice. Lovely décor. The service was good but the food was a bit of a let down. Starters were ok, but my turkey dinner was a real disappointment. I think the meal was plated up and reheated. Sprouts were frozen and then microwaved, roast potatoes not crispy and turkey really dry. Puddings again were ok but obviously not freshly made. It was lovely to have lunch with my sons but for £130 including a tip, I didn't feel I got value for money. Not sure I would return.

The waiting staff was great, attentive and service was quick. Portions were a good size and we all appreciated the mini dessert with hot drink deal. This place is becoming a family favorite.

Great roast dinner but delays on drinks from the bar let the kitchen and servers down.

The food was OK but some elements were poor and really should not have been served had anyone taken the care to check. They served a pork belly that was so tough that we couldn't cut it even with a steak knife. It had probably been pre-cooked and then warmed up. The service was very slow. We took 2.5 hours to get through 3 courses. The most common comment was "It isn't what it used to be."

Nice environment with their fire, decent food. Chain type stuff so dont expect anything special. It's still nice though and worth a visit

Lovely place great food Nice service Food was great and the price was good too Well done staff We will be back to try more food

WENT FOR CHRISTMAS LUNCH. SERVICE WAS ABISMAL HAD TO GRAB A WAITRESS TO GET A DRINK . ORDERED TURKEY AND STUFFING. MEAL WAS COLD, TURKEY WAS DRY VEGETABLES WERE ROCK HARD AND IN EDIBLE. SPOKE TO WAITRESS SHE SAID THEY HAVE RUN OUT OF STUFFING. WE WERE FIRST TO ORDER LUNCH SO CUD NOT UNDERSTAND THIS. WAITRESS ADMITTED UNDERSTAFFED AND STRUGGLING TO COPE. WOULD RECOMMEND YOU AVOID THIS PLACE AS ITS A DISGRACE.

Fantastic food, great atmosphere! Will definitely be back

Service and atmosphere was top notch, thank you!!

Had a lovely time, food was great and service from Jo was brilliant.

Went for a meal last night with friends, food was not great, starter was prawn cocktail it was spicy and lettuce was sour, then had a main meal it came out of kitchen with hair in the burger 🤢 and the Desert was too much cream and tasted awful it the second time going there and it was awful a year ago. Staff were friendly. But Definitely won’t be going back!

Had a delicious meal (garlic prawns, aranchini , duo lamb, steak,lemon tart,creme brûlée)in a restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere. Waiting staff were excellent especially Jo . Lovely evening

Fantastic service as always this evening from Jo. Nothing was too much trouble. Warm, friendly and attentive. A great place for a festive get together with friends, food was exceptional.

We returned to The Crown to try the festive menu. Had pate & aranchini starter . Then ribeye & turkey dinner & lastly apple & mince pie crumble all of it was delicious!! It was very busy at the time full festive mode but the service provided by Jo was excellent as always *****

We had such a lovely night - Jo was a great waitress as always - so polite and friendly, couldn’t have done more for us. Food and atmosphere was great too!

Had a nice meal here but service was very disappointing. Glass was covered in lipstick, service quite slow although busy perhaps employ more staff? Second round of drinks sat at the bar for 15 minutes and one of us ended up collecting it ourselves. Food was quite nice but as I said service let it down. Also no xmas nibbles like mints with tea, no crackers on tables no festive things.

Excellent meal and the service from Jo was first class,thank you 👌

A lovely meal as always at The Crown! Thank you Jo for such wonderful service - we tried the festive menu and it was great!

I was meeting family to celebrate my birthday. The Crown at Ardleigh is roughly half way for both of us, so very convenient. I was also gifted a bottle of Prosecco by Vintage Inns as a birthday present - lovely surprise. The whole experience from start to finish was without fault. The service, food, atmosphere all excellent and good value for money. Would not hesitate to recommend, and will definitely be returning.

Jo our waitress was very efficient and attentive.

Lovely place to eat. Food was great and so was the service. Would recommend.

Stan was the server and he was very helpful

Jo was an amazing waitress 5* Food is always absolutely delicious One of our favourite places to eat

Stanley was great this evening. Fantastic waiting skills. Thank you.

As always amazing service lovely food and and Bella she's so good at here job well done thank you so much

Average food with inattentive, impatient service. The staff don't tell you what's not available on the menu until you've chosen it. You ask for sauce, and they bring you an empty bottle. The log fire was the only thing I liked.

Sold out of several food items we tried to order. I reluctantly ordered a pizza which was greasy and plain, you can't put cheddar cheese on a margherita pizza! Custard served with the fruit crumble was pretty cold, the Eton mess was tasteless.

Lovly food and fantastik servis from bella thank you so much

Really great food and super friendly staff . Thankyou Jo !!!! Amazing birthday dinner

Had a superb family meal. All of the food courses were excellent for everyone. Tasty, hot and all served together. Jo provided an excellent and efficient service and looked after us.

Jo was a lovely waitress, friendly and attentive

Fantastic service from Joanna, lovely food with a great atmosphere and a roaring fire too!

We visit the crown quite regularly, the food is always spot on! Added bonus for the fire always keeping you warm, we had Harry as our server this time, cheeky chap full of banter and a credit to the team. But I must say all the staff are always lovely x

Came for dinner, Jo was amazing l, kind attentive and nothing was to much trouble.

Zoe was amazing, polite and friendly and very very helpful

Grammar business lunch venue, super service from Zoe and lots of delicious food!

Jo was just brilliant we loved her

Excellent food, staff friendly as always

Lovely evening at the crown, Meg was great as was all the other members of staff. We will be back

service was brilliant. our server megan was a lovely girl, very polite.

Great food and fantastic service from Stanley and the team

Was serviced by Stanley today for dinner. Service was brilliant

Great pub, great service, good food

Our waiter Stanley was very efficient and friendly

Excellent all around, server Izzy was brilliant!

We had a lovely meal here. A really nice setting with attentive, friendly staff (I believe we were served by a waitress called Bella) We both ordered the Hunters Chicken Schnitzel which turned out to be a great choice - thoroughly enjoyed. Will definitely be visiting again!

Lovely food and great service from all the friendly staff

absolutely lovely meal with great company

Wonderful evening meal as normal - served by Bella who was a very attentive host with a friendly smile throughout

Quality, great tasting food for a decent price!

Lovely service by Bella and the roast was amazing!

The dinner was not great, my lamb was OK, but the beef and turkey was very dry and the baked apple must of just been taken out three fridge and put straight on the plate as was FREEZING! The service was extremely slow and it took 40 minutes from ordering our desserts to getting them. And then they were not nice. My daughters ice cream was very melted, my white chocolate bomb had melted ice cream in it but barely any chocolate mousse, it was basically an empty spherical ball of air! I made a complaint and the staff took the desserts off the bill, but this was not really sufficient for our experience. With this experience I would not recommend to anyone else.

Drinks were delicious, my husband ordered a custom cocktail which wasn’t on the menu and it was no problem for them at all, food was absolutely divine, highly recommend the sea bass & lamb shank. Service was excellent, Bella was so attentive, smiling & happy, lovely waitress, made our evening very lovely. 10/10 all round, will definitely be returning!

Very pleasant with varied menu served by helpful and pleasant staff..also very good at being diplomatic as my reservation had been increased as a special surprise. Well done thank you !

My friend and I ate at the Crown on 22nd October lunch time. menu was perfect my friend is a vegan/plant based. Our server was Megan what a lovely young lady nothing was to much trouble. The log fireplace was warm and cosy. Hopefully will be back soon.

The service is really poor and it's an unpleasant atmosphere.

Food was pretty good but the service was outstanding. Thanks especially to Anny for the friendly service.

Do ya REG on the way in🤝 Good food, staff were polite and friendly, wasn't too badly priced either

Poor experience. Used to visit here regularly, always loved their signature burger but after last nights visit we were bitterly disappointed. We turned up at 7.45pm, they were not that busy, ignored us to begin with, eventually served and decided to sit in the bar-area. Alongside my usual burger wife had the steak pie, ordered at the bar and within 3 minutes the server literally ‘dropped off’ the food… Just about managed to stop her scurrying off with a polite request for some condiments, I tried a fry it was stone cold and the rest of our food tepid at best. Explaining this to the server, she offered to get it ‘redone’ disappearing again to the kitchen within a few minutes reappeared with the same food that had been stuck through some kind of heating process…roll was now soggy on the burger and my wife’s pie still had the knife mark in it! We had both been in business meetings all day so decided to just eat and go, no good byes or thank you from the staff. After spending £40 on 2 badly warmed preprepared dishes not happy. you receive better service from a fast food restaurant unacceptable and a formal complaint will be going to the owners. Such a shame because the bar area really has an inviting decor and design.

Honestly one of the friendliest pubs around the area. Very accommodating and welcoming. Perfect for a bite to eat and a drink

Wow wow wow what a great evening here at the Ardleigh Crown! We were there celebrating our mums birthday and we can’t fault the evening at all! Especially due to our server whose name is Bethany! She was absolutely amazing, she was the most loveliest girl and we can all agree we have not had someone like her serve us for a very long time anywhere!, so they definitely have a keeper member on their team! ! The food was also top notch we all enjoyed every bite and everything about the evening was just perfect, none of us have a bad word to say!! We love it here!!🤍

Lovely cosy environment and great food as always. Been here many times and always have great service, food and company.

We had to clear the table of the previous persons sitting before we sat down. Once food was ordered it came out in good time and the waitress was polite and cheerful. Food was underwhelming and dry.

I come to the Ardleigh Crown quite often but I came here recently with a friend for some food and a few drinks and we both had such a good experience !! This was mainly all thanks to our lovely waitress Bethany, who was so welcoming and helpful from the minute we were seated! The food was also delicious and the cocktails were very nice :)