The Crown in Colchester

Group of 9 and it went very smoothly, great food

Excellent food and attentive service.

Would 100% return good food and drinks selection , if Rio’s working then you’ll have a lovely time she’s always got a smile on her face!

Had a brilliant experience here. The service was perfect with a friendly and helpful waitress Jo. She was not pushy and helped with what to order. Food was excellent! Reminds me of miller and carter before they changed to frozen food. It was so fresh and proper food, hot and tasty! The atmosphere was lovely, nice pub vibes and very clean. Definitely will be returning! Thank you Jo you were great! Definitely will be returning

Food was delightful, quick service and members of staff were so polite and friendly, especially Rio she was amazing.

Had a good meal, with good drinks and a good evening there. Thank you Rio!

Been here many times prior to today for late lunch 06/04. Lovely welcome,? Excellent service and top food which is also great value for money.

My daughter has a Milk allergy and the Debuty Manager Rio was amazing with allergies. I read their declaration, she made sure I understood everything. The allergy list show what it contains and what it may contain. She was super helpful to make sure my daughter’s food was made correctly, it was brought out completely separate and by herself! She had a flag in her food to show she has allergy and Rio came back to make sure everything was okay with her food! It is reassuring to be in a place where people truly understand allergies and how safe you have to be . Made me relax knowing my daughter’s food was safe! My five year olds daughters review: “I like the chicken and they are quite quick. They are nice and good with allergies”

Came here on a whim today, booked a table on their website about 15 minutes before we arrived. Food was great, service was faultless, and atmosphere felt like a proper pub. Prices were very reasonable. I would definitely return.

Haven't been to the Crown for sometime as service used to be so slow, went recently and was really impressed by service and food, so we booked again for our most recent visit as a work team member's birthday celebration. Great service, polite, friendly and funny. Had a lovely meal and time

Not all the food was hot and poor info on menu

Anniversary meal, everything was 10/10. Had Jo waiting on us, again 10/10. Will defo return soon!

Update March 2024 Went for early evening meal. The place was very busy, but the service was attentive. Menu had recently changed to their spring menu. The quality of the food was very good. Car park has several disabled spaces, and a lot of the restaurant is on the level. There is a step up to further seating, so I recommend you let the restaurant know when booking if you have any access difficulties like a wheelchair user. The disabled toilet / baby change is of a reasonable size and standard. Will certainly visit again!

Food was very good, and the waitresses were very attentive. Real ales need a better and more local selection.

Wow! What an amazing Early Birthday Lunch! My Nan loved this place and was made to feel very welcome, by Waitress Bethany and managers Alex and Rio! Can not wait to return ❤️

We come here often to meet for a beer, and the service and welcome from the Manager Rio is second to none. Really appreciate the time spent talking and making us feel welcome. Never had a bad beer, and never had a bad meal, very reasonable pint, still under £5 for a Doombar. Free parking too.

Great service and good was amazing

First timer here, everything was lovely, food , service atmosphere along with the open fire was very homely. Toilets were clean and were of a good standard which to me says alot about the rest of the pubs hygiene. Special mention for Alicia, She was perfect in recommending certain meals when I was in a quandary when we were choosing..Only one drawback! Can someone please turn the lights on in the carpark! it was as dark as a mine shaft. Well done..

We waited ages to order our food and when it came the roasts were Luke warm, at no point were we asked if our food was ok, limit less gravy… couldn’t get anyone’s attention to ask for more and given a little gravy boat with the roast, certainly not enough. It didn’t seem that busy but they were definitely understaffed. This place needs to get its act together, either get enough staff or reduce the amount of covers, one person on the bar trying to cover drinks for the whole place!! On the plus side the cauliflower cheese I ordered as a side was hot and tasty.

Arrived at 15:20 for 15:30 booking, didn’t get seated til 15:40-45. Then waited ages for someone to take our order, then even longer for the food. Asked for another drink and again, waited. Sat there longer still for someone to take our plates, decided not to get desert and we just wanted to get out of there. Was plenty of staff around but we just seemed to be ignored. Spent 2 hours there just for a main meal. Disappointed. Would not recommend. Actually kind of gutted

Fantastic time thank you all great hospitality and a big thank you to Rio for all her help

Jo was a great server very friendly will definitely be coming to the crown again lovely food, not overpriced, affordable food! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Perfect for a relaxed get together with great food. Served by Jo who was brilliant - efficient service, friendly and nothing too much trouble.

We had a lovely dinner here, we were served by Zoe who was very attentive to our table and was very nice and friendly. Excellent service!!

Lovely meal at the crown, and a special thank you to Jo, she was really kind, attentive and gave excellent service to us, and made sure we had everything we needed! Wouldn’t definitely go back x

Jo was super-attentive all evening. Great night out for dad and daughter! Jo took pic of family and was very kind all meal. Thanks so much x

Lovely place, very reasonable food and always taste great. Jo was extremely polite and helpful, credit to the team at the crown. Keep up the good work :)

Zoe was an absolute star today, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal! The lasagna was cooked to perfection, I’d definitely recommend it,

Had a great lunch with some past work colleagues. We were looked after by Zoe, who was very attentive ensuring our reunion was a memorable occasion. Lovely pub and surroundings as well.

Zoe was a natural host, very polite and informative keep up the good work Meal was nice , a bit pricey for burger and chips however full of flavour etc

Zoe was very helpful and pleasant. Gammon steak was a bit tough but apart from that it was well presented and tasty and the free birthday prosecco went down well

Food and service was good. Our server Zoe was very good indeed. Everything was done in a friendly and timely manner. Would definitely come again.

Great food with perfect portion sizes. Beautiful interior and nice vibes. Our server Zoe was very polite and attentive. Will definitely be coming back!

Zoe gave great service, was friendly and prompt service. lovely food and atmosphere. Will come again and recommend to others.

Visited The Crown for dinner and the food was lovely. Great atmosphere and we were made to feel very welcome on arrival. We were served by Bethany and she was very helpful and attentive throughout the evening - I would highly recommend visiting

Absolutely brilliant evening celebrating our friends 40th Birthday. We had the pleasure of Bethany serving us throughout our evening, she was so lovely and friendly which made our evening that bit more special so thank you Bethany for being an A⭐️ waitress.

Zoe was very sweet and the service was great....nothing was too much trouble. Great food too and a late night coffee.......

Lovely meal accompanied by very helpful waitress Alicia. Was amazing from start to finish will definitely be returning!

Delicious food lovely and hot, really tasty! Zoe was very polite and welcoming. Will definitely return for more soon! X

Lovely evening, food was great but must thank Bethany for her service tonight, very friendly and helpful, nothing too much trouble and very attentive

Had a lovely meal with Co workers for a birthday lunch and the food was incredible - credit to the chef and also our lovely waitress Alicia who was very helpful and gave service with a smile

Delicious Sunday roast, great atmosphere and Stanley was a very helpful and knowledgeable waiter. Highly recommend.

Had a fantastic evening enjoying our Sunday Roast! We were served by Izzy who was incredibly nice and really helpful! We would highly recommend!

Had a wonderful evening looked after by izzy, she really went the extra mile! We brought our dog with us and she was made so welcome! Great food, would definitely recommend!

Food was fab! Stanley was an amazing waiter who engaged with us in a professional manner throughout the evening. He showed great character and brought ‘wit’ to the conversations!

First time I’ve been here but will definitely be going again. Welcoming. Cozy. Clean. Good service. I had the lamb and cannot fault it. Would choose every time! My friend had curry, chicken a little overcooked but tasty. Thank you. Will see me again.

Cold food rude staff food came back still cold and with salt on after telling them 3 time can not have salt will never go back again

Lovely Sunday lunch. Very generous portions and nicely cooked meat and veg. Thanks to Stanley for the great service. Would recommend

Great food with good quality service. Bethany was pleasant and great with customer service. Burger was top notch and mini pudding with hot drink great value. Would recommend definitely.

Great night out with friends. Had a lovely time, food was really good. Our waiter Stanley. Such a delightful young man. Very friendly and humble. Good sense of humour. Very impressed.

It was my husband and I’s 1st time at The Crown and we were so pleasantly surprised. This truly is a hidden Gem located down our little Ardleigh Country roads. The food was amazing from start to end. The service and timing of service was...

Lovely friendly waitress, good food, relaxed atmosphere. Log burning fire - great company, great evening and reasonably priced

We’ve just celebrated my mum’s 80th birthday at The Crown and had a lovely time. Food was delicious and we were well looked after by the staff. I have to mention Bethany who was an absolute star!!! She was extremely polite and helpful- a real...

Stopped off at the crown on the way to Colchester shopping. The pub is much nicer on the inside than the outside. Could do with a bit of Rox but the inside is really very nice. The staff are all quite young and very attentive....

I have been going to the Ardleigh Crown for probably 35 years also over the last 12 years only very infrequently as I now live in another country. I will say that their staff are always nice and helpful and their beers are good. The food has definitely gone well down hill over the years so not really a place to get a nice dinner but it’s edible. A nice place to just hang out with friends though.

An idyllic warm, cosy country pub/restaurant with the most delicious freshly-cooked food. Varied menu, friendly staff and ample parking. Wheelchair accessible and the layout lends itself to enjoy privacy as well as ability to access all tables. Also DOG friendly.

Have been here a couple of times before and been satisfied with our meal and service. However this time we were left waiting in the entrance despite having booked. Our main meal was nice and tasty and the original waitress was very friendly and helpful....

Very polite and respectful. Rio was our server and we was very happy with how she treated us.

Lovely Mother's Day meal today. First time here but def won't be out last! Lovely old pub with a roaring fire and lovely food.

Wonderful welcoming staff. Very tasty Sunday lunch. We will definitely visit again.

The Staff were very pleasant and very attentive .

Delicious 3 meat roast today, excellent service from Stanley. Would recommend and return. Busy restaurant with plenty off car parking space.

I Feel sad to be writing this review as I have eaten here a few times and service has always been great. However last night eating here, we were greeted in a rude manner, our table was booked and we were told we had to hurry our order due to the kitchen closing early, so we felt rushed to choose what we wanted. Our starters then arrived before our drinks and after asking several times for our drinks they finally arrived. The food was average, but again due to the kitchen closing early, it seemed the standard was not at its normal quality, the chips were burnt, the buttermilk burgers were dripping of grease. I understand the kitchen was being closed early due to new flooring, however when I booked the table, no notification popped up to say this. Regardless of this maintenance happening, this should not impact standards nor manners should slip. I don’t feel I’d been returning anytime soon.

Clean, pleasant staff,, reasonabe

Turned up out of a blue on a sunday afternoon busy car park and it was busy. They found room for the 2 of us without to much bother. We both had roasts, One Pork and One Turkey, both amazing. loads of food, really flavourful, very filing, loads of meat and trimmings. We also had 2 deserts and they were amazing too. Overall 2 drinks, 2 mains, 2 deserts £56 really enjoyable. Waiting staff could be a bit more attentive, bar staff were very good.

Forgot to take photos. Lovely place. Ordered a pork roast. It was delicious. came quick. And the. For desert I had a banoffee pie. It was so good. One of my favourite deserts. Would recommend eating here

Meh. Food average to bland. Would not let me exchange fries for another side nor purchase burger without fries, so had to buy them just to throw them away. No prices on drinks menu. Menu states all hot drinks come with shortbread, bought two and neither did. There are better places to eat. Venue itself is nice.

Went for the Valentine's Set menu. The food was really nice quality but the service was very slow. Took them ages to even take our order.

The listed building is beautiful (beams/fireplace/decor) and the service was good. The main course was nice, but not as nice as the price suggested. The dessert was tasteless.

As we were on our way home from the hospital, we decided to try it out. Our reservation was for 15:45 and we were absolutely starving and in need of a good meal. Initially, the dinners appeared appetising. Upon beginning to eat, we both encountered...

The food was really great and good portions too. Dog friendly as well excellent.

Lovely meal out last Sunday. The sea bass was amazing and the price was so reasonable. Definitely recommend!

had a lovely family meal here for my daughters 21st birthday, staff (Rio) was very friendly and attentive, and went the extra mile in doing a birthday board for her. we enjoyed our stay and didn't feel rushed at all. we had everything we needed....

Great experience for a midweek lunch menu. Amicable cosy decor with log fire - most welcome on a cold rainy day.The staff were attentive and helpful.Aleysha our waitress provided great service. All our meals were perfect & well presented . A nice surprise with a Happy Birthday dessert served on a slate for one of our group .Very thoughtful & appreciated by us all.Most recommendable

Wonderful service, food good, will defiantly be returning

Been here a quite a few times and never been disappointed staff are always friendly and the food is out of this world.

Lovely food and good service. Plenty of parking

Fantastic service from Alicia Jess and thanks To the duty Manager Rio who always pleasant

I had a bad experience here , they gave me vanilla icecream ijsted of honeycome , they slammed the bottle of wine on the table and didnt even pour it for us

We really enjoyed our visit at the crown, Warm welcome by the manager Rio. Very efficient, good quality, Jess,Annie and Beth were great too! What a wonderful team you have, We will be back

Exellent service. Food was delicious. The manager Rio and Beth was so friendly and helped us with everything we needed. Will definitely be back

Excellent service as always, food was amazing. Rio and Beth were so lovely and welcoming. I will definitely be returning soon.

Really good food, and service from Zoe was perfect. 6 months ago we vowed never to return due to poor food and service experience however tonight has definitely changed our minds. Thanks to the team and Zoe.

We haven't been in a few months, and it was a pleasure as always. The staff were lovely and even recognised when we came and asked how we were and where we had been! It's not always about the food, it's about the people and...

Really lovely atmosphere & the food was yummy. We booked a table for my mums birthday & Rio made such an effort to make it nice for her. Really appreciated that, so thank you 🙏🏻

Easy parking . Very good food and service. Lovely open fire

Birthday meal for 8. Jess our waitress was wonderful couldn't have done anything better. Food was lovely although steaks not quite cooked to order but none the less very nice. Very clean and welcoming pub. We will definitely visit again. Rio the deputy manager was lovely, ensuring everything was running smoothly and ok. Thanks 😊 The only thing I would change was the heat!

beautiful food, especially the sticky crispy chicken and pizza! lovely environment with very friendly and welcoming staff. will be come back again ! x

Rio was amazing, very polite, and extremely helpful. Looking forward to our next visit

Absolutely beautiful food! The service was great and our waitress Rio was so lovely and friendly. Will definitely be back!

Rio is amazing very good service would definitely come back

Food was spot on! Shame we got forgotten about for the first 40 mins! Will go back for food so hopefully, the service will be better next time

We visited the crown for the first time on Saturday afternoon (27th Jan) with our 2 very young grandchildren. What a lovely experience. Nothing too much trouble for the fantastic staff, surroundings were great and food fantastic. We will be back soon !

We came here for Sunday lunch and it was very disappointing. Rock hard potatoes, lamb was chewy and cold. I was charged £13.45 for a small orange juice and lemonade and a pint of ghost ship! When I complained about the drinks price I was told it was a mistake and someone else's drink was charged to me by mistake. I got a £5 refund for the drink. My complaints about the food were met with ' no one else has complained today' this used to be a great pub/restaurant, but I won't be darkening their door again.

The manager Rio was very polite and accommodating, we also had Stanley as our waiter, he was really good and offered great recommendations

After being recommended, I was disappointed at the crown. After being seated we weren't asked about drinks for 20 + minutes, then told 5/6 items missing off menu, then they were out of tomato sauce and coke. Food was ok, price was ok. Won't rush back

Came in for drinks with friends, nice atmosphere, served by Alex, she was very friendly and accommodating, lovely meals, would recommend x

Great food, good value, nice atmosphere. Great fire flaming away... a tad hot! Zoe our lovely waitress looked after us very well thank you.

A really warm welcoming pub. Food excellent, service efficient. My friends were great company and they paid! Win win

All staff are great it is a busy place which is evident to how good the place is. Never left wanting anything. Rio a perfect hostess.