The Crown in Colchester

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

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

Service and atmosphere was top notch, thank you!!

Fantastic food, great atmosphere! Will definitely be 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Lovly food and fantastik servis from bella thank you so much

Jo was a lovely waitress, friendly and attentive

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our waiter Stanley was very efficient and friendly

Was serviced by Stanley today for dinner. Service was brilliant

Great food and fantastic service from Stanley and the team

Excellent all around, server Izzy was brilliant!

Great pub, great service, good food

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

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 service by Bella and the roast was amazing!

Quality, great tasting food for a decent price!

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!!🤍

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 :)

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 was there at lunchtime. It was fairly quiet.

There were 6 of us eating. The initial service was great and our main meals came out quick. However, my fish and chips meal was shocking! A tiny piece of dry, overcooked haddock, hardly any fish, mostly batter. Burnt hard, cold chips. I didn't want to complain, as everyone else had their mains and I didn't want to be the one to complain and sit there without food for god knows how long. Two of our party had the lamb roast, most of the lamb was fat, hard cold veggies and their plates were also cold. We the asked to see the dessert menu - no one came to take our order after waiting 30+ minutes. The staff just kept walking past. No one asked how our meal was. No one asked if we wanted more drinks. We were told, however, that the hot drinks machine wasn't working?! So we couldn't even have a coffee. We decided not to order anymore and just asked for the bill in the end - as we got fed up waiting. They could of made more money out of us, as we were prepared to order a dessert each and another round of drinks - but the service was so poor, we simply left. We won't be returning to eat here again, that's for sure. Terrible food and service - the bill wasn't cheap either!

Lovely place,food great,good portion Sunday roast.would recommend

Came in for a meeting on Friday lunchtime, we just had drinks and a couple of sandwiches but brill service and we were left in peace which is just what we needed!

A pleasant and relaxing atmosphere for dinner for two. Commencing with drinks, We ordered two tasty Hunters Chicken main course meals. This was followed by deserts of of Ice Cream and the other of Crumble with custard. All food was of ample quantity and good quality. For a busy Saturday evening, The Crown Team managed well with waitress Jo explaining Menu options and ensuring we were well looked after. Thank you. D & H

Used to come to the Crown quite a lot, but this was over 10years ago. This most definitely not the same. Poor service, tables and plates unclean and worst of all the food was bad. Real shame as I had wanted to show my family this great place I remember and it simply wasn’t that place anymore. I would strongly recommend avoiding.

Very poor hugely disappointing, used to come here a lot around 10 years ago, it is most definitely not the same place it was. Service is very poor, food was shocking, toilet blocked and no soap in bathroom. Just disappointed. Would 100% avoid if you can.

Nice pub with an open log fire. Food and drinks food.

Food was great. Service was excellent. Lovely surroundings. Great value too.

Stopped in for a Sunday roast. Unfortunately the roast potatoes and parsnips were too undercooked to eat and the gravy was an oily jus which didn't go with the dinner. However the staff and desserts made up for it.

Food first class as usual that’s why we come back. Nice ambiance. Was served by Bethany who did a grand job even though she had a cold. Was waited on first class

It was a nice atmosphere, staff were very helpful and friendly. Especially Harry! Only reason for 4 stars is because the portion sizes were quite small but other than that, all good!

Lovely fresh tasty food, and fabulous service from Harry, our very friendly and kind waiter. I had the chicken penang curry which was delicious!

Came for a roast dinner and we were served by Stanley he was amazing and very attentive… food was delicious, i would highly recommend!

Had a lovely evening catching up with friends the food was lovely. Definitely recommend the burger. Lots of choice and reasonably priced. My only slight negative was following the meal we was given the bill without prompt, which made us feel like we had to leave

Good atmosphere, clean and good food

Very nice atmosphere, to food is of a good standard and the offers are not bad to get with the loyalty card.

Excellent pub food great although a bit pricey.Our waitress Bethany was very nice and friendly.

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.

Lovely setting. Food was a bit disappointing. Roast potatoes certainly not fluffed and cauliflower cheese was hard and had no sauce.

Update September 2024 Went for lunchtime meal. The place was busy, but the service was attentive. Menu had recently changed to their autumn 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!

I had a disappointing experience at The Crown Pub recently. While the food was acceptable, it wasn’t anything to write home about and was served slightly cold. What really ruined the visit, however, was the presence of rats scurrying around the outdoor seating area. We saw at least three different rats running under tables and too close for comfort. Additionally, the staff were unprofessional and unfriendly. When we approached the bar to order, they were moody and seemed disinterested in their jobs. The young staff members gave off a clear impression that they didn’t want to be there, which significantly affected the overall atmosphere. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend The Crown Pub based on this experience. It’s a shame, as it had the potential to be a pleasant spot, but the combination of cold food, unsanitary conditions, and poor service made for a very unsatisfactory visit.

Lovely food lovely staff lovely atmosphere will come again

I visited during a lovely quiet warm evening. Service was prompt. I felt the food was over priced for what it was, portion sizes of dessert were very small and far too expensive. Whilst outside in the garden ( dusk ) rats were visible which upset other guests, not myself, there are obvious vermin controls in the garden. Turns out a table of guests were enticing the rats with their food 🙈 would definitely visit again but would order a larger expensive main to fill up on and not bother with a dessert. It has a lovely atmosphere about it, great location for a celebratory meal, despite the rats😂

While the food is consistently great at The Crown, the service was incredibly slow during our visit.

A other great lunch at the Crown. Good food and lovely friendly staff, especially ALICIA, who made us both feel so welcome. Thank you Alicia x

Staff are always wonderful and the menu is excellent for its price point

The Crown was a great place to meet up with friends for lunch. Food was very good and our waitress Zoe looked after us well.

Arrived here with good expectations, nice looking pub from the outside, decent interior. Shame about the food and the service was questionable. Started with a scotch egg that appeared to come straight out the microwave?? It was boiling hot, the egg yolk was rock hard, the pork was not good at all and just looked terrible. The calamari was little pieces of grease, the plate was just a pool of oil. Onto the pork belly roast which we both had, pork was okay, potatoes were a little underdone not crispy in anyway, the stuffing wrapped in bacon was cool idea but looked pretty inedible. Again overly microwaved cauliflower cheese and veggies. The chef couldn't be bothered to pick parsley from the stalks just gave us a tree of the stuff. Our starter plates were left on the table until we finished our mains, we had to get up and seek staff to ask for more gravy, we didn't get a check back or even a question about if we enjoyed anything, got the sense the staff didn't really look like they were happy to be there. Overall, nowhere near worth the money.

Only went for drinks but great atmosphere with a live singer. We sat in the extensive garden whilst the children played with the excellent range of outdoor games provided.

The best service we’ve had for a long time! Thank you Bethany!

I visited last weekend for a long overdue child free catch up with a friend. We were met by the absolutely lovely Freya who was hospitable and quick taking our orders. The food portions were excellent for the price, to the point I took some of my main home for my husband's dinner and when I asked to take home a dessert for later they were only too happy to oblige. I want to mention Freya again because I can not express how great she was! I haven't been able to have a 1-1 lunch with my friend for over 7 years so to say we had lots to talk about is an understatement, at no point were we interrupted mid conversation it was like she knew when to come over instinctively, she was on top of all the tidying and keeping us topped up on drinks while also looking after a large party on the table next to us. She is a credit to your team along with whom ever cooked my meal! We will definitely be back! Hopefully sooner than 7 years from now!

I visited last weekend for a long overdue child free catch up with a with a friend. We were met by the absolutely lovely Freya who was hospitable and quick taking our orders. The food portions were excellent for the price, to the point I took some of my main home for my husband's dinner and when I asked to take home a dessert for later they were only too happy to oblige. I want to mention Freya again because I can not express how great she was! I haven't been able to have a 1-1 lunch with my friend for over 7 years so to say we had lots to talk about is in understatement, at no point were we interrupted mid conversation it was like she knew when to come over instinctively, she was on top of all the tidying and keeping us topped up on drinks while also looking after a large party on the table next to us. She is a credit to your team along with whom ever cooked my meal! We will definitely be back! Hopefully sooner than 7 years from now!

Great staff, food was very good and decently priced. Excellent, friendly service. Good atmosphere too. Plenty of parking and a beer garden to.

Had a lovely meal. Pub was lovely. A lovely atmosphere and very clean. The food was amazing and our waitress Jo was so helpful and friendly. Highly recommend a visit.

Love the Crown. Always good food and the bar area is dog friendly. 🐾

Great little pub, food was delicious, I had the lasagne which was really good and tasted home made, wasn’t dry like a lot of places serve it. Hubby had fish n chips which was good as well, perhaps a tad overcooked but still good. Others had pizza and the gammon which was also nice. Service a little slow but it wasn’t bad .

Another visit to this excellent establishment. Easy access and no waiting . The food was great and the staff very attentive, especially BETHANY, who gets a special mention for her smile and her service.

We visited The Crown whilst staying nearby, and so glad we did! The food was excellent, and our server, Zoe, was superb. Super friendly, super helpful, even making a special effort to interact with the children. We will definitely visit again when in the area, and would definitely recommend. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Absolutely exceptional on all levels

Lovely little pub loads of character, loads of parking not to busy when we went on a sun day evening staff very friendly and attentive, food was really good and portions were a good size.

Was served by Zoe, she was very welcoming and friendly toward myself, my partner and our boys.

Lovely meal and great service by Zoe, will come back soon!