The Dukes Seafood in Colchester

Not been to Mersea for a long while due to our favourite seafood place closing. We was told about this place by a friend and we was pleasantly surprised. Great selection of seafood and fresh. Loved the bread in little boxes with butter slices. We went on a Monday and sadly no hot food was served as they only do that at weekends. We will happily return soon. Fairly priced.

Lovely spot for lunch overlooking the estuary. Great range of locally caught seafood for eating in or taking home. They happily stored some fish and seafood in their fridge for me while I ate. The oysters were delicious as was all the other seafood I tried. They were busy too!

Lovely little gem of a place. The menu is quite limited and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. The service was lovely. Lady taking orders was so sweet and patient with all the tourists. Yes, queues are a bit long but that’s due to people taking a bit longer to decide on what they want to order. Well worth a visit.

We could see the place was popular as there was a long queue, not helped by people who, having reached the front after a good 10 minutes, still had no idea what they wanted. Mind you, it is not easy to read a menu whilst you’re in the queue. I chose a special, chilli prawns and sautéed potatoes. The flavour was fine but it was absolutely swimming in oil. My husband chose the cod burger and the fish had no flavour, and the brioche bun was soggy. When squeezed, liquid dripped out. Delicious wine, beautifully presented. Fabulous view, which is why everyone comes here. Had to avert our eyes from a woman changing a baby’s nappy at the next table, at least the view helped.

Been here twice now, it is lovely! This time we had the Pinky platter for two it was delicious especially the crab. Local wines and beers and very friendly helpful staff.

Kids fancied trying seafood , staff where really friendly and my son even tries an oyster !my daughter was less keen , but I would highly recommend the prawns and oysters. Right on the front watching the boats was great . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great

There is a lot to like here, the staff are friendly and polite, the scenery from the eating area is picturesque (Tidal flats with boats in the background along with the smell of the sea) The seafood is varied for all tastes where no one could be disappointed at the quality. A wonderful seafood experience. My daughter and I loved it.

First time visiting West Mersea, day trip from London. Great communication - reserved a bench with seaview. Service friendly, oysters with bacon & mussels the best I’ve had & I’ve just got back from Brussels!

Une horreur ! Une heure de queue au soleil, puis on choisi ce que l'on veut manger dans un genre de mobile home où ils préparent la cuisine. On paie, comme chez Mc do, puis on essaie de trouver une place. Nous avons trouvé une table libre, envahie de coquilles d'huîtres, de cannettes, etc.que nous avons dû pousser pour avoir de la place. Un très jeune serveur a finalement débarrassé tout ça après 20 minutes...Ensuite, et après réclamation à la serveuse 45 minutes après notre arrivée à table, celle ci nous a finalement posé un quart d'heure plus tard l'assiette de fruits de mer commandée. Donc, on a été servi exactement 2 heures depuis notre arrivée sur les lieux. Sans compter qu'il s'agissait d'une assiette froide, donc qui aurait pu être préparée en 5 minutes... De surcroit, en ce qui concerne les consommations, nous avions pris juste un verre de vin blanc ( 6,60 livres dans un verre en plastique) pensant que cela suffirait. Étant donné le temps d'attente, le verre était bien sûr vide lorsque la serveuse nous a servi. Pour en reprendre un autre, il aurait fallu refaire une heure de queue.... Je ne comprends pas que les avis sur cet endroit sont majoritairement positifs....

Ab Fab darlings = well worth queuing for. Small platter was more than enough for one especially as it comes with fresh crusty bread. Crevettes with garlic and chilli highly recommended The service was great allenthalben a smile. I really couldn’t fault this little gem of a place on Mersey seafront

Get a regular order of freshly picked crabmeat and prawn salad mix. There’s always a great selection of fish and beautiful seafood platters. Lovely staff, cheerful and good humoured.

We read about the Oysters and travelled from Wales. We sat outside with the water lapping by our feet. It seems Fish is always best when you can smell the sea. We ordered a dozen Oysters, dressed crab, large prawns and a bottle of Mersea Island wine. This was what we came to find, absolutely excellent all delivered by the girl from Donaghamede and costing half of what we paid at some dissapointing venues. There was fresh caught skate wing for cook at home, shame we were so far away. I definitely recommend. It's all a bit like Howth and Skerries before they became posh.

Just brilliant. Service was amazing and very friendly. Oysters out of this world! Even on a cold windy day this is a must 👍

We had a great lunch here with friends and our dogs. The initial attraction was their lovely outside dining area but the food turned out to be perfect too. We chose a variety of dishes and all were beautifully presented and cooked. It’s a lovely place to eat and sit whilst enjoying great food in the company of friends. The staff were also exceptionally friendly and polite.

Having moved to Mersea for a short period of time over Christmas period I was looking to really enjoy the seafood. Being a chef for 30yrs I feel as though I know good quality food and here I was not disappointed at all. It started with just the service at the hut. The team were so attentive and more than happy to help. The fish was so fresh and tasty and the menu just sounded perfect even for the quieter periods. All you could hear was people raving about the quality and I can only back that up by agreeing, it was amazing! I saw the sign for the fish course and signed up, the team Steve & Tony were so knowledgeable and engaging and really helped everyone settle in and have an enjoyable time. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice or experienced in seafood, I can guarantee you will learn something and have a great time, please do yourself a favour and sign up. If nothing else certainly give the seafood a try, so much better than the well known alternative.

Quite good, but not enough crab in their sandwiches. The scallops and the potato wedges were very nice

We dropped by in hope to get some fresh fish for our dinner later but was told the fishmonger wasn't open on Monday. Yet, the staff were very nice and went to check if there was anything in the fridge and we were lucky to...

We were disappointed & dismayed going into another restaurant but found this place instead. We were welcomed to come in & sit whilst waiting for our food order. Friendly & accommodating staff - always a positive thing. Keep up the good service. We’ll definitely spread...

I came to West Mersea to sample seafood and was not disappointed by this place. I chose the Dukes platter for £16.50 and had a wonderful selection of cold seafood with four chunky slices of bread washed down with a tasty local beer. Great picnic...

Just had a really lovely seafood lunch at Dukes. The best place to eat seafood outside on Mersea Island and lovely staff. Thoroughly recommend.

We were not able to get into other restaurants and that was actually a piece of excellent fortune. We found ‘Dukes’ and what a find it was! Absolutely superb food and service in a wonderful outside setting on a beautiful afternoon.

Excellent fresh seafood. Oysters are as fresh and as local as you can get. Service was friendly and efficient. It’s a great casual place amongst the boats and seagulls.

Takeaway treat only there was not much to takeaway! What we ended up with was tasteless prawns and a poor excuse for mackerel pate

Having rang the day before to check they were doing hot food & being told yes but a limited menu it was disappointing to turn up today to find that wasn't the case. While we enjoyed the oysters & crab salad we were looking forward...

We arrived late, so some of the daily specials had sold out. We took this as a good sign. We chose mussels, cooked in cider and apple, salt and pepper squid with padron peppers, chilli dip and salad, garlic bread and skin-on wedges. The food...

This was a great spot for lunch on a sunny Saturday lunchtime. Despite the warm weather there was plenty of tables available and a really good menu plus specials (no fish and chips though) Only build was that you can’t see the menu until you...

Had a fabulous lunch here today, lovely setting overlooking the water. really enjoyed fresh cod goujons and garlic butter prawns.service was excellent and great value for money. Shall be back soon and highly recommend a visit here.

Had chowder and oysters outdoors by the estuary. Excellent service. Staff knowledgeable and helpful. We were also able to buy fresh Dover Sole to eat at home

Visited on a Friday lunchtime. Staff very friendly and helpful. Food excellent & lovely chilled wine. Location by waters edge so perfect. Can highly recommend prawn & crayfish with salad & bread. What a great place to relax, eat, drink & watch the boats go...

We visited yesterday for lunch and had the scallop and bacon bap. The only thing that can be said is that it is fantastic.

Some of the best seafood we’ve had in this country - so good we had seconds! Why there is not a queue here we’ll never know. Well done - keep it up, looking forward to coming back.

Best food we had on Mersea Island - fantastically fresh, simple and cooked to perfection, with great views to boot. Service was similarly excellent.

Our third stop on our Oyster Road Trip was The Dukes Seafood. We drove over the causeway with slight trepidation after watching the Netflix film - such an adventure. We parked easily and walked a short distance and found The Dukes - we ordered 2...

Great food and service.Food was delicious ,we had a seafood platter to share as a starter and everything on it was fresh, great oysters .The monk fish kebabs were perfectly cooked . Seating outside right on the front with a glass of wine from the...

Stopped off for lunch and the food was very nice and fresh. Service was really friendly and nice and welcoming to us and our dog. Would definitely stop off again when on Mersea. Only recommendation, please also serve larger glasses of wine. I would have...

We've stopped here a few times for oysters but today we came for lunch. I had the scallop & bacon roll, my husband had the monkfish skewers & my son had the crab salad all of which were delicious. Service as always was efficient &...

The staff here are very nice. Would recommend. A polite man asked if my dog would like some water. The coffee is delicious and the ice cream is huge and great value for money.

Popped down to Mersea this morning for seafood at this seafood bar, looked like great seating area was there, only problem where do you park. We are in Colchester so cannot walk there, we parked at the pub and was asked to move ..... But...

Oyster platter with extra oysters was fabulous at lunchtime today. Everything was fresh and succulent, the service was efficient - what more could you want on a glorious summers day- views of the estuary and yatchs. Excellent - I’ll be back. 😎

On a sunny day, this was the perfect place for an outdoor lunch. The location is superb - we got a seafront table with no problems. The menu has lots of choice - I opted for the fish bisque (£5.50) which was tasty if a...

Seated quickly. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Excellent and relatively inexpensive food. Crevettes were delicious in a sublime garlic and butter sauce. On this hot day, the beer was superbly chilled. Will definitely be back.

Very friendly, food is fresh and really nice. Staff are excellent. very reasonable prices. a bit slow service but it was busy day and is worth the wait. highly recomnded

Nice , we had crayfish baguette which at £6.50 each though was rather over priced tho it was nice , great seating area by water front

wonderful seafood bar with large selection of seafood at the best quality and prices on west mersea. we were served by two charming young beauties which helped and also enjoyed two cornets at cheap price. will be back . brilliant place

Fantastic, what a little Gem of a place, service great with friendly staff & fabulous value for money, weather superb today so all in all an awesome experience, highly recommended we will certainly be returning X

Afternoon snack at Dukes during our short break in Brightlingsea, amazing fresh seafood, extremely friendly and pleasant staff serving, can’t beat locally caught seafood.

We had a superb platter served by very friendly staff. Good value for money & great coffee. The view from the outside seating was excellent

Perfectly shucked tasty oysters and a dressed crab served by helpful staff. Can't recommend this place highly enough. Splendid outdoor spot looking at the estuary comings and goings for an enjoyable lunch washed down with a local (ish) dry white wine. If you like fresh seafood then give this place a try. Definitely coming back for more.

Beautiful fresh seafood with well spaced tables outdoors by the sea. We had a whole dressed crab, a dozen freshly shucked oysters, lots of bread and butter and a bottle of white wine, all for £30! Great service too.

After seeing the queue at West Mersea Oyster Bar (where the food is AMAZING!) we foolishly made the mistake of opting for this next door seafood stall that didn’t have a queue. Well....there is a reason there is no queue and we should have known better! Almost £20 for one drink and a small seafood, tasteless platter....this place in my opinion is doing the wonderful island a disservice. I didn’t finish the platter, and would opt for patience and perfection next time over this place that is riding on the coat tails of it’s neighbour!!

Not very helpful staff. Stale baguette. No excuse for this ever ; at these prices having a laugh. Nice spot by the water. Plenty of other places to eat though. Unimpressive.

I came from London visiting with my family.We stopped at this seafood stand and it was very impressive seafood and amazing price!I have been to of course London seafood restaurant, Whitstable, Lochfyn, Spain, France and Japan.This is simple place but very nice and fresh, great service and we enjoyed it.I highly recommend this duke of seafood and I would love to come back Mersea again.

I have eaten fresh shellfish on Mersea all my life. I am a local. Under lockdown, we ordered a seafood platter (without "crabstix" (these are a fake seafood, made from deepsea whitefish and textured, then flavoured with crab-flavouring, and generally coloured with a livid red colour, which is a coal-tar derivitive, and one which I am particularly allergic to.My complaint is, for the price, it was a poor deal; not least because the crab (£7.00) only appeared to have been born with only one claw. Now, all of us fish-processors know, there is a lucrative side-industry in crab-claw meat, and if you cheat every customer out of one crab-claw every time, you have a nice little side-industry.Please don't treat your customers as fools, Dukes, and they will return.I, for one, will never do that.

The food (mainly snack fish) are really nice and the best thing are the counter staff. Just brill. Local catches and local people, just a all around good experience.

Not much to choose from was hardly any stock what staff there were not interested, went further down the road to the cabin

If you want something quick and easy and not good expensive then go here.Only open during the day but you can grab some great lunch and sit by the water. Great oysters , cockles musseles and good coffee.You can’t sit in and only outside but I love it and it’s great.

Stopped here for the obligatory plate of cockles, very fresh with either vinegar or Tabasco on them. Ice creams are also good and you can sit over looking the estuary to eat them.

Walking around and enjoying West Mersea, we decided to indulge ourselves with expensive ice creams. It was a huge mistake! Both seasoned world travellers, this revue has Veritas. It was the worst, watery ice Ewan we had anywhere! It melted far faster than I could eat it. We had to throw half of it away as it was melting over our hands!! Not reccomended. Their speciality sea food MAY gave been tasty, or fresh, but at their prices we didn't sample them. There are plenty of other options on Mersea Island.

A nice place to take a break, with good veiws of the estary and Mersea front. The staff were happy go lucky, the tea/coffee and cake was ok. Did not like the plastic cups.Prices were average.Not a place on a wet or cold day you would want to be.

Lovely little hut, selling fresh seafood that is delicious. Oysters were amazing... sensibly priced, well worth a visit

Great place to stop for a drink or a snack. Christie provides friendly and attentive customer service always with a smile.

I live on Mersea, and decided to treat myself to a bowl of scrimps, muscles and a hot chocolate at Dukes last week. The young lady asked if I wanted cream and marshmallows on the chocolate. I said no, and she said she would bring my order over to the seating provided. She charged me £9.50, which I thought was very steep !! When she brought it out, the chocolate had cream on it, and the scrimps were crayfish tails!totally tasteless as she had thawed them out for me. I sent the chocolate back, and a replacement was brought, but no offer of a refund for the cream. I didn’t even bother mentioning the “scrimps” by then I had lost interest . Will NEVER buy from them again !! will stick to the oyster shed next door, cheaper and better listening skills. ( I was the only customer, so no excuse )

Regularly walk past this place during our weekend walks but hadn't stopped to try anything, although the food always looked good. However, whilst out on Regatta Saturday with our eldest son he could not resist trying some oysters & we decided to join him. They were so delicious we went back for seconds.

Went here with friends just to eat the excellent seafood platters and oysters. Really great value. Quick service. Not great if its raining but we have been blessed with good weather over the last 3 months, so all was good on the day.

We stopped at this bar, they have plenty of lovely fresh fish, the staff were friendly enough and eveything looked clean and well presented. Only thing is that it's placed very close to the Oyster shack who were selling similar food at a cheaper price, we were even given extras with our purchase which Dukes did not.

If you want oysters lobster crab and any other seafood come here. They have been opened for one year and they are lovely people as opposed to the place next door.

Great place, great idea, great seafood, popped down for their first anniversary, so pleased it seems to be working out for them!, we love seafood & it doesn’t get fresher than this!...fantastic seafood platter....can’t fault them & the busy, friendly helpful staff

Fantastic we had a Lobster plater every thing on it we loved.would definitely go again if ever in the area..

Went to dukes today excellant selection of seafood and more besides very pleasant young lady served us. Plenty of tables to sit at will be back !

Lovely little coffee stall selling drinks and fresh shellfish. Stopped here and sat on the benches in the sunshine with a beautiful view eating cockles and crevettes, Happy days.

You get excellent, ultra fresh seafood here, in a perfect setting overlooking the old oyster beds, perfect for a quick stop-off for coffee and cake, ice-cream or a longer stay trying the seafood. Friendly service from local people.

I like to take the family crabbing. Passed a lovely little white shed, asked a young lad inside where the loo’s and where to buy crabbing bits nearby. Ended up having a platter and then came back for a crab every weekend since. He showed me how oysters were opened, said cakes were baked by his mother(or grandmother, can’t remember) and taught me about the view behind. Who knew that black shed was so old!

Beautifully made platters with ice cream to finish off. So nice to sit right by the sea with a lovely view.

Lovely seafood platter. Really enjoyed the food and the dressed crab was delicious. They also do super icecream for dessert!

We had a delicious seafood platter from Dukes today, was beautiful sitting on the benches overlooking the sea as we ate it. Seafood was exceptional and the staff are so very helpful and friendly. Will definitely be back in the very near future.