The Essex Skipper in Tendring

Don't let the outside put you off. The Essex Skipper is a great pub with excellent service. The owners have put a lot of thought into there pub with a great outside space. Great value.

5 of us Came in for a meal today I had fish and chips it was absolutely lovely and really reasonable priced The children were made to feel so welcome with colouring books and pens will definitely be returning

Never eaten at the Essex skipper before but had the most amazing meal this evening. Great hospitality and fantastic food. Thank you so much, will see you again very soon

Disgusting food, undercooked , staff was hostile and rude especially the lady behind the bar , never returning do not recommend

came here thursday night for musical bingo it was absolutely brilliant and i will be coming back to the next one also has a bbq pizza that was really good

Amazing service, extremely friendly staff and felt very welcoming, definitely would recommend also for food! Definitely will be coming back again.

After having worked many years in catering and hospitality, I have never experienced such poor and volatile service from a bartender. Extremely poor from the blonde lady at the front, will not be returning.

Sunday lunch was superb! Turkey highly recommended

Went for a gender reveal so food was buffet but it was good.

Free pool on a Tuesday and a great pint

Too loud by the locals in the pub garden. They were drunk and spoiled the eve. Even people inside the pub complaining too loud outside. This area has a lot of muddle age to elderly asks this pub will lose its customers if they don't stop this behaviour. Such a shame as used to be a lovely place. We won't be returning

We had a lunchtime meal here and then held a buffet for a small wake getogether and we found the staff to be very friendly, helpful and obliging. The setting was very pleasant and we could sit outside aswell. The food was good and what you'd expect from a pub, only downside was that i asked for quiche at the wake and there wasn't any 😢 Toilets were clean, not much parking. I would visit again

Very slow service. 40 mins before some meals arrived ,then another 20mins for rest. Would have been nice to eat together. I won't return. Food average

Went to the Essex Skipper for the 1st time last weekend . The staff were very friendly and very helpful. It was good to be in a pub that families could go to and is also dog friendly too. The portion sizes are really good . I had the bangers and mash and peas ( the peas were cooked properly) unlike some places I have been to. My husband had the chilli and enjoyed every mouthful. Will be going here again

Thank you very much for the food & service for our 15 guests at my uncle’s wake on Wednesday afternoon.

Lovely Sunday roast Unfortunately not enough staff but the girls worked hard to keep everyone happy I hope the guvnor appreciates them more of a pub that does food than a restaurant with a bar but that's a good thing in my opinion

Went for lunch , we were the only diners. Food was o k , can't understand people who say "Food was amazing" or " incredible" , they are obviously easy to please or don't go out much. Chef Mike ( microwave) offerings so did not expect too much . Nice dining area though

Big problem was no beer (ale ) available on tap and they only had 3 bottles of beer which seems incredibly poor for a Green King public house, it seems that the Manager is at the least not very aware of if not incompetent!!! Having said all that the meals we had were well cooked and served

I always think that the main ingredient which makes a great roast dinner are the potatoes. So often, the meat etc is good but the large, hard potatoes let it down. But not in The Essex Skipper! They were small, crisp and delicious! The beef was tender and the gravy was tasty. When it came to the dessert, an Eton Mess, whilst it was also very yummy, I was hard pressed to find any merangue which I thought was always included in an Eton Mess? But it didn’t spoil the enjoyment of my Sunday Dinner today. My 2 dogs were made welcome too! It’s not cheap but then where is these days and I’ll give a thumbs up to the Essex Skipper, see you again soon!

Excellent service and excellent food excellent value for money Big portions been here 4 times not always a good experience

Four of us on holiday in the area & chose to eat here. Very generous portions at excellent value. 2 ppl had the steak & ale pie served with mash or chips and loads of thick gravy, really filling and delicious. Kids pizza looked good. I am GF and veggie, lots of GF choices with a separate menu, although not much vegetarian AND GF, had a lovely soup and cheese/bean jacket potato. Only disappointment was they used mozzarella on the potato instead of cheddar so it had no taste.

We were quickly greeted and shown to our pre booked table, and orders for food and drinks were taken in a timely manner. Starters arrived promptly hot and tasty, as did the main course, when ordering just 1 dessert it took over 25 minutes to arrive, it appeared to be forgotten about as i did have to ask for it, once he was eventually served his dessert it was served a soup spoon and not a dessert spoon. The lady who served us came across as she did not want to be there and was on her phone behind the bar. From where I was sitting, I could see into the kitchen. Instead of working, someone was around standing, eating most probably why the dessert took such a long time to get to us I went to pay the bill, and when asking for it, I was told they could not print it out as there were no till rolls, so whether I was charged correctly or not, i do not know We will be back again at the moment we are both unsure

We had booked this pub/restaurant after finding it on the internet. The staff were friendly and the food was good. Two of us had scampi and chips and the third had a chicken new yorker. We all enjoyed our meals and would go again if we were in the area.

Myself and my partner sad outside - it was very nice, recently been done up and you can definitely tell. The staff seemed attentive behind the bar, where we place our orders. The food was nice, I would go back. It wasn’t spectacular but decent pub food. We did order garlic ciabatta which never came. We were going to ask at the bar when returning for our second drink but there were some feral kids lobbing a ball around which did actually hit me - not really the pubs fault but obviously ruined the nice vibe. Due to that instance we didn’t actually get another drink so never mentioned the lack of garlic bread - I’m sure they would have rectified but obviously shouldn’t have to ask for something I ordered. The only other issue was I ordered a Diet Coke and it wasn’t diet and contained sugar (my partner order full fat so he tasted both and said they both tasted the same but the one I was handed was said to be diet but I thought there could have been some residual full fat in the tap mixer which wouldn’t have been the end of the world) but I later realised that wasn’t the case when my blood sugar reading spiked - bit disappointed as could have been dangerous for me. Overall the food we received was good, the staff were friendly. Only a couple of issues but I would still recommend as I said I didn’t give them a chance to rectify and I will still definitely return

Lovely if you're into sport. Loved the Open Beach huts.

I went to the essex skipper last week and was appalled by the food.i ordered the steak and ale pie.at first it was good but the middle was still cold so clearly wasnt cooked properly.

Took my kids for my birthday food was outstanding service brilliant well worth the money and time highly recommended

Really good food and drink 🍸 and very friendly staff 👌 great value 👍

Absolutely brilliant atmosphere! The staff are just lovely the service of food was thermomenal, food was delicious 😋 👌 Would highly recommend eating here again.

Not a place for family dinner on Saturday evening full of youngsters but good atmosphere really different from lunchtime. Food was good

The staff were very helpful and couldn't do enough for you. We had not booked, but they found us a table, and the service was brilliant. As it was a Sunday, we went for the traditional lunch of meat, vegetables, gravy, for us the vegetables, i.e., the carrots and Brussel sprouts were overcooked. Although others may prefer them that way.

Good reasonable prices for oap menu brillant

Never been here before as the outside dose not do this justice food and service was amazing and so was the price deffo will be back

First time visiting this pub we was made to feel very welcome and will definitely be back

A modern pub, on the edge if the Triangle shopping centre, we stopped for some lunch before retuning home from a day out in Frinton There was ample parking in the attached car park. We were shown to a nice table in a well decorated dining room. The staff were friendly and welcoming, service was quick, even though the pub filled up quickly. The food was very good, I could especially recommend the Steak and Ale Pie, mash and broccoli. They also have a light senior's and children's menu which are extremely good value. I noticed in the outside courtyard there are individual open beach huts with tables and chairs in, all brightly painted in colourful stripes. The ladies facilities were very clean, soap and tissues, all provided. The only fault I could find, which is a minor one, you have to walk through the public bar to access the restaurant. The pub organises events during the year and weekly entertainment

Fish & chips on main menu very nice. But not so hungry last time I went so I ordered from seniors menu. The batter was thick & soggy and inside was some sort of mush that did not taste or look like fish. The menu said chips but they were not chips but soggy french fries. Thegreen leaf soup was hot but tasteless. I had come from hospital and had not eaten since 8am so I ate the soup because I was cold and a little of the batter and fries but if I had not been so cold I would have sent the whole lot back. DISGUSTING. Lyn Frinton.

I didn't stop for food, just for the pool table. The staff where friendly and welcoming, the pub was clean and tidy and the bar was not sticky which is always a bonus point. The other customers were friendly and the atmosphere was amazing.

We had the bestest Christmas day meal here , so full we had to be wheeled to the car. Great atmosphere and we really had a special time for our first ever Christmas meal out. Well-done Louise and team and Thank you for the huge effort to make Christmas so special. It really was delicious 🌻

Unfortunately this pub still serves rubbish food regardless of the regular poor reviews and complaints it receives and refunds it gives out. A well done steak was rare, the rare was well done, the lasagne was bland and rubbery. We waited too long for the remaining dinners for our group, we had to get our own drinks as they either didn't get them after being asked or just didn't come over. The place was dead, so you can't even say it was busy, the staff just weren't bothering to serve us. Such a shame as this could be a lovely place if they took on the regular negative feedback they receive about the food they serve. Its not that hard to improve it surely!!

This local family & pooch friendly pub is fast becoming a favorite! Always a warm welcome from the team and the service, as well as the food is just perfect!

Nice Friday lunchtime experience, they even let us put the horseracing on the TV!

Just had the festive menu at essex skipper in frinton, place has a fantastic festive atmosphere, the food was absolutely amazing & the staff are very friendly, helpful & cheerful! Great place to meet with friends but also a lovely family feel in there too! Can’t wait go back!

Very nice pub food. Reasonably priced. Have visited two or three times for lunch and will definitely go again.

Arrived for lunch with friends booked a few days before. Been shown to our table we were told sorry no fish and chips no lemonade no beer we placed our order when our starters were served only three of the four arrived and the forth starter was forgotten. We had to chase for this and it finally arrived 15 minutes later. Following this then we were told no rump steaks and we were given sirloin instead This was an embarrassment

Good food, excellent service. Will visit again with family when we're next in the area

Great food, good service from the team! Definitely recommend

Excellent value Sunday lunch 2 courses for £17.99 had beef and turkey which was very good the cauliflower cheese was exceptional my wife and I shared breaded mushrooms to start and a chocolate fudge brownie Sundae again good, The only thing to lessened the experience was my real ale was just on the turn but sadly not enough is being drunk to get it on to the next barrel in 7 days these days. Would visit again!

Friendly atmosphere, lovely food, lots of outside space, lovely for the summer

10/10 staff and service are amazing, Since moving to the area the skipper has become our local and we have been made to feel so welcome by all of the staff, decor and outside area is lovely and done up beautifully. Food and drinks are all very fairly priced. The skipper is an absolute must if you're in town. My new local and the best pub in frinton.

Good service until someone 'lost' our dessert order.

We picked this pub purely based on stars when looking on Google maps whilst on holiday in Clacton. It didn't disappoint in any way and made our holiday something to remember. The decor is charming and the people are lovely. We felt very welcome straight away. We had the chicken bloomer sandwich and the mac and cheese with drinks and it came to under £25. My friend said the mac and cheese was amazing and came with a side of garlic bread. All of our questions were answered and nothing was too much trouble. They even gave my dog a bowl of water. Tip jars are behind the bar and are well deserved. Thank you to the staff that day. You made our experience lovely and happy.

Nice place for a drink friendly staff great

We had a meal here today.....the staff where great and the food was good too.... It has a nice seating area outside with beach huts a clean and lovely place

Couldn't do enough for us. Went overboard with service. Food was excellent and pricing was great 👍

Lovely welcome staff very good all hard working menu good gardens Lovely with the beech huts will go back Lovely and clean. Only criticism is drinks alcohol overpriced.

Had a family meal there, food was good, staff were very friendly and good service, toilets could have been cleaner, but I suspect that was a one off (a dirty customer) as there rest of the place was very clean, I would definitely go back, good selection of drinks and a nice area outside, they have little outdoor booths with names on them a nice touch

Great Green King pub. Very nice interior, friendly service. Could include a few more beer choices concerning ale, bitters, etc, but that is the only downside. We had a great bad playing while we were there. I really enjoyed the visit. Can strongly recommend checking out the place.

Had the 8oz steak sandwich with salad and it was delicious. Highly recommend the Essex Skipper

Was so looking forward to having lunch here as chose a booth out side arrived 12.45 for 1pm lunch last Sunday starter's arrived at 1.15 very nice 3 starters ok 4th starter very small then we waited and waited for our roast dinner twice we asked how much longer to be told you are next people who came in after us were being served it was like we were forgotten finally we had enough and went back inside to say this is unacceptable finally the meal came out at 2.40 nearly 1hr 30mins after having starters the Roast was awful roast potatoes were frozen not fresh potatoes broccoli and stuffing were rock hard meat was very dry only decent thing on plate was the Yorkshire pudding we had enough by now 2 meals hardly touched wish we had gone in and complained about the meal but staff were not helpful before hand so just thought lets get out of here we will not be returning After our bad experience at the skipper we had a phone call from the manager Louise who was very concerned at how we were treated she kindly offered a complimentary meal of which we accepted as it was coming up to my mums birthday we decided to go on that day when we arrived we were taken to our table where there were birthday balloons and banners for my mum which was a lovely surprise we had a lovely meal and Louise and staff really looked after us Thank you all

Great staff friendly and helpful food also value for money unusual not to be ripped off.

Had a lovly anniversary meal at the skipper today . Such lovly people .and a very nice young man waiting on us . Just sorry we didn’t get his name . Made our day Thanku so much . Xxxx

First time I came here full of young ppl shouting all drunk arguing swearing bit disappointing

17 of us. So well looked after. Staff couldn't do enough. And really lovely. And service was so quick. Had problems with a pud being out of stock and they were so good suggesting snd putting together an alternative. Weve already asked for info on a December Xmas meal for our group . We had seniors lunch menu.

We had a great experience here, we took our GSD and Shihzu and sat in one of the booths outside. I asked for a variation to the menu, they were very accommodating. Great food, great value and great atmosphere. We will be going back. Highly recommended

lovely place good, food nice staff very helpful a lovely friendly place great atmosphere definitely recommend

Turned up in afternoon to be told no food

Great pup for food and friendly atmosphere

Whilst staying at Highfield grange, my family and I ventured out to find a place to have dinner, after a quick phone call to confirm if the Essex skipper had availability we headed down for dinner, the staff are extremely friendly and polite, it was an absolute pleasure to be greeted in such a friendly manor, the food was excellent, I have to be honest and say the steak I had was the best steak I have ever had, the chef is a magician with the dishes from presentation to flavours. Even the regular customers where friendly to us strangers, what an absolute gem of a pub.

Really like the pub. Bar staff were welcoming and friendly. Nice decor and real ale too! Will go back.

Met up with a group of friends here and we ended up having 12 sharing plates between us. Each plate was lovely but can really recommend the Sticky Sausage Rolls and Chutney, so yummy..

Nice pub. Good range of beers and good food. Dog friendly

Started off well with nachos sharer, but then my friend who’s birthday treat is was for ordered steak , which was bare no rocket no grilled vine tomatoes, looking bland & dry my mixed grill I appreciate they informed me they had no chicken but the Turned up with no gammon 🙁 removed my meal from bill but never even offered dessert menu , disappointing sadly

Great service food is served till 8pm, love the new look 🥰

absolutely amazing! we went for my mum’s birthday and the wonderful lady that served us today brought her a cake. the aesthetics of the place is so nice and the lights in the beer garden are perfect! the last owners food was bad the gammon was really fatty and salty but now it’s so delicious i only eat chicken and next time i’m 1000% getting that. keep up the good work!

What a gem, stumbled upon this pub while out in Walton on the Naze area. Looks a bit unsavoury from outside but don't be put off. Excellent service, well kept beer. And decent food and not drastically overpriced. Would go there again.

Disappointed in the Sunday lunch, no starters, roast potatoes tasted like frozen ones, beef over cooked. 4desserts offered that's ok but 2of them were chocolate which I do not eat 😔

My husband & I came here for lunch today. The new decor is lovely! The staff were so friendly and made an effort to chat to us and our 2 year old daughter, they also kept her entertained with colouring. The food was really good and there was lots of it too! The only thing that was disappointing is that staff should tell customers about unavailable dishes before giving the menu. Otherwise, when it comes to telling the waitress what you want and you're told its not available, you're then left rushing trying to choose something else from the menu. Apart from that, we're proud to say that this pub is our local. We only live 2 mins away, so we will all be coming back again soon. Thanks again for a great lunch x

Pub looks good. I had a lovely meal with the family and the staff where very friendly and helpful .. The new look is great

New management is excellent. The place is beautifully decorated. Food is good quality, decent sized portions, and fairly priced. Definitely will be back. Dogs welcome inside and out.

Absolutely the worst food we have ever been served cold and dried up never eating there again

I've been in here twice since its been rebrurbished, and although the food is actually really nice, it is always different from the menu. So.ething missing or not quite right. The younger staff seem to get easily confused and there are too few waitresses working. I'm sitting here now and it's at half capacity, but they can't seem to manage. If you are willing to wait for the food to come out I would recommend it here. I wish the service was better, its the only thing letting it down.

A great pub with a pool table, friendly service and a spacious outside area that was a great place for a pint or two in the sun when I visited. The mock beach huts outside are a nice touch. Worth a visit.

60th Birthday Celebration 1/4/2023. Visited the Essex Skipper for a family meal. Great food for a large party could not fault anything. Staff were really nice service brilliant will definitely be a regular. Good to have the Skipper back 👍👍

Food was excellent ,staff Was excellent look forward to our next visit.

My partner and I and another couple were really looking forward to a visit to the Skipper last Friday after the refurbishment ...unfortunately we were left disappointed.After ordering our food the waitress returned to say there was no salad which was supposedly a part of all four meals. Next ,I went up to order and pay for drinks for all of us .It took four attempts to do this as there was a trainee then a till not working On receiving the bill I checked to find the drinks were added to the bill which I had already paid for.Not all bad ..the refurbishment is great, portion sizes are good and price very fair and finding a pool table there was a bonus..Some teething troubles need to be sorted though good luck Skipper

Lovely meal, fish & chips fantastic, waiting staff very friendly, would recommend to everyone, first class

Well, another expensive refurb but that has done nothing for the Skipper. Food is at best mediocre, not as described, and a long way to go before it matches local opposition. Staff are pretty willing but don’t know where anything is. Will not be going back for some time.

We ordered 2 medium steaks, 1 was fine but the other was almost blue, so I sent it back, it was still raw when it came back, a long with the same chips that were on my plate which were now cold. Was not offered any thing off or anything. Just told it was a new chef. Won't be going back!

Today I visited the Essex skipper newly refurbished version and I would give it a 4 out of five stars. Staff are friendly and kind the place has a lovely new atmosphere, which is welcoming and light and bright as well as a lovely garden area as well with seaside themed huts The staff were friendly and kind, although they did seem a little bit, inexperienced on the new menus on offer and I am eventually went for the Sunday roast which was absolutely lovely. Very well presented although my mum had a bad experience as she had a bad piece of meat. Those wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt she ate a meal and then asked about a small refund. And the toilets are toilets, although I did struggle to get into one of the cubicles due to the size of the cubicles, and I am very small myself . Overall, a lovely atmosphere and a good experience and would happily go back there again.

Many item on menu not available , and a week later still not available. The food we ordered was absolutely fine. Took quite a long time, (waited 45 mins) Polite staff , clean premises. Wii be back for third visit soon, if most of our choices still not available & service slow. It will be third & last visit !

The bar area was noisy. Not much menu choice for myself and wife. Not everything was correct with dinner,eg the bread was too dry that came with the soup. The soup was nice. Side salad was mostly lettuce, not much else. The fries were not seasoned as described on the burger menu. The saving grace was deserts, not returning!

The location, facilities and decor were very good. Unfortunately the food took a long time in arriving and was average at best. The staff were friendly.

Nicely made over, good food, nice atmosphere

Don't judge a book by it's cover... Despite it's run-down appearance on the outside, this is a friendly pub/restaurant serving good food and great service with a smile.

Nice food nice service thanks for a lovely day 😀

Called in on way home from Frinton. Pleasantly surprised as nice Veggie meal and friendly staff

Fantastic atmosphere. We went over the Jubilee weekend. Great food, great music. The children enjoyed the bouncy castle. Staff were very friendly.

Food good and hot. Staff very friendly and efficient. Background music not really in the background.

Food was lovely. Service was quick, simple and friendly. All that you would expect from your local, even managed to get in to take advantage of the 2 for £20 deal. Shame to see some customers expectations are ridiculous, but team handled the situation well.

Waited 45 minutes for food excuses All the time .walked out .waiting too long .won't b returning