The Lock - Wilkins Tea Room in Maldon

Should stay open til 4:00pm if it says it’s open til 4:00pm. We turned up at 3:45pm and they wouldn’t even serve us a takeaway cup of tea. All the staff were out and locked up well before the advertised closing time. Poor show.

Good good, service good, staff good. But every time a dog arrives the young waitress pays and strokes it and then puts her. Hands on the food plates to serve them, utterly disgusting.

Great spot, seating inside and out, staff lovely, food delicious. Had cream tea for one, scone was warm and didn't fall apart, tuna cheese sarnie with salad, crisps and Tiptree onion chutney was to die for. Toilets spotless, staff lovely and they sell all Tiptree goods at supermarket prices. Will def be back! Quiche new pots and salad seems to be a big seller!

The food was really good freshly made quick service friendly and polite waiting staff really pleasant surrounding jolly nice lunch

The best ever afternoon tea- and the service is sublime!! I cannot recommend the tea room enough - superb food and really brilliant staff.

We've been coming here for years but we'll be giving this place a miss in future. Typical of Essex cafes there is a notable lack of vegan options. However in 2023 Tiptree tea rooms have decided to marginalise vegans further by reducing their options. They've replaced their hummus sandwich with a vegan cheeze. The only other vegan meal option is a bland baked potato with baked beans. Luckily they had 2 small options which were short term offers. Despite the great service and nice location, if you're a hungry vegan I suggested you don't waste your money and time here.

Arrived at the Locks Restaurant at 13:35 and was told that they had in out of food. When asked if we could have a drink told No! Went for a short walk, passed the restaurant 30 mins later and saw people ordering?! I was then told we've caught up now but a 45 min wait. They had clearly lied to us. If they had the decency to tell the truth fine, being lied to they don't deserve a good review Service was mediocre . I should have walked past the Tea Room on the second occasion . They make the food on the premises so to go from no food to a full menu in 30 minutes is not believable. We were then served I 5 mins

My sister and I just had lunch at The Lock, we were made to feel very welcome and the food was excellent. Thank you to the staff. Jo & Pat

I'll start with a positive - the lady that served us was delightful. I didn't catch her name but she was a little older. She was very friendly and couldn't do enough for us. Unfortunately this is where the positivity ends. Having had 30+ years in the catering trade I understand that I may be a little more critical, however, it doesn't take years of experience to notice what we saw here yesterday. I was more than a little shocked at some of your hygiene standards. On at least two occasions I saw a member of staff walking through the seating area with a bag of rubbish. Didn't necessarily have an issue with this - until they put the bag on the floor and then served a customer at the 'hatch' with an ice cream cone. Absolutely no attempt made to clean their hands beforehand. Having been to the bin, they were more than happy to pick up a cornet to fill with ice cream. Also spotted one of your girls licking her finger ready to pick up a cornet. That's just not on guys. Re food quality - has anyone tasted your quiches lately? My homemade quiche lorraine had two pieces of bacon - it was basically an unseasoned egg tart. Potatoes were slightly undercooked too. I will say that the leaf salad was lovely and fresh. Your vanilla ice cream that you serve with desserts is obviously a cheap soft scoop. Totally lowered the standard of the whole dessert. Please consider using an elevated option. You have a widely known reputation but I don't believe this site is working to your brand standards. If it is, maybe this needs to reassessed.

Went with my wife and mother in law after we were given a gift of an afternoon tea for two. The people giving us the gift would have been embarrassed at the paltry serving of food: 2 sandwiches one ham and one tuna that were average, a couple of scones that were stale and small cakes that weren't worth the bother. Then to be told later that we could have unlimited tea. A server then proceeded to inform us that it must be on the small print on the menu- hardly an apology. This after it took us ages to be served in a not that busy period. Staff seemed to be 'busy' tidying menus, arranging glasses on trays and standing about. No doubt the tea room think that will succeed on volume rather than concentrate on providing a high class service that represents good value. Unfortunately they won't be getting our custom again. My advice to visitors is to go to one of the 2 pubs on site.

Visited today for coffee. No table available only bench which we took. After waiting 20 minutes to order coffee I went up to a member of staff who said ‘oh sorry forgot’ table next to us had been waiting much longer so I told same person to go and take their order. People coming in after us were served immediately. It seems there are plenty of staff but they don’t have a clue what they are doing and don’t really care.

My "Ploughmans Lunch" consisted of 1, oblong piece of compressed turkey breast. 1, piece of compressed ham. 1, piece of unripe "brie" (4cm X 2cm.) 1, piece of cheddar cheese, 4, cocktail onions. 1, Roll. ..... Salad, 2 "slabs"of 2 cm thick cheap tasteless tomato. A few "chunks" of cucumber. + Lettuce. + Tiptree Onion Relish (which was the best part of the effort). Cost £12.95. They even charged me an extra 50p for French Dressing (on a tiny dish,) in case I took too much from the bottle ?? Usually its free with condiments from any restaurant that I frequent. Everything was edible, but the quality of this lunch, for a company that holds The Royal Warrant, was appalling. I accept that its a nice venue and so they don`t have to try too hard and its well frequented, but come on Tiptree, cherry tomatoes and mixed leaf salad are as cheap as chips at Tesco`s, as is Turkey and Ham off the bone, as I said all was edible (just) I just expected better, I don`t eat like this at home, I should not have to eat like this if I am a paying customer. Also the waiting staff seemed to talk so condescendingly to the diners, as if they are either deaf or geriatrics, I half expected to be asked if my incontinence pad needed changing ! ! Come on Tiptree, you have a reputation for quality food, which is enjoyed by those who demand and accept only the best, this place is letting you down, I assume its down to restaurant management, turning a fast buck.

Firstly, it took us at least 10 minutes to be acknowledged by a member of staff to be sat down. At least two tables were available but had dirty plates that had not been cleared. We had to ask for our order to be taken (which was a further 20 minutes), and we were not informed until this point that food orders were now to take an hour! We’d already invested approx 30 minutes so agreed to all stay. We should have left then. Our drinks took a further 20 minutes to arrive and arrived on a filthy dirty tray with jam smeared and coffee spilt. Unhygienic to say the least! Other tables around us were complaining for waiting too long for food, waiting too long to pay the bill and waiting too long for orders to be taken. Plenty of people were walking away for the bad experience. Management was no where to be seen and was clearly struggling with the workload, we clearly were not the only ones to have an awful experience. Disappointed with the Tiptree Jam brand and I hope staff/management gets evaluated.

Lovely place for a cuppa after a walk along the Blackwater estuary, whether it's raining or sunny! The staff are friendly and the service is fast. Not cheap but acceptable prices, and worth it for the views!

Visited here today with family after a lovely walk around the bay. Superb lunch at this seafront cafe. Excellent food, great service and lovely location. Couldn't fault it. Highly recommended

Visited Heybridge today , parked in the free car park & walked along tow path about 5 mins to restaurant. There was a brief wait for an outside table then we were seated waitress took order & drinks were served within 5 mins , lunch arrived about 5 mins later wife had the quiche & salad & i had sausage baguette , food very good. The only complaint is it was a hot day 28 degrees & there were only 2 big umbrellas covering 3 tables the rest of the tables were out in the full sun. The meal & drinks were reasonably priced.

Just had breakfast at lock tea rooms in Heybridge great service brilliant system in place for social distancing we were served by Diana and then the manager both were extremely helpful thankyou for cheering us up in these dreary times

Was in the area for a walk and stopped for breakfast. Very well organised. Social distanced, cleanliness etc all excellent. Breakfast was delicious and the views are amazing. Staff all very friendly.

When its a nice sunny day, go to the Heybridge Basin Lock, sit out on the deck and watch the Thames barges sail by and numerous smaller craft coming in and out of the sea lock from the marina in the canal. Whilst sipping a cup of tea and eating a scone (or two) with of course Tiptree Jam no better way to spend the afternoon in the sun

Thank you to all of the staff working hard here to keep us safe and for being so organised. Social distancing has been thought out, you can choose to sit outside or inside- there is a one way system in place and sanitiser available at multiple points. There’s a range of sandwiches and toasties/ jacket potatoes to choose from. I am gluten free and was pleasantly surprised when I could have a sandwich- no problems and the waitress knew mine was gluten free when delivering to the table so no mix ups! Service was friendly and our order was taken quickly given how busy it was.

Visited here today for lunch whilst out on a walk. Bearing in mind the current regulations due to Covid this establishment has gone to a lot of trouble to ensure its customers and staff are safe whilst still maintaining a lovely atmosphere. We had to wait a short while for a table as there was restricted seating due to social distancing which was fine. Tables were sanitized between customers and the waitress (who was working like a Trojan) took your order and was very pleasant. We had a very lovely lunch whilst admiring the views across the estuary. Would highly recommend a visit.

Delicious breakfast with a lovely view. Chose a cold Sunday morning to visit. I had pancakes husband had a fry up. Just the right size portions. Wasn’t that expensive was £22 with drinks. Was very satisfied. Staff attentive but not annoying, clean and spacious, was quite busy but food came at a reasonable length of time, Took some photos of the lock and watched the lock being opened. Will definitely be visiting there again.

Visited Heybrige Basin to do some photography and came across this Tea Room. Cold windy day so needed somewhere to get warmed up . Service is excellent here, just sitting down and waitress was there within minutes.Food and drink served within 10 minutes cannot fault this service here.Soon as someone vacated their table there is a waitress cleaning up straight away . Food was filling and varied menu.Busy little place and worth a visit , nice pleasant atmosphere

If there was ever a hidden gem then this is it. We wanted to visit the jam factory and were looking for somewhere to grab a late breakfast and coffee and noticed this place whilst searching on-line. Unbeknown at the time this is part of the jam factories business too. It is well hidden down a lane but there is an excellent Free car park very close by. But even once you've reached the car park there is little hint of the lovely little place just up the road. As you pass the pub and approach the rivers edge and I must say a splendid view across the wide river and the boats moored on it. The café is located to your left with an excellent outside sitting area overlooking the river. It also has plenty of space inside and is staffed by very friendly ladies (look out for the verse about them on the wall near the till). We had a late breakfast and it was excellent. Even though it is way off the beaten track it's clearly popular and a regular flow of customers came and went. As it's located on the river it's a popular haunt of walkers and several were seen during our visit. It's also a wonderful place for bird watching as both the river and the interior basin provides great habitat for all kinds of birds. I would imagine in the summer when boating activity is at it's height its very popular indeed. Very much worth the effort to find it.

Great service/food/prices and very clean.Inside and outside tables plus a fantastic view of the river and lock gate.

If you visit Heybridge Basin & after walking about fancy some refreshments, then right on the sea wall you will find this establishment. The staff there are very friendly, they can provide you with some good food & there is plenty of seating also there are fantastic views across the estuary.

We had lunch here on one of the hottest days of the year. I had dressed crab salad, my husband had a mixed ploughman’s. we both thoroughly enjoyed our food. Lovely setting, good service. We were lucky and managed to get a table outside in the shade under one of the large parasols. Only negative I would say is that they could do with one other large parasol as it is definitely a sun trap there.We will definitely be returning.

This isn’t about the Tea Rooms at Tiptree but as the Heybridge cafe isn’t an option I’ve put on here as I’m assuming that the menus are the same across all the cafes. A friend and I visited Heybridge Basin in August and we were both very surprised that the menu seemed to have gone a bit upmarket along with the prices. We have been going to Wilkins for many years and had some lovely meals and we particularly enjoyed the salads which were always excellent and reasonably priced. The new offering is with bacon and pesto very strange combination!!! The waitress was very helpful and said that we could order turkey salad which we did but that we had to pay extra for the new potatoes. When the meal arrived it was just about the worst Turkey salad I had ever seen and we both sent it back paid for our drinks and left very disappointed. When I got back to my car I rang Wilkins and on the second attempt managed to be put through to a young man called Manuel who to say the least wasn’t at all interested in the fact that we were loyal customers and when I said we wouldn’t be visiting again just said ok!!! I had to remind him that Wilkins is a brand famous for the quality of its goods and that what we had been served certainly wasn’t quality. I was going to write to the managing director but I thought this might get more readers. All I would say is don’t order a turkey salad !!! You also have to pay extra now for coleslaw and bread!!!

Were felt to be welcome, food was a good quality and value.We had a party of 5 with 2 children and one of those has a gluten free requirement.All met with a great menu and a cheerful smile from the waitresses Slightly noisy but it was full, thus a bit of a wait for food to arrive.Would recommend to anyone, but book before if you want a table inside

Breakfast is so much more exciting when its cooked for you and you can choose from so many options. Cooked fresh to order. Highly recommended venue.

Lovely tea with bottomless tea pot! Excellent service. Based on this afternoon's experience would definitely recommend.

Went out for lunch with a friend and because of the venues location, we enjoyed a lovely lunch at these tea rooms. It was quite busy and I think it is because of the service and value of the food, which is good quality and freshly made. They do take booking reservations for larger groups and I would recommend you book to avoid disappointment.

On a sunny day, a short walk from the carpark, accessible with a wheelchair, The Lock offered its usual high service and good value for food. We both had coffee, scrambled eggs and salmon. Excellent.

Beautiful views great food .. lovely staff we love eating here and often take friends .. ploughmans is wonderful.. and a cream tea is a must .. it's location is right on the water ..

I went to the lock with my wife for afternoon tea. It was very busy but to be fair we were told on arrival how long the wait was and the staff were very apologetic. No worries as we were happy to relax and enjoy the views and the wait proved to be well worthwhile. We were able to choose a sandwich each so we went for the prawn cocktail together with the smoked salmon, cream cheese and prawns. We then had a scone with cream and jam each and 4 small cakes/desserts between us. Everything tasted delicious and we were able to order tea, coffee and a soft drink which were all included. The staff were all very friendly, helpful and hard working. In fact it was some of the best service we have received anywhere for a long time. Many thanks to the manageress and all the waitresses for making our visit such a memorable occasion.

Highly recommend. Very relaxing place . All good for a drinks and helpful staff...service Delicious juices...

Beautiful setting one of the nicest venues We have visited Staff are friendly and welcoming Food is excellent and of course the cream Teas are delicious

Visited the lock tea room today after a lovely walk with my two friends and babies, we was looking forward to a cup of tea, lunch and feeding our little ones before walking back. We were very disappointed with the service we received when we arrived as I asked if we could push two tables together and I received a response of “where are you going to put the buggy’s, we can accommodate 2 buggy’s but not 3” Staff seemed most worried about where the buggies were going to be stored rather than us having our lunch. There was ample space inside for us to sit and also store the buggies. We were desperate for some food and drink but with 3 babies in buggy’s (aged from 2 months to 7 months) we were forced to sit outside as they could not accommodate us inside even tho spaces were available ( because we had our buggy’s) we have been here before and received excellent service and food on many occasions. Today has left us feeling disappointed and not sure about returning which is very sad.

We had a lovely lunch today at the lock,fast friendly service the food was excellent especially the lemon flan. We sat outside in the sunshine by the river in lovely surroundings I would highly recommend a visit

Both me and my friend had the afternoon tea. We got to choose a sandwich filling each for our two sandwiches, and we also were given 2 scones, and a range of little cakes. As a vegetarian I asked if the cakes were vegetarian to which the helpful waitress went to check for me. She then swapped the cakes so that I was able to try them, which was extremely kind. We were also told that we could have a top up of any drink, including their delicious apple and raspberry fruit juice. The staff were very friendly, and the food/drinks were served promptly. I would definitely recommend!!

Had a great lunch. I had plough mans the same as Mrs. Little one pizza baguette. Cappuccino and Tiptree juice. Really good.

Met up with three friends for a long awaited lunch date. Table by window great, waitress was courteous and extremely helpful. That leaves the food. Some of us chose the avocado and mozzarella salad, we were warned it was a simple salad which was fine and my friend ordered new potatoes as an extra. The whole thing lacked any flavour, not helped by a large amount of tasteless iceberg lettuce. Where was the rocket and mixed leaves? These would have really lifted the dish along with the few slices of tomato being seasoned - and the mozzarella of being of good quality. It was poor dish especially for almost £10 - the avocado was at least ripe. It came with a jar of Tiptree mayonnaise which I was pleased to see but I checked the label twice as it tasted like salad cream and had the same consistency. I brought the empty jar home and have checked the ingredients as I still can't quite believe it's meant to be mayo. Dreadful stuff.

Very yummy love this place lots of lovely food to choose from, great atmosphere & service. Will certainly be back!!

We were touring the area and hadn't seen anywhere in Maldon we liked the look of, so decided this would do for a late lunch. Very pleasant, food fresh and tasty, with Tiptree chutneys and preserves as well as interesting soft drink combinations.

My husband and I had an enjoyable early evening meal at The Lock - Wilkins Tea Room recently over looking the Heybridge Basin. The staff greeted us with a pleasant smile, made us feel welcome.

Breakfast,lunch (hot and cold) and afternoon tea.consistently good food and lovely staff All food is freshly made/cooked and meets their (obvious) exacting standards

We have been here many times for a drink, ice cream, or snack meal. The food is excellent, the prices a tad high, but there is always a long wait - especially when they are busy. On this occasion we did not want to wait, so we just took away some ice creams.

We had lunch here yesterday’, lovely food friendly staff great to sit outside and watch the boats, love it here, free parking in daisy meadow car park and a short stroll to the tea rooms, the mixed ploughman’s my personal favourite the best day .

We were given a gift voucher for afternoon T42 at any Wilkins Tea Rooms. We chose the Lock at Heybridge as we are familiar with this venue and we were very pleased with the food and the service. Would definitely recommend.

Always consistently good but a little expensive and never amazed by the food, but still a very worthy eatery serving nice food. The setting is nice too.

We went to the tea rooms yesterday for my parents Golden Wedding Anniversary lunch.

Lunch time visit - we waited to be seated but no one seamed to be interested, finally got to our table, ordered and then had a long wait for our food to come out - 2 x toasted sandwiches and 2 x salad's - not a complicated order. Could do better. The day of the week was a Tuesday and could not see any coaches in the coach park. The meals were nice but were on the expensive side. Would properly not return when next in the area. However their jams, marmalade's and chutney's are 2nd to none and would always buy!!!!!

We went there after long walk 5km from Maldon to Hbasin . We had drinks(Tiptree apple-blackberry juice ) beautiful highly recommend.i will go especially to have it and and coffee. We sat outside looking over the beautiful scenery.

On a nice sunny day nothing beats sitting outside and watch the world go by with all the boats when the tide is in go by . On a winter day enjoy the lovely setting inside . All the food is lovely

Breakfast a must. Simple done well. Super position. Good staff Great quality - but very busy if you are late

Want a bite to eat in Heybridge Basin you won't go wrong at the Lock. Great ploughman's either meat or cheese. First class quiche, something to suit everyone. Plus you can stock up on Wilkins jams or even their fruit gins.

I visited the Lock Tearooms with a friend for lunch. As always the food and the service were excellent. Such a lovely view. I feel so happy to have this place on my doorstep. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. They also do a very tasty breakfast too.

Visited with friends for breakfast after a walk can recommend the full breakfast always cooked to order and served hot The staff are friendly and efficient

Like all the Wilkins Tea Rooms, the Lock is an excellent place to have tea or lunch. The staff are very friendly, service exemplary and food freshly prepared. We stopped in for a light lunch; lovely quiche, Millin Welsh sausage baguette and tea.

Havent been here for ages and wont be going back anytime soon. Everything has got expensive..service was really slow and they werent as busy as have been on previous visits..staff werent as friendly..didnt have the same atmosphere as it used to. When we eventually got...

Enjoyed a family lunch sitting outside on a beautiful summer's day. All the food chosen was fresh and well prepared and very enjoyable. A lovely relaxed lunch.

Visited The Lock for breakfast on Sunday morning. Very pleasant surroundings especially when the sun is shining. The food is nicely presented, and very tasty. We all ordered something different so we didnt expect it to arrive on the table at the same time. Top marks to the staff, hot food which remained hot, we all ate at the same time, such a nice experience.

A frequent visitor to the Tea Room but today was not impressed. My husband and I both had the Coronation Turkey Sandwich (often have this), normally the sandwiches are really full of filling but today they were bordering on pathetic, my son had the mixed Ploughman's which basically was a roll with the filling on the outside, it was on a big board but spread out so it looked more, at £7.25 each for the sandwiches and £9.85 for the ploughmans I will think teice about eating there again, it was busy it was bank holiday monday but quite frankly I don't think that that is an excuse for poor portion sizes!

Gorgeous food and plenty to choose from. So popular it does get very busy.

Good outside and inside seating spaces with a great Tiptree Tearoom menu. Good service and clean. Park in large free carpark and walk along the river.

Went here for lunch with a friend. Food was nice enough and service friendly and timely but the downside of the visit is that, with quite a number of tables both inside and out, there is only one female and one male toilet. This means you either end up queuing into the seating area where people are eating or you try to keep an eye on the door and hope you can get there when the toilet is empty. This second, preferred option, proved impossible for me and I ended up having to queue as without would never have been successful.

Lovely setting in Heybridge Basin overlooking the harbour. Inside and outside seating with toilet facilities inside. Menu is limited but enough for a quick lunch. Coffee is ok and food is of average standard. I had a tuna sandwich which came with a small handful of crisps and a small salad. The service is again average. The staff are clearly rushed off their feet and, on one occasion, we waited 10 minutes simply for coffee! We will visit again but that is purely because it's where we love to walk the dogs!

I have been here for lunch or a spot of tea a couple of times. It's always a lovely lunch here and a cup of tea. One down side you have to get in there early as it gets quite popular. If you are disabled or struggle to walk there isn't very much parking close by. It is lovely to have lunch outside on a sunny day and watch all the boats.

Called in a couple of times after walking along the Blackwater coastal path. Excellent location at Heybridge Basin right next to the river. Be warned the outside seating area can be a bit smelly when the tides out. The staff are very friendly and numerous so you don't have long to wait. Indoors is waitress service but if seated outside you have to order at the till and the food is brought out to you. We just had cake and coffee first time then cream scones with strawberry jam and Assam tea the last time. Tea was excellent and scones delicious. Hint don't have the scones warm as they break up and are extremely messy to eat.

Myself and a group of friends visit on a near weekly basis and usually have an afternoon tea special for one. Keep trying them but for a considerable amount of time now we have found the scones to be dry, stale and very bready. The sandwiches etc. are nice but cannot believe they are churning out these things that could hardly be called scones when they should be the cornerstone of the business. They also look like they have fallen over and look nothing like the lovely scones they used to serve several years ago.

Met some family here for lunch, and it was really lovely. The Food was amazing, with lovely Latte Coffee, all were very pleased, served by very friendly and helpful staff. My only complaint, and this is a personal bugbear, is that I hate food (Ploughmans) served on a wooden board, I think it is unhygienic and would always prefer a proper plate. Will certainly go again.

Visited for a late lunch.We had toasties and a cream tea between us. Food really tasty and well presented. All staff were very friendly with a nice environment. Excellent entertainment provided by the birds. Well worth a visit.

Well set on the banks of the estuary and a bit of a climb if you are disabled but well worth it. Very busy around lunch time with a good selection of products with the Wilkin name at the fore. Coffe great and hot chocolate excellent.

The first visit for over a year. Great to see that it's the same great service, prices, menu, taste, cleanliness and decoration. All were excellent.

Having been to Tiptree Jam many, many times in the past, eaten there and had some lovely cream teas and food, we decided to try The Lock tea rooms. We had an afternoon tea, which for £30 I was expecting a real treat. Not so, meagre sized sandwiches, one little pack of butter between two scones (dry) and some very small and soggy deserts of various shapes. The only thing that was perfect was the Tiptree jam itself. For £30 I expected a little bit more quality and quantity. I didn't complain, as I had won the voucher to go there. We gave The Lock another try a few days later and took our son and grandson. This time we had cream teas. The pots of tea turned up 15 minutes before the scones and was therefore cold when we had finished. Talking of the scones, they were dry and certainly not fresh. I had to complain this time and send one of my wife's rock cakes, I mean scones back for a replacement. We certainly will not be coming back to The Lock for over priced poor quality food. We have also been many times to Bosworth Tea rooms in Finchingfield for cream teas, which were great and have seen others have the afternoon tea and it looked excellent.

I am a great fan of Wilkins and had a superb cream tea at the Tiptree location. This tea room could not be better located but my constructive criticism would be that it needs a rethink on style of operation. You have to go to the counter to make an order but there is not enough room there for a queue. It spoils the pleasure of those sitting near the till and the waitresses are constantly asking to get through the queue in order to get to the kitchen. Admittedly it was a hot day so there lots of people in but the tables outside were overflowing with used crockery and there was just not enough resource to clear tables, serve food, and deal with till ordering as well.

A busy place as always on a Sunday morning, but is well staffed and an efficient kitchen. At 11.30 arrived just to late for a full cooked breakfast, but bacon and sausage baguette was a very good alternative. Topped off with Wilkins sauces just the job.Perched on a jetty facing the Blackwater river with lovely views the Lock Tearoom is always worth a visit.

A glorious sunny day & time to take the hound on a lovely walk along the coastal path followed by a nice lunch in the tea room overlooking the estuary. The food this time was not quite up to scratch & quite pricey for a Ploughmans tbh.

Ate lunch at the pub next door but wished I had eaten here - the jacket potato and crayfish salad delivered to the table next door were very well presented and looked delicious. Cake/scones and tea were lovely.

We had tea and scones which was really good the scone was warm and you can have a choice of jam.The staff were friendly and helpful.There is a nice menu and also a specials board. Free car park nearby.

Arriving at the change over from breakfast to day menu, it was pleasing to see the standard of service and food was still of a high standard. The place was packed, and they provided some really nice, quintessential English tea room food.

good fast service and lovely hot food i had an jacket potato with cheese and beans potato lovely and fluffy.

Beautiful location overlooking the lock on a gorgeous sunny day obviously helps. Food & service were excellent especially the sausage & mash !

Visited today Tuesday the 18th of April ordered smoked salmon and scrambled eggs which came with not a lot of salmon and scrambled eggs that looked and tasted of rubber.Complained and this was deducted from the bill.

I should imagine this place will get extremely busy in the summer. I hope there is a recruitment drive before then! First attempt: we waited to be seated inside. Fail. The term 'busy doing nothing' springs to mind. Second attempt: we sit outside and forgo ordering with a waitress and ordered direct at the till. Initially, this was successful. The tea arrived ... Twenty minutes later: nothing. When we enquired as to where our scones, jam and cream were they magically appeared within seconds ( they had been sat on the side being walked passed).The walking passed seemed to be a theme. A good eating establishment waitress would be trained to present the food to a customer and then remove any used/finished with plates etc. to the kitchen. Not here. The debris left from previous customers is still on the other side of our table along with many other tables. This is a magnet for the local birds and seagulls who are currently all over the adjacent tables. When I asked if the tables could be cleared the rude mannered reply I received was: we are working a hard as we can! The place is not in any way busy. Good luck if you dare to come in the height of summer!!

Been to Heybridge before but not to the tea rooms. Even in March it was warm enough to sit outside and have coffee and the obligatory cake. A clean place with nice stuff to eat

Went with friends for lunch. Had starved as we were determined to have lunch and scones! Tables outside were all taken so we found one inside which needed clearing. Stood for a while, then piled bits up. Asked someone but they only took one item. People behind us had gone so put it all on there. Friend went to get menus. Finally someone came to take our order. The quiche Lorraine had run out by 1.30 as had a couple of other items. Had 2 ham ploughmans, 1 cheese ploughmans and broccoli and Stilton quiche with salad. The cole slaw is excellent, the onion relish is tasty. The salad was lovely and fresh. Tea was nice, both breakfast and herbal. The home made quiche was hot, didn't taste of Stilton but was lovely. A short rest and we ordered coffee, scones, jam and cream. Superb selection of jams all of which you could buy. I thought the full size jars would be expensive but at £2.49-£2.99 they were very reasonable. Scones were crumbly and delicious, coffee was good too. The service did improve as the restaurant emptied out and the staff proved to be charming and friendly. Lovely view out over the water. New ice cream machine does a lovely '99'!

Took mum here for lunch, such a beautiful location, we ordered mackerel pate, and the jacket skins with Brie and garlic butter.. something different and very tasty.. service was very efficient and friendly.. a very happy place to visit. Will definitely be returning.

Lovely Tea rooms serving breakfast/lunch. Menu has a good choice and a daily specials board adds to this. Time restrictions are a little bit 'prissy' so don't try to order breakfast at one minute past the deadline, even if you are the only table eating!! Flexible isn't on the menuGood service and the view is great

Really cannot take a point off for my mug of tea ( 2nd drink) arriving as a tea bag floating in the water (seriously?? For Tiptree?) as the rest was so good. I know I was offered a mug of PG but still would have been better in a teapot or ready made.A short walk from the free car park along the river front to the tea room. It was a chilly day but it was surprisingly busy.A very warm welcome and a table quickly cleared so we could have the one next to the toasty radiator and a view of the river from the window.We were served by every member of staff at some point and have to say the service was on par with the tea rooms at Tiptree.....Very good.We asked for our first drink of hot chocolate to be hot as it appears the norm nowadays to arrive on the cool side and they didn't disappoint. It was lovely and chocolaty too.The food soon arrived and it was as good as Tiptrees usual. My husband said the roll with his ploughmans was delicious.It was a grey day but the view of the sailing boat going up/down river and seeing across to Osea Island was good.Overall of all the Tiptree locations visited this is number 2 on the list so far.

I have been here many times. The standard is always at least okay. The service can drop when very busy. The meals are a bit pricey, but the quality and quantity mean you are getting what you pay for. I went there Saturday afternoon, and it was very busy, however, the service was still quick, and the staff were very polite and helpful. We sat at the outside tables (as we had 2 dogs with us), and it was good to see all these tables and chairs had been replaced with some nice new ones.

Highly recommend this tea room, prices are reasonable and there is a small shop with lots of jam, chutney and sauce. The star of the show is the position overlooking the river and northey island.

My partner & I eat out once a week - for breakfast. The Lock is our benchmark and we have been regular visitors for many years. It does have "off" days, where doesn't? But generally the standard of both food and service of breakfast is very high and dependable.

Nice place and last week had breakfast which was good, however this Sunday was a wash out.Seeing the place was busy all we wanted was bacon rolls, 40 mins later, brought out the hot chocolate after 20 mins then waited and waited.I understand that if busy it takes time, but surely if busy things like bacon are constantly on the go.staff not much help unfortunately.With a couple of options available nearby, my suggestion is, if busy go elsewhere otherwise be prepared for a long wait.

Had to wait for over 20 minutes for our coffees and then another 15 minutes for our cake that they forgot to bring with our teas after asking three waitresses for our cakes. Very disorganised tea rooms.

Took my boys here on a whim, but the food was ok. They got my order wrong and then argued that I hadn't ordered what was on my receipt until I insisted they read what was in front of them. Three sandwiches a tea and two tango's £24, frankly not worth it.

If you are in the vicinity of Heybridge Basin why not park the car & take a healthy walk along the sea wall which overlooks the Blackwater estuary & enjoy the beautiful panoramic views. After this if you fancy some refreshments why not visit Wilkins Tearoom & sample some of their delicious sandwiches, cakes & other goodies. The staff there are lovely, the food is freshly prepared & all at a very reasonable price.

Very nice staff, food very good.The free public car park is not big enough on sunny weekends, we used to go a lot but rarely go now because of parking. We went Monday 2nd Jan and the whole car park and roads were full up. Managed to park on road, but this can only be done between Sept & April.

I love popping in here after a walk along the Blackwater Estuary. There is a good choice of food from sandwiches, baguettes, ploughmans and cakes on the menu, and if like me you are a fan of Wilkins you have a good choice of jams and chutneys to buy. The staff are very friendly and pleasant and the food is nicely presented and fresh. Heybridge Basin is the perfect setting for this delightful tea room with seating and tables outside with a spectacular view across the estuary. In the summer months it is extremely busy, but there is free car parking which is a 5 minute walk.

We ordered two coffees and a glass of water. The glass was filthy and covered in lipstick and other marks from the previous customer. Both cups and cutlery were also dirty. It was obvious the staff had not cleaned them properly but surely the waitress saw how dirty they were as she brought them to the table.