The Mistley Thorn in Tendring

We were in the area for just a couple of nights, and booked a meal here on the strength of Tripadvisor reviews, which proved to be correct. It was an excellent meal, and good value.

That is what my wife said as we pulled away yesterday morning. Usually, I’m not the one trusted to pick our anniversary spots, but this year, I got the green light. Knowing how much she loves seafood, I thought, “Why not give The Mistley Thorn a shot?” The Mistley Thorn has some pretty great views over the Stour, and the rooms are cosy and well-kept. If you can snag Room 1 or 2, you’ll get a view that adds something special. From check-in to check-out, the staff were friendly and laid-back—just the kind of vibe that makes you feel right at home. Now, let’s talk food. If you’re into seafood, this place should be on your list. The menu’s not just good; it’s clever. They take simple ingredients and make them shine. The drinks selection doesn’t disappoint either, and the cocktails? Spot on. Breakfast didn’t let us down, either. There were plenty of options, but the full English was the real winner, loaded up with local ingredients. Even the homemade baked beans were top-notch. A couple of things to keep in mind, though. The car park fits three cars (not just two, like some reviews claim), but it’s a bit tight. No big deal, though—there’s street parking and some spots across from The Swan. Also, since this is an 18th-century coaching inn, you might hear a bit of noise, especially if you’re in one of the front rooms. The occasional chat from below or the sound of tables and chairs being moved around is just part of the deal. But honestly, it didn’t bother us. After all, restaurants need cleaning, and diners aren’t exactly silent. All in all, The Mistley Thorn was a fantastic call. We left with full stomachs, happy hearts, and another great memory to add to the list.

We went with family last month, ordered all sorts of different dishes, it took a while to arrive but was worth the wait, seafood platter, tacos all very good, staff great, only downside is the noise generated byeveryone in the room but not much can do about that. . Great place.

The place is tucked away along the water front. The food was very nice at a reasonable price The polite staff were friendly and helpful. This place is a must to try if you want a teat.

Excellent meal Excellent service would fully recommend to everybody. Scallops are to die for the atmosphere is perfect

Turned up at 1030 for coffee with a friend, which turned into another coffee, then another, then an excellent light lunch, finally got away at 2.30pm. Never felt the slightest pressure to 'get on with it and go', the staff were entirely happy to let us treat the place as though we lived there. Brilliant! (No rating for rooms as not staying).

Yet another excellent Sunday lunch at the Thorn. Superb service and well prepared and presented food. We go out for Sunday lunch quite often and the Thorn is definitely the best roast in the area. We had scallops and oysters to start which were extremely good and Key Lime pie to finish. Our mains of roast beef (one rare and one medium rare ) were perfect. Accompanied by roast potatoes , veg and a very large Yorkshire which were all very good. Highly recommended. One point for the Thorn to note and try to remedy . On every visit (and we have been there many times) the Gents toilets smell horrible please please please can you get this sorted. Thank you.

First visit and we loved it! Great atmosphere, fabulous food and delicious wine. Mustn't forget to mention the fries made with real potatoes THANK YOU! Cannot wait to return

Had breakfast this morning with my partner Food was quality, cooked to perfection service was spot on and location was in an inspiring Georgian property in Georgian Mistley Thanks very much the Thorn !!

Only Stopped for Coffee & Cake whilst on a Bikeride but Really good.

A brilliant find in the Tendring culinary desert. Yes, it's close to London food prices, but the portions are good, the ingredients fresh, there is evident skill in the kitchen and the wine mark-up wasn't as hefty as in many places of this kind. We had a 2-course lunch with wine and coffee and even the olive oil - bottle on every table - was exceptional (and sold in their shop a few doors down the road. Yes, I did buy a bottle!). If you're local, visit frequently - it needs your custom to survive. If you're passing through - stop!

What a wonderful place. Fantastic sea food and excellent prompt service. Our room was really lovely, clean and the bed super comfy. We were in Room 8. Breakfast was equally great. My partner felt very spoilt for his birthday. Thank you so much, we will definitely be returning.

We had a lovely evening at the Mistley Thorn hotel. The fish was very well cooked and tasted delicious. There was an excellent choice of wine and the muscadet was lovely. The service was also great. Highly recommend.

I popped into the Mistley Thorn as i was in the area, doing some walkabout photography. I had a delicious sandwich with focaccia bread, a coffee, and a cold drink. I don't visit Mistley often, but i will say i am very impressed. Warm, friendly staff, a great looking place in a very good location. I can't speak for the rooms as i didn't stay overnight. I do however hope to go back, a really decent place.

Fantastic food. Very slow service. Could potentially be a fantastic restaurant. Half filled restaurant so no reason for slow service even getting drinks took 20 mins

I took the lady to the Thorn last Thursday for a well deserved night out after a very busy period in our business interests. We have been here a fair bit over the years and I’m not adverse to grabbing a couple of pints of the excellent Adnams Dry Hopped Lager ‘early doors’. To start with the lady went for the soup, she is gluten free and had very nice garlicky GF bread, it was very good. On the 2 & 3 course set menu (available individually) there was grilled Sardines on ciabatta with fine diced salad, I love these little silver fish and the Thorn Chef did them proud. For main the lady had the grilled Bream fillets. She’d never had it before but it’s one of my ‘go to’ dishes and whole BBQ Black Bream is my fav way to eat them, so (unusually) she listened to me and thoroughly enjoyed it. I went for the Linguine Vongole, with clams and tonnes of garlic, a broth made with chilli, white wine & butter…..BOOM! What a great dish! Pasta freshly made and cooked perfectly as were the clams. We had a couple of large Sauvignon Blanc’s, the New Zealand Tinpot, which is not cheap, but perfect with seafood. I guess the slight downside when you can’t sit outside due to our weather and the fact that the evening sun shines on the small backyard car park (BTW this car park would be a great outside space), meaning the front outside get chilly early even in the summer, enjoying a drink is difficult as bar space is limited, especially when the restaurant is busy (& it’s generally busy). However the local rumour mill tells me there’s plans for an alternative drinking/relaxing space on its way🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Friendly staff, great food and a relaxed atmosphere make this one of my favourite restaurants.

Four of us ate at the Thorn this evening for the first time in a while and it was brilliant. The menu is attractive and enticing, service impeccable, the atmosphere warm and buzzy but most importantly, the food is absolutely excellent. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Went for Sunday lunch, first visit for us on recommendation. Started off by being told they had run out of clams, had limited oysters and no venison which was disappointing. We had tempura mussels to start along with anchovies and mackerel pate. Mains we had seafood stew and fish tacos. With new potatoes in seaweed and a salad on the side followed by Cheesecake for desert. Overall the food was very nice, well presented and very tasty. We did feel some of the dishes were very salty which was quite overpowering but still tasty. The cheesecake desert was lovely and starters were superb. We thought £4.50 for a leaf side salad was expensive for what you got. Staff were friendly however we did feel like we were on a table that everyone forgets as we didn’t seem to get the attention of others in the main seating areas. Took a long time to clear our table and bring out mains. No one asked us how our meal was during the meal itself only after, and the table wasn’t reset after starters ie fresh Cuttlery etc, just small details which let it down a bit. Parking is also a bit of a problem around the premises. Overall we enjoyed our visit and would book again.

70th Birthday Treat ruined by poor food, poor service, over booked with 84 covers,who wanted to be served and out quickly. They had run out of several menu items,so had to make other choices. What was left was poorly cooked,plates left to stand before serving,so ruined, hot lobster was cold, mixed fish platter was greasy and overcooked. Waited for 45 minutes between each course, apologised and offered extra olives whilst waiting. Final insult,no desired dessert available,so complimentary dessert given,which was some frozen rubbish. Total of bill was £284.54. Asked to speak with Manager who had gone home,and following day some assistant called,and said we would be contacted by owner,but this has not happened. Will not be returning, do not recommend. Complete indifference,and laissez-faire attitude.

Great menu choices and great food. Service was good and the place had a happy vibe about it. The dog was allowed in too if he sat discreetly under the table - which was no problem

Visited this lovely restaurant again. The food was delicious and the service was great. The only comment would be about how the restaurant welcomes its guests on arrival…not always with a smile as it depends on who is around; hence the four stars. Other than that, I’d return again.

Visited for Sunday roast and it was absolutely delicious. Hadn’t been for a year or so after a very disappointing meal. Will definitely be recommending in the future. The caramel cheesecake was to die for and our server (Petra) Went above and beyond and she was amazing

This is one lovely restaurant when in Mistley, Amazing Fish dishes / Incredible Sunday Lunches / Lovely Ambiance and friendly staff, A must visit when in the locality 5 Star Plus

Always a pleasure... Had the Sunday roast which was extremely well cooked and prepared ... Friendly staff ... Good value for money... Cannot fault it, and we've been many times..

Best restaurant in the area, guaranteed a great meal and service! The seafood stands out, and it is great to have so many different specials on during the week.

We went for food which was delicious and extensive selection of seafood and a great wine and drinks selection. Highly recommend we will be back.

Fabulous restaurant with attentive staff and yummy dishes! They have a great menu with lots of choice and plenty of veggie / vegan options too. I had the fish tacos and they were the best tacos I’ve ever had. I would highly recommend a trip to the Mistley Thorn.

Disappointed. Whilst the whipped mackerel starters were excellent it was downhill from there. Gambos Al Ajillo £17.95 - 5 shell on king prawns artfully arranged in a dish smothered in an oily sauce - that's it, well unless you include the finger bowl to clean your hands. Had to order a side at £4.25 to mop up the sauce and to literally to make a meal of it. Battered Haddock - with fries, peas and tartare sauce. Well the first plate arrived with a very pale piece of battered haddock dripping with oil, the plate was swimming in oil, had to put the fish on a napkin to try soak it up ! Broke into the batter ( which was unusually salty) to find a layer of uncooked batter and barely cooked very wet fish. Mmmm Waitress came over and asked if everything was okay, clearly it wasn't and she took the meal away and said she would bring a replacement. Replacement arrived, thankfully not dripping in oil, the batter sounded crispy, I was hopeful. But under the batter( again unusually salty) - again there was soggy uncooked batter and although at the ends and the sides the fish was cooked the thicker middle was wet and undercooked. We called it a day ! Not charged for their 2 attempts at the Haddock ( quite right, didn't ask for sushi) but still a huge disappointment, we both left feeling distinctly underwhelmed and hungry ! This was our 3rd visit - the other 2 meals had their own quirks which we put down to our preferences, ie not liking or understanding fridge cold horseradish butter, preferring crispy Yorkshire's and gravy with a bit of flavour, but this visit was by far the worst meal and sadly will be our last.

My partner and I have had lunches and dinners here a few times and have always found the food and service really nice! We always feel very welcomed and it is our favourite local restaurant

We enjoyed the food very much- we all love fish, and you would need to - My dish of cod in a lobster cream sauce was luscious. The server brought me a spoon and I needed it, there was so much delicious sauce. We booked our next visit the same day. We went at lunchtime, and it was quite busy.

This is hard to rate correctly, so I have only given 3 stars. The reasons are: I visited to have a meeting with someone, I therefore didn't see the room. I was also very disappointed that they have no access for a wheelchair user who is not in a manual chair. This sadly meant sitting outside in February to have the meeting. That said the member of staff did come out to serve us outside and was very polite and helpful. So on the service it should be a 5 star. But as I was unable to access the building I have marked it down. Hopefully in time the access will improve and I can try again.

We were a table of four for lunch today and it was a first visit for all of us and we have all said we will definitely be back. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were made to feel very welcome. We were seated in a booth at the rear of the restaurant and it was lovely. The staff were knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Our main meals were excellent both in quality and taste and the desserts finished the meal perfectly. Personally I would highly recommend the roast beef followed by the lemon sponge pudding! We look forward to returning.

What a beautiful hotel and little village. Wonderful service and great food - especially at dinner. If you want a romantic break in an idyllic place then we would highly recommend. The one thing though is you must ensure a room on the top floor otherwise you will be disturbed by footsteps and movements from above (we didn't but the management very kindly moved us).

I don’t leave negative reviews lightly. In fact, we visited this restaurant a few weeks ago and I left a review which was very positive. We went for Sunday lunch. The barman was very aloof, if not just plain odd. Not at all welcoming. We were sat in the back which was fine. Our server was pleasant and we ordered drinks, starters and mains together. We had been given a main menu and a specials menu. My wife ordered the roast beef. She was asked how she wanted the beef and she said medium. I asked what the meat of the day was. Pork, I was told. I ordered roast pork, as per the main menu. The starters arrived and were delicious. No complaints there. The mains arrived in good time, but my wife’s beef was well done and massively over-salted, not a trace of pink. She accepted it, but my meal was wrong. I had ordered roast pork. I was served three small boneless pork chops with cabbage, mashed potato and on the side was a cream sauce. I called the manager over and he said that this was how they served roast pork and walked off. I knew this wasn’t the case because I’d ordered a roast last time. They’d served me the special menu pork by mistake. I asked him to come back and said I would not accept the meal. He was very dismissive and indignant. The server took the main but left my wife to eat hers whilst I sat twiddling my thumbs. About 12 minutes went by and eventually, my main was brought out. My wife was almost finished. I had been served the same chops with the sauce washed off and the same cabbage, running with water. The Yorkshire pudding was fine but the carrots were very soggy. The gravy became waterlogged and split. It was under seasoned and not particularly inspiring. The staff walked off abruptly, leaving me without any cutlery. My wife had to call out for someone. I then realised that this supposed roast dinner didn’t have any roast potatoes. The manager shook his head and went to the kitchen, returning with a bowl of potatoes. I always judge a place not only on what happens when it all goes right, but how they deal with a situation when it all goes wrong. It’s quite obvious that the staff do not have the training or experience to remedy a mistake of their making without making the customer feel awkward and uncomfortable. There was no hint of an apology and we were made to feel like it was our fault. We paid the bill in full, no suggestion of a free drink or taking a main off the bill. The worst customer service I have encountered in a long time. We were bid farewell through gritted teeth and, despite being local, will probably not return for a long time.

This beautiful restaurant has a wonderful menu consisting of mainly seafood and fish. There are meat and plant based choices too. I chose fish tacos and I was not disappointed. There were many dishes I could have chosen as the wonderful menu was full of wonderful choices. I wish I lived closer so I could return and try them all. Good service too.

Excellent food in the restaurant. Squid cooked perfectly!

Me and my partner had our lunch here at The Mistley Thorn and had a seamless experience. The staff were polite and efficient, our food was a short wait and we weren't disappointed. The Battered Haddock was perfectly cooked, and my Partner's Cold Seafood Platter was also great too. Overall a lovely, well presented restaurant with food and staff that completes the experience. Will definitely be visiting again.

Lovely quality food, delicious 😋

The roast on a Sunday is very good. The quality of beef is spot-on and the fact you can order it rare, medium rare well done. Get a sign that they really know what they’re doing. Of course. The fish is extensive fresh and cooked with pride really like the place

Had a meal in the restaurant, delicate soft fresh fish cooked perfectly. We had the mackerel mouse starter and grilled fish. Desert was a plumb cobbler with ginger ice cream, generous portions. Came here on a recommendation from a local and well worth popping in.

Wonderful lunch. Squid and venison to start, followed by hot shellfish plate and cold shellfish plate. 5 star 🌟 Great wine. Very nice childrens menu. Would highly recommend.

High quality food. Beer less impressive.

Lovely restaurant and bar. Great choice of food, all cooked to order. Friendly and efficient staff.

Can’t comment on the rooms as we didn’t stay, but the food is lovely. The Mistley Thorn is predominantly a fish restaurant and it’s the place to go for special occasions. I’ve been several times and the food never disappoints. Food is on the slightly more expensive side but you get what you pay for. They do set menus which look good and reasonable so if you’re on a budget then check them out before you go as they are served at allocated times.

We’ve been coming here sporadically for years, but I have to say that today’s meal was the best we’ve had here. The roast beef was beautiful with plenty of delicious sides, the starters were huge and the desserts were great too, especially the limoncello gelato that came on the side of the lemon tart. The children’s menu is fantastic value at £7.50 for two courses and the house wine is really reasonable too. A fantastic lunch from a lovely team, thank you!

Excellent rooms, fantastic food, and the staff are so attentive and lovely, great experience get yourself down there, this is the place to go and relax

We love this restaurant. Not perfect but the food is wonderful. Small mixed seafood appetizer came out cold but was fixed. The wing of skate was very nice but much too much oil in the plate. Plum cobbler was delicious. Staff very pleasant. Overall very nice

First class service. Great food. Good prices. The Sunday roast is a masterclass in how it should be done. Great wine list and an ambience to rival many competitors. Tables nicely spaced. No complaints.

There were 22 of us for my dad's 90th birthday lunch. We had the back room/conservatory all to ourselves. The staff were absolutely fantastic and very patient as we were a noisy bunch. They made us feel very welcome and let us put up banners, bring our own cake and basically take over the area. The food was amazing. We were very impressed there was also a separate menu for the Vegans. I cannot fault this place and I would definitely recommend it. The food is reasonably priced and you get plenty of it. I would like to thank them all for making this special occasion even more special. We booked quite last minute but nothing was a problem for them. Well done to you all.

Food was superb at a very reasonable price. Service exceptional, venue and ambience excellent. Cannot fault definitely a hidden gem.

Many thanks to the Mistly Thorn Team for making Jenny and I so welcome to mark my 80th Birthday. Food, drink and service were impeccable such that we thoroughly enjoyed our special supper.

I’d forgotten that I reviewed this establishment way back in 2015. Anyway, it’s as least as good if not better than eight years ago. The fish and seafood cookery is first class and the meat options are high quality too. Not forgetting the desserts, which were exquisite. Great service from the staff and real attention is paid to the layout of the tables and how they’re dressed. The view over the Stour estuary is splendid. This is a top quality restaurant that doesn’t charge the earth for beautifully cooked and presented food.

Great lunch, food excellent and staff and service equally excellent... Great choice of food... Also our puppy was welcome to sit with us. A bit crowded when busy... We had booked a month earlier and found ourselves on a table in a corridor, not for the first time... However, overall an excellent choice for lunch and service that's hard to better...

The service is very friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent and has seafood preference.Price is reasonable for the quality

Fantastic roast dinner - the best I’ve had out in years. Beautiful roast beef and potatoes, sweet carrots and delicious gravy accompanied by home made horseradish. Too often roast dinners in pubs and restaurants disappoint, but this was superb. Lovely staff and atmosphere. Very reasonably priced for quality. Highly recommend!

Finally came here after years and years of hearing how good the food was here. We visited on Wednesday night (pre-booked) it wasn't too full early evening. Service and food was of excellent standard. Seafood dominates the menu with a few land based options. Both were sampled and were fresh, great quality and arrived promptly. Don't put off a visit here it's one of the areas best restaurants..

We didn't stay here but had lunch in the restaurant. It was great! I had the seafood tacos which were lovely. My wife had the sole fillets and really enjoyed them also. Service was excellent. Definitely recommended!

Just been for lunch our 3rd visit and the food is lovely and the waiting staff are friendly and helpful but the man behind the bar with long hair in a pony style who also greets you when you arrive is so miserable, thought the last times because he had a bad day but again so miserable, no smiles could hardly bother to speak to us and really upsets the whole atmosphere of the place such a shame

Did not stay at hotel. But had lunch . Food was delicious. Portions very good. Staff was friendly. Atmosphere was excellent.

We stayed one night evening meal and bed breakfast food great and so was the accommodation. Recommend

Shame it never live up to it reputation. My partner and a friend went there two weeks ago and were singing its praises. We decided we go there yesterday for my birthday and travel by train to get there from Colchester. On the plus side the restaurant is lovely, the staff were very friendly and professional. But some of the food let them down on this occasion. The starter of mackerel and prawns were lovely and fresh and well presented. It had been reported to me of their to die for onion rings and I ordered that with my main which was the burger. My partner had the cod which was lovely. But the onion rings were over cooked and certainly not to die for, even after two attempts. The burger was over salted but I could not bring myself to tell the serving staff as this was my partner birthday dinner for me. To be fair they removed the onion rings from the bill. We were informed that the chef was not the one my partner had two weeks previously. The desert was lovely. Over all disappointing.

We stumbled upon the restaurant as a random walk in (camping locally), were kindly fitted into a busy evening at a nice table, but the true surprise was yet to come: absolutely delightful menu, equally delightful kitchen! Very fresh, original, high quality and tasteful preparations. Top notch, culinary delight!

I always have a wonderful meal here. The set menu has such a variety to choose from, it changes regularly and offers quality dishes for a reasonable price. Great service, food , price and location! x

Fantastic food and wine, very impressed with the seafood selection. Great value and incredible dishes. The seafood platter was fab, oysters and mussels were great. Staff were friendly and helpful

Fabulous! The seafood here is excellent, great value too. Lovely interiors, great staff and superb food. The cold seafood platter is stunning, the oysters a particular highlight.

Excellent food. Great menu. Nice atmosphere. Very busy - all tables taken. We booked several days in advance and still didn’t get the time we wanted as booked up already. Not the end of the world. Staff were very friendly and attentive. I would definitely return.

Lovely little restaurant, walked passed many times before and never ventured inside but one to go back too. Great menu with something for everyone. Specialising in seafood but some great plant based/vegetarian options. Service was quick but didn’t seem rushed and the staff were friendly.

Excellent lunch. Good range of offers.

Service was friendly and helpful. Our room was comfortable and the food was great! My partner had the mussels which were excellent and the menu gave a great range across its focus on fish.

We didn’t stay here. We just came for dinner when we were in the area. The food was good but not mind blowing. We liked the restaurant. There were a few things unavailable on the menu …

As usual an absolute pleasure to stop here for lunch after a long hike in Constable country. The food is excellent and so is the service, friendly and efficient. The young man serving me was very charismatic and charming. Highly recommended.

We were guests at the hotel and were amazed at the quality of the breakfast & evening meal we experienced - both were absolutely first class, staff were always friendly & attentive without ever being overbearing - there is no doubt that we will return!

Fabulous fresh fish very well presented & cooked. A cut above the normal standard for a £35 pp 2-course meal

Very disappointed! Hadn’t been for a couple of years as the last meal there was awful. Visited again today (18/8/23) and definitely would not visit again… The service was diabolical and the food was very disappointing too…

We went to celebrate one of our friends birthday. The service was fantastic and the waitress was very helpful and friendly. The atmosphere was relaxed and even though the restaurant was busy we didn’t have to wait for service. The food was delicious we had a selection of different tastes in our group one of which doesn’t like seafood however she was able to find something on the menu to her taste and said the sauce was the best she had eaten. I had the steak and it was cooked to perfection. We also all had a dessert that were all beautiful! My friend who’s birthday it was even had a birthday message on her plate. The bill was also very reasonable for such good food. We will definitely be back.

OMG FANTASTIC SEAFOOD!! Wasn't staying, just tripped over it for lunch. It's an absolute diamond I. If you like Seaford you HAVE to go to this place. Best place I've been to.

The Thorn is famous for the areas most excellent fish and sea food. This evening, however, I had a hankering for something from the land. Ordered the pork loin and what a treat it was, absolutely delicious! Five Stars Mistley Thorn and thank you for the continued warm and attentive service

Came here for wedding anniversary. The whole experience from start to finish was excellent, service and food outstanding. Presentation of food was superb. Our son had the cold shellfish platter which was a work of art in itself. We will be back !

The best meal this year. Good busy atmosphere, all tables occupied always a good sign . Plenty of choice in several different menus , choose to go on the 3 courses for £27.95. Everything beautifully cooked and presented. The boss was suitably impressed ( not...

Stunning food, service and experience! Absolutely faultless. The food was prepared with such care and attention, and is obviously very fresh. We were served by Kirsty: :exceptional service, attention to detail and anticipation of needs. Thank you. We’ll be back. Highly recommended restaurant!

Really enjoyed our visit to the Mistley Thorn, food was delicious and fantastic service. Can’t wait to come back!

Had a wonderful lunch with the family of vegetarians. Very tasty and fresh tasting food. Great service!

We called in last Minute on a Sunday and was lucky enough to get a table later in the afternoon. There was three of us and we all had the three course Sunday menu. It was delicious. The whipped mackerel was superb, scallops divine! The...

We love this restaurant and eat here every week. Fresh, delicious, seasonal produce, cooked well from scratch and become I’m diabetic this helps tremendously when needing to know what’s in a dish. Specialising in fish, the popcorn Muscles are to die for, along with the...

Recommended by a friend who lives in Ipswich, our first impressions of the Mistley Thorn were very good. We were greeted by a very friendly young gentleman who seated us and got us some ice cold Prosecco and olives very promptly. Starters were delish! I...

Went for a spot of lunch today and this place has got to have the worst customer service , the long haired man either needs to quit or take up a class on customer service , food was fine but when you get such bad...

The bread in oil was good, but it was downhill after that. We had paper serviettes where as everyone else had cotton ones. as soon as the front door opened the wind blew a the serviettes took off under someone else's table The starter Squid...

We visited the Thorn last Saturday for a late lunch to celebrate my brothers 70th birthday. We were a party of ten including two young children, the food was as always absolutely delicious, the children's menu had plenty to choose from and all the food...

Food was lovely and so were most of the waitresses. Shame about the stroppy Manager. If your going to insist on a service charge then I would of expected service with a smile. This lady would be better suited in a different industry. Customer Service...

Amazing place to stay. Food out of this world!

Lovely restaurant, food great and female staff brilliant but the man behind the bar was abrupt, unfriendly and wouldn't reply when spoken to ,it wasn't just us but someone booked in for a stay and he was just yes ,no and no friendly chatter also...

Stayed last Sunday night. From the moment I checked in I loved everything about the place. A gorgeous building tastefully decorated, comfortable rooms, good quality extras in the rooms, quality breakfast with marmalade to die for. Highly recommended.

Visited here a couple of times before, pre-pandemic, and it is just as nice now. The rooms are comfortable, especially the beds, and some have lovely views over the River Stour estuary. The food in the restaurant is wonderful, and the staff unfailingly friendly and efficient.

The Mistley Thorn is a consistently great restaurant. The menu is long, with lots of specials, and very fish-focused, but it's all executed very well. We come to Manningtree regularly to visit family and the Thorn is always our first choice if we can get a table.

Geweldig leuke gezellige plek. Heerlijk eten en ontzettend aardige bediening. We sliepen hier ook en alles is zeer verzorgd. Echte...

Good pub lunch with good beer. Never saw rooms so can't comment.

We went eat. A fantastic place.

The menu has a very limited choice and the fish portion size was very small. Not value for money. Nice venue with potential for improvement.

Guacamole for the gods. Crab and asparagus to die for. Banana cake with toffee sauce and clotted cream. Supreme restaurant altogether.