The Purple Dog in Colchester

Super pub in the backstreets of Colchester and a short walk from Colchester Town station. There was a selection of ales for us, but sadly no Hophead, which I thought was served. Also, very welcome was not having to ask for a top up as full pints were served. The food was excellent. The music was unobtrusive.

Very dog friendly place! Lovely staff, really made us feel welcome. Will be coming back!

Nice quiet pub in the daytime. Gears up to a youngish crowd in the evening.

Very good food menu and a good selection of draft beer. Good place to grab a lunchtime bite. Friendly quick service.

It's ok, the drink selection is similar to what is on draught at a Harvester.

One of our favourite places to meet up with our friends,visit every week, my husband comes in for his plate of curly fries every Friday, we love the omelettes,very nice friendly staff ,we have been coming in a long time

Somewhat soulless city centre pub. The interior is quite dark and lacking in character. There is an outside seating area but only for the smokers or fume-immune. However there is an excellent range of well keep beers and ales. Food too is decent and very reasonably priced. Staff were very pleasant and helpful too. In my view this is l a great venue for a group of friends to visit but less so for first daters, couples or those alone seeking an affable pint or two. Up the atmosphere levels and this would be a real deal.

Food was lovely. Visited on Invasion Day in Colchester and it wasn't as busy as we thought

Popped in for the 1st time yesterday evening hoping for some food as the menu looked very good but as it was about 7ish was told that food had stopped,however enjoyed a couple of drinks and was very impressed with the vibe in there. For future, what time is best to get food, as we'll be going back ?

Great pub in the centre of town. Great atmosphere, with a good range of beers. We did not eat here so we cannot comment on food.

£12.20 for two pints of beer! Disgusting.

We had such a lovely lunch here back in February. We have two dogs one is a large black shepherd and we struggle to find places she will settle in as most pubs have tables too on top of each other and with her being so large and also alert, she can’t relax well in very loud, busy and crowded environments.. We sat at a large table with our dogs behind us, they settled instantly, the staff were so lovely and understanding snd asked us questions about the dogs, very friendly and kind. The food was really very nice, we spent much longer here than we thought we would originally because we felt so welcome and comfortable with our dogs. It was our first time visiting Colchester and it’s been a very memorable moment of our trip!

The food for children in here are recommended as they are always fresh and they use quality ingredients. They have a choice of dinners with drinks and puddings too. Definitely worth the money. Maby the purple dog should make some colouring and crayons avaliable for the children to do whilst waiting for there food.

Dropped in as passing and prices looked good with varied menu. We were met with lovely friendly staff and we enjoyed a good Sunday Roast.

Always our go to pub when in Colchester for nights out

Great food. Large portions. Great service.

Lovely food and very attentive staff

A good pub with excellent food.

Great staff, excellent neck oil.

An all round good pub right in the centre of town!

Had a really nice afternoon here with the dogs.

Lovely pub with a wide selection of beers and cocktails. Friendly staff and cozy atmosphere. No wonder it’s busy!

One of the best places for food. Staff 100% for customers. I recommend this Pub to everyone. You will not be disappointed. See you soon Purple Dog

Very good food, the chicken wrap was excellent, lovely atmosphere, however they wouldnt accept my proof of age card as valid ID

Good real ales. Friendly pub, friendly staff.

Lovely dog friendly reasonably priced very comfy cosy feeling Amazing food great price highly recommended

Great food, friendly service and unique atmosphere.

Popped in last week for a bite to eat but unfortunately was told the kitchen shuts at 6 so just a warning if you are hoping for an evening snack. Apart from that the pub is ok and l enjoy their choice of music plus it’s dog friendly 🐶

Haven’t been for a few years but thought it was ok, good menu with lots of choice. Order your food at the bar, big plate full, average food, was ok for the money. Setting quite cozy.

What can you say about The Purple Dog. Great pub, always with a cold Guinness on tap. Good music and nice quieter areas when you just want to talk and relax. 10/10. Highly recommended 👍🏻

Fantastic atmosphere and food. Staff super friendly. The Roast was lovely, the family had the cod & southern fried chicken - which was great too. Catered for dairy free washed down with a lovely beer tea! Highly recommend this pub.

Good place too get some good beers; eg London Pride. What a find !!!

Excellent pint of Guinness and great service, we went out on a date afternoon. Really good service and great atmosphere.

Excellent pub, great selection of 🍺🍻😁

Nice pub in town, good atmosphere and large beer garden. Decent prices too.

This is a real ale pub in the old part of Colchester serving adequate ales on handpump This pub is in this year's 2020 good beer guide Today, on saturday, 13th January 2024, i came back to this great real ale pub to sample its excellent hand pumped ales This cosy, easy-going atmospheric ale house had 5 handpumped ales on including a Dark Star brewed ale. The staff were polite and knew their jobs well Pub clean background music easy to eat an excellent place to drink excellent real ale

Incorrect drink given and charge a second drink when questioned

LOVELY PUB AND LOVELY STAFF Just in here from shopping and had a meal and drinks with the hubby. He had a burger and I had a Brie and bacon panini. Both were delicious and we were really looked after by a young man with glasses and a man bun, sorry but I don’t know your name😜

Amazing atmosphere in this little place, great beer and a decent pint of Guinness

Popped in for quick pint, very nice inside.

Good atmosphere, quick service, plenty of variety to order

My favorite pub, I come back every time with pleasure to enjoy a quality beer.

Would be nicer to have proper butter for there jacket spuds. Apart from that lovely

Revin cu drag de fiecare data la Purple Dog,recomand hamburgerul de vita care se îmbină minunat cu o bere Gueniss. Personalul este minunat, mâncarea foarte buna si ambianta deosebita.Revenim cu drag!

Delicious mulled wine, good ambience, reasonable prices, bar staff member Tom was really helpful with recommendations and the heaters in the beer garden make all the difference in these winter months.

Central town pub. Can get very busy, especially on weekends. Decent selection of beers but no craft ale.

Been to about 6 pubs in town this is the best so far followed by the castle. I haven't eaten here but the food looks great. It also has a nice cosy area to eat so yes very nice. Updated from last year, starting to eat the food and boy it didn't disappoint, you get so much for your money and it's all good quality stuff. The staff are friendly and you didn't have a long wait for your food. Will be coming back once a week for a treat.

I used to really love this place but it’s just gone downhill honestly. The cocktails are nice but there’s this weird guy with long hair working there who won’t leave the women alone, I’ve complained to management but they just don’t care. He keeps touching women inappropriately and harassing them, stealing women’s phones and doing cocaine all night but they just won’t do anything. It’s disgusting, if a patron behaved that way the bouncer would get rid of them but because he works there he can get away with it. I will be calling the police on him and I will be mentioning how the pub has enabled this behaviour.

Great pub for a drink. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere!

Lovely pub and nice atmosphere. Didn't eat but saw how amazing the Sunday roast looked. Will be back to try the roast

Gardens nice, foods good quality but abit dear. Only issue is the pints, I can't say I've had a decent pint at this place. I thought it was maybe one or two staff that couldn't pour but after coming afew times I can't seem to get a decent pint, my mates came out completely flat the other day.

Brilliant amazing atmosphere amazing staff friendly polite lots of space dog friendly great place to go with family for lunch or dinner Sunday roast looked amazing!!

Good in the daytime for pints and a burger, good place in the evening for a couple vodka tonics. Good beer selection, good burgers. Colchester classic gaff been going here years.

I went here for lunch this past Sunday and had a jacket potato with tuna and salad and then apple crumble for dessert. The food was just okay, nothing to shout about. Didn't think any more of it until I got home an hour or so later and noticed I felt sick. Then I was sick four times together with other symptoms as well, I couldn't even keep water in my body and an ambulance got called for me after a few hours. I wasn't sure if it was food poisoning or not since what I ate didn't seem particularly risky but after seeing some of the other reviews on here I'm starting to think it was. So obviously won't ever be eating here again.

Nice and friendly. Decent Sunday Roast dinner. Dog and family friendly

Nice pub serves a range of beers both on tap and hand pull. We didn't have any food but what I saw looked good. The chairs were a bit uncomfortable for me. The beer was excellent.

Good service and music was to my taste (Saturday night)

Nice pub. Great food. Great atmosphere. Dog friendly.

Great selection of drinks, friendly staff and reasonable prices.

Went here for the first time recently on a Friday night. Music playing a variety on songs from different genres and decades which was a fun playlist to listen to. I believe you can order from their website however I only ordered from the bar on this evening. Staff were very polite, made eye contact and were very smiley. 10/10 service. Wasn’t very busy in the pub on this occasion, half tables were filled and a few people at the bar but it was a nice amount. Prices for bottles of wine could be slightly revised as the cheapest bottle is £20. Although not extortionate, Rosé White Zinf was £20 and definitely could be revised to be slightly more budget friendly. There was a mix of different ages and styles in this pub so seems to welcome everyone which seems fun. They have a DJ on the first Sat of the month and also have a beer garden, neither of which I experienced on this visit but happy to re-review when I do. Will definitely be returning as I had a great night.

Very nice and friendly pub in Colchester Town centre. The best pub in the town centre.

Amazing place can't wait to come back

Great staff, nice beer garden. First time there, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Thankyou

We usually pop in the Dog for lunch if we go shopping in Colchester. Food is typical pub fare and prices are about average in my experience. I've always enjoyed my meals there and the food is usually served up quite quickly. There are a good selection of beers including Woodforde's Wherry, London Pride and Adnams ales. I have only given 3 stars for ambience but I have never visited in the evening when it may have more atmosphere. It's a town centre pub with no parking so you will need to park at one of the various car parks around town. The doors are standard old pub doors so may be a bit tight for wheelchair access but I am not really qualified to comment with any accuracy on that. The Dog delivers everything I want in a pub and I have no hesitation in recommending it to all.

I had a enjoyable Sunday roast there with dessert,a empty plate is the best review,and it is family friendly

Great pub for socialising, lots of comfortable seating inside and out. Good choice of food and drink for a reasonable price

Very nice place, great service and delicious food! Highly recommended

Great pub with a good selection of ales served by friendly and helpful staff. Good food at reasonable prices. Can get very busy and recently very noisy in the beer garden as this pub becomes more popular. All in all an excellent watering hole shame about the overbearing volume of some of customers in the beer garden.

Nice pub, great food, good service 👍

Very nice pub !. It was very busy on our visit . A nice mixed crowd age wise and a nice atmosphere!. Food was nice and not overly expensive .Staff were friendly and polite . Well worth a visit .

Popped in for a pint. Lovely place

Wife had lunch, wraps are very good apparently, we met for a drink, atmosphere always welcoming. Great place to meet up.

Nice place to get some drinks on. They have a smoking area and lively music which is a plus for hangouts

Good selection of real ales and good food menu.

gezellig eetcafé in t centrum van Colchester . met leuk tuinterras.

Friendly staff, decent prices, good music and good atmosphere

Lovely pub with lots or character in the heart of Colchester. Excellent menu with a great selection of ales. The biggest asset is their staff, so friendly and helpful. Would heartily recommend.

All good, Town centre pub. Very good food ! Thank you

Great pub, great service, a little quiet but it is Tuesday

Good food at realistic prices. Nice atmosphere.

Always good beer.. amazing cajun chips.

Good service and friendly staff

It's an interesting pub for sure - I enjoy the heated outdoor space with the music, it has quite a good atmosphere

Excellent staff great coffee and food.

Great vibe and awesome burger!!

Great atmosphere and great staff nice to sit outside in the sunshine The food was lovely,tasty and hot

Very helpful staff food was lovely will be going in here again.

Great breakfast. Good value for money.

This is a great town centre bar that serves delicious food. I have used this bar for quite some time and it never disappoints - whether visiting during the day, for some food, or meeting friends in the evening for a drink. During a recent visit, we enjoyed the food that we ate: fish and chips and the stuffed cheese burger. The burger was excellent because the beef was good quality and it was cooked very slightly pink. It also had a chilli jam relish that accompanied the rest of the burger very well. What was noticeable was how happy the staff looked and the service couldn't be faulted. The bar is dog friendly and even when our clumsy labrador knocked over his water bowl, clearing things up was not an issue. The Purple Dog caters for visitors from all walks of life and the atmosphere is also friendly and relaxed. In the evening, they have security staff but I have never seen any trouble. It is one of the few Colchester town centre pubs that serve Ghost Ship which is also an added bonus. I would highly recommend this bar.

Met some really friendly locals. Friendly staff

The curly fries are great. The other food offerings are not too bad. The atmosphere is classic old British Pub. It's always got a clientele but is not a hectic place. Nice place for meeting up with friends for a chat. The location on an old commercial lane is rather quaint. If I had one desire, I do wish they had a more inspired beer selection.

It's a great place food is good. Recommend

Poor review due to poor management on the day. This is possible the most easy going pub in colchester, usually no agro no drama and a good atmosphere. Dog friendly shouldn't mean that dogs are allowed to sit at the table and eat of of the table. When mentioned to the manager he said he will look at the CCTV, the whole pub could see the dog sitting at the table, it even had a knitted waistcoat on. After a heated discussion and an alcohol fuelled point of view from me, and a poorly trained customer service manager the security made everything worse. Honesty points to take from this, 1. dont drink for hrs in the same place 2. Dont have an opinion about anything 3. Dont spend alot of money eating drinking buying staff drinks and expect anything in return 4. No matter how comfortable your are when drinking with friends it only takes a minute to go sour 5. The manager should have been more inclusive and not permissive, very poor attitude The Purple Dog is a place I would recommend on its food, speed of service, always plenty of happy staff, good atmosphere and good location in town. The comments above are from one particular day it's not based on my regular visits over many years.

Quiet but welcoming when we went in for a couple of drinks on a Monday afternoon. Well situated for Colchester town centre.

What a great friendly pub. Loved it for a quick drink in town.

This a great dog friendly pub with good quality food and service

Nice pub good food happy friendly staff

Excellent service and friendly staff

The place is lovely but expect severe delays if you’re ordering food. 40 minute wait on average.

Grabbed a non alcoholic beer and a full fat coke for my boy!! Atmosphere food and drinks are always fantastic in the Purple dog! Highly recommend