The Ship Inn in Tendring

We had some relatives from Devon with their dog visiting the area and needed to find a decent dog friendly place to eat. I contacted The Ship, and they advised me that they were very dog friendly, so we booked a table for lunchtime. Because of the dog, we were given a table in the bar area with a hard floor, which was understandable. The pub/ restaurant was fairly busy, but it didn't really impact on the service, especially as there were just 2 staff members serving. The meals were well presented, plentiful and hot, and served with a smile. Two of us had whitebait main meals, one had grilled cod, and the other had the chicken burger. Everything was nicely cooked and good quality and we all really enjoyed the food. Three of us had really nice desserts, and we all came away pleasantly full. Will we return? Definitely! Especially as we only live less than 10 miles away.

We had a weekday lunch at the Ship. The food descriptions on the menu were outstanding. However, when served the food was bland. Service was poor. I asked for some sauce but it never came. Nobody asked if our food was ok either after we were served or when we were paying the bill. And nobody asked if we wanted more drinks!

4 of us went for Sunday lunch. The food was superb, tender and tasty meat, plenty of veg. The staff are always friendly and helpful too. We had a bit of a long wait for service because it was very full in the bar, which also meant that it was quite noisy. Overall though an enjoyable lunch.

Visited for an evening meal. The menu was very extensive, some usual pub food, but also some very interesting extras, including a good choice of vegan/veg options, which pleaded my god-daughter. The desserts also had some unusual offerings, I had the grenadine infused watermelon and blood orange sorbet, which was so light and delicious. The service was superb. So helpful and pleasant. Definitely going back to try more of the dishes!

Lovely Sunday roast. Great pub with a massive beer garden and enclosed outdoor eating area. Well worth the visit. Great value for money

Went for Sunday lunch with friends. It was a very friendly pub, staff really welcoming, food very good definitely will be returning.

Good food and service at the Ship. Nice atmosphere too, with a warm welcome from the bar.

Calming and relaxing atmosphere at this lovely pub. The food was delicious. We had two courses. Service was excellent. Already booked for Christmas Eve but will return sooner than that as its only up the street. Thank you.

We had the most wonderful meal here last night, absolutely 5 star 🌟 quality ! The service is always good & we enjoy the ‘country pub’ setting . Well done 🙌

Beautiful evening meal and drinks. Could not fault in any way. We enjoyed a sushi starter to share, then tandoori burger and Thai red curry followed by crumble. All washed down with ale on tap and cold white wine. Would highly recommend.

First time there with friends, stood there waiting for someone to ask us if we had booked , we had, had to wait then was shown to table when pasta arrived had a long hair embeded in the pasta when said something discretely the waitress came back was almost blaming us as no one in kitchen had that colour hair, a sincere apology would have been nice instead of being flippant will not be going back again that’s for sure the atmosphere was horrible in there

Nice friendly place...good food at a reasonable price.

Amongst our table of 6, mains that were ordered were Steaks, Curry, fish and chicken goujons all of which were beautifully cooked and presented. My brother is really fussy about how his steak is cooked and he said it was perfect. The staff are really friendly and we will certainly be coming back again.

First time eating in this pub but it certainly won't be the last The varied excellent menu caters for everyone and is cooked to perfection. The service is warm and friendly from all staff. Keep doing what you are doing it's a refreshing change to eat and enjoy such a great pub restaurant.

Excellent meal, friendly staff and my 3 dogs were very welcome

Regular visitor. Lovely food and friendly staff. Highly recommend visiting this pub either for food or drinks.

A large group of us visited after a day at the beach. We dined in the garden room, which had a nice atmosphere. The meals we had were really well cooked, not the usual pub food and reasonably priced. The service was great (particularly considering the size of the group), and the staff were really friendly and attentive. Looking forward to the next meal after another next beach day 🙂

We had a fantastic meal at The Ship on Sunday, from the first contact the staff were so helpful, we were a large group and when we arrived the food was very quick to come out as we had pre-ordered. Everything was delicious and the service was very good, all of the staff were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be going back and would highly recommend it.

We booked The Ship to have an 80th birthday celebration for my parents. Not only is it local for them but all aspects of this pub are wonderful, the food, the staff, the service, the range of beers/drinks and the pub itself is clean and beautifully decorated. We had hired the use of a marquee next to the pub itself (they have two). Despite the rain (!) Sally and Sandra had everything ready for us and were welcoming when we asked to pop in early & put some balloons/banners up! Nothing was too much trouble and they were constantly on hand asking our guests if they’d like drinks etc. Tony kindly offered to open up one side of the marquee for us to make us all more comfortable. A delicious buffet was then brought out part way through the afternoon and everyone’s eyes lit up! It was amazing! From warm honey mustard sausages, to huge potato wedges, homemade coleslaw and sausage rolls and several different varieties of sandwich’s all made with fresh bread, to name but a few. Most of the food was eaten, Sally and Sandra then cleared it away and brought out some beautiful petit fours. Perfect! We can’t thank them enough for making us feel so welcome and making our parents birthday so special. We don’t live in this area but will make sure we try to pop in whenever we are now! Don’t think of The Ship as just a pub, it’s so much more. Thank you all so much, especially Sally & Sandra (we hope you enjoyed your cake!) xx

Great food and great service/value

We were greeted in a friendly manner & had a very nice table as we were a Party of 7. The service was good & we all enjoyed the excellent food . The only criticism is the pie wasn’t a portion from a whole pie but meat in a dish with a pastry topping ( although it was nice .) Also the chips were not included with the Pork Belly . Otherwise we were very happy & would go again.

We arrived without reserving a table and were absolutely starving. They still managed to squeeze us in and we were so happy they did. The food was excellent and served promptly. We were so happy with this little find.

Great spot for a lovely ice cold shandy

Great pub very pleasant staff would highly recommend 👌

Booked ahead for Sunday roast. The beef and outstanding Yorkshire puddings were genuinely delicious, served with all the trimmings. We Loved the experience and will happily return next time we’re calling in at the nearby Titchmarsh Marina. Thank you for the cheery welcome, efficient service and happy vibe!

Waitress was plain rude. Avoided us to the point we had to get another waiter to call her over, also lied about portion sizes leaving our party unsatisfied with our meals. When serving drinks, she’d just put them on the far end of the table without saying a word leaving us unsure with who’s they were. If ordering a smaller portion of fish bring a magnifying glass to ensure you don’t miss it.

Really nice food and well presented. Bakewell tart dessert was really nice.

Not eaten here yet but its a fave stop off for us on the drive back from Frinton or Walton beach , friendly staff good range of beers , nice beer garden and lots of parking. First visit this year , still lovely place to stop for a pint on the way home from Frinton. Now with added rockerys !

Excellent meals and service from staff that clearly take a pride in all they do from a very welcoming welcome to friendly service. The menu has something for everyone in addition to pub favourites. All choices are well priced, look great and taste fantastic. Lots of choices of beer, with guest ciders. Well worth going out of your way to way to try this great little English pub.

It’s so nice to find a pub that serves great food ( specials are always different and difficult to choose which one to pick!!) bar staff great and atmosphere welcoming- lovely garden. Keep doing what you are doing!!

I went here on a Thursday for a late lunch. I had fish and chips, and my wife had white bait. Both are excellent and not expensive.

Good food and atmosphere, muscles were fantastic and packed full of flavour. The caramelised onion soup was for us at least to thick and strong. The steak would have been better if it came with peas or at least was available as a side order. Very busy, which is a good sign. I recommend booking a table and, if possible, not at the end of service to avoid popular items being unavailable. After another visit I can also recomend the soy squid risotto. The covered area in the garden is lovely and to me a better option during the day than in the main building. The beer garden us also spacious with plenty of bench tables.

Stopped for an evening meal with my sister, niece, and her boyfriend and two guide dogs as they are blind. We were looked after very well and made welcome, they actually went out of their way to make it a very pleasant meal for us and the dogs. Thank you.

Came for McDonalds, got a MIchelin instead... Randomly looking for a place for a late Sunday lunch roast following a weekend at a nearby spa and stumbled across this absolute gem. Luckily, they were able to squeeze the two of us in even though it was busy. The traditional pub vibes belied the exceptional food we were about to experience and the roast went out of the window when we saw the Specials menu! We had no idea we were in for such a gastronomic treat! Washed down with a wonderful stout (Parabellum) made this one of the best ever culinary surprises we've had especially as the bill was a little over for £60 for the two of us! Congratulations to all involved at The Ship. I will return...

Wow thank you for an amazing experience, The food was delicious and staff very attentive, Gluten free menu available Will definitely be back

Just moved to the area and The Ship was recommended to us as a great place to eat. So glad we took the advise! Absolutely delicious Sunday Roast followed by what I would call a Michelin star dessert. Friendly staff and a lovely pub atmosphere! The place was very busy and rightfully so!

Good food and excellent service. Highly recommend

Avoid. Very unwelcoming! We turned up for lunch at 12:30 and happy to see lots of space in the beer garden to sit. We had small children and wanted to get a light lunch. Went to order and told the kitchen was at capacity - despite the venue being not even 1/4 full, no tables in view being served food and they wouldn't even do a few bowls of chips. What struck us most was lack of effort to accommodate us in any way and the coldness of the welcome.

It was ok, more pub grub than restaurant

We had our wedding reception at the Ship. They went above and beyond to make our day perfect!

Very welcoming and friendly landlord , and good choice of local real ales alongside an excellent choice of ciders

Another fantastic meal here today, we had the roast beef followed by the salted caramel tart absolutely delicious! The service was first class as usual. Highly recommend this pub.

Lovely place lovely staff and surroundings can't fault it!

Lovely pub, food was amazing and reasonably priced drinks what more do you need. Meet the landlord who was equally as charming. Will definitely be back. Lloyd and Millie (van man) :-)

A family meal for 6. The service was brilliant and the food was excellent. One small disappointment was no custard on the menu. P Some puddings need custard.

Food was amazing, desert was masterchef standard .Very clean and welcoming .Will definitely return

Great customer service. Allowed me to use their phone charger free of charge.

The food was ok but too many peas to make your plate look fuller service was very slow and they were very busy kept forgetting to come over for the desserts so I wasn't very impressed.

Fantastic Sunday lunch in a lovely setting, food amazing, staff excellent and even the dog got a lovely treat. Will most definitely be visiting again

My son took me here for a belated Mother’s Day lunch.. was lovely..

Great friendly pub with great beers!

Absolutely delighted with our first visit. Food, service and surroundings were excellent.

Had a meal with my brother and his wife. Food was amazing. Staff incredible. Will be going back on our next visit. A*****

We are lucky to have The Ship as one of the local venues nearby to home (and to be honest probably should visit more often!). We booked tonight for the Monday Special Curry Evening, which I must say for the price paid was exceptional value for money! All the dishes tasted like they were made from scratch and fresh and piping hot. We enjoyed a welcome drink (included in the price), then poppadoms and dips. The star of the show though was the main dish which simply put was top drawer and equal to any great curry house. I had the Minted Lamb Curry which had large chunks of tender lamb in a slightly spiced sauce. The portions were generous and for a large bloke I didn’t leave feeling at all hungry at all. A massive thumbs up to the those at The Ship and all credit to the kitchen team… it was spot on tonight! £16.00 for Poppadoms & Dips, Choice of curry, Rice & Naan and complementary drink…. You just can’t go wrong for that price.

Very nice food and friendly atmosphere, helpful staff, not much choice for the mains on special menu, but adequate on main menu.

Once again we enjoyed a lovely meal at this pub. The atmosphere is very friendly and the staff very efficient. We didn’t even realise they were a member of staff short until they told us when we settled the bill. Thoroughly recommend.

Found this pub by chance as we were in the area and it was just great! They had a table for 6 of us without booking, the staff were welcoming and very attentive and the food was great. Really great experience from a little local pub - we will be back!

Third time I have been there food is lovely and if you have allergy's tell the staff and they do listen all food cooked and different meals all end up being served at the same time very hot nice selection but best to book especially on Sunday lunch time

Been here twice now, once for a Sunday roast and again on Christmas Day for a few drinks. Lovely pub with a great atmosphere, looking forward to visit again, thanks

Visited this restaurant for the first time today and what a lovely place it was, very welcoming. The food we had was delicious the main thing we loved this place was the staff very attentive especially a wonderful lady called Mandy made us feel so welcome. Looking forward to visiting again.

Lovely food as ever Huge range of proper ciders Great service What's not to like?

Fantastic Birthday meal here ...Good food and ambience.

Would stay clear, food was ok but bit overpriced for what it is.. Staff was ok at best, but when asked for extra sauce for steak was tutted at :(

Thanks for a great meal as we celebrated a special anniversary family time at the Ship, great food, great service. The staff were very helpful, nothing was too much trouble. The garden room perfect for our group, we will certainly go there again. Thank you

Reserved a marquee for a lunch function of 14 people. I must say the food was really good, and tasty,also staff worked hard and got everything right. All with a smile too. Thanks for looking after us all. Highly recommended.

Stopped for lunch when travelling to Frinton on a cold winters day, The welcome as we entered soon warmed us up and the service was excellent in a busy lunch time pub. We had not booked and were still given a choice of tables. The menu was extensive and reasonable with small plate menus for those on a budget. Beer range good and well kept local ales, a pity we live 30+ miles away.

Great food, great service, friendly staff.

Coffee not available after 8.15pm

Enjoyed a rare Sunday Lunch out as a Family. Service was efficient but not very attentive. Had Roast Lamb. Meat was well portioned, well cooked and warm and tender. Vegetables were fresh. Downside were the Roast Potatoes, these tasted like they were cooked from Frozen and had no flavour to them. Good selection for the kids. Overall, a good experience

Very nice Sunday lunch We had to wait a while to order desert so ended up not bothering and then the waitress asked us to move because the table was booked for someone else Even so would still go back and recommend to others

This pub is really lovey on the inside and outside. Went here with my family for the 1st time today and I have to say we were all disappointed with the food and service. Not much of a choice if you are a vegetarian. 4 of us ordered a roast dinner, mine being the vegetarian, I asked for the mushroom tart to be removed as I dislike mushrooms and had extra potatoes and veg. To me potatoes looked like they had been cooked from frozen and there was 2 lamb dinners where one of them was nearly raw lamb. No one came to ask us if everything was ok and we had to keep waving a waitress/waiter down. I could not recommend this pub/restaurant based on the roast dinner, but I’m sure lots of other people like this pub based on their reviews. I will not be visiting again.

Very pleasant evening with friends. Food very good and very nicely priced. However, surprised that dogs were allowed into the conservatory area where we were seated.

The food was nice but unfo5the menu was just being updated so quite a few things were not available. We g Had mushroom linguini and whitebait and chips. The thing we wanted on the menu wasn't available. Good service.

Always a great time. Good food. Lovely staff. Reasonable price.

Food was delicious with a wide variety suitable for several dietary requirements including vegan and gluten free. Good choice of beers on draft and cold ciders. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was welcoming.

My husband and I took my brother there on Wednesday to celebrate his 70th birthday. We had delicious food and fantastic service. It's the first time my husband and I have been there and will definitely be going there again. My brother has been there before and recommended it to us. Had a wonderful lunch and afternoon, thanks to The Ship.

We recently had our wedding reception here and it was perfect. Tony, Angela and the team were amazing and Angela especially, worked tirelessly to ensure we had the best day. The marquee was beautifully decorated and the food was fabulous, catering effortlessly with all our differing dietary requirements which included gluten free and dairy free guests Thank you all so much for helping make our day so special. We would have no hesitation in recommending The Ship 🥰

Food was okay, steak and ale pie had a piece of grizzle, a couple of potatoes were slightly undercooked. Staff were excellent. Lovely outdoor gardens.

Good pub. Good selection of meals available. Food was very nice. Would return.

Great pub. I'm a volunteer driver for our local Community Bus. 14 passengers ..... everyone totally loved their lunch. Great service, so attentive and good food. We'll be back for sure 👍👍👍

Lovely place,visiting a very good friend, and went to the ship where you felt welcome. Great atmosphere, too.

Pub and restaurant were ok but the food was disappointing

Just back from having a great Sunday roast lunch excellent

If I could give more stars, I would! The staff and ambience are perfect, a wonderfully welcoming pub, clean and warm, you couldn’t ask for more. We visited The Ship yesterday for a family lunch and wasn’t disappointed. We’re very lucky to have this wonderful pub on our doorstep and have never had a bad meal or experience. I wanted to take my daughter, her husband and our grandson for a meal we knew would be delicious, and it certainly was! I had the saffron paella which was out of this world! We also enjoyed the curries, lamb burger and my wife had the king prawn starter as a main meal! To accompany our meals, my son in law and I carefully chose some of the delicious ales on tap, wow! However, my only very slight “criticism” would be that no one pre warned me about “Black Dragon”!! A heavenly tasting cider with lethal repercussions! I’ve never had such wobbly legs!! If you’re feeling brave don’t hesitate to order a pint! But seriously, thank you to all the staff, we’ll be back as soon as we can - Doug Atkin 😊

A lovely country pub with excellent food and real ale. Dog friendly too

Had my mother's wake at the Ship today. Food excellent service excellent would highly recommend this establishment

Lovely food in a friendly unpretentious pub. We are staying at the Spa at Thorpe-le-Soken and have come from Brighton. We were delighted to find this very pretty pub with loads of flower displays outside in nearby Kirby-le-Soken. The food was good value and there was plenty of choice. I had chicken on a cannellini bean, sage and apple cassoulet, which was delicious. My husband had homemade onion bhajis which were also very tasty. He also had a steak and ale pie that he said was full of tender steak. Our puddings were also very unusual but extremely good. A tahini flavoured crème brûlée with a homemade sesame thin. My husband had the coffee and walnut mess. Was thrilled to find a glass of wine cheaper than the spa prices too! A lovely dining experience with a couple of kind and down-to-earth waitresses serving us. Totally recommend!

We met friends here, not knowing the area at all but what a good choice. It is a dog friendly pub and even has a water station for the dogs in the garden. The food was very good. I had paella and it was really tasty. My husband said his pie was very good as well. A good selection of beers and all at reasonable prices. There is a huge garden and also a covered seating area.

Looking for a traditional Sunday roast, the potatoes were not crispy. I had the chicken skewers very tasty should have had the hand cut chips

We went to the ship as an after funeral reception. Great place, good food great service. Highly recommend.

Excellent food, and great service. 🤓😂👍

Fantastic family pub. Friendly staff always welcoming, great atmosphere

Booked for Sunday roast, have previously had lovely meals here, however food was bland, roast potatoes were dry and hard, minimal vegetables and we opted for the ‘vege’ roast which came with sautéed mushrooms, there was no other choice and they were a very odd combination with no thought for a good alternative, very disappointed.

Visited for a wedding reception. Lovely outdoor space. Proper old school pub inside, with cracking selection of beers .

Didn't stay they stopped serving food

Very tasty food, and reasonably priced too. Great atmosphere and good service.

Excellent staff very friendly Great service Great food 😋

First visit here for a beer and wine festival with music. Had a great time. Found it a bit expensive if you didn't drink beer or cider, ladies got bottles of wine or presecco which my rose presecco was expensive. The staff were really, really busy, they did their best to serve you as quickly as possible. They were very friendly. I would deffo go back.

We were at the ship inn on a day they had a beer festival , not only were the beers of a excellent quality but also well priced . After a few beers we then sampled the delights of their food and we were not dissapointed . Again great value and excellent quality . Just for reference we had the mussels , the white bait , the tandoori sizzler and all cooked to perfection . The service was also commendable , didn't rush us and whenever we needed something there was a quick response . My only problem is I live 120 miles away but next time in the area will definitley be back . Thank you the ship inn

Spent most of this weekend at The Ship Saturday went to the beer and cider festival. What a fantastic afternoon /evening. Amazing choice of beers and ciders Great music too Sunday booked a table for Sunday lunch. I have got to say I had the chicken sizzler It was the best meal I have ever had there and I have always had great food.An amazing choice of food too. I am so lucky to live so close to The Ship.Brilliant weekend