The Wooden Fender in Tendring

Was recommended to me and my family, I'll start with best bits, service was good and staff polite, atmosphere ok. Out of 6 adults and 3 children, my sons chicken was inedible and very dry, therefore he never ate it, and my chicken was hard and rubbery and bacon was basically all fat, so was left on plate....I had to stock up on my children's leftovers! I'm not one to complain and I did tell them at the table it was inedible and my brother in Law's girlfriend was the one who recommended them, so was a bit embarrassing.

Really cozy atmosphere. Extremely friendly staff. And the food was cooked to absolute perfection. It's a pricy restaurant but you are paying for the quality along with good portion sizes.

Fantastic service, nice cosy pub. Great food, great portion sizes.

Fabulous food. Dishes packed full of delicious flavours and variety. Cannot recommend this place enough. Great service too.

This is a great pub and they make one for the best roast dinners I've ever had. I highly recommend you give a go.

Excellent service and always greet you with a smile Excellent value for money Recommend you visit

Had a grt meal..staff very pleasant and efficient..well done!

Always frienly. Fast service. Food is delicious. There are always lots of people which means this place is very popular

Staff are extremely welcoming and helpful, food is excellent quality from a local butcher, and are nice big portions, can't fault it at all

Had a lovely Sunday lunch here. Brilliant for vegan food, had a choice of 2 vegan starters, 4 vegan mains and 2 vegan deserts. Food was absolutely delicious, staff were very friendly and service was really good. Will definitely be back.

Just a very good simple gastro pub, a straightforward menu which is well cooked and good value. The food is very good, and staff are cheerful and helpful. Saturday lunch was pork belly with dauphinois potatoes and haddock and chips, the fish was fresh, batter was light and crispy, the pork, soft and tasty, garlicky potatoes were Devine!

Lovely traditional pub with friendly and helpful staff serving excellent food and beers

Overall a pleasant visit. Just wish that the staff wouldn't call everyone guys...

Another great meal. All the family enjoyed our meal and service was great.

First time eating at the wooden fender was the most amazing meal the fish and chips are the best I've ever had by far not swimming in grease at all . Richard the manager was a lovely friendly polite guy so were the waiting staff . Highly recommend this pub . Thank you jo and si x

As always perfect Sunday roast... the pub was busy but the service was still spot on and we didn't wait long for anything. Our favourite roast !

We have been to the Wooden Fender several times and have never been disappointed. The food is excellent and the staff are very accommodating - thank you for a fantastic lunch today!

First visited 42 years ago! What amazing changes but all good. Impressed with friendliness, efficiency and courtesy of staff. We asked if the two of us could share the mushroom starter …. Yes, of course, was the reply. And … it was delivered on two separate skillets for us - not one with two sets of cutlery! Main course - fish and chips …. Well , a bit like a ‘Desperate Dan’ meal! Enormous fish, beautifully cooked with chips or salad. Sadly no room for dessert! And very good value for money. I’m sure we’ll be back! Thank you Wooden Fender folk!

Good pub with good food and beer. Dog friendly which is a bonus

Amazing is an understatement. 4 diffrent nationalities went for dinner and it was perfect. From the minute we arrived the staff were so friendly and attentative. The wine was superb and the food was breathtaking. Personally i had the steak and being a Scotsman i know steak and trust me when i say the Best T-Bone I have ever had. Cooked to perfection. The rest of the part enjoyed there food so much we were in competition leting each other taste various meals trying to beat the other. Fantastic staff Fantastic Chef Fantastic Food. Fantastic Value.

The food was very disappointing, I must add it's normally very good.

Great place for lunch. Been there loads of times, great food and friendly staff.cant wait to go back.

Great place for a meal, reasonably priced, and excellent service

Excellent service and the 20oz T Bone is very tasty. Make sure you order a medium rare one.

Just eaten at wooden fender ordered pork belly which I will say was lovely, but the dauphine potatoes which had pepper in I don’t like pepper and I’m sure there are a few people that don’t dissapointed

Awesome lovely place, food lovely and plenty of it, staff wonderful 👍😊

An amazing pub and restaurant. Service was fast even with a packed restaurant. Our waiter was very friendly. Not budget dining but in terms of food quality you definitely get what you paid for. I had the 20oz tbone steak and it was a good quality bit of meat with no gristle and cooked to perfection.

We popped in recently on a Wednesday. We weren't expecting it to be rammed! Amazing service, relaxed and friendly, run by people who are obviously passionate about what they do. Food was very good indeed. We had the Belly Pork Bites and Prawn Pil Pil to start, followed by Venison Steak and the Pork Belly main. We followed up with Eton Mess and Lemon Tart. They were all nicely presented but the taste was truly superb, off the charts. (The beetroot paired with venison worked so well) . We will definitely be back.

Well we went there to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary. And left very dissatisfied. The starter was lovely. The main course Lamb very tuff all grisel and fat left on .Broccoli hard not cooked roast potatoes soft .carrots lovely. And it came covered in gravy .I don't like gravy and thought gravy would have come in a boat .won't be going there again ..

Disappointed. Booked for a family meal, two options not available which I can understand as late table however more disappointed with the service. Long wait for the meal, no check if the meal was satisfactory after served, no service to offer additional drink an after the initial order. I had to go to the bar to order. A disappointing visit overall, just not attention from staff

Fantastic pub, lovely atmosphere, friendly hard working staff and gorgeous food (and drink)! It has it all 🌟

amazing pub! lovely waitresses, food came out quickly & it tasted spectacular!! steaks were cooked to perfection & everything was very flavorful, with generous portions. they even sang me happy birthday and put a candle in my treacle tart. a wonderful experience for sure!! 💞

Gorgeous food and service were great. It's a lovely pub and great for kids

We are reasonably regular here, so chose the venue to celebrate my partners birthday, they assisted me in arranging a couple of surprises for her, including a very classy(Tesco’s 😂) banner which she found very impressive! As usual the service was friendly and spot on, whilst the food was top notch as always!

Food is spot on, really fast great service.

Another excellent roast on Sunday, great food, great service and extremely busy with band playing in back garden. Our favourite place

So this was my first visit to the restaurant and bar the food is absolutely amazing but my only problem I had was that they don’t really listen when you order my son ordered no mayonnaise no salad or anything in his food and come with it when we complained, they promptly collected it and dropped it all over his trousers. yes they did take that off the bill but trousers are now in the trash. Has they could not get the stains out or even tried the dry cleaners? So would I return food wise? Yes but it’s a big fat no for me

Wonderful place. Lovely garden, safe for kids but not overrun but little Herbert’s. fantastic service. Amazing food. Just a little pricey but we still go so it’s not that much of a deterrent!

Came here on a lovely sunny afternoon for a roast and it did not disappoint, lovely garden to eat food in, the portions were great and staff were lovely and helpful. Would definitely recommend

It was really great there. Very friendly service and one of the best burgers I've ever eaten. Absolutely recommended.

Always great service, will try and accommodate even when they're really busy. Jim should get a pay rise. I promise he didn't ask me to say that Richard.

The food was fantastic, the staff were so good with the children in our group, I would highly recommend this place

Great place. Food is always amazing and the staff are very friendly and accommodating. Genuinely couldn't recommend the Wooden Fender more.

It was lovely. As it was my 60th birthday. The food was amazing. The service too. I would highly recommend going there. Thank you for making my day so special.

1st time being here, definitely worthing taking a vist. Was top quality food great portions sizes. Sunday roast was on the best i have had out in a long time. Nothing was too much for the staff.

First off the staff were fantastic, professional and polite, the pub is pleasant to the eye and we enjoyed our food but this is where I have difficulty in quality of the food. Looking at all the reviews and photos we decided to drive a long way to visit the pub because of the home cooked food and 5 star quality. When we arrived the first thing we see was the Brake Brothers lorry unloading who also supply our local village pub! So in the pub looking at the menu decided on the “local raised and butchered “ steak and other items, I know meat and can tell that my steak wasn’t hand butchered and certainly not hung, a bit like supermarket meat, it was cooked perfectly but it did not cut like butter & totally flavorless. the other thing that annoyed me was when the plate arrived it had “the steak” a pot for chips(frozen), a pot for mushrooms and a pot for the sauce, there is no elegance in pulling pots out the microwave throwing them on a plate. A ploughmans lunch came out and fresh assorted salad it was a bit of limp brown lettuce, 3 like plastic takeaway pots of coleslaw, butter & pickle a tiny bit of cheddar cheese, but the rest was OK. A plate of baby ribs came out like it had just come out a packet then loaded with a not very nice over powering BBQ sauce. The Hunters chicken was probably the best meal that came out but again like all processed Brake Brothers food. Now, the food is edible but when advertised as 5 star and charging £28 for a steak and £17+ for Ploughmans and another £24 for the ribs, well I was slightly disappointed I could have save £40 on fuel and had the same meal in our local pub. We would have had way more food and drink if the prices were realistic to match the food. Still a very nice place just don’t be fooled for high end food.

Just been again to wooden fender this is by far the best place to eat anywhere ,great service , great food in every way it is perfect cant recommend enough so beautiful

Simply wonderful! Sunday roast is a joy, service is impeccable and a really happy family buzz to the place. Richard is clearly a charismatic manager with staff who engage fully with beaming smiles and swift service. Dan in the kitchen is a master. His prawns pil pil are as good as I have eaten anywhere. His roast dinner was gargantuan and cooked with skill and variety. I have a big appetite but had to take home the left overs in a box (tomorrow’s breakfast). And a shout out to the wine list - excellent value for a really good selection of excellent wines. If I could buy shares in this fine establishment, I would!

Today was our second visit within a week There’s not too much I can say really the food is excellent and the staff don’t keep you waiting long The staff all work really hard always have smiles on their faces and nothing is too much trouble, excellent!

Very nice food, definitely restaurant quality not just some pub. Great beer and very good garden. It's great you can bring your pets with you. I highly recommend to anyone, especially their burgers 👍🏻

Fabulous food, good for celiacs, highly recommend!!

Lovely place to spend time with friends. I had one of the best burgers here and will definitely be back for more. The staff was friendly and attentive. The combination of great food, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere makes this place a must-visit.

Foods delicious!! Staff are lovely… and they welcome dogs!! So happy we live so close! Will absolutely be back! X

Excellent gluten free food and amazing gluten free food menu. Great service, and dog friendly. Lots of gin. What more can you ask for!

Beautiful food. Amazing service with a smile@

Super pub and lovely grub! Lovely garden too with childrens area.

Absolutely excellent service from all the staff. Food was lovely. Only one thing was desserts are very expensive for what you get more like a child's portion. Two mouthfuls and it's gone. We all made the same comment when they arrived so slightly disappointed there. We will go back but won't be ordering the desserts.

Best Sunday lunch we have had in a long time so top marks for the Wooden Fender.

The decoration in the restaurant is simple and elegant, but the environment is noisy probably because of the busy business.

We had a table for 9 on a busy Sunday. We all ordered different things and the service was brilliant Very friendly waiting staff. The food was wonderful and decent sized portions.

We were a party of 13 including 1 coeliac lunchtime yesterday. Our meals were all correctly served, food was delicious, reasonably priced and staff were extremely pleasant and attentive. The gluten free menu is excellent and we were reassured that the food is prepared seperate and safely🙂 Thank you to all staff

Roast dinners were superb, service was fantastic, felt very welcoming and we weren't rushed out. There were also more specials on the day which was great. Will definitely come back.

Delicious food. The mixed grill in the photo was more than enough for 2 people! Fast service and lots of young staff who did a very nice and good job. Hats off.

Specials menu fish options are excellent. Choice of real ale was very good. I had the skate and it was fresh and cooked to perfection. Service was excellent. All staff were friendly. Like the other comments, other pub restaurants should take note. Also child friendly with a playground and large grass area which backs onto a field so uninterrupted afternoon sun.

Booked the day before. Very accommodating and fitted us in at 5pm before there next sittings. Food was great as always....! Been going to the wooden fender for the last 20 years + Don't really need to leave a review as they have nailed it down to a T Well done Rich 👏 and the team

My wife ordered the crab, sadly the salad was brown on the edges, after 2 attempts they finally got it fresh, but by that time the experience had gone, to their credit they did apologise and removed her meal from the bill

Another wonderful meal at our favourite restaurant in the area Delicious dishes, friendly service and beautiful building

Served a beautiful tasty Sunday lunch and has a great team of friendly waiters and waitresses who rectified a slight error promptly.

I absolutely love ❤️ the Wooden Fender! Amazing delicious food, all home cooked. Wonderful team of waiting staff. All friendly, helpful, and polite, very hard working. Give a great service and enhance the dining 🍽 experience at the venue. Lovely large outdoor garden overlooking the countryside, live band entertainment outside in the sunshine. ☀️ Visited today with my family and friends for my husband's 65th birthday 🎂 had a lovely time. I highly recommend 👌 the Wooden Fender.

First time at this gastro pub, and well worth the visit. As a group of 4 friends we chose from the standard and specials menu. The choice was extensive for both. The decor and ambiance was warm and comfortable, the servers excellent, all well dressed, polite and very friendly. The food was great, we had two courses each and spent £ 37 including a 10% tip. However we didn't have any alcoholic drinks, so that would make a difference. I will go back, with family and friends, as this place is well worth a visit.

We enjoyed a great Sunday lunch, despite it being extremely busy service was outstanding. It was also good to see that they have a live band playing in the garden on Sunday’s We will return as this is our favourite alongside their sister pub, the Court House

One word Wow Absolutely loved everything this pub restaurant had to offer.

Wished I could give this place more stars, fantastic service that a lot of other restaurants should learn from!

Lovely place with an extensive menu. Great to see locally sourced seafood on the specials menu. Everything we ordered was delicious and served in abundance. I can't fault anything and highly recommend a visit.

Such a lovely place to go, staff are very friendly and helpful and the food is incredible

Wooden Fender is the place to go for the best attentive service. We hadn’t got a table to a fully booked service and Richard went above and beyond to find a table for us. We went to the sister pub The courthouse last week and was blown away with the same service and quality of food. Big thumbs up to both and will return again

Relaxing atmosphere, welcoming friendly staff, amazing food 😋

Good choice of menu, well presented food and extremely delicious. Staff polite and attentive. Thoroughly enjoyed, definitely return

Great food ,great place , great people

Ages since we've been here but were here recently for a friend's special birthday. Looking at the website menu, there didn't appear to be much choice but when we arrived there was also an extensive specials board, which made all the difference. I had a goat curry, long slow cooked and just the right level of spicy hotness and the wife had skate wing. Staff did so well catering for about 20 of us and we all had a lovely evening.

Amazing food; the Passionfruit & Mango Delice was outstanding, and I am not a dessert person usually! The staff were so friendly and I was thoroughly impressed.

The best burger we’ve ever eaten! We cannot speak highly enough of the staff, every single one of them go above and beyond, by far the friendliest staff anywhere other than the courthouse. Delicious and perfect value for money.

Wonderful food, friendly staff all at a reasonable price.

Very nice food, 👌, good serving, all very good. Clean and fast service.

We went there for a large family celebration. The staff were very friendly helpful and efficient. The food was delicious and there was both gluten free and vegan options, so something for all dietary requirements.

Been here a couple of times. Will defnetley be going again food is great lovely hot food on hot plates just a great restaurant

Best meal we have had out for ages perfect in every way

Had Mersea Hot Seafood Special dish, it was to die for. Party enjoyed all their meals. Staff were friendly and professional. Plenty of parking spaces.

Sorry no photos we were hungry ! Thankyou for a great lunch today everyone throughly enjoyed it , great selection a great friendly service and amazing food. Great value for money too.

First time visit. A member of our party is vegan so we were looking specifically for somewhere that has good vegan options and this is where we chose. We were not disappointed! The menu online looked good and then there was a long list of specials when we arrived too. The staff were friendly from the moment we arrived and knowledgeable about the menu, which had just changed from winter to summer. Also really easily accessible by bus from Colchester for one of our group too! We would definitely come again and all four of us said we will be bringing friends and family back here. Thank you for a lovely evening

Excellent food medium price great service.

Had the duck, it was delightful and we were still talking about it the following day. The staff from the barman who welcomed us to the waiting staff we met, were exceptionally friendly and polite. It was 5 star on every front, I just wish that I lived closer, so I could visit more often.

Great place for meat and desserts, not tried the veggie or gluten free yet. A little on the more expensive side in cost but well worth it.

We had a table of 20 booked today, everyone’s meals were brought out within minutes of each other, piping hot. Every single person enjoyed their meals, the food and service was impeccable. Thank you to all the staff for such a great day.

Excellent venue. Staff were lovely, service was quick, despite there being more than 20 in our party. Food was delicious. Definitely recommend a visit.

5 star service, food is excellent ,freshly cooked and extremely tasty

Had a lovely mela here. Excellent variety on the menu. Good selection of drinks.

First time eating here and it was incredible. They had an amazing amount to choose from and being vegetarian that makes a wonderful change. It tasted as good as it sounded and was great value for money. The service was exceptional with a really relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. We are planning going again real soon.

Probably one of the best Sunday roasts I have had and definitely the best locally. Went for the beef and turkey option. It came with plenty of veg, a great Yorkshire pudding, pigs in blankets and amazing roast potatoes. The cherry Bakewell and warm custard was amazing too. In all, Worthy of 6 stars if I could.

Wonderful experience. Warm and friendly with a full tum of excellent hot food.