Three Wise Monkeys in Colchester

Great service, Great food and amazing server Vasi can’t wait to come back again next time Had a brilliant birthday bottomless brunch

We had a great time with lovely food, great local brewed ales and personal cocktails. Special thanks to Vasi who looked after us very well.

Vadi was fantastic. Such an attentive service and a friendly persona. Would definitely come back again. Made out visit.

Vasi and Ana were really nice and friendly, let alone the fact that they tolerated our loud Greek visitors! Really awesome staff! Cheers!

I ordered a brisket sandwich, and the sandwich I received did have brisket in it--dense, dry, flavorless meat. I don't know what Three Wise Monkees thinks "low and slow smoking" is, but this isn't it. They covered it with piles of overcooked peppers, onions, and liquid cheese, turning it into a cheesesteak sandwich, which is not what I ordered (and got charged extra for). I asked the waiter about this difference, but got no help. That and a cider for 17 pounds--plus the money I then had to spend for the lunch I actually ate elsewhere. From my experience, this restaurant is living off of its location, not its food service.

We booked in for the bottomless BBQ advertised as all you can eat mouth-watering meats smoked in-house. The rules are simple, flip your table card to green, and the bottomless meat begins. When you need a break or have had your fill, switch to red to pause or stop. We never got the chance to switch to a red card ! We were a party of 4 people, celerbrating a birthday and after a long wait we finally began our feast, or not!!! When the meat came out we were served with 8 chicken wings fried! follwed by 4 dried out sausages, 4 greasy chicken thighs, we asked about the brisket and we were given 2 thin slices each of a rubbery dark meat streaked with a water horse raddish liquid! and that was followed by a forkfull of dried pulled pork! At which point just 35 minutes into our bootomless BBQ we were told that that was the end of our meat selection, would we like some more sides? No thanks!! The sides were cold fries, cold beans, cold onion rings, cold bits of sweet corn, cold congealed pasta with plastic cheese dumped on top and they ran out of coleslaw!! For £28.00 per head it was one of the worst meals we have ever eaten!! We should have got up and walked away, when we arrived to an empty resturant apart from a few customers who steered clear of the BBQ and ate burgers with fries, oh and a bowl of coleslaw??!! The chap who served us was the only pleasant experience. My wife and daughter suffered all night visits to the loo!!!! Absolute farse, do not waste your money, have a BBQ at home instead!! Disgusting experience!

A chilled real ale/ beer place with a micro brewery and grub that complements the brilliant beer list. Nice, easy going crowd that adds to a nice buzz.

Unfortunately quite a dirty place. Loads of chips and other food remains laying on the floors everywhere.

Ordered the mega monkey combo. When it arrived was disappointed in its presentation but thought as long as the food was mice it didn’t matter. However, food was cold and chicken and pulled pork was well and truly overcooked and chewy. Very disappointed as it sounded amazing. Probably just been sitting around as it came out very quickly so wasn’t cooked from fresh. Will not be in a hurry to return.

My daughter suggested we visit the Tap Room but we landed in the bar. It was busy but we were able to get a seat. Beer range was very good but they do swap them between the bar and Tap Room so wasn’t able to try one of their beers I was looking forward to trying. That said, the beers we did try were excellent. I did also try a local gin (Moatwood - also very good) but was a little disappointed by the number of flavoured spirits and would have preferred to see more unflavoured local varieties. It does have a younger vibe but if you are that little bit older you will be made to feel welcome but just accept that on a Saturday night it will be loud. Definitely worth a visit to try their brews.

Excellent top floor venue. Great bar and atmosphere. The Bluetones were superb again, and great support from Wilswood Buoys. 🍻

Beautiful brewery. Amazing prices! Good music good food overall highly advice visiting

I feel dissapointed with the female staff, i had drinks with my husband, before we left my husband went to the rest room, a female staff came and asked , did i finished, yes i said, could you move to another seat because there are some customers Come , yes i said, can i wait untill my husband back, she said, No ! Owh that was so rude. She doesnt want me to move exactly, she wanted me to go out from there. Honestly, your male staffs are very fine and polite, because they serviced us very well but for female, you really need to evaluate.

Wry busy and popular spot, decent selection of beers and food

Great place with great ambiance, good service and location, while the food is good it could be better, the burger was good but the Mac n cheese and the fries were a little bland.

Always a nice friendly atmosphere. Lots of choice of beer and a wolle gin bar too. The food is very nice and they put on some really good music on the top floor.

Fantastic experience as always!

Attended NowthatswhatIcalldrag! As expected, it was an outstanding show! If you want to laugh and have a fantastic time, be sure to attend one of their shows! The drinks are a little expensive for what they are but overall a great atmosphere.

I was blown away by how amazing the ABBA bottomless brunch was. We were celebrating our dear friends birthday. The staff could not have been more helpful, especially Vasi 💗,nothing was too much trouble. The food was delicious and the drinks didn't stop.All the guests were the best thing ever. Everyone had a fabulous time. Bring on the next one.!! Well done Three Wise Monkeys

Bottomless brunch, the ceasar salad was absolutely amazing, super yummy. They also had vegetarian & gluten free options. The cocktails were disappointing, unfortunately, too sweet or too bitter, but packed full of booze, so they had the desired effect. Friends enjoyed the beer, gin, and vodka, however. Overall, it was a lovely afternoon, but based on the cocktails, I wouldn't go back.

What a cool place!!! Food was great and the service was good. Definitely one place to work your way through the menu 👍

As just a pub this venue is great. But we decided to pop in for the food. The menu has been desecrated. There used to be interesting good value items like the beef rib, and the portions used to be reasonable. But now we bought a sharing meat platter for 2, it wouldn't have filled one person. It's a shame as it used to be good but just food wise it's gone very downhill in 2025.

We visited threewise monkeys on a Friday and I am sorry to say but we were surprised that the food quality was disappointing and very poor, burned fries , chewy food and not at all the standard for the venue. As usual the customer service, drinks and atmosphere had been lovely but the food really needs reviewing :(

Staff are great for the place their energy goes along way in keeping the place alive.

Just popped in for a pint of real ale while in Colchester town center. I would have liked to see more tables just for 2 people as big tables were only occupied by either 1 or 2 people . The ale was ok but nothing to write home about, for me. Also one and a half pints for nearly £8 , oh well . The pub itself is clean and tidy with friendly staff.

Came for the lunch menu and was not disappointed. £10 for sandwich and chips (£2 supplement for steak sandwich). Was not disappointed! Very tasty and very filling. Lovely venue and have seen many shows here. Will be back again soon!

Lovely place, good location, great music and nice drinks. Vasi was our bartender and he has been super friendly and helpful.

Went on a Monday not the best day we're told. Most of the pump ail is on changeover hence the 3 stars. Probably brilliant on the weekend.

Been here many times before with my friends and absolutely love the atmosphere and hospitality. In particular, Vasi was a great host, being careful with all of our preferences and recommending us drinks for our tastes whilst being very friendly and funny in a respectful way. I felt so comfortable and enjoyed my time, and always go back when I get the chance! If you get the chance to go here you will definitely love it, I’m sure of it!! Especially if you’re so lucky as to get Vasi working. Amazing service, great place.

Really lovely atmosphere, polite staff, food was lush although the kids chicken burgers where very spicy and a little longer than usual wait for food but it was a Saturday night so maybe that contributed to the wait? 😁

Live band was brilliant & venue was packed yet staff managed to keep on top of it all. So many steps to the top floor, keep me fit! Would certainly go again - for any reason.

Not good for coffee- very weak and tasteless. Great GF beers and amazing food

Lovely decor and atmosphere. The food was prompt and the service was very polite and professional. Bit pricey tho Really recommend!

Food was ok.. dirty fries were a lil disappointing but the chicken straps were really good. Service was amazing.

Busy but pleasant bar with a good selection of craft beers. Very busy on weekends. Good menu as well. Very pleasant and obliging staff

Brilliant bottomless brunch. Good was delicious and not too much. The team; Kesey, Ella, kanishk, were brilliant. Amazing cocktails and they were a brilliant team that helped make it a memorable brunch. Couldn't recommend this more 👌

Long wait times and awful food. The chips are the only good thing.

Went here for pre-drinks so didn't get food, was very busy so a bit of a wait at the bar and the atmosphere was just a normal pub atmosphere.

As a music venue, this place is brilliant. They put gigs on for all types of music and battle of the bands for the youngsters which goes down a storm. More venues need to do more for the under 18s talent.

Great beer, good food and fab bar staff.

The bottomless bbq is just amazing

Meat was nice but chips very disappointing. Extremely crunchy to point of being unpleasant. Normally in a pub you'd expect a member of staff to check and ask how the food is during the meal. No one bothered despite being a quiet night in January. Also no staff bothered to clear table meaning we had to do so ourselves. If it was busy it's understandable but not busy. Seems young staff were more interested in cleaning area behind bar and chatting than checking on customers. ***That's very kind of you and we'd love to take you up on your kind offer as we've always enjoyed a drink with yourselves. How do we take you up on the offer? ***

Bit of a shame. Food below par. Normally people check if food okay. Not tonight. Cleared own table. Actually wrote a note. Burger fine. Chips hard. Clearly don't care about quality of food. Shame as I remember when it opened in 2014. Please start caring again.

Good food and staff are so welcoming

Great food and service won’t go away hungry definitely a belt unbuckler job at the end - thank you to Kesey , Josh and Ella!

Great food and service would love to come back again and recommend three to anyone that’s making the trip for a night out a good food

The chap who helped us downstairs was incredible. Very friendly and helpful! I was suprised at how professional his service was. He made the whole event a pleasure and we will likely hire the space again in the future. It was especially good that the deposit for the area went towards the food, this element will likely make us book it again!Only gripe would be that the platters we ordered were a bit too heavy on the meat side of things for girls at a baby shower. It would be great if there was more of a finger food platter availible. Perhaps this was my fault for quickly ordering the biggest platter. But overall great!

Lovely little place to eat in town

Friend and myself went for Christmas lunch on the 18th December. The food was undercooked. All the veg was rock hard and I left most of the meal. Which is a shame as I was looking forward to it. The whole meal looked unappetising with food piled on top of other food. I think the chefs are more used to serving fast food. It wasn’t a good idea to do Christmas lunches. Especially at £30 a pop. I should have complained at the time and now wish I had, but friend didn’t want to make a fuss.

Myself and a friend had a Christmas lunch on the 18th December in Colchester branch. Unfortunately, the food was undercooked. The roast potatoes were hard, likewise the carrots and sprouts also. The whole plate looked a mess with food dumped on top of other food. The chef is obviously more used to rustling up fast food, eg, burgers etc. Whoever thought it was a good idea to do Christmas dinners? And at £30 a pop, not good value for money. Will never go there again. And of course, I should have complained at the time. Wish I had done now, but friend didn’t want to make a fuss. Rip of!!

Just too expensive at £6.60 a pint of Estrella.....

Rude staff with no Idea how to accommodate customers. I have eaten there before a few times with different staff serving but this night has put me off from eating there ever again, so foolish as there are lot's of place's to eat.

Good food, the BBQ was standout. Friendly service. Kesey was friendly and hospitable. Overall worth a visit for beers and a meal.

We were served by Sophie and Josh. The were very helpful and we felt like we were having our own festive lunch (there was a Christmas lunch party on another table). Excellent service and even better I was able to use my £10 birthday voucher from TWM. Food and service both excellent. We will be back.

Best spot for a locally brewed New England IPA @ other monkeys. With a fantastic point system full of rewards.

Bre! what an absolute jem! Made the best drinks all night - absolutely love!

Good food and pub atmosphere, beers brewed in house! Good event space too.

The food here is insanely good. The service was quick and the atmosphere is lovely with plenty of different beers to try!

Food and service has gone right down hill over the last year. New menu isn't great, staff are miserable, food tastes like it's been sat waiting for them to bring it out. Beers are pretty disappointing too!

The food is average/good but could be so much better with a little bit of imagination and thought. Service was great from one staff member in particular (called Lily?). The pub part of this place is the best in town. Drinks are always prepared and served professionally.

Don’t try and book an event with TWM Colchester. After a week of chasing/ emailing with lots of failed promises of a response to my email I eventually had to go elsewhere to book the event. Very poor attitude on the phone and disappointing as we had been really looking forward to it after previous good experiences eating at this venue.

Had a wonderful meal with my mates. The beef brisket was divine, incredible 'dirty' fries, and felt like good value for what you get. Apologies to Kanesh who served us. It was up to me to leave a tip and i didn't. You did a great job! I called today to try to pay it over phone but wasn't possible. Sorry.

Went for the Thanksgiving dinner as advertised on Facebook. It was nothing at all as shown. After45 minutes we had cold turkey leg that you couldn’t cut, cold corn and runny Mac and cheese. After another 15 minutes (an hour in total) we got chicken thighs, fries as hard as a rock and cold! The bar manager was awesome! Took care of us. I am American and was so disappointed! Last year and the photo on Facebook was a whole different experience!

Cannot rate food yet as only had excellent lagers Munchner Hell the most popular lager in Bavaria apparently, brewed by Paulaner @ 4.9abv, Deutcher Bier with a perfect balance of flavours, well worth the trip from ooop north in Yorkshire. Now on a pint of Helles Foresake Future Days which is brewed in house in their own micro brewery and that's lovely too. Really friendly staff too.

Food is OK, not great & not bad if that's what you like, provided you like salt with chips on! The waiting staff & the service is abysmal, waited 35 minutes to be given a menu, 40 minutes to be served drinks & 50 minutes to have our food order taken & then to be told that we would have to wait another 40 minutes for it to come out of the kitchen. Clearly standards have dropped here & is probably why it is now getting a poor reputation, won't be going back anytime soon.

I personally don't like their food menu but the beer and atmosphere is great. I love to go there and enjoy with my family. Bathrooms are super clean always.

The best pub in town. 3 areas: one with louder music and some chances to dance and a proper brewery on two levels. Plenty of locally brewed beers available in 3 sizes, friendly stuff and a variety of customers from youngsters to more mature.

Nice beer tasting of your ownership choice

Lovely food, great and friendly service. Also with great music while eating

A superb pub in the heart of the city. A superb selection of real ales and I must say in tip top condition. The barmaid who served me was so pleasant and friendly. Certainly a must when I am in Colchester.

To be fair, it was a busy Friday night, but this shouldn't really affect the service so much. Our waiter was lovely but clearly had too much to do. I ordered salmon which they didn't have. The chicken wings seemed expensive at £11 with no accompaniments but I asked if it was a big portion and was told they were substantial. I ordered a side of slaw and sweet potato fries costing £6 in total. When our food eventually came my potion was small and very overcooked. The chips and slaw were ok and nice portion sizes compared to the chicken. My friend had the falafel burger which was a good size portion £12 including the slaw and fries that I had to pay extra for - not really very consistent. In addition to this I had direct view into the kitchen from where I sat and on one occasion saw one of the servers pipe something onto a plate wipe the nozzle with his finger and then lick his finger - only to continue piping - not very hygenic.

Fabulous beers, lively atmosphere, really enjoyed the mixed bbq

Had a good night out with friends

Loved this place. Unpretentious and great local beer. The Vienna was 👌🏻

Good selection of beers on tap (and the taphouse next door has even more). Food is great

Brisket was dry as sand, like it had been left out for 3 days. Mac and cheese and the beers were banging though so can't moan too much. Don't order the brisket.

A good place with a nice vibe and very good selections of drinks however very expensive

Had a visit at lunchtime today for the Bottomless BBQ with my 13 year old Grandson. I literally can't find anything to find fault with. Started with a great selection of Sides followed by plate after plate of various meats, Spiced Lamb, Pulled Pork, Sliced Brisket, chicken, large sausage (beautiful) , duck, ribs.....would have been more but we literally couldn't eat anymore and turned down the desserts. The food was all very different with great spices, sauce and smoke. And all for a great price. The staff were all very helpful, friendly and chatty. Will 100% be returning. Thank you TWM.

Nice bar, bit trendy slightly older clientele, i.e. 25+ which is nice. Too many different beers on tap, just do fewer good beers as it can be very hit and miss if you aren't expert.

The service was brilliant, bar made Ana made some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had and was very friendly

Me an my partner came once and it hasn't stopped being our favourite place to eat...the bottomless bbq is out of this world..service was out standing and couldn't do enough for us...beers are great to..special thanks to remy ,josh an rash for a great experience..see you soon guys x

Excellent food and service! Pleasant atmosphere 🥰

Nice Pub in Colchester, 3 floor, music, food and good beer

We happened across this gem after spending time at the Colchester Castle museum. My wife and I fancied a bite to eat, a drink and a rest. First thing I noticed were the hand pumps and the beer list on the wall and I knew this was somewhere I was going to like. It has a spacious and nicely designed modern interior with a mixture of comfort and utility. The decor is lively but not distracting. The staff were really pleasant and helpful, even letting us taste the beers before purchase. The icing on the cake was that they were an outlet for the micro brewery next door and the beers were excellent. We purchased some light bites and settled in to soft leather chairs to eat, drink and watch the world go by for a while. The food was nice enough but the atmosphere and the beer is what made us return during our stay. One of my favourite Colchester spots

Nice bar - we visited during the day and was steady only down side is the smell of the beer being brewed BUT a lot of people would like it - I just didint

I enjoyed the food! I had the duck confit appetizer and the pulled pork sandwich. Both were good! But the service was poor. Especially with drinks. Had to ask twice for water. The server never asked if I wanted a second cocktail after mine was gone. I finally flagged her down to ask for something, waited 10 minutes, she better brought it so I paid and left. It wasn’t even particularly busy, she just seemed like she didn’t care about serving.

We had the bottomless BBQ which was really great value; all the food was top notch and we couldn't fault it 🙌 Our server Casper was incredibly helpful and polite too which made the meal even better and is a big part in why we'll return! Loved it.

7pm on a Saturday and it was rammed. Most staff were great, helpful and friendly. One female team member certainly wanted to be elsewhere. Customers were a nuisance for her. Vomit on the pavement outside one of the two main doors! And only 7pm!

Not a good meal. The drinks turned up after the food, and that was only because we asked about them. The brisket was drier than a nuns clung, and the mac n cheese was almost as cold as the reception from the staff.

All staff was amazing , food was great and the cocktails taste brilliant and the waiter Casper was so lovely during are vist !

Caspar was fab such a credit to your team! Great service as always and for my first time eating here the food was amazing will definitely be back!!

Fantastic service, great food and excellent selection of beers and ciders. Have to thank our two servers Sophie and Dora as they were excellent. B ottomless BBQ was awesome; beef cheek, oulled pork, hoi sin duck I think we made it through six meat dishes before we called time! Definitely going back. Had a cracking afternoon with friends celebrating a birthday.

Food really tasty and a great atmosphere. Was lively when we attended on a Sunday lunch time.

Staff are great, fast and efficient at their job, work incredibly well under pressure of a busy bar, only issue I had was the sheer state of the toilets. Vomit all over one of the cubicles, lack of toilet roll, people had obviously been standing on the toilet lids as well? Recommend the bar but also recommend they do toilet checks to make sure this isn't an ongoing issue for others.

Fantastic food Proper service And proper ales

We managed to get a table on a Friday night and had the TWM combo for 2 and it was delicious . Very tasty and just enough for the 2 of us. Wish we could have ordered some of the fried onions or a few extras but the options were limited. Well presented, slow arriving but delicious and worth the visit .

Great place on multilevels , concert roo. At the top up five flights if stairs but good when you get up there friendly staff excellent food at fair prices recommended

Really nice experience, the Bartender was really good recommending beers just taking our taste into account.

Lovely food, the falafel burger was lovely, especially considering the amount of meat the veggie option was up against. And great service from Kesey and Lily, thank you team 🙏🏻

Great food and great friendly service from Kesey and Lily. Nice to have a friendly face and be able to chat and have the menu explained etc. Had a really nice time highly recommend!