Yew Tree in Colchester

The staff were attentive and friendly. Emma and Zara looked after us. Food was lovely and there was a good choice. Overall a nice experience.

Excellent food and excellent service from all of the staff.

Xmas day 1st time without mum big change staff was welcoming. Food was lovely and fresh no rush atmosphere was lovely - (:

Very nice food and elegant atmosphere...we had our NY lunch...it was excellent

It is a tradition for our family to enjoy our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. As our children are now grown, we decided to eat at a restaurant this year and choose the Yew tree. We pre-booked a from the Christmas festive menu for eight of us a month before Christmas, following a meal we had there for my daughter’s 21st in November which was very nice. We had been asked to choose from the menu weeks in advance which we did. The restaurant was not busy when we arrived, approximately four or five tables were seated. We were promptly served our starter. Four of us had ordered beef wellington which was disappointing. The pastry was pale and soft, similar to a suet pudding with a very small amount of soft shredded ‘beef’ inside. It was not sliced as you might expect it to be with a beef Wellington, but more like an individual small steamed pudding turned upside down on the plate. These were all luke warm and served with a carrot and a quarter of uncooked raw cold tomato. When the main course arrived, three of the eight plates had no turkey on. The others did but it was cold, watery and clearly processed. The portions were all different. For instance my daughter had one very small slice and I had three. The roast potatoes were pale in colour and round. They had clearly not been cut to roast. On starting our meal my son handed me a roast potato which was frozen! We all started to check our own potatoes to find them at different degrees of cold. The warmest, were at best, room temperature. We cut one open to find the inside, colder, powdery and dry. We alerted the waiting staff to this who apologised and said they would bring out more potatoes and bring turkey for the three missing plates. A few moments later a small bowl of potatoes were bought to us. When we shared them out and cut them they were hot but still pale and powdery and clearly reheated from frozen. We had to ask for a large plate to remove the original frozen potatoes from our plates. By this time we had asked to speak to the manager who asked what she could do to make it right so we asked for hot food and she offered us a round of drinks free of charge. On tasting the turkey we all found it to be awful. It tasted old and had a strange smell. After asking staff to bring the missing pigs in blankets they did arrive but the bacon was pale, wet and barely cooked (like warm) and the sausage was pink in the middle. At no point had we been offered condiments such as cranberry sauce or bread sauce. At this point we were completely put off as not one person in our group felt we could eat the meal in front of us as it was utterly appalling. Finally after speaking to the manager again she agreed that we should not have to pay for our uneaten meal and gave us a full refund (clearly we didn’t stay for desert and left our full plates on the table while we finished our drinks and left). Our Christmas dinner experience ruined for this year. After reading pre Christmas reviews, the Yew tree seems to have gone down hill. I hope it will return to its previous standard, however we will not be returning.

Our sharing starter was amazing.We both ordered the trio of fish from the specials menu, sadly we both had to send this back as the fish and the potato’s were stone cold. We were then served the same pieces of fish we sent back, heated up but then rubbery and very dry,and in small pieces.very disappointing as this was a special occasion. Potato's were not hassleback as stated on the menu.

Food, waitresses and atmosphere was fab tonight! The quality of food is amazing especially as its so resonably priced. 3 of us had starters and mains with 2 drinks each, came to around £35 per head. Lovely place, will definitely be back. Thank you for a great meal!

We enjoyed a breakfast with Santa at the Yew Tree. I must say, this was an amazing experience with my 8 year old daughter. She was totally mesmerised with the big man himself. He was very jolly and had me in stitches too. The breakfast was great and the whole experience was so enjoyable. I definitely recommend and will go again.

We went for lunch on the 28th December and it was very good. Food and drink was excellent, my only comment would be a little longer wait for the starters after ordering than I would have liked, however it didn’t affect our enjoyment of the meal.

Lovely food and very attentative staff. A special family meal for 10 of us, that we had to have early at midday. Damian and his team were so helpful. Thank you.

Popped here for breakfast. The service from Damian was excellent. Great choice, value for money, and speedy. Will definitely be stopping by again.

Damian was fab and very polite and helpful. The chicken was amazing. Great atmosphere will definitely come again!

We visit regularly and the food is always missing items. Very poorly stocked kitchen. And the team don’t communicate this effectively to customers. Today’s food came out just about warm. I’m not really sure why we visit so regularly any more!! Bar manager is happy to pet dogs but not so keen to speak to humans

Nice restaurant; quiet and pleasant. Friendly service. Wide choice of dishes. Food was delicious. We had time to spend until embarkation at Harwich. Great place to relax after traveling and enjoy Good Old England before the crossing.

Cracking little pub with great food and decor.

We have eaten here many times and always have come away very impressed. Sadly are visit to day ended in disappointment. I ordered the roast pork with crackling and My wife had the veggie roast. When it arrived the waiter said if you were wondering why there is no crackling it’s because we have run out . If I was made aware of this I certainly wouldn’t have ordered it as that was my reason for ordering. My wife had stuffing missing that was brought out after asking and when I questioned why I had not been notified items were unavailable on my choice of meal I simply got the response ( I will mention it to the kitchen) . Sadly this has now spoiled what was are favourite go too pub.

Food was outstanding apart from the fries were pre-salted way too much. Staff very friendly.

The food was delicious and our serving team of Emma, Pip and Zara were friendly, efficient and attentive. A great birthday lunch experience for us all.

Had this for breakfast and don't know If it's different for lunch/dinner but very quiet quaint place, had the pancakes and went with my dad who had the english breakfast and they were both fabulous and very filling. Would definitely come back.

Great little pub with lovely staff and neighbourhood cat :) The food was delicious and would definitely visit again.

Lovely place ,excellent food and fantastic staff Always enjoy my stops here

We popped in for a drink on the way home, very cosy. Cute little bar area, would definitely pop back for a drink or two 😊

Excellent food & service by Sally & Sophie

Visited the Yew Tree for lunch with my Auntie, she drove 2 hours and specifically wanted a roast from the Yew Tree. Service was great from Anna and team and Head Chef Joel cooked an amazing roast dinner as always!! Amazing quality for a great price! Best roast around!

Absolutely lovely waitress Emma, quick service, delicious food. Would come back. Been before was put off but decided to try again and is now happy to come again.

Ate the sirloin steak today 09/11/24. Meal cost £70 for two with desert. Not worth that kind of money. Steak was tough and chewy with gristle. Very small portion of chips, pepper corn sauce was watery. Will not be returning

Lovely pub with great food. Emma and Sophie were very friendly and brought out some candles on my dessert as it was my birthday which was a nice touch. Cute cat as well.

Been at Yew Tree so many times and they never disappoint us, service and ambiance and food are amazing. We were served by Sally and Emma.

Had a meal here lastnight with our friends and we are VERY disappointed! There was no-one in the restaurant which is never a good sign. The food was standard but my husbands fish pie was awful. The pie cost £15 and it was the smallest pie I’ve ever seen. There was only 2 or 3 prawns in the pie with no flavour ( very watery ). We never like to complain and didnt want to cause friction but we will not be returning. There was also no-one to say goodbye to us when we left. It was empty!!! Where are the staff???

Staff friendly, nice looking pub, food a let down. £20 for a fish pie that had 2 prawns, a bit of cod and a few crushed new potatoes on top. Steak was cold. We didn't complain but would not be going back. Very expensive for what you get.

Went to the Yew Tree in Great Horkesley, before we even sat down we were pounced on with what drinks we wanted, we had a baby with us so need to get him sorted before anything else, when the starters arrived my squid was very chewy from being overcooked, the Sunday roast's we ordered were lukewarm at best, my daughter-in-law ordered a Barber's Cheddar & Bacon burger that was a Char Grilled Chicken Burger, when we said to the totally inept waitress of this she apologised and changed my dinner for a hot one (my son was to hungry to be bothered to change his) 2nd burger came out was a signature burger. Was refunded for the burger and they took deserts of the bill, but spoiled what was supposed to be a nice lunch out with having to keep complaining and waiting so not actually eating together, I didn't want my bill reduced, it's not like I couldn't afford to eat there, what I wanted was a nice family experience which by going to this pub was ruined. Would never go back to this pub or recommend it, very sad as it looks a lovely pub, but as they say looks can be deceiving.

My wife and I went to The Yew Tree for a relaxing lunch. We ate from the lunch menu which was in itself a really good portioned meal. The food was excellent and the service from Tina was also excellent. Everything was delivered quickly and with issue. A lovely meal ant a lovely pub with great service. Thank you.

Having done a Google search for a pub for our trip to Essex back to Norfolk the reviews I'd read for the Yew Tree all seemed excellent. We weren't sure of our arrival time but this was not a problem as I booked us in online which was great. We had a warm welcome and shown to our table, drinks arrived quickly and our food order taken. We both had garlic bread with cheese to start which was delicious followed by Steak sandwich which comes with chips and salad again this was all cooked to perfection and we throughly enjoyed our food. I'm so glad I found this gem of a pub, thank you to all the staff and chef's for a lovely afternoon lunch. Will we be back : )

Incredible service and great food from these guys tonight, a special thank you to Tina, Sophie and Emma for looking after us. Will definitely be returning.

Amazing looking pub on inside, plenty parking. Staff were friendly and created a nice atmosphere, especially Emma and Sophie. Food wow.....had the game mix cooked perfectly and great portions. Make sure visit

Lovely pub. Glad it's our local. Lovely food and staff. Thank you. 😁

Myself and family came to the Yew Tree on a mid week evening for some dinner to celebrate my graduation. I had to make changes to my reservation at short notice, which was accommodated with no issues. The venue was perfectly clean, charming staff and the food was beautiful. Would highly recommend and will be revisiting.

Lovely food. Hot and well cooked. Friendly staff.

Having booked a table we received a call on the day to say they had limited menu due to equipment problems in the kitchen and could only serve a limited menu and did we want to cancel. Luckily we didn't as we received a very warm welcome and had a delicious lunch of lamb shank pie and honey roasted pork belly. Great food and service.

We had a very nice dinner here today, friendly and polite staff, cosy atmosphere Thank you very much

Really great food. We always love the service and family feeling.

Excellent Sunday lunch. Friendly staff and great service. Apple tart for dessert was outstanding 😀

Awful Sunday dinner. 2 small slices of roast beef, so tough we couldn’t cut it and even struggled with a steak knife. Yorkshire pudding tasted stale. Staff were miserable and couldn’t even raise a smile. Service was awful. Such a shame as used to be a lovely little place

Another lovely visit to the Yew tree today, and although we missed the lovely Tina, we had a great host in Damo and our server Sophie turns out to be Tina's daughter. Great visit and many thanks again.

Very clean and welcoming. Garden outside is beautiful especially in the sunshine. Staff lovely, food was delish. Great menu. We will be back!

Extremely friendly staff . My only complaint is I had 4oz steak in ciabatta and chips , the steak was inedible . I was asked was everything ok when they came and took the plates awary I said no I couldn’t eat the steak . Message will be passed onto the chef . Paid our bill and realised I had been charged for the steak.i didn’t eat any of the steak , and would of liked the steak tekennoff my bill

Just want to highlight what a pleasure it is being served by Damian such a polite and helpful member of staff at the Yew Tree. The food was also amazing and would highly recommend a visit if you've never been before.

Absolutely loved the pub,friendly and professional staff,food was amazing throughly enjoyed mine and so did my family,would recommend the pub to everyone

We were pleasantly surprised to receive a two meals for the price of one voucher from the Yew Tree. This is one of our regular places to eat out as we always enjoy a good meal there. Today was not exception with a mixed grill and a further steak meal being cooked to our liking. Our table service was covered with care and attention by Tina and Damian. Chef Josh should also be mentioned in dispatches as our meals were well prepared and nicely plate presented. The internal decor, and outside gardens are pleasant and relaxing, perfect to enjoy while you are there. Will be there again soon

I was greeted with a smile and excellent service from Damo. The food was brought out quickly and was very enjoyable! Such a lovely place to celebrate a special occasion. Will definitely come back again!!

Got in early so it was nice and quiet. Lovely vegetarian roast, decent service, rustic charm. Very pleasant.

This is the only pub we found open on a bank holiday Monday. Very friendly staff and nice food with comfy seats. Our for was delivered quite quickly and they offer sauces. Super pub. Would highly recommend. Will go again.

Thursday lunchtime -1.30. Friendly, efficient and polite service. Excellent food in a pleasant atmosphere. Couldn't find a fault.

Didn't go so no idea what food or atmosphere is like but judging by the attitude when I called to book for 14 people for my birthday and snotty bint told me they don't do bookings over 8 people. Well now another business will benefit from my money . Your loss !!

My mother and I discovered this gem whilst heading elsewhere and were really glad that we did. The atmosphere was so relaxing and being able to sit outside, surrounded by beautiful flowers and grape vines was lovely. We were served drinks at the bar by Adam and food was brought to us by Tina, who was so attentive and friendly. Both staff members went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. We paid just over £10 per person with drinks. Would definitely go again. Added bonus is it's dog friendly and there is even a doggie station where u can get water, blankets and treats for your pets. There is also a book corner for children and a water fountain with fish. Highly recommend.

Great pub, easy parking fab food reasonably priced, friendly staff, efficient service and great beer garden with fish pond. We come here often.

Food was ok not great rather average what hit me the most was the coat of the beer £6 80 a pint of peroni im happy to pay top reaturant prices for beer and wine when the food is good but even the malborough in dedham doeant charge that much for beer and their food is miles better

Many vegan and veggie options, but these were not particularly well prepared. We also had to pay for each drink separately, instead of putting everything on a tab.

Very pleasant and accommodating staff.

Ordered drinks, took 15 minutes to come, ordered a roast took 20 minutes, batter pudding was so hard when you cut it it flew off the plate, 1 piece of broccoli and no carrots as listed, potatoes were hard and hardly no gravy and it was cold, was asked if we wanted the desert menu but after 15 minutes no menu so we paid and left, very disappointed

Popped in this evening and served by the wonderful Emma. Food cooked by head chef Joel was tasty and wholesome left me feeling full up. Service was amazing by Emma and she's an asset to your team. I will be returning again very soon

I took my parents out for their 55th wedding anniversary and was really looking forward to the vegan options on the menu. Unfortunately the vegan and the non vegan food we had served were awful. I had the mushroom wellington, it was cold and had very little taste. Considering it was a vegan option the vegetables were also poor, 2 small bits of broccoli, a tiny amount of cabbage and 1 carrot! My father had the beef, he struggled to cut through the fat and gristle and this was cold too. My mum had the pork, which apparently wasn't too bad, but this too was cold! Service was very slow, it wasn't that busy either. We complained about the food and was told the chef would be informed, but had no feedback. Very poor, will not be returning

We went out to have lunch order was fish ships twice and was offered scampi and bloomer bread for a little bit extra Fish was burnt both meals scampi was watery inside bread was a normal slice of bread when I asked about the bread was told that’s all we have My wife has been ill with sickness and diearea this cost us £46 + not happy dicusting meal never again Mr D Parkinson

Nice pub, great food and good value. Would go back again.

Had a lovely time- steak was delicious! Nice atmosphere and lovely attentive service! Great little pub and cosy! Thank you Damien and Sally ☺️

We came in, kitchen has just had a new renovation. But we were welcome with Sally and she made us aware straight away that we may have to wait half an hour or so due to the kitchen which we did not mind. Before we knew it the kitchen was was up and running and our meals were before us. Excellent service today from Damon and Sally, very personal which added such a lovely touch to our experience!

Very prompt and friendly. Tasty food and a very good menu - highly recommended. Thank you to Emma for wonderful service!

Great service, friendly staff , fabulous food. Would definitely recommend and will return.

Been here twice while visiting a friend,the food has been wonderful,staff very polite and helpful

It's okay. For a Saturday night, it was quiet, but I found the service was a tad slow. The food was good, red hot, but not enough vegetables. This is normal for most places....it's still a shame. I don't think I'll hurry back.

We’ve eaten at the Yew Tree a few times now and it’s been great every time! Food and service is excellent. We’ve brought different friends and family here too who have all said the same. Will definitely be back again soon!

Party of 3. Advised we were arriving late en route to ferry at Harwich. Table still made available on arrival as even later than expected. Food great, beer great and service great. Thanks.

Good friendly service good food

Been here twice whilst visiting Suffolk. The Sunday roast is fabulous, the desserts were scrumptious, especially the custard slice with vanilla and white chocolate ice cream. Service was excellent. Definitely recommend !!

emma and anna was our waitresses and they were both wonderful and very lovely and the food was beautiful best bit of steak i’ve had in a while and i’ve had a lot of steaks lol

Lovely country pub with friendly staff and great food . Could not find a fault .

Massively improved. Some great staff. Can be busy. used Tesco vouchers. Great doggy bag

Just had a wonderful meal with my husband, with great service from our waitress I believe called Natalie. Food was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. We had the sea bass and steak and ale pie for mains, lots of lovely flavours. Would recommend a visit very soon 😊

Popped in for lunch. We had steak sandwich which was lovely and perfectly cooked The staff where brilliant. Will definitely recommend.

Nice quiet evening with drinks in the garden. Sam and Emma were great

Great food and drink , good value prices Beautiful location

Really nice meal, service was fantastic. We were served by a lovely chap called Damien who was really tentative and great with our little girl nothing was too much trouble. Also served by Nancy who was very friendly and helpful.

Went on the Bank Holiday evening for a birthday meal. The pub is large and lots of lovely old features. A number of items were off the menu which was a shame. All ordering was up at the bar and a number of beers were also unavailable. Food was well presented and nice but seemed to lack vegs or green stuff! Overall, I felt like everyone was exhausted from the weekend (they probably were!). I’ve been previously for a roast on Sunday and it was really good. A bit disappointing but at least I could use my Tesco vouchers!

Had a lovely evening family meal, 3 courses and each dish was excellent. Attentive service from staff on duty, Anna & Emma.

Amazing food, and fantastic service. A really friendly pub that I wish I had come to sooner.

Lovely place for a breakfast with a variety of options to suit different tastes or diets! Always a favourite. Close to Dedham for beautiful walks before or after and with a dog friendly area for those that need it. Always friendly and welcoming. All in all an excellent breakfast served by Damien!

Sadly the lighter lunch menu has diminished so we ordered an over priced toastie and snacks. Cheesy garlic bread £3.50 for one slice cut into 2………really! Additionally the decor is now jaded and we sat next to some scurrying ants up the wall! Not the best experience I’ve had.

Lovely pub, very polite friendly staff, food is really nice will come here again when we are next in the area

Food was great and plentiful and staff were attentive. Disabled entrance is at the side of the building next to several disabled car parking bays. Most tables seem accessible and a member of staff moved a chair out of the way for my wheelchair. The disabled loo is at the end of the restaurant. Some seating positions are in the way but customers moved to let me through

We had booked and pre-ordered as a party of 12, celebrating a birthday. Drinks in the courtyard, then shown to our table. The food came on time, everyone enjoyed it. The service was brilliant, friendly and attentive, so thank you Daisy and Emma C.

Super impressed! Visited lunchtime with my adult children and all meals were superb. We were left very impressed with this pub/restaurant. Each meal was delicious and very attractive to look at. The service and atmosphere was also very good. We had vegetarian burger, steak and steak & ale pie - as-well as desserts. 10/10. Will be returning!

It's been a little while since we visited last. On this visit though it was a really good surprise. The menu has changed for the better in my opinion. Varied and tasty. The service was excellent and very speedy. The food was tasty and well presented. And the little touches with our meal and coffee , great!!!! Best of all were our servers, Damien and especially Tina. We will return.

We had a wonderful meal here with my daughter, son in law and granddaughter. It’s been a while since we have visited but it did not disappoint. We were served by the charming Damian who was very friendly and attentive. He had a lovely way with my granddaughter and had us all laughing! The food was delicious, hot and lots of it. We are looking forward to visiting again soon.

Came here for a last minute breakfast after doing a Google search. I would highly recommend coming here as the food and service was amazing ! Great food choice ! I had the eggs Benedict , everyone else had full breakfast and pancakes and it all looked amazing . We will definitely be coming again .

The food was great, as was the service by Nancy and Damian. There was a good choice of vegetarian dishes. Highly recommended.

Amazing breakfast and friendly staff! Quick service and tasted great :) Would definitely recommend for families or couples

Sarah and the team were very lovely and, the food was delicious - the chocolate fondant was the best! Freya age 11 (All the family loved it!)

I was served by Emma was a wonderful and pleasant experience recommend coming here for any meal any time also they do delightful deserts

What a great place to go for lunch….The meal today was perfect,very tasty.Service perfect as usual……….The pork loin was amazing….

Great lunch as always, excellent service from Damian and Tina, lovely food, nice peaceful atmosphere. We are always looking forward to coming back.