The best restaurants in Colchester East of England

Friendly staff,lovely seafood restaurant we ordered crab,mussels, prawns and oyster,fresh salads.definately worth a visit if your on the island

Surprising find in this pretty Suffolk village. Dedham has all the necessary shops, carefully positioned in original buildings, no garish signage here and The Old Bakery Cafe is no exception. It’s a somewhat spacious and neat enterprise tucked away on a corner with plenty of free parking to be had close by An instant recognition and friendly greeting from the staff, and neatly spaced out tables held menus for breakfast / brunch, lunch and then our eyes were taken by a cabinet of cakes for those there later for tea. There is no shortage of choice at TOBC. We ate two imaginative and well put together brunch dishes of back bacon, halloumi, chilli jam on sourdough toast with a good sprig of salad leaves, beetroot and baby tomatoes which made a substantial and reasonably priced dish. Excellent coffee too The staff, the menu and the presentation suited us down to the ground. You’ve got it bang-on

This is the third time we've visited Moto Pizza and we can't fault it. The gluten free pizza is delicious - you can choose 5 toppings and it's cooked to order right in front of you. All other pizza / garlic bread is brought to the table, with toppings you will never even have heard of like carbonara and bolognaise. There's also a good drinks menu / selection of sides, and a relaxed, vibrant atmosphere. But the highlight of our visit today was the server, Luke. He went above and beyond to make sure we had a lovely evening, was incredibly helpful and really friendly. We can't fault Moto Pizza on a normal day, but Luke made it even better. Thanks Luke.

Just called for a drink whilst working in Colchester ,decided to order some food, southern chicken bao bun and beer infused fries, absolutely delicious, perfectly presented next level, aslo great play list

What a delightful surprise Level Best Café was. Friendly welcome and very reasonably priced good coffee and delicious cakes. Thank you.

When I moved here there was two lovely lady’s who ran it by them self but they left to Australia so a new group came which have recently gotten rid of many of the best items and now have made it terrible I recommend you go to the greasy spoon close to Tesco which is only a five minute walk and is vastly superior to the coffee house 211

Separate menus for vegetarian and meat eaters, staff friendly and beautiful garden area. Would definitely come again and recommend as the food was delicious. They also have gluten free and vegan menus too

Best pub in Wivenhoe by miles. Friendly, accessible and great drinks and events - it might not be near the river but it’s the place to head to

I love this bakery so much. I find it such a warm and inviting environment, and have encouraged many of my friends to go as well. The staff are very kind and helpful as is the owner Jo. I attended the Galentine's Day event with my friend and have seen there is an upcoming Easter event too! I would recommend this bakery to anyone and wish it every success in the future :)

How lucky we are to have this place in Colchester. The food was delicious and the portions generous when compared to many chain Italian restaurants. We had a tasty selection of breads and olives to start , followed by delicious arancini and then a sublime pistachio tiramisu. Relaxed and friendly service too. Highly recommended.

This place is a hidden little gem tucked away in the cemetery grounds on mersea road (located near to the exit). The staff are always welcoming and happy to see you. (Many are volunteering so makes it that even more special). I have attended two wakes here and both times was so impressed. I also have had afternoon tea which was amazing and sometimes pop in for a lovely coffee and slice of cake. Can’t recommend this place enough.

Lovely pub off the main tracks very friendly environment. We came as a family if 5 we had a lovely mixed meat roast dinner chicken and beef which were both cooked to perfection moist and flavourful. However my favourite bit was the meat gravy. Would highly recommend for families and couples or even if you fancy some you time very welcoming

Absolutely lovely different place for tea and coffee yummy yummy bakes such wonderful staff and so polite and friendly a lovely place to relax and refresh after picking fresh fruit at the farm will definitely be going again

This chip shop is a gem, burgers, fish and chips all very good but the southern fried chicken is just awesome, nice big tasty pieces. Worth buying a large portion and save a piece for the next day. Batter and skin all crisped up so no wobbly skin like other well known places, top quality chicken too.

What a lovely little find. Visiting Colchester from Ipswich with my daughter and wanted a hot drink and a snack. We were wandering around and found this little gem. Small cafe. On sitting down we glanced at other tables and their food and we were tempted to rather than buy a sandwich or toastie we both had cheesy chilli jacket potatoes served with a little bowl of dressed salad and coleslaw. The service was both quick and friendly. The place had a nice relaxing atmosphere and some of the customers seemed to know the staff so it seems like they have returning customers. They also did a nice pot of tea.