The best restaurants serving British food in East of England

It was the first time I had seen my parents in months due to lockdown, so we spent 5 hours in the shop and cafe (ate in cafe twice). We spend over £150. A few days later we received a £60 parking fine for spending too long at the shop. We tried to dispute with proof of purchase, but was just told we would be fined £100 if we don't pay by October. Will not be visiting the shop again, and advising others to avoid.

Over 45 mins in here and they couldn’t be bothered to clear the table from the previous customers. The tables they did clear they didn’t wipe down, food all over the floor. Over half an hour waiting for a breakfast and they wasn’t even very busy and it wasn’t value for money and poor quality. Bathrooms unhygienic also

My nanny and grandad go to this cafe every week and they have nothing but good things to say!! Every single visit has been more than pleasant - hence their weekly return for over a year now! The staff are friendly, the customer service is fantastic, the tea and coffee is nice, the cafe is clean - and more than anything they absoloutely LOVE the scones! Top marks all round :)

Booked for Sunday lunch, then at short notice added an additional person requiring gluten free. The landlady couldn't have been more helpful and accommodating, phoning back to confirm they could do a gf roast with trimmings. The pub has a good ambiance with friendly staff. There was a choice of gf starters which is unusual and greatly appreciated. The food was good, we plan to return at some point to try the home made pies.

Will not be going again as the landlord thought it ok to pay out on a Game that had been missed. And after his reply when there was a complaint was really not acceptable. He needs to listen to to costumers and get over himself.

Why change the previous system to one that has you having to walk back and forth to order food and select cakes. Great if everyone wants the same item but when they want to see whats on offer before making a selection. With plenty of staff standing around, table service would have been easy to operate. A real step back.

Great carvery choice. Good service. Pub has improved in offering entertainment as well as great monthly quiz.

The lunch menu offered Trout as a main so I ordered it, when it came it was only a very small fillet not even enough for a starter, also to much salad I was very disappointed 😥 when the menu says trout one expects to get a whole fish. The grand children who were with us had children's portions which were far bigger than mine, my meal was an over priced disgrace.

This cafe has been part of Colchester City since 1986. I was born in Colchester but I am ashamed to say it was the first time I have been into this cafe. Me and my mum visited and had lunch before going to play bingo, it was her birthday. We both had the all day breakfast and for only £6 each it is the cheapest in the city. We were blown away it was boiling hot, really tasty, cooked from fresh. One of the best breakfast for a long time. My mum has two coffees and I had two pots of tea and it only came to £19. It is very clean inside, staff are friendly and chatty. Will definitely be back.

They still have an elaborate one-way system through the store, with no sign of how to find the coffee shop. They have taken away all of the big sunshades so on a very sunny day you either sit indoors or else in direct sunlight. In fact it was quiet; the staff said that they are busy MTW because of the Government discount, and today Friday was very quiet. Coffee cake £4.75 =:-(. Only one gents in use, the air blast hand dryer wasn't working. In the old days when Mr Dakin was the owner, it wasn't perfect but today was not a good experience.

Does this place ever open? As every time I go past its shut and it has no opening times on show. So don't waste your time going

Food is amazing, I had cod and chips, daughter had ribs and chips it was delicious, will certainly be ordering from them again

I need to say how GREAT the staff were today (Saturday lunchtime) . Very busy with customers but ever single member of staff looked efficient and very friendly. The food was tasty and hot . Well done to all your staff at our Rayleigh Greggs. Ps thank you for the smiley face on my order box ! Made me chuckle.

Great food as always, hot and freshly prepared, very friendly staff, always willing to help. Place is clean and tidy, showers, toilets clean.

Coffee has become just too weak. I love this Greggs and the staff are lovely and they give me another with lots of apologies..but always the same which I pour away. I go at least once or twice a week but as coffee is an important part....I will just now get the breakfast to take away and get my coffee elsewhere. It used to be very good.