Reviews in Colchester

We both had the king prawn Marie rose open sandwich which was nice but really could do with more prawns especially at £13.95. I’m a regular visitor as I love the garden centre and the cafe has a lovely atmosphere and very good staff. It might be nice to have a normal sandwich on the menu sometime not open ones.

Another lovely lunch at this great cafe. Food, drinks & service were all excellent

Excellent friendly service and the Sunday Roast was excellent, amazing Yorkshire Puds and plenty of tasty vegetables, especially the Potatoes. ( Meat was excellent and the Vegetarian option also excellent ) You can tell this was cooked by a Chef and not a microwave ! Will be back.

Such friendly and capable staff and the roast pork was to die for - such wonderful flavours and cooked to perfection. I shall certainly be going back.

Service was good, food very disappointing. I’d been recommended to eat here as the breakfasts are “amazing” but actually they weren’t at all. Toast was cold. The barn breakfast was ever so disappointing the eggs were cooked how I liked but the bacon was like card board and the sausages were anaemic in the middle but burnt on the ends, quality wasn’t far off a cash and carry sausage. I’m hoping this was a one off as it was busy.

The staff were very friendly, and patient with us as they had to come back twice for our order as we had been chatting and not looking at the menu. The only thing we did order was 2 hot drinks and they took a long time to make and when they were brought over they were lukewarm. The rolls we had were very nice, but a little over priced as they were just under £10 each.

Had a lovely meal, we all ordered at different times and the staff were friendly and accommodating. The seating was comfortable and food very tasty, mine was on the cool side could have been hotter, but if I had asked for this to be reheated I know it wouldn’t have been a problem. Our food order took a long time to come, but I think we ordered at a busy time. I did think we had been forgotten at one point. But overall a good experience.

Excellent food and service as always! Glad I booked though as it was so busy!

Lovely ambience to venue. Menu changes with the seasons and offers a good choice of lunches. Delicious cakes too. Great place for breakfast, lunch and tea/cake.

On our arrival we had to wait about five minutes to be seen which was unusual, we were shown to our table but had to wait approximately eight minutes for our drink order to be taken which again was very unusual. When our food arrived we had both ordered Buns however both had got sandwich’s one was fine but mime was wrong and had to be taken back I then ordered a second cup of coffee but I at to request a second time as it was over fifteen minutes in arriving but with a full apology. I have to it was most unusual for this cafe . The food was its normal high quality. I am hoping this was just a one off . Look forward to seeing you soon.

Quite simply, the best veggie breakfast bun in the world — a perfect balance of flavour, comfort, and pure joy. The coffee is nothing short of divine, the kind that makes you pause mid‑sip just to appreciate it. Honestly, what’s not to love? Add in the fact that I can wander off to buy plants afterwards, and it becomes one of my favourite ways to spend the morning.

Lunch with my daughter & we both ordered from daily specials - when I received my meal & on tasting it I knew I would not be able to eat it as it was too rich for my pallet- I explained to serving staff why this was the case ( I was recovering from a nasty stomach bug & not fully back to normal eating but had felt soup would work- my daughter tried it & said she would have struggled with it too- however the serving staff did not quibble at all & offered me a replacement meal without any fuss or & suggested other options First class reaction without fuss or question- top marks to the 2 staff who dealt with me- replacement food was acceptable & was enjoyed

A fabulous Sunday lunch enjoyed by veggies and meat eaters alike. The roasters were some of the best I've had when eating out and the pavlova dessert was delicious. Really high end food, if I didn't live so far away I would go here regularly!

Lovely lunch at the cafe. We both had the open club sandwich which was so yummy and very filling. Would definitely return again soon.

We are regular visitors to the Barn but it has become increasingly difficult to be seated comfortably to eat. There are always many tables available but the staff are unable or unwilling to allow one to choose a seat. The outer area is very cold and the main room although charming is very very noisy especially if seated at central tables. Service is often slow /very slow and the food has become increasingly complicated and expensive. Maybe the cafe is a victim of its own success or maybe it needs a manager to step in. Disappointing decline which could be easily improved.

We had lunch at the Barn yesterday and were beyond delighted with the food. I had the nourish bowl and my husband had the prawn sandwich. The presentation, flavour and freshness was wonderful. This is our new favourite spot for lunch. Highly recommend