Reviews in Essex

Great Sunday lunch

We booked a few days ahead to this lovely Garden centre Cafe/restaurant as we had heard it can get busy at the weekend and I can see why! Inside an old-fashioned polytunnel garden centre they have created this gorgeous restaurant out of wood- beams and pallets and created this lovely rustic atmosphere. The garden centre itself is crammed full of stunning home ware and gifts. The main thing we noticed is that the place was full of millennial aged people, so you know the food must be good! And it did not disappoint. We both opted for a comforting Chai Latte and a roast. The special for the day was a beef brisket roast so it would have been silly not to try it. At £21.95 the roasts were the perfect size without being too huge. Every single mouthful was absolutely exquisite. The meat was tender and melted as you cut into it, and had clearly been basted in a stunning rub/sauce which created a light sticky layer of flavour. The roast came with carrots, parsnips, crunchy roast potatoes, a huge fluffy Yorkshire pudding, greens, s celeriac cream and an incredible gravy which was very liberally applied. I could easily eat this meal everyday and never get tired of it. Every part of it was cooked and seasoned to absolute perfection. Having just had surgery, I also would like to note that the staff were incredibly accommodating, making sure that I had a comfortable chair and checking if I needed anything. My only tip would be to try and sit in the main room of the restaurant on a hot day, as the polytunnels get rather warm- as can be expected!

This is a lovely place for lunch. I took my elderly parents there, to celebrate a birthday. I found the menu to be spot on: enough choice to satisfy us all but not so much that you might question freshness. The ladies who served us were really lovely and thoughtful to my parents. Service was well-paced too. We'd certainly go there again. For me, this is a new favourite for when I visit Colchester.

Had a very nice experience at the Barn on Saturday 12th April, excellent breakfast and great hosting from the staff. A lovely place with a great atmosphere, would recommend to anyone.

Had a lovely breakfast, poached eggs were perfect and helped to give us a really relaxing Saturday morning.

Great service and food! We brought 40 children for a youth club event and they had a fantastic time. Would recommend to everyone.

My wife and I had a lovely meal at the Barn on Friday. Nearly sat outside but decided it wasn't quite warm enough. We were wrong, but never mind! As always, the service was impeccable, the food was excellent and the environment was just right. I notice other reviews complain about the waiting time. This is NOT a fast food restaurant, the meals are prepared to order so expect a slight delay. I must mention my Apple & Rhubarb crumble. I've finally found somewhere that doesn't produce a crumble straight from the microwave that is impossible to eat unless you've got a flameproof digestive system!! This was just as it should be, oven warm.

Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast sitting outside in the sunshine.

The camembert sharer came out cold and hard on the inside so was sent back. It was returned about 4 minutes later still not fully cooked. The salmon was over cooked , and the pak choi was cooked within an inch of its life.

Great food, fantastic atmosphere, friendly staff - what more could you want....great beer...they have that covered too!

The Special was Belly Pork and it was the best I have ever eaten. However my wife, who is vegetarian, had very little option. The corn burger, which is actually a quorn burger is still there, and is quite tasteless. Quorn needs to be used with a sauce/marinade in order to have any taste. The wild mushroom risotto was deemed delicious though.

Very friendly staff, great buzz in public bar.

Very nice meal, good service would visit again

Had a lovely lunch with my friend yesterday

Very good food

Great

Food and service have always been good. Cakes are especially good. It's one of our main meeting places for lunch.

Good food, great staff no rushing us out, will be going again