West Mersea Oyster Bar in Colchester

Disappointing. We ordered the rock oysters and a seafood platter to share. The oysters were good, although poorly shucked, however the seafood platter was served FROZEN - the seafood was not fresh. Baffling.The waitress seemed very understanding (also not surprised) when we sent it back and did swap for a fish and chips which was only OK. A table next to us had also complained of some dishes not being freshly cooked.Very disappointing experience overall as we had heard good things about this place. Although it appears it is now under new ownership which perhaps explains this.

Terrific value seafood. West Mersea is world famous for its oysters and they serve up some of the best around for a competitive price, I drove here from London just to get my fill.Their seafood platter (cold) is pretty good value at just under 19quid, where you get a dressed crab and just a mountain of various seafood, all pretty good but also not exactly exceptional. Still, good value. If you takeaway its 13quid which makes it even better value. But there’s a great seating area so why not sit and enjoy the ambience.Service is not particularly attentive, and it took me quite a while to get someone to take my order even though they had a ton of staff around. Otherwise, staff were very friendly.Outdoor seating requires a wait in spring and summer, but if you have a group and want to just destroy seafood all afternoon its worth the queue.They have a reasonably sized carpark, but it looks like it’d often be full so do prepare contingencies.

Brilliant as ever, Carol was excellent in sorting out a table for us as they had by accident not booked our table.

Lovely food, very busy, people were lining up to sit outside!! Nice staff as well. Look forward to them opening the out door seating area so we can get some sun whilst we eat. Even the dogs loved it and they were welcomed as well

What use to be a great place for sea food is now only mediocre. The food is ok but not great! The lovely quirky atmosphere has gone and is now just a clinical canteen. The oysters were served on plastic oyster plates instead of the nice china ones they use to use. I wouldn't avoid it but it's no longer a must go to place for me. And just to note for the restaurant, if you are going to put herbs in the batter it needs to say it on the menu as we were expecting traditional fish and chips, not what we were served, your customers aren't mind readers and shouldn't be mislead by the menu.

What a treasure! We had a fantastic lunch here. The oysters were superb, fish platter fresh and plentiful and staff friendly. Red velvet cheesecake was the best I've had. Can't wait to be able to come back.

Had the sharing platter for £17.50. It was pretty good, wait wasn’t too long and staff were very friendly. Restaurant overall was a bit overwhelmed and they had to stop taking orders for lunch, which resulted in a long queue of people watching you eat your food whilst waiting to be sat which was a bit awkward, but otherwise a lovely experience.

Super lunch this afternoon, staff were very friendly and knowledgeable especially Carol, we had a seafood platter for two which my partner eat on his own and was delicious, I had the special, fish pie with fresh vegetables and it was lush. The chef is a genius oh how I wish I could produce a dish like this at home? He gave me some tips which I will attempt. We had such a lovely time. Thank you all. 5🌟s. Will be going back again next month. 😊

Sat outside on a lovely evening. The food was lovely, well cooked and good portions. The funny bit was watching the staff trying to clear the plates before the seagulls.

Came here during May bank holiday. Glad it was great sunny weather. Queued about 10 minutes before managed to get a seat by the terrace outdoor area. Due to Covid, the restaurant converted their car park to more seatings. Really quick service on oysters. Literally waited only one minute after order and oysters came. The mains came a bit later and guess it was due to bulk orders from other customers. Loving the fish and chips. The platter was alright it had a great selection of seafood and I enjoyed the crab stuffed meat very much. Overall it’s a great experience dining here on this island and really tasting the local oysters spectacular!