The Swan Inn Reviews Summary

Category: Gastropub

Address: The Street, Colchester, CO6 2DD, United Kingdom

Phone: +441787222353

Rating: 4.2
based on 208 reviews.

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "The Steak & Ale Pie I had was huge and filled to the brim with well braised steak in lovely crisp pastry."
  • "Food was delicious and our waiter was friendly."
  • "Lovely food, beautifully decorated, lovely surroundings."
  • "The food was excellent and great value for money."
  • "Sunday roast was tasty."
  • "The food was delicious, and considering how busy the pub was it came out in really good time."
  • "The food was cooked and presented to a high standard."

Cons:

  • "Pizza was like cardboard, hard to cut and not very hot."
  • "The food was awful, even the chips were hard, not fully cooked."
  • "Kids chocolate brownies tasted more some sort or sponge pudding."
  • "The beef was so tough however the pork and turkey was cooked well."
  • "The food was served quickly but wasn’t very warm, veg was rock hard and was average quality."
  • "Food was average to say the best, service was slow and unprofessional."
  • "The food was mediocre at best and overpriced for what it is."

Service

Pros:

  • "There were two men working that day providing excellent service."
  • "Excellent beer, delicious food and a friendly service."
  • "Service was excellent, our waiter was David."
  • "Service was very good and the food excellent."
  • "Service was excellent, waitress was very polite and courteous."
  • "The staff's service was excellent throughout the night."
  • "The service was excellent too."

Cons:

  • "No tab facilities paid for drinks and food at least six times would it not be easier to take a card and settle at the end."
  • "Rude and ignorant staff, As soon as we walked in we were rudely ignored."
  • "Service was terrible. Our food took ages to come."
  • "Unfortunately for a Tuesday evening the service was shocking."
  • "Service is a bit slow, the staff completely vanished for half hour when we wanted to pay."
  • "Only thing was the service was very slow from drinks to desserts."
  • "Service gone down since new managers took over."

Ambiance and Location

Pros:

  • "Indoors is all beams and gorgeousness: definitely want to go back when it's winter with a roaring fire!"
  • "Lovely pub with heated marquee and outdoor heated seating area."
  • "Lovely pub in a great location by the river and the viaduct."
  • "With low beams and exposed brickwork this place feels cosy."
  • "The pub is well known for its wood oven pizzas which are superb."
  • "Great beer garden with a river running beside it."
  • "A lovely pub though with various rooms and dogs allowed. Outside capacity too."

Cons:

  • "It was cold... nobody was particularly happy with it."
  • "The general look of the pub is that it needs a complete update, the toilet had cobwebs in and the table we sat at was rather sticky even after it had been wiped down."
  • "The atmosphere was let down by a smokey fireplace."
  • "Worse thing was my clothes reek of smoke, all night we could smell smoke in the restaurant which was very off putting."
  • "The live music in the small court yard was very loud and meant we couldn't hear each other."
  • "Bar area two people sitting at the bar no room to serve incoming customers."
  • "Restaurant freezing cold, a shame not all was available on the menu."

Management and Staff

Pros:

  • "The management could not have been more helpful and cheerful."
  • "Couldn’t have wished for a warmer welcome. The staff were all fun, especially David."
  • "The staff changes they have made, have made a big difference to the dining experience you get at this old wooden beamed inn."
  • "Staff are really friendly and make you feel welcome."
  • "Beautiful freshly decorated pub, very at tentative staff extremely helpful and really nice people."
  • "Staff very friendly too."
  • "The staff are very friendly and the service is good."

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