Bill's Colchester Restaurant Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The poached eggs were perfectly cooked - runny and with bright yellow yolk oozing."
• "Delicious food and lovely service!"
• "The food was lovely and reasonably priced."
• "Both the eggs and tomatoes were exquisite however and the coffee is amazing."
• "The calamari which was cooked to perfection, and Bill's house burger that was cooked exactly as I had requested."
• "The food was well prepared and came in good time."
• "The food was delicious and cooked to perfection."

Cons:

• "Very pretty restaurant. I've had good and terrible food here."
• "Steaks were fatty and full of gristle."
• "The tuna tacos are disgraceful as the tortilla is not soft, it was more like a chip and rather stale which was a waste of good tuna."
• "The chicken burger was super tough, so worth keeping that in mind."
• "Incredibly underwhelming burger. Could have gotten it better, faster and cheaper at McDonald's."
• "The chicken shawarma the chicken was cold."
• "The steak was tough so probably frozen and defrosted."

Service

Pros:

• "Shout out to the staff who was very patient when getting our bill paid for."
• "Service is always fast and friendly."
• "The service was amazing very well priced for the quality of the food."
• "The staff were very lovely & answered any queries regarding the food."
• "Really friendly staff, really good food and the atmosphere and restaurant itself is very welcoming and relaxed."
• "The staff were friendly and welcoming and there was a nice cosy atmosphere."
• "Staff were extremely helpful and very polite."

Cons:

• "The meal took ages."
• "The service was very slow. The man who took our order forgot things multiple times."
• "Service is REALLY slow though. It will take ages to get served or get food."
• "Service charge is not paid directly to the staff it is used to make up their wages, when I pay a service charge it's for good service not to save the owner paying a decent wage, would not return for this reason, pay service charge in cash it then goes to staff."
• "Didn't like the slap on service charge of 10% when the service was average."
• "Service terrible. You have to be quite assertive to get attention."
• "Bit of a long wait at the end of our meal though."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "Beautiful hidden gem for breakfast and brunch."
• "The atmosphere at the restaurant was warm and comfortable."
• "Never been into Bills in the evening before and the ambiance was lovely."
• "The atmosphere of the store itself is amazing to look at."
• "Extremely attentive staff with a vibrant atmosphere."
• "A lovely atmospheric place to eat in, fascinating tiles, weird things under the ceiling above you, old bare worn floorboards - Lovely!"
• "All set in a cosy relaxed atmosphere."

Cons:

• "There was an employee that kept pacing and staring at everyone while they ate which did take away from the atmosphere."
• "Post lockdown and feel the tables are far too close together, no social distancing in this place at all."
• "Music is a little loud."
• "The room in which we were sat was also very dimly lit, which made it very hard to read the menu."
• "Apart from the factory noises blaring out and labeled as 'Music', a cacophony of mindless repetitive headbanging nonsense."
• "The environment is nice - music is a little loud."
• "Always a lovely atmosphere when I've been."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "At £14:95, it was good value, especially with the quality of the food."
• "Nice food for good prices."
• "The price was reasonable too."
• "We were shocked when we were told that children eat for FREE during half term."
• "Love this place, shame it's next to a bus stop, but the seating outside is in the shade and the food is great, 11 quid for two courses on the set menu is good value for money."
• "Good value for money."
• "Very well priced for the quality of the food."

Cons:

• "Expensive and not up to scratch."
• "I've noticed the prices have shot up a lot and the portion size has reduced a lot."
• "Beer pricing was outrageous. No draft beer available."
• "Drinks are quite expensive."
• "Expensive place. I did not feel like the premium I was paying for my meal was adequately met with service and quality."
• "Personally, I thought the food was slightly pricey for what you got."
• "Food overpriced for what you get."

Hygiene

Pros:

• "Dealing well with social distancing and hygiene."

Cons:

• "Tables weren't very clean, the seating wasn't very clean, but what I consider unacceptable is dirty cutlery and dirty crockery."
• "Poor hygiene."
• "Both me and my friend found hairs in our food."
• "Cold food and a hair in mayo...very off putting."
• "We intended to stay for a full meal, but being that close and then finding hair in our starter - we decided to pay and leave."
• "The bacon was cold and the sausage was a bit undercooked."