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The Crown Inn is part of the Vintage Inns group and is located conveniently at the A12/A120 junction just outside Colchester. It relatively easily accessible apart from a trickly little manoeuvre to spot the turn off on the A120 slip road (a useful tip is to follow the sign for 'Gnome ... Read review
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Advantages: Speedy service and easily accessible from the A12 Disadvantages: Fixed menu which rarely varies
...of my regular haunts is the Crown Inn at Ardleigh as it is within a couple of miles of my office.
The Crown Inn is part of the Vintage Inns group and is located conveniently at the A12/A120 junction just outside Colchester. It relatively easily accessible apart from a trickly little manoeuvre to spot the turn off on the A120 slip road (a useful tip is to follow the sign for 'Gnome Magic'!)
It is a large inn decorated ... ...the winter months. The staff are friendly and efficient and they certainly need to be efficient as in the Summer it can get very busy but they cope with it cheerfully and in a very businesslike way.
You select your food from the standard menu (which appears to be the same in all Vintage Inns in the area). There is a comprehensive selection on the menu including some good options for vegetarians. There are traditional meat and fish ... more
I am quite lucky really because I have a job that sometimes entails going out for lunch with colleagues. I thus get to visit a variety of places but one of my regular haunts is the Crown Inn at Ardleigh as it is within a couple of miles of my office.
The Crown Inn is part of the Vintage Inns group and is located conveniently at the A12/A120 junction just outside Colchester. It relatively easily accessible apart from a trickly little manoeuvre to spot the turn off on the A120 slip road (a useful tip is to follow the sign for 'Gnome Magic'!)
It is a large inn decorated in traditional style with a lovely log fire burning during the winter months. The staff are friendly and efficient and they certainly need to be efficient as in the Summer it can get very busy but they cope with it cheerfully and in a very businesslike way.
You select your food from the standard menu (which appears to be the same in all Vintage Inns in the area). There is a comprehensive selection on the menu including some good options for vegetarians. There are traditional meat and fish choices, including wonderful steak and ale pie, burgers, pasta dishes and a vegetarian selection all served with fresh vegetables or salads and a selection of potatoes. They will happily make minor amendments to accommodate your requirements so, if for example, you wish to change from the mash to chips it is never a problem. Desserts change from time to time so are listed on a little blackboard which the waitress will bring to the table.
Once you have made your food selection you place your order at the bar. All staff seem happy to take your food order so there is no need to queue in a specific place - this seems to work well and keep the flow of customers under control. Once you have chosen your food you receive a numbered wooden spoon which is colour coded in relation to the area where you are sitting thus ensuring that your food arrives in the right place as soon as it is ready. The staff are happy to set up a bar 'tab' and charge everything to that which is great when you are there for a business lunch as it saves having lots of separate receipts.
In one area of the bar there is a little alcove/room which it is alleged may be haunted - I have to say I haven't ever seen the ghost but I do like to eat in there as it is quite pleasant and because it is just off the main bar eating area it is great if you have a small group of five or six people.
The atmosphere is quite relaxed but the staff are generally very efficient at preparing and serving the food - ideal if you are on a tight timescale. Staff always ask if everything is OK with your meal which I think is a nice touch and too often forgotten. The one time I had a problem (my fish was undercooked) they resolved it quickly and efficiently with a minimum of fuss.
The Crown is not what I would call a 'gourmet experience' but they do provide good wholesome food at a reasonable price. It is easily accessible with a good atmosphere and friendly staff. They open from lunchtime and serve food right through to the evening which is ideal if you have been tied up in meetings and may be looking for somewhere to eat at 3.00pm when many other places aren't open.
Would I recommend it? *****************************
Yes I would, if you are in the area and are looking for somewhere quick and convenient. We can generally get a main course, drinks and a coffee for around £10 to £12 per head which is very reasonable and the quality and service are consistent - great for a quick business lunch.
The Crown Inn Old Ipswich Road Ardleigh Nr Colchester CO7 7QR 01206 233021
...stated how poor I felt the quality of food and service was here during the evening of Valentines Day. However, after having written to the manager expressing my disappointment, I received a letter back offering meal vouchers for two. Plus assurance that service was indeed unacceptable and that it was a rare occasion. As I had stated in my previous review, I was disappointed that evening as I rate the place highly in other aspects; friendliness, location, ...
MaxwellBanks 16.02.2009 (21.02.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
...with five others I visited The Crown Inn at Ardleigh to have without doubt the worst meal I and my friends have ever eaten out. It is true to say that we did not order until 9.30pm but what was served up could not have been prepared by a competent cook let alone a chef.Two of the party ordered Calves Liver which was tougher than old boots and could not be cut with a knife and the chips and vegetables were so limp and tasteless it would not be surprising ... ...overcooked it was tasteless.Other than the Fishcakes had by one of the party the other meals were a figment of the trades description act. A very poor result which required paying for. The waitress admitted to the poor quality of what had been served up and after consultation with the manager offered two free deserts.......Whoopee. An absolute waste of money and if this is the quality there will be another pub closeing in the near future. I had to ...
kevlin 26.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
Value for Money
Standard of Menu
Atmosphere
Standard of Service
Quick review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
I visited this delightful little pub on a Thursday lunchtime with some anticipation after reading reviews.
I found the service of top quality along with the food,which was served promptly and hot! The deserts were naughty but very nice!!
Would definitely visit again. ...
Julie-Lou 03.02.2009
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
Quick review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
I used to go to this pub and the food was really quite nice - but then we kept having bad experiences - food coming out cold, steak over cooked twice in a row etc.... THEN they changed the menu.... could it get any worse?
Our food took almost an hour to come out and when it did - it was truely awful, tasteless overpriced rubbish... e.g - i ordered the baked mushroom for a starter and received a clearly deep fried mushroom which tasted awful - we had a roast dinner and the beef tasted of deep fried fat.
I just cant understand why this place becomes so busy - i would not recommend this place to anyone... it's awfully managed, food takes ages and is often burnt. ...
Pookeychops 08.06.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
Advantages: good car parking Disadvantages: service
...our Main turned up at the table it was of poor quality and some of our food was cold the chips were uncooked there was no service between our meal and the table was left for about 25 mins befor it was cleared, then they arsked me if all was ok and i told them i was not happy, this did not bother them at all and it seemed tho they did not care. also the mens toilets were unuseable as they stank of old urine and nothing was done after telling them,This ...
smudger01 03.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Crown Inn, Ardleigh, Colchester
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