The Hare and Hounds — Restaurant in Colchester

I visited here with family. It was a much needed stop off for lunch as we had been traveling since the previous day and had not eaten. We arrived and were completely ignored. I had to go and ask the staff member to seat us. We were taken into the bar area where a broken table was set up for us. We were then left sitting for 20 minutes again completely ignored. I asked the lady behind the bar if anybody was actually coming to take our order. The menu was beyond basic and there was hardly any options, as such we ordered three gammon eggs and chips and a burger. The food arrived and the gammon was stone cold and clearly taken directly from the fridge to the plate but it was at least edible. The burger was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It had clearly been dropped in fryer and forgotten, it was rock hard, burnt and dripping in oil. At no point did anybody bother to come and ask if we wanted drinks or if the food was ok. I flagged down a passing waitress and told her the burger was the worst I’ve ever seen. The manager came over agreed it was terrible. The manger was very apologetic and didn’t charge me for the burger. Sadly the service and quality of the food is the worst I’ve ever come across, which is saying something. They were lovely people but when you’re running a business that just isn’t enough. The chef needs to find a different calling in life as he/she is clearly clueless and the staff need to be trained in customer service. Even after I had explained to the manager about the lack of service, they had the nerve to leave us hanging again, we had to get up from the table and go and pay for our meal at the bar. I have had better service from my local take away ! I would never return to this place or recommend it. If you want a decent meal just keep driving as you won’t...

-THE WEATHER MAY BE COLD, BUT THE WELCOME IS ALWAYS WARM-

I count myself lucky to have the little oasis, that is The Hare and Hounds public house within walking distance of my home. I've lived in the area for near 7 years now. The pub has gone through different hands and is currently under the care of Cheryl. I feel guilty about not leaving a review sooner, but here is my review:

I have a quarterly catch up with my friend, and he always asks to go around mine.. for the pub. We visited last night (a Friday). Well, as the title suggests, it has such a homely feel about the place. The staff are always welcoming, and helpful. Even pups are welcome! They normally have 3 different ales on pump (of course we have to sample them all!). There are log fires going on to keep away the winters chill. They put on village events too like quiz nights, beer festivals, charity days, sport nights. It's a real hub of the village.

Myself and my friend, always visit the restaurant for a meal when we visit. Now, as a bold statement, I never had a bad meal. To quote another friend of mine "best burger I've ever tasted" and my mum, who loves her roasts, "I think that was a bit yum!". There are lots of choice on the menu, even a specials board - they always ask if any of the party have allergies, they have no issues working around that. The food is well presented, and makes the taste buds tingle. Just for reference, last night I had the lasagne for main and a brownie sundae for dessert - both spot on! Again the staff are gracious, funny, and prompt. I can not give any higher praise for the service that they provide. Top notch.

Keep up the great work, Cheryl and staff. You're doing...

We booked to ensure we could get a table. When we went in, went wrong way into bar. Bar locals told us we needed to fill in a registration thing, which is fine although I had already covered that with the booking. At that point, realised the restaurant is to the right so went through there and after a brief wait were led to our reserved table. Plenty clean and spaced enough for us. One waitress on shift and whilst she seemed pretty busy, we didn't have to wait long to order drinks and then food. Got food pretty quickly and then on our way. All in, there for an hour, which is about normal for us at lunch as a family of four....we don't linger. I suspect if it were busier you could be waiting a while as they have limited chefs on, meaning orders can be a bit slow(we overheard her saying). Standard prices for our meals, ( burgers etc) and drinks. £52 or so for three adult meals and one kids meal. Portions were decent but the burgers lacked particular flavour and juiciness. They were a bit overcooked I felt and for £12 or so, I would expect better ( as I get elsewhere locally). First meal out after lockdown eased. It was ok but I wouldn't rush back vs some other...