The Purple Dog — Restaurant in Colchester

This was a weird experience. Firstly I went to see if you could still get through to the toilet without going through the packed bar only to be confronted by a barboy asking what I was doing. I told him I wondered if you could still get through this way as I hadn't been in there in years. It just got awkward as I dont think he knew you ever could get round that way and seemed to think I was lying for some strange reason. Then we went to the bar and I ordered a drink for me and a drink for my partner. I turned to my partner and asked if she'd like the same drink as me instead of her first choice and asked her if she'd like to taste mine first however barboynumber2 hadn't opened it yet so I asked if he could open my drink to which he replied "I can't close it once it's opened!" So I said "I know, why would you want to close it!" Just got a blank look back. I'm not even sure what happened here. In short it's a nice pub with outdoor seating and some cosy areas but very young barstaff that seem to have an attitude problem and a very short fuse. Not all of them are like this, some are much more...

From reading previous comments, i think either they have changed chefs within the last couple of days or the chef wasnt feeling very well today. My mother and I had a roast dinner and my daughter and dad had a burger( which is the only reason i gave 2 stars as the burgers looked ok). The roast potatoes were cold and tasted old, as if the had been cooked the day before and microwaved today. My roast beef was was almost cold, and the cauliflower cheese was was microwaved. My mothers potatoes were the same and her chicken was also not hot. We had ti send her Yorkshire pudding back as it was really burnt black, and when it came back it was the same Yorkshire pudding with some if the burnt bits scraped off. Altogether very poor. The tables either side of us also complained about similar issues. They had the benefit of being having eatem there before and told us that normally it was nice before but they'd changed chefs. This was our first time and with so many other places to choose from in Colchester i wouldn't come here again. I am a chef and would be mortified if food like that...

This is a great town centre bar that serves delicious food. I have used this bar for quite some time and it never disappoints - whether visiting during the day, for some food, or meeting friends in the evening for a drink.

During a recent visit, we enjoyed the food that we ate: fish and chips and the stuffed cheese burger. The burger was excellent because the beef was good quality and it was cooked very slightly pink. It also had a chilli jam relish that accompanied the rest of the burger very well.

What was noticeable was how happy the staff looked and the service couldn't be faulted. The bar is dog friendly and even when our clumsy labrador knocked over his water bowl, clearing things up was not an issue.

The Purple Dog caters for visitors from all walks of life and the atmosphere is also friendly and relaxed. In the evening, they have security staff but I have never seen any trouble.

It is one of the few Colchester town centre pubs that serve Ghost Ship which is also an added bonus.

I would highly...