Diners' Choice: Best Food restaurants in Essex

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall cuisine in Essex? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Hasturk

4.8

4.8 (680)

£25 and under

Turkish

Braintree

About the restaurant

Here at Hasturk, we have over 20 years experience in the restaurant industry. We are well versed in good hospitality and serving fresh, handmade food.

We’ve used experiences from our own heritage and traditional food back home to create our menu for the much loved Turkish which is now widely known.

With an array of meat dishes to freshly caught seafood and wide selection of authentic appetisers, you can be assured everything at Hasturk is carefully sourced and deliciously prepared and meets our standards.

Hasturk is a family run, Turkish restaurant with a modern twist. We aim to serve our customers the very best of Turkish cuisine, welcoming everyone in with open arms. We’re ready to offer you a dining experience that you’ll remember!

Top review

Chris

Dined on Aug 26, 2024

Nice meal with wife good service and food attentive but not on your face

Smiths Restaurant Ongar

4.8

4.8 (4609)

£41 and over

Seafood

Ongar

About the restaurant

Priding ourselves on our motto ‘Famous for fish’ Smiths Restaurants is a name that has become synonymous with fine dining and quality, attentive service. Our restaurants are located in Ongar Essex (just off the A414) and Wapping in central London (near Tower Bridge). Both restaurants boast an extensive menu of fresh fish that we offer to cook in a variety of ways to suit every palette. We also offer locally sourced meat dishes to accommodate those who prefer their food terra firma. To compliment the quality of our food we have worked closely with well renowned independent wine merchants to ensure we have a selection of wines that are the perfect accompaniment to every meal. The only problem you may have a Smith’s is being spoilt for choice.

Top review

Katie

Dined 3 days ago

Always the best evening at Smiths! The cocktails, food and service are 5*

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Popular dish

Brixham Dover Sole

The Cricketers Arms in Rickling Green

4.7

4.7 (570)

£25 and under

Gastro Pub

Saffron Walden

About the restaurant

RESTAURANT NOTE: Our outside tables are not bookable, they are available on a first come first served basis. Should you wish to reserve a table in our marquee, you must contact us directly please by phone 01799 619260 or email info@thecricketersarmspub.co.uk

Whether you’re after a comforting home - cooked meal after a long day at work or fabulous fine dining for a special celebration, we’ve got something for every occasion. Choose from our locally sourced, innovative menu and excellent wine list in our oak beamed bar or stylish restaurant.

Top review

Leigh

Dined 3 days ago

Absolutely fantastic . Staff were brilliant, food was amazing and we’ll definitely return. Thank you so much

The House by Hilly Gant

4.8

4.8 (1159)

£41 and over

British

Braintree

About the restaurant

We've been serving the people of Braintree and beyond since 2015 and in that time have humbly become ‘one of Essex’s best restaurants.’ We have received recognition from the AA, having been awarded an AA Rosette for ‘culinary excellence’ for five consecutive years, and then in 2023 we received our second rosette, putting the restaurant amongst the top 10 restaurants in Essex. Our food is of course one of our main focuses, but we don’t just stop there. Attentive, relaxed and friendly service is as important as the food and our objective is to make your visit an enjoyably memorable one. Our exceptional wine supplier, Peter Watts Wines (based up the road in Coggeshall) allows us to offer you delicious wines of an exceptional quality. Then add some cocktails, jazz, personality, creativity, a few hidden quirks and we like to think this all culminates to create a truly wonderful experience. Life is about memories; we want to be part of your best ones.

Top review

Lorraine

Dined 2 days ago

Fabulous service as always Lovely food and friendly staff

The Eyna

4.7

4.7 (689)

£26 to £40

Turkish

Basildon

About the restaurant

The Eyna is a new, refreshing, traditional Turkish cuisine coming to the heart of Basildon. With a open-plan dining experience, open kitchen & central bar, we're sure this will be your perfect location for all types of events or casual dining.

Top review

Jayne

Dined 2 days ago

Lovely evening celebrating our daughter’s engagement!, food was lovely, brilliant service, defo will be returning

Kara Lounge & Grill

4.7

4.7 (1137)

£25 and under

Turkish

Grays

About the restaurant

We are proud to serve you one of the healthiest and most well-balanced Turkish and Mediterranean food in Essex.

Our dishes are prepared freshly upon order, using authentic recipes, traditional cooking methods with finest ingredients.

Our focus is to provide the highest quality of service available.

Top review

Rhiannon

Dined 2 days ago

Absolutely amazing cannot say this enough was unreal the presentation and flavouring was to die for

STARK

4.9

4.9 (22)

£41 and over

Modern European

Colchester

About the restaurant

Stark is located in East Mersea, Essex and is owned and run by Ben and Sophie Crittenden, who opened their first site in Broadstairs back in December 2016 with the aim of securing a better work/life balance and enabling Ben to enjoy more time with their three young children, Ivy, Rosa and Arlo. Before relocating to Mersea Island, Stark was the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Thanet and one of five in the whole of Kent.

At Stark, only one, set tasting menu is served with no options or alternatives available. Because of this, Stark is unable to cater for any allergies or dietary requirements, for any reason as all guests eat the exact same meal each night. Ben creates a menu from high quality, seasonal ingredients, using his creativity and passion to create delicious food and provide a unique and exciting eating experience for customers.

Stark is a very intimate, relaxed restaurant, whose only demand of you is that you sit back, trust us with your dinner and enjoy the experience.

Top review

Andrew

Dined on Aug 31, 2024

Relaxed atmosphere, tasteful decor, lovely staff, amazing food (expertly served and beautifully presented)

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

4.8

4.8 (2680)

£26 to £40

Afternoon Tea

Leigh-On-Sea

About the restaurant

The Parlour Tea Room at Mad Dogs and Englishmen provides a vintage setting to enjoy Afternoon tea. We’ve become renowned for our themed teas which offer an unforgettable experience. Enjoy the eclectic surroundings of this unique venue.
The Botanical Rooms is upstairs and hosts our cocktail bar. Here you can experience Afternoon Tea from Wednesday to Sunday during the day and enjoy the fairy-lit bar on Friday and Saturday evenings. We host live Jazz and soul on some evenings.
The Piano Lounge with it's vintage leather sofas and a mixture of eclectic styled furnishings is situated on the ground floor alongside our Whisky Bar. You can enjoy an Afternoon Tea with Piano accompaniment on Sunday afternoons or sample some of our extensive Whisky cocktails on Friday and Saturday evenings. We have live Jazz performances on selected evenings.
Please ensure you select the correct venue and experience for your visit with us.

Top review

Nicola

Dined 1 day ago

My daughter wanted to attend the Jungle Book themed Afternoon Tea. We visited as a family of four and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The service was excellent and the staff were so friendly. The food was amazing and the decor in the tea room made the atmosphere feel very cosy. We loved it! Would highly recommend!

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Experience

Cocktail Workshop - 24th October

Experience

Wizarding Wonder - Weekdays

Experience

Wizarding Wonder - Weekends

The New London Restaurant and Lounge

4.7

4.7 (932)

£26 to £40

British

Chelmsford

About the restaurant

The award-winning New London restaurant has been on Chelmsford’s dining and social scene since October 2013 and it still is a relaxed yet sophisticated dining venue. The venue is full of elegance and glamour – now more than ever after an incredible redesign in March 2018.

We have a reputation for seasonally inspired menus with a unique approach to homemade food which makes the New London restaurant a special place to visit.

We pride ourselves on our excellent service with a personal touch. All our staff are proud of, and knowledgeable about, our dishes, wines and cocktails.

We offer only the best locally sourced and seasonal British produce including fresh seafood, locally sourced ingredients and foraged herbs. All our dishes are served in the inimitable style that has helped it garner so many compliments and awards since opening.

Top review

AlexF

Dined 3 days ago

Always a pleasure to dine at The New London, great restaurant.

Caesar@Dolphin

4.6

4.6 (220)

£26 to £40

European

Braintree

About the restaurant

A traditional restaurant complete with low ceilings, beams, real fires and a cosy bar still frequented by the locals, it’s the pride of place pizza oven that makes Caesar @ Dolphin stand out from many village inns. That and the seasonal menu of big-flavoured dishes underpinned by strong technical skill

Top review

Steve

Dined on Aug 31, 2024

The food and service were excellent. Thank you. the venue is quiet and has character.

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