please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Busy of a hot April Sunday lunchtime but they obligingly squeezed us in. The Crouch Vale Brewers Gold was perfectly fine. Food service a bit chaotic with items left off the order but politely corrected. Quite a middle aged clientele in a reasonably comfortable setting.
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First visit here and we timed it perfectly as they had only been open a week after their refurbishment.
5 ales on pump, Adnams Broadside & Ghost Ship, Wyhcwood Hobgoblin, GK IPA & Abbot Ale. However only the Hobgoblin and GK IPA was on, the barman was slightly stressed as he was serving all the drinkers and taking care of the drinks ordered with food..service was quick and he maintained a smile while doing it.
As mentioned above now it's re-opened this is obviously much more foodie than it was before. The crowd inside at 1pm on Saturday tells its own story as almost everyone was eating.
The food looked good but the portions seemed a little on the small side.
This is a really decent pub / restaurant that is worth the trip out...£10 in a cab from Benfleet station...the other pubs on the island are all very similar so I expect the "new" Lobster Smack to do very well.
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Visited this pub for lunch while circumnavigating the sea wall of Canvey Island. It's a really pretty 18th century tavern which supposedly inspired Dickens when he wrote 'Great Expectations'. Sadly the 1950s sea wall blocks the view of the sea, and the nearby oil refinery, sewage works and caravan park don't add much to the charm, but it's still worth a stop. Clientele seemed to be mostly elderly cockney diaspora talking about the days of Ronnie and Reggie, or fishermen/merchant marine workers. Only one real ale on tap, English Pale Ale, but well kept and poured. Atmosphere was rough and ready but friendly.
A word on the food. My friend and I had been walking for seven miles and wanted a hearty lunch, and we got one, at a good price. This is not a a gastro pub, it is cheap pub grub so please don't expect more for the price. I'm perfectly happy to have microwaved scampi and chips and a sticky pudding for less than a tenner. This was normal pub fare a few years ago but nowadays people seem to expect Cordon Bleu cooking everywhere they go. If you want that go to France and leave the cheap and filling pub grub and real ale for the rest of us!
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Used to enjoy taking my kids there for dinner but on my latest visit I won't be going again.
Food was rubbish...
curly fries -overcooked
egg on my mixed grill - overcooked
Steak (rare) - well done
The dessert I ordered for my kids, some sort of knicker-bocker glory thing.
Basically was two scoops of (old) ice laden ice cream, 2 fudge brownies from Morrisons and have a pint of squirty cream.
Shame really as this used to be a great all-rounder but all the pub seems to give a toss about are the 3 or 4 every day drinkers.
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Lovely old 17th century building situated by the sea wall on the south side of Canvey Island. Pleasant, timber-framed interior with plentiful seating available outside as well.
Although it was the only hand pump ale available at the time, a cool, refreshing pint of Young's bitter was just what I needed midway through my walk right round Canvey Island on a hot summer's day.
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A lovely building, but we tried three doors and still couldn't get in! The barmaid had to open a door for us, so not the best of starts.
We went for lunch, based on the strength of reviews on this site. Sadly to say, we left very disappointed. Firstly, the menu asks you to go to the bar to order but when I did the barmaid said she would come to our table. She followed me through... then left us waiting. She stopped to serve other people who had arrived after us who'd made no previous attempt to order, so I thought this was rather rude. We also had to watch as others who came in ages after us were served with their meals first. We had to chase up a starter that had not been put through to the kitchen and I had to remind them about a side order that didn't arrive.
The food is dead cheap (�1.85 for nachos, �3.99 for gammon, egg & chips) but I'm afraid you get what you pay for. The gammon and curly fries were both overcooked and my cheese bap looked as if it had been stored way too long in the freezer because its texture was revolting and its top half just broke off and disintegrated into dried-up pieces. I think even my dog would have turned his nose up at it.
We drove a long way to have lunch at this pub but we certainly won't be going back. One of the worst pub meals I have ever had.
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My pub for over 30 years. Love to go back. My ashes will be scattered from the jetty nearby.....not for a while I hope. Great pub, good food.
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this pub is a real jewel. the best on the island. food is good as is the beer. friendly service. what more?
cant understand the person who didn't like Canvey or its people. the island is the friendliest of places.
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Great Pub, great food shame about the narrow minded mainlanders who think of Canvey folk as "Inbreds". Even whith our webbed feet we consider our gene pool to be of the highest quality and most diverse, so there!
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Fairly comfortable pub with a drinkable pint of Hanncocks HB.About the only pub on Canvey that you will get some sort of real ale albeit Hancocks.Food was fairly good and was good value.If you go by bus it's about 20 mins walk from the King Canute.
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A great pub in the summer - a bit quiet in the winter but very cosy.
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Very nice gem of a find on Canvey...Tucked away at the end of a road to nowhere.....Hancocks bitter very good....Friendly bar staff, cosy, The best you will find in these parts.........Mitch
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Arrived here Saturday lunchtime having walked round the flood barrier from Benfleet. Hadn't seen a soul until within 100 yards of the pub. Only a handful of houses nearby and a small caravan park all surrounded by oil storage tanks and the sea wall. The view from inside is of the sea wall even from the (closed) upstairs lounge so to see the view you need either to stand or climb over it. It was quite busy with drinkers of all ages and serving reasonable food. Served a good pint of Hancocks.
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Located on the sea wall with excellent estuary view, a warm welcome for tired sailors will be provided by Fat Tel.
Essex fisherman - 24 Oct 2003 11:14 |
Great traditional pub, dates back to the time of smugglers in the thames estuary, great food
elizabeth - 28 Sep 2003 17:52 |
