Pubs in Colchester, Essex*

The place to go for a lazy afternoon, pub quiz or last call

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Pubs

• The Swan has been bought by a pub chain and early indications are that the Swan will be turned from a lovely comfortable village pub into one of those ghastly ‘gastropubs’ Dogs are no longer allowed and we wonder how long before locals are discouraged from entering!
• The Shepard and Dog at Langham does wicked home cooked food and at a good price. I highly recommend it.
• The Chequers Great Tey, great beer, great atmosphere, no kids... Top notch pub!
• There is a pretty 'fresh faced' crowd in 'The Playhouse' but apart from that there are cheap drinks,no music so make do with stimulating conversation.Its very tight for space because a lot of people go there you might end up standing but it is a very good start out place before you hit the town.
• Any pub willing to let us in is gd
• Nice quick pub crawl... Playhouse, Edwards, Yates, Oneils, Wig'n'Pen, Firkin/ The Lamb... altho the chains can get pretty busy, usually good service/prices!
• the hole in the wall (next to the arts centre) is the best pub in town, and after gigs at the arts centre everyone (inc the bands) pile in there and have a drink

• You also seem to have forgotten, YATES!!! It's great! !Bit cramped!! but it plays great music
• MOLLY MALONES
• Wig and pen! has a dance floor, perfect for a warm up or good on nights clubs are closed
• The Playhouse is awful. It needs doing up and they really should get rid of all their little people sat in the theatre bit. There might actually be room to socialise if we were allowed up there!!!
• The best places in Colchester are Greenlands, try their Mars Bar and Skittle vodka shots! Edwards has a good atmosphere, bit pretentious on a Saturday night, get in before 10pm or you'll have to pay for the priviledge. Bar 33 is my fave, good RnB music and really cute manager!!!
• just look
• Rose and Crown by Eastgates is well worth a visit, especially the public bar on a Friday night and Saturday lunch, this is where the hoons hang out

• Hole In The Wall...great atmosphere
• Edwards bar...cracking birds, wanker Beckham wannabees, expensive drinks Bar 33 is a good night out, and the Hospital Arms for Adnams Ale
• Wig & Pen is cool. Also, Quilters at the bottom of North Hill is nice & quiet.
• Picasso's is an interesting bar on St John's street, I think they have reggae every wednesday night. With food in the day. Odd though, once I went in and the place was empty bar a few well worked out dark guys at the back with wads of notes accross the table....
• Posted April 2003. Research carried out by two 30 something women. So far we've managed to visit the following establishments: V-bar, The Castle, Act Bar One, Chicagos, The Little Crown, Playhouse, Vodka Bar (Greenlands), Fox & Fiddler, The Bull, Edwards, Wig & Pen, Yates Wine Bar, Smiths, Quilters, The Marquis, The Wagon & Horses, Whispers, Bar 33, The Clarence, The Cups, Market Tavern, The George, The Lamb (that was! Can't remember it's new name!), Ha Ha Bar. Hmm, not bad eh?!!! Out of those the ones we wouldn't visit again are Act Bar One (a heavy metal bar - certainly not our thing!!), The Cups (mostly cos it's now closed, but was blooming scary!), Edwards (fine if you're young, wearing the 'right' clothes I'm sure, but just a warehouse, no atmosphere, music too loud and we object to having to queue to any place to get in!), Whispers (far too small, nowhere to sit), Vodka bar (no atmosphere and cramped) and Chicagos (basically a 'meat market'). Possibly would go to Quilters again, but not that tempting when you've got that hill to walk down/up. Favourites out of the above would have to be Playhouse (cheap drinks), The Clarence (music good and pool table), The Bull (same as the Clarence), The George (very good for people watching and nice surroundings) and Wig & Pen and Yates are, although loud, tend to give you feel good kind of thing. As for clubs, we tend toward Roberts as has all age groups, shapes, sizes and types (as far as we can work out!). Most people will talk, whether male or female, music can be sung along to and you don't have to have the latest fashion accessory to fit in. Hippodrome is still unfairly judged as being for 16 year olds. Is ok and huge. Outside of town we frequent The Crown at Lexden at lunchtimes and although a bit shabby, very friendly, pool table (!) and has what you need (i.e. drinks and seats!). Pubs in Tiptree seem to be good for fights, generally!! Good meals to be had from Totos in town and Coopers Arms at Aldham. Will be trying out The Crown, Lexden very soon for evening meals. As for us, we're two females, aged 29 and 30 who are up for a laugh, none of this serious fashion, music etc; type business. Like a bit of music, but preferably something that can be sung (badly!) to and not 'boom boom' type music.
• Watch out for the sleazy Turkish blokes in the Fashion Cafe, they seem to have the respect from everyone in Colchester, but not from me.
• The Playhouse - may as well be the Creche, though it's cheap. The Hole - metalhead pub. nice place. fairly renowned for accepting the fresh faced crowd, as you might put it.
• the hogshead (king's arms) on crouch street is the friendliest and busiest pub in colchester - best in summer it also kicks off bigstyle on christmas eve when you're guaranteed to bump into all your old mates from home.
• playhouse is quite possibly the best pub on the planet!! he he cmon its cheaper to buy red bull there than sainsburys!! how can they do that tho? summit dodgy there and the kronenberg on tap is likely to be the best pint ull have in colchester and @ 1.99 u cant go wrong!
• Mcleans bar-cafe. Livly atmosophea in the evning with greate decor and comphetable leather seats Edwards. Recently opened in 2002 is one of the Edwards chains in Head street right next to the new cinima. Trendy place i recomend it
• The Globe Hotel on North Station ROad (5 mins walk from Colchester Station) is excellent if you want o tparticipate in Karaoke - brillint DJ Toby.
• The Hole in The Wall and The Kings Arms, so many memories. Love them still.
• dunno i dont remember what pubs ive been in as there are so many plus alchohol does something to my memory
• Ah, the Hole in the Wall - back in the day (probably 1996-97) when the barstaff ruled the place - anyone else remember Durham Dave, Juli, Eoin, Justin, Charlie, Fisher and co? Chances are that if they weren't pissed they were fighting or pulling...and, on the rare occasions when they did serve you, it turned out they were all pretty damn good at their jobs. Those were the days...
• the hole in the wall (alternative) act one bar, the cups
• TWISTERS- go on thursday and you can play "toss the boss" where you guess heads or tails and if you get it right you get your drink for £1 HAHA - this is a superb fashnable bar. mostly 23-35 year olds in there but still really nice. lovly decor
• The Act One bar is a cool place for the 'alternative crowd', like myself. It's on the same side of the road as that urrky shoe shop called 'Shoeworld', and it opposite the Veggie restaurant, up towards the tourist info place. Also, the Hole in the Wall pub, near the Arts centre and the Mercury Theatre is a great place to go for the again, 'alternative crowd'.
• Playhouse.......heaving with teenies.
• Smiths near Halfords and The Red Onion caters for over 25 crowd so that means no trouble and squaddies usually avoid it - however, it does get packed on a Friday and Saturday. Also serves nice food during the day.
• Try the Silver Oyster on Monkwick. Great if you like The Police Academy Films.
• The Robin Hood on John street is a great pub, has one pool table and is positively tiny..it's a pub pub!! The staff look like murderers but are nice enough once they get to know you...they'll remember your name. The beer is good and they do cheap doubles or almost everything. You don't start trouble in the Hood, it has a bad rep and they don't like students till they get to know you but it's a really nice chill-out pub for week day evenings..GO THERE!!
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• hard to get into but Champagne charlies is the place to pick up loose girls, other than that Playhouse is still good
• The PLayhouse, my FAVOURATE pub in the world. Your allways guarenteed to see a friendly face, whether it be a punter or the person pulling your pint. A little bizzy sometimes, but it all adds to the atmosphere. Which had depleted since 1999 when they made the pitt no smoking, so no one goed there.
• can't belive there has been no mention of BAR 33 on crouch str. yet , small friendly bar opp. the cinema.Top freshly cooked food ,no packet rubbish !! Then changes into a pre-club bar at weekends, great dj's , no hassle , no kids and best of all no idiot doormen at all.atmostphere with beer ,lovely !!
• The Cups and The Colne Lodge in the early 80's
• thenew improved castle excellent atmosphere and they welcome familys. Check out the horrer film inspired decor .Foods good to.
• my pub of choice is the playhouse- a young (but not too young) crowd, NO MUSIC, nice alcove thingies for privacy and great stuff to marvel at when drunk: ie the cut-out patrons in the upper circle.
• Hmmm.Pubs. Well' no shortage. Hate Abbott Ale though. Popular with the locals I know, but that's only because they haven't experienced anything else I guess. Big variety of pubs though. Avoid the Wagon & Horses and The Bull - unless you like sharing a room with a bunch of squaddies that haven't been out in ages.
• Playhouse: horrible place, but the booze there is cheap. Hole in the Wall: too squashed, but good company. The Cups: I went in here once in my tender youth, and all the bondage/black PVC/chain-mail knickers gave me The Fear bigtime. When I visited Colchester last, however, it was looking more wholesome. Marquis: squalling Little People.
• The Hogshead on Crouch St., lively, good beer, real ales, live music some nights. The Odd One Out, Mersea Rd. Relaxed, friendly landlord and clientele, best real ale pub in town. The Foresters Arms, Castle Rd. Student/ Guardian reader type pub but nice atmosphere, good pint and the food's not bad either (if a bit on the poncy side)
• Go to the wig and pen, great drink, without blind doorman,
• Avoid the FAshiion CAfe. Sleazy staff...young people. Awful. Cafe Brahms is even worse, can the manager wear more gold jewellery?.
• Again, you jest...the army is in town, personally I've found them no problem in any pubs...P.S. don't argue with any polite asian looking fellas.....they're Gurkhas. Don't go in the "Playhouse" if you ever want to get served, I suggest "Yates", it's also a good vantage point if you catch my drift.
• The Hospital Arms (near MVC on the road that goes towards Lexden and opposite the hospital) has excellent beer and a young, cool crowd in the evenings.
• Clarence at top of Sheregate Steps = friendly, cheap pool. Swan at Copford for lush food. Drive out Lexden Road way to Sainsbury's Tollgate roundabout, follow signs for Copford and it's on the left, past Kings Nightclub (is that dive still open?)
• The BEST pub in Colchester/Shrubend is without a doubt The Huntsmans Tavern, Shrubend Road, best chef in town Wee Jim!!!! Drew+Alison
• The Fox and Fiddler on the corner of Headgate is a great little pub.....as yet undiscovered by the screaming hordes on a saturday night......lovely barstaff, good jukebox, relaxed atmosphere.
• Greenlands-Vodka Bar in St. John's St. Does the most amazing Cocktail called the Greenland Special. Guaranteed to blur your mind.
• tap & spile One of the best pubs ever
• ROBERTOS WINE BAR CROUCH STREET NEVER TROUBLE CRACKING NIGHT FRIDAY BUZZING WEEKENDS
• Agree with the Odd One Out. Also try the Little Crown at the bottom of Eld Lane. Roberto's(Crouch Street) and Smith's(Up the side of Halfords) wine bars are worth a visit with friendly bar staff. Beer in the 'Lamb' in High Street always ok-No good if you don't like large screen TV's. Stockwell Arms in West Stockwell Street welcoming(even like cyclists)and the beer is good.
• 'The Cups' pub, up from the arts centre near the library and church. It's a goth/student hang out where they are not ashamed to play Sisters four times in a row, and follow it by Nine Inch Nails. You'll either love it or hate it...
• Nightlife sucks pretty much, but the 'Hole in the Wall' pub is pretty cool of an evening. Avoid 'The Marquis' at all costs (townies and little kids ahoy).
• Tap & Spile - OK pub with guest beer each week, quiz night on Mondays.
• Hogs Head - Student's pub, good beer selection + food(?).
• Playhouse - converted theatre (via bingo hall) - can be busy + difficult to be served.
• Most pubs in the town centre are OK except for Waggon and Horses, Castle and Marquis (full of 16-19 year olds - although not nessesarily a bad thing as it is easy to pull in there)
• Sunny Saturday afternoon in need of a pint and the comany of sometop messers. Spoofers bar Queen st. Rammed.
• Students- stay on campus- it's cheap and all the tasty birds are there. Squaddies- stay in the hippodrome and Waggon, 'cause the MP's know to look there. Townies- go jump in the river, 'cause the water tastes better than the beer served in the Cups.
• (Bar) Spoofers has the youngest and trendiest crowd with the best music, although can be a bit young and packed, however still preferable to the "Pubs"

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