Discreet Dining in Colchester
Dinner in Colchester runs from quiet streets beside the priory ruins to oyster country out on the Mersea coast. Here is how each area tends to feel once the light goes.
St Botolph's Quarter for quiet streets near Colchester Town station
Narrow streets sit between the priory ruins and Colchester Town station, and the mood is relaxed rather than formal. It is a good setting when you want to talk for hours, but it can feel quiet midweek, so check opening days first.
Narrow streets sit between the priory ruins and Colchester Town station, and the mood is relaxed rather than formal.
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The Dutch Quarter for low light and old walls
North of the High Street, the lanes of the Dutch Quarter are lined with old timber framed houses, and a few places to eat are scattered nearby. It suits a first dinner where nobody wants noise, though the streets are tight for taxis, so agree a pick up point on the High Street.
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Somewhere to book a room or a table for the evening, in Colchester itself.
Real events in Colchester, from onthedoor.uk.
West Mersea for oysters beside the water
West Mersea is an island town to the south, reached by the Strood causeway, and its food leans on the oyster beds and the day's catch. Go for an unhurried lunch or an early dinner while there is still daylight to enjoy the harbour.
West Mersea is an island town to the south, reached by the Strood causeway, and its food leans on the oyster beds and the day's catch.
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Tides, timing and the last train
The Strood floods on the biggest tides, so check a tide table before you promise anyone dinner at Mersea. In town, evenings run early when the theatres are open, and smaller kitchens often close early or skip a day of the week. If someone is heading to London afterwards, check the last train from the main station first.
The Strood floods on the biggest tides, so check a tide table before you promise anyone dinner at Mersea.
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Knowing who you are meeting
A dinner invitation is easier to accept when you know what has been checked. Identity is matched to a government document by someone on the team, and no photograph goes live until a person has looked at it.
A dinner invitation is easier to accept when you know what has been checked.
- Optional identity check, by a person
- Every photograph reviewed before it goes live
- Free to join, free to list
Frequently asked questions
No. TheDirectory limits itself to browsing members and sending them messages, so a table in the Dutch Quarter, St Botolph's or out at West Mersea is one you reserve yourself with the restaurant.
Colchester has members of its own, and the listings also include people from places such as Wivenhoe, Manningtree, Maldon and Sudbury, which keeps a dinner near the main station or the A12 practical for both sides.
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