The story
Church Street Tavern serves modern British cooking at 3 Church Street, Colchester, CO1 1NF. The Michelin Guide listed it as Recommended in 2026. The restaurant occupies a large townhouse just off the town's main shopping street, with a bar and lounge on the ground floor and the dining room upstairs.
Most ingredients come from farmers, growers and inshore day boats within about 30 miles, from the Essex, Suffolk and South coasts. The kitchen buys from further afield only when a product does not taste as good locally. The Good Food Guide describes the food as classic, casual and celebratory, with service that reviewers have called warm and friendly.
Readers have praised the open crab lasagne, which is rich and generous, and smoky aubergine croquettes with goat's cheese. Past mains have included pigeon served pink with beetroot and blackberries, and monkfish grilled on the bone with dhal and cauliflower. Pasta is made by hand, such as tagliatelle with beef ragù, chilli and ricotta. Desserts include sticky date pudding with fig-leaf ice cream and a baked Alaska with pistachio sablé.
The building was constructed as a Savings Bank around 1852, and the business opened as a tavern in February 2014. The dining room walls hold paintings, drawings, photography and a large mural by Lucy Tiffney. The wine list is annotated by style, and there are 375ml carafe options alongside cocktails. One recent pick from the list is a 2022 Chardonnay from Danbury Ridge Estate near Chelmsford.
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Just off Colchester’s main drag, the Church Street Tavern is rightly popular and comfortable in its well-worn skin, providing happily for loyal regulars and passing trade. Downstairs is the bar, upstairs is the restaurant, where ‘classic, casual, celebratory food’ is the deal and service is ‘impeccable, warm and friendly’ throughout. Readers have praised the ‘unctuous’ open crab lasagne (‘rich and generous’) as well as smokey aubergine croquettes with goat’s cheese. Impressively rendered main courses might range from exceptionally tender pigeon (‘perfectly pink with beetroot and blackberries’) to monkfish grilled on the bone and served Indian-style with dhal and cauliflower. The repertoire also extends to rare-breed burgers and various pastas – perhaps spaghetti with cavolo nero pesto and Old Winchester cheese or hand-made tagliatelle with beef ragù, chilli and ricotta. To conclude, sticky date pudding is freshened up with fig-leaf ice cream, and there’s a choc-chip take on baked Alaska with pistachio sablé – although the ‘perfect texture’ of a chocolate and blackberry panna cotta sealed the deal for one diner. Linger over cocktails or enjoy something from the well-annotated wine list – maybe the ‘rich and textured’ notes of a 2022 Chardonnay from Danbury Ridge Estate near Chelmsford will take your fancy; there are plenty of 375ml carafe offers, too. ‘One of best evenings for sheer pleasure in many years,’ concluded a contented soul.
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