The Playhouse

Featured reviews

• A

  Alex Burchell

  ·1 month ago

  “Another good Wetherspoons. Food was good and hot. Nice environment to sit and eat in. Bustling, but not noisy. Way better than a fast food restaurant because of the flexibility of the menu (rice,chips or mash available with almost everything) and the better beverage offerings. Not to mention that it doesn't cost any more, either.”

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• M

  M H

  ·2 months ago

  “What a wonderful setting for a breakfast. Friendly staff and of course good value.”

• K

  kivlochan

  ·2 months ago

  “Exactly what you expect from Spoons. Fast service. Great select of beer. The venue is a fun one too with all the characters in the gallery.”

• A

  Amy Gooderham

  ·2 months ago

  “A solid Spoons, as always Really nice pub. It’s always a little busy, especially in the evenings and on weekends, but the wait time is never a problem — the staff are quick and on it. Food and drinks were spot on, and it’s affordable like you’d expect from Spoons. Same good value as all the other ones, so no surprises there which is why we keep coming back.”

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• M

  Marianne Micallef

  ·4 months ago

  “The food was absolutely delicious and delightful - it was very yummy. The drinks as well were very quick to come out as well as the food, the service was so quick and fast. The atmosphere was amazing, quiet but not too quiet.”

• I

  Inga K

  ·6 months ago

  “I love the style of this building. It's so unique. Huge selection of tables with lovely corners to hide. Clean toilets but also as usual busy and a bit loud as expected in that type place.”

• S

  Shan

  ·10 months ago

  “Normally have a really good experience at the local spoons, but, this was otherwise. As someone who works in hospitality I am aware of how busy the holiday season gets, however, I also know how important it is to uphold a good standard of customer service. Came in here with friends for a drink for new years, and it was extremely busy, as expected. I also want to preference by saying my friends nor I had even drunk yet, so it was not us behaving in an antisocial manner. We had waited 50 minutes for a single drink and some shots. We brought this up to the older female at the bar and asked for a refund, immediately she was quite rude in her approach and told us that “50 minutes is not even that long”. Waiting for a drink for nearly an hour is not long? That’s a very strange comment to make. Anyways, with all the commotion and noise in the background I asked her if my drink was being refunded, she then in a very disrespectful tone and manner said “did you not hear what I said”. Like sorry I could not hear you in this noise, just wanted to clarify. That’s not even the end of this disaster. Whilst we were waiting for the older one to sort out the refund (which has not been processed for me or my friend yet), another younger female told us in a rude tone to move away from the drinks. Completely fine obviously accidents can happen, drinks can be spilled etc. However, the look on her face like we were a piece of poop, was not warranted! I told her politely that the older female was coming back to us so we needed to stay close to understand the refund situation, she then spoke back to me aggressively as if she was looking to start some sort of confrontation! I was actually taken aback and that is when we decided we just needed to leave. Both these ladies looked like they DID NOT WANT TO WORK THERE. Like I’m sorry you are working new years and you are angry and stressed, but instead of taking that frustration out on paying customers, go and get some stress management help.”

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• R

  Rob Rook

  ·1 year ago

  “First time eating in here and it won't be the last. Very easy to order food and drinks through the app and didn't have to wait long to receive food. Food very good along with bottomless coffee ☕️ cup. Just what you need on a Sunday morning. Highly recommend trying it 👌”

• M

  Michael D Scott

  ·1 year ago

  “On a rainy autumnal day, I was cycling past on my way to a recommended local cafe when I spied this place. 'Looks a jolly interesting building', I mused. And so it proved to be. There's so much of the original that has been retsined that, like many of 'Spoons properties, it just oozes character. What Tim and his team have done so well, is to create a chain that appeals to all ages. Very, very clever. With a helpful member of staff showing me a little space inside to keep my bike safe, I settled into a nearby table to peruse the menu. With my Wetherspoons app, I ordered from the comfort of my seat. On my last visit to one of their many venues, all the gourmet burgers were sold out, so I chose 'The Big Smoke', which included pulled beef brisket, maple cured bacon, onion rings and chips. Very tasty too. The deal included a very pleasant 500 ml bottle of 0.5% Erdinger Weissbier, which, on its own, would have cost £2.63. Amazingly, the total bill was just £10.19. My only slight criticism was that when the server brought the meal, which arrived within 15 minutes of the order being placed (The drink was there within 2 minutes), when I asked for the condiments, there was no offer to bring them, but I was pointed in the direction of a table nearby. Well, what did you expect for a tenner? Service too?”

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• O

  On an adventure steve

  ·2 years ago

  “We love a spoons and this one did not disappoint. Beautiful building and the theme of the playhouse is carried out throughout the pub. We just popped in for tea and toast while visiting the local area we would happily drop in again when visiting Colchester”