We waited 20 minutes for a drink and 85 minutes for a meal. In that time there was no attempt by the manager to tell us what was going on. The chef brought out some bread and olives after an hour to appease us. When we complained nicely the manager totally ignored us and went away without saying a word. Totally lacking customer service. My Tagietelly was far too dry but the other meals were OK. We didnt have a dessert in view of all this.

My daughter and I have just got back from a lovely meal at The Essex using a voucher from The Price is Wight that we were given for Christmas. There was a good choice of food available and everything was freshly cooked. The meal was very tasty and well presented. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The staff were very friendly, helpful and attentive. The restaurant is calm, clean and welcoming for all with an extensive menu catering for all dietary needs. Would definitely recommend. Thank you for a lovely meal.

Just enjoyed a lovely evening out at The Essex. The food was delicious, the place itself is beautifully decorated, the staff were friendly and the chef did what I love, which was go round and talk to their customers at the end of the evening! The prices were very competitive - I had 3 courses plus drinks for £25 - absolute bargain!. Best of all was that they offered a FULL (i.e. an actual choice of up to half a dozen dishes per course!) vegetarian, vegan and gluten free menu! The quality and variety of these dishes showed the hard work and dedication the chef has towards making their food accessible to all. And the look of some of the meat dishes passing by my table was almost enough to make me start eating meat again (almost!). I will say that the waiting staff did seem a little inexperienced and the food did take a little while to come out, however, I personally like this for a meal out - I would far rather have a relaxed, whole evening dining experience than feel like the food is coming out on a conveyor belt and under pressure to eat quickly because the table is reserved for a second sitting after. If you are blessed with enough patience to understand waiting staff have gotta start somewhere, and if you don't mind waiting a bit longer for a meal that has been made to order with entirely fresh ingredients, then you and the Essex will get along fine. I will definitely be back!

Visited on a Saturday. Staff very friendly. Unfortunately, considerable delay between order and its arrival. The food itself was 1st class and tasty, although the portion size was smaller than normal for the Island. The waitress then seemed to forget about our group. Waited ages to make another drinks order. All in all disappointing when looking at other reviews. Seemed understaffed. Looking around, its tea and cakes selectiins looked popular. Overall an average rating on this visit.

I have been to the Essex on a previous occasion for a themed afternoon tea and that was fine but going for an evening meal was a total sham!
I booked a table of four for a couples evening out with friends but soon regretted my venue choice. We would normally book a table at the Pointers or The Taverners where the quality of the food served is always good. I don’t eat Iceland type food in my own home so I tend to avoid the kind of restaurant where they serve microwaved slop to paying customers. On the evening we ordered, lamb pie, fish and chips, sausage and mash and a chicken burger, the menu was quite limited but we were all happy with our choice. We waited well over an hour for the food to arrive, despite there only being 3 other tables with 2 people on each. The food was not worth waiting for and really was a very poor quality and not cooked well! The fish was soggy, the chicken burger so over cooked and dry, the sausage and mash was a spoon of lumpy mash with burnt sausages and a few rubbery beans on the side and the lamp pie was a solid brick with very little lamb! It’s hard to complain when you’re out with friends, I didn’t want to spoil the evening and they all felt the same. We didn’t stick around for dessert just paid the bill and left. The most shocking part of the evening was the bill, it was so overpriced for what we had and way more expensive that some amazing restaurants on the island. The average meal was between £13 and £15 which I don’t mind paying if the food is good and a good quality but for the food we were served it was daylight robbery! It’s a real shame, the venue is nice and The Essex could be a great place to eat but I will not be booking a table again!