Colchester Restaurants
42 restaurants in Colchester
Restaurants in Colchester:
Featured | Selected | Special Offers | Price | A-Z
Heath Road, Tendring, nr Colchester, CO16 0BX [Map]
In the charming village of Tendring, a hundred year old pub has undergone a deep transformation. Over the years, it has seen many changes both in style and name, but nothing quite as dramatic as the stunning transformation of an old style pub into the comfortable, relaxing reincarnation that is the Fat Goose.
The cosy farmhouse appeal it exudes highlights the modern and contemporary interior that greets you inside. Comfy leather Chesterfield chairs and a gentle fire wait for you and build the right sort of atmosphere for the cooler months, while outside the pretty garden is a favourite seating option on sunny days. The combined effect of the furnishing and overall ambience is to weave together a sense of comfort and 'home away from home' feeling.
The modern, vaulted extension is the most recent addition to the Goose, which has transformed the restaurant into a bright and airy place that can accommodate up to 90 diners. The patio doors open onto a terrace that provides al fresco dining in the warmer months. The Event and Outside Catering arm of the Fat Goose brings quality food to the venue of your choice or at the marquee on the grounds.
The real draw, however, is the food, which is possibly why they have been awarded an AA Rosette in 2009. Created by chef and owner Philip Hambrook-Moore, where the menu focuses on seasonal food and displays a number of interesting dishes prepared with fresh and locally sourced produce. Typically, you could expect to start with smoked duck and pistachio terrine and toasted brioche with chilli and orange marmalade while the homemade corn beef with horseradish cream, watercress salad and sour dough bread makes for an exciting first round.
Follow this up with main courses that range from char grilled rib eye steak with tomatoes, mushrooms, onion rings and hand cut chips to free range Primrose Farm pork belly with fresh pea, fennel and pancetta broth and crushed Landemere potato cake.
A daily fish menu exemplifies the appeal of fresh fish, bringing starters like pan seared scallops with chorizo salad, orange and cardamom dressing followed by supreme of baked salmon with creamed leeks, bacon and champ potatoes. While the à la carte offers a wide selection, you could simply opt for the chef's menu for the day and let him do the choosing for you, a decision that offers fantastic value and a superb experience.
A highly tempting range of naughtiness includes a traditional treacle tart with vanilla ice cream, a wonderfully warm banana and ginger nut pudding with honey comb ice cream or for a real knock-out number, the Belgian chocolate truffle torte with Baileys ice cream.
Lunch time offerings include sandwiches for those looking for an unfussy meal that is still satisfying. You would do well to try their steak sandwich with marinated tomatoes, rocket and Dijon mustard in ciabatta or the club sandwich of chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato and egg on farmhouse toast. All these are served with the customary homemade crisps.
An extensive wine list, with fourteen wines available by the glass, including champagne does ample justice to the kitchen, a happy union that proves compelling to those who flock to The Fat Goose, some from considerable distances. Do take a look at their Website for more details including monthly menu changes.
Modern British
£20.00£30.00
Brook Road, Great Tey, nr Colchester, CO6 1JE [Map]
Situated in the rolling Essex countryside the Barn Brasserie restaurant offers an idyllic rural setting while combined with astonishing accessibility situated as it is just five minutes from the A12 and nearby Colchester in the picturesque village of Great Tey.
This 500-year-old barn that has been lovingly restored is now truly a magnificent dining venue with high gabled ceilings and a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere that ensures diners return again and again. In fact the 7,500 sq ft thatched roof makes this grade II listed barn one of the largest in England.
The restaurant itself is now in its eleventh year and continues to prove itself a popular choice on the region's gastronomic scene. The main restaurant prides itself on a menu that has something for everyone. From its choice menu, two courses for £17.50 and three courses for £22.50, right up to its sumptuous á la carte menu and impressive wine list, the Barn Brasserie caters to all tastes and all pockets.
You could start with tomato and basil soup with freshly baked bread, or even chicken liver parfait with grape chutney, toasted brioche and dressed leaves, followed by pea and mint risotto with rocket and grated Italian cheese. Finish off with a home made lavender ice cream, pistachio ice cream and raspberry sorbet.
If you are eating on a budget then the variety is equally tempting. The choice menu of two and three courses includes delicious starters like chicken liver parfait with grape chutney, toasted brioche and dressed leaves or goats' cheese crostini with honey and walnuts, followed by braised shank of British lamb, with fondant potato, fine beans and a redcurrant jus or beer battered cod with twice cooked, hand cut chunky chips, minted mushy peas and tartare sauce.
There is also an extensive range of vegetarian and gluten free options from butternut squash, sweet potato and goats' cheese with coconut reduction to plum tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad with pesto dressed leaves. All that can be accompanied by any of the dishes from our side order menu.
The Barn ethos of quality demands that its chefs use only the very best produce the majority of which is sourced from the very best local producers. Whether it's free-range produce, like chickens from Suffolk or eggs from Tiptree, the Barn gets to know its suppliers and works closely with them to provide the Barn's clients with a dining experience to remember. Every meal is cooked to order and all individual tastes and requirements are catered for.
As well as glorious lunches and dinners, the Barn can also cater for business meetings, seminars and presentations with its private Dealing Room seating up to 40 delegates. Situated in the restaurant's courtyard, the Dealing Room offers a unique opportunity to hold meetings in a secluded and stylish setting away from the usual distractions and demands of the office.
Opened in 2002 this facility has proved immensely popular with business people from all over the region and is also available to individuals for private dining, wine tastings and parties along with their Colony Room, which will seat up to 26 guests, offering modern and contemporary dining.
All in all the Barn Brasserie is somewhere both interesting and special, an experience not to be missed. For further information visit the Barn's Website to sort out your reservation or requirements.
International, Modern British
£17.00£30.00
Stoke-by-Nayland, nr Colchester, CO6 4SE [Map]
The Crown has a reputation for outstanding cuisine, with 2 AA red rosettes, excellent wines - winner of the wine pub of the year 2005, real ales and friendly, efficient staff. The inn dates back to the early 1500s and has been extended over the years, endeavouring to provide modern amenities without losing the inn's old world charm. The Crown is unusual in that it attracts young and old alike, probably because of its varying degrees of decor suiting different tastes, but all done in a relaxed, modern and country feel.
Richard Sunderland and his chefs insist that the cuisine is simple and that they use the best and freshest ingredients. Choices for lunch could include pork belly and sage terrine, red onion marmalade with sourdough toast, a main course of roast rump of lamb with char grilled flatbread, hoummus, harissa, spinach raita and tabbouleh and puddings such as warm peacan pie and miniature coffee chocolate trifle.
Fish is chalked up on the blackboard daily, emphasising that everything is fresh, predominantly from the East Coast. Sunday lunch is treated with the same respect as in most East Anglian pubs and restaurants and wood pigeon with fine beans, broad beans and garlic cream might set Granny back a bit but she'll recover when she gets into the battered haddock with homemade tartare and thick cut chips, or the traditional roast beef.
Supper dishes could include a smoked salmon and ricotta fritters with honey and dill dressing followed by 28 day matured rib eye steak with peppercorn, finally ending with the warm pecan pie and miniature coffee chocolate trifle.
The Crown has over 30 wines by the glass, so you can have a different wine with each course. For those wanting a bottle of something rather special, the Crown certainly does not hurt the pocket, as an absolute it's a treasure trove of classics from a truly eclectic collection.
Another unusual feature of the Crown is the wine shop, where one is able to browse through over 200 wines, for either drinking in or taking out. Knowledgeable staff are on hand to guide you through if you feel too mesmerised! If you feel this is purely for wine lovers you would be wrong, for many of the local real ale aficionados come far and wide to sample the immaculately kept beers. Wines can be ordered by the case and are normally delivered within a week, unless particularly rare, in which case allow longer.
There is outside seating for lovers of al fresco dining, as well as just lovers, offering splendid country views so that your eyes can also feast on probably one of the finest views in Suffolk. Menus change about every three weeks, and seasonal specialities can be anybody's guess, but take a tip and click on their Website for fuller details, particularly for accommodation. The Crown has 11 rooms quietly located to the rear of the property, overlooking open countryside. All rooms are individually decorated and very comfortably furnished. A full English breakfast is included in the price and served daily.
Gastropub, Modern British, Modern European
£20.00£32.00
11-13 Head Street, Colchester, CO1 1NX [Map]
With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.
Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.
There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.
Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.
Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.
For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.
Casual, Portuguese
£11.00£16.00
59 High Street, Colchester, CO1 1DH [Map]
Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.
Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.
An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.
Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.
By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.
Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.
French
£21.00£26.00
Valentine's Menu: 3 courses and a glass of Crémant de Bourgogne - £25 per person Book
Crown Green Roundabout, Colchester, CO4 9WP [Map]
Part of the Whitbread family, Table Table restaurants aim to bring great value tasty pub food to an ever increasing eating-out public who like well prepared and genuine food served by friendly staff in relaxing surroundings. If that sounds too much like a dream come true be assured that at Table Table they also walk the talk, and are pleased to have the chance to prove it.
Their well located restaurants are spread across a wide range of decors and styles, and all of them share a determination to provide comfort, warmth and relaxation. Their buffet menus for special occasions are remarkable value.
In keeping with modern trends they provide dishes to nibble or share as guests consider the spread of options on a menu that could be described as British with welcome incursions. So as you share long Italian flatbread, and dough balls and dips, or a sharing platter with an imaginative range of finger food starting with garlic and breaded mushrooms, it's time to think about the relative merits of aromatic duck parcels, a prawn cocktail, breaded Camembert or sticky chicken goujons to name but a few.
Many an innocent dish from the past has been hi-jacked in the best possible sense into becoming what is now called a 'pub classic'. Wiltshire cure ham with eggs is served with chunky chips and beef, mushroom and ale pie, or chicken and chips are all familiar with British tables, be they in the dining room or the kitchen. Now they have been added to by chicken fajitas, a sweet red pepper, crème fraiche and fennel tart, a leg of duck slowly cooked and served with a Bramley apple and cider sauce, or chilli con carne with basmati rice, sour cream and guacamole and nachos. So is the humble burger with six enticing toppings.
The point is they, and others, are all here at Table Table, well prepared with quality ingredients, and presented in a way that makes you hungry even if you thought you weren't.
Getting down to the more serious side of the table keep an eye open for the seafood pie, a delightful assembly of things fishy including crayfish, red snapper, prawns and clams. Many of their steaks are 28 days matured, including a 7oz fillet. All steaks are served with watercress, roasted cherry tomatoes, a flat mushroom and chunky chips. A choice from 4 sauces adds the final touch of enjoyment.
Pastas and salads embrace some well known and loved names, but for sheer enjoyment the hot smoked salmon salad takes some beating - flakes of hot smoked salmon mixed with a house salad and soy and ginger sauce. A real winner.
Snacks aplenty cover hot baguettes with the like of grilled pork loin and Bramley apple sauce, sandwiches filled with Cheddar cheese, or prawns and Marie Rose sauce, and jacket potatoes with such temptations as chilli con carne. Add a bowl of chips for only a little extra.
A well travelled wine list offers helpful advice for the uninitiated and there's an impressive choice of draught and bottled beers and lagers. All in all it would appear that Table Table are more than achieving their aims, providing the opportunity for people to eat out enjoyably, with excellent value for money. Long may they continue to do so.
For completely up to date information on menu changes and special offers do make a regular check on their lively Website.
Family, Pub, Traditional
£13.00£20.00
19-20 North Hill, Colchester, CO1 1DZ [Map]
Strada describes itself as 'a group of stylish, contemporary Italian restaurants, serving good quality, simple and freshly prepared dishes'. The statement sums up what this group of around seventy restaurants offers to people looking for good Italian food. The first outlet opened in Battersea in 1999 and their clientele has been increasing steadily ever since.
Though Strada has grown into a fair sized group, each outlet retains the feel of being a local neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The menu includes pastas, risottos, salads, and fish dishes, but they are best known for their quality pizzas.
They present authentic Italian dishes in contemporary surroundings and aim to use only the freshest and finest ingredients, such as Luganica sausages, Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy to provide exactly the kind of rustic, traditional dishes one would expect to find travelling around its regions.
A meal could kick off with zuppa vongole e fregola, a traditional clam soup with Sardinian fregola pasta grains, wine, chilli and parsley, served with bread, or the delicious sautéed king prawns with garlic, white wine, chilli, and lemon butter served with your choice of bread.
Move on to their creamy risotto verdure, freshly grilled asparagus, broad beans, peas, spring onions, zucchini, green beans, white wine and mint, finished with baby spinach leaves. Or you could opt for the healthier, tagliolini nero granchio, black cuttlefish ink pasta with crab, courgette, red and yellow peppers, spring onion, and a hint of chilli and parsley. A real treat for the taste buds comes in the form of the bistecca manzo, a 10oz rosemary-marinated char-grilled, rib-eye steak with fries and fresh rocket.
A range of pizzas, all spun by hand, is an integral feature of each restaurant. They include the rossa, with spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic, fresh oregano, tomato and mozzarella. Nor are vegetarians are overlooked, and can be found tucking into dishes such as fiorentina, made of spinach cooked with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper with mozzarella, parmesan, tomato and an egg.
For those wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth, there is torroncino affogato, an iced nougat semi freddo with a shot of espresso to pour over, or a classic Italian tiramisu and, as you might expect coffee to round off the meal.
A wine list consisting of purely regional Italian wines, beers and liqueurs, all carefully chosen to complement the menu comes as no surprise and in addition, every table receives a complimentary bottle of purified water.
For further details including their latest news, menus and deals, and to find a Strada nearest to you, their Website certainly warrants a visit.
Italian, Modern
£10.00£25.00
Cowdray Avenue, Colchester, C01 1UT [Map]
The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.
Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.
All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.
The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.
Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.
On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.
Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.
And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.
Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.
Grill, Pub
£11.00£25.00
1 Culver Street East, Colchester, CO1 1LD [Map]
Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.
Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.
The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.
The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.
Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.
Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.
Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.
Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.
You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.
This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.
Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.
Italian
£10.00£25.00
Prezzo Valentine's Menu: 3 Course for £18.95, add your first glass of prosecco for £1 Book
12 Headgate, Colchester, CO3 3BT [Map]
Only a few minutes' walk from the Headgate Theatre and the Mercury Theatre, Zizzi Colchester is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxed Italian meal after a show. Spread over two floors in a tastefully refurbished historic building at the end of the busy High Street, Zizzi is also a welcome haven for tired shoppers from the nearby St John’s Walk Shopping Centre.
Close to popular attractions like the Odeon Cinema, Colchester Arts Centre and Hollytrees Museum, Zizzi also boasts an outside seating for al fresco dining in the warmer summer months.
The restaurant's bustling open kitchen turns out a wide range of freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers traditional antipasti, pizza, pasta and salads, as well as seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.
Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.
For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.
If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.
Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.
The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu; creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.
The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.
More information can be found on their Website.
Italian
£25.00£30.00
More restaurants in Colchester:
Featured Group Restaurant
Prezzo - Colchester
Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.
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Valentine's Set Menu: 3 courses and a glass of Prosecco - £16.95 per person.
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Valentine's Menu: 3 courses and a glass of Crémant de Bourgogne - £25 per person
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