The Albert, Colchester

Very disappointed with this place, had to wait for ages to get a drink, then ages to order our meal, which took for ever to arrive, I wanted vinegar and tomato sauce, had to asked 3 members of staff, it came half way through my meal in the end. I ordered another drink before my meal came that arrived when I finished eating would have been nice to have while I was still eating. They never seems to be anyone around to answer your needs and to top it off we waited for ages to get the bill. FOOD WASN'T ALL THAT.

My wife and I visited the Albert yesterday after not having been there for over a year. It is local to us and we fancied a good steak on a Friday night. The steak was good but the chips were part cooked and the veg was so over cooked. The atmosphere is very nice as is the restaurant and the staff are very friendly and helpful. It was busy so is clearly popular but I would only recommend if you can't find a better restaurant reservation in Colchester. Like us on a Friday night.

Went with work as a do, couldn't of booked a worse location. The pub side was fine, everyone got served quickly even though there was two members of staff serving. There was around 25 of us waiting in this area, making for a very confined environment when others arrived. We were told 20 minutes for our table, which after 45 we enquired again, to be told twenty minutes or so. After much persistence we finally sat down. The starters were dreadful. Safe to say that nobody finished it. When we got to ordering the main, 30 minutes later, it took over 15 minutes for orders to be hastily scribbled down by the single waitress. The wait for the food allowed plenty of time for drinks, which we were going to the bar for as we'd given up on waiters. I had got the steak (being a beefeater it made sence) and asked for it medium rare. When the food arrived there was a scattering of greens, which looked withered and as if not cooked, just left in a pan of water for a few hours. The chips were few and far between, also cold. As for the steak, it wasn't cooked. Heavily bleeding and beyond cold. When I asked for another I got the same steak (burnt), along with the veg and chips untouched. When I explained to the waitress the problems, she shrugged her shoulders then walked away. I've said I wouldn't recommend to friends but this is as a restaurant, the pub isn't bad and the beer wasn't the bottom of the barrel you'd expect after trying the food

I went to the Albert with four other people for my dads birthday, glasses and cutlery filthy, when you ask staff to change them, they look at you like your mad. The service is appalling, three of us ordered steak which apparently they are experts in cooking as they have a steak master, my dads steak was like a peice of old boot leather and the other two weren't much better, we sent my dads steak back and they cooked him another, by which time the rest of us had finished our meal. The steak that they gave him he couldnt even eat as it had so much blood coming out of it that i think the kiss of life would have revived it. We waited thirty to fourty minutes in between courses. after having already complained about dirty cutlery i still received my desert with a spoon that looked like someone else had just eaten off of it. The evening was totally ruined. I think you should get some new chefs and new waiting staff. I will never go here again and would tell everyone i know to avoid it.

We were a group of 6 booked in for a 1.30pm sunday lunch. We had main courses and only two of us had desserts. We left at 4pm. Need I say more. This hasn't been a one off bad experience, have been lunchtimes and evenings and consistently received the same bad service. Have now decided to give up and avoid this place in the future.

A friend and I went for lunch on a Wednesday, a lady that appered to be the manager wasn't very friendly. We ordered a jacket potato with cheese and beans and a chicken sandwich with chips. The jacket arrived which she said was chilli and cheese we told her we had ordered beans, she didn't appoligise and just walked off, a few minutes later the man that took our order appered and told us the potato was with beans (she must have got it wrong) again no apology. My friend ate her jacket but mine hadnt arrived she ate it as slowly as possible but 20minutes later there was still no sign of my sandwich. I went to the bar to ask where it had gone and the man went to look (he did apologise!) he came back with my sandwich which was stale- probably due to it being forgotten about and left on the hot plate. I then felt awkward eating while my friend had finished. When the lady came to clear our plates she didnt even acknowledge us let alone find out if the meal was ok. I would never go back!

This was my first time at the pub. I was in the company of 3 others who had eaten there before and warned me that, 'the food was good - but the service appalling'. We had a 20 minute wait for a table arriving at 7:35pm. The 'pub' part of the restaurant was ok. The service was as you would expect with only one person serving - but the beer was good. We attended the restaurant at 8:00pm to be told of another 10 minutes wait. Eventually we sat down about 8:45pm. The staff was friendly and polite but if they were double in number, we have got some sort of service! Our drinks order was forgotten and the food took an eternity to arrive! However the food was good but just insufficient staff to allow this modern establishment to function correctly. We left a tip out of sympathy!

I've put that I wouldn't recommend it to a friend but in reality I would recommend it - but with reservations and a warning about the, 'unacceptable service and staffing levels'.

I feel that The Albert has improved greatly to what it used to be. The Restaurant has had a major makeover and the food has improved manyfold also the staff are always very friendly and helpful. This is pretty standard Gasto pub fair but well cooked and nicely presented. Steak with sauces, fish and chips, Caesar salad, kebabs all very well cooked.