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Image posted by Steve of N21
Submitted on Monday, 29th August 2011
With picture contributions to 220 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Victory at Mersea, Colchester
West Mersea
Postal town: Colchester
CO5 8LS
Reviews of The Victory at Mersea (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Gaskin left this review about The Victory at Mersea
We spent a few days staying at The Victory and I was interested to see how it was since we were last there. There were under offer signs outside and I was told that it had been sold and the new proprietors would be taking over in a month. There are three real ale pumps serving Crouch Vale Brewers Gold, Caledonian Deuchars IPA and their own Victory Ale which I was told is brewed by Heineken who own the place. They only seem to be able to keep two of them available, but they are in good order. The down side is that the IPA is £3.90 and the Victory Ale is £3.95. It is still an expensive place to sink a few. There is a long breakfast bar type table set at right angles in front of the bar, which is strange and makes navigating the bar awkward. The separate bar to the left could be a nicer place to drink but there is a large round table as you enter from the main bar which once again makes navigating difficult. The separate bar seems a wasted area. Tables in both are are sticky and in need of a good clean. It will be interesting to see what changes the new proprietors make, especially as each evening I was in there were almost no customers.
On 1st August 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 202 recommendations about 169 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Gaskin left this review about The Victory at Mersea
We visited the Victory on a wet Monday evening. We sat in the main bar area where there were three other customers. Deuchars IPA and Victory Ale were available. There was a St Austell Tribute Ale pump, but it was turned round. I tried the Victory Ale which was good, but a bit pricey at £3.40. As we were later in the evening the restaurant was shut and the lights were off, which made the trip to the Gents through the semi darkness an interesting experience. While we were there, the barmaid started locking the doors in the bar area to the left of the main bar and turning the lights off, and we really got the impression that the two staff would like the customers to go home. We visited later in the week on a sunny lunchtime, and the it was busy with diners, although the bar area to the left was quieter. With price of the beer, and a ploughman’s lunch at £9.75, perhaps their slogan should be ‘an expensive place to sink a few’.
On 19th May 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 202 recommendations about 169 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Victory at Mersea
The Victory is a large multi roomed pub restaurant and 7 room B&B hotel situated right on the waterfront with fantastic views over the Blackwater, a 10 minute walk from the centre of West Mersea, close to the centre of the oldest part of the island, and on the opposite side of the road to the famous sea food shack, the West Mersey Oyster Bar.
This is a large Edwardian build, built in the early 20th century by the Colchester Brewery Company and not far down the road is the original much smaller Victory pub which is now a private cottage.
The pub décor is based around the concept of the famous warship Victory and its commander, Lord Nelson, and plays on the rather cheesy strap line of ‘a great place to sink a few’.
However, I will forgive them this because actually to a level that is correct, especially if the sun is shining.
Inside it is a separate restaurant and then a main bar section with a large conservatory section bolted on the side. However it is a very popular with day trippers and holiday makers and on a busy day, like last Mondays bank holiday, nearly all the tables are occupied by diners. But it does benefit from a very large beer garden which affords excellent views over the Blackwater and all the houseboats.
We didn’t eat here, but as mentioned most other people were, and the menu is extensive with specials shown on a chalk board. The prices for the mains seemed to be a bit on the high side of standard pub prices, but I will need to leave it up to others to confirm if the meals and service justify this
On the Ale front, there are three pulls on the bar and the place seems to focus on Theakston ales with Best Bitter and Lightfoot being available along with the now ubiquitous Sharps Doombar, and the Lightfoot was a well kept pint.
On 1st September 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
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- Official site of the Victory, contains menu - www.victoryatmersea.com
- Facebook - Victory at Mersea
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Victory at Mersea - whatpub.com
Wivenhoe, 11.69 miles, 3 hr 45 min walk (show)
Alresford (Essex), 11.53 miles, 3 hr 47 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
