Harden's survey result
Summary
“It’s always fun to eat the freshest seafood” at this waterside Mersea Island institution, which lives up to its name, and has a long menu of cold dishes ready to eat and a shorter menu of freshly cooked items (including potatoes sauteed in butter, but not chips). The business has developed over more than 40 years, since Heather & Richard Howard, a seventh-generation oyster fisherman, bought the Tollesbury and Mersea Native Oyster Fishery Company’s former purification shed, built in 1876; it’s now run by their daughter Caz. Top Tip – you can BYOB for a £6 corkage charge, but these days they sell three white wines from the nearby Mersea Island Vineyard by the glass or bottle, along with local beers and a couple of imported reds.
Summary
A day trip to this legendary and descriptively named seafood mecca has been a feature of the Essex coast for decades. Take along your own BYO wine and bread and be prepared for the interior to look exactly as you would imagine from the titular ‘shed’. Long loved for its “great seafood platters and daily specials” (crab, cockles, mussels, prawns “don’t get fresher than this”, alongside fine smoked salmon and mackerel); the only problem, as ever, is “if you can get in” – particularly complicated in summer when you absolutely have to book. Top Tip – lobster must be pre-ordered.
Summary
“No frills” it may be (you must “BYO wine and bread”), but the “great seafood” – including the “freshest platters around”, plus hot options – at this very “quirky establishment” (basically a clapboard shack) mean that a visit is “always great fun”.
Summary
“Simple seafood at its best” – “straight from the sea”, and sold without frills from a basic shack (so bring your own wine, bread and butter). Well known for many miles around: “it’s on an island, 65 miles from London. They don’t advertise as they don’t need to!". Top Tip – “native oysters from September to April are extraordinary”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Company Shed?
129 Coast Road, West Mersea, CO5 8PA
Restaurant details
The Company Shed Restaurant Diner Reviews
"The ingredients were generally good but e.g. the gravedlax and salmon rather poorly sliced. The service was under pressure as the manager/owner was rushed off her feet and doing ordering and most of the bringing to table. However, she was still smiling and helpful. I don't know how she does it. Overall we enjoyed sitting outside in the sun and the experience was good. The food is good value. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £24.50 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
129 Coast Road, West Mersea, CO5 8PA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 10 am‑5 pm |
| Thursday | 10 am‑5 pm |
| Friday | 10 am‑5 pm |
| Saturday | 10 am‑5 pm |
| Sunday | 10 am‑5 pm |
Best Fish & seafood restaurants nearby
British, Modern restaurant in Mistley
Fish & seafood restaurant in Harwich
Fish & seafood restaurant in Whitstable
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
Pizza restaurant in Margate
British, Modern restaurant in Aldeburgh
restaurant in Waltham Forest
