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STARK, Colchester, Essex

STARK

4.8
4.8
42 Reviews
£41 and over
Modern European

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 p.m.
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Charming
Stark is located in East Mersea, Essex and is owned and run by Ben and Sophie Crittenden, who opened their first site in Broadstairs back in December 2016 with the aim of securing a better work/life balance and enabling Ben to enjoy more time with their three young children, Ivy, Rosa and Arlo. Before relocating to Mersea Island, Stark was the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Thanet and one of five in the whole of Kent.

At Stark, only one, set tasting menu is served with no options or alternatives available. Because of this, Stark is unable to cater for any allergies or dietary requirements, for any reason as all guests eat the exact same meal each night. Ben creates a menu from high quality, seasonal ingredients, using his creativity and passion to create delicious food and provide a unique and exciting eating experience for customers.
​
Stark is a very intimate, relaxed restaurant, whose only demand of you is that you sit back, trust us with your dinner and enjoy the experience.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    £41 and over
  • Cuisines
    Modern European
  • Hours of Operation
    Wed–Sat 6:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    01206 616430
  • Website
    https://www.starkfood.co.uk/
  • Payment Options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual

Experiences

  • Tasting menu £90

    £50.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Multiple dates available
    A set menu of the chef's choosing. All guests eat the same menu each night and, because of this, we are unable to cater for any allergies or dietary requirements. An accompanying wine flight is available and needs to be pre-ordered at the time of booking. A pre-payment of £50 is required to secure the booking and this will be deducted from the bill on the day of the reservation.

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 42 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.6Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

  • Essex

    Best Overall

  • Essex

    Best Food

  • Essex

    Best Service

  • Essex

    Innovative

  • Essex

    Great for fine wines

  • Essex

    Romantic

  • Essex

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Stark, now on Mersea Island, offers a "truly amazing dining experience" with "exceptional food and wine." Guests rave about the "intimate yet relaxed" atmosphere, "superb" service, and Michelin star-worthy dishes. The tasting menu is a highlight, with expertly paired wines enhancing every course. A must-visit for food enthusiasts!

42 Reviews

  1. Esther

    Essex

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 12, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Michelin star quality food in a relaxed, intimate and stylish restaurant. Here’s hoping it becomes Essex’s first Michelin star restaurant soon. Food was superbly cooked and presented. They serve a set tasting menu only so ensure you are up for trying new tastes.

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  2. Thomas

    Essex

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We visited for the first time on Friday 6th December and had a wonderful experience. Each course was a taste sensation, with some wonderful and intriguing ingredient combinations. The service is excellent and the whole experience was truly memorable. The chef is a real star!!!! So treat yourselves and visit soon!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Julia

    Essex

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a lovely place. Delicious food. Would come again.

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  4. Karen

    Essex

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 9, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really really enjoyed the experience. Lovely service lovely food and lovely wine . Will be going back . Can’t fault it at all . 100% needs to be tried Dave & Karen

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  5. claire

    VIP

    London

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on October 26, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Another great food experience at Stark. The food really is exceptional but I took ambience down to 4 stars as the radio music is out of place and they had no sparkling water available.

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  6. stuart

    Essex

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 24, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Fabulous meal ...a must if you were not sure about going!! A real family affair which makes it even more special.

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  7. Giulio Cesare

    London

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 24, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a great dinner. Food was delicious and impeccable. The place was small and cozy.

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  8. matthew

    Cambridge

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 24, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The restaurant had a very relaxed and calming feel to it Which you don’t normally get with this level of food, they are normally a bit more stuffy. As for the food I thought it was exceptional, as good as you would get in some top London restaurants. Will definitely be returning and would not hesitate to recommend to friends.

    1 person found this helpful

  9. Dawn

    London

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 23, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food lovely, great decor, makes ambiance warm and comfortable. Food served with a smile. Evening was spoilt by having to wait 25 minutes to get bill! There was apparently issues with card reader. However, no staff had the courtesy to tell us this during our wait or offer us a curtesy drink or anything else!

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  10. Janus

    Essex

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 19, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Gorgeous food . Will be there again soon ! Great no fuss service .

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

STARK is rated 4.8 stars by 42 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 p.m.
Experiences are available.
Google Map for STARK

East Rd, Colchester, Essex CO5 8TQ

Additional information

  • Neighbourhood
    Colchester
  • Hours of Operation
    Wed–Sat 6:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Price
    £41 and over
  • Cuisines
    Modern European
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Payment Options
    Mastercard, Visa
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