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STARK, Colchester, Essex

STARK

4.9
4.9
39 Reviews
£41 and over
Modern European

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 3 times today
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 39 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.9
4.9 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

    Best Value

  • Essex

    Innovative

  • Essex

    Great for fine wines

  • Essex

    Romantic

  • Essex

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
STARK on Mersea Island is a "fantastic" dining destination, known for its "exceptional" food and "perfect" wine pairings. Guests appreciate the "intimate yet relaxed" atmosphere and "friendly" service. Highlights include a "delightfully different" tasting menu and standout dishes like the duck liver parfait. A "Michelin star" experience not to be missed.

39 Reviews

  1. 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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  2. claire

    London

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 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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  3. 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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  4. 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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  5. 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

  6. 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!

    Is this helpful?

  7. 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 .

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  8. Bobby

    London

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 18, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic food and superb service we will definitely be coming back. The Duck Liver Parfait was one of the best we have ever had. Many thanks Ben and Sophie

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  9. Gerry

    London

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on October 5, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had the wine pairing with our meal and it was absolutely perfect

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  10. Kirsty

    Warwickshire

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 2, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Definitely worth a visit, this Michelin-star restaurant didn’t disappoint on any level. We loved the intimate yet relaxed feel of the restaurant, in its new home on Mersea Island. The service was friendly and quick. The food was delicious! A special shout out to the two desserts, which were my favourite courses.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

STARK is rated 4.9 stars by 39 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 3 times today
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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