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STARK, Colchester, Essex

STARK

4.8 (72)
£41 and over
Modern European
East Rd, Colchester, Essex CO5 8TQ

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 1 time today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • 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 18:00–23:00
  • 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 72 people are saying

STARK reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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 Food

  • Essex

    Innovative

  • Essex

    Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
STARK offers a "wonderful experience" with "fantastic food and service" in a "relaxed, unpretentious environment." The Michelin-starred restaurant excels in "exceptional" cuisine, featuring "exquisite" dishes with "unusual flavor combinations." Guests commend the "friendly and attentive" service, making it a "must-try" destination on Mersea Island.

72 Reviews

  1. Zoe

    Yorkshire5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 8 May 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very pleasant dining experience with cuisine pushing the boundaries as you might expect of a Michelin star restaurant. The set tasting menu has several small courses which were sufficient but without that heavy feeling after a big meal. An excellent destination venue worthy of inspiring a weekend break to Mersea Island.

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  2. Joanna

    London7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 1 May 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Most exquisite meal served with care and attention in beautiful and unusual tableware. The food was wonderful and the service very friendly and helpful. Happy to answer all our inquisitive questions!! They had their Michelin star confirmed earlier this year. Only Michelin star restaurant in this area as far as I am aware. Really special evening out. Considering the quality surprisingly reasonably priced

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  3. Julie

    Essex1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 26 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely fabulous food executed in a very interesting and unique way. The whole experience was very different, the service was efficient and friendly. Brilliant

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  4. Terence

    Essex2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 25 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The evening was just perfect. The ambience, the service and the food were superb, I would recommend the stark restaurant to anybody. When going you must enjoy the flavours that come through when eating the different courses Definitely a 10/10

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  5. Jane

    Toronto2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 24 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a lovely meal. It was quiet and I do find the decor a bit too dark for me but the food was delicious and special and the wine was lovely. More notes on those would have been nice.

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  6. Jenny

    Bath1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 18 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our meal was fantastic, we enjoyed every mouthful! Delicious food, good service, and a great experience. Even though my partner does not like fish, I was shocked because he still enjoyed the fish course (mackerel). Our only bit of constructive feedback would be to include a cider and a whisky on the drinks menu.

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  7. James

    Essex4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 18 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What an amazing meal ! The flavours and complexity of each dish increased with each course. Unusual flavour combinations that were absolutely stunning. The restaurant had a great vibe about it, nice and relaxed and unpretentious. The service was great and there was no pressure to buy more drinks. The food spoke for itself. Wishing this great little restaurant all the best for future successes

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  8. Daniel

    Essex1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 10 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic food and service in a relaxed, unpretentious environment. Thank you, we'll be back.

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  9. Lucy

    Essex2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 9 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    I can't remember ever having such a wonderful meal before. Every course and component was delicious, interesting and full of fabulous flavours. Nothing was on the plate just because it was "clever" or for its appearance alone. I can't recommend the food at Stark highly enough.

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  10. Celia

    Norfolk/Suffolk4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 2 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A brilliant place to celebrate a birthday. It was an experience rather than just another meal out. The quality of the food was outstanding. The preparation couldn't be faulted and the pairing of flavours made the palate zing. We loved the setting - not stuffy in any way - and on a cold evening was lovely and warm. Unlike other tasting menus we felt relaxed because the service was relaxed. A lovely memory to have.

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FAQs

STARK is rated 4.8 stars by 72 OpenTable diners.

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

  1. Home
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Essex
  4. Colchester
  5. Colchester

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 1 time today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for STARK

East Rd, Colchester, Essex CO5 8TQ

Additional information

  • Area
    Colchester
  • Hours of Operation
    Wed–Sat 18:00–23:00
  • 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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