The Hare and Hounds - Colchester

Address: Crayes Green, Layer Breton, Colchester CO2 0PN, United Kingdom.
Phone: 1206330459.
Website: thehareandhound.co.uk
Specialties: Restaurant, Lodge, Pub.
Other points of interest: Outdoor seating, Dine-in, Delivery, Takeaway, Fireplace, Great beer selection, Great coffee, Great dessert, Great wine list, Live music, Lunch, Dinner, Solo dining, Wheelchair-accessible car park, Wheelchair-accessible entrance, Wheelchair-accessible seating, Wheelchair-accessible toilet, Alcohol, Beer, Cocktails, Coffee, Healthy options, Private dining room, Quick bite, Small plates, Spirits, Wine, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Catering, Dessert, Seating, Table service, Casual, Cosy, Historic, Romantic, Groups, Tourists, Lunch reservations recommended, Dinner reservations recommended, Accepts reservations, Credit cards, Debit cards, NFC mobile payments, Credit cards, Good for kids, High chairs, Kids' menu, Free of charge street parking, Free parking lot, Dogs allowed.
Opinions: This company has 446 reviews on Google My Business.
Average opinion: 4.4/5.

📌 Location of The Hare and Hounds

☎️1206330459

The Hare and Hounds

The Hare and Hounds is a delightful country pub and restaurant located in the picturesque village of Layer Breton, Colchester, United Kingdom. With its charming atmosphere and excellent service, it's the perfect spot for a relaxed meal or a cozy evening out.

SPECIALTIES

Restaurant

The Hare and Hounds offers a delightful dining experience with a variety of delicious dishes, from traditional Sunday roasts to small plates perfect for sharing.

Lodge

For those looking to stay overnight, The Hare and Hounds also provides comfortable accommodations in their lodge, ensuring a pleasant and memorable stay.

Pub

The pub itself is a cozy and inviting space, offering a great selection of beers, wines, and spirits, as well as a variety of live music events for entertainment.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Outdoor seating
Dine-in
Delivery
Takeaway
Fireplace
Great beer selection
Great coffee
Great dessert
Great wine list
Live music
Lunch
Dinner
Solo dining
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Wheelchair-accessible seating
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Coffee
Healthy options
Private dining room
Quick bite
Spirits
Wine
Brunch
Catering
Dessert
Seating
Table service

With its warm ambiance and attentive staff, The Hare and Hounds is an ideal destination for a variety of occasions, whether you're looking for a casual lunch with friends or a romantic dinner for two.

OPINIONS
The Hare and Hounds has received an impressive 446 reviews on Google My Business, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Many guests praise the pub's delicious food, friendly service, and cozy atmosphere. One satisfied customer noted their enjoyable experience during a birthday celebration, mentioning that all the food was lovely and well-presented. Another reviewer appreciated the pub's welcoming and friendly staff, adding that the Sunday roast was particularly delicious.

👍 Reviews of The Hare and Hounds

Lyubomir G. (.

5/5

First visit in this pub for a lunch with friends and family in June 2026. Highly recommended.. Food was delicious we had Sunday roast and it was really nice and service was friendly and efficient. Would not hesitate to recommend. Will definitely return. Thank you very much. Good country side pub.

James K.

5/5

Recently moved into the village and was very impressed with the pub, we decided to booked into the restaurant for my son’s birthday. 20 people in total. Left a deposit and pre ordered the food. All the food was lovely and well presented. Staff are all welcoming and friendly.

Jack W.

3/5

The location was lovely and my roast was nice, unfortunately the service received was really not good. We pre-ordered, as we were a fairly large group and the food took an incredibly long time to come out. Everything was very slow and for some reason the adult’s meals were held until the children had finished eating, which was 1h 45 mins after we arrived. There was then an error on the order, which delayed one of the party from eating for even longer.

To her credit, the manager came over to apologise, gave us a free bottle of wine and desserts. These also took a long time, but we minded less as they were free.

Perhaps the group size was the problem, as there was a table of 2 sitting behind us who received much quicker service. I wouldn’t personally go back, as it’s rare that I have 3 hours for lunch. However, from looking at the reviews there’s plenty of people who rate this place highly, so perhaps we were just unlucky.

Nick S.

5/5

-THE WEATHER MAY BE COLD, BUT THE WELCOME IS ALWAYS WARM-

I count myself lucky to have the little oasis, that is The Hare and Hounds public house within walking distance of my home. I've lived in the area for near 7 years now. The pub has gone through different hands and is currently under the care of Cheryl. I feel guilty about not leaving a review sooner, but here is my review:

I have a quarterly catch up with my friend, and he always asks to go around mine.. for the pub. We visited last night (a Friday). Well, as the title suggests, it has such a homely feel about the place. The staff are always welcoming, and helpful. Even pups are welcome! They normally have 3 different ales on pump (of course we have to sample them all!). There are log fires going on to keep away the winters chill. They put on village events too like quiz nights, beer festivals, charity days, sport nights. It's a real hub of the village.

Myself and my friend, always visit the restaurant for a meal when we visit. Now, as a bold statement, I never had a bad meal. To quote another friend of mine "best burger I've ever tasted" and my mum, who loves her roasts, "I think that was a bit yum!". There are lots of choice on the menu, even a specials board - they always ask if any of the party have allergies, they have no issues working around that. The food is well presented, and makes the taste buds tingle. Just for reference, last night I had the lasagne for main and a brownie sundae for dessert - both spot on! Again the staff are gracious, funny, and prompt. I can not give any higher praise for the service that they provide. Top notch.

Keep up the great work, Cheryl and staff. You're doing a grand job!

suecJ400GR

Our car club had our post Christmas meal at the Hare & Hounds. From start to finish it was fabulous! Considering we had 40 people there, all eating at the same time (we did | pre-order), the staff were very efficient and welcoming. The food was AMAZING, you'd never know it was a group booking, each meal was fresh, hot and delicious! Thanks to Cheryl & the team

Sarah F.

5/5

Highly recommended. Visited today for lunch. Food was delicious and service friendly and efficient. Would not hesitate to recommend. Will definitely return. Thank you very much.

Charmaine P. B.

5/5

Had a wonderful meal for 2 on Friday evening. I think it’s important when you got out for dinner and have good food and service it’s important to let others know

Edward B.

5/5

Had a lovely meal with our walking group. 15 of us turned up with no booking and we were looked after really well.