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Eating, drinking and nightlife
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Colchester's oysters have been highly prized since Roman times and the local vineyards have an equally long heritage, so it's no surprise to find the town has a good choice of first-rate
restaurants
. Pickings are slim on Sundays, however, when most places are closed. Probably the best place in town is the
Red Onion Bistro
, 19 Head St (tel 01206/366379; closed Sun eve), which offers tasty dishes at moderate prices from a wide-ranging, contemporary menu. Alternatively, try
Ruan Thai
, 82a East Hill (tel 01206/870770), an excellent and moderately priced Thai restaurant near the top of East Hill, or the garden cafA© at the Minories (closed Sun in winter), where the lunches are delicious. The
Lemon Tree
, 48 St John's St (tel 01206/767337; closed Sun), is a moderately priced option, popular for its lunch specials and sunny courtyard seating. For pizza, try
Pizza Express
, 1 St Runwald's St, off West Stockwell (tel 01206/760680), or
Toto's
, 5-7 Museum St (tel 01206/573235).
Colchester's town centre is crowded with
pubs
, with three of the best being the
Red Lion
, 43 High St, the
Foresters Arms
, a nice backstreet local on Castle Road, and the
Goat & Boot
, just one of several lively spots down East Hill. And, as you'd expect in a university town, the town rates reasonably well when it comes to the
arts and nightlife
. The Colchester Arts Centre, on Church Street next to the Balkerne Gate (tel 01206/500900), puts on a good programme of rock, folk, jazz, theatre and dance, plus some club nights - all in a converted Victorian church. Nearby is the Mercury Theatre (tel 01206/573948), the town's main drama venue. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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