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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 cafAŠ 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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