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What a lovely pub! There seem to be more pubs than houses in Old Leigh so it was tough to choose one (we didn't have time to try them all sadly!). It was a cold but sunny afternoon and The Peter Boat has a large beer garden overlooking the sea. Once inside the pub ordering drinks, we realised how warm and cosy it was in there and how cold it was outside. We decided to sit in but by the huge windows looking onto the beer garden and the sea.
The drinks were good and very reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and there was a good beer and cider choice.
We only had one drink as it's all we had time for but we were given pretzel sticks and a plate of canapes - little French bread pieces with brie and cranberry, chicken and sweet chilli and sausage and BBQ sauce. Delicious little surprises!
If we'd had more time we would have stayed longer and had dinner there too. The food looked good and well priced.
I also thought whilst we were there that if you wanted a wedding reception in a pub, this would be a lovely one! I don't know if they've ever done it or would consider but it's nicely decorated, the large windows look like they open up onto the beer garden over looking the sea and it's a decent size.
Very busy as its a bank holiday but im telling you I have never eaten fish and chips as good as this, no grease fish was light and crispy and chips were crunchy and fresh so so nice I couldn't recommend enough
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Imagine, if you will, a quaint oldey-worldey fishing village down towards the mouth of the River Thames that once upon a time witnessed the might of the Roman army steering its way upriver to sack the city of Londinium...
This is Leigh-on-Sea, or Old Leigh as it's known to the locals. The bit of Leigh that hasn't been turned into a posers paradise of Cafe/Bars, ladies who lunch and illegally parked expensive cars with equally expensive vanity plates.
Old Leigh is just that - old. It's been around, catching and serving up seafood for hundreds of years in small cockle sheds. Naturally, this has gone hand in hand with a number of fine (and equally old) pubs that have been catering for the seafaring man's thirst for an equally long time.
So to the Peter Boat. In it's current incarnation it's one of the newer pubs in Old Leigh and caters for two distinct crowds: older regulars (most of the year) and younger drinkers (anytime the sun vaguely hoves into view from May to September and over Christmas).
The pub itself is certainly nothing special - standard booze, standard food and manages to wangle a price increase seemingly based on the temperature. Service is always incredibly slow when the bar is busy (any of those sunny days) and the staff in summer are the nearest bunch of students prepared to work for minimum wage regardless of experience or ability. Winter is a completely different kettle of fish however, but it's not really winter that makes the Peter Boat worth a train trip from London.
On hot days this pub comes... alive...
It generates huge crowds in nothing better than a car park full of picnic tables with a portakabin flogging seafood in the corner. Along one side is the sea wall and the fishing boats overlooking the estuary channel (muddy sea bed, view of the tide coming in and out and Kent far away on a clear day).
What makes it special is the sheer randomness, eccentricity and mixture of people who converge to drink in the sun. It's truly a melting pot of Essex humanity - and I actually defy anyone to go there without running into at least one person they know.
Old Leigh is one of my favourite places in my hometown - and there aren't many! I don't go there enough and I'm vocally critical of the state of the whole Southend area. It's places like the Peter Boat and those who still go there year after year that remind me why I loved it when I was growing up.
If you do venture in that direction you owe yourself a visit....and don't be put off by the Hells Angels, Essex boys and girls or seafood munching pensioners who you're bound to meet.
It's never really a place, decorations, music or products that make pubs or bars special - it's the people. So go meet them; all the characters with their stories and all the long, sunny days of summer to tell them....
Good food a bit more expensive than it used to be still pretty good. Still one of the best places to go on a hot day.
The Peter Boat has fond memories for me as it's so many pubs in one location. It's brilliant if the sun's out and you want to get lazy drunk by the water waiting for the tide to come in. It's the place to be when Leigh has a festival on as you can sit and drink watching the world go by in all it's glory. Finally I'd recommend popping down there on a dark wintry rainy night as it's atmosphere changes completely. You feel exposed to the elements in the car park but once inside you don't want to leave.
The recent and much needed refurbishment has given it a new lease of life.
The only downside was last week we were refused breakfast at 11am after the Leigh 10K run as they claimed it was too late. Shame the sign outside said it was until 11:30am.
All in all worth a visit...
a nice pub by the sea edge, which provides great outdoor views and opportunities to socialise making it the perfect plave to drink in the summer months.
inside the pub could be a bit better laid out, as it gets quite hard to get around when busy.
staff are friendly and professional, serving customers quite quickly too.
a good selection of drinks and nice food, sometimes a bit pricey though for what you get.
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Old Leigh never fails in providing pubs that provide atmosphere both outside and inside, but to me mainly outside. This small, and I mean small fishing port that specialises in shellfish cockles, whelks etc. This community dates right back and has a rich defined lineage, a name that jumps out regularly is Osborne an original fishmongers that exist within the Peter Boat car park and supplement those seeking beer with allsorts of seafood, in some cases when intoxicated being the only time you would eat some of the creatures on offer. The pub itself is fine and provides a full menu, but its beauty lies outside in my view, midst a sunset, or a warm summer's evening with friends. or joining in the celebrations of Leigh Folk Festival, something the Guardian recently called 'the one festival to be visited this year'. Enjoy the Peter Boat, and a similar description will be provided for the other Old Leigh pubs, who no doubt are in competition but invariably compliment each other really well. When visiting Southend and you ask where to go, always within the top three suggestions will be Old Leigh; try walking it from Chalkwell along the Cinder Path, or take the train, Leigh station is just over the road. In fact anyone taking the C2C line from Fenchurch Street into Southend will catch a brief glimpse of Old Leigh and the pubs on the right hand side towards the water.
in the winter this is the same as every other pub in the area, but in the summer it comes alive. the crowds mingle in together from the other pubs on the large court yard outside enjoying the sun with a very friendly atmosphere. it suffers as any busy pub does with long waiting times at the bar but a very social enjoyable place on a warm summers day
Had a lovely visit to the Peterboat, it has Bern a while and everything was amazing. Right from arriving the staff showed great attention to detail.
We had Chicken wings for starters that came within 10 minutes of ordering.
Our choices of Scampi & Chips and Sausages & Mash tasted great. You could even tell the peas were farm fresh.
The Sausages and mash looked amazing and even got a few heads turning when it arrived .
Our waitress Amelia was fantastic, I dined in some 5* plus places and her service manner was incredible. Well done young lady you a credit to the Peterboat.
I will definitely be coming back for another visit .
Friendly and welcoming staff, great tasting food, lovely atmosphere, and dog friendly.
It does get busy on the weekends and Bank Holiday, so it's best to book a table in advance.
The menu also changes, so check the website for the most up to date menu.
There are 3 areas you can choose to sit, and any of them is great, but sitting outside will be weather dependent.
The views are also fantastic!
The Peterboat is a lovely pub that does lovely food in lovely Leigh-on-sea. Its right by the water and if you sit outside on a sunny day you can get some lovely shots for the Gram! Whenever I go there I ALWAYS get the cockle chowder which comes served in a whole loaf of bread. It is probably my death row meal and I cannot wait to have it again. You have to eat it fast before the bread dissolves!
Foods are good. We had chowder (claimed to be the best in the world) and Sunday roast. We didn’t book and arrived at 12 but they fitted us in and were really nice with our dog. By the time we left it was packed. The waiters and waitresses were very good.
The restaurant sat in their glazed external enclosed terrace area. Warm even on a 12C day and gave lovely views of the estuary outside.
Staff were friendly and sufficiently attentive throughout. The food was tasty and of a good quality. Sizes were good as well. Top end pricing though but is worth that little extra.
Recommended stay for lunch and evening meals.
A pretty pub by the estuary leading into the sea. Been a couple of times and each time the food has been delicious. Staff very accommodating and helpful and thought nothing of substituting tomatoes for mushrooms for my friend's steak meal. Not yet sat at one of the best tables, but each time we've eaten in the conservatory, which is rather pleasant.
Excellent Food,we had a delicious Tuna Steak Club Sandwich which came with crisps or chips. Super views,cool relaxing atmosphere during the lunchtime service
Staff were very attentive
Pretty decent as it happens on a Sunday. Mad busy at 1530 but waitress still had time to check what my little girl (dairy allergy) can and can't have. Fair play to them, pretty much everything was available for her and the dairy free chocolate ice cream tasted banging and went down a treat when normally she's left with very little options.
Good work on catering for veggies, vegans and those with allergies 👍
We came here for Sunday roast and was not disappointed. The whitebait and cockle chowder starter was of a generous portion size as was the roasts. I had the chef's platter for main which again was a fair sized portion. With your Sunday roast you get a cauliflower cheese as well which again was very nice.
The traditional cod and chips is also very nice and again a fair size portion. This comes with peas and sauce with a bit of lemon.
The server's here are friendly and are able to advise you on the dishes on the menu.
You only get a two hour slot to eat your meal but that was plenty for us. If you want afterwards you can visit the bar for more drinks or sit outside.
Parking here is a bit hit and miss but there is plenty of spaces within a 5 minute walk.
There is disabled parking but there are a lot of cobblestones so going maybe a bit rough.
Overall we will definitely be returning as the fish pie looked great!
I recently visited the Peterboat restaurant in Leigh-on-Sea for breakfast and had a delightful experience. The quality of the breakfast was impressive and delicious, making it worth the visit.
The staff were particularly attentive and provided excellent service throughout my meal. They were friendly, professional and went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect for me.
The beautiful views from the restaurant added to the overall atmosphere, making it a lovely place to enjoy a meal. However, it is worth noting that the prices at Peterboat are on the higher end, making it a fairly expensive dining option.
Overall, I would recommend the Peterboat restaurant to anyone looking for a great breakfast with attentive staff and beautiful views. Just be aware that it may come at a slightly higher cost than other options in the area.
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