Alvaros’ restaurant establish since 1977***** in Southend-on-Sea

Not enough staff waited an hour to be asked if we wanted a desert by which time there wasn't enough time.

Perfect restaurant experience. Fantastic food, wine, service & a special mention for the peri peri prawns starter, wow. Can’t wait to come back.

Nice little family run restaurant.

Delicious food and the place is spotless. Very pleased.

For 12 years, Alvaros has been our cherished anniversary spot, tucked away like a hidden treasure. The staff treat you like family, and their warmth makes for an unforgettable dining experience. The food is nothing short of exceptional with an extensive menu to choose from. If you're looking for more than just a meal look no further than Alvaros. It's our annual tradition for a reason, and we can't recommend it enough.

For those that haven't been this is not a place you rush in, eat and rush out. This is a place to savour and enjoy not just the food but your company also. After being invited to the bar for drinks before placing our order for starters we were then sat at our table and ordered our mains. The service was just the best. I would even go so far to say the best in Southend. We were made to feel truly welcome. The food didn't disappoint either. Our squid (whole not ringlets) and scallops with bacon were both superb. Our mains were fantastic. My Tournedo Madeira was not only the best fillet I've eaten in years but it was huge. I felt truly spoilt eating such a fine piece of beef. It just melted in the mouth, absolutely divine. My wife had the Espetada and it was equally as good. The dessert trolley looked magnificent too, with a huge selection to choose from but we were so full we had no room to sample dessert. When we return I'll be skipping the starter to make room for a dessert. This is definitely a place to return to if you want an evening of special treats. Five stars all the way.

The service was great. Food amazing and well worth a visit. Toilets extremely clean.

Fabulous place to eat, we love it.

Great food (especially our steaks) both were cooked perfectly. The menu is quite simple but has some real treats on it. (Baby Squid and chorizo was superb as well as the mushrooms stuffed with pate). Service was impeccable with a couple of very friendly waiters who made our meal really enjoyable. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Very reasonably priced for such a good meal as well. A superb dining experience.

Old-fashioned service from traditionally dressed waiters. Superb food and they've still got a dessert trolley so you can actually see what you might like. Give me a family restaurant with a white tablecloths over a spartan, sterile chain any day!

Alvaros always provides a unique experience - fantastic venue for a long, slow special meal with family or a loved one. I had Caldo Verde soup then a fillet steak then apple pie for my meal, it was outstanding. Go! You'll receive such a warm welcome and you'll leave full and happy 😊

one of the best restaurants in the Southend area, a little pricey but great food. Have used a few times and never been disappointed. keep up the good work.

Way too expensive for a high street restaurant, and the food was nice but not excellent. Service was dull, no smiles, no laughing, and service charge was included will not be going back.

Loved this place, a little jewel, staff very friendly and efficient, food absolutely great, can't wait for our next visit

Went to Alvaros to celebrate my friend's 50th Birthday. We had a wonderful evening. As my friend said, 'Everything was perfect '. This restaurant is a gem that has endured for over forty years. The perfect place for either a celebration or a romantic evening. Whatever the occasion I'm sure you will be well looked after and not disappointed.

Just first class, as it has forever been - a real and genuine restaurant, which shows up over-priced "gastro pubs" and national chain outlets as the disengenuous eating places they are.

How amazingly consistent and brilliant this restaurant is, so considerate when our pre-booked taxi let us down. As ever, fantastic service and delicious food that has kept our family coming back for special occasions for decades! Thank you so much

Went as a party of a large amount but great service and lovely food

Great environment and even better food. Fantastic wine selection.

Fantastic food and great food along with the service

What can I say, this is one of very few restaurants where service is still done properly. Felt welcome from start to finish. Plenty to choose from on the menu and food top notch.

Couldn’t be better, warm welcome, relaxed service, made to feel at home, everything delicious.

I have been a customer of Sams and Alvaros for over 5 years. I have visited the restaurant many times. Without doubt 1 of my top 5 world wide restaurants!

Excellent food, well prepared. Congratulations 👌

We stayed in the apartment. Very clean and overall quality happy with our stay. We just stayed for the weekend, but if you was staying longer the Very small bin in the kitchen could be a problem, so just pop into the restaurant and ask where to dispos of it.

Lovely food and even better service with warm, friendly and funny staff. Great selection of dishes

Been coming here for over 40 years, still as good. The staff have been here almost as long. Highly recommended, great food and atmosphere

Had a wonderful meal here yesterday. Was like stepping back in time with an excellent and varied menu. Staff were very attentive and didn't make us feel rushed at all. Will definitely be back.

Been coming here for 30years and it just gets better and better. Food fabulous service exceptional and such warm and friendly staff. Here's to the next time thankyou Alvaros.

Have eaten in this restaurant for over 30 years. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly and attentive, and the ambiance is calm and soothing. Would highly recommend

Food was delicious. Service friendly and attentive with out being intrusive. I hope to go back soon.

As always service was great and the diner was spotless. We took our neice and her husband and they are going to book a meal there themselves they were that impressed. The food was excellent and wine was lovely too.

My parents have been regulars since Alvaro's opened and introduced me many years ago. I've brought back several people for their first experience in recent years and all love it. We love it for the people just as much as the food! Only my second meal out since March 2020 this evening (and Alvaro's was only not the first as that was on a Monday). They had also been our last before it all started. Hope to be re-visiting for many years to come.

Nice food, good service. Just like stepping back in to the 1980s.

Really funny. Great show. Had me in stiches the whole time

Excellent food, awesome service in a friendly atmosphere! High quality standard.

Great food, well presented. All staff very pleasant and attentive. Thoroughly recommend.

Very attentative staff. An excellent dining experience.

Lovely friendly staff lovely food well done everyone.

One of our favourite places to eat. Good food, friendly staff and great atmosphere.

Very good, service is a bit slow

Love this place! Authentic and truly Portuguese. What an outstanding level of service :) Our waiter was so, so friendly; not only him, all his colleagues were too. The food was top notch, the “old-school” atmosphere was fantastic - proof that modern isn’t always the way to go. Have been here a few times now and will definitely return whenever we want a nice evening out in the area. Thank you to the Alvaros team 🙏🏼😊

Brillant service, good food, nothing to much trouble

Fantastic. The food is top rate and the service is so good. A delight.

Never had any problems with anything in Alvaros. Food has always been delicious, service is faultless and the restaurant is spotless. Our favourite restaurant! Go try it.

Very nice food and 1st class service

Great Food! Great Service! Americano main was cooked to perfection. Melted in the mouth 👌

Food was good and fresh, no question. But the price..... Ouch!!

Very nice restaurant, good food but certainly not cheap

Food is still fantastic, been going for 10 years now

Only the best ingredients excellently cooked into the most delicious meals. Magical and memorable! 10/10

U can not go wrong here our family have been going here for 30 years.

Lovely good and great service as always

We have been dining at Alvaros for over 30 years and we can honestly say this is our number one restaurant we absolutely love eating here. It is run by the same family and the food is freshly cooked. The staff offer top class service and are so friendly.

Great food. Great service. Relaxed atmosphere

Excellent service the first time. Made me come back here twice. But was not the same experience each time.

Excellent service, Excellent food, Excellent Ambience,

Terrible food !!! Never had such a bad meal !!! Visited Alvaro's for the first time in October 2019 as I have heard good feedback about it, however it was an awful experience and I definitely do not recommend at all! I booked a table for a Tuesday evening for 4 people and as I have checked the opening hours they are closed on a Monday. Therefore you would expect the food to be fresh...but not. Arrived there and restaurant only had 2 or 3 tables so nearly empty ( which is okay as it was a week day ). Not big but neither small restaurant, clean and old fashioned restaurant but good atmosphere. We ordered drinks and food, informed at first by the waitress that they did not have some of the starters and mains that were on the menu...which is fine...we order prawns ( cooked in a traditional Portuguese sauce), Cod (Portuguese bacalhau) and a fish dish similar to fish soup ( caldeirada/fragateira portuguesa) and a side dish of vegetables.... then waited nearly 1 hour for the food to arrive to the table ( when the restaurant was nearly empty)...then when finally food arrived, first impressions not smelling at all which is a bad sign, then all the meals seemed to have the same sauce. Started to try the food ... OMG I never ever had such a bad meal in my life ... food tasted like plastic which means first that not fresh at all, second it was defrosted and warmed up in a microwave probably in a plastic container, third the tomato sauce was from a can and all the meals had the same sauce. Prawns were very small and they were crumbling, the Cod did not tasted like Portuguese Cod at all and the fish taste was really bad. In general all the food did not smell at all, had all a tomato can sauce, taste was off and not fresh, tasted like plastic ....could not eat at all even trying hard...only thing we could eat were the vegetables as a side dish, just cooked in water and the bread. During our meal the waitress and the waiter did not even come up to the table to ask how was the food, which is really bad...but truly inside they knew it was terrible or maybe it's because we were Portuguese and did not matter at all asking ??? First of all you should always treat costumers politely and in a courteous manner regardless. Please do take this as a constructive feedback because myself and my family are Portuguese and I am sorry but the food had nothing Portuguese at all. My husband is a Chef and has worked in many places in London and now Southend, my family also works in hospitality for over 20 years and I have worked as a waitress in different places and currently working in a restaurant in Southend. However you don't even need any knowledge in this industry to understand that from the food to the service nothing was good. anyone could cook better at home! Therefore I can honestly say that I do not like to write bad reviews but this time I had, so that costumers would know what to expect and second owner would think about it all.... food was terrible, service wasn't great. Just to add we did not complained at the moment as we were not even asked how was the food and everything overall...and last but not least service charge for 4 people and not optional ??? I will not visit again because there is nothing worst than spending money in food/service which is more than bad ...is terrible !!!!

Great place to go great food all cooked to order can't say much as I'm the head chef

But experience, the rest is up to the kitchen.

Great wine list. Monte Cascas Reserva Red

Service was good but food was disappointing. Gone downhill in recent years and very expensive.

Been eating at Alvaros for thirty years. It is still the best food in Southend and the service is second to none. i recommend the Steak Americano an incredible dish. I noticed some criticism of the décor in previous reviews yes it's clean and simple, however ask yourself what's important in a restaurant ? For me it's extraordinary food and attentive service.Alvaro's restaurant is always a memorable experience and the food stunning. an update visited restaurant for our wedding anniversary, the food was sublime how they manage to keep the standard up i have no idea, simply beautiful food and a service second to none.

I love it, great food, great staff it's my favourite restaurant

Brìlliant food and really welcoming staff. Definitely return soon.

Still the best in the area, yes it may be dated and not trendy but boy is the food good, never fails to impress. Huge menu, good wine selection and great service and let's face it, would prefer those 3 than a fancy setting and modern dining theme. I mentioned to the sommelier that my preferred wine was not on the menu and hey presto he found a couple of bottles, first class! Lobster bisque splashed with brandy and cream to die for and the Veal flambayed at the table superb. The old addage you get what you pay for applies here, not cheap but boy is it good, highly recommended.

This little gem never fails to please. The traditional food is delicious and no request is too much trouble. From the minute you enter the warm cosy restaurant you're made to feel as welcome as a family member. It's one of my favourite places to eat and is a first choice for any celebration.

Amazing food and service each time

The best place to eat in Southend. Lovely and professional staff and food is 1st class.

Excellent food, brilliant service, will go again

Unfortunately will be my only time here as I was visiting, great family run restaurant, great food and great servce,. Lovely People.

Visited Christmas Eve. Food and Service was first class. Would definitely recommend.

First class. Quality maintained for last 30+ years

Yesterday me and my partner (both Portuguese) visited this restaurant for the first and Last time. They claim to be a Portuguese one so we had high hopes on the food. Unfortunately, nothing we ate had even a small taste of Portugal. For starters the lobster soup was very watery, without taste. For main, I had the cod filet and again no taste, it just looked like one of those freezed ones that anyone can buy and boil. My partner had the "bifinhos de porco a Alentejana" which he didnt like and even felt sick during night and today morning. For these dishes the sides that we could add were fried chips?! Or vegetables.. We chosen the vegetables and that was again very disappoiting, sweet potatoes, boiled carrot slices and cauliflower cheese?! In what Portuguese restaurant do we eat that?! In adition, we asked what expresso Coffee brand did they had, (because we both understood at this point that they are not a Portuguese restaurant so It would be normal not to have good expressos and we would not order it) the waitress was very nice and professional and went to ask a colleague, which told us they had Buondi expresso.. So we ordered it. However, what came to us was not an expresso made in the machine they had in display, and we know it because we didnt eared any noise making it, it took like 10/15min to do it, and when it arrived it was just like mixed powder with hot water, with loads of Coffee powder still to dissolve. The prices are not cheap thats for sure, and this is not a Portuguese restaurant. So if any Portuguese askes me if I would recommend it, I will say No. Sorry.

I am gluten free vegan and had a 3course meal no problem. The meal was very tasty I had nut cutlets with new potatoes and plenty of veg with hot tomato sauce, Avocado for starters and strawberries for pud. Followed by mint tea. Awesome

As always great meal and great service.

Menu a tiny bit old school for my liking but fantastic quality cooking and lovely staff!

Firstly, I was recommended this restaurant by a friend of mine - she swore by this place. I live about 20 miles from Westcliff so it was a bit of a journey. However, absolutely no regrets. The décor of the place is a bit old fashioned, but this does not detract from the fact that it is a superb restaurant. The staff pay extra care to you as soon as you walk in the door. I don't think I've ever received as good a service in any restaurant. This is a family owned and family run business. You don't often get those anymore, so to find this place is a real treat. I've never eaten Portuguese food in my life, so I was pleasantly surprised. The menu's are extensive (I had wild boar!) and there is a dessert trolley. There is also a reasonable amount of vegetarian options here. I cannot recommend this more highly. Word of warning. Book in advance because it gets busy quickly. That's to be expected. If you have the wait, you know its good food.

Good food nice place good staff would I go again probably

Great food and great service. Not many restaurants like this exist nowadays.

Very traditional, real melba toast and silver service. Has to be the best restaurant in Westcliff

I love this place. Visited a few times on date night. Lovely traditional Portuguese restaurant, loads of choice on the menu. The service is really good all staff are really friendly and accommodating. The desert trolley is a lovely treat at the end of the meal!

Excellent food and service could not fault it.

Great food ..service .. been there years ,needs modenising now .. come on go for it .. so busy .. funds must be there .

Best restaurant in the Southend area

Well worth the visit for a great experience of times gone by. Great menu and value

My personal favourite restaurant - only visit occasionally as it is a fair distance from home. It is small, intimate and served the best food! Some meals are cooked at the table, and the waiter service is excellent. Only slight drawback is the small waiting area while your table is bring prepared. Highly recommended!*****

Recommended and lived up to expectations

They have a very special wine list, the food is amazing and the service is great. One of the best places in Southend.

The best restaurant in Essex. Old fashioned great service and stunning food. They even still cook some meals at the table.

What a lovely dinner. Amazing food with great service.

Delicious food and exceptional service! Warm and friendly atmosphere with a dash of elegance.

Excellent restaurant. Amazing menu and fantastic service. Get what you pay for. Highly recommended

The BEST Restaurant in Southend

Amazing food, outstanding quality and service is second to none

Fantastic portugues restaurant. Alvaro and his staff alwahs very friendly and looking after their customers. Gracias Alvaro!!!

Absolutely brilliant food. Great stuff and lovely atmosphere.

Great food all fresh and cooked to order all deserts are home made

There is no better restaurant in the area for quality of food but also value. Staff are extremely helpful and friendly. Traditional and delicious food. Couldn't recommend this restaurant high enough. My favourite restaurant. 28 year old male.

Excellent food, great service. Worth regular visits.