Brakan in Southend-on-Sea

Just reading these reviews. I did not write a review at the time as I hoped it was an isolated incidence, and nobody enjoys leaving a negative review in this climate. I see nobody has mentioned the smell inside the restaurant. As I walked in I wrinkled my nose at a smell that wafted over, I assumed it was a man placed near the front door. I was in a party of 4 adults/couples. We ordered drinks and the meze arrived ! it was a bowl of green dip and tiny triangles of cold hard pitta bread. Nobody said a word as this was a fun night. We ordered main course, I ordered the prawns !! in a sauce which read very appetising. Everybody was served and as an adult I said please start. People did slightly. Then came over again the terrible stench, I looked at the other female and we both mouthed " wind"....the males said no, its the drains. It was awful. I would say I waited a further 15 minutes for the prawn dish, the sauce was a dead ringer for a jar of Lloyd Grossman...by then we all started to speak about the food etc. The other lady got up to go to the toilet, was in there an age. I jumped up and went to the toilet as walking home. I can only say the contents of my stomach left my body, although not quite as as soon as I went to wash my hands, where I had flushed the toilet bowl was rising. I can laugh about it now. Then I had to sit again and my god I was in a state. Flushed again, and again it rose up. I did not say a word to friends until Christmas eve. As my husband and I started our walk I confided my story with " I need to go again" he said you cannot. I said I need to and I scoured alleys , bushes,,,,it was torture, He said, I will rush on, give me your bag, and off he shot. He flung he front door open and I made it. Hopefully the drains are fixed and the prawns are defrosted properly now. It seems so with all the great reviews. I do remember all the staff were attentive, and asked a few times how my meal was. And being typically British I said " fine". The truth as eating the food we all found it underwhelming.

lovely little place great food and great friendly service well worth the money

Food was amazing and the DJ played the best songs and the girls were amazing l Would definitely recommend

We dropped in for a late lunch and a few drinks, it was great! Lovely cocktails and amazing food, we will be back 😊

Me and my friends came for the bottomless brunch and it was all our first times visiting. We were definitely impressed ! The bottomless brunch package was £45 but for all the well cooked delicious food and cocktails it was well worth the money. The Dj was playing good songs. The waitress was really lovely and kept checking on how we were throughout the afternoon. We will definitely be coming back and I will be recommending to friends.

Me and a large group of friends went to Brakan’s bottomless brunch last weekend! We had an amazing time!😍staff was attentive and baring in mind the group size, made sure we was all looked after and had everything we needed at all times! They was passing around shots to everyone, the food was spot on , we had been here before for food and it’s always consistent and we will definitely be back ! Thank you personally to Olivia and maddie for making it special. We will be back 🩷

found brakan online , we saw all the reviews raving about the food and service so thought to give it a try. Myself and some friends came down from London and they only had bottomless brunch available in the day time so we tried it, we had such a good time!!!🔥🔥🔥they serve small plates that where delicious , our group had different dietary requirements and they was all catered too. Staff was bubbly and on the ball with service.Cocktails were 10/10 and we couldn’t have asked for better. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good time.

Amazing food great service will highly recommend to anyone in the area. One of the best tasting in the area.

What a shame! Went to visit for the first time with my friend as it has been recommend to me. There was a deal for 45£ so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to try it out. The food was delicious but what ruined our experience was the disappointing service. The young girl was moody with no manners. Someone let her know it is free to smile. There was no excuse for the service as it wasn’t very busy but she was taking her time not conversing just looked like she didn’t even want to be there. Very disappointed as the food was great but I will definitely won’t return.

Went to their bottomless brunch & possibly the worst I’ve been too. Have to order jugs and can only order one at a time which you all must drink so if you wish to drink another cocktail from everyone else, this isn’t possible. Food was awful, cold and minimal. Plus poor customer service from young woman who have the worse attitude, unprofessional & respond with “if you don’t like it, don’t drink it” when you raise a concern about a cocktail!!!!

Went to their bottomless brunch & possibly the worst I’ve been too. Have to order jugs and can only order one at a time which you all must drink so if you wish to drink another cocktail from everyone else, this isn’t possible. Food was awful, cold and minimal. Plus poor customer service from young woman who have the worse attitude, unprofessional & respond with “if you don’t like it, don’t drink it” when you raise a concern about a cocktail!!!!

Our whole experience for my son’s 18th birthday was brilliant. The staff are so lovely and welcoming, the food was so yummy & the cocktails are amazing, we also really liked the music that was played in the background, all in all a fabulous evening, we will definitely be returning again.

Third time eating here and still just as impressed as the first. Had an early family dinner on Sunday and had the place to ourselves for a while. Service was fantastic and we were made to feel at home straight away. Food was delicious and plentiful and really varied to include great veggie options. Beer served in frosted glasses too! We will definite be back!

A lovely freshly cooked meal. Loved it. Spinach and cheese parcels were so crispy! The falafel were delicious and the mains of lamb chops and chicken salad were generous and lovely.

Staff attentive and accommodating. Birthday celebration.Enjoyed all courses. Unfortunately coffee machine out of action.

Great evening, food was absolutely delicious. Friendly waiter and beautiful decor. A place to return to often and will recommend to friends.

Second time back and it was just as wonderful! The service from the waitress is amazing, so friendly and caring! Food is delicious!!

Such a beautiful restaurant & really delicious food. We don’t eat out very often as I’m usually disappointed with choice & quality of food & always feel like it’s a waste of money. This little gem however, leaves you feeling very satisfied with good service, menu choices & stunning food. My new favourite restaurant 🙏🏻💕

Wonderful night, casual atmosphere, great choice of quality fresh food, several wonderful cocktails form the talented mixologist, all served professionally and politely, what more can you ask for?

Went for lunch with another couple . The decor is gorgeous,love the cat pictures! The food was excellent and Olivia was by far one of the best waitresses you could want. Nothing was too much trouble. Lovely touches too,dips and hot drinks on the house. Well worth a visit,we will be back!

Today we ate at Brakan for a second time since it opened. On both occasions the service a food have been excellent and very good value. We will be visiting again.

This is an amazing little restaurant. The menu is perfectly sized and the Cocktails are beautiful. The waitress was very attentive and very professional. We will certainly be going back to this place again, but next time with loads of us.

The food choice here is great; Mediterranean small or large plates. We chose the 3 course offer and each course was super tasty. I’ve dietary requirements which limits a lot of food for me but I told the server and she made sure my food was prepared from scratch, which I so appreciated. The decor is lovely, stylish and cosy and vibe was chilled and relaxed. Go!

We visited Brakan for lunch one Friday for the first time and will definitely be back! From the service to the ambiance to the food, it was top notch. My wife and I shared calamari, halloumi and lobster arancini balls to start, then both had the mixed shish. All of it was cooked brilliantly and had great flavour throughout. We had beers with the food and finished with a coffee and left feeling stuffed, having paid under £50. Superb!

I have been to Brakan countless times now on recommendation from a friend. It is the best in the area, a really nice setting - lovely decor, very friendly service, the food is delicious with good portion sizes and also is very well priced for the quality of the food. We have visited on weekdays for lunch and also dinner at weekends with friends. The atmosphere is always fun.

We live in a restaurant mad area. We can go to a different one daily if we want. Bracken is now 4 in 1 year. It's that good

Excellent food and cocktails! Service needs developing a little more to make it slicker but overall very attentive and helpful. We had a great couple of starters and for main course, a mixed shish - both excellent.

Unbelievable choices for drinks and eating. When the drinks appear, the atmosphere begins, when the food is on the table, the love appears, haha!

Lovely experience having a quiet midweek lunch with my aunt and cousin. Food was amazing, blown away by the quality. We had the two course lunch menu which was very reasonably priced. Service from Olivia was attentive and personable, absolutely loved her. (Coming from someone who was a hospitality manager for almost 8 years - she’s a huge asset to your company!) Really loved the fact she overheard I was fancying hummus as well as the starter I ordered, so brought me out a portion for free. It really is the little things like that, going the extra mile, which make someone’s day. 🥰 Can’t wait to return and to try the main menu. Going to bring my partner next, then the rest of the family!

We ate here on Saturday evening. The food was nice enough but what spoiled it was being the only couple with an incredibly noisy party of 14 who had taken over the restaurant celebrating a 21st birthday (As we were leaving, another couple were being seated but otherwise the guests were all part of the birthday party). There is no problem with a party taking over the restaurant but it would have been much better to not take other bookings on the same night as we could not relax for the noise (I don't think they had ordered food during the hour we were there and our only respite from the noise was when groups of them went outside for a cigarette). While the waitress looked embarrassed, there was no suggestion to the group that they should reduce their volume for the sake of other diners. Whilst the noise was not the fault of the restaurant, I do feel they should have refused a booking from a couple in light of such a big party booking. I am sure this is a nice place to eat in other circumstances but it proved very expensive for a very rushed meal which went down in lumps and I would be hesitant to return.

This is the right place to eat. No doubts. Its very new and worthful to visit. I have never seen a better place to be honest!

Beautiful restaurant and super tasty food. Also nice staff. I would definitely come back here!

Absolutely beautiful-food, drinks, decor and service. Well done 👌 as I am hard to pleased 😉.

3rd time of dining here and on a rotten rainy night food and service were excellent. Only scored 4 on atmosphere as obviously not as many customers. Food is fresh, super tasty and (for us far too) plenty. Staff are attentive and friendly and what a local restaurant should be about. Have eaten lunch and dinner and it’s always been great.

Great/tasty food, massive portions and great service. Definitely recommend the place and we will be 100% back for more. The steak was amazing, and the brownie, omg to die for 😍😍 Thank you for having us.

Great food, even better service and nice chilled atmosphere!

New restaurant in Leigh on the site of a more casual eatery previously called 'Toasties'. Now completely refurbished in a very glam way, the food and service was surprisingly good. We hadn't booked and as it was a Saturday evening we didn't know if we would get in, but they gracefully gave us the last table they had. Service was really top notch, sincere thanks to Olivia who was extremely welcomingly and helpful. There was a guy there as well, didn't get his name but he was excellent too. It's a very small dining space, I think about 9/10 tables, but what it lacks in size is more than made up for in design, atmosphere, friendliness and style! The menu is fairly extensive with some great 'specials' on the night we visited. Together with a good and reasonable wine list, my wife and I were suitably impressed overall. Situated on the London Road in Leigh, some would say not an ideal location, but given all the good with the quality of the food, service and ambience, once inside you could be anywhere. Our sincere thanks to Olivia and the team for making an impromptu dinner experience so good.

Our first visit to this charming new restaurant in Leigh on Sea. Despite not having previously booked we were greeted warmly and luckily they found a table for us. The meal was delicious, it was beautifully presented. Olivia looked after us extremely well and we were offered a drink on the house at the end of of meal which we felt was a nice touch. Would definitely recommend this venue - we will be back again soon 🔜 Thanks for a lovely experience. xx

Very unique place to eat, drink and be with nice people. I wish to find this in my country. Could be make here every week a reservation on time with friends or family for dinner. Or coming daily for drinks and a lunch!

Lovely, friendly little restaurant. Very good service, delicious food and wine. It’s not the most extensive menu, but the regular specials add to it. Lobster arancini starter was wonderful ! Well worth a visit

Food was amazing! We had the meat and the veg mixed grills and the flavours were incredible. Portions really generous too. Great service and beautifully decorated. Will definitely be returning

Lovely restaurant. Service was excellent. Food was lovely.

Brakan well and truly exceeded my expectations!! I heard great things but it blew me away. The steak was excellent and cooked to perfection. Service was fantastic and the brownie was amazing!

Having walked past this new restaurant a number of times, we decided to try it last weekend and we’re fortunate to get a table. The menu is really great and set in a lovely atmosphere. All of the food we had was delicious and the staff engaging without being intrusive, we’ll definitely be returning.

This was our first time in this restaurant and it didn't disappoint. It has a lovely relaxed atmosphere. The food was so nice and the staff were very friendly, especially Stacy, who was very helpful and attentive. The chef came out just to make sure we were all happy with our food, which was a nice touch. We will definitely be going back.

The meats were so well cooked, moist and delicious. Portions are very generous. Good value too. One of my best meal experiences in the Southend area

We recently celebrated a special occasion at Braken and had a perfect night. It was out first time there and we weren't disappointed. Great options on the menu with delicious choices for my sister who is a vegetarian. We went through the cocktail menu and loved each one. Just wished we had enough room for dessert! Fantastic service from Olivia who made sure we had everything we needed. Would definitely love to go back.

Amazing food, great host definitely recommend a visit.

Absolutely amazing food 👏 , highly recomend this restaurant 😋 The staff are friendly and the service is great. Will definitely be coming back.

I went yesterday with work team for dinner . It was amazing time , we all felt so special , like VIP customers .Food was amazing ,very friendly chef make very speciall dinner for all of us .Everything was spot on . The lady form the bar was lovely too , she make beautiful cocktails for us .Very nice atmosphere highly recommended. Don't think twice just go if you want spent nice time and have an amazing meal .

We went on Saturday night with our good friends. The staff were lovely - must give Olivia a mention - she was excellent. Food was very very good with large portions. Prices very good. Cocktails and drinks were lovely. We will definitely be back. Thanks to all the staff and chef at. Brakan

Fabulous meal last night. Really tasty and beautifully presented food, excellent service from Olivia in a stunning venue. Looking forward to returning soon

We had a lovely meal at Brakan, the food was fantastic as was the service by Olivia! A lovely restaurant with great food and friendly, helpful staff! Will definitely return soon!

A very nice little restaurant. Recommend the chicken or lamb shish. Very generous portions. The lamb was particularly tender and tasty. Friendly and attentive staff.

Enjoyable evening. The buratta was a ball of mozzarella, not buratta so a little disappointing but still nice. The truffle fries did not have any actual truffle on. The service however was excellent.

This place is amazing would highly recommend for anyone food was brilliant and the service was spot on amazing restaurant

We have eaten here a few times now The food is great , service is great my wife just loves the pino colada, a well decorated run family business and i wish them all the luck in the future

What a fabulous restaurant. I nearly didn't write this review as it's a small restaurant and I didn't want to lessen my chances of booking a table in the future. Great food, service, decoration and value for money. Also got to meet the chef who...

Enjoy coming here cause the service is amazing and the food is unbelievable. This place is definitely one of the best places to go within the Leigh area as they always look after you there and the staff are amazing. Will definitely be there again

Amazing food, excellent service and lovely atmosphere, good prices and according with the quality of the place

Came here with a few friends, had such a good time. The mixed grill was amazing, and the watermelon special cocktail was fantastic

Great food and service - very welcoming and a beautiful restaurant - thank you!

I celebrated my birthday at braken and had a brilliant time, thanks to the staff and chef for a wonderful meal and service, I will recommend you to anyone who reads this or asks me. Many thanks again, Keith.

Thought that we would try the restaurant for dinner, we ordered the chicken shish and the mixed grill followed by deserts and it was all very good I couldn't fault any of it. I will definitely be returning.

First time coming to this restaurant - amazing food and cocktails !! The cocktails were such reasonably priced !! Lovely service and really friendly owner and staff !! 5 stars all round would definitely recommend.

Great meal with lovely hospitality. Had the Gamberi for starters which was unreal defo recommend. I then had a Filet steak for mains which would give some of the top steak restaurants a run for their money. Drinks were great and flowing and prices very reasonable. Look forward to returning soon!

There’s no place in leigh that offers such reasonably priced food and drinks at such high quality like Brakans. The atmosphere is both chilled and exciting with staff that just make you feel proper welcome! A great place for dinner & drinks, I highly recommend.

This is one of my absolute favourite restaurant in Leigh on sea. The food is always fantastic and no matter what I order I am always overly delighted with my meal. Can’t wait to return and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for somewhere to eat in the area!

Amazing food, chef even came and spoke to us after to see how everything was. We ate early so was reasonably quiet but still a good atmosphere with the staff. Cocktails are deadly too, would highly recommend

Food was so good, service was so good will definitely be going back. Thankyou x

WOW!!the new place to be! my girlfriend and I had a wonderful evening, food was amazing!the chicken skewers on the mixed grill "PERFECT"!!flovours were sooooo good! atmostphere was just amazing! great decor as well!! really lovly evening will be going back very soon!!

Only review I've ever given. Ribeye Steak to die for. Miller and carter needs to come here to see how it's done. Delicious 😋.

Lovely atmosphere and even better food. Couldn't recommend a better restraunt.

I couldn’t have asked for a better quality of services. There was a very customer centric attitude in the restaurant, centred around providing a good service and making my time at brakan very enjoyable. The food was amazing, and so was the drinks. I would recommend this to everyone in the local area, and I will definitely be coming back very soon.

I’ve ate at Brakan multiple times now and i can’t fault it . The menu has a big selection as well as a range of cocktails . Staff are very friendly and the food is amazing , reasonably priced.

Food, cocktail’s and service was a 10/10. Can’t recommend this place highly enough!

Great food, great customer service from all the staff at brakan and I'm now very in love with their Sunday roasts will be going back there a lot more

Brakan is one you can’t miss! There’s no place in Leigh that offers such reasonably priced cocktails & food that lives up to your expectations. When busy, the atmosphere is both relaxing and exciting at the same time. A great spot for dinner & cocktails !

We went for dinner, the food was so good, really delicious. The lamb sheesh was so tender and tasty and portion sizes were generous as well. Great restaurant to have on our doorstep, we will be back 😊

Fantastic food. I ordered the risotto and added chicken. Never tasted anything like it, So good. My husband ordered the salmon and new potatoes, lovely dish. The seasoning on the roasted tomatoes was amazing. They also know how to shake a cocktail. We'll definitely be back.

Had a lovely evening at Brakan. Great atmosphere, friendly, efficient staff and excellent food. Will definitely return.

What a smashing spot. Delicious food, good portions and great prices. The cocktails were a hit. We will be returning.

Lovely new bar and restaurant has opened in Leigh and the food is delicious. Simple menu of fresh ingredients. The King Prawns, the steak were cooked to perfection and the Brakan cocktail was lush. Highly recommend

Had a great Sunday roast today at the Brakan with two friends. Will definitely go back again and will recommend to all. Thank you, especially Olivia our waitress.

Went with our family including our 2 children (1&3) and can honestly say that it was a delight to dine there. Great service, excellent food (portion size and flavour), friendly staff and they really thought about the customers as they gave our children a little colouring book, pencils and a poppet toy to keep them entertained inbetween meals (which was minimal anyway). Also have to say that the lamb sausages were out of this world!! Can’t wait to go back but this time try the breakfast!

Amazing food and service from start to finish came out hot and beautifully prepared, definitely not the last visit!

Amazing place to eat, food is exceptional, staff very welcoming and friendly, considering its only just opened, very very impressed and I eat out ALOT, definitely one of my new places to eat and drink from now

Absolute amazing! My wife and kid loved the hospitality provided by the staff at Brakan. Food was delicious and the portions were great! I would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for a family friendly place & good food & very well priced.