brewers Fayre in Southend-on-Sea

Went here last night. The restaurant itself is beautiful, very much a good blend of modern and Asian. The service staff were good, very attentive but one of my pet hates is the removal of plates when not everyone has finished, it makes you feel rushed. Which given the place is not that busy is insane to turn tables quickly. The front of house though needs an attitude change. You're a restaurant in Southend, not Michelin starred. Try smiling it won't hurt. My husband actually wanted to leave because of you. Food. Good menu, interesting ingredients and combinations but unfortunately bland. So really needs some spicing, not hot, just flavour. Overall, Im in two minds about returning especially when there are other restaurants nearby which I think are far better.

Excellent atmosphere. Great food. Excellent customer service 👏

Came here with some colleagues for lunch. Beautiful restaurant, good food. I liked the menu – a good choice of dishes.

A lovely restaurant with delicious and brilliantly presented food, and the service is excellent. Been as a couple and with the kids and it’s been great both times. Highly recommend

We went there for our anniversary, the service was excellent, very polite and attentive. We chose a selection of 6 dishes, high quality and we enjoyed all of them. Also the recommended wine was very good. The place is very elegant, it is also very big and only three tables were reserved, so a bit “cold”. The only negative side was the atrocious smell of urine in the man bathroom, this is not expected in this kind of place.

I've been to zinnia in both southend and Chelmsford, unfortunately the experience was the same. The Food was hit and miss, some lovely dishes but also some very bland. The place itself is beautiful, amazing decor and feels like a high end restaurant. The service is what let this place down. From the time we sat down , then reminded the staff for menus and then got our food was just short of 2 hours. Our drinks orders were forgotten on multiple occasions. The place wasn't full and there were several staff walking past us so there's really no excuse for it being poor. It's a shame as zinnia could be lovely but we won't be returning .

Popped in Saturday evening no prior booking to chance our luck to get a table. We were in luck! Can’t fault anything, service attentive not ‘over the top’. Menu didn’t have my cocktail of choice however they still accommodated me (or humoured not sure which 😁) Food incredible, we went for the oysters, pork belly bites, chicken wings, skewers & hand made sourdough. We will be back!

This restaurant is decorated to the highest level no expense spared and really is somewhere very special. As you walk in you feel special and that's before you even sat down. The waiting staff are very polite and well presented. Being a Thai/oriental food fan I thought the food was fantastic, full of flavour and very nicely presented. I had bok choy, spicy chips and green curry. I'm not a chips type of person, but being by the sea I had to really! Zinnia is a high level place to eat at working man prices. The other local restaurants must feel threatened because the Google rating was 3.5 at the time of writing this and some negative reviews in the history. There is no way this place is a 3.5 restaurant, no way. For you other restaurants reading this review, up your game instead of writing bad reviews of your competition.

I was working in the area and needed somewhere to eat in the evening. Being a Thai food fan this popped up on Google but honestly I was unsure with it being scored as 3.5 stars. On arrival and walking in there was no way that this place could be 3.5 stars because the interior design and decor is simply stunning! Having been met by the polite well presented waiter and walking to my table I thought that there could be no way that the food will be bad, surely not. My food arrived after 10 or 15 mins which was perfect for me, not too fast or slow and it was well present and very tasty. I wish there was a place like this where I live in Berkshire because I'd be in there an awful lot if there was.

OMG complaint, awful experience, never again, service was a shambles food was like warm, all order was wrong, toilet were not in use , due to an accident and paramedics in attendance, drinks never turned up , our mains 2 mains game 30 minute , then my other guest came 40 minute after we had eaten our mains Walking about with ipads not getting a lot done done When i complained to management seemed disinterested Good bit nice decor , but cold Food was luke warm too , food little servings too My Birthday treat , was below average, and over priced NEVER AGAIN

Visited Zinnia for my boyfriend’s birthday, this was during the week early evening. The restaurant was almost empty, we got table overlooking the seafront, which was lovely especially as it was nice bright evening and we watched the sun setting, it was a lovely treat. The menu has lots of options from meat, seafood and veggie. It is little pricey, but it was definitely a place to celebrate special occasion and we have really enjoyed it.

Had to wait ages for our drinks even though we were the only ones downstairs. Poor service, poor starters didn’t even get everything we ordered, mains were good. Over all over priced and under delivered. Such a different experience from the last time I went when it had recently opened.

A lot of flash, not a lot of bang. Lady at the front desk has a face like thunder, bar staff extremely slow and it stinks of eggs at the bar. Food very average, almost tasteless and small portions. Left needing another meal. Very disappointed.

The food was so delicious. We had the lunchtime deal 3 courses set meal. I had the aubergine curry and was on par with the food I ate in Thailand for authenticity. The drinks were slightly overpriced. Unfortunately for the restaurant was empty (midweek lunch time). A shame as the food was great. The service was excellent also.

An awesome place that is so beautiful and special. Don’t take any notice of the bad reviews, I think they may be from jealous competitors. Everything is perfect, the staff are so attentive and the food is exceptional. Come and try it!

Disgusting food, I was sick after eating sushi plate, it wasn’t fresh and my special day was destroyed!!!! Also very expensive. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone! Shame because it’s beautiful place!

Delicious food, super service and lovely decor. Really recommend

We had a very enjoyable lunch on 30th Sept. Two of us were sat with view over Estuary & ordered the set lunch meal, which was freshly cooked. We added two jasmine rice to main course but only needed one. Couldn't resist the cherry blossom dessert which both looked & tasted amazing! Spotlessly clean. Will try bar area downstairs soon. If disabled, not sure if there is a lift to main restaurant upstairs? Our waiters & chefs were all friendly & welcoming. We will be back! Thank you.

We have just had our wedding anniversary dinner here, which we booked despite the mixed reviews. It's a beautiful place which strikes you from the outset. Reminded us of places we love in central London. We decided to have a selection of dishes, each brought to us at just the right time and in the perfect order. Each dish was a highlight, and they were so delicious it's not easy to pick a favourite. We finished with the Volcano tempura roll, which was "an experience"! Really could not fault it, great wine, serive, decor and of course food, which was fairly priced for the quality of the restaurant. We will definitely be back, and a little annoyed we hadn't gone before now.

Absolutely divine food could not fault

Nice afternoon having cocktails

Confused why there are so many poor reviews here, food was fantastic and service was very warm and welcoming. Not sure there are too many restaurants with the quality of food and value for money anywhere near as good as this in the area. Lets hope more restaurants like this open up in Southend to rejuvenate the place

A birthday celebration meal was fantastic. Not just a meal but a great experience. The service, food and setting were all superb. Thank you

Really lovely evening spent here food is delicious will definitely be returning

We had the prawn tempura, tempura salmon sushi and the short rib. Everything was delicious and I couldn’t fault it. The staff were so lovely and surprised us with a birthday treat. I can’t wait to go back when I’m next in Southend.

I have been to this restaurant with guests, family and for Date night. Every single time my appreciation for this restaurant grows. From food, service, ambience to staff everything is flawless. Food is so delicious and different yet so flavourful. The restaurant looks and is proper high profiles just like one of mayfairs London, interior is so impressive and beautiful specially by the beach it is cherry on top. I'm very impressed. Def will be visiting again and more.

Absolutely Diabolical Service. We sat there for 3 hours having ordered the tasting menu, after 3 hours we had only been given 4 of the six courses. Our table had not been cleared, we put our own plates on another table. The food was also rather bland. We made a complaint to the manager, he was very disinterested. I would not recommend to anyone, listen to the reviews, avoid.

Good Cocktails, engaging waitress (Blondie) lovey array of food.

The food was lovely i had prawn skewers pak choi and egg fried noodles quite delicious everyone else enjoyed their meal. Lesley Sammon

I wanted this to be super amazing but it fell short for me. Food - some dishes were bland. Some were amazing. Would recommend the vegetable spring rolls. Service - really poor. Drinks took forever downstairs and upstairs it was apparent that they were understaffed. Atmosphere - beautiful place but because it’s so big, they haven’t filled all the tables so it made it feel underwhelming. Given its peak summer, you’d expect them to have sold out. I could imagine in winter it would make this even worse. Was okay but sadly won’t be returning.

Stopped for a drink. Nice interior, but service is on the slow side where they didn't serve us, we had to ask for the waiter to come. Paid on our way out as our bill never arrived.

We've been to Zinnia a few times with friends and family. It always has great food and a great atmosphere. Beautiful interior and it's comfortable.

What a pompous money grabbing, deserves to fail place.👎 31st July 2024 Wednesday, after a paddle, very hot. My initial visit, a pseudo frendly towi type girl, up a high ladder in flip-flops attempting to replace plants which had only been put in Nov. of which she knew nothing! Attempted to be 'frendly' She couldn't be bothered to go & ask anyone about a/c. So at 71, with creaky bones (hers will be worse) I had to climb the stairs & ask. Invited to sit upstairs, but still as hot. Meaning up & down stairs agin. Food was original, tasty & small, but interesting & you expected to pay for it, a treat. Sad to say not the same for 2 waiters. The first was charming until questioned about the port. Showed me a bottle, ok that will do. But then I found he had charged me 4 the expensive one as they never had the cheaper one but he didnt tell me this! The other waiter was trying to be something he wasn't also, like the whole snobby pseudo posh place. 1 group of 6 & 2 others, at lunchtime. No a/c put on. I would've tried other dishes, but had enough of the plastic place. I wouldn't have paid a service charge, which wasn't there good. Waiter also charged for a cheaper port, but not until he had gone on & on about it. Customers always right, huh! Who's paying their wages, I wonder? no humbleness or any frendly banter & genuine interest in the person, which is part of the whole eating experience, which has been forgotten in many restaurants today. The human touch, let's call it, putting at ease, helping people relax & true warmth & smiles, like a family. To be all part of the eating experience. It has been forgotten here. I was going to praise the chefs, but they were out the back & I had to get out, it had caused me stress & the idea was to de stress. A thankyou to the chefs, I loved the unusual dressing with oysters (with no a/c, I put crushed ice on my head & face, did they get the hint!? Nah... ) also the belly pork was good & the seaweed in Teriyaki sauce. A pity, front of house (the first waiter knew his stuff & what the food was, but needs to have better people skills & show an interest in them, he certainly had time, but no motivation) & needs to go back to training & of how to imagine every customer is the boss or family. I never thoughtI would thought I would reach my age, but am still fit & grow my food & love nature. Genuine nurturing & joy, will sell more food/drink & customers won't want to leave, whereas I felt like a hindrance & not welcome.👎 So I won't have my next celebration there, with 100 guests! Or recommend it, unless serving staff are improved. I did meet a lad who had worked there for a month, but found the same snobby attitude! Thankyou for letting us see the contrasts of cosy & not cosy & wanting to return, but sadlly, not to Vinnia's..👎 The whole monstrous building is out of place there 😒 So pretentious, we have one also, we call it the Carbuncle!!, near Epping Forest & I come from beautiful Dorset, so I know of Beauty in humans too. 🥰🤗❤ I expect to receive the usual cold depersonalised reply & would I write an email! No, it's all here, what more do you need? Or afraid to to agree with what Iv said.. 🤣 Iv written many reviews to help people people by my experiences, but I really should've read the reviews on zinnia's! Strange, are they reading it as I'm writing it & preventing me from Posting it, as it won't go! But iv screenshot it.. 💥🍒🙀 Ah, as I gave no stars, only for food

Love this restaurant. I was here for my 40th birthday and it was amazing. Stunning decor and food to match!

Food was amazing . Service was very poor.we order Nasi goreng. It was put on the table without a spoon to serve. I have to call the waiter to give us a spoon. I ask for a jug of water. It came without glasses. Again I have to ask for glasses. The waiters need a bit more training they were very nice and polite . Just a bit of knowledge and training is required

Very nice place, very nice food, but the quality of the service has changed. Don't let it drop

Disappointing Birthday Experience at Zenia We recently visited Zenia in Southend for a birthday celebration. While the restaurant boasts a lively design and tempting cocktails, our overall experience fell short. Letdown: Unprepared Table: We booked specifically for a birthday, but our table wasn't even set upon arrival. While the staff quickly brought cutlery and glasses, it felt like a missed opportunity for a special touch. Menu Confusion: The waitress struggled to explain the menu, leaving us unsure about our choices. Average Food: The meze dishes were okay, but overpriced for the quality. Dress Code Discrepancy: The website mentions a "smart wear" policy, yet staff wore trainers and some guests sported shorts and flip-flops. This inconsistency creates confusion. Limited Dessert: We planned to indulge in dessert, but most options were unavailable, and there was no birthday acknowledgement like a candle. Bright Spots: Lively Design: The restaurant's atmosphere is undeniably vibrant. Appealing Cocktails: The cocktails looked visually enticing. Recommendation: Unfortunately, based on this experience, I wouldn't recommend Zenia for a special occasion. While the atmosphere might be good for a casual drink, the inconsistency in service, food quality, and dress code make it a gamble.

We saw some of the older reviews but went here on Saturday evening and absolutely loved it. The food is incredible, the service was excellent and there was a buzzy atmosphere. The restaurant is wonderfully designed and decorated too, with fabulous views of the sea. We'll definitely be going back.

Really lovely food - visited on a lunchtime. Have seen some reservations about service on an evening but my party was well attended to in the afternoon. Food was expensive but was good quality. The decor was attractive and pleasant - would visit again.

Service was first class, food was delightful. We had the 6 course tasting menu which I would highly recommend. Drinks were prompt and cocktail Lychee Martini was perfect. The only downside is the size of the restaurant which is very big and only 20% full but we were there on a night England played

We really loved the food here! It was all delicious and we’d definitely go again. We tried at lunchtime with 2 children. There were just a few other tables occupied, and the service was good. We didn’t ask if they did a children’’s menu or smaller portions, we just ordered them a bento box each and they tried lots of our sushi, dumplings, miso aubergine, etc. Our experience was great and I think the overall Google rating is unfair.

The best sushi restaurant I’ve been to. The food was beautifully presented, excellent service, reasonably priced and delicious. Thoroughly recommend. Such a lovely setting along the beach front. London needs a restaurant like this! We went Saturday evening and it was so nice we went back for lunch the next day.

Food was absolutely amazing here. Attention to details on everything, the service was above and beyond.

Amazing place, great food, amazing service!!! The only down side is that restaurant is accessible via bar area but there’s no one by door to greet you or guide you. So I assume quite few people walk off as they can’t figure out where to go as we did! Otherwise really nice place with views of 🌊

The cooked breakfast was cold and un edible , looked like it had been left since the night before. Not much choice as states in the menu. Staff was very limited (2) .we also booked a table in advance only to be told to sit where ever you want. We ended up at the bar as there was NO clean tables and obviously no staff to clean up. What little staff they did have were rude . AVOID this place . We also booked a dinner the night before as we were staying at the premiere in and they called us to cancel due to lack of staff. , again this was booked in advance. There are so many pubs etc around the area that do better food and have a better atmosphere.

It's a very beautiful place with a great atmosphere , the food was delicious. Highly recommend !

Can't comment on the food as we were turned away from an empty restaurant. We hadn't booked and after being asked if we were staying at the hotel and we said no, there was no table available. No explanation given. Customer at the bar said 3 other people had also been turned away.

We booked with a little hesitancy having heard reports of disappointing service levels but that was absolutely not our experience. The food was delicious, we had a combo of sushi, sharing plates and a main dish. The cocktails were original and also super tasty. Decor was an Ivy Asia vibe - so very nice and the views were really pretty at sunset. Our waitress, Claire, was brilliant…attentive and anticipated our needs without being over-bearing - she was spot on and we made sure she was told this as good service should always be shouted about it! We will certainly return and recommend to family and friends :)

Me and my boyfriend went for dinner on Saturday and it was amazing! Service was 10/10 and everyone was attentive and friendly. The interior and decorations were beautiful and aesthetically pleasing and the food was delicious! Especially the pork gyoas, I wish I ordered more of them!! The cocktails are also lovely and strong! Would definitely come back and they also have outside seating which would be lovely with summer coming up! Thank you!

Great service, food and lovely staff. The thai green curry and beef rendang was excellent. The volcano rolls were also a winner!

Second time at Zinnia and the service and food was 5 star!!! Been both midweek and a Saturday night and both times were exceptional. Not often you get a London quality restaurant on our door step! This restaurant is definitely worth a visit!!!

Well what can I say.the brewers faye southend. the place wasn't that clean nor tidy.there were only two staff on shift. one was the manager. they nedd more staff.there was lots of tables and the manger on the till wasn't sure what she was during.other places we have been they set up a tab nd split the bill into two.but she was useless.the food was good but won't go ther agin til get more staff and sort out their till system

Amazing food and service was top quality would highly recommend!

Cold mains, slow service and an hour between some of our group receiving their main meals.

We visited as two “Foodie”couples and were apprehensive after seeing some negative reviews. In our experience we found the food extremely good, as was the service. The atmosphere was “So-So” mainly because of the size of the upstairs restaurant. We followed the dress code advised, but there were plenty of people in shorts, crew neck T-shirts and trainers, which we felt lowered the tone somewhat. Will definitely return

Was sceptical given the reviews but this restaurant exceeded any expectations I had. The food was amazing and as good as or even better than any Asian food I've had in high-end London restaurants. The service was great albeit we visited on a Monday lunchtime. Clearly, a lot of money has been spent on the restaurant interior. I do hope that any teething problems at busier times are ironed out as this place really has great potential. We will be back!

Fantastic atmosphere, great customer service. The staff is friendly, attentive and they went above and beyond to ensure a memorable dining experience.

This was my wife and I first time in Southend On Sea and was booked into the preimer Inn. we had a table booked at this restaurant first impressions. The staff was not friendly at all. The cavery was disgusting as it looked like it had been sitting around all day

Worst restaurant I have been to ever! Food was shocking! Rice in sushi tasted dry and stale! Staff were uninterested in serving and we waited 30mimutes for drinks. Over priced! Would never recommend!

Came for breakfast multiple times series’s is great never had an issue, services from the red head not ginger is great as allways would highly recommend eating here

Terrible place. We ordered coffee and before we even had a sip, the waiter was with the card machine our faces. We felt so uncomfortable

Really top notch food. Staff friendly but service poor. Long waits, low attention, plenty of staff but nobody checked in. You literally had to flag people down to get served anything so wait times were long.

Our first time being here and my goodness from as soon as we stepped in the door, everyone was so so lovely and the food and drinks are absolutely amazing!! The hibiscus and melon martini was amazing!! We couldn’t eat everything but we got containers to bring it home and everyone else who tried a bit said it was amazing! Will definitely be back!

Came in for lunch we hadn’t booked but the lady found us a nice table near the window and the food was great and such good value for money 2 main meals for 11.49 is amazing Staff very friendly so a great experience

Beautiful restaurant u fortunately staff are not experienced or attentive enough for this style and cost of restaurant. Very disappointed. Plates left in the table for ages.most tables had plates left in them. Had to ask 3 times for more drinks again chase the bill and no one to give coats and umbrellas from the closet. Need to look at staff

Fantastic first experience at Zinnia today. The food and service were exceptional. Will be going back again very soon! We went with our 4 year old daughter and the staff were very accommodating and friendly.

First time here & we will definitely be coming again! Amazing food, amazing atmosphere & amazing staff. Couldn't ask for more.

Have forvot all about writing this review! We visited a couple weeks back with family who came down from London as this is normally a lovely chilled out establishment. Staff were nice enough one boy who helped my son with the toy machine and was lovely. The food was very good, however coleslaw tasted as it had been out the fridge a bit too long it was a bit warm! And my niece couldn’t eat her steak and chips as it came out medium when she had asked for medium well doesn’t seem a big deal maybe but she refused to eat it so chef should double check steaks more? Overall very lovely place as always and we will be back very soon

The breakfast was lovely and the staff were very helpful as well the manger on shift was chole and she was very helpful and the chef was David

It’s a review of two extremes! The food and the atmosphere are absolutely incredible - outstanding food presentation and flavour - best sushi I’ve had and I’m a big sushi fan Decor and atmosphere are stunning it’s so swanky and London Esq However - the service needs a lot of tweaking The staff aren’t trained to the same standard that the restaurant gives off Points that would help: ⚪️All staff should be able to take orders rather than having delivering food staff who then need to send someone else over to get your drinks order ⚪️Staff could describe and explain the food more giving you extra attention ⚪️Staff uniform Polo t shirts - not the one ⚪️Staff need to be more attentive to see if you need service - we wanted dessert but totally gave up after no one walked within eyeshot of us all for some time. ( the restaurant goes back far - maybe they’re more attentive near the front) We were given the wrong coats from giving in our coat tag number at the end And that was the final Realisation that they need to try harder with staff training 🤣 If service matched the food/atmosphere it would be a gold dust of a place - ⭐️ which could make u feel ur in a swanky sushi place in London whilst looking out the window at adventure islandpf course (lol) Having Said this I will definitely return for the food with hope that staff teething problems are rectified 👍🏻

amazing food, amazing service and great atmosphere

The service, atmosphere and food at Zinnia were superb overall and worth a visit.

Agree with the other 5 star reviews the food was great as was the venue and service such a lovely addition to Southend and great that the meat is halal. Will be visiting again.

I went to lunch with my daughter and 2 grandsons my daughter ordered at the bar we had drinks and a meal which was excellent the service was excellent and there was unlimited soda and hot drinks the restaurant was quite new and was very clean and tidy very happy we would go back again

I was apprehensive to go due to the reviews but I love love sushi so decided to give it a go anyway, as there aren’t many sushi restaurants around the area. Party of three on Wednesday night. The decor of the restaurant is absolutely stunning. The service was prompt and polite. Food was amazing, everyone in the party was happy. Presentation and taste 10/10. No issues at all and will be coming back. If you don’t want a set menu just request the a la carte menu and you can pick and choose from everything on there, makes it much simpler in my eyes.

We have been to this restaurant many times on annual visits to Southend with the family. First of all I have to applaud, the team on duty. They was all clearly working under pressure. For the management - there just isn’t enough team- it’s not their fault. One poor lad on the bar on his own, x2 floor walkers operating a busy venue. They was all present and gave it their all which is a credit, however i would imagine they feel they are been taking to the absolute cleaners by management. Kitchen wait time was 45 minutes, which tells me working in this industry 1 or 2 chefs and doubt someone as KP. Just not fair on the team on the ground facing the wrath from multiple guests. Just to note mens cubicle 1 lock broken as a marginal gain for you.

What an absolute unequivocal disappointment! Food well under par and service was mediocre at best. But worst of all was the atmosphere, simply there isn’t any!

Decor was 5 star. Food was 5 star but the service was terrible! We were always looking out for waitresses for drinks, clearing the table etc. One of our party's fish was raw in the middle. It was sent back! Downstairs in the bar, a 10% service charge was put on every round bought! Even if you only wanted one drink! Then, when we were waiting for our cab to arrive, we were asked to wait outside in the gale force wind and rain as they were closing! We refused. That is no way to treat your customers! Guess where we won't be going again! We will be putting this review on social media to reach the general public!

My wife and I came here for a hot drink and snack after a long seafront walk, there was a lack of staff but thankfully Lana was welcoming and friendly. she took our order and returned quickly making sure we had everything we needed. she was attentive and kind so we'll be back and hopefully Lana will be there!

The staff here were really good, considering they were rushed off their feet. Particularly the college-age young woman with dark hair. But the food wasn't stocked up quickly, and not everything on the menu was out. Figured out eventually you have to order some things separately (eg veg sausages) but then they are slowly cooked and take so long to come that everyone has finished their meal ages ago. Some things just appear not to be there at all - e.g. cranberry juice, maple syrup, boiled eggs...

Great to see such a good new venue in Southend. There were 6 adults and 2 children in our group. We ordered a lot and drank wine etc so the bill was quite high at almost £400 but for once I didn't moan about the cost. The interior is very large + I am guessing it could hold about 500 people!. Really well decorated with beautiful artificial cherry blossom trees everywhere . Must have cost a fortune to build and decorate. Sets a new standard for Southend for food quality, service and location

This was the second time that the family group (13 of us) had been to Brewers Fayre. The first time was ok, but it took ages for our food to arrive, even though the place was not busy, apparently due to a lack of staff. Never-the-less we gave it another go, to be fair, but mainly because they could do a large table at short notice on the Bank Holiday, and because I had a discount voucher for 40% off! This time it was a lot busier, although not full, mostly families with small children. Unfortunately the lack of staff clearly hadn't been addressed. There was one guy behind the bar taking drinks orders, pouring the drinks (including cocktails, which involve a lot of faffing about), taking food orders and fielding complaints of delays from other customers. I suspect the kitchen was similarly stretched because it took over fifty minutes for our food to arrive, a few plates at a time over the next ten minutes, with the kid's meals coming out last! Generally the food quality was ok, although mine looked like it had been flung on the plate in a hurry! Most of us found that it was only warm, as though it had been standing for a while before coming out. By the time we'd finished the mains our kids were getting so restless that we had to ask for their desserts in boxes so they could take them home. I was tempted to rate the experience as 2 - POOR, but it was a relatively cheap night out, and I think I felt sorry for the few staff that were on duty!

This was our first visit. It was a very nice, relaxed evening, food was excellent, server was very friendly, nothing was rushed. Started with cocktails and nibbles, which were both a different twist with an Asian theme to some classics. The food we chose as starters were very tasty to set us up for the mains. Very pleased that they had options for gluten free vegans. Most of us had the bento boxes, which were well presented and very good. The service isn't fast but that's not the vibe, this was exactly what we wanted, a relaxed dinning experience, overlooking the sea, in a nice environment. We expect to be return customers.

When I arrived took a while for someone to come to the desk.table didn't have a number on it. Had a roast one person cutting the meat and serving the potatoes were over cooked gravy was like water only one choice of gravy not ideal.

Food was cold, EVERY dish. A manager did offer to replace all meals. We was warned by waitress that our sides may not be served at the same time as our mains. True to her words our sides arrived after we had finished, totally ridiculous. Waiter started to clear our starter plates and didn't finish, so I had to ask before we had mains. Lots of staff showing that they were under pressure. We decided not to have dessert or extra drinks and went elsewhere. The dress code was not in place, there was a lot trainers, sportswear and even a lad in a hoodie. All in all not a good experience.

Now before I came to Zinnia I had seen some reviews about bad service. All I can say from my own personal visit, that the service was fantastic, although being Easter Sunday afternoon it was fairly quiet. So they restaurant has gone for an Ivy Asia feel with decor and food. To be honest the food didn’t disappoint, we had a fantastic meal, stuck mainly to the sushi part of the menu, couldn’t fault it. Cocktails were also great. Will definitely be returning in the near future.

The most frustrating dinner I have had for ages. Amazing decor, great menu but totally untrained staff. Not greeted at the door despite greeter being there, taken to a 3 person table despite there being 4 of us, when the restaurant was half empty. Food been brought to the table at haphazard times. Maitre de totally ignoring our requests, table not being cleared at all even when requested. Honestly if you want this expensively refurbished restaurant to succeed you need to train your staff. Some of the expensive food is good and the sharing desert is really good but we might have been able to eat it if we were given something to eat it off and with. It came on a sharing platter with soup spoons to eat with. Honestly if it wasn't so chaotic it'd be laughable. I'd love to go back if only the nervous staff were trained. It's got great views and lovely decor but I'm afraid next time I wouldn't be so polite when after asking for the plates to be cleared the maitre d signalled to my friend to pass over her plate, when he was in reach. Its just a shame.

Delicious food. We had sushi sharing platter followed by beef rendang and the fish curry. Highly recommend

What a disappointment. My wife and I went with some friends last night and was shocked by the experience we received. I'm going to separate the review into sections to make it fair and accurate. The premises looked stunning. We were welcomed in and had a drink at the bar while waiting for our friends, and the cocktails we had were stunning. Unfortunately that was the high point. Our waitress was interesting, to say the least. We were taken to our table and sat down given a menu and asked about our dietary requirements when we mentioned that one of our party had a diary intolerance we were given a seperate menu that told us which items on the menu contained which ingredients fine. Then she said it was down to us to decide whether to have the 6 course taster with meat or vegetarian (both of which had dishes that contained diary). After asking if we could just have the taster and them removing the dairy for the one, she said no, you all have to have the same dishes in the group!!! Anyway, after some back and forth, which took about 20 minutes the waitress returned and said "your very lucky the chef is in a good mood tonight and can just substitute the dishes containing dairy for something else for the member of your party". Ridiculous. She took the menus and we asked if we could keep hold of one of the drinks menus for later orders and she said "I'll let you have it for now but I might need to take it off you soon". Surely if you have a restaurant with 50 table you get at least 50 menus made up?? So, onto the food, I can't remember the names of the dishes we had, and to be quiet honest the only reason I would remember them is to make sure I never had them again. A taster menu should be amazing it should be a taste of the best food the restaurant can do to make you say wow and want to come back again and again. Of the six dishes we had, one of them shouldn't have been there. The beans don't taste of anything, difficult to eat, and had the consistency of raw runner beans!! And the dessert rather than being a joy to eat was on the verge of disgusting. Three of the other dishes were OK, nothing to write home about, and frankly could have picked up an equivalent in most takeaways. The one dish we all enjoyed was the sesame prawn dish. It is such a shame southend michelian restaurants with great food, great staff and great locations and this is a great location but without everything else to drive it forward it will not become an exceptional place to go.

Beautiful looking restaurant and location is great, we all had real high hopes for it. But the service was terrible, lots of staff but no one knowing what to do!! We had to wait a long time to order drinks -we flagged someone down to take our order but to be told I don’t really do that but can do (he was in a suit), our order was taken wrongly - a drink was missed off which we had to keep asking for. The wine cooler was put on the table and they walked off, no staff opened or served the wine - and the cooler just caused a huge puddle on the table so not comfortable to sit at the table as had to keep wiping it up. And staff do not know what cocktails are which even when my friend said it’s definitely not what she ordered (tasted completely different - she ordered a coconut based drink and this had no coconut in!) they continued to insist it was! When she ordered the same cocktail a second time the right one did turn up and the staff members response was ‘that’s funny how different the same cocktail can be!’ No clue at all! But to give them their dues they did take the first drink off the bill. The food was ok, but Singapore noodles were one big clump together. Nothing special and definitely not on par with Giggling Squid. We were left with dirty plates from the starter on the table when the main course was served - no one took them away. After the main course was cleared we were ignored again by staff - no offer of dessert menus or coffees. We did not pay the full service charge added to the bill and when we said our reasons why, there was no apology. If you want to be a high end restaurant (the bill was over £300 for 6 people), then you expect attentive, welcoming staff - who know the menu and drinks and can recommend dishes etc. I do appreciate it’s a new restaurant but to me the first few months are crucial to make a good impression and get people coming back.

Very bad service , forgot orders , shared menus with other guests , food being taken away before being finished , tables too close together , rude staff , it goes on ….

Disappointed took over an hour for food even though they were not that busy the starter garlic mushrooms tasted just like ordinary ones and the mains when they came mine was cold i found the food indigestible although the other people i was with found theres acceptable as they had something different pleasant enough waitress but i myself will not come again

We arrived at 7.45 pm, to find 2 groups of dinners waiting to be seated, with NO staff in sight. When someone did finally show up she was extremely flustered, explaining to the three groups that they are short-staffed. Which to me was a concern straight away. My Wife & I and our four friends were taken upstairs to our table. Only ONE Menu was given for six people to share. Yes ONE Menu. We asked another member of staff for another menu, and the face she pulled was like I asked for her kidney. One more menu was given. Ridiculous. How can a table of six guests comfortably read and choose their meal? Finally, our drinks order was taken with our starts & main course. The frustrating thing was, that my starter came 15 minutes before the rest of the tables. I could not believe it, I spoke to a waitress who said they wouldn't be long, and 10 minutes later they turned up a very poor show. Main course, I had to send my dish back as it had clearly been sitting on the pass for some time as it was lukewarm, again had to wait for a member of staff's attention. Also, a whole order was missing, again waiting for a member of staff to get the situation resolved. 10 minutes later she finally got her meal. One thing I will say is the food is amazing. Sadly the service you get at the restaurant is extremely poor. One member of staff said I cannot wait for F—king 12am. Also staff standing behind the pass eating, which you can see when walking back from the toilets. I'm very disappointed with the evening, especially as we came out to celebrate our friends Birthday. I feel the evening was plagued with disasters at the restaurant.

Booking Visited Zinnia 15/3/24. When booking was told we had to leave a £10 per head holding deposit and couldn’t be late! Not the best of starts. Asked for a 7pm reservation but was told that wasn’t at all possible and it would have to be 6.45. On arrival the place was empty and there plenty of tables free even at 7.30 Food Starters (all arrived within minutes of ordering, which led me to think not everything is freshly made) - Soft shell crab tempura, was practically an empty shell of batter. Katsu sushi roll, bland and tasteless. Edamame beans, really small portions and a little brown on the edges, not a patch on Wagamama. Mains (again, served within minutes of starters being cleared) Beef skewers over cooked with a slightly “I’ve be reheated flavour”. Nasi Goreng was ok, bit sloppy and not a huge amount of flavour. Didn’t chance desserts. Service Was ok, nothing brilliant. After our mains were cleared a waitress came over to tell us “our main courses would be along shortly”??? Complained about the crab tempura and it was removed from the bill. Atmosphere Beautiful restaurant, really lovely surroundings. Overall Need to simplify the menu and get a lot better with the food. Nothing tasted fresh. Hoping that it’s all “teething” problems as it’s such a great looking restaurant. Would I go again? Probably not. I’ll keep an eye on the reviews.

My Daughter's booked for a Surprise Birthday. They done us PROUD. BALLOONS and chocolates and not charged. .Served all what we ordered before correctly. We had plenty of Space to move around .Staff Brilliant .Thankyou booked by .Tracey Windle .

Carvery was nice but bar service slow as not enough staff on what was a busy Sunday lunchtime. Cocktails were very watery as had too much ice. Enjoyed the food and the chefs are great.

I was Looking forward to this venue for afternoon tea for my 60th Birthday treat and sadly it was disappointing.. The venue itself is beautiful, it was a Monday and the day after Mother’s Day so I accept they may have been run off their feet the day before .. the fact that it was empty was not a problem, we were the only table (5) the afternoon tea arrived the sandwiches looked clumsily thrown together, were not slim cut as you would expect and clumsily thrown on the lower level of the tired stand , the bread was dry, the assortment of cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise and coronation chicken was satisfactory and we were asked if we had any special dietary requirements .. layer two was a selection of two different flavoured delicious little moist sponge cakes, you could not fault those and the top layer of dry scones that crumbled as you cut them were made only worse by the fact you couldn’t spread the unspreadable clotted, not clotted cream which was not smooth, it was solid sticky and just dragged the broken scones across the plates, a token of 5 or 6 mini bite size sponges thrown on the top level completed the tower… The tea and coffee was only replenished when asked and lack of staff in the empty restaurant meant waiting for someone to come to the table to ask for a teaspoon meant you were better off stirring your tea with the hand held end of your knife.. or your tea would be cold by the time someone realised you wanted something… so for £25.95 a head and a service charge added for a lack of service was sadly insult to Injury .. I am not normally a complainer but this was disappointing and lack lustre.. if you’re looking for a nice afternoon tea venue it’s a very pretty restaurant but i would not recommend this as a place to go for afternoon tea …spend your money elsewhere

Long waits to be served, just to take our order for drinks we had to wait 40 mins until we got someone’s attention. Once the food arrived (took an hour and a half for a couple fry ups) it was cold. We received raw sausages, brown avocado, beans and mushrooms missing from each plate, the bacon was so cold like it had just come out the fridge and the toast was cold bread. All The staff seemed like they didn’t know what they were doing, running round like headless chickens. We received an apology but with no reasoning as to why the food took an hour and a half and then came out freezing cold. We will not be returning

Went for a mother’s day meal. Going to split this review into food and service because I have a lot to say about both. Set menu was severely overpriced at £45.95 per person, having an entire course dedicated to miso soup which costs about 20p per person to make and is served free in Japan. It was already a bad sign when the main course on the set menu at an asian restaurant was a roast dinner… so strange. We did ask if we could change this for sushi or order literally anything else on the menu but apparently the only food they serve on mother’s day is this odd asian-british set menu. Couldn’t get a table anywhere else though so we thought we’d try it. The appetiser consisted of spring rolls which were awful and obviously cooked from frozen (so slimy we all took one bite each and couldn’t finish), salt and pepper squid which was okay, and ‘gyoza’ which could hardly be called gyoza - it was more like dumplings that had been cooked in a gyoza-fashion - they were lukewarm as if they had been sitting out for ages. This shared appetiser was accompanied by a set of ‘green volcano’ sushi, which was genuinely worse than supermarket meal deal sushi. It was served with what appeared to be vegetable tempura but that honestly tasted a bit stale too. The rice quality in the sushi was awful and dry and it was obvious it had been pre-prepared and sitting out for a while. Then the main - the roast. The meat was so dry, especially the beef. The cauliflower cheese was probably the blandest I’ve ever had. I’m not going to elaborate more on the roast as this is meant to be an asian restaurant and if you’re reading this you’re probably not going to order a roast here - honestly if you like good food and value for money you’re probably not going to order anything here - but the main point is that it was unsatisfactory all around. The desserts were okay, the matcha cake was the best part but again nothing worth £45 to see here. The entire meal was a scam, I am 100% confident in that I have never had asian food this bad before and the prices are ridiculous. There are so many good asian places in essex for decent prices, please don’t waste your money here. I certainly will not be coming back. Now the service. When we came in, there was no receptionist. 2 staff members walked past us and although I don’t expect to be seated straight away, especially if they’re busy, they didn’t even acknowledge that we were waiting to be seated - didn’t say anything to greet us they just looked at us and walked straight past. When we found our seat we handed our coats in which was nice and we got a warm greeting from a man who was possibly the owner/manager. It took so long to get our drinks orders in, and so long afterwards for us to actually receive them. After waiting super long and receiving our drinks we then got asked if we would like our food. The service was just exceptionally slow really, and every time we would have to flag a waiter down which I hate doing as I don’t like to interrupt their work but they were completely ignoring us for ages despite there only being 3 tables in. At the end we asked for our coats back and got told to wait downstairs, we waited downstairs where there were still no staff members to be found for 10 minutes until we finally got our coats back. Awful experience all round. At least the decor is pretty.

It was so bad that they should’ve paid us to come. We booked a breakfast for Mother’s Day and every single thing that could’ve gone wrong did. We were seated and waited half an hour before they took our drink order (we had to flag them down) we then had to wait ages for them to take our food order (again, had to flag them down) another 50 minutes went by and we had to ask where our food was. When the food did eventually come to the table, the entire meal was freezing cold. The toast was basically just floppy bread, the tomato was cold and tough. The hash browns were incredibly oily, and my sausage was raw inside. Not only that, but they had ran out of baked beans and mushrooms, and only found out when the food arrived. The avocado on my sisters breakfast was brown and sloppy. AND they also messed up the eggs on one of the breakfasts too. We were also not the only table to complain. Every single table around us also had the same experience as us (someone’s vegetarian breakfast had been substituted with tempura broccoli?!?) we walked out without paying, as did other tables. The service was non existent, the staff were completely clueless and the food was abysmal and overpriced (£20 for a cooked breakfast)