Il Palazzo in Southend-on-Sea

The food here is excellent, I'm always happy with everything

Booked here for dinner before a show at the Palace Theatre, due to its close location. There is a car park down the road. I recommend booking online, if there is a show on the evening you want to visit. As it does get busy! The decor inside is nice. Tables are quite close together, so it doesn't feel very private when you are conversing with your party. I feel the restaurant should remove some tables so it doesn't feel like you are sitting on top of each other. The food was nice and was all served hot. We both enjoyed our meal. The portion sizes were on the small side. Service was on the slow side, but like I said, it was a before show meal. So there were lots of people eating here too. It was difficult trying to get a member of staff to come over to take the payment. Overall, the experience was OK. I don't know if I would come back here or not, due to portion size and how cramped it is inside the restaurant

Dropped in for a meal last night before heading off to see a show and I was so glad we did, the food was great, the service was fantastic, they were all so attentive and helpful! I couldn’t decide on dessert so I let the waiter pick for me, I do not regret that choice as the lemon tartin was divine!

Excellent food, great service and good value. The home made tiramisu was amazing. The staff ere warm and friendly Definitely going back

We had an early dinner here before going to the theatre. I was so glad that I booked, as the restaurant was very busy. The service was excellent, very speedy. The food was amazing! I can highly recommend this Italian. We will definitely be coming back!

After being let down at another restaurant we came across this one, the food was lovely and service was very friendly and attentive

Exceptionally amazing restaurant with delicious food. It’s hard to find a restaurant that repeatedly excels at service but this is one. The food is on point wonderful and you can tell that heart and soul went into every dish. The staff are excellent and friendly with a great sense of humour. You feel doted on and there’s authenticity to its charm. Finest restaurant in town I’d say! Prices are very reasonable - you are getting quality and it won’t break the bank!

Wrong item sent shop owner very unhelpful. Won't order from this place again. (Chips wasn't fresh and Luke warm, waste)

Lovely food, found a new spot that we like, the pizzas are perfect and the pasta combination tops it off

We cannot recommend IL Palazzo enough. Ferando was more than attentive along with the rest of the staff who tended on us throughout the night. They made my birthday very special and the quality of the food is to die for. We’ve never had garlic pizza bread like it - that’s a must have. Great house white wine, strongly recommend! We left a big tip because we were so emotional about the experience and we will visit everytime we’re in the area. Enjoy this beautiful restaurant. It has stolen our hearts.

I ate chicken ala cream recommended. yummy

Pre show dinner regulars. Very busy, great food, service, attitude, environment. Even if an order mistake is made, it's fixed straight away. The approach here is to make an enjoyable dining experience with friendly service. We will be back ! And happy to leave a service tip.

Makes a nice change to get a decent pizza, however limited pepperoni and chilli but the base was delicious 😋

Our first time at this restaurant was a spontaneous decision to pop in for lunch last Saturday and what a good decision it was!. The food was delicious and the staff were courteous and friendly. We will definitely be returning often.

Very disappointing, this is like a trip back to the Italians of yesteryear. I must say that the steak I had was very nice and well cooked to order, but the rest of the experience was poor. Beer was flat or watered down, no choice of veg (who serves green beans and carrot with steak) or potato with my steak. When I asked if they could do a specific dish with veal, by adding an egg, I was told the kitchen was busy and in any case they didn't have any eggs !! Service was good, just very slow. Wont be going back any time soon.

Food very tasty, very welcoming staff, should out to fernando for going the extra mile, look forward to coming back

Had a meal there Saturday evening. First time we had eaten there and won’t be the last. The staff were all so friendly and make you feel very welcome. Nothing seemed to be a problem for them. As for the food. Well it was amazing!!! I had the steak… best steak I have ever eaten. The whole meal was delicious. Thank you

I went in here for a pre theatre meal with my daughter. The staff were so friendly and welcoming nothing was too much trouble for them. The atmosphere was spot on with tasteful decoration. The food was amazing, so tasty and flavoursome. The menu options were fantastic and I found it hard to choose. The quality of the food was what I would expect in a high end west end restaurant. Value for money was good too. Both my daughter and I will most definitely be returning. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I went in here for a pre theatre meal with my daughter. The staff were so friendly and welcoming nothing was too much trouble for them. The atmosphere was spot on with tasteful decoration. The food was amazing, so tasty and flavoursome. The menu options were fantastic and I found it hard to choose. The quality of the food was what I would expect in a high end west end restaurant. Value for money was good too. Both my daughter and I will most definitely be returning. I highly recommend this restaurant.

We visited pre theatre and were greeted by friendly staff and seated quickly. All staff were very friendly and attentive without being over bearing. However. The food, whilst tasty, appeared to be no more than pre packaged/prepared food that had simply been reheated. Starters were definitely pre bought rather than freshly cooked and one of the mains, scallop tagliatelle was actually linguine pasta, as pointed out to us by the server as she thought she had given us the wrong dish and the ‘scallops’ were fish sticks and not scallops at all, flavoured with a very hot spicy sauce. Nothing appeared or tasted freshly cooked apart from maybe the vegetables. It certainly wasn’t unpleasant by any means but it was expensive for food that we feel we could have heated ourselves at home. Handy for a quick bite to eat before a show due to its location but expensive for what you actually get. Lovely staff though.

The best lasagne I've ever had, hands down 🤌🏻 Just amazing, I'd have it every day if I could, and it's not even a dish that I usually order (but I've started to since eating it here - none have been as good though). The service is great, very polite, friendly and professional - like a proper restaurant, without the stuffy dress code. Everything I've had here has been great, but the lasagne is just a cut above the rest. I will return for as long as I live within 100 miles of the place. ❤️

We often go here when we go to the Palace theatre. Lovely meal, good wine and great service.

It's definitely one of my favourite Italian restaurants and a local gem. Whenever I visit the Palace Theatre I eat here as the food is delicious and the service is fantastic. On this occasion, I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli to start with Monkfish and Palma ham as my mains with my friend having goats cheese and beetroot for her mains with the ravioli as her mains. The ravioli was to die for!! I totally recommend and look forward to my next visit

Fabulous food, great service. A real jewel in South end on Sea. Recommended.

This visit was for Mother's day. We were welcomed by a lovely waiter, who made us very welcome. A lovely lasagne and dessert. Well priced and I would recommend it. Thank you

Good Quality food, delivered hot and in a good time, will order from again

Great pre-theatre meal… The food was delicious, very reasonable and each course arrived without delay. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Would definitely return!

Great food, good portions and very efficient when you're going to the theatre 🎭

What a restaurant!... we love it here, the relaxed atmosphere is great due to mostly the legend that is 'fernando' the host with the most! And the lovely lady. The food is faultless and they do a fantastic montepulciano glass of red wine. also this restaurant is directly opposite the palace theatre. We will be back soon. Sian & katrina.

I highly recommend a visit, you won’t be disappointed! The food was superb, we went for a pre show meal, so perfect location. We had 2 courses, off of the set menu, the best I’ve had for a long while! We opted for the house red from the wine list, this too was a very good priced wine! The staff were really friendly, the restaurant is very nicely designed the atmosphere was welcoming. We will be back to try the specials next time! Go for yourself and visit this little gem! Ps I am disabled, plenty of room here for me too !

Order cancelled for no reason. Bad service.

It is a very friendly restaurant opposite Westcliff theater where the food is nice and the atmosphere friendly.

Went with a friend after the matinee at the Palace. We had the sea bass, which was cooked to perfection. The brocolli and carrots were actually cooked rather than dipped in and out of the pan as in some restaurants. We followed with chocolate and hazelnut ice cream desert, which was to die for. Bonus was the cast of the play we had just seen also ate there and I had a nice view of the divine Tom Chambers throughout my meal.

food was on time, hot and very tasty but we asked for parmesan and didn't get any

Fabulous Italian restaurant very close to Palace theatre

Friendly staff. Place a bit cramped as its only small. Did not like food much.

First time here with my Mum and loved it. Fernando was great and very welcoming. The food was amazing and will certainly be back.

This the fourth time here and all I can say is I thoroughly recommend it.The food is delicious and the staff are courteous and attentive at all times. I recommend you book as they always seem to be busy with speaks volumes.

I was very happy with the food and the overall restaurant experience, however I was very disappointed that I ordered specifically for an 18.05 delivery and did not receive until 18.25. this makes setting a delivery time useless

We had a lovely Sunday lunch here for a birthday. Very friendly and helpful staff. Food very good

Missing one vegetable for the meal and one potato for the meal the garlic bread with onions was just garlic bread the garlic bread and tomato what was meant to be fresh cut tomatoes on top wasn’t it was tomato sauce that you use on the bottom of the bread and they put on top cold

We come here every year for our anniversary, it's got the best Italian food in the area.

Very nice, if somewhat crowded restaurant. Went for pre theatre dinner, excellent food and service, Reasonably priced. Will definitely visit again

Food is decent although I think a lot of it is microwaved or from frozen. Staff are incredibly rude to the point of insulting. The atmosphere is okay as it was quiet at the time and the decor is okay, but the staff really bring this place down. Il Mondo or Tomassis are both far better.

My wife and I had a wonderful 2hrs, the food was amazing, the staff were Italian which made the evening so pleasant, will be going back 100%

This is the third time we've been to this restaurant. I booked my table 4 months ago when I booked my theatre tickets. When we arrived (on time), the table we had been allocated had been given away and we were reluctantly offered another table on a time limited basis. The starters were delicious but it seemed to hurry us along, my husbands plate was taken away before I had finished eating! The pork fillet in Madeira sauce which was our main was disappointing as the sauce was very watery and not at all rich. Again, my husband's plate was taken before I had finished my meal...very bad manners and hospitality. When we paid the bill, the waiter actually asked us if we'd like to leave a tip! When we replied 'no' he seemed put out. I feel this is just another case of a restaurant being greedy in getting people in and out quickly without considering the diner's experience. Because of this experience, we will not be going again as there are plenty of other restaurants nearby.

We often come here before seeing shows at the Palace Theatre. The food is always excellent. The restaurant is often fully booked in the early evenings before shows so there's sometimes a bit of a wait for the courses, which is understandable. Highly recommended!

Great taste and very friendly and wonderful service. A little pricey but the set menu was a great option.

Pre-theatre family meal. Attentive polite and friendly team, one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had. Advise book in advance as very popular!

An excellent meal, large helpings and friendly staff. Recommend this wonderful restaurant 😀

Had dinner here as a group of 4, arrived and had only been booked in as group of 2 waiter seemed to think it was our mistake when it wasn't, he then made a big deal about having to seat us, he was very rude hounding our table throughout, clearly trying to rush us. He took our plates away without asking if 2 of our group had finished eating asking if they wanted they food boxed up, the young waiter was amazing as always but the older rounder faced gentleman ruined our experience and after dining here before we will not be returning

Delivered the wrong item sent bolognese instead of carbonara

Good place, tasty food, professional service

Always a warm welcome. Food is great especially washed down with a bottle of house red.

Tiny tiny portions and £7.50 for a liquer coffee! I'm sure the sauté potatoes were frozen... they were exactly all the same size!

We visit here every so often. Every time we go we have lovely food, great service and it's good value. Worth a visit for sure!

Absolutely disgusting!! Pathetic excuse of an Italian restaurant.... Pasta is bland tasteless sauce! Prawns like bullets didn't even know it was possible to overcook something that much like how?? Scallops were also overcooked and also not edible at all.. safe to say I will never be ordering from this restaurant again. Lucky enough I have been given a full refund.. not sure how its got so many good reviews terrible place.. zero stars!!

Fantastic restaurant, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is great and nicely themed. Highly recommended if you're looking for an excellent and authentic Italian experience.

Have been here many times and it had been excellent venue for pre theatre meal. However this visit was very frustrating. Sat for 15 mins being ignored then caught a waiter to order drinks. Had to ask another waiter 10 mins later. It was 40 mins before anyone came to take food order. The food was good as usual but we had to eat very quickly to get to the theatre. No apologies were offered for the delay.

Very tasty food and very friendly employees. Definitely recommended.

Probably the worst Italian restaurant I’ve ever been too!!! Calamari was over cooked and like rubber, we then waited over an hour for our main course while others were served in 15 minutes. When the main course finally did arrive, I wish it hadn’t! The sauce that my seafood pasta came in was like dishwater, in fact Luke warm dishwater! Terrible service and overpriced.

Really disappointed with our food. Dishes missing, fish cold…. Slow service too. Seem to be more concerned with takeaway orders and need to concentrate more on actual customers in the restaurant.

Really didn’t enjoy any of the food if I’m honest. Carbonara was really unpleasant.

Lovey authentic Italian restaurant. Wonderful service and friendly staff. Food was yummy and catered for children. We all enjoyed our meals very much and made our granddaughters birthday lunch special. Thank you

Walked in without a reservation as somewhere to eat before going to the theatre. 5 stars for Food, Service and Atmosphere. If I lived closer, I'd make Il Palazzo a regular haunt. Probably best to book if going before a performance at The Palace as it was at about 80% capacity. Plenty of free parking (after 6pm) 5 minutes walk away.

Really enjoyed my meal here, I had the chicken tot start, absolutely loved it and one of the best starters I have had in a time. Husband had prawns, only downside in the shell and not enough chilli. Main for me was spaghetti amatriciana and veal for husband and only criticism is not enough chilli in dishes specifying chilli but otherwise great food and fantastic staff. Will definitely visit again.

Visited this restaurant as a quick bite to eat before seeing a show at the theatre opposite and we were not disappointed. The staff were really friendly and food was absolutely delicious! To start we had 2 different types of garlic pizza bread, both yummy, followed by penne arrabbiata, which was absolutely stunning and a generous portion. Prices were also very reasonable. I hope to return to this restaurant in the future.

Really great spot for a meal before a show at the Palace Theatre. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and they easily handled the rush of people paying and leaving as they left for the show. Great range of options on the menu, as well as specials, and the set menu offers a cheaper option.

Lovely homely experience. Good food, lovely friendly staff.

Brilliant restaurant. Go there again when next in the area!

I've been to many many Italian restaurants in London and Essex,and this is one of, if not the best one . Fresh ,home made, delicious , friendly and not expensive . Really enjoyed our visit.

We dined here right before a show at the Palace Theatre. We were given the choice of a set 2-3 course menu, which was great value, or the a la carte, which we went for. There was loads of choice for each course and a decent selection of pizzas. I had the penne arrabiatta which was delicious and zingy. The decor is more of a classic Italian style than some of the other local restaurants. Even though the restaurant was nearly full the service was still great. We will definitely be back and I would totally recommend it.

We booked a table for 4, at 6.30 5 days in advance. When we arrived, on time, it was obvious there was a show on across the road as the restaurant was 80 percent full with young women. As four 80 year olds we stuck out very clearly and obviously not going to the show. After being taken to our table we were handed the a la carte menu and had to ask for the mid-week menu which everyone else was given when they came in. Our drinks order was taken after about 10 minutes and then we were studiously ignored until 6.55 when we were eventually asked if we were ready to order. We got our starters at 7.15 and were beginning to notice that other people obviously without bookings were being squeezed in and most arriving after us were already being served. At 7.30 the final straw was a couple who arrived at 7.10, seated near us had already had their starters and were well into their main course. A further three nearby arriving even later were also being served. I stopped the front of the house and asked him how they decided on the order of service. I said that people coming in far later than us and some obviously without bookings were being prioritized over us. His answer is that they are going to the show (I presume it started at 8). I said that we had booked for 6.30 , if you can’t honour the booking you should not take it His response, hardly the smartest, “when did you book, 15 minutes ago” (despite our age, it was heard by all four of us!) From there the conversation went even further downhill, with the front of the house saying “I am not going to serve you”, and storming off. So one hour after we arrived and no sign of our mains there was no point staying so I went to the bar where he was and said we that we were leaving and asked for a bill for what we had. His response was “I don’t want your money”. At least we offered. As for the starters they were all fine. But as others have said it can be very cramped as they obviously squeeze people in on show nights. Perhaps he thought four 80 year old would not object to being treated as third class customers. He was wrong.

Food was amazing, hot, fresh and very appetising. Reasonably priced staff very friendly and accommodating, Venue very clean and well decorated. Already booked to come again

Good location and very friendly/attentive staff. Good choice of food on the menu. We ordered the special, King Prawn and Asparagus Risotto. Presentation was lovely and it was a decent portion, prawns were huge and tasty, but rice was very bland. On a plus point, the prawn heads had been removed, but still served to look like a whole intact king prawn, so that made dealing with those a breeze! Good choice of desserts. Affogato was nice. The cheesecake portion was very small, especially for £7. We also thought the drinks were expensive, £3.50 for a soda and lime cordial. Shame we were driving otherwise we would have had alcohol!

This restaurant is an amazing find. The food is amazing along with the atmosphere and staff. Tony served us and was very welcoming. I would 100% recommend.

Fabulous food and people. We will be back again

Lovely meal as always. Very friendly staff.

Parking nearby is problematic but there's a public carpark about 10 minutes walk. Very friendly and great food. The prawn cocktail and grilled fish were wonderful.

My husband and I visited this restaurant before going to the theatre opposite. What a lovely little find! Restaurant is beautiful, staff were super friendly and we couldn’t fault the food. A wonderful place that we would recommend to others and would definitely return!

Excellent meal and experience everytime

Love this restaurant,this being my fourth visit and not my last.My family of 10 visited here for my daughters birthday and as always the service and food were faultless.Lovely atmosphere,friendly staff and a good time had by all. Throughly recommend.

I ate here for the first time recently ahead of a show at the Palace Theatre. I had a fabulous pizza with cold beer and a glass of wine. Food, service and atmosphere were excellent and will certainly be returning.

Took a while to get an assigned driver so delivery time was adjusted. Food was piping hot & tasty.

We used to visit Il Palazzo quite regularly and recently realised we hadn’t been for a while. Unfortunately we found that the quality of the food has slipped a bit. The rosemary and red onion pizza bread was covered in so much dried Rosemary dust, it had to be scraped before eaten. The carbonara had cream in it which made it think and heavy and the pollo Milanese was disappointing.

Had pre theatre meal great value and delicious. Will definitely return

Nice Italian restaurant, the service was good and food was lovely. The only reason for not giving more than four stars is they got busy quite suddenly and people who came in after us got served before we did. But we didn't have to wait too long. The wine was nice and reasonably priced.

Great food with family, lovely atmosphere

Good food, great location for palace theatre pre show dinner

We used to be frequent customers — until recently. We like their pizzas and used to be welcomed always by the owner. The manager however has ruined our experience and we won’t be going back. He is rude and short tempered. He made us feel unwelcome and like we were inconveniencing him by being there. If he didn’t want us there he should have said he had no tables available. We won’t be going back to our favourite Italian in Westcliff.

Brilliant service and absolutely delicious food, couldn't ask for more! Cocktails are also lovely and reasonably priced. Really recommend!

Brilliant service and absolutely delicious food, couldn't ask for more! Cocktails are also lovely and reasonably priced. Really recommend!

Superb Italian Restaurant experience.

Popular and busy restaurant serving classic Italian dishes. Service is friendly and very Italian, plus the atmosphere is fun and lively due to your close proximity to neighbouring diners. The place is small, waiters whisk past you with arms full of plates. But that's no problem, it all adds to the experience and our meal was very enjoyable. The food is excellent. My Sea Bass was superb, with a nice mix of vegetables. The Carbonara had a lovely sauce, nothing like the sauce out of a jar, with a flavour that we could not identify but I liked it. Prices were reasonable for such a good quality and authentic meal. Very good

Fantastic, food, atmosphere,staff, and great value. Will definitely be back

A party of 4 visited before a show at the nearby theatre. The service was friendly and quick, and the food was absolutely delicious. A mixture of seafood and steak, all cooked and seasoned well, with reasonable prices.

Food was great, service was bad. The head female server's first interaction with us was to tell us that we would be charged for linen if our children got colouring pencil on the table cloths. We laughed and she said "I'm not joking", it was not a great start and tainted the meal. Whilst the food was nice we will not be going back.

We went here prior to a show in Palace Theatre. It was full, but the waiter managed to squeeze us in. Food was bought up in a good time considering how many people were in there.

We enjoyed a three course, exquisitely cooked meal with great service. Staff were polite and friendly and just the right level of attentive. Food was beautifully presented and very well prepared. The decor and general environment of the restaurant was lovely.

Been here a few times before and had a great experience. This time it was cramped. Think they’d tried to cram a few extra tables in before the show at The Palace. Such a shame! The food is lovely but being cramped caused an issue with the serving experience me. Waitresses leaning across me to serve food ….and knocking elbows with the people on the next table …. Or not being able to pull your chair out because you’re too close to the table behind 😩