Irmas in Southend-on-Sea

Lovely pizza's, very child friendly, service with a smile

Went in for lunch with friends for lunch on a rather busy day in Leigh-on-Sea. Service was quick. We ordered pizzas and some pasta dishes which all tasted good and were real value for money. Only problem was there was also a kids birthday on the table opposite us which took over the room. The restaurant itself generally seems popular with families. It was a bit difficult to hear each other at times. But if you can get over that, the food is good.

The pizza base wasn't S nice as it used to be

Lively place and it seems to be quite popular. The garlic prawns were lovely as a starter. However the pizza was terrible. The base was undercooked and pale and the pizza was tasteless. I was sharing with my daughter but only ate one slice (I was starving) as it was so disappointing. I ordered a large glass of red wine, very expensive at almost £10. I won't be going back. I didn't say anything to our waitress, who was lovely, as I thought that that was the way they cooked pizzas there. However looking at another review containing photos, I think ours was just undercooked and I should have pointed this out.

Visited on a Saturday afternoon with my lady & no reservation. My first visit, she remarked on how it had changed since her last visited and complimented the decor. Classy interior, white kitchen wall tiles, lot of mirrors, dark wood floor and marble topped tables. Lots of chatter but no music overhead. Rosmarino bread Spagnolo pizza Spinachi pizza Nice food well cooked. Topping were flavoursome and enjoyed. Not necessarily a stone baked pizza with fluffy puff crust but decent fare overall. Polite and warm welcome from the staff on entry to our eventual departure.

Just went for ice cream - servers were so very nice- will defo be back

Arrived at 8.45pm and was refused service despite the restaurant closing at 10pm. I was told the reason for this is because the kitchen was closing. Very bizarre!

Went in today for a pizza! Ordered a margarita it looked like a supermarket frozen range ! Have never tasted anything as bad as this in a pizza restaurant! Won’t be visiting again! Nothing like the pictures on Tripadvisor!! It’s not an authentic Italian restaurant! Avoid

I frequent this place a lot. The food is really good for the money, freshly made and always served by waitresses who work consistently hard and are always polite, BUT, the owner……I have overheard him now on so many occasions belittle his staff and talk to them in such a patronising way. It’s rude and unnecessary and I just cannot bring myself to give him anymore of my money. The staff work so hard, but the girls are all so young, why is that? Is it because he wouldn’t get away with talking to someone older with the same disrespect

Sadly, no gluten free pizza and limited children's menu. The food was good but a bit pricey. The wine was quite expensive too

Sadly no gluten free pizza, but pasta available. Limited children's choices, but children are welcome. Wine is expensive. Overall the food is good, but is a bit pricey

Been coming here for years and never taken the time to write a review until now. I find clientele tend to be sparse with praise for Pizza and Pasta establishments in general and only write things when they have a moan or grievance, so I’m making amends for my lack of writing a good reviews for Irmas. It’s great, it’s always great…. It’s buzzing and it’s noisy but most importantly the food is stand out - they never compromise. Totally reliable every time and this evening I realised just how good the staff are. I managed to drop 4 x £10 notes out of my jeans pocket without realising. One of the waitresses came sprinting down the road to find me before I drove off. So grateful and felt I needed to give a shout out on all levels - don’t change!

Went last night with friends…A couple of the waitresses were very sweet and nice but there were a couple (dark hair girls )Well they were so miserable and it was like they were doing us a favour by taking our order! Offered one drink but no more…Wasn’t offered dessert,we had to ask for the menu then ask to place an order.. The toppings on the pizza was sooo sparse… Come on Irmas we know you can do better!

Pizza is decent, with a thinner base. Chocolate orange gelato was excellent.

Table for 2 lunchtime, pretty empty but have to say great service, pizza's as always first class and really reasonably priced. The internal re-design works well and still the best place in Leigh for pizza.

Enjoyed our food. Service was superb. Great atmosphere for early evening.

Lovely place for a quick Italian bite. Great service and food.

I went there for lunch with my husband and ordered a tuna pizza. The pizza had no taste to it, because they had put minimal fillings on it, it hardly had any tuna or mozzarella cheese and the base was a different consistency to any other pizza I have had, it had no taste & was so thin, it was not substantial and was expensive for £13. I've been to this place a few times in the past and the pizzas were always really nice, but I have not been for a few years and it is very obvious that the quality and the quantity of the pizzas have changed and are not good. Therefore I will not be going back again, I would rather go to Cucina or La Sirena and get a decent good quality pizza for the same price!

Had eaten here before and highly rated it but this visit i found my pizza uncooked and had no taste at all, service was very poor, waited 40-45mins for my main and was told they forgot my order. By the looks of it I wasn't the only one complaining. Won't be returning again, which is a shame

Irmas has recently had a change of layout and an upgrade in decor and layout - however since this change there has been a noticeable change to service. Waiting for pre booked tables, which has never happens before. And waiting a very long time for just a pizza. The upgrade in decor has made a downgrade in service.

Food was very tasty, service was fine. I was disappointed with the pizza which wasn't crispy at all. I checked underneath and it had no colour. To call your place a pizzeria, you should at least get the pizza right. I make better pizza at home.

Good food and good service. The pizzas are all very nice. Have tried multiple and they are all cooked very well and topped nicely. The service is especially good, even if they are busy the food comes out pretty quick. It’s also reasonably priced. Thank you

Have moved the door and the black cat has been sold off. Thier is now a bar in the middle. Still very nice

Very good meal as always. Great staff very helpful and attentive. Even better since the refurb.

Enjoyed my pasta and aperol spritz. Service could have been a bit faster but all in all enjoyed my dining experience!

Good neighbourhood pizza , pasta place. Tasty thin crust pizzas. Pasta fresh and tasty. Consistent regular formula , appeals to a wide range of taste. Will go there again

Great meals good prices ex. Service What else do you need

Great food, great service and great atmosphere. Can be a little loud at peak times especially if large parties but that’s expected. Amazing garlic bread!

Popped in here for a quick pizza , service was friendly and efficient. Our pizza were just OK, the base was bland and the whole thing was only just cooked needed another minute in the oven. Won't be rushing back.

We have been to Irma’s multiple times in the last 5 years or so. Just recently we’ve made it a monthly ‘treat’ to have a mid week lunch out but need the turn around to be quick to fit in with work/school schedules. Irma’s is great for this as we can pop in for a quick pizza or pasta dish in less than an hour. Waitresses are friendly & welcoming. Food is consistently good (never had a bad meal) although not anything extra special. Decor is a little lacklustre. Over all great for a quick bite & child friendly. Just not special enough for an occasion outing.

Good service, good drinks menu. Pasta was slightly al dente, but very tasty. Pizza was amazing! Will definitely come back.

absolutely awful me and my friend came here and the waitress were staring at us the whole time we felt so under pressure, they was talking about us standing near our table whispering and laughing do not recommend if your young girls they are so judgy, when we tried calling to ask about it they told us they couldn’t hear us when they fully well could because they was answering other things we was saying but as soon as we mentioned the staring they said they can’t hear us.

We had a large family gathering here with ages ranging from 5 years old up to pensioners. The welcome we recieved was warm and friendly from the waiting team. On being seated we were not offered a drinks menu and were not aware of what was on offer so settled for fruit juices and cokes in the main. The food order was taken promptly but we then had a 45 minute wait for our starters to arrive and in the mean time we were not offered any nibbles or table sharing plates. When the food did arrive it was hot and delicious and everyone enjoyed it. We had a mix of Garlic breads and bread and oils and Olives for starters, all being well recieved and quickly devoured. For mains we had a mix of Pizzas and Pastas which were all very tasty and well cooked. On reflection, it was a lovely evening slightly marred by the long wait to get started. The value for money was good.

I visited for the first time with my family today for a late lunch. All four of us had pizza. The service was quick and very helpful. I have to say, while pizza isn't normally one of my favourites, the Italian sausage one I had was incredible: crispy thin base, luscious rich tomato sauce, tender red peppers. Thoroughly recommended.

Didn't sit inside but used takeaway, but pizza was prepared very fast, was fresh and tasty

Fast service. Could be friendlier. Green salad was lettuce and rocket. Nothing else. Barely dressed and very small. For £5 it needs improving.

Excellent food good pricing will definitely visit again

Would be good if had more gluten free options

Lovely atmosphere, great service and excellent food!

Best pizza in the area, lovely and clean. One of my favourite places to eat

Been a few times and the food is always superb. Highly recommend the delicious Vesuvio pasta (excuse the terrible photos) for a great portion size that doesn’t compromise on flavour. Pizza and garlic breads are lovely and flavoursome, crispy and thin. Service could improve, but with a nice atmosphere and great food it’s perfect otherwise.

Great little restaurant. Lovely atmosphere. Great food and excellent service.

Just had a nepolata with extra of tuna and chilli oil. It was delicious. Just the right balance of toppings and flavours. Best pizza I've had in ages. 👍

Terrible!! Poor service Rubbish atmosphere Dirty !! Food very questionable!! Toilets absolutely filthy!. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Waste of money

Not visited this restaurant in several years so my partner & I thought we would give it a go. Went there late afternoon- it wasn't overly busy so 1 of the waitresses was able to seat us immediately. We sat at our table for around 10-15 mins without being provided with any menu's or asked if we would like to order any drinks which we felt was poor service. On top of that, another couple had walked in during that time and was shown their seats and were also provided menus before us. At that point we decided to leave. It didn't appear to us the restaurant was being managed very well and lacked organisation.

Fantastic pizza, shame about the loud drunk lady in the corner giving everyone earache but that's no reflection on a lovely pizzeria.

Had the spagnolo & salsiccia to go and it was really disappointing. The toppings were good but the base was really thin & crispy like cardboard. Real shame.

Order of Funghi and Parma, very tasty.

For a random walk in whilst out and about town, this was a brilliant find. The staff where very young, but all very polite, happy and helpful. They all seemed like they wanted to work together and be there. The food was brilliant; simple with little twists, but overall fresh, flavourful and well portioned. My only issue is that it was rather expensive for a two person lunch and pudding (£54) however I understand the quality I’m paying for to an extent. Check the walls for the specials including wines- I missed this coming in and would I have known, I’d have had some.

I've been going to Irmas since I was a child - the standard of food has always been great. The Pizzas are amazing and the starters/sides are tasty, too. However, the last 4/5 times we've been we've noticed the service has been consistently awful. Bad attitude from moody, teenage waitresses who somehow make you feel like you're asking too much of them by just trying to order your meal (one example - we asked for items to be taken off a pizza and I repeated myself just to make sure the waitress had got everything, as we were adding and taking off a few things, and was met with a rude 'Yes. I got it.', with a sarcastic smile). Complacency (forgetting items/missing things off items), lack of attentiveness (constantly having to call someone over to ask for more drinks, etc.) We'll still go, as the food is great, but just don't expect much from the service. It's a shame really!

Simple menu and good price. Food is excellent . Staff are also excellent. Best pizas in southend and surrounding area. Knocks all the franchised pizzas parlours out of the park 🤗🤗🤗

People have different preferences for pizza, I really like the pizzas here, have been enjoying them for several years. The staff are far less engaged these days though.

My favourite pizza ever. I’ve been going to IRMAs since I was a little girl with my Dad. Visited again today after years & still the best pizza! Delighted to see that the quality hasn’t changed after these years & was another pleasant trip to add to hundreds before 5/5

Delicious food, nice atmosphere n quick service. Worth to try.

Tasty and superbly thin crust pizzas. Best pizza in the area, bar none.

Food was average and expensive for what it was The tomato mozzarella salad was difficult to eat as too many cherry tomatoes compared to mozzarella. Staff were huddled at the back hiding away and chatting, to the point, we had to go to them to order more drinks and again to request the bill. Young staff needing to gain customer service skills. No hello or goodbye from them either. Sad times when businesses need customers to return to enable them to thrive.

I absolutely love this place. Everything is so on point with the food and the staff are polite friendly and very helpful. If you've not been treat yourself to a fabulous time here

I have the same pizza every time which seems pretty consistent but the staff are enough to turn you away from this place. Miserable manager who looks about 18 (nothing wrong with a young manager but extremely immature and bad attitude) not inviting , no welcome or Thank you or good bye. Caprese salad is awful, no taste and wine is very expensive. I’d go if a friend wanted to during the week but it’s not somewhere you’d go for a nice evening out

Nice convenient Italian restaurant with quite a simple but interesting and varied menu. Was not busy when we visited for lunch. Service was great and the staff were excellent. We had 3 different pasta dished and some breads. All were well appreciated and good value.

The pizza here is consistently good and such great value, I’ve always found service to be efficient. The only small thing is the acoustics in there make it very loud when it’s full of people. Other than that I always recommend this place and have bought friends visiting from out of town here!

Not been here for about 8-10 years. Quiet at lunchtime and waitresses look pretty miserable. Had a mushroom pizza which turned up cold so sent back to be heated, pizza poor still. Hot chocolate was nice but not very hot. I wouldn't bother to return.

we had a pizza which was fine, super thin, the pasta dishes didn't taste like the pasta was freshly made but from a packet and lacking in taste from the sauce. The starter, which were prawns, were in dire need of freshness. The garlic bread was surprisingly very thin, as soon as you touched it, it would break in your hand. the waitresses were welcoming but the footwear on some of them were off putting ( sliders with white socks). The portions are fine, not too much not too little, but in all honesty i could've made what we had at home for a third of the price we paid. I wouldn't use this restaurant again.

Not been here for years, popped in for lunch, the pizzas have very flavorful toppings but are extra EXTRA thin ok for those that like it like that, gamberoni starter now use about 6 frozen small king prawns, before used to be 2 massive head on tiger prawns, pasta choice good complimentary water jug, anchovies on bread was bland, just basic anchovies in oil, Atmos can go right though you as it’s wood floor, the noise can grate on you even with only a few tables filled, still a decent place that’s been there along time, reasonably priced.

Great pizzas as always with the best pizza bases ever.

Just came back from a meal , great service and great food , our starters we're a little late but the owner sorted it and made sure we we're ok and chucked in a free bottle of wine . A lot restaurants could learn a thing or two from Simon. Great place many thinks .

Busy vibrant casual good atmosphere.Staff were attentive , food was great , wasn’t rushed in anyway , looking forward to going back very soon

Great pizza... And the pasta is damn fine too 🙏. Never been disappointed x

Friendly staff and good food. However, with the combination of all the doors being open and the aircon being on despite it being a chilly evening, it was like sitting in a fridge. Hence, our otherwise tasty pizzas got cold very quickly. It's also very loud as there are no soft furnishing to absorb any sound, so we struggled to hold a conversation, even though we'd sat away from other diners. I would eat there again but on a warmer evening, at an outside table.

Having lived in Leigh my whole life and never sampling the delights of this well known institution, my partner and I felt it was high time to put this right. Irmas is situated just off the Broadway, the restaurant is large and airy and tastefully appointed in simple, dark wood furnishings. The cleanliness of the dining room is faultless, as was the case with the bathrooms. Staff were very attentive, taking our drinks order soon after we’d sat down, although no mention was made of the specials, of which there are several available. Although we visited on a quiet lunchtime, I was still impressed with how quickly the food came out. The garlic and mozzarella bread starter arrived quickly, hot, and was delicious. I ordered the Napoletana pizza and my partner the Spinaci, both were excellent, the pizzas are cooked in traditional pizza ovens, as you would expect, and arrived perfectly cooked, with thin and crispy crusts, just as they should be. Overall an excellent meal with prompt, polite service. I can highly recommend Irmas and we shall certainly be back

Excellent Italian food. Bit noisy and wine very expensive but otherwise highly recommended.

First visit here since last August due to the virus etc.I throughly recommend this place, it's got a good menu, friendly staff, the food is lovely and its value for money.It is family friendly, many couples are here with young children so can be a bit noisy but this place beats the big chain restaurants. It's in the heart of leigh by the Broadway so is ideally placed.

We had lunch at Irma's today. Food unremarkable. Wine very expensive (£8 for a large glass of sauvignon blanc!). Ambience: no heating on a chilly day, uninspiring menu, hard furnishings, scruffy flooring. Won't be going back.

For a pizza restaurant, how can they get it so badly wrong. It was basically like eating a Jacob's cracker with some mediocre ingredients on. It was overly cooked and extremely dry. We ordered 8 pizzas and they were all equally terrible. You'd be better off with burnt cheese on toast and abit of ketchup.

Delicious Mexican tacos. Oh wait, I ordered pizza!!!!!!!!!1! Also, why am I smothered in balsamic vinegar?

Wonderful Pizza! Light and super tasty!

Really good, classic Italian style pizza and pasta. They also do take-aways but collection only

Lovely fresh pizza collected from the restaurant. Ordered it over the phone and was ready at the time they said. I'm Obsessed with the Salsicce Pizza and the kids always request an Irmas' on the weekend.

Great selection and tasty food, with friendly and attentive staff all at reasonable prices, what's not to like.

Good overall, pizza wasn't hot enough (temp) but it was delicious and ok for others in party. Service was good. Independent.

I’ve been here a lot, and it’s always been decent. It’s the kind of place that you want to be seen in, certainly a trendy pizzeria for youngsters or yummy mummy pram pushers... This was an iconic restaurant when it first opened. Genuine Italian pizzas that you can get in Leigh. Now... we’ll it’s pretty average. What happened to the super thin bases and the perfectly cooked pizza?The garlic pizza bread with mozzarella lacked mozzarella and was soddened with garlic oil,Not garlic. Whilst my pizza was scrummy, and cooked well with fiery chorizo and a perfect crust, my wife’s was like a deep pan in comparison, and her ham on top was not cooked nearly enough, and was completely covered and nearly camouflaged with a huge pile of rocket!Maybe I’m being harsh, but After telling my wife just how wonderful the pizzas are in there, I spent more time reminiscing on how good they used to be.We were left scratching our heads in disappointment, and just wondering what’s happened. But considering it’s very easy to get a brilliant pizza in other places in the same postcode, we question if we give it another go or not.

A well used restaurant by myself over the years, always a good pizza but the staff are always angry and novice a atrange Combo! Had their rose on a summers noon which was unfortunately corked, not their fault at all but their handling of it was fun! The first girl who was lovely but had no idea and was totally baffled by my claim of a corked bottle as she had never heard of such a thing, no problem she whisked it away nervously and disappeared. Only for her angry supervisor to come to the table wondering what on earth could be wrong with a wine they buy in fresh! Anyway after a cringing explanation to them what a corked wine is the problem was resolved and the pizza was good! Maybe the old striped T shirt owner/manager needs to spend some time on staff training?

I believe Irmas to be so underrated! The quality of food is and always has been great. I have been going here for years and i absolutely reccomend it to anyone and everyone. The Food is the main point of my rating, Which includes price too. You have read the review. Your hungry, Go to Irmas and get some Grub!

Been here lots of times but not in the past 6 months. The garlic bread is still good but the other starters and the pizzas were underwhelming and not a patch on previous visits. Appreciate times are tough for restaurants but there’s only so much you can cut back on pizza toppings before you may as well not bother.

Came here for a lovely family meal, wine was delicious and food even better. However, what really made the experience for me was the quality of the service.

We have visited this Italian restaurant many times. The food has always been consistent and very tasty and authentic. Pizzas are original and pasta is always perfect. The chicken Milanese is cooked to perfection and have always been given a generous portion. Deserts are very yummy. The budino and panna cotta leave you wanting more despite the generous portion. Ice cream is home made and there are a variety of flavours to choose from. All in all I would say this is my favourite restaurant throughout. Staff are efficient, polite and friendly.

I've been to Irmas a number of times, most recently we were waiting 50 minutes for our food. I requested an update and the waitress returned with bad news.. They've only forgot to put our order through!Overal, the service has always been abysmal, unfortunately the staff seem incredibly vacant and not particularly bothered.Food wise, nothing special - it's definitely seen a steady decline after each visit. Oh well...

Good pizzas, friendly staff. Value for money.

Pizza was really nice, only good point. Due to Covid I expected them to adhered to any hygiene issues. As soon as we entered you could see the mirror on the back wall was absolutely dirty with hand marks all over it. There was food over the food under tables that no one cleaned up. The waitress had her hand all over the wine glass instead of holding the stem. All the girls stood around the side where the till was and did not even attempt to clean or show any sign of cleaning. Now I am wondering what the kitchen is like is it clean? I won’t be going back there until it looks clean and I feel safe From Covid.

Really nice pizzas- very thin bases which some of us didn't like so much, and some of us including myself loved! Have the napoleta (pictured). Be aware It's quite loud in the restaurant when busy due to the acoustics, although you could say this adds to the atmosphere. Overall would recommend!

Simple food using quality ingredients and well executed by the team at Irmas. Friendly, welcoming and professional service. Food was delicious and well presented...

Was there 2 hours to have just one dry, crumbly pizza, they forgot our deserts, staff were tucked away in the kitchen with no one in sight, we ended up going to the kitchen to ask to pay and leave. I didnt see a single member of staff that looked over the age of 16 so was surprised that I managed to get served a glass of wine. When I got home I realised my brand new shorts were smothered in balsamic vinegar, which I had not had, so I guess the new COVID-19 cleaning regime isn't too sharp either, real shame

Great simple range of pizza, pasta Italian. Easy going and excellent for kids early doors. Plenty of Nastro to wash it down.

Terrible service here. Supposed to of had service by a waitress but instead had to ask for menus and asked to be served only for them to forget about our order.

Came in and no one came to our service. We had to ask for Menus, ask for some drinks and ask to order food. Our drinks did not come for 10 mins so had to ask for drinks a second time. I ordered a bottled water but they came out with sparking water. Other customers came in and got served right away however no one came to our service. A couple came in 30 minutes after us and had their food served to them before we did even though we ordered before them. waitresses were not very polite and did not apologise. Once we complained the manager was polite and apologised once we had said our food had still not come & we got the starters we ordered for free. I guess this was just a one off as I saw all other customers were enjoying their service.

Well organized lovely staff beautiful food. Would recommend.

Words cannot describe the terrible service I received.I was served by an older waitress of the three who were working, and the one at the top of the chain seemed to serve me. Well it seems like that’s the only thing she did that night.The service was inpolite, the food was good, but there was no nice greeting, no emotion on this waitresses face. I feel like I would receive more respect in a brothel.. I’m so upset that the restaurant has been given a bad review because of this absolutely disgusting service. I’m very upset, I wish there was name tags to be able to report and appraise good service. Because I would take money from them for the terrible service I received.The food was good, but the service was quite the opposite.

As soon as we walked in I felt like we were an inconvenience - unfriendly staff and slow service (despite them all looking after each other’s tables). On the positive side the food was amazing so much so that it’s worth coming back for. It’s just a shame the quality of staff doesn’t reflect the quality of the food!

Considering this restaurant is a pizza restaurant the pizza was not good at all!The dough had no flavour, seasoning or texture. We ate a whole pizza in about 5 minutes . Perfect for people without teeth! Also the service was lacking, waitresses looked to be on their phones in the corner.

Lovely waitresses and very nice food... great to be able to order 'off the menu' too as the bespoke pizza was fantastic and great value for money.

Fantastic pizza and friendly service. You have one more loyal customer.