MadHatters Tea Room in Southend-on-Sea - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I wasn’t going to write this review as I appreciate a negative review can really affect a small independent business like this, but after reading the other negative reviews it sounds like my experience wasn’t an isolated incident so the owner/manager needs to take notice. When I walked in there was a sign saying “please wait to be seated” but no one around. I waited a good 5 minutes before a young girl came to the counter and said very condescendingly “oh, just a table for one?” One of the main reasons I had decided to come here was because of a sign out the front advertising milkshakes. I asked what flavours they had but was told “no we only do them in summer.” Okay then. False advertising. I then noticed the specials board which advertised the cake of the day as white chocolate fudge cake. Thinking that sounded great I asked for that. “No we don’t have that” I was told. Okay then. More false advertising. At this point I wanted to say “you know what, I’ll just go then” but I felt awkward so asked what selection of cakes they did have. Victoria sponge, lemon drizzle, apple crumble.... what a basic selection! No carrot cake, no red velvet, and no chocolate. I decided to go for the coffee and walnut. When it came time to pay, I realised I only had about £3 in change but I had my debit card and 2 credit cards on me and clearly wasn’t trying to steal a slice of cake. I thought a slice of cake couldn’t possibly be more than £3 anyway, especially as Maxwell’s Cafe over the road does delicious cakes for £2 a slice. Wrong. £3.50 for a slice of cake. The minimum for card payments is £5, which is understandable. But my god the look the woman gave me when I asked if there’s a cash machine nearby. She made me feel like a criminal! She was so rude and made the situation unbearably awkward. I was standing there with my purse, obviously not trying to dine and dash. I even said to her “look I’ll just pay you £5 for the cake”. I felt so humiliated. I was made to feel absolutely awful from the moment I walked in until the moment I walked out. It’s such a shame as I had been thinking about coming for afternoon tea with friends here but I won’t be stepping foot in here again. Not after being treated like that.

We were wandering around the centre of Canterbury when we found this place. Cute, attractive, obviously aiming for a well-healed clentele with a certain idea of England. Over-sized furniture, over-stuffed props, we instantly knew we were in the realm of Alice in Wonderland. Somehow discernible in this multi-coloured world were equally fantastic cakes and tea services. A few tables to sit at and indulge in the Alice fantasy. The cakes were beautiful, completely in style, obviously hand-crafted, but a look at the prices cured us of any desire whatsoever to sit down and indulge. Another retail opportunity did beckon. Alive-themed clothing. Still with high prices, but designs cute and clever enough to keep us interested. Obliging staff made parting with money for a suitably-themed sweatshirt easy. Nice to look, fun to see what they've done with the theme, but the prices are scary.

We attempted to have lunch here last week. On entering the cafe with our children, we were abruptly (and rather rudely) informed that there were no tables available. There were serval empty tables and we were not given an option to wait or an indication of how long we might chose to wait for a table. I can only assume that we were not welcome to dine there! I won’t try to visit again and certainly won’t recommend somewhere so unpleasant to anyone else!

Overpriced and deceptive wording make for a sham dining experience that i wouldn't like people to be taken in by.

Popped into the mad hatters tea room for a coffee. Was greeted by abrupt and rude staff . Yes I’ll admit they were busy but the attitude to customers not only us would certainly not make us want to return with lots of other venues around would be easy to go elsewhere. Kept waiting for 15 minutes to take our order although it was a nice cup of coffee. But won’t be returning again due to there attitude .

This place is entirely ruined by the lady who appears to be the owner/manager. I would feel more welcome walking in on my parents making love. As others have mentioned on here there is an instant atmosphere upon entry. No hello, simply "how many, go there" like we're being ushered into a fairground ride. When it comes to paying, she simply wanted to take your money and get you the hell out of there, which is good as we didn't want to be there either. That said, the food is good, not that she bothered to ask how our meal was. I do wonder whether maybe this is her first time managing a food service, I'd wager her previous roles might have been prison guard, evil villain or parking attendant. I can't really fault the food or presentation, but won't be eating it again whilst under this management. Pretty pictures of Alice in Wonderland doesn't make up for the bad atmosphere.

Had some gift vouchers to use so made my first visit although these tea rooms have been open for a couple of years. I was not disappointed enjoying the vegetarian breakfast and some excellent coffee. Well decorated and very clean with a mad hatters motif running through the restaurant and menu. Located in Queens road so fairly central. 2 breakfasts and coffees cost just over £20 and that brunch is going to see you well past lunch. It seems a fun place.

I don’t normally write reviews but have to say Mad Hatters Tea Room in Southend has a great welcoming atmosphere - was so Christmassy when we went there today too - and has the most amazing food. Every time we come here the food and service is top notch; Jane and her team are always welcoming and friendly and it’s super clean. Perfect combination for a great time. I can’t recommend it highly enough. 👍🏽😊🍰

Tea selection is good, and prices for drinks are ok. We went on a weekday afternoon when it wasn't busy at all, but the waitress was very specific on which tables customers had to sit at, even asking an elderly customer to move. Food seemed expensive compared to others nearby. Nice decor inside.

Decided to have breakfast here just before Xmas shopping. I have been before for tea and cake and it was good. Got seated fairly quick and looked on the menu. Not bad choices although would of liked to of seen some more choices for breakfast. Came out looking good and tasted great too. Service was good although a little forgetful on things like when wanting to order cake etc. Cake selection also a little on the boring side, we opted for lemon drizzle, id of liked it to be like a proper lemon drizzle. But it tasted good. Friendly place and not bad prices!

Took my bestie here today for Afternoon Tea. Everything was absolutely stunning. Even my Latte was a vision. Our sandwiches were fresh, although would have been nice to have some good quality ham for the money for the small amount we had instead of wafer thin, but in essence everything was delicious and fresh. The pastries were on another level as was our scones. They obviously have a very talented pastry chef . Nice ambience and well decorated that perfectly suited the theme and name of the shop. Some of the food I saw coming out was enough to make me want to come back for lunch that's for sure.

I had the French toast which was amazing and very filling. The lady working was really nice and helped my friend and I when we wanted to take some food home. Highly recommend to any Alice in wonderland lovers.

My daughter and I visited for a lovely breakfast - nice pancakes with bacon (a little salty but perfectly crispy) and syrup and an English breakfast which was very good....The staff were mad as hatters but an enjoyable visit with tasty food!

Popped in for a sandwich at lunch time and will definitely be going back for afternoon tea. Polite friendly service. Good menu choice and happy to help with food intolerances. Afternoon tea was being served to table next door and it looked delicious. Loved the decor and the music.

Great food. Staff very polite and made us feel welcome. Food was prepared and served swiftly which was great considering we were there during a busy lunchtime period.

Wanted to go here for ages and wasn’t disappointed. Lovely sandwiches and amazing churro pancakes. Attentive service, beautiful decoration and excellent food. I’d tell you to go but then you might take up the table that I want!!

This pretty place is beautifully decorated, immaculately clean and very friendly. The menu is also excellent, a great mixture. Ow as tempted by the cheese and banana panini (I thought I was the only person who put those two things together!) but had bacon and cheese instead a delicious pot of tea. Well done to everyone, a really happy, well run and enjoyable place. Just one suggestion: make some of those teas for sale loose-leaf or in bags!

WWE booked for Father’s Day as had a menu which included whisky for hubby , arrived to be told it was procecco and gin .. which is okay for mother’s day of hens etc.. we wasn’t told this before hand just on arrival that menu changed due to lack of interest last year .. they coul£ have informed us after all hubby called week before to ask wha5 time we booked table as we forgot ... we decided to stay but all so disappointed food was good but we were all felt let down ... they didn’t offer normal menu so we stick it’s it .. will definitely not be booking here again for Father’s Day .. let yourself down yes we know all home baked etc ... just false advertising

I am a regular customer and it’s my favourite place to eat and it feels more like visiting family. The food and coffee is always beautiful and the staff are helpful, polite and above all friendly. Jane, Amy and the rest of the girls always make our visits a real pleasure. Today they even made the quiche that we said we liked last week, how’s that for customer service! I recommend everyone visits this magical treasure.

I had the pleasure of having 2 afternoon tea's here this week and on both occassions the food was fresh, homemade and beautifully presented. It was spotlessly clean and i found all the staff on both occassions polite and helpful.

I came here for Fathers Day today the food was lovely, the tea was really nice. I'm just not sure why the manager would call me 'Scatty as hell' before I left. I will not be returning.

Would highly recommend the gin themed afternoon tea. Everything was homemade and delicious. The staff were all lovely and friendly. They explained everything to us and were very welcoming. The tea room is lovely and clean and decorated in excellent style. I will definitely be coming back in the future!

Decided to come here for brunch totally out of the blue and we were very impressed. Lovely staff and great food and even better prices. Two full breakfasts with hot drinks for only £20. Absolutely delicious, and the decor made me very happy! Overall a warm and inviting cafe which we will no doubt be returning to in the near future. A true local gem!

Visited here yesterday for a 50th birthday celebration. We were a group of 10 ladies, a range of age groups, very warmly welcomed by the lovely staff. The place is beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean .The G&T; afternoon tea was delicious and I would say it’s the best afternoon tea I’ve had. The sandwiches and mini sub rolls were all fresh served with tasty warm cheese and spinach pastries, the cakes and scones clearly homemade and the gin jellies were a lovely touch. Will definitely be going back and would highly recommend. They have a huge range of flavoured teas and and fresh coffees. I must also mention the honey flavoured gin & lemonade which you do have to pay a little extra for but well worth it for a special treat!

I’m sorry to say, but I had been looking forward to going here. But I have to say was very disappointed, firstly the staff were very rude, well one lady in particular.We all sat down and then waited for at least 15 minutes before someone came over, Then she asked was everyone having gin, as it was a gin afternoon, so yes we all had gin as that’s what was booked. Food wasn’t great, for what you pay for,, very cheap ingredients. Lady seemed to be more impressed with the gin jelly rather than anything else, about how it’s home made,, it’s jelly with a splash of gin. We seemed to wait again for a while for our food to come out, Then we sat there and waited for our Tea, as it was a afternoon tea. And we waited and waited and waited. Then we had a discussion that maybe it doesn’t come with tea because you get a gin with it. Then the lady came over and and asked have you all finished I will get boxes for you to take the cakes home, that we hadn’t eaten. She came over and started to clear the table as if to want us to leave. We decided ok that’s that so we stood up and went to the till. We had paid a £10 deposit each but a member of the party couldn’t make it. When the bill came out it was more than what was shown on the website. We questioned the bill, and was told you had the gin tea, so it’s more, That was not explained on there web page, to which we was told you have to read the terms and conditions. You cant advertise a price and then put it in your terms and conditions that if it’d you have the gin tea charge more. We mentioned that we didn’t get offered Tea, to which we was told you didn’t want tea, We wasn’t even offered tea, to which she replied well you didn’t want it, She also charged us for the member that didn’t turn up, I have never been to a place to eat, and been charged the deposit if one person doesn’t turn up, they, have always taken the deposit off the bill, It’s a shame that this day was ruined as it was for a Birthday Tea, and I have been to cheaper places and had a much better experience, I wouldn’t recommend this place. It could have been a much better experience if the staff put the effort in, and looked after there customers a bit better, it wasn’t like it was rammed, there was 2 other tables being served.

We had lunch on a Saturday afternoon and was very impressed with the menu and the food served. Several people were having the afternoon tea which we will return for in the future. Very nicely decorated and great service.

This visit was a birthday treat from my daughters. Gin & tonic afternoon tea. Staff (think was the owner) was very rude. Embarrassed a member of my family by her rudeness towards her which made everyone feel uncomfortable. No tea or coffee was offered she still wanted to charge the full amount plus extra for the G&T; even though my daughter explained this was more than originally agreed. The staff member became quite loud and argumentative when my daughter told her you didn’t offer us tea, staff members reply was I was going to but your leaving now. We had been there 1.5 hours. Overheard the staff member being rude to other people there for tea. Place was freezing and sat with our coats on. Food was not great. Would not step foot in this place again. Very disappointed. Would love to give zero rating.

This was booked as a birthday surprise and when we got there was greeted with attitude as out of our control turned up 10 minutes late due to train delays.

The lady who appears to own the shop is very rude and abrupt. Had an arrogance about her the minute we walked in. She makes you feel as though she is rushing you out of the shop. She offered us no tea or coffee which is normally expected at an afternoon tea. When we went to pay, she knocked the price up from £21.95 to £24.95 because we had gin and tonic afternoon tea - BEAR in mind that the afternoon tea purchased was described as a gin and tonic tea and at no point did it mention having to pay extra for the gin and tonic. When we said that we had no tea or coffee so why should we pay the extra she said “well I offered you the tea” to which all 6 of us disagreed, she then changed her answer and said “I was going to offer you a tea and coffee but you decided to leave”.. I have never been so disgusted. Really don’t know how this place gets any customers.

Attended for friends birthday meal. Customer service was really bad. Was not even offered tea or coffee, to be told as we was leaving they was about to offer tea and coffee. Awful service will not be going here again.

Very nice lunch had by all of us 11 today, allowed us to book which was good for such a big group, lots of places declined us, food excellent and came out together, and finished off with very nice cake,

What a lovely tea room , great decor , lovely sandwiches , delicious cakes .great staff , would recommend .

Th Alice in Wonderland theme of the tea room was more than what was expected. The food was delicious and well presented and staff very welcoming. Place to remember if you are ever in Southend.

Fabulous!! Lashings of tea. Amazing cakes and wonderful sandwiches. Friendly helpful service. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough. 12 of us were there and had a really lovely time.

First visit to Madhatters for afternoon tea with friends. Overall, sadly a disappointing experience. The first thing I noticed is how cold it was inside, not cosy and warm like you would expect in a tearoom, almost as if back door had been left open, so not a great start. We ordered our tea, which duly arrived and was lovely, followed by our food, which I immediately thought looked very lacklustre, nothing special which you would expect for an afternoon tea selection of sandwiches and cakes. The nicest thing was the scone with jam and cream, and the egg sandwich, I didn’t bother with anything else, it just wasn’t appealing enough in my opinion. Our tea was booked for 1.30pm and by 2.30pm the staff were sweeping up around us, very uncomfortable for all concerned, but in my opinion the rudeness of the staff when asking for the cakes to be boxed was inexcusable. It appears they left you box your own cakes, as when I requested someone to box them another member of staff shouted access the tearoom in a loud voice they don’t do this because they don’t have any gloves! What food establishment would operate without having gloves? I then suggested using tongs. The member of staff returned (with gloves on) and boxed the remainder of the food for us. Why could this not have been done in the first place without the rude comments? Absolutely shocking service, and for this reason, I would never go there again, nor recommend it.

A quiet little cafe on Queens Road, the MadHatters Tea Room has fun Alice-themed decor and amazing homemade cakes. You can usually get a table here without much fuss. It's decent old fashioned tea and cake here in mismatching cups, the portions are generous and the tea is good. Their homemade cakes are delicious - none of that store-bought stuff masquerading like so many local cafes offer. The cafe is small so don't expect to be able to squeeze in with a group of buggies, and they're not particularly toddler-friendly.

Food and service here was excellent. Very friendly staff. Not the biggest tea room but not a problem. I had the lunch menu which was lovely and tasty. Looking forward to trying their desserts.

A very big thank you to the Owners and staff at Madhatters for allowing me to hold my Daughters Baby Shower here today . We all had an amazing time and the place is even nicer than I imagined plus food was delicious.

Lovely breakfast/brunch menu, everything flawlessly cooked. Perfect pancakes, bacon and maple syrup and my partner loved his full English. Fun themed cafe with friendly staff. Only suggestion is that £1.75 for a glass of Diet Coke clearly poured from a large bottle with no ice or lemon is a bit steep, but a minor issue compared to the great quality overall.

Always walked by this cute little cafe, looking at the lovely cakes so finally persuaded my Hubbie to give it a try, showing him the menu online before hand.

I visited the Mad Hatters Tea Rooms in Southend at the beginning of the year with my youngest daughter and my 4 year old grandson and thoroughly enjoyed it. So next week I have my two granddaughters aged 10 and youngest grandson aged 3 coming to stay and thought I would treat them to afternoon tea. Lunch time today I rang to book for 1.30 this coming Friday brilliant they had a table - bad news I couldn't book it. Apparently afternoon tea is a minimum of 2 adults. As my husband is at work I haven't got another adult to take with me - so my grandchildren loose out. I was really disappointed. Do they not realise whether its me taking my grandchildren or a single parent they have refused. In this day and age there are a number of single parents - so because there is only 1 adult in the household - they are refusing to let you book afternoon tea. I think its disgusting and basically discriminating against single adults with children/grandchildren. I can book lunch for my three grandchildren and I but not afternoon tea - I can have lunch anywhere.

This was my first visit to this charming tearoom and it was a memorable experience. The staff were welcoming and friendly and went that extra mile to make sure everything was as we wanted. We had an afternoon tea with an extra pot of tea and two plates! My Darjeeling was light and refreshing and my daughter had the Apple Crumble fruit tisane which was complex and pretty in pink! The cakes were fresh, moist and delicious and the scone with clotted cream and jam was just lovely. I am a jam then cream person and my daughter is cream then jam, which is fine - just wrong! We did not feel rushed and the waitress was happy to box up the slice of victoria cream sponge which we could not finish.

Never been here before but always wanted to try it...

I visited here for a lunchtime meal with my daughters...whilst the food was fair, the service was appalling. Rude and surly are the only way I can describe our experience. Certainly wouldn't recommend or visit again. The food wasn't good enough to warrant a re-visit due to the extremely poor customer service. Would have given a zero rated mark if I was able to.

I visited here and got some cakes to take away. The service is very good and they offered serving suggestions to me. The portions are on the generous side. The cakes themselves I felt were over priced for take away and lacked any wow factor. They were tasty but nothing special. The pastry on the apple pie did not really have a butter flavour. It seems like a solid place and maybe the savoury selection is of a higher standard from reading the other reviews.

I have been going to Madhatters on a regular basis since it opened and work colleagues joke that I virtually live in there. Comments such as "You let Carol pick the venue didn't you" are common. My daughters also love this tea room. The food is locally sourced, the cakes are home made, the portions are huge. I love it here.

When I see MadHatters Alice in wonderland themed I'm thinking this place is going all out, but I was a bit disappointed as I've been to other themed afternoon tea and cafe places that have carried the theme out to the cakes / food / chinaware. I couldn't see any vegan options for cakes which would limit who I go with, and found them to be more down the classic cake route. I wouldn't return personally, however if you're looking for a spot with a classic Victoria sponge cake and tea then this place won't disappoint. They did have quite a large selection of herbal tea and offer soya milk as a alternative to milk.

Extremely good tea room/cafe! Really friendly service and Alice in wonderland theme making it special! Best club sandwich I've ever had and scones are to die for!!😊

Such a nice vibe in this quirky little place on a side road from Southend high street. This place is a hidden gem.

I have had lovely meals at this venue with friends. Would highly recommend the Mad Hatter and mad it is not! Great venue for friendly meal out, good service

Fantastic afternoon tea, food lovely and fresh, took my young granddaughter with us and nothing was to much trouble, really friendly staff, atmosphere really pleasant, luvly tea room. Would greatly recommend the mad hatters, thanks again sue.

This place is a bit quirky with mad hatters theam and has a large breakfast menu. The scrambled eggs are especially nice and the large pot of tea was a good choice.

we went here for the first time and was not disappointing,the food was great and was in a comfortable surroundings. well worth a visit.

Unfortunately my first experience will be my last as I will not be returning. The interior is lovely, however once seated we were told what the lunch options were, at 10.30 we said that we were looking at cakes as a little early for lunch and asked if there was a gluten free menu, the waitress asked what we meant and once repeated we were told that they had some frozen bread so could have toast. We asked if there was gluten free cake, and the waitress had to check and just said no. We ordered drinks, and were twice asked what food we wanted, so explained that as there were no gluten free options apart from frozen bread (we fancied cakes) we were just having a drink. It felt a little awkward, and felt that we were an inconvenience. Another party of three came in whilst we were there, they were told that they had a table free but was reserved after 45 minutes so could have it if quick (not a problem), the customers said that was great as they only wanted drinks, but were then told that they were only accepting food orders so could not have the table after all, so they had to leave. There were a few other free tables for two at this point. There were a few additional minor things we were unhappy about, but in essence felt a little unloved, made to feel like fussy customers, no explanation or apologies re gluten free options, and thought the staff were a little rude. The place has great potential but unfortunately is very disappointing.

I had lunch here with my mum on Saturday, the food was really nice and the cakes looked lovely. What I found disappointing when leaving was we asked whether they sold dairy free/vegan cakes and we were told by the lady behind the counter that ‘no we decided to stay classic, we ended up throwing away lots of gluten free cakes, there are lots of other places that sell dairy free/vegan’ to be honest this completely baffled me I make dairy free cakes and you can hardly taste the difference with any of them. I found it more ignorant than ‘classic’ surely everyone should have an option to eat cake even if you have a dietary requirement? Sadly even though our lunch was nice, based on the lady’s answer we won’t be returning and I will go to the vegan place down the road next time!

Amazing coffee. Super friendly staff. One of the best slices of lemon meringue pie I’ve ever had. Knowing they’re homemade made it even better. An all round great place. And they do take away !!

Had afternoon tea was £16.95 per person which for afternoon tea isn’t too bad. Lovely selection of cake and lovely scones I’m a bit fussy with the sandwiches but still was nice if you like egg and salmon. Nice quaint feeling and staff are very friendly. Main menu looked a bit more appetising but good experience in general.

Started using this wonderful place when my son started college around the corner in 2016. Even held my mum's funeral tea there. Everything is fabulous, staff lovely and toilet very clean. Cannot recommend this gem highly enough.

Southend is filled with countless cafes, however Madhatters gives you a new and exciting atmosphere. nice range of teas, and delicious cakes + really nice people working there.

Booked this way in advance and felt we were lucky to get in before seeing the pantomime.

Despite always passing this café, I've never had the chance to try it. Being absolutely Alice mad, I dragged my mum, Auntie and Uncle with me. We got in, and there was a rather miserable lady behind the counter. We were seated instantly and given menu's. The food/cakes were amazing, and hit the spot. Would definitely recommend!

Me and my partner had a breakfast here. It was 2 pm. We had a delicious cappucino, and for us a special, lovely eggs on toast breakfast. The waitress was so cute and helpful. And the whole place has the Mad Hatters feeling. I love it. Maybe this is going to be our new breakfast place. Highly recommended.

Visiting friends in Thorpe Bay they booked a table for 5 Breakfast on Sunday before I returned home. What as lovely place welcoming, lovely staff & Service and the Food is great. I enjoyed a breakfast of Bacon,Sausage,Baked Beans, toast and a lovely poached egg very well presented served with a pot of tea of made with proper tea leaves !!!! All our party enjoyed different options of breakfast. Looking forward to visit again and try the yummy cakes on display.

We discovered this lovely little tea room a few weeks ago and have been there 4 times so far. Each time food and service were lovely. Nice and clean too. Would recommend. The only down side is that Queens Road is a bit skanky presently as is most of Southend high street now. But this tea room is well worth the visit.

Just had an amazing afternoon tea, couldn't fault it at all! Was there with my daughter in law, food was yummy, sandwiches, cheese scones, plain scones, cakes, brownies, all tasted amazing! Very relaxing not rushed at all! Thank you Mad Hatters!

Under normal circumstances i visit a cafe/restaurant twice before I give it 5 stars as i think that consistency is often one of the most important elements of a food outlet.

I booked afternoon tea for myself ,my mum and my daughter for her 5th birthday. What an amazing place! Lovely polite staff, food was lovely and very reasonable. My daughter loved it! Thank you very much Mad Hatter's

The afternoon tea here was amazing and defiantly recommend, went here for a birthday treat and the staff went up and beyond to make the experience good! Reasonably priced and best afternoon tea in Southend!

Rude rude and even more rude. I am so disappointed with this place I do not wish to go there again. Never have I been somewhere that I was close to walking out. Firstly we were told by a perhaps middle aged waitress/day manager that if we wanted a table for 2 then there was one available but had to be gone in 40mins because they need the table. So we were not sure about being told how long we were allowed to eat lunch. Then a younger waitress said it's ok I'll clear another table for you. Problem 1 solved. So speaking to my friend I said 'oh that's good because now we don't have to rush and can take our time and relax.' To which the same grumpy lady said in quite an aggressive tone that we can't take our time if you are only here to eat cake. By which point I was fuming inside. Speaking of cake my friend commented on how nice they looked - so ignoring the fact that I was angry by the rudeness and really wanting to try this place for the first time, I said yes they look lovely but cherry bakewell tarts are quite sickly.' Oh and yet again we were interrupted during a private conversation by the same woman in a sarcastic tone that the 'cakes are homemade and not what you have eaten before.' I was shocked! I wasn't being rude or being a difficult customer just simply stating that I find a particular cake quite sickly. Fair comment nothing derogatory towards anyone, or insulting. They look wonderful, honestly. I then felt like I had to say something back so I simply said 'well anything that's full of sugar and smothered in icing sugar is going to be sickly.' By which time we were seated. My friend and I debated just getting up and walking out - which we nearly did even after placing our order. We the ate and paid. On the way out I felt a bit better about myself because my friend overheard the woman again being rude to another customer who couldn't find their seat was told 'can you not see it!?' Felt the food was ok and the waitress service was pleasant - no problems there. Front of house (if you call it that) first impressions I would be having some serious words if I employed someone like her. Both myself and my friend will probably not be returning customers. I am still not entirely sure why we actually stayed.

Our daughter and son in law brought us vouchers for our wedding anniversary but decided to use them for afternoon tea for my husband's birthday. I have had quite a few afternoon teas in my time but none as enjoyable as this. Everything was baked fresh and the quality of the food was great. The service was excellent and the ladies serving were very kind and efficient and bought us a box to take home the cakes we couldn't eat. I would recommend this tea room to every one but u have to prepare book if u want the afternoon tea. Thank you Madhatters !!

We had a fabulous afternoon tea today for Father's Day, it was one of the best we've ever had. The cakes were absolutely delicious, the scones soft and fresh. Tasty plentiful sandwiches. We went last week and I had the pancakes with bacon, maple syrup and fresh cream. The bacon was lovely and crispy, the pancakes were to die for. We'll definitely be back in the near future.

We had seen the reviews on Tripadvisor and made this our first stop-off on our day out to Southend.

My boyfriend and I have been many times as I loved it in there, including afternoon tea on my birthday. Yesterday we went in and I wanted to film and take a couple of pictures of the amazing wall art, as I'm a huge fan of the Lewis Carroll books.

Came here for breakfast with friends, very nice little find I would recommend booking though as they fill up quick. The food is very good sausages are thick and meaty in nice doorstop bread excellent. The only draw back I would say is one of the staff came across a little passive aggressive my friend asked a couple of things and every time it was "yes give me a minute" in a very passive aggressive tone. But minus that a very enjoyable time.

Very relaxing for lunch. Advisable to book if going in middle of lunch time..between 12 and 2.....staff polite and helpful.

First there is a sign about seating arrangements, don't sit there if there is only 2 of you.

I have been visiting this tea room on a regular basis ever since it opened. I love it. They have the most wonderful home made soup, delicious home made cakes and daily specials. With an Alice in Wonderland Theme, fresh home made food cooked on the premises and a vast number of different teas to choose from what is not to love?

We was the first customers today we had 2x big breakfast. The food was first class

I regularly meet friends for breakfast and have been here a few times now. The food is pretty tasty - but so it should be for the price. However, I have on every occasion been extremely disappointed with the attitude and rudeness of the waitress (I think she may also be the manageress?) and this has always ruined the experience.

" We're all mad here . I'm mad, you're mad "

Stopped here for a quick lunch with my mum and 1 year old son.

Only the second time have been here, and it didn't let me down again. This time had the small brunch and another friend had the Mad Hatters big brunch both were yummy. Were left alone by the staff and weren't rushed. Even took a piece of cake home each too. Wasn't busy which was good as couldn't book but only because at the time w I wasn't sure if we were going to eat off the menu or just have cake and a coffee.

We visited here for my mums birthday treat with a few girlies, we booked for 6 but only 5 ended up going but we still had to pay for 6 which I didn't really like but was happy too as someone let us down. We had afternoon tea there, sandwiches were nice and the cakes were lovely too! I really liked the décor in there nice touch. We enjoyed our visit.

Visited here today after seeing great reviews. We walked past the Remedy Tearooms on the way and to be honest i wish we had stopped there. We arrived at 12pm and were told they were out of quiche, bananas and icecream (so no milkshakes). For a bank holiday Monday that seems a bit ridiculous considering the number of local food shops! The decor is fairly nice but no vintage crockery as you might expect for 'mad hatter', in fact it was all a bit Ikea on that score. The food was OK, very much like any other cafe you would go to. My son had a piece of chocolate cake which he seemed to enjoy but again, i wouldn't say it was anything special. The service was very slow and a couple of little mistakes with the order- the woman who greeted us was quite miserable. I wouldn't visit again but it wasn't bad if you are nearby!

Excellent Meal Excellent Service. Fantastic Milkshakes and crunchy bacon with the Breakfast. Lovely pictures on the walls which tell a story

This is by far my most favourite place in southend for breakfast and lunch. My Daughter and I go here whenever we're in town so have got to know the staff really well. They are so welcoming and almost make you feel like one of the family. The food is freshly cooked and absolutely delicious. The cakes are all home made too and sooooo tempting, I defy anyone to walk out without trying something from the cake display. You have to visit this little gem, but advise you call ahead and book, especially at weekends.

A friend and I visited for an early lunch but could not see a menu outside so checked the menu indoors. The place was not busy at all and the staff were not rushed off their feet, no one else was waiting to be served, but the female staff member was very rude and impatient and basically had a go at us for not checking the menu online first (we were taking a little while as my friend has dietary requirements so wanted to check there was something she could eat). She also stroppily said they have no salmon left which is surprising as features in quite a few of the meals and there's a massive food store 5 mins away! We walked out and went to a nearby pub instead. This was a real shame as the food and place sounded lovely and I was really looking forward to eating there.

My wife and I got a reservation for lunch as a belated Mother's Day present from our son. If you haven't booked unlikely you will get in, unless prepared to wait. Lovely wall decorations of scenes from Alice through the looking glass, and we also had our granddaughter Alice with us. The fare was simple with sandwiches, breakfast and cake selection, but the bread was very tasty and thickly cut. Delicious cakes and nice tea, strange thing to,say, but some can be like dishwater!

This is a great place to have lunch. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The décor is Alice in Wonderland with cleverly painted walls. All the food is made on the premises with fresh ingredients and beautifully presented. Have had lunch here several times with friends and family.

First time back since it opened .iI was in Southend today and wanted a breakfast.and decided on mad haters . As the food was presented to me you could tell it was good quality.The staff were lovely.the restaurant its self was very clean . homemake cakes on offer always a good sign!!:) . I will defiantly be returning.

Decided to go out of the high street for a coffee & came across this little place pancakes & the cooked breakfast were lovely, cakes divine Lovely friendly staff

Another amazing home cooked breakfast with family to relax and catch up, always excellent service and food.

Have been here on numerous occasions for afternoon tea, breakfast, lunch and tea with cake. Am working my way through their range of teas. The cakes are homemade and not sickly sweet but scrummy. Would recommend this tea room any time

My son always asks to come here when we're in Southend as he loves the sausage sandwiches. They certainly are huge with plenty of sausages. Bacon sandwiches are also very good.

What a lovely place, went for breakfast, just taken some friends to have cream tea was excellent all the food home made, the staff could not be more welcoming the lady who owns it(sorry didn't find out your name), was really lovely made you feel really welcome, will be going back very soon, and would highly recommend it.

Food amazing and friendly staff, well recommended, anyone in the local area of Southend-on-sea it's a must visit for all kinds of teas and coffees, also lots more on offer. Really is very popular with the locals.

My friend and l went for lunch there and had a great time. We had a sandwich and then some cake each. Other shame is they don't offer their full menu at the weekend

My friend and I had a festive afternoon tea at £18 each and it was lovely. A fine example of 'you get what you pay for'. We did have to prebook for this and pay a £10 deposit, but we are glad that we did as the shop was very busy and we would not have had a table otherwise.

Wonderfull food whether you have breakfast, brunch or lunch and so many different combinations that go so well together. Home made cakes and quiches, a really good selection of teas and coffees. Have been several times now and cannot fault it. Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff.

Popped in here yesterday to have a break from Christmas Shopping. Had an absolutely lovely cheese scone with a divine chuntney. Service was freindly I would high recomend this tea shop to re-charge your batteries.