Mark's American Diner in Southend-on-Sea

My friend and I were going to the Palace Theatre to see a show and had just about given up getting anything 'proper' to eat seems that a lot of restaurants were either closed on a Monday or not open until later which would have been too much of a rush to see the show and we 'stumbled' across this restaurant. Great food, so much we couldn't eat it all which was such a shame but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Very informal and comfortable atmosphere. Try the Pina Colada's they are devine and made 'from scratch' not one of these disgusting mixes that are becoming so popular. Staff were amazing too, couldn't do enough for us. Would recommend this restaurant and if I could give 6+ stars would do..

Absolutely wonderful dining experience from start to finish. The lady who owns the place is so friendly and helpful ,explaining dishes and telling us how things are cooked. The food was just off the scale delicious! Big portions and everything cooked to perfection. Please try the sharing platters they are incredible and the desserts are homemade and seriously good. This made me so happy. It won't be long until I return here to try the rest of the menu.

Well, the service was okay but the rest,sadly nothing positive and badly disappointing,steak meant to be medium rare when it was done, and also very dry, calamari rings was overcooked and they were basically only bread crumbs as nothing was in them, And last thing was Shisha, Shisha was really light taste of chosen flavour,not strong and not thick smoke, we have visited in not very busy time and for everything we were waiting so long drinks 10 minutes all time, food nearly hour, Shisha like 40 mins was left with £90 bill to pay which is surely not worth it, and not for another visit

The food was authentic the host was outstanding a must visit in Southend. I was informed it was a American style place pleased they went back to their roots.

The best Albanian food I had in UK! The restaurant itself is clean and cozy and food is just amazing! It is cooked from scratch every day so waiting times are bit longer than average but it’s worth waiting for. Great range of dishes and very affordable prices. Oh, almost forgot, the lady who owes the restaurant and serves the food is super nice and friendly.

The lady which was there was very polite and kind. But the other else.... Not very good.

amazing service, amazing food, beautiful cocktails and coffee. this place is one of my favourite spots to eat and is owned and run by the most wonderful family i’ve ever known. traditional Albanian food that will leave your tummy feeling extremely satisfied. i recommend this place to everyone !!!!!!

The food was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, with a mixed platter usually the staff would tell you what's what. Instead, starters put in front of us; hadn't finished them and mains arrived. Same approach of guess what it is. Very tasty though.

I had a lovely time when I went here for lunch with friends. The staff were lovely, they privided a great service, the food was amazing and it was a lovely atmosphere. Would highly recommend!!

The staff at this restaurant are very friendly and welcoming. The food is amazing.

I had the beef stew and it was delicious. Would definitely have again. Lovely, friendly welcome and great service.

First taste of Albanian food and we liked it

Have given up trying to order via just eat for the 4th time order not been accepted .never gonna try again. Do these folks want to earn a living?

When I went it was quiet. Things on the menu, were not avaliable. Food was very nice but very expensive. Maybe that's the way the world is now.

Been meaning to pop in here since it opened just prior to lockdown. Sorry we left it so long, as we had a great, great meal. One cheese burger and fries and a brisket burger with sweet potato fries and 2 soft drinks. Every ingredient was the best and fresh : bun, burger, salad, dressings, fries. Superb. I’ve never been a burger eater as always found the bread turned to mush and the burger was usually like rubber. Not Here. It was a blooming good meal. We can’t wait to return to work our way through the rest of their menu. Our visit was on a quiet Friday afternoon. Next time will be an evening so I can have a couple of Southend’s local Tapp’d cocktails, of which I am an aficionado. (Smiley face). I will be better prepared as well. I will starve for 24 hours beforehand so I can include a starter. It was an honest to goodness cracking meal. Please do add it to your diary to visit.

What a disappointing place to eat. Their burgers are thin and dry, definitely not homemade. Chips are basically oven chips, not even close to American fries. Anaemic bacon that’s 50% fat. Also not great. Oh, and the staff are, well, more concerned about the spots on their faces. This place is basically a local Turkish cafe that happens to do burgers, in a setting with a few Elvis posters. A v o i d.

Poor tasteless food , diarrhea stright away , not real burger not american at all , even cola smell like fish ...

OMG we had a fantastic night , my hubby has celiac disease and has problems eating out. We spoke to the owner and we have now had 2 meals there and hubby has not had one problem. It is cosy, staff are amazing, atmosphere is brilliant. A 10+.x

Unfortunately will not be returning … food tasteless, burgers over cooked and dry, no idea of how to cook a steak. Generally disappointing n costly

Fast, perfect,cooked full breakfast with music compilation on full screen . I love it here , be back for pancakes with same n ill be trying menu . . I mean whats onit desserts , all looks amazing . Thank you 11/10

Lovely food, beautiful family run business, wonderful people, fantastic evening with live entertainment.

Went in after school with grandchildren and lady in there was very friendly. The food was delicious.

Decent food, nice atmosphere and nice staff

Food was nice, hot, cooked fresh, and tasted well seasoned. My burger appeared ‘homemade’. I felt our server wasn’t particularly friendly though however the service provided was nonetheless quick and efficient. A little pricey overall perhaps for what it was. Owner is clearly obsessed with Elvis Presley!

We have been to this diner twice now and loved it both times. The ribs are great, so tasty and succulent. Portions are very generous. Tonight we had a milkshake to finish off and oh my, what a milkshake.

Lovely place, had a breakfast and it was really nice

Great diner, fantastic food and such good service! Will definitely be returning very soon!

Came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch.Me and the wife had the burgers which was nice but my boy had the hot dog and it wasn't good at all.The outer skin of the hot dog was almost like it was encased in a plastic covering..Sorry guys but get rid of them hot dogs

I don't normally leave reviews but The breakfast was amazing all cooked perfectly and great value, thank you

Great coffee and food in an Elvis filled atmosphere uh hu

Well I have to say, this is my favourite breakfast so far that I have eaten locally. What was also really great was that my breakfast was hot from start to finish! Tasty coffee, friendly staff and the food was just so delicious. Definitely recommend :)

Went for a breakfast, after a drunken night. It filled the hole well. Clean and tidy inside. From what I see of the menu they looked like they had some good bits on there. Will defo go again to try a proper meal

Very friendly. Deliver to the door. Good diner food, generous portions

Lovely fresh food, delivered right on time and all very delicious! Would highly recommend!

Good food, generous portions and well priced. Staff very friendly and attentive, well worth a visit, especially if you like burgers and hot dogs!

Had a nice take away Hot dog and fries

Was hell bent on a proper American burger so when I saw the sign read ‘American’ in I went! The cheeseburger seemed delish! What with gherkins and mustard and a thick patty! Ordered a cheeseburger minus the cheese and was looking forward to the crunch of the gherkin with the sharpness of the mustard. Boy! Was I disappointed! The bun and patty came out decent, though I couldn’t find the gherkin if I wanted to nor the mustard. Certainly not worth the £4.50 especially if I have to play hide and seek with the garnish! However it was far from a bad experience and I will definitely give the place another go. If I wanted a bad burger I’d go to the big M. I believe the place has potential - just need to tighten up their food presentation and garnish.

Great food and great service, still doing 30% discount as well this month. Highly recommended 👍

Recently ordered a takeaway for collection from Marks Diner. I ordered 2 chips, a chicken burger & regular cheese burger. Both burgers were good quality, however, the real stand out was the cheese burger. I fab Patty and good amount of salad. The service was good and I wouldn't expect any less from a family run business. It is now more important than ever to be supporting local family businesses! I am happy to have found this little gem in westcliff and will definitely be ordering from here again. Thanks Marks diner

Good quality food, great value, themed restaurant, hosted by a lovely family. My wife had mozzarella sticks, New York hot dog and curly fries (which were really nice), and I had potato skins, Mr President Burger (amazing), and chocolate sundae. I could really taste the quality of the food, particularly in the burger's blue cheese sauce and the chocolate ice cream. Felt ready to burst after eating all that, but wanted the full American experience. They also do takeaway/Just Eat and I could see that their delivery staff were really busy, but this didn't affect the attentive service we got. The 60s American diner theme has just the right balance and didn't feel overwhelming. It can't be easy starting a business and then having lockdown imposed on you. I sincerely hope Mark's American Diner gets through this rough patch. This place deserves to do well.

Tonight we were scouring Just Eat for either one of our Saturday night takeaway Chinese or Indian, but of late we are getting bored with them. We saw the Marks American Diner and decided to have a look-see. The President Burger looked really lush so we both ordered it. We most definitely were not disappointed. The meat was cooked perfectly, the cheese melted just right and the bacon and mushroom just finished off the flavours. We are now intrigued by the rest of the menu and will certainly be trying out more of whats on offer. We live quite away from the diner and thought that our order may be refused. When it was accepted we were very surprised. The young lady who delivered our meal kept to the Coronavirus guidelines and made us feel very safe. So thank all at Marks American Diner we will be back.

Incredibly surprised at the other shining reviews. The food we received was horrendous and I threw most of it away. The chicken wings were grey with hardly any meat on them. I wish I’d taken a photo to show just how horrible they looked. The burger and fries looked like they had been flung out of a burger van. The mozzarella sticks tasted awful and were inedible. I hate wasting food but I couldn’t eat this. Possibly the worst quality food I’ve ever eaten. McDonald’s is better.

Just got a cheeseburger meal and a flake milkshake... delicious!! Fully recommended

By far the best burgers, hot dogs fries, and slaw,this side of the atlantic, beats henrys burgers hands down.give em a try the presidents burger is a work of burger art. The marks burger out of this world.you will not be dissapointed Ps old gut bucket ie me.polished the presidents burger off in 4 bites lol.

Ordered at 8pm told delivery would be at 9:15 , contacted at 9:25 told it would be another 10 minutes , spoke again at 9:55 with Deliveroo as could not get hold of restaurant ... Check on my order and said it should be with me now !! No it’s not!! Taken £30 out of my account and restaurant now closed truly appalling way to treat customers.

How they call themselves American I dont know and way over priced for an overcooked dry burger and cold hard fries wouldn't recommend it buy again. And just for a future reference dont put desserts in with hot food it basic common sense...

Great food, lovely staff and good prices. Highly recommend

Saw these guys now do delivery so thought why not. Food arrived in good tune, piping hot, honestly some of the best ribs I’ve tasted! We will certainly be popping in for a visit!

Lovely food, great friendly service

The staff were rude and when I asked for a vegetarian breakfast the server pulled a face and when it was delivered to me, their was bacon on the plate.

I was reluctant to post a review as I really didnt want to give a bad review. However I must say if they employed a staff member who actually knew what was meant to be served up on a certain order it would be helpful, I had to send my food back because it was cold then when I did get it back my other guests had finished eating, again my food was missing certain ingredients and all of us ordered different hotdogs but not one of us got a side of coleslaw. The starters are "VERY" over priced for what you get 4 "Very" small cheese chilli balls at £3.95 about the size of popcorn chicken and the mac and cheese balls was tasteless, no side plates given so we had to use serviettes. Maybe this place needs better front of house and a manager who has more experience, I've lived in America and no way would this food or service be acceptable.

A rare and accidental find when the local Asian restaurant revealed itself to be unlicensed. They even have a self produced house red wine. Delicious. The BBQ sauce had the right amount of twang and the hot wings fell just short of making you sweat for an hour. Service was brisk but occasionally a little forgetful. The absence of a website was confounding but I understand this is crime All in all, a great value and surprisingly high end American diner. More of this kind in London please! Xx

I am a regular customer here, without question has some of the best burgers I have ever eaten! This includes burgers I've had in the U.S The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming, great service and amazing food... You will not be disappointed

Just had a birthday party for 12...ordered all different types off the menu. Everyone of my party said the food was amazing. Service was perfect. Definitely recommend.

First time here, it’s newly opened but I must say first impressions have been brilliant, ordered a burger and chips and definitely put it up there with some of the better places I have been too and has a really nice authentic diner feel. Overall a great first experience. Keep it up!