OakTree Vegetarian Bistro in Southend-on-Sea

To let board in window. Appears to be closed. Nothing on website to indicate that they are closed. Another group had booked a table but found door locked. Had some fantastic meals there and would love to eat there again, but the to let board in the window gives the impression that it's closed. Really hope they are just moving to new premises. 3 star review as made a special trip but found it closed.

To let board in window. Appears to be closed. Nothing on website to indicate that they are closed. Another group had booked a table but found door locked. Had some fantastic meals there and would love to eat there again, but the to let board in the window gives the impression that it's closed. Really hope they are just moving to new premises. 3 star review as made a special trip but found it closed.

First visit and was impressed from the moment I walked in. Beautiful interior, good beer, menu is so good that it is hard to decide what you want to eat. Food was delicious and the oat milk cappuccino was to die for. On top of that the staff were lovely and very accommodating with their superb service. Thank you; I look forward to returning very soon.

First visit and was impressed from the moment I walked in. Beautiful interior, good beer, menu is so good that it is hard to decide what you want to eat. Food was delicious and the oat milk cappuccino was to die for. On top of that the staff were lovely and very accommodating with their superb service. Thank you; I look forward to returning very soon.

Lovely restaurant with plenty of delicious options on the menu. Wish I lived a bit closer otherwhise would come more often but we were on a day trip from London!

We had the special 'Greek Night' set menu and it was absolutely fabulous. The first starter was a Greek soup with rice, chickpeas, lemon and dill and it tasted wonderful - hearty and comforting but light tasting at the same time. This was a new dish to me and I will be looking to replicate it at home. The second starter was a sharing plate of typical Greek dishes, including beautiful lemony hummus, gigantes and stuffed vine leaves. The latter were particularly good. This was a lovely tasting plate - everything was perfectly cooked. For the main course I chose the gyros, another dish new to me which I would definitely choose again if it featured on a menu. Again, beautifully presented and with the added bonus of perfectly seasoned fries (rosemary I think?). My sister had moussaka which she said was delicious. It transpired that I couldn't have the set dessert as it contained an ingredient to which I am allergic, but I was offered an excellent alternative with no fuss. This meal was the result of my sister winning the recent Oaktree Facebook competition for a meal for two, but we both agreed that we would happily have paid the set price - the food was amazing and it was excellent value for money for a four course meal. Service was excellent as well!

I love this place! Well worth the 250 mile round trip! Lovely food, beautifully presented, friendly, smiley staff! Wished I lived nearer I'd get a job there!

Lovely food :) The staff were nice too :)

The food was great with a wide range of options available. It was sunny so we sat in the garden to enjoy which was perfect. I would say some options are a little pricey for what they are in comparison to other dishes such as the stir fry noodles, but they were good none the less.

Absolutely lovely! Haven't eaten here for a while unfortunately but came for Fathers Day with my parents (who are meat eaters) and everyone loved their food. The portion sizes were perfect, quality of food was lovely and service was excellent 👌 really accomodating for 2 small fussy kids

Delicious. As a family we were excited about the choice of vegan food including desserts. We are looking forward to returning for our next meal .

Cosy nice place food was tasty Staffs lovely and feel like homely. Must visit

I've been going to the Oaktree since it first opened all those years ago and the food, service and everything in between has always been the best you could ever get in the area. However the past year or so the food has gone completely downhill and its such a shame because like I said, the food was like nothing you'd ever had before, by far the best vegan food. But now it's no different to the frozen bits you can get from Tesco. Over cooked or under cooked, not much taste to the food...I know it might sound a little harsh and the food because the is still edible but it can't compare to what it use to be like. That's my little rant. I really hope they go back to how the food use to taste and maybe even bring back some of the old menu. Although the new menu does have a lot more variety which I'm a fan of. All in all I would recommend it to new people but if you haven't been to the Oaktree in the past year and you use to love there food then I would save you're better off going to somewhere like Stoked

Really enjoyable meal 2 for 1 sharing plates. Good variety and flavours.

Great little restaurant. I'm not vegan and the food was seriously good. We all ordered different dishes and everyone was really happy, love the chocolate cake. Visited on a Wednesday when they run a special promotion, fairly quiet initially but picked up as we were leaving. Attractive interior. Road side parking but plenty of spaces down the side streets.

Very friendly and good Vegan restaurant.

So good that I forgot it was even vegan. Highly recommend for vegans/veggies in the area. I had the lasagne which was absolutely delicious and a good size, as well as a really nice glass of white. The whole menu looked tempting so I’ll definitely have to return and also have a look at desserts! The door did keep blowing open by our table on the very cold/windy/rainy night we went, but the service and atmosphere were otherwise lovely.

Love this vegan restaurant!! so many options and great food. Had the korean tofu noodle special and it was delicious! Cocktails were very nice too.

Perfect. Basically gourmet vegan food! We would highly recommend the Steak. Will be back soon!

Went for lunch after a long bike ride, the food was yummy and the staff were very helpful and attentive around my partner's gluten allergy.

Lovely restaurant with amazing food and service. The new menu is even better than before and has lovely options. I Love that there are many gluten free options too. The drinks are pretty good and the restaurant is kid friendly. One of the best options in the area. In the summer time the garden is also open, which is a huge plus

I recently visited oak tree, the food was lovely and all the staff were lovely but I found the manager, i’m not sure what her name is but she had red hair, to be quite abrupt with staff and was not at all presentable. I felt like she brought down the tone of the restaurant.

Popped in for dinner over the weekend Amazing venue, food was served hot and fresh, staff was great and the cocktails was unreal Perfect place to go for something to eat

Second visit to Oak Tree, which was great. The staff were very friendly, attentive and accommodating (thanks for the menu option swap). The food was really good and we were happy with all three courses. "Mushroom" I would always recommend and would always have. The "Steak" was convincing and tasty. The "Sundae" dessert also hit the sweet spot, but the "Chocolate" was immensely good!

Easily as good as home cooked food absolutely great food stunning would recommend it to anyone vegan or not great cocktails and beers can't fault it in any way

Highly recommended. Very impressed by the menu and quality. Thank you

Grace and the team were amazing. Brilliant food and good vibes 🥦

All I can say that service was great, but food and value was poor. £14 for a very crispy bean burger and chips that were seasoned to the point of not being able to taste any potatoe. Other guests had a "Big Plate" lunch and came out underwhelmed and hungry. When it first opened this restaurant was great, and nice to have somewhere good that mainly caters for Vegans, but last 2 visits very dissapointing.

Grace and the team were amazing. Brilliant food and good vibes 🥦 Went there for Valentine's and had a lovely meal, have been coming here for years.

We really enjoyed this vegan restaurant. The food was delicious and the presentation was spot on.

Great food and service,love coming here.They make the best vegan food ever.Wish they would expand to other areas like Sussex.

We have eaten at the Oak Tree since it opened and have enjoyed the food and service for a long time. Tonight however we was disappointed with the new menu. Some really popular dishes are gone and the new menu seems a little simple. The Risotto dish was absolutely tiny and should be labeled as a small plate dish or a starter as £14 is way too much to charge for the amount of food that came out. Hopefully some changes are made to the portion sizes and the new menu as we do enjoy eating there.

Absolutely trash. I took my pet rabbit and it wouldn't even eat their food

Lovely food and a great atmosphere. Staff are always very helpful and knowledgeable.

We visited Sunday 4th February 2024 as it was Louise's birthday. She has started an animal sanctuary in Billericay and we are all volunteers there. As usual, the food was excellent. So glad the roasts and mac cheese are back on the menu. Livia, Izzie and Pixie were our delightful servers/chefs and nothing was too much trouble for them. Thoroughly recommend this restaurant. Thank you Oak Tree. Xx

Visited today for the first time. We went for my partners birthday and we had such a lovely time ! We can’t wait to come back. Really welcoming staff, freshly made food and just had a fab time !

Great food coffee weakest item on menu

Staff was very rude and one berated me because they know that I eat meat and called me a murderer and literally threw my plate down and spilled my entire meal all over the table and I had to clean it up because I wasn't going to pay their outrageous prices for a meal and not eat it

Eaten here a few times great service and staff..

Some of the 1 star reviews on here are laughable and I feel the need to redress the balance. Unlike the reviewers from Australia and Ohio, I have actually been to this restaurant, including when I was a meat eater, and always enjoyed my visits here. The food is exemplory and non-vegan friends that have been along with us have always said how much they enjoyed themselves. Ignore the haters, this place is the best!

Have always loved eating here, however really disappointed to have had to send our food back twice tonight as it was stone cold. Really long wait as well which is understandable for freshly cooked food but this was nearly an hour ! When food finally came out third time it was ok and hot but nowhere near the usual standard. It's certainly not somewhere I'm going to rush back to.

Visited here in January 24 for family meal . We were seated in high up chairs which was fine and we were given a choice so no issues there. We asked for a couple of items which were not available but again no big deal . The starters were actually rather nice and highly recommended. The mains we had were fine , the only issue was the Mac and cheese for our daughter which was extremely garlicky . Cost wise not too bad £25 per head for two courses and one drink each . If you are totally vegan this is the place for you , it’s a bit quirky and the staff are very friendly and give good service .

Great food, great atmosphere. Was recommended some small plates and they did not disappoint. The new menu is fabulous Grace has been the absolute worst. Loved every moment, will be back in the near future 💜

Lovely restaurant but what makes it is the service. Manager was amazing.! We are not vegans but wanted to try and she helped us with a big smile and a good fun manner. Chose well and the food was amazing. Will def be back not just for the food but the service too. Many thanks

My partner and I dropped in for dinner on Saturday, 6 Jan, no reservation but they managed to fit us in, my partner had been there before, but first time for dinner, what a totally excellent experience, attentive, yet un obtrusive staff, fresh quality food, and not rushed in the slightest, one of, if not the BEST restaurant in Leigh

I have been here 4 times and on the 3 previous occasions I would have given this a 5 star + review, however today I attended and was presented with the new menu which was disappointing to say the least. As a parent to a vegetarian and happy to embrace her life style this had become one of our favourite restaurants to spend time together, and as meat eater, a restaurant I championed to others. 5 of us dined today and as a collective we were disappointed with the new menu. The previous menu made eating vegan exciting. The other times we have attended we have always tried different dishes and every one of those was top class. This new menu however is boring and predictable, and lacks flavour. So disappointed and hope things from the old menu return soon. Despite this, the service and the sticky toffee pudding was great!!!

Great selection of vegan dishes. Been a few times and our non vegan guests always seem happy too. Good quality ingredients, love the home made seitan, very tender. It's our go to vegan restaurant when visiting family in the area.

The food was delicious and the service was amazing!

Lunch with family , food was excellent quality, good size portions- value for money and a great choice of meals. Relaxed atmosphere without feeling rushed to finish and move on so plenty of time to chat between courses without feeling your waiting ages for your food. Really enjoyed it . Highly recommend this restaurant for vegetarian and vegans . Thankyou for a lovely meal x

Amazing vegan food, this is our favourite restaurant 🌱💚

Been here many times. Always top quality food and service. Most recently I attended a fine dining night they put on and it was incredible. The place is beautifully decorated, there's a lovely outside area at the back for the warmer seasons. The staff a friendly and helpful too. Can't recommend highly enough!

My favourite place to go. It has a really nice atmosphere and the decor is perfect. The food is top notch. Never been disappointed in the many times I've visited. Highly recommend.

We were four people and all had the Christmas dinner - all of us were super pleased! The staff is incredibly friendly, big shoutout to the staff for the customer service. Good atmosphere and really great food, a lot for the money as well! Will definitely come again soon :)

A lovely vegan restaurant surprisingly bigger than it looks from the outside with a room at the back .good attentive service

One of our favourite vegan restaurants! We love it here. The menu is mouth-wateringly extensive and varied. The food is always of a high quality and tastes delicious. There is a nice selection of drinks too and the staff are always friendly and welcoming. Never had a bad meal here and we will keep coming back! Dogs are also allowed. 🐾

I'm pescatarian meaning I only eat white meat but predominantly vegetarian and was treated terribly when I asked for a pescatarian meal. Funny when management thinks they know it all lol I was in the uk may to June and happened upon your abode and assumed they'd cater for pescatarians but boy was I wrong.

Wonderful restaurant Fully booked most weekends for a reason Always worth booking

Awful .bland.a bit dirty..and the owner is rude...say no to oaktree

Lovely atmosphere, stunning garden and INCREDIBLE food!

At here last week and our food and service was fabulous. Not sure of the name of our waitress (blonde hair, red tips on the end- we had a great chat about hairdressers!) She could not do enough for us, and made the whole experience lovely. On top of that, the food was incredible! Thank you!

Having finally managed to secure a booking for my sons 30th birthday for 16 people, we arrived to find that we were not sat on one table, I appreciate it’s a small venue but it would have been nice to have been informed of this considering I had never been before only my son highly recommended it being a vegan. The service was incredibly slow, despite most if not all of the staff standing up by the bar, not doing to much! I will say the food was absolutely amazing and I could not fault them at all for that! But for the 3 hours we were there, only 1 drinks order was taken and no top up of the 1 water jug we was given! It’s a shame and I hope this feedback goes not as a negative but as instructive criticism.

Went here for a date night with my partner mid week as I don't eat meat and they're vegan. Honestly couldn't have been happier. The food was fantastic and the service was great, the team working here are lovely. Will be coming back!

Yet again, I cannot thank the Oak Tree enough for an amazing Birthday Meal. We had the most lovely evening and incredible service in the usual relaxed and super friendly setting that is the Oak Tree. In a group of 2 Vegans and 5-non, every single person thoroughly enjoyed their food and the lovely service. As a Vegan, I feel extremely lucky there is this gem of a restaurant I can take my non-vegan family and friends too, where I know they will have a lovely time and most importantly also thoroughly enjoy their food! This is the 3rd time and they always look forward to coming back whenever I suggest it. I would like to especially thank our waitress who really added to the evening, being so attentive and generally lovely! I would like to add how dog friendly the restaurant is and how nice it is to be able to bring the dog to meals, knowing she is so welcome (many belly rubs received) Thank you again Oak Tree!

Portion size has improved since my last visit

Had a lovely meal, food was excellent, reasonably priced and the staff were very accommodating and welcoming All in all a fantastic night, great value and we will be coming back

Fantastic!! Always five stars. 💚💚💚💚💚

This place is amazing; food perfect, service impeccable. I've been a veggie for 35 plus years, I've eaten in many differing vegetarian restaurants and this is truly the greatest food I've been served. Only criticism would be the stools we were sat on were a little uncomfortable for me, having short legs I suppose! Can't wait to return.

Amazing food and such friendly staff. Wish there were more restaurants like this near me. Hope to go back one day ❤️

Came here on the 8th of October for a birthday celebration afternoon tea. The place was very welcoming and the two young woman were polite, proficient and made the whole experience enjoyable. The sandwiches, cake and scones were exquisite and all Vegan. The pace of service was relaxed and matched the relaxed Sunday afternoon we spent there. We will be back soon for a vegan breakfast and a walk along the beach. Thank you!😎

Best vegan restaurants I have ever been. Dog friendly with amazing stuff and super delicious food.

Group of 4 friends, food was gorgeous as usual. Staff really friendly (but not OTT). Recommend the “surf and turf” and cheeze cake is so good. Will be back soon

We finally got to try this beautiful restaurant for our Anniversary! The food was AMAZING, the service was incredible and we will most certainly be going back 🥰♥️

Absolutely stunning restaurant! Travelled over an hour to try this place and it was well worth it. The service from the moment we stepped into this beautifully decorated place was fantastic. We were enjoying our drinks and ordering food within 10 minutes of sitting down. Friendly service, relaxed atmosphere and great food....not much more you could want whilst out for a meal.

A pity the plates weren't warmed before serving the food. Service a bit slow, we were seated for over 30 mins before our drinks order was taken.

First time visit, took my teenage kids. As a meat eater I was pleasantly surprised by the food - taste, textures and variety. Will definitely be visiting again. Staff top notch too.

Very tasty food would highly recommend.

Great restaurant. Even my meat eating partner had the meat alternatives and said is was so delicious and we would definitely go back again!

The food was absolutely outstanding but more importantly the service was five star and the vibe perfect. Thank you for welcoming our family and feeding us so well

Great healthy vegan cuisine. Los of choice and reasonably priced. Proffessional friendly service. Great alternative for your non vegan friends. They will love it!

Great food in a great setting. The variety of options are good. Kids also enjoyed their chips and nuggets. Staff are very friendly. Will be coming back again soon!

There were 14 of us and everyone really enjoyed their meal (1st time at vegan restaurant for many of us and amazed at the huge menu choices!). Special praise for Olivia who served us with a smile and made us welcome. Will definitely go again.

We have been vegan for 3 years and have eaten at many vegan restaurants, this is the best one I’ve ever been to. Dishes we haven’t had for years we are suddenly able to eat again such as prawns and calamari. Amazing, highly recommend!

I wouldn't return after our experience today. I booked a table for 3 and was surprised to be sat at a high counter on stools. This was uncomfortable and probably ok for a drink but not appropriate for a sit down lunch. The food was over seasoned with salt to the extent that the chips and garlic bread were inedible. To be fair after pointing this out another portion (with no seasoning at all!) Was supplied. Not to be repeated

I wouldn't return after our experience today. I booked a table for 3 and was surprised to be sat at a high counter on stools. This was uncomfortable and probably ok for a drink but not appropriate for a sit down lunch. The food was over seasoned with salt to the extent that the chips and garlic bread were inedible. To be fair after pointing this out another portion (with no seasoning at all!) Was supplied. Not to be repeated

Really enjoyable experience. Food is excellent service very good. Different areas with different feel to them. Would definitely recommend

Disappointed 4 things we ordered were not available. This was at 7.30 on a Saturday evening when there were few customers. We had particularly wanted to try the redefine meat as one of our party was not vegan but none of them were available. Nor the garlic mushrooms,nor chai latte

Absolutely beautiful food! I love being able to enjoy so many different vegan options.

Gorgeous vegan food, my partner is a meat eater and he said the vegan burger was one of the tastiest he’s ever had.

Food average, nice decor, found the staff member rude on my first visit. Won't visit again.

I looooove The Oak Tree Restaurant so much!! This time I had the Bao Buns and Surf and Turf with the new Redefine '3D printed' meat and it was incredible!!! The atmosphere is always welcoming and cosy and the staff are super super lovely! 10000% recommend!!

A friend introduced me to this total gem and now I find any excuse I can to go back here. Food is amazing, service is great, lovely outdoor patio area. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back

I'm not vegan but that didn't make a difference the food was tasty and value for money

My first experience of a vegan restaurant I was really impressed. Food was great, very flavoursome and beautifully presented. Restaurant has a nice vibe and staff are really friendly 👌

Terrible food and service. This restaurant gives vegan food a bad name. Went to complain the next day and faced a manager who was then verbally abusive. I would avoid this place if you are looking for a good meal. It was on the 16th July 2016 for a hen party. Maybe you remember it now. I don't make up stories.

Beautiful food excellent service! Would have given more for atmosphere but it was very quiet the night we visited. Staff were absolutely lovely. Going back for rest of menu soon as possible.

First vegan restaurant we've been to. Good selection of dishes and lot's of realistic looking/tasting meat substitutes. Even the 'prawns' looked good in the surf n turf. I had the tofu salad which was a good portion and sauce was tasty and not too spicy. Had dessert after - recommend the hazelnut chocolate cake, was massive! Also very soft and nice icing. There's a small courtyard which is nice in the good weather.

I'd usually give this place 5 stars but today my friend and I were really disappointed. We both walked in and virtually every single table was free including the well advertised "garden area." We were told we couldn't come in because of "bookings" all evening and it was only a Wednesday night! They could easily have let us sit down. For this reason I will likely not return for a while as I've never had to book to get in before.

Nice locale, vegan food is good for what it is. However this place mocks people online who for health reasons cannot convert to the vegan lifestyle. Seriously so unprofessional.

Absolutely delicious food and a wonderful atmosphere paired with a lovely and welcoming service. Went with my parents and the restaurant definitely made our evening. There where so many options for us as vegeterians that it was hard to choose just one dish and upon arrival the food was fresh and well cooked and seasoned. The apple crumble was amazing and came with some biscuits on the side which I found to be a really sweet gesture. Definitely will be coming back! :)

Epic! Amazing food. Very flavoursome. As a non-vegan was blown away at how good the food tasted. Definitely the place to go if you want to sample what a vegan lifestyle may have to offer. Whatever you have make sure you leave room for a dessert!