Pearl Dragon in Southend-on-Sea

Great Chinese, staff super friendly, service very quick, they were busy but didn't rush us in any way. First time going I'll be going back.

Shocking service and food wasn't fresh you could taste everything was hanging around in the fridge for days Never again will i use the pearl dragon its completely lost its pizaz from the 80s 90s 2000s. Appalling and rude staff over priced and feeling sick this morning after eating and knowing how un fresh everything was! Im a chef for over 25 years and it was worse than any Chinese takeaway ive ever had. Thank god for the company with my little sister.

it’s certainly the start of a new era. We went there tonight. Slow service, staff all seemed unsure of themselves and dim sums not up to standard. The rest was ok, but the evening ruined by a table of six idiots who shouted at the tops of their voices and the staff did not want to handle the situation.

A bit disappointing. Service was manic and whole evening was ruined by a noisy table who were unable to respect other customers dining. Staff were unable to manage this situation. A real shame as other times we have dined here have been superb.

My wife is pregnant and avoiding MSG but also craving Chinese food. Pearl Dragon was able to deliver a lot of their menu MSG free and the food was still fantastic!

My favourite Chinese Restaurant locally. Super food, well cooked and presented by friendly staff. Nothing is too much trouble.

Best place in Essex for dim sum

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Pearl Dragon, and I was truly impressed! As someone who has been craving Chinese food throughout my pregnancy, finding an MSG-free option was a priority, and Pearl Dragon delivered beautifully. Not only were the dishes delicious, but the staff were incredibly kind and helpful. They went out of their way to accommodate my needs, and the service was outstanding from start to finish. The atmosphere made dining in a lovely experience, and I felt genuinely cared for. Highly recommend Pearl Dragon for anyone looking for delicious, MSG-free Chinese food with excellent service!

Food was good and the service was excellent. Waiting staff very friendly. Always busy, be worth booking in advance.

We were lucky to get in it was full up, you could tell it was Quality buy the amount of people in their. Food was very very good would go every weekend if I lived closer.

Amazing lunch once again! Thank you Steve and all the Staff for making our 30th wedding celebration family lunch memorable, you never fail to please! The quality of the seafood we ordered was excellent, fresh and prepared to the highest standard; the crispy belly of pork was the best we ever had, but i could say that for everything we had. Can't wait to see you again very soon THANK YOU!

Reliably good food and service, best Chinese restaurant in town

Have eaten here several times definitely recommend the pork belly yum yum

Fabulous window seat upstairs, food and service was exceptional as always.

First time I've been and they staff are soo friendly and professional . It clean and has an amazing chandler. Food define 👌

Authentic Chinese food, great service and friendly staff. We loved it so much we went back for more the next day

Best authentic Chinese restaurant we've experienced outside of London and Hong Kong. Reservation only, however they were willing to stay open a little longer than usual to accommodate us as we were latecomers

We ate around 12 and the service was impeccable, great staff the food was really delicious, best roast duck in Southend, competes better than most London chinese restaurants, food was also quick and major respect to the staff team, would definitely recommend to eat here! Thanks!

the food and the atmosphere guite good though since I visited every year from1980+ from now

We popped in for lunch before travelling back home after a long weekend in Essex. This lovely spacious restaurant was recommended to us by friends who live locally. We had several dishes from the dim sum menu and a pork and squid dish from the main menu. This is the best Chinese food we have eaten outside of London. Superb service and a great bottle of wine made this a real treat. Well done all. Special mention for Steven. His attention to detail is outstanding.

Our meal was faultless absolutely delicious made very welcome service was first class as was our meal . Lovely atmosphere

My wife and I were visiting Southend for the first time. The reviews for this Chinese Restaurant were very good so we tried it out. We didn't book beforehand and we were lucky to be accommodated, the restaurant was very busy for a Tuesday night. We had a set meal and the food, service and ambience was excellent. I thoroughly recommend it.

After being recommended by a friend to visit this restaurant,and he saying the food was extremely good,my wife and I decided to get a takeout last Sunday 30/6/24 as England we’re playing in the Euros and didn’t want to miss the game on TV. After placing our order which came to £42.00 we went home to eat it. I have eaten many Chinese meals in the past but I can truly say that that this was one of the worst I have ever had. So very disappointed with everything that we had ordered we contacted the restaurant to make a complaint only to be told that the takeout section was not connected to the Pearl Dragon and that they were not responsible for the inferior food that we were given. At no time were we told when ordering our meal that the takeout section was separate owners.This I believe is misrepresentation and am extremely angry that the response my wife had from the restaurant representative was unsatisfactory and he could only apologise for the poor quality of food served. I believe that anyone coming to the restaurant for a takeout should be made aware that the food served is not the responsibility of the Pearl Dragon. I would like to believe that the main restaurant food is superior to the absolute rubbish that we were served,but unfortunately I won’t be finding out in the near future as I won’t be returning. PS. I am not in the habit of writing poor reviews or complaining. Mr A Waxler.

I have been visiting dragon pearl for years and always had exceptional food but this time it was terrible i will never return and very expensive the bbq sauce tasted like glupy gravy the egg fried rice was grainy and tasteless the satay was absolutely inedible and the chow mein was horrid £60 for alot of rubbish !!

It's been years since I last went to pearl dragon in Southend. I enjoyed the food although some dishes lacked flavour. Overall there was good service and a good atmosphere.

Food and service excellent. Down side no downstairs toilet and the noise from other diners was overwhelming. Had to shout to have a conversation with other people on my table. (The restaurant was very busy)

I had a lovely sit in with my friend, this place is fantastic The food is very delicious It is one of the best services I've seen in my life GARY was very welcoming he was very sweet and nice thanks to him we will be returning.

First time I've dined in before and it was fantastic, everything about it, the food the staff. I will definitely be back 😁

Have visited Pearl Dragon on a number of occasions. A unique restaurant with its layout. Nice selection of food available. Never a disappointment, always steaming hot food when served. Well run restaurant and good management. Could be pricey which is a slight downfall. Good parking availability either across the road or at the rear.

I went several times to dinner and always had a great experience. The food is quality, the service is unusually good for a chinese restaurant, and the place is buzzing. So, the ambience is always good. It's not cheap (quality has a price), but it's worth it!

Great food, great service!! The lady was really helpful helping us chose lunch. We had satay chicken with egg friend rice, Hong Kong sweet and sour and chicken with noddles. The extra BBQ sauce was also spot on.

Went for dinner on a Friday night. Very attentive service. Had braised Duck with Lo Han vegetable. Steam Dover Sole with ginger and scallions (market price) and aubergine with salted fish. All very tasty and well cooked. Authentic Cantonese Cuisine. Will go again.

even though the food was good，but we waited for almost an hour after ordering，also they charged for 20% service fee without any notice，and they didn‘t give us the receipt…

Average at best, would return and hope for better next time ,may just of been a busy night

This amazing restaurant opened around 50 years ago. I was just a girl then and used to go regularly with my family. It’s never disappointed, and simply gets better and better. The service and the food is exceptional.

Nice food, rude staff. Not child friendly.

Nice food but not child friendly.

Absolutely outstanding every dish cooked to perfection from the moment we walked through the door until we left made to feel wanted

Large family visit. Care & service first class. Food excellent. Highly recommend.

I went with family and needed to alter my booking time, nothing was a problem (very friendly from making the booking all the way through to collecting our coats). The food, well this was the tastiest I have ever had (better than travels to Singapore, various China Towns across the Globe), this was out of this world. We will be back, thank you!

Charity event. Have been to several charity events there in the past which were excellent. Pearl Dragon is under new management. The meal was at best, average - single starter and about 4 dishes per table for main course. Soggy rice, barely enough to go round and drinks prices stupidly expensive. This used to be the best Chinese in Southend by a long way - now I would say average. Will try again as an "ordinary" customer but on this showing, not impressed. I would have thought that as a booking for about 100 people, the restaurant would have showcased their meals to attract potential customers - perhaps trading on previous reputation.

Terrible food and dirty never again steer clear

Have been going to the Pearl Dragon with family for years and years and it never disappoints the food is freshly cooked, absolutely delicious and authentic. We’ve spent many birthdays, New Year’s and family dinners here, our go-to Chinese always. A lovely family run business.

I have been going to this restaurant 40 plus years , does not fail to deliver superb food.

Food was OK,nothing to rave about but the prices are somewhat expensive,actually I would say very expensive for the quality, if food isn't your main concern then definitely worth a visit, very attentive staff and a good atmosphere, just a shame about the food.

My favourite Chinese restaurant in the area. The food is consistently good and staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. Great dim sum!

Beautiful restaurant on the seafront. The food is gorgeous - although, we only managed to eat starters before the kids became a bit of a handful. Dim Sum and Summer platters are all delicious. The staff are super friendly and accommodating. We wish we could've stayed longer! Maybe on a next date night!

excellent food from excellent people

Absolutely Love this restaurant. Food always fabulous. A Boxing Day treat far us and will definitely be repeated. Even though every table was occupied we still felt we were the only ones in the restaurant. Brilliant atmosphere, attentive staff and amazing food. Thank you for always making us feel welcome

Fantastic family gathering on Saturday . The staff could not be more helpful ! Thanks Stephen The food was outstanding and plentiful

Party menu not worth the money. Service charge of 10% on each bottle of wine!! I won't be returning

Nice evening..good food and attentative staff

My first visit here was with some Chinese friends on a Saturday lunch time, as well as a la carte and fixed menus, Saturday afternoon is dim sum time, with a separate menu. The food is amazing and very traditional, it's all about the ingredients and the manner of cooking. Everything is very well presented. The service is exceptional. You can have a fantastic meal and drinks for around £30 to £35 per head. My favourite restaurant!

Great food, excellent service and friendly employees. There were 18 of us and there were no issues no long delays between courses and the kids were also happy. There's a car park directly opposite so no long walks after dinner either!

Another great dinner! The food is sublime and the service friendly and efficient. Had the best Razor Clams with ginger, spring onions and glass noodles, with soy, fresh chilli and coriander. So good I could have eaten more. The crispy belly of pork is sensational. Thank you to Steve and all the Staff for a memorable meal

We had a company night out here last night, and I cannot give them enough stars! The food was fantastic and the whole team were exceptionally friendly and attentive.

Really enjoyed the food and already planning a return visit. Difficult to park but that’s no fault of the restaurant I would just advise making a plan before setting off

I went here at the end of October, for my 30th birthday. They catered for a large group and we had all of the upstairs to ourselves. We had a waiter/ bartender just for our table alone, so the experience was personal just to myself and my family. The food was amazing and the service was efficient. The overall cost was good value for money, you definitely get what you pay for here. This wasn't my first visit and it most definitely wont be my last!

The oldest Chinese restaurant in town and still the best

A wonderful venue shared with friends. Excellent staff and food.

Pearl Dragon is always reliable for good food & service

Our favourite Chinese restaurant! Great service and food is always amazing :)) Would highly recommend

Consistently great food & service. Dim sum is wonderful. My favourite Chinese by far!

Came here following excellent reviews of the dim sum. It was bland, congealed and very expensive. Very low in quality. It's clearly just heated from frozen packets which is fine but charging over £2 per dim sum makes a mockery of the customers. The duck was fine but also very expensive. The only good thing about this restaurant was the service. First and last time coming here.

Pretty nice dim sum and excellent service.

Went as a party of 14 on a Friday night before a wedding in a nearby town. Some of the best chinese food i've had & not one person had a single complaint. Tony also looked after us with the Baileys at the end of the night!

Authentic Cantonese restaurant at Southend.

Been coming here since I was about 6 years old and it’s still the best Chinese in the area by far! Am gutted the takeaway has shut next door but appreciate with prices and inflation it had to close. The Dim sum menu is awesome (on par with Chinatown in London) and I also love the roast duck 🦆. The service is great and so friendly. This place is an institution in Southend… always a winner. My only feedback is play some traditional Chinese music instead of English pop music? Would be a better vibe. And they need to start taking online orders instead of on the phone, it is 2023 after all! Come on guys get with the times please for us younger generation…nobody wants to be shouting a food order over the phone.

If I could do 0 stars I would. Got a take away from the express side and it was absolutely foul. Awful disgusting food that tasted like it was fresh out of the bin. Messaged the restaurant who said the take away was nothing to do with them even though it still says pearl dragon on window and same menu. Totally ripped of £40 which in today's financial climate is a lot of money for a terrible eating experience.

While the Chinese restaurant boasts friendly staff and quaint ambiance, its high prices and bland food left much to be desired. The small portions were also disappointing, considering the cost. It's a place with potential, but improvements are needed to match the value with the experience."

Lived in Southend all my life and this was my first visit to this restaurant and won't be my last. Service, food atmosphere was amazing. The food was fresh and delicious. We didn't book and it is reservations only but they managed to fit us in which was amazing. When we left the restaurant was full. One of the best chinese restaurants I've been too. Worth a visit!

Nice place been here a couple of times chinese new year with the dragon was great. Food good

Must visit if you are nearby ! Dishes are fresh and tasty, with very friendly staff. Overall Great dining experience

Went a few times before covid hit, was ok back then but nothing special. However, was pleasantly surprised recently, they have actually improved the dim sum standard now, very comparable in terms of price and taste to China town london!

Great restaurant that serves dim sum and it was good dim sum!

Top Authentic Chinese Restaurant in Essex

Very good food and service as always

1st time visiting, lovely family run traditional Chinese restaurant. Beautiful food and great staff. We was looked after by tony and he told us about the restaurants history and recommended a steamed sponge dessert which was delicious. Thank you for a great night.

The dim sum there was surprisingly delicious, in fact in my opinion it is much better than most in London. We went there for late lunch on a lovely weekend, the door said "reservation only", but we tried our luck as it wasn't too busy around 2pm, the owner gave us a table. Staff was friendly and paid attention to details. The prawn paste stuffed eggplant with black bean sauce was delicious. Glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leave was moist and tasty. BBQ pork buns and Cha Xiu (BBQ) rice noddle rolls were nice. Beef balls can be a pass. Two of us had 5 dim sum together which was quite filling. The final bill was GPB 34 which is much better value than others in London. If one happens to visit Southend, worth to try. Parking was a little challenge on the weekend, we were lucky as someone was leaving. A nice stroll by the water after a satisfying meal would be a bonus.

This is the best chinese restaurant

Love the Pearl Dragon, my favourite Chinese restaurant, never disappointed with the food, always the best.

Best Chinese in Southend, simple as that.

What an incredible place! We enjoyed the food and the service was excellent. Very friendly and considerate. Also acessible for people in a wheelchair (But the toilet is upstairs).

We had the most fabulous meal here last night. Every dish was cooked to perfection, but the Dim Sum and the fresh, (gigantic) crab were particularly amazing! The service couldn't have been any better, we had the perfect evening, highly recommended!

Super food great company. Great staff

Best Chinese Restaurant that I've ever visited.

We eat here frequently. Whether you want somewhere for date night or a special celebration, the Pearl Dragon will satisfy you. This is THE best Chinese restaurant in town. The food is superb with loads of choice and the service is fantastic!

Food is mediocre, some dishes are okay some are catered to the western taste. Very pricey because they can get away with it. £12 for a 12 pieces deep fried squid! I had to question if they charged me the squid price from the main menu. Not even Royal China Club charges that much. I complained and was told that squid prices have gone up.

Always nice to have Dim Sum here, friendly staff

I'm highly recommended this restaurant

The best choices in the region for authentic Cantonese dim sum. You could find more special dim sum if you visit here on Sunday, including Crispy Fried Dough Stick, Egg Custard Tarts, Char Siu Pastries etc. The deep fried cuttlefish cakes are really recommended. Staff are generally nice and price is fair.

Excellent. Wish we had discovered this gem years ago. Whole restaurant spotlessly clean. Friendly and professional staff. Nice decor and not noisy. The food was piping hot, fresh and delicious. Highly recommended and we will definitely be regular diners in the future.

Worst food that i ate in my whole life, i dnt knw how they running this business i found a cockroach in the food when i telling to the management they juat ignored me. Dnt ever try the food in this place’s

Been coming to this restaurant for over 30 years. No place better

Had a very nice welcome from front of house waiters very attentive,we came for the Dim Sum and we were not disappointed food and price excellent. No need to travel to Chinatown when this restaurant is close to home

The best sit down Chinese in the area

Quality food, served by professional staff. And lovely surroundings .

Amazing food and service , second to none, a great night celebrating my 60th, thank you

Good quality Chinese food, great valentine touches, could have been made to feel a little more welcome. No actual complaints with the service, just a lack of real warmth

We visited this restaurant last month. We traveled from the US and only at Southend on sea for 1 night. We went there for dinner and ended up returning the next afternoon for lunch before we left Southend on sea because we really liked the food. We ordered congee, rice and noodles, and some dim sum. They were all amazing! It was very authentic but not expensive. It reminded us of the food we ate at home! It was way better than the Chinese restaurants in the US. The service was superb. All of the waiters/ waitresses spoke fluent Cantonese and English. When we went there, it was almost fully booked, so I believe this restaurant is very popular in the town. If we travel to the UK again in the future, we will definitely travel to Southend on sea for this restaurant!