Pearl Dragon in Southend-on-Sea

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.

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.

Terrible food and dirty never again steer clear

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!

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.

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.

Authentic Cantonese restaurant at Southend.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

I'm highly recommended this restaurant

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

10 of us had one of there set menus. Food was really good and the service was excellent. Good value. Still very good. Love the ribs.

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!

Excellent Authentic and Real Chinese 👏 The best in Town 👍

The best Chinese food you can have in Southend, everything is cooked fresh even items that most restaurants cook from frozen like wonton or spring rolls. Try the dimsum menu.

A lovely dining experience, very spacious interior with great service.

Once again excellant evening, set meal for Christmas very nicely put together.

Absolutely fantastic food. Excellent quality. Wonderful staff.

Best chinese in town. Will definitely come here again, when coming to Southend. Service was good, food was just immaculate. Bring your friends and family here to have a good time.

Lunchtime nice and quiet. Great food as always. Greeted with a smile. There is always a high standard and today was no different.

The quality of service is clearly important to the management team and that is reflected in their excellent customer service. Dinner was lovely and the ambience and atmosphere was really good. This is one of the best restaurants in the local area. Dinner and a couple of drinks cost us just over £80 for two.

The waitress is rude ! I never ever gave this rating to anyone

Absolutely lovely, food great, service great really loved it.

Lovely Chinese restaurant. Visited during a night away working in Southend and couldn't have asked for more. Great food and fantastic service! The staff are all so polite and friendly.

Really nice fresh dim sum, excellent friendly service. Would recommend the Cheng fun dishes and rice wrapped in lotus leaves, all dishes were lovely. Bonus as they serve dim sum during evenings. Will definitely be returning!

Excellent Chinese meal.Great atmosphere..staff very friendly, and do all they can to make you welcome

Excellent food and service as always. Fantastic family restaurant with free parking for customers. Best Chinese food in Southend.

Fantastic fresh dim sum, the XO fried turnip cake and cheung fun were phenomenonal. Very friendly and attentive staff

Friendly atmosphere + great food = awesome dinner.

Absolutely lovely, very tasty food

Have been meaning to get to this restaurant for many years and finally got there on my Mums birthday 24th August. Lovely thanks.

Excellent food and service ... Needs a dress code

Used to love this place but last 2 takeaway prawn balls over cooked prawn toast over cooked chips over cooked Noddles greasy

What a lovely restaurant! Not only does it look stunning inside, the food is top notch and the staff are so friendly, they treat you like family! We sampled quite a few dishes as a table of 8 people and literally everything was gorgeous. Even our fussiest of eaters cleaned their plates. Thank you for a lovely night!

It was close to closing time but they served us, they didn't rush us and the food was lovely, the staff were all friendly and this unassuming place we walked past all week was beautiful, next time we are in Southend we will visit again

LOVELY restaurant 😋. We have been there on numerous occasions.There were 3 of us .It was £180 and we were so full up and we finished the meal with a pot of tea.We asked for 2 cups.We were told we would be charged for 2 pots of tea!We were shocked!!!!We didn't do it to save money,we were too full to have 1 pot of tea each!!!! Unfortunately we feel this did spoilt the experience alittle.

Delicious food, staff were really friendly, child friendly also. All round a lovely evening and would recommend to all!

Excellent food, great spaces in restaurant and friendly staff.

I've been eating here for over 30yrs and the same family maintains the high standards of both food and service. By far it is still the best Chinese restaurant in Southend.

Absolutely brilliant food and an amazing atmosphere. Came here on holiday and got the recommendation, went there and it said reservations only. The staff were lovely and kind to make an exception for us and gave us a cosy table for two. The service was top notch and we waited about 10 minutes (if that) for the food to come out. The plates are kept warm as is your food on the table heater they provide for you. We had the Roast Pork Chow Mein, Steamed White Rice and Beef + Chilli in Black Bean Sauce. It was the most amazing meal ever; cooked to perfection. Had we brought cash with us we would’ve tipped but we will most definitely be visiting again if we get the chance!

+ beautifully presented food. + Prices may seem high but for what you get it is worth it. + Great variety of seating choices. + Calm ambiance, professional feel, very helpful Chinese waiters. - unless you are from Southend, you may find it's a little off the beaten track as it's location isn't central (Kursaal ward).

A pearl of Chinese restaurant in Southend on sea. I did not expect to eat authentic dim sum in Southend. Better than lots of dim sum restaurants in London. Waiter and waitress are nice and polite, place is spotless. Will visit again.

The dim sum is perfect here. Not too strong taste or salty, just great favour. Feels so fresh. Definitely worth a visit.

Dim sum was really tasty, only negative was the prawn dumplings. The pastry was damaged. Service was really good. Definitely will go back.

Staff are very friendly, the food was fantastic not badly priced either 👍👍

I've been to restaurants all over the world, this is the most consistently best restaurant I have been to. The black bean scollops served in shell are to die for. Seafront view, you can get a table upstairs in the window if you're lucky. They currently have a slightly more reserved menu since covid. Can't recommend enough, staff are quick efficient and friendly, chef is brilliant. Thank you Pearl Dragon for some fantastic memories and some fabulous food.

Dim sum at the beach. Service was great and the food was even better. I was really impressed by the homemade deep fried squid cake and the fried turnip cake in XO sauce. Had a light lunch and then off to walk the beach.

Great service and lovely food, and popular too.

There are many good Chinese Restaurants in Southend but this and one other (review to follow) is our favourite for sit in or take-away. It has a large dim sum menu, does a lot of seafood dishes and as well as all the usual Chinese dishes familiar in UK it does a range of one-dish noodle and meat/fish/veg broth style meals. There are usually Chinese people eating there so it gets a tick for authenticity. My wife and I go there about twice a month and have a take-away every fortnight.