The Captain's Table in Southend-on-Sea

Wonderful wonderful lunch. Wonderful waitress and chef. Highly recommended. They went above and beyond in helping our very elderly father who we could not have got in the car without them. Amazing.

We took our father to The Captains Table yesterday for a birthday lunch. The staff were very friendly, the food was excellent, massive portions. The fish and chips were especially good. Served with smiles. We had a problem getting our disabled father from his wheelchair back into the car and the waitress and chef came to the rescue. Such lovely people, we would probably still be there if they hadnt helped us! I can’t praise them enough, wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this restaurant .Thanks guys

My aunt who was visiting from West Midlands wanted to go to the arches for plaice and chips (she had been previously many years ago) - we chose this restaurant not only because they had plaice on the menu but the fact that it still looked like an original arches restaurant- we are all old school. Whilst they had no plaice yesterday we had haddock and cod and couldn’t fault- the fish was cooked to perfection with crispy chips and the mushy peas were declared yum by those that had them 😀 all three of us would highly recommend this restaurant

The Captain’s Table is our ‘go to’ restaurant whenever we visit Southend. The food is always plentiful, it’s of an excellent quality and the service is always very friendly and attentive. Out favourite dish is the meat lasagne and for us the whole meal experience is a ten out of ten.

Friendly helpful & quite lovely (weekend) staff, food was great and it has the best Latte & Cappuccino this side of the channel.

Extremely standard cafe fare, nothing to write home about. The tea I received was just shy of lukewarm. The decor and location are very cute, though, and I do like that they are dog friendly.

It was a spontaneous trip to the sea side. We were looking for something to eat and cane across The Captins Table. The premises were very clean 👌 The staff were very friendly and welcoming and seemed very happy 😊 My son ordered fish 🐟 and chips 🍟 with salad 🥗. The food was freshly cooked and the waiting time wasn't too long. The fish was nice and big, the chips were chunky and the salad was very fresh. We took our food and ate it, sitting on a bench looking out to sea 🌊. The food was delicious 😋. If I could, I would give the 5+ 🌟

Pleasantly surprised only visited because couldn’t get into riverside! Service was quite good and quick makes change to riverside where waitress like to chat and mess about rather than serve have decided not to go riverside on a Friday or Sunday morning same girls on so won’t go there at these times

Been coming there for a while. Had a good view of the shef working today for first time. OMG. Filthy human being.. Just grabs everything bear handed , after rubbing his nose, holding sneeze in, touching his phone etc.. Grabs fried potato chips , dumps in plates also with bear hands, anything falls off gets back in a plate. Massive can of beans was placed close to the floor around feet level and its open, raw sausages just looked like aldi economy meet free stuff. Dogs alowed in dining area, was watching dog scratching itself and hair became airborn flying everywhere. And to top it all off , waitress went and dumped dogs water bowl with other plates to be washed. On the bright side, not that busy, always get a table and portions are ok size. Just go next door ,bit dearer but at least hygiene is way better.

I don’t normally write reviews but I’m really surprised by the other reviews of this café. I had spaghetti bolognaise. It was described as home made and I believe it was. I really enjoyed it and it was a generous portion. My only comment was I would have preferred it to have been more tomatoey but that’s just personal preference. Service was efficient and friendly. I would definitely return.

Always Great food and friendly staff A plus!

Stopped in for some fish and chips after a long walk down the beach. Service was very good and the food was great. Possibly some of the best chips we have ever had.

Had a large breakfast - it was awesome, nearly beat me, but it was worth it. Nice chilled atmosphere too. Recommended.

Absolutely love this café! The service was excellent and the portions are so generous - always leave feeling satisfied. The quality of the food is outstanding, and the staff are incredibly friendly. Plus, it’s excellent value for money. Highly recommend for a delicious breakfast experience!”

Oh dear! Tea came without milk. Asked waitress for milk: never came back. When other waitress took order asked her for the milk: Never came back till brought food. Table behind had a row, according to staff over an omelette that came up last of their food. Refused to pay the full amount of bill. Might have been a scam though as the omelette was eaten. But strange 2 out of 4 tables had a complaint... Chips were large oven chips as they don't have proper fish shop fryer. OK but if I'd known I've had ordered something else. Plenty of them though TBF Cod, if it was cod, which I doubt, was tasteless but cooked ok. I chose cod&chips because it was £14 (fair price) and steak&ale pie (£8 worth?) We're both £14. Staff totally unfocused on customers but not rude or anything. Maybe because of the row with other table. Thought it was a bit odd they told us about the other table's complaint plus others but we were only ones in restaurant by then so probably just being friendly. Can't recommend I'm afraid. I got impression had recently changed hands so might get better if they learn customer service. They'll need to... They seemed nice people though so I wish them good luck. Not for me again though 😏

Awful. Lost the will to live whilst waiting for our food, which was disappointing when it finally arrived. The old woman was really rude and the service was poor. Avoid at all costs. We only ended up in there as the Estuary was full and we really wish we had just waited for a table.

Food great, service very friendly, prices very reasonable we will be back x

We went there today Sept 2023, the food, service was top class. I'm very surprised that some reviews are mixed as this is the second time I been here this year and back then the food and service was excellent. Trust me I have standards and would not eat anywhere that was shoddy . The cod & chips I had today was excellent, my girlfriend had 1/4 pounder chips, coleslaw. The best chips in the south east .

Had a lovely late lunch here. Friendly staff. Huge portions and all well cooked meals. Will definately visit again! 😁👍

Excellent food and professional friendly service

Good value for money, great service, great view, good selection on menu... Definitely recommend

I wouldn't normally write a review but after visiting this place with my family, I have to say I was impressed, firstly the view is just lovely, right opposite the sea front, staff were really helpful and friendly, service with a smile! and the food, was just delicious, big portions, freshly cooked to order, and a proper mug of tea, will definitely be returning! They even cater to dogs and there is a shaded area available too 🐾 great little place!

Popped down with family for lunch. My partner and I both had breakfast, later that day we both had bad stomach upsets. We believe it was the sausages, poor quality and not properly cooked,as at the time the kitchen was under pressure and we had to wait awhile for our dishes. I’ve been here many times, but this is the last. Also, avoid weekends as the staff are poor and badly trained. I’ve not returning here ever.

Fabulous breakfast this morning. I had a medium full English with an extra fried slice. My partner had the large English breakfast. Food excellent, good quality sausages and bacon. Food cooked in clean oil. Service excellent with waitress moving a table for us so we could sit nearer to the front of the cafe. Cafe busy and all meals served whilst we were there looking appetising.

Very disappointed with a member of staff in here again!! Been here a few times over the years and a few occasions there( like today) is a women waiter who is really rude and not very customer friendly! We was waiting outside for a while and she was by the till area and kept looking over to us as we was waiting, she then rolled her eyes and walked over, as if she couldn’t be bothered! I Asked if there was any tables available and if we could wait for a table to be told in a rude manor “ no, there’s a table for 2 that won’t fit 4 people” she then turned her back on us and walked off! I won’t be bothering going to this place again! Id rather walk down to the Tesco and grab something from there!

We went back to this restaurant after a visit a year ago. The food once again was lovely and the friendly service was amazing. We had fish and chips, which was really lovely, a massive piece of fish, with lots of chips. We would definitely go back again.

Had breakfast with the wife here. Really enjoyed the large breakfast which tasted lovely. Staff pleasant and friendly. Would recommend and would definitely eat here again.

A few of us ate here on a very hot sunny day in June. Food exceeded expectations. Service was friendly. Good apple crumble if you like that sort of thing (which I do). The large English breakfast was absolutely gigantic. I didn't order it for myself but I did taste some of it and it wasn't greasy or salty or anything negative. Unfortunately they don't do freshly made cakes but what they do serve in the way of sweet snacks is perfectly adequate. Also, they have a very nice view of the sea, which is a bonus. We will return...

Really tasty food,good portions & reasonable prices considering the location, friendly staff made it a very enjoyable experience. Would recommend a visit.

Fabulous food, fish n chips exceptional, chips so crunchy taste like triple cooked. Well priced, far better than the estuary which is way overpriced now. See you very soon.

Absolutely amazing. The large breakfast was spot on and the apple crumble came covered in custard just how I like it 👌🏾

It is our favourite place in that row of 'eatiers'.Was there too late for food but had a lovely cup of coffee & husband had coffee & a cake.

Good food & service. Always enjoy eating there

The best restaurant cafe at the arches along southend seafront the BEST

Lovely food, friendly staff and reasonably priced

Owner very rude and not a very happy chappie but food is great and good value for money.

Great food, great value and lovely staff

Visited with my family and elderly parents. Menu was ideal for all and far less pretentious than some of the competition. We had full English breakfast, pancakes and lasagne. Great food with awesome ingredients freshly made and good value. Very polite and efficient staff. Immaculately clean. Five stars.

Adequate food.Ordered Americano and got a watered down instant.When I asked for it again I rather suspect another teaspoon added,as it was stronger but cold !!

An absolutely amazing place to eat any time of day, breakfast is usually my favourite, sat by the sea with friends and family is just great, the staff are kind and very welcoming

I really don’t understand the bad reviews on this little gem of a cafe - my husband and i went for breakfast last week and it was delicious ,couldnt eat it all as so much of it ,the service was so friendly ,couldnt do enough to help us .will definitely become my new fav cafe /also it was immaculately clean .

We have breakfasts or lunches here when we are in Westcliff, and highly recommend it. Big fluffy omelettes are delicous, breakfasts are very good. Good menu, lots of choice and a big mug of proper coffee none of this fancy swirly pattern on top rubbish lol.

Most horrid experience. Waitress named Carol was absolutely rude with a serious attitude problem. Service was ever so slow and hygiene level zero in Covid times. Waitress brought lemon slices in her hand at our table. And quality of food was substandard. Cutlery was still dirty with stale food not washed properly. I wanted to report this issue to the Owner of the restaurant Miss Donna Jarvis. But the waitress Carol would not give me her details. I now observe that Donna Jarvis ( the owner) has herself written a positive review on this very site. If there was a zero rating that is what it would be for this restaurant. I for one would not give any more custom to The Captain's Table. The owner Miss Donna Jarvis should train Carol the waitress on how to put customers first or else she will not have a business to run. The waitress was rough and we could even hear her bullying the cook who seemed terrified of her. The choice of other fish and chips places are vast around there. I would certainly avoid this one.

had omelette and salad which when arrived was "very well done" the mushrooms were also burnt looked like they were double cool]ked there was also an after taste of fish so think had been cooked in oik used for frying fish luckily I dont have a food allery

Really bad food and really dirty would not recommend - food poisoning or the next day 🤮

I was genuinely surprised to see negative reviews about this cafe. I left a good tip and complimented the staff on the excellent quality of the food. Lovely large white fish (cod) in very good batter with plenty of nice chips. This was the best fish and chips I have had in a long while. As

Lovely fish and chips, batter was excellent and we struggled to eat it all as it was a big bit of fish. The service was good, not overly friendly but you don’t want people fawning over you, like it’s a five star restaurant, when you are eating in a café.

Visited for lunch today, there were 6 of us and they accommodated us happily. The food was really good and plenty of it. Very friendly staff, would definitely eat here again and recommend it to others.

Me and my husband and 2 sons went for lunch wouldn't go again as when we sat at table near us with a couple with 2 dogs which I don't think should be aloud,When we was eating the dogs kept coming near us told staff but they said there wasn't any other tables,I've never known dogs to be aloud in a food place disgusting we walk out

The staff was rude and moaning about everything The food was good except the fried bread was fall off oil Not enough tables for large groups

Always a lovely breakfast here. One of our favourites on the seafront.

Was waking around waiting for my model and thought I'd get a coffee. honestly one of the nicest coffees i had in some time 3£ for a coffee and cake which is money well spent 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

Visited this cafe on a walk with my partner up the beach, very reasonably priced wholesome menu: Unlike other cafes along the way that charge 12 pound for a slice of sourdough bread with hummus and a green leaf! picked the medium breakfast, cooked to perfection. The heaters were on and the staff even asked if I was to hot and did I want them to turn them off... Defo Going back 🙂

Popped in for lunch. Staff were arguably the rudest I’ve ever experienced. My son has tourette’s and was told to f’in be quiet by the waitress. Did even get to try the food!

Food was of cheaper quality than the other restaurants next door , but edible. However what ruined the experience for us was the manager .my word was she rude , came to take the bill as the other waitress was busy. Questioned why we all wanted to pay different prices instead of just splitting the bill equally (obviously some people's food was more expensive than others) and then went off on a rant full of swearing and unprofessionalism saying she didn't get people like us etc, all because she had to do a few extra sums.....completely ruined the experience. Also all the other cafes had their staff in the standard black t shirt and black trousers, her staff member on duty not only had gym clothes on while serving but almost her entire cleavage hanging out pretty much reveiling all anytime she had to put aomethj g on the table . ... won't be going back.

Could not fault it. We had Prawn Cocktail & Cheesey Garlic Bread for starters, then Cod & Chip, and lasagna. Both very nice at a reasonable price as well. Worth fiver tip...Thank You. As Arnie says " I'll be back ".

Enjoyed my lunch here with friends. Had the fish and chips. Very tasty and cooked superb. Service was friendly and efficient. One of only a few of the traditional type arches left. Will be back.

Cheap food, bad food, watery coffee and packaged orange that tasted of nothing. It’s cheap, it’s git wonderful views, but the worst staff, the most basic and horrible food - even the butter was bland. No thanks

Staff could not have been nicer, water bowl for our dog. 3 lovely mixed fish meals for us, and a great pot of tea thank you

Menu had a good selection of items, I had fish,chips and peas. The fish was a large portion,nicely fried with edible batter . Sadly shop next door was being refurbished, and at times was exceptional noisy. But my meal was delicious 😋

There are plenty of choices at the Arches; and each restaurant is doing its best with the latest Covid protocols. We opted for the Captain’s Table for lunch today. The staff were friendly and attentive. The food was great. I had the meat lasagna, chips...

My wife and I had lunch here yesterday (8th December 2020). Thoroughly enjoyed the food and so much of it too. Cooked perfectly and served by friendly staff. This restaurant complies to the Covid rules, so much so that the owners of the business have...

I had the most fabulous breakfast there yesterday. The staff are not only Covid aware they proudly display their certification having taken the trouble to attend virtual courses. I was impressed with all the safety measures engaged and the use of track and trace. My son had an enormous Full English Breakfast and I had a Pair of Kippers. Absolutely wonderful. Highly recommended. Great service and great food.

We stopped here for lunch on a busy afternoon. Covid safety measures are in place, with hand sanitizer available. Staff were friendly and efficient. I had jacket potato with tuna and pancakes for dessert ; both were great. No complaints here. I would definitely return

Service was excellent Welcomed with a smile I asked for Cod with thin batter Food was cooked to perfection

Service was excellent Welcomed with a smile I asked for Cod with thin batter Food was cooked to perfection

Had all Day breakfast very nice and they let the dog sit down with us

Absolutely amazing breakfast, served with enthusiasm. All the changes put in place due to covid makes this a safe and pleasant experience. Would definitely recommend and will revisit. Such a positive experience.

Had an amazing experience here, the fish and chips were wonderful. Would definitely recommend, the quality of service was so good, the waitress was very attentive, nothing was too much trouble. Will definitely be back!

Lovely friendly cafe. Good food and service. Waffles were amazing. Felt safe with the covid guidelines they have in place. Will be back.

Visited captains table last night Was a lovely meal Couldn't wish for better Lovely freshly cooked Staff were v nice too Will def return

just turned up here by chance Had a fantastic meal Couldn't fault it Waited a while but well worth the wait

I visted this place with my partner we saw outside a sign saying Coffee and cake for £2.50 So decided to go in We sat down down The young girl came over with menus the top she was wearing was not suitable in full view...

Been going here for years, unfortunately it’s not as good as it used to be. Ordered 5 meals and the last one (omelette) arrived after the rest of us had finished. Staff attention was also not the best, had to go into the kitchen to request more drinks. Food quality was very good, but no gluten free options.

I have not eaten in this restaurant for a few years it use to be so good with great staff. Yesterday my friend and I decided to go there for lunch. We arrived went and sat down at a table for two. After a while...

Rude, miserable, rude, unhappy, rude. Can easily say we were sat down for less than 5 minutes before walking out.

Thought we would try a different arches restaurant for a change. It felt like we were disturbing the lady who was telling us where we could sit. The restaurant had a group of 4 and another couple at another table. We sat there for about...

This is the second time that we’ve been here and have experienced special treatment from the owners. They don’t have to, but they really go above and beyond what they need to do for their customers. Thanks so much for the custom voucher for my...

Well, I’ve been visiting this place for a while now. When I first visited, i thought staff were not friendly and didn’t make the usual fuss as soon as you walk in. However the food was good. Overtime, Yes, they are actually very friendly and...

The first breakfast club where the weather was wetter than Neil’s Dads bum hole on a Wednesday evening (Badminton club). We headed down to the arches, the Captains Table baby! The first thing that came to my attention ‘bring your own alcohol’, so off we...

Quick, efficient, friendly service. Good food reasonably priced.

Food was excellent, great knowledge on gluten free. The ladies were helpful and happy even though they were run off their feet. Great value

Food was nice, service was a bit hit or miss. Staff very friendly.

First time I have been here and unlikely to return. The positives are the service is really prompt and very friendly. However the food was very disappointing and was not cheap. I had a fry up which was swimming in grease and left a lot to be desired. The bacon and sausages were okay but no more than that. The fried eggs were just greasy and the mushrooms tasted very strange. Added to that my cup of tea was tepid and fairly weak although I fully understand we all have different ideas as to what is a decent cuppa. To compound it all my bill was just short of 12 quid which left me feeling ripped off. I don’t like giving poor write ups , especially when the staff are genuinely friendly folk. However the quality of food was very poor and I have to be honest.

Nice simple meal.. Got to swap out chips for a jacket potato.

I had breakfast here, not a lot of choice. I had the vegetarian option and can't say I enjoyed it. If your looking for something cheap and to fill that gap in the morning it might be right for you.

Always use this restaurant. Friendly affordable.

I've used this place before but not for a while, but never again. I opted for the large cod and chips. The menu also offered 2 slices of bread and butter as a side which I ordered. The food arrived and without z word from the waitress it was dumped on the table and she walked off. The fish was tiny, if it was a large the small would have been tiny as a gold fish. It hadn't been filleted properly and was boney as heck. Half the chips weren't cooked in the centres either. As for the 2 slices of bread and butter.... It was one slice cut in half. Not two. I left most of it. The waitress came over and I was expecting her to say was it OK? But all she could muster was, Done? I replied yes thank you, can I have the bill. She had no personality and all the chef seemed to be g oing was going across the road to smoke with his phone. I hate to say this it was awful. I won't go back.

Lovely staff and the food was lovely homemade steak pie was the best,Very nice seating as well,When we are there again we will go there,Didnt wait long for food either,Very clean,

Spotted our friends who had already got a pavement front table. Their meals were substantial so ordered with care. A bit disappointed by the waiting staff as there was no joyful greeting plus a long wait for the food. Spotted the chef popping out to pick up some tuna! A pleasant enough meal but it would be nice to have a smile from the waiting staff. Possibly the end of a busy lunchtime but the visit would have been all the more pleasant if there was a smile or two.

Came with friends from london for a day out, friendly staff, good menu and for a choice for children. Didn’t feel rushed.

Would give 0 starts if I could, we tried to have a nice mother's day breakfast but the waitress was incredibly rude and disrespectful including to my pregnant sis in Law, unessisary attitude and stress on a Sunday Morning would not recommend and would never go back. We left before even ordering due to service so cant comment on the food but ended up eating in a much nicer cafe under the arches.

Would give 0 star if I could... Waitress was incredibly rude and ended up leaving before we ordered due to the attitude and blatant disrespect. Some customer service training would go a long way in this place! Awful!

We went to the captains table today. We asked if we could sit at the table. No one came to us we waited for about 15 minutes. My husband asked for a menu the waitress brought 3 and dropped it on the table and walked away to serve people who came after us

I visited the captains tables yesterday with my partner and the staff were so polite and friendly, the food was absolutely amazing, the amount you get for your money is really worth it especially large breakfast and fish dishes, we was also there while a family at another table were rude and very abusive to the staff (bearing in mind all 4 members of staff were women) with one of the customers even standing up in front of all the other customers to shout at the staff in the kitchen over a vegetarian lasagna as it wasn’t served with the other dishes the staff tried explain it takes a lot longer due to it being cooked away from meat products, they then was telling people to not enter the cafe and to eat elsewhere and the man made one last show down upon paying his bill and was shouting at the women again, the family was rather aggressive if I’m being honest but the staff had to deal with this abuse and still managed to serve us and other customers with a smile and were very polite to us we will be returning the food is out of this world and beautifully cooked to top notch standards, will be recommending the captain tables to everyone we know.

The service was dreadful and the staff were extremely rude, the staff were slagging us off at the tops of their voices while we were eating. I don’t think they had heard of customer service. I would not eat there again even if you paid me and would not recommend it even to my worst enemy. 1 star is 1 too many!

Very nice, great staff....a lovely Feb afternoon munch.

We sat down at a table of 4 and moved a chair as there were 5 of us (the 5th being a 5 year old). Half of the restaurant was empty so we didn’t think it would be a problem. How wrong we were! A very rude waitress came over, gave us 4 menus and said “well it’s all very well you doing that but it that table (the one next to us) comes in and needs 4 chairs, you’ll have to give it back and move.” We were shocked at the rudeness of a member of staff to 5 paying customers! Who hasn’t moved a table in a cafe before??! The restaurant was literally half empty so we were not impacting on any other table. At that point, we decided to take our custom elsewhere!! To the management of this establishment, this woman is clearly losing you business!!! It is not ok to speak to people like that! Won’t go back. Would like to give 0 stars but that’s not an option.

I do not like writing bad reviews but the breakfast we had was poor, very poor. The poached eggs were not poached and were more or less raw, cheap ingredients (sausages were awful) and generally an odd setup all round. Hopefully the owners will start to look at the reviews and begin to make changes.

I’m not surprised that this cafe has been marked down. We went to sit at a table and was told the table was broken (there was no sign telling us this) so we asked if we could move the tables over because there was 4 of us was told no. To which we walked out and went somewhere else. This place has the rudest and most unwelcoming staff. Tripadvisor doesn’t give an option to mark reviews as 0 otherwise I would.