The Cocktail Kitchen in Southend-on-Sea

I have frequented this establishment many times over the years, but it seems to be experiencing a noticeable decline in quality. The Black Forest smoothie, once a highlight, lacked its characteristic flavour profile—there was no trace of sweet cherry, the creaminess from the nut butter was absent, and the consistency was poor, with an unripe banana aftertaste that was unpleasant. The rest of the food was unremarkable, falling far short of its former standard. Also, While it is understandable that new staff require time to adjust, the frequency of errors I observed was disconcerting. Additionally, the practice of holding completed items until the entire order is ready detracts from the experience, as delays compromise the quality of time-sensitive items like smoothies, which arrived cool not cold. Usually this wouldn’t be a problem I guess but waiting for >40 minutes doesn’t help. It’s disappointing to see a place that was once so reliable for one of the best smoothies nationally can slip up so hard.

Visited for a spontaneous lunch with my husband, 2 year old son and 8 week old daughter. It was lovely and warm inside with space for our large double buggy. Our son has food allergies and the kitchen prepped an off menu meal for him to ensure no exposure or cross contamination took place. Staff were really welcoming and the food was great. Would thoroughly recommend this place!

Nice place to have a coffee and browse the books,cds and vinyl records for sale

I attended the wreath making workshop with friends today and it was brilliant. There was everything we needed to make the wreaths to our own designs, bottomless mulled wine and some festive nibbles. I definitely want to go back to sample some of their other foods and wines. Great customer service and fantastic value for money. Can’t recommend these guys highly enough.

Lovely owner, super friendly and chilled out. Great experience. Lovey vegan food!