The Dining Room in Southend-on-Sea

Booked up for lunch on Sunday 11th June for 1:30, got there with my disabled Mother and it was closed, no notification. !!

Good food, fantastic staff, very clean and comfortable restaurant

Best roast dinner I have had at a restaurant in a long time. Very good service and friendly staff as well.

Just a nice place to eat out, the food is lovely and the staff friendly 😎

Really enjoyed my meal here. Great value for money, plenty of things on the menu that will ensure I return. Staff, very welcoming and helpful, all made for a lovely evening!!!

Very disappointing meal! Went for a Sunday roast but wasn’t worth half the cost applied. Only positive was the staff. Meat wasn’t great, veggies varied in texture, some were over cooked, some under. Yorkshire had a puddle of oil in the bottom of it, cauliflower cheese was burnt. £20 just for the roast, with starters and desserts £5 each. Very overpriced for the standard of food served. A real shame.

I love this restaurant. Great service and great food.

I am sorry to say this being my favourite Sunday restaurant something has changed and not for the better. I did say to the staff some time ago DO NOT CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING the best beef roast ever . But Sunday just gone it was not right. Plates overloaded, not set out as before, starters of fish whitebait ect wet and tasteless. What a shame. Please go back to how you were . 😟

I did not realise they had changed to a Lebanese menu, so perhaps a rebranding is required, but that was the only negative I have. Our waitress was lovely, attentive without being over powering & a pleasure to meet. Having eaten Lebanese whilst in Jordan I must admit to enjoying all of the food. 2 of us shared a set of starters & loved everything, whilst our 3rd had a chicken curry which they said was lovely. The option to take in our own drinks, with no corkage charge (on a Tuesday) was a great idea & we will do that next time. At £20/head inc 2 alcoholic drinks, I think it was worth every penny. We will return!

The Dining Room have re-opened (following lockdown) as a Lebanese restaurant. They have a wonderful selection and the flavours were brilliant. So pleased to have a Lebanese restaurant round the corner and will be back again soon!

Always lovely, food good staff r wonderful

We went for a roast as we thought we would have a treat after being in lockdown for so long, be nice to finally go out and have a decent roast. Service was ok, nice people in the restaurant, calm atmosphere. Myself and husband both ordered a roast. The meat, veg, gravey we’re nice but the potatoes and Yorkshire were a real let down, the potatoes tasted like they had been sat there a while and the Yorkshire were very oily. It’s was a 6/10 including the experience. So for 2 roasts 2 drinks & a bottle of water came to £60!! I wouldn’t of minded if the roast was lovely but we were so disappointed. I did mention about the Yorkshire’s but their was no complimentary drink or anything for the inconvenience. It’s a shame because I have been here a few times but I sadly won’t be returning.

So disappointing. The lovely varied menu is no longer as now Lebanese food only. Waited 2 hours for main course as kitchen struggling with orders. Waiting staff were very polite but couldn’t do much. Won’t be returning.

The old menu has gone and now Lebanese so basically yogurt, humus, flatbread, falafel and assorted grilled meats. We went on Tuesday where you can bring your own wine and it was very busy and we waited 80 minutes between first and second courses. Two courses no longer £15 now £19. I doubt I will return as preferred the previous menu. Shame

Had our first post lockdown visit here- and was really suprised to see its completely changed? I'm not sure if it's been sold or re branded but it's now a Lebanese restaurant? - and not a great one to say the least actually. The dining rooms has always been fantastic im really not sure what they was thinking? - service was good but the waitor was rushing us we felt even leaning over our plates whilst still eating to clear things from the table . Set menu which is great value....has the food been better. My calamari starter was so over cooked , chewy and the tartar sauce was very sharp not sure what happened here but it was a definate no especially in an area where seafood is in abundance and there's alot of places that nail it. Main course I had 'chicken shish' chicken was lovely , rice tasty - salad looked like what you get at the side of a jacket potatoe in a builders cafe ....not what you'd expect as 1/3 of your meal with this kind of food . One of our party ordered a medium to well done steak and it came dripping with blood , we had to ask for it to be sent back. All the other mains seemed OK *we was a large table* - drinks reasonable and nice. None of there card machines worked for a few tries but that's not there fault. An item we didn't receive was added onto our bill so that had to be removed. Overall we won't be returning it needs alot of improvement

We had a lovely meal at The Dining room. The staff are very attentive and the food is fantastic. Beef Wellington is the best yet. We can’t wait to return.

My partner and I's 2nd visit, first was lovely and this time just as good! The food is lovely, service is fantastic and definitely can't complain about the price. Highly recommended

Lovely food and service with a smile.

We came here with friends just before the second lockdown and could not fault anything. All staff wore masks the whole time, hand sanitiser was at the door and on each individual table. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive and all 3 courses of food were beautifully presented and tasted lovely. It was just a shame we had to be out of the restaurant before 10pm. Will definitely return once we are able to eat out again.

Definitely should be high on your Southend / Westcliff / Leigh dining out list. This is an east meets west dining at its best in a bustling, alive atmosphere. Tuesdays is BYO & the off license is next door! Simple, vibrant & great cuisine. No downside.

6 of us came in on a weeknight for the eat out to help out in September. We had a lovely meal - the scotch egg starter and skate main meal was a favourite! The service was very good - we were serviced by a very friendly waitress. Definitely be coming back again.

Great value for money, every course was so tasty and good quality. No children's menu but will do smaller portions or even handmade chicken nuggets! Thoroughly recommend this place!

Brilliant food. Had roast turkey and it was easily the best turkey I’ve ever had. Great starters, great desserts, all of it.

We absolutely live this restaurant. The food is amazing and the staff are efficient and friendly. We would definitely recommend it.

Very busy. Tables very close to each other, with no social distancing at all. Waitress staff do not wear face masks and stand right next to you to take your orders. Had lamb chops which came very red and nearly rare, wasn’t asked how I wanted it and had to send it back. Wasn’t very nice even when cooked a bit more. Beef wellington looked nice and our friends said it was lovely. Prawn cocktail for starter wasn’t all that either. Expensive for what it was really. Wouldn’t rush back.

Went here for the first time and it's lovely, couldn't fault it at all.. Will definitely go back next time we're in Southend

This was the first time we had been out for dinner since lock down and was very disappointed with the lack of social distancing. The food was very nice and the service was quick but we decided to leave as the restaurant started to fill up and another couple were sat near us. The waiting staff were very friendly and attentive but didn't social distance or wear face masks. It seems the restaurant are more interested in filling the restaurant than keeping us all safe and adhering to social distancing. We won't be going back which is a shame as was a favourite restaurant.

Great little place which was nice and quiet a great spot to go and enjoy good food with friends. Service was spot on and friendly.

It lovely to be back in the Dining room. Fantastic meal. But however the lack of social distancing. Table where on top of each other far too close. So much for Covid obviously they are more concerned about making money. No staff wore face mask or visors. The staff breathing all over you. I thought they have guidance rules. Such a shame. Will not go back until this is addressed.

Sunday lunch great had lovely time

Tasty food, friendly and attentive staff. Not impressed by the social distancing measure in place.

Fantastic food and service as always.

Really delicious food..service was great..but absolutely no social distancing tables so close together..not a good place to visit if you need your own little space

Lovely lovely service and really delicious food of very generous portions. The Sunday roast was just as good if not better, than our best efforts at home. Very attentive waitress and lovely wine selection. We will be back!

What a treat that was for a lock down Sunday. The lamb was so good and the flavours were unreal. Great service and was still lovely and hot when it arrived.

Just had a cracking roast beef dinner takeaway from The Dining Room. Just what we needed this mothers day on a lock down. They also deliver for free. Highly recommend. It was lovely, and no washing up! :)

Due to the virus they moved to home delivery and wow restaurant food at your own home. Had the privilege of being one of the first takeaway customers. Great move well done see you soon

This restaurant not only serves amazing, well cooked food the service is great. The team here are friendly and professional. Great place love the winter Eaton mess.

We both enjoyed our visit to the Dining Rooms. We went on a Tuesday night a bring your own wine night. The restaurant was buzzing and found staff very pleasant. The menu was was interesting and our waitress took our order. Our waitress was very attentive and came across well. We both had white bait to start which I found disappointing. The fish were overcooked and very large for white bait. My main course of slow cooked belly pork was a little on the dry side but still enjoyable. We decided against having s sweet. The price was reasonable and we will go back again in the future. We found the restaurant to be quite noisy. The general service was very good with waiting cut to a minimum.

Good food and service, staff were very good and friendly. The place was packed all afternoon with a steady ow of customers. We were there for birthday celebration with a party of 19 and were a bit cramped. Waiter provided us with another small table which helped. But shape of restaurant doesn't really suit such big parties. I have been there before for lunch and dinner and the food had always been good.

Fantastic meal and great service. Highly recommended ❤

I am not a fan of going out for a Sunday lunch, but my arm was twisted and I went to the Dining Room for a family Sunday lunch. I was impressed with the quantity, the quality and the service. It came a close second to my wife`s home cooked version.

I have been to the dining room on many occasions in the past and I have always found the food and the staff brilliant. Today I was disappointed. I think there must have been something wrong with their cooker or the staff in the kitchen!! I chose the pea and ham soup which came out hot and was most tasty, followed by the rigatoni lamb ragu - also very tasty and hot. however two of our party of 5 had a very different experience. Two chose the beef wellington with a side of cauliflower cheese - this came out in a metal serving dish - the top looked lovely and crispy and so it must have been put into the oven or under the grill - but under the surface both were cold, not even warm but cold as if just taken from the firidge. We asked for a change and the waitress was very apologetic. She offered to bring replacements but said that it would take about 10 to 15 minutes - which would have meant that the beef wellingtons would have been cold when the hot cauliflower cheese came! Also our group would not be able to enjoy their meals at the same time - which rather ruins the point of going out to share a meal together. The waitress did offere to take the cauliflower cheeses off the bill!! Well that should have been taken as obvious. Instead I think she should have called the supervisor or manager over so that that person could have offered some reparations for example taking all our meals away and starting again so that they were all hot and came out together!! Or offere a complementary dessert or drinks. To take off the value of the poor sides from the meal was not a remedy. To add to our disappointment, again two of our party chose apple crumble with custard and ice cream. The crumble should have been hot but again it was cold (fridge cold)!! Funnily enough it was again in the metal serving dish. That is what made me think that normally these dishes would have been heated in a microwave!! which of course you cannot do if it is in a meatl serving dish! and the oven, grill or alterntive was either not working properly or was not used properly. Come on Ding Room such poor service is not like you!! Get back to your efficient, friendly, good quality best..

Excellent food service and such lovely staff would definitely recommend and will most definitely be returning

Visited recently with two other couples for Sunday lunch. We all enjoyed a lovely two course meal which is very reasonably priced - although my only criticism was the price of the draught lager which is a bit steep. Have been to this restaurant many times before and have always found the food and service to be excellent. Can easily recommend for a visit.

Really splendid lunch menu and great service. Fine Value includes a glass of wine. Wish there were more like this!

The staff had set out tables beautiful for us in a square at one end of the restaurant which meant we all could see one another & the 3 children of the party were able to move around freely. The food was delicious and the service very friendly and prompt . A real 10 out of 10 experience!! We ll be back !

First visit here and found this to be a good place to eat. We had service from Sasha, very professional and friendly, knew the menu Considering it was her first day in this restaurant . Food / drinks served promptly with water consistently topped up. Food was good, had the pork belly, usually when I have ordered this from other restaurants you get one piece, had two pieces . Would definitely come here again , good atmosphere here .

We have been going to this restaurant on and off for years now, for the simple reasons that the place is nice, the food is good and the staff are lovely.My only gripe is that eleven people sitting at a long table (especially when one side of the table is backed onto a wall so circulating is not an option) is not good for conversation. It would have been nice to sit at a ten / eleven seater round table so that we could all talk to each other/

Have not visited for a while but excellent mid week meal spent at The Dining Room with husband and daughter, Good variety on the menu, staff very friendly and better still as we could take our own wine ! Thanks Mem - will be back soon again,

Night out with friends to celebrate a birthday, about 9 of us. I ordered from the fixed price menu, two courses £16.95 and then added a dessert for an extra £4. Had the most delicious Leek and Potato Soup I think I’ve ever had! Absolutely lovely and just the right amount. Interesting choice of main courses, wasn’t feeling very adventurous so I ordered fish and chips (checked to see what sort of fish and it was haddock. Very nice piece of fish. Finished with crème Brûlée , also very good.

Good food good price great staff.

Lovely meal good service nice staff

Nice envirorment. good food choice nice staff 👍

Great food. Very good service. Terrific value. Can highly recommend. I’ll be going back sometime soon.

Brilliant meal. Perfect service. Thank you.

We were invited to join friends for a Christmas Eve dinner at the Dining Room. It wasn`t as full as we might have thought, despite that the service was rather slow, especially between the starter and main. When the food arrived it was well up to the usual standard. Our choices included Soup of the Day, Deep fried Brie, Lamb Rump and Liver and Bacon, all served piping hot. Despite it being Christmas Eve there was no turkey to be had. Prices were £16.95 for two courses and a bit extra for 3 courses, we all agreed that the wine was a little pricey.

Excellent Christmas Dinner plenty of food and excellent service from the staff

Always consistently good. Pleasant surroundings, delicious food and delightful staff. Excellent unpretentious menu!

Went for Christmas lunch with friends. Firstly must compliment our lovely waitress. Don’t know her name, but she was so pleasant,friendly and efficient. Food was excellent, very good value for money.

We had a group booking (7) to celebrate Xmas early together. The service was so on point! The 2 people looking after us provided personable, quick, quality customer attention throughout, anticipating our every need, meaning we didn’t have to ask for anything. The food was utterly delicious. I had crayfish and prawn cocktail which was fresh and ligh, followed by roast turkey and trimmings. It was so delicious! Great experience. I would highly recommend!

When we first arrived the staff asked to take our coats for us and hang them up. They did show us where our coats would be and then through out the whole evening they really looked after us. The meal was amazing, I had the liver and bacon plus my friends also said their meal was so good too.

We had a birthday dinner part here and the food and service were excellent and I would be happy to go again with my wife-BUT the cost of drinks is hugely excessive and the service charge being added to a seperate bill for the same table ( our drinking habits were more copious than the rest of the table, so a seperate bill seemed appropriate) is just greedy!

Went to Family dinner. Food great,(Rib Eye to die for) Service great, cost of drinks; Horrendous Cost for , malbec£26 Moretti £6.50, Irish Coffee £7.95 PLUS service charge Drinks for us, as a couple (3 drinks each,1 bottle of wine & 1 Irish coffee each,)would come to more than the food! Shame really. will prevent us going again as a couple.

Good food, fair price, nice surroundings, bright and airy.

Delicious Sunday roast, our waitress was very friendly and attentive, lovely atmosphere. Highly recommend dining here

Excellent food and great value. I had nothing to complain about. The mid week menu included a glass of wine. The menu gave plenty of choice, so it was difficuult to decide what to have. I have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant.

Went for lunch. Food was spot on will definitely be going back on an evening next time. Staff were attentive but not all oover you

Had an awesome birthday celebration there the menu looked plain but a delight when it arrived presented well tasted delicious we ordered extra veg which was not needed overall a great night with good service and atmosphere.

Visted here for a midweek lunch with my partner and Mum after reading the reviews and we weren't disappointed.

First visit to the dining room nice welcome x wasn't to busy and staff were very attentive but not over the top x 2 courses Chinese platter to start was delicious x fish and chips for me steak for my partner was very nice x glass of wine included in the price will definitely visit again x

First time at this place , met some old friends on a third party recommendation .

Great menu choices, reasonable priced , service was very good and the food looked and tasted great

Lovely food friendly waitress x

Fantastic meal served by lovely friendly waitress. Thank you so much.

Excellent Restaurant, wonderful food and very good service, We visited Leigh On Sea on Wednesday September 24th. An excellent place to eat.

Absolutely excellent will go again

Excellent service and very tasty food. If you go on a Tuesday evening you can bring your own wine so it becomes a great value evening out.

Great place to eat, good menu with portions just the right size. Very well cooked and served. Staff polite and friendly but not over so. Good atmosphere and well designed restaurant with the right feel to it. Napkins were a bit cheap and didn't match with the surroundings and quality, easily changed. A good night out.

Good food helpful friendly staff.

Went with five friends on Tuesday evening when you can take your own wine. The service was friendly the atmosphere good and the food was enjoyed by all six of us. We all had a different meal and all of them were very tasty, piping hot and served with a smile. Will definitely be returning

It's ok but about time the two course menu was changed we have been going there for years and as far as I can remember it's been much the same. Service is good. They add 10% gratuity to the bill. Is it value for money? Just about. Other people may not agree but that's my view. We had the lamb but they are quite clever in that most courses require you to buy additional veg etc.

Pleasantly greeted and shown to our ample table. It was a BYO evening but, unfortunately, that didn't stop me forgetting to bring my bottle. No problem, I went next door to the offi and bought a bottle. When the rest of our party, 6 in total arrived, we were given menus. There was no rush to order and plenty of time, without waiting about, between courses. The food was excellent and cooked to perfection and the service was excellent. An absolutely brilliant evening. We will certainly be back.

Great food on Tuesdays bring your own wine.

I visited The Dinning Rooms for a last minute, mid-week treat and was not disappointed. The staff were very friendly and the food from the weekday menu was of good quality and varied.

This was the first time we had visited this restaurant

The food was lovely and the staff looked after us very well

Fantastic place fo a night out. First class food. & statt.

Very friendly staff. Food was excellent.

Have a Sunday lunch here first time for us very good food the lamb was tops for me , I thought it was good value ,

Lovely evening with friends. Portions on the small side though if you want vegetables with your meal it is £5 extra per portion. Desserts were shop bought and flung together so would probably not recommend this if you are looking for a romantic meal out or celebration. Sorry Dining Room you let us down on this occasion.

The food was delicious but very small portions. All veg was extra increasing the cost of what was originally a good value meal. £5 per item! The dessert menu sounded great but was also a disappointment Eton Mess was a shop bought meringue seared with a blow torch, a spoonful of frozen fruit and 2 squirts of cream. However we had a nice evening chatting with friends.

I went to a retirement event at the restaurant. It was packed for a Tuesday, so they must be doing something right, I suspect mainly the bring your own wine on Tuesdays was a leading factor. Despite being packed, there was room for everyone, not squashed in like sardines as in some places. Service was very good and attentive. The 3 course set meal was varied and good quality, though vegetables are extra, so the basic portions weren’t huge. Other reviewers will have mentioned parking problems, as like most restaurants along the A13 in the Southend area, parking is non-existent, so you have to hope for a space on one of the nearby side roads. I am sure the residents love this! One of our party had a very tough main course, but this was replaced with a different course without hesitation.

I have been here on many occasions from birthday party and just a small groups. No matter what the occasion the atmosphere suits all types.

Great atmosphere, service and food !

What a lovely restaurant, food was delicious, we all had different main meals, shared sides, and delicious desserts, the staff were attentive and recommended a peach cocktail, only the ladies had one excellent, fiz and lagers all went down well, a really lovely evening for everyone.Highly recommend this restaurant best to pre book it gets very busy

Very limited veggie options (well, only one option for the main) which was alright but not good. Very expensive for what it was. Restaurant was also really noisy despite not being that busy. Service was excellent though and waiting staff very friendly. If you eat meat, this place is probably worth a visit. If you're veggie, I'd probably say avoid it.

Really nice service and food very nice

Lovely venue great decor inside, parking a pain but can’t win them all. Nice friendly greeting and top notch server. Lovely menu caters for all and food was not disappointing, steak cooked to perfection, came out looking great. Chilled Prosecco for the friend, so all happy all round.

1st time visit and pleasantly surprised.. The atmosphere was lovely as were the staff, great choice of food for really good value. The food was delicious! Recommend 100%...thank you for a wonderful evening