The Pavillion Fish & Chip Emporium in Southend-on-Sea

After having a brilliant day trip to Southend I looked for a fish and chip shop to eat in before heading home. I usually call in at any of the fish and chip shops along the opposite side of the promenade but this place looked very cool and welcoming from the hot sun. I should have had second thoughts when the staff were clueless about the food on the menu. The order was eventually taken and we took a seat and waited for the food to be brought over. When it arrived it was in a cardboard box and only wooden cutlery was available. The fish was OK the chips were tasteless. My grandson's chicken was so overcooked it snapped the fork. He tried to eat it with his fingers but it was inedible. The toilet (singular for the whole building) was flooded and the floor covered in wet paper. When we told the staff they said "We know". The entire staff were just teenagers with nobody mature to guide them regarding customer service or basic hygiene. This experience spoiled an otherwise perfect day.

One of the many places offering fish n chips etc along the seafront stretch near the adventure playground. Only reason that this isn't getting a 1 is because the food was very good. The service on the other hand was very bad. Stood for nearly 5 minutes waiting to get served on the outdoor section to be told to come inside, despite obviously waiting with a disabled child who was sat on one of the outside tables. Placed my order with a young lad who got very bossy with me when I asked for a large white coffee, asking if it was an Americano, cappuccino etc although I couldn't see a list anywhere, perhaps that was my bad. Waited outside again for my order (that was fine, my choice) until I was called to the window as they had forgotten my order number despite only serving one more person after me. They then started arguing between themselves on what orders were what, eventually gave me the food, without the drink which I assumed was being made. After a few more minutes of them (4 members of staff, very few customers) arguing, I asked if my coffee was coming which had been forgotten. I then waited a further few minutes to be given a regular although I'd asked for a large. Couldn't be bothered to point this out and just left. The food was good, the coffee was good, but the service was atrocious. Not one of them smiled during any of the exchanges which gave the impression they would rather be anywhere but there. Too much choice to be like that in my opinion so I'd avoid it unless you literally have no choice!

I would definitely rate this restaurant 0/5 stars (but trip advisor only have a minimum of 1 star, the staff in this restaurant are unfriendly, unhelpful and the food the most disgusting i have tasted in any fish and chip restaurant across the UK, the fish was all oily, the chips tasted stale / un-fresh, burnt fish fingers and a battered sausage which was hard and like it had been sitting there from the day before, the chips were really disgusting and tasted stale with a few the colour green, if you want to be unwell go to this fish and chip restaurant but if you value your health and the health of your family and children Avoid The Pavillion Fish And Chips Restaurant.

Slow service, chips were OK but battered sausage was just pure grease and everyone in our group left it.

Cannot fault the food here at all. By far one of the best tasting fish and chips I've had along the English coastline. Not overpriced either. Restaurant was clean, food was quick, spot on.

Perfect pit stop when exploring Southend. Surely the best scampi and chips in Essex? Walk up service and wait for your order, friendly staff and always enough high chairs available. Nothing fancy, does exactly what it says in the tin! However I do feel the 5 sauces for £1.10 are a bit expensive. Tastes even better with 20% off thanks to the annual pass card

I used to go to this fish and chips shop every time i was in Southend which was once a week/once a fortnight but a couple of weeks ago they changed the portion sizes. I opened the container and I was gobsmacked by the size of the fish, it was very small. The cost was still the same. I now go to the other fish and chips shops across the road where the cost is the same but the portion sizes are bigger.

Its a nice place to eat whilst on the sea front, food was excellent & cooked to perfection. Very covid aware and all precautions are clearly adhered to. Very friendly staff with great service. A wide selection of meals available, very kid friendly.

Came here after a long walk down the pier that is right next to this place. It was a very hot day and it was nice to see that the had an opening roof, the widows was wide open and their was a lot of breeze (or at least some) that was coming through the restaurant. Lots of windows making it very light and not dark. The staff was very friendly and told me exactly what to do. Disposable cutlery and boxes for plates very good idea!! The food was a little pricey for full price but given as it’s by a seafront and the view of a theme park I can’t really complain. They was constantly cleaning and the boy who I think was named Chris was cleaning tables and was very friendly towards me, smiling at the children and was very efficient with making sure all tables was cleaned. There was a little queue but what did I exspect it was around dinner time and the seafront was heaving. But thankfully didn’t have to wait to long for my food, always a plus. Plenty of hand sanitiser stations here too, what a plus!! Had to fill in a track and trace if eating in, screens up to protect me and the lady on till AND I GOT THE EAT OUT TO HELP OUT. Only thing I could complain about was the fact they only have one toilet and it’s a large place so their was a bit of a queue, but to my surprise it was still very clean in there. Will certainly be returning, keep up the good and hard work guys

After a lovely walk along the pier, we went to the Pavilion for lunch the service was great. The girl On the till Hannah and the guy Ben we’re both extremely polite, while we were there Matthew was cleaning all the tables as soon as people were leaving. Couldn’t fault the cleanliness or service. Will definitely be returning and would recommend it.

Went down for a lovely day out! And defo will be returning absolute brilliant chips and lovely staff! Especially Rachel, so bubbly and happy to be there, even after long hours! X

We went there Saturday early evening for a fish supper and came out very disappointed. First of all, other customers were taking chairs from tables which should not be allowed in the current climate of COVID 19 and some customers were sitting there long after they'd eaten. A staff member was told but he did nothing about it. We eventually got a table and when the food came we were very disappointed considering how pricey it was. Large fish was barely the size of a mini fish in other restaurants and the chips were only luke warm and I don't think they'd just been cooked. Had that reheated taste. Perhaps it was the oil but they were not nice. The young lad with spectacles was very pleasant but the older guy was sour faced. I would not recommend this place to anyone and I reckon even the seagulls would feel let down by this overpriced poor chip shop grub.

The battered sausage was rock hard, chips didn't taste fresh either. Oh and you have to pay like 30p for a tiny sachet of sauce! Customer service wasn't very good either. Staff didn't seem to know what they were doing.

Me and my family were down in the area last weekend for a family wedding. We had travelled all the way from Bedfordshire and so we travelled down on the Friday too stay for the weekend. With the wedding being on the Saturday we decided too visit adventure island on the Sunday as we had never been before. It was amazing, so much too do for the kids and adults and a brilliant experience. Before we left we popped into the pavilion for some fish and chips and we were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant was very clean and well decorated with a lovely view of the park and the environment was relaxing and calm and very family friendly. I myself went up too order the food at the till and the service was exceptional. The lovely young lad behind the till was very welcoming from the start and looked like he was genuinely happy too be working there. He greeted me with a smile and a hello and took my order and was very enthusiastic as we had a very nice conversation and I feel like he took a genuine interest in me and my family’s trip which you don’t get very often from other food places. It really did add too our whole experience! I believe from the arm band on his arm his name might of been Matt or max but either way he was a very lovely boy who was very helpful and enthusiastic which is nice too see. The food was bought too us quickly which was unexpected but a pleasant surprise and he made sure we were catered for. Myself and the rest of my family all had the cod and chips which was cooked perfectly and was very delicious! All in all it was a very pleasant end too our visit and we shall be returning for both the great experience and service. 5 stars are definitely deserved!

Went to Southend for a seafront stroll with my wife today and popped into the Pavillion for a bite to eat. I had a tasty Savaloy and Chips and my wife just had a portion of chips with some lovely gravy. The chips were really nice, and I even asked the lady serving, Chloe, what company the chips were from, as they tasted so good, and was told they are freshly cut on the premises and the potatoes are grown locally. Will make sure I always pop into the pavillion for lunch, in the future for a nice lunch and great service.

Visited the pavilion yesterday with some friends, we found it whilst walking along the seafront. Love the unique red and white style! Service was great, didn’t have to wait long for food and then it tasted great! Was asked to write a review and am very happy to do so! Will be coming again

Visited the pavilion with my 2 young children, Brother & Nan. The food was the best fish & chips I’ve had, it was all cooked fresh and you could tell from the taste! Everyone in the group really enjoyed their food. My children had the sausage & chicken fillets which they really enjoyed too. The food sizes was really good value and the staff was all polite and helpful. Will definitely be returning again soon. Thank you pavilion.

Bit busy was crowded long queues felt sorry for the staff working that day overall food was exquisite price reasonable and staff were friendly especially the one who served us green hair who was smiling and chatting away with us when we got served despite the crowdness rush and I applaud every staff member working that day

we aways go they when we are in southend on sea as its the clean and tidy and the staff is friendly and its cooked fresh while you sit and wait for it to come and its also hot when you get it and clean and tidy too we also like it as they don't rush you

Apparently run by schoolgirls. Tried to order fish and chips lunch for my family, 2 gramps, 4 kids, 3 grandkids. but girl on till kept deleting orders to input next order. So we wrote down our orders and left it to them. Stacks of cardboard boxes arrived with fish or chips or bread rolls or pickled cucumbers inside. none were labeled to identify large/small portions. highly confusing time to distribute to hungry children, Biodegradable cardboard containers and wooden knives and forks, All very earth friendly and unlikely to encourage self harming or harikiri with wooden cutlery, a real concern when chosing this eatery.

Poor variety, bad mannered staff, messed up the order 3 times and would not serve coke with any syrup in it or even accept the fact it needed changing and well over priced

Irrespective of everything else. 20 minute waiting for fish and chips is just too long. We weren’t the only people waiting this long too. Really disorganised. I’d go somewhere else.

This is a large sea front cafe/restaurant / takeaway on the perimeter of the fairground rides that is central to the main road going along Southend sea front with access available from the fun park or the road.Offers outside seating within the fun park ; indoor seating and a few tables placed on the pavement along the main road We drove down from London today arriving around midday and stopped to buy fish and chips What can I say ? Must be the absolute worst fish and chips I have ever tasted and grossly overpriced Fish was from a supermarket - cheap frozen and battered shaped in a oblong - batter over cooked on the outside and raw inside could taste the undercooked batter Chips undercooked and totally tasteless Charged for vinagar , ketchup and mayo Tea tasted of the paper/ plastic container - vile and disgusting I get it’s the coast and a seafront cafe but £21.00 plus drinks for two fish and chips My advice to anyone walking that stretch of seafront is keep moving and spend your money elsewhere , so many eateries give this one a swerve Using cheap ingredients to maximise profit !Would like to score a Zero but had to score one in order to finish and post the review

Visited here around 30 minutes before closing and the indoor seating area was still busy on a winters day in January. Wanted 3 large Cods with chips but they only had 1 left?!?!Having said that, the small Cod was still quite large and the Large was LARGE! The fish was extremely tasty and was cooked to perfection. Chips could have been better, tasted a bit “cardboardy”.

I should have read the reviews here first but only in Southend for the day. This place is on the front next to the amusement park and as I was hungry and the place wasn't very full I just popped in for some chips. I asked for a small chips and the lad rang up small cod on the till - huh? Corrected him and was charged £2.40 very expensive if correct. You can sit at a table, mostly under cover and collect your salt & vinegar pots. Nice to sit in the Sun. Unfortunately, the chips were terrible. Tasteless and bland. Seemingly poor potatoes and oil. Put loads of vinegar on to make tasty put ended up throwing most of them in a nearby bin. What a waste but no point complaining over chips I thought. My personal feelings but don't put this in the top 10 chips shops in Southend. The main thing is the chips and these were poor. The best chippys have queues and are always busy. This one didn't have either. However, places like this rely on passing holiday trade and customers will not read Tripadvisor reviews.

Pop on here to test what it had to offerPrices seem high and potions size smallThe cod was not worth the price and was dry Chips were hot but very greasy and not worth the priceI did complain but told to go to main desk and not interested about sort out especially with one of their rude staffOverall as a chip critic I found it poor and a lot of improvement needed

Nice little place overlooking Adventure Island. Covered tables outside so you can sit in the shade on a hot day. We had 3 lots of chips and some buttered rolls. Chips were nice, nicer than some other places in Southend. Very decent price. Could do with a few more drink choices, perhaps something that isn’t fizz.

Service was miserable!Ordered three large fish and chips, spent £35 which would have been fine if the fish wasn’t greasy, boney and skin left on the cod, no option to have sauces, yet served two different types of vinegar, malt and onion.So disappointed considering they are in a hot spot to adventure island! Lucky to get one star based on location not food or service!

Good selection of Fish, Pies, Saveloys, Roe, Sausages etc. Very popular with the locals and visitors to the nearby Cliffs Pavilion Theatre. Take-away or eat in.

We visited this restaurant located in the adventure island complex, £25 for food for two adults and a two year old which I have no problem paying if the the food and service are good. Not only did they get our order wrong, the food was also sub standard. To make matters worse I found a hair in my food. I went to complain and was told because how much I had eaten there was nothing they could do. Essentially accusing me of putting the hair Into my food.I asked to speak to the manager who then gave me the same schpeel, pretty obvious they don’t care about customers just another theme park money grab. Save your self the hassle and try somewhere else, the manager and stuff need some serious training!

Waited 40 minutes for our cod and chips, chips were hard not fully cooked. Pretty sure they use Pollack instead of Cod. They seem to care more about quantity of food sold more than quality. Very disappointed after the price we paid for our meals and time waiting for it.

Only called in there to get one portion of chips and got told it was a 45 minute wait. I could have served myself, staff not helpful and would have taken less than 30 seconds and they did not seem bothered and the chips were just sitting there in their tray, only needed scooping up . I left and went somewhere else.

Really nice food have eaten here a couple of time the staff are really nice helpful be going back for sure

very pricey and not that nice, average fish and chip shop however service can be slow and staff can be rude. More expensive then others because it is in adventure island.

Me and my family went here for Fish and chips - we found the chips to be to spongy, too much potato in them. The sausage and batter wasn't battered enough. The fish was lovely - chips were spongy. (Written by a 6 year old)

Popped in here after a cold walk on the pier. Pleased to find that even though the front of the shop is open, the seating area has heaters. You order and pay at the till as you go in and it's brought out to your table in boxes. All the food was nice, pricier than you're local chippy, but then it is Southend sea front. They also charge 30p a go for sauce.