The Strand Tea Rooms in Southend-on-Sea

We visited the Strand Tea room as it was the most traditional place in Leigh on Sea, The bread pudding and custard was home made and tasted wonderful. We chatted to the owner and he told us about the history of the area and that this tea room was an original building. Great coffee and lovely and quirky in a good way.

Man serving Gelato is quite rude

How this man is in business I will never no. He was so unpleasant rude and no time for children what so ever .when we asked if there was a problem he asked us to leave . Don't waste your time tho wonder the place was empty.

Just rude! nothing else i can really say... DO NOT EAT HERE, left our drinks and walked put with my Son crying because of the atmosphere and tension

If I could give 0 I would. Asked to order food. Was told other customers were in front of us. Which is normal for an eatery so quite why this was news is beyond me. We were told by the owner he would come outside to take our order. 35 minutes later I went in and sure enough he had forgotten about us as the place was empty bar one family. I asked to order, he said he would be a moment, went into the kitchen, came back out and then said they were no longer serving food. No apology. I asked why he didnt tell us that when we had waited so long and he made excuses they were short staffed. I said it was unacceptable to keep is waiting so long and he told me I had issues! I said all I hdd was 2 hungry kids, so paid and left. The rudest service I have ever encountered. Well done mate.

Went for take away coffees a mocha and a cappachino. Couldn't tell which was which. Both disgusting. Wouldn't accept cash. Man rude and unfriendly. Cafe very dirty.

Very rude service, and poor quality of food. Avoid.

Nice simple coffee shop and an interesting host with a very interesting sense of humour 😀 👍

We had a pleasant experience visiting this little corner cafe. Found it to be “real”, and enjoyed the friendly conversation by the man who served us. Try the bread pudding, excellent!

Was soooo much better when Marge run this cafe, she was a fantastic cook and loved her customers, RIP Marge. (my mates Ma), you were a one off !!!

Stopped by here to get an ice cream for my 3yr old. The man who served us was rude and impatient, even with my 3yr old. Plus, £4 for a child’s ice cream is way over the odds. There’s another ice cream place just down the road (on the corner before the beach), I’d strongly recommend you to go there instead.

No hello or welcome of any kind, got stared at like we were Viking invaders, then got accused of ordering 3 portions of chips and changing our minds and pretending to have ordered one! Then we were told I think you’re being a bit funny, I think you had better leave! Bizarre experience, highly recommend for a Halloween night out

This is one of the oldest buildings along Leigh on sea high street, and it is a very traditional tea room. We have been to Leigh lots of times and we’d never been in here. We thought it was closed as it wasn’t easy to see in, but lucky for us it was. I’d definitely recommend trying the home made bread pudding with custard, it was superb. The bill was very reasonably priced and the owner was very friendly as well as being a bread pudding wizard. The owner told us the building used to be a lock up for smugglers, and if you were caught being naughty back in the day you’d have been in the cellar.

After walking past the Tea Rooms multiple times on each visit to Leigh-on-Sea, I've finally decided to give it a go — the last times I hadn't gone in because of the café's rating on this very website. Now that I have been, I don't understand what the bad reviewers are on about. Michael is a terrific host, and I had the best hour talking with him over cream tea about all sorts of things, from music (he has great taste) to the importance of community. I only left as I had to finish my hike before sunset and would have happily stayed longer. Will definitely be back again.

"Breakfast" at 12 am? A nice pot of tea, cheesy scones, chutney, ... what do you want more. But after reading all the coments below... is here somebody who´s jealous????

The chef was so rude had to walk out. Never again

Had a few lunches in Leigh over the past few weeks. To be frank with you. There are a bunch of places that are suffering from delusions of grandeur in Leigh. Places that believe they are serving much better food than they actually are. This place however, knows exactly what it is. It’s well executed as a a concept. Food was well cooked and great value compared to the food I’ve had close by. Congratulations to this team. Well run operation. Consistent menu and well cooked simple food. Will go back for sure.

Went there with friends. Everything was just fine. I can't rate it 5 stars but it's a good spot for a morning coffee :)

We went in hungry as a pack of friends. After a day at the beach we were tired and hungry. We ordered some fish & chips and sandwiches which were really nice. The owner even came out to ask us if we liked everything. Overall great place!!

Great food, great service!! Can't wait to visit this place again! Maybe it's just my luck, but waiter, who served me (I believe his name was Lucas) was doing his job perfectly.

We were looking forward to a nice cup of tea and cake, on entering the premises the owner shouted I'm training ain't got time to cook, we said we only want tea, the look was enough to kill, we felt sorry for the young boy who was learning, he spoke to him like dirt, if he's still there I'll eat my hat. I think the owner needs to go to a school of manners, will we return, no thank you, he has lost 4 customers.

Rude, unwelcoming, nearly walked out wish I had, was told not too put our hats on the table cos it's bad luck. Tea and coffee not to bad.not an enjoyable event

Our first pic for lunch wasn't serving food so we descended on these guys as a hungry, rowdy party of nine. Service was quick and friendly, despite our large group. Food was perfect, family friendly seaside classics, a special nod to the beer battered cod. We'll go again next time we're in the area.

We went here by chance after one of the local pubs wasn't serving food, and what a find. There were 9 of us and the owner explained there may be a little wait, however all our food was delivered extremely quickly and was of a very high standard. We were with children as well and they were well catered for. Lovely meal and lovely staff, highly recommend.

We went there for a family dinner, and the service was amazing. The server was extremely kind, and ensured that we were completely satisfied with our meal. The food was also delicious. I would highly recommend eating there.

Arrived today a party of 8 plus a baby and a very young boy. We were greeted when we arrived and told that service might be a little slow as he was on his own in the kitchen, we said if this was the case we were not worried as long as he could prioritise certain food this was agreed and as asked for the first food for the young boy was cooked and brought out. The young man who served us was very efficient and friendly, the food was very good and the wait was not anywhere near as long as expected. We all had very good food and would definitely go again.

Popped along with the family for a spot of lunch. Disappointed with the quality of the food is an understatement! Cod and chips was massively over cooked and when we mentioned it the chef was dismissive and rude. He could be heard shouting in the kitchen that it wasn't burnt and was supposed to be that colour! 2 breakfasts came out 15 mins apart which would suggest the sausages and bacon are cooked individually which is crazy.

Popped along with the family for a spot of lunch. Disappointed with the quality of the food is an understatement! Cod and chips was massively over cooked and when we mentioned it the chef was dismissive and rude. He could be heard shouting in the kitchen that it wasn't burnt and was supposed to be that colour! 2 breakfasts came out 15 mins apart which would suggest the sausages and bacon are cooked individually which is crazy. Just avoid, nothing good to say about it.

Great Restaurant! It has a nice chill atmosphere and if your looking for a nice breakfast I'd definitely recommend the place :)

On a hot summers day we decided to stop for an ice cream and sadly made the mistake of choosing this sorrowful establishment!

Small but homely cafe with great 1950s/early 60s background music. Very pleasant member of staff who served up a great mug of tea with a tasty slice of fruit cake. Also a good selection of ice cream. Very reasonably price. Well worth popping in for an afternoon snack or just a quick drink.

Visited today with a friend as good place to get a great coffee and a cappuccino in large cups! Such a pleasant change from other places when the cups are minimal and half filled. New waiter called Marco was very polite and thanks for a great cappuccino!

Wonderful food served by friendly staff good value jason weekend chief I have to say is a amazing chef 10 /10

Needed a bite to eat whilst in Leigh on Sea and it was a very busy sunny day with the sea front packed and all the eating and drinking places packed out, so opted for this very small, old fashioned, long established, non flashy place. A good choice and although my wife and myself only had a sandwich and a cup of tea it was very tasty. I had a cheese and chutney sandwich,large chunks of cheese with chutney oozing out of the side whilst my wife had an egg mayo which came in doorstep slices of crusty sesame seed bread. Tea (Earl Grey) served in a china tea pot with enough for two cups each. Managed to get a seat at the rear of the premises where there are two tables with just enough room to seat six but nicely decorated.

A VERY small tea cake really doesn't warrant a charge of £3.80. Should have come with jam but didn't. Honestly couldn't be bothered to argue about the lack of a scraping of jam. Won't be returning.

In need of an "emergency fry up" we took a stroll to Old Leigh and headed for the Strand.

Couldn't get into Sara's, so we were tempted into the Strand by the specials' board showing Steak and Mushroom Pie and Chips. Bad Mistake. Seemed to be a one-man band. It wasn't a pie - it was a pudding (suet); it wasn't steak - it was gristle plus some brown chewy bits of something with tubes; it wasn't mushroom - well not a whole one anyway - we found one slice of mushroom in the 2 puddings. Didn't mention the chips? - just trying to find a redeeming feature, so if you like yours flat, soggy and burnt at the edges, then this may be the place for you. Why didn't we complain at the time? - you'd have to be braver than me after the attitude shown when we'd asked for some directions before the meal appeared. I used to think Basil Fawlty was fictional, but I envisaged a re-enactment of the car thrashing scene (or the Specsavers advert). As for one-man band, is this one man that should be banned for assault with a deadly pudding? Perhaps we also caught them on a bad day, but disappointed that we had to award it one star!

the place has been take over from the old owner.. and it look nice and comfortable, the red colors make the place nice and welcoming.. the food was fresh and well made.. and the service was excellent and pleasant

Lovely old typical English cafe. Veggie breakfast was delicious. Service was friendly and welcoming. Definitely go back.

We just wanted something to quickly take out as we were with our dog so my partner bought a couple of hotdogs and a portion of chips. We had to see the funny side despite the disappointment and the feeling of being overcharged. The sausages were those really cheap skinny frankfurters that can be bought in tins and the bread rolls seemed as if they were cheaply bought from a supermarket in bunches because they were torn at the sides. I wish we'd taken a photo. No onions available. Cost £3 each. Tiny portion of dry chips £1.

Mediocre food and awful awful service by a very rude woman. Avoid there are better options nearby. This place uses flags as table cloths?

We visited The Strand on a Sunday morning while out for a walk with our family .

This tea room was brilliant, we stayed for ages talking, the people running it were very nice and the food was better, especially the soup with thick crusty bread and butter. Bliss

Me and my friends were looking for something to eat so we thought we would try the Strand tea room. And when we walked in we were meet and shone to the table, we all ordered fish and chips and when it come out WoW the fish omg was the best I've had in a long time nice crispy chips as well. We will be back again very soon.

We had fish and chips in the Strand Tearooms for lunch (and also a bacon and sausage sandwich, which was delicious too). The fish was absolutely lovely, with very crispy batter. The service was great, the staff very accommodating and friendly. It was a cosy and relaxing place to have lunch, just what we were after. I would 100% recommend :)

Unfortunately for us I did not read there TripAdvisor rating until we left, won't be making that mistake again!!

After being sat down next to a heater in this freezing cold damp cafe we tried to order drinks... Not only had they ran out of diet coke but also normal coke!! We all ordered fish and chips that came out looking like a frozen meal from lidl. The salt wouldn't come out as it was wet and damp. The chips were Average and the cod was chewy... Probably the worst bit of fish I have ever eaten. Would certainly not recommend this place and am now very ill with a bad stomach. SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN!!!

This is a cafe we have visited on very many occasions. However, the owners overly aggressive response to a complaint about the food resulted in us contacting the police. This gentleman's aggressive attitude towards his customers has been referred to before on this website..

Although it is Old Leigh they don't only just sell shell fish and seafood. Although we did have some nice fish and chips here. We were not rushed and the fish & chips were fresh and tasty.

We wanted ice creams from the side window, but the wooden venetian blind was down (I thought it was protecting the ice cream) no notice saying it was not serving. Suddenly a gruff voice rudely announced from behind the blind that 'they were not serving any ice cream, too much to do, that's why the blind is down'

I came to the Strand Tea Rooms last week with my friend. We were immediately impressed by the location and the smiling staff as we entered. We were served promptly, even though it was very busy. We ordered food and drink which was perfectly cooked and quickly served.

Popped in for lunch as it wasn't busy.

This was one of the few places in Leigh that seemed to be open for food on a Sunday morning. It looked quite cute from the outside and, although a bit cramped inside, looked promising. We were disappointed. The guys who were serving made no effort to make us feel welcome. My attempts to be friendly and polite were wasted - the waiter just talked straight over me.

We came here around 3 weeks ago. There were 6 of us in total 2 adults 4 kids. We used to come here a while back when the grandmum ran it she was lovely and food much better quality. As others have said the quality of the food does not match the prices. Sausages are cheap chips are soggy and not fresh. None of our meals were great fish not cooked properly. Same price as the peterboat but theirs is fresh well cooked and their manager and staff are much friendlier. The chef and i presume his son are frankly rude and aggressive. Avoid and go to the peterboat or mayflower. No doubt i will receive a nasty response to this review which just goes to show the type of people they are. Take criticism constructively and improve!

Very good food and warm service. Never been disappointed, always consistent every time we have been here.

Went into these The Strand Tea rooms at old Leigh by the sea with son in law and grandchildren.

Decided to stop here for lunch and that was our first mistake. After ordering our food and lattes we waited quite a while for our meals to arrive. Well I did as my husband had finished his before mine even arrived. Cheese on toast with a poached egg on top came on two plates. Two with cheese on toast and two with poached eggs on toast. When it was mentioned that the eggs should have been on top of the cheese the toast with eggs were just picked up and dropped on top of the cheese. When mine did arrive it didn't look that appetising but I managed to eat some of it. The bill for this lost came to 17.80. When it was queried the ''chef'' came out and was very rude and almost aggressive. If you are in Leigh on Sea give this café a wide berth.

We both had hot meal of fish ,chips and peas. Plus a pot of tea for two. The service was quick and friendly. The food was tasty and nice and hot.

One of my favourite places to go. No nonsense, traditional caff, no frills (but some interesting curios) and great (and often hilarious) service. I love to stop here for tea and toast and it's got a good view if you sit at the back. Best cup of tea in Leigh!

When visiting Old Leigh & you wish to rest a while in this quaint place, why not go to the Strand Tearooms, the staff there are very friendly, they can provide you with good traditional food & drink as well as ice creams, all at a very reasonable price.

Stopped for a bite to eat before going up to old leigh shopping. The gentleman was very friendly and quick to take our order.

Visited today with friends just for a cup of tea, pleasant décor, clean and welcoming.

A lovely quaint place in the very heart of Old Leigh. Nothing too fancy but good honest food at a reasonable price!

Lovely cooked breakfast, friendly staff and a lovely patio area 😃 most definitely come back again soon, very accommodating x

As a local person I have visited the strand tea rooms many times,and find the food to be very nice as for the proprietor she has my utter respect for working so hard when most people of her age would be retired,she and her cook are friendly and approachable and very helpful,the somewhat aged decor is not an issue, as for unmatching mugs or cups...so what...if they offend,then move on and winge elsewhere...the cafe is a good honest to goodness no frills establishment and I like it....long may it stay open to serve us

We wanted somewhere reasonably priced to eat and having passed a few overpriced gastro pubs decided to try the Strand Café. In some ways it reminded me of seaside cafes of my youth but then that is no bad thing. We were greeted warmly and our drink order taken whilst we chose from the menu. I have to say they were the best mugs of tea we have been served in months (being not overly strong and/or stewed). Having two young fussy eaters with us our order was a bit mix ‘n’ match but this was no bother. The sandwiches were served on tasty fresh bloomer bread and were very good indeed suggesting there was no justification for the prices charged in some other establishments in the area. The children just loved the ice cream, and when we were on the M25 a few hours later wanted me to turn around so they could have seconds!

This café was lovely food 🍴 was lovely and the people in was even better will be coming back with the kids. See you soon 😊

Traditional Café in Old Town where we enjoyed a first class ‘Full English Breakfast’ very fast service at a busy time served by friendly staff we would definitely go back for more !

The first thing the waitress said to us was a complaint about customers just leaving, then the cook complaining about the waitress! he seemed to want to argue with everybody.

We nearly did not go in as the place looked small and shabby.But do not be put off They were so helpful and friendly.First I asked for the not to be strong so the waitress kindly brought the tea bags separate to the hot water,in a teapot ,the milk was in a jug.

What a lovely place!We were visiting Leigh on Sea, it was so cold and we needed a hot cuppa to keep ourselves warm. we found this place, which looked very homey:)The location is superb, the prices are good. The service was great too! Definitely coming back!

Took my mum here on a cold sunny day after a sad trip to the funeral directors...she was in the mood for some lunch and had double egg and chips while I had a small breakfast, we both had tea. This is a small tea rooms which is more the 'caff' end of tea rooms to be truthful...but there is a place for that! Not everyone wants flowery bunting all the time and shabby chic mismatched china...just some good value tasty food in a sea front location...this is it! We sat outside on the patio (near the quirky loo) and had the sun on our faces which kept us warm. Slightly odd moment when a crane/lorry reversed past and stopped to adjust the angle of it's hook...fumes all over us...but that's outside the tea rooms hands and not their fault! The tea rooms staff/'guy in the hat' was on his own, front of house, cooking, serving, but still very cheery and chatty, and food came quickly which was a bonus. £12.90 was what our lunch came to and was tasty and filling...the hand cooked chips were top stuff, just like my nan used to make...tho tea was average (need better quality bags..) but all in all for water front location it very good value and would go again!

Visited the strand on a number of occasions and always enjoyed the food and right near the sea to, nice to have a tea and relax in the fresh sea air, a winner in my book! Mr C Toop

Lovely food and even better service. We were made to feel so welcome will definitely be returning and recommending to others

Shame to knock it so much. Waterfront, 'old school' cafe that also sells ice creams out the door/window to daytrippers. Take away tea in a styrofoam cup, sit in plate of egg and chips etc.

I asked if they served proper "chip shop style chips" having handed him money for 2 large portions of chips. His response was, "well I guess so mate, this is a chip shop, so probably". I would have told him to foxtrot oscar if he didn't already have my money. Anyway I thought maybe my complaint was a bit silly, then I looked up and it clearly says tea rooms and gelato outside so I think my question was valid.

A friend & I were looking for somewhere to have lunch in Old Leigh. We thought maybe we had made a