West Road Tap in Southend-on-Sea

Pros: Good selection of craft beers which were well keep Barmaids were very friendly and helpful and could recommend good beer The locals / regulars seemed friendly and welcoming There was a diverse crowd of different classes and backgrounds Cons; There were too many steps to navigate down after a few drinks The place felt a bit too crowded even for a micropub

the ceiling is covered in black mould. Doesn’t cost much to sort out, wouldn’t go back unfortunately.

Recently visited on a Saturday afternoon with husband and the dog. They are very dog friendly here, even have dog biscuits on the bar. It is only a small bar so seats are of a premium. They have a single unisex toilet, which is lovely and clean. They have a great choice of beers and ciders in the fridge and on tap, which changes regularly. Enjoyed a good few before moving on to the next bar. They have recently been taken over by the people that run craftwerk in town, which makes for a really pleasant visit.

Lovely selection of beers. Went here on a Saturday evening after Southend United had been playing at home so it was busy, but still got a seat with the pups, and service was swift. They now have a downstairs bar but we didn’t visit as we were able to get a seat upstairs. Great choice of cans and draft, and are dog friendly so ticks all the boxes for me!

Fantastic small bar, with an ever changing line up of great craft beers on cask and keg. My go to in Southend

Lovely beer, lovely staff. Only a small bar but good things come in little packages.

Great atmosphere. Lots of locals. Will is a brilliant host. Very keen on British wine, which was enlightening. Westcliff doesn't have a lot of great pubs but this one, though tiny, is a haven. It's probably perfectly sized for the clientele but I'd love to see it take over more pubs. We need more places like this!

Lovely little tap with a good assortment of real ales and promoting local micro breweries. Situated in an old municipal WC space is limited, but atmosphere in abundance.

Visited here at lunchtime on a Saturday. It wasn't particularly busy so we got served very quickly. I'm guessing it may be different when Southend United are at home! They have a nice selection of beers and ciders- I enjoyed a lemon IPA (draft) and a Peach Iced Tea Sour (can) and snacked on a kabanos and some nuts. We sat outside, although inside is also dog friendly. They have an outside tap and bowls which is great for the pups in warm weather. The lady at the bar was friendly. Will return.

Great beer, friendly staff and nice and cozy atmosphere

Midday at the oasis, grand place to relax with great selection of beers

Love it here, it's a little old converted toilet but don't be put off by that. Its a quirky little bar selling excellent craft beers and ciders. They have pop up food every so often. A right little treat for Westcliff Update 10/12/22 Still 100% recommended this place, beers are constantly changed, warm, friendly, great place to have a few different ales with like minded people Update 24/3/23 Just had a lovely couple of beers in Tap this evening. Lovely to see it busy tonight. Great beers and a great atmosphere. Everyone must go to this place.

Great beer and always something new to try, a very welcome addition to the local real ale and craft keg scene

I should go more often, but as the owners know, I have another very excellent craft beer bar on my doorstep where I often see them!

A warm cosy and friendly place to enjoy a real pint.

Awesome little place. Great beers. Great atmosphere and no silly Billy's. Why mirco pubs were invented.

Tiny place, good beer, friendly ppl.

This place goes from strength to strength. The beer range is amazing, with new beers to try pretty much every visit. The event nights are superb. Keep an eye out for a beer tasting night and book quickly or you'll miss out. If you're really into your beer, this is the place for you and if you're not, it's the place to learn about it. Pricing is insanely reasonable too. This is definitely a "don't miss it" experience.

Always gave a great time in the tap room and we feel welcome and relaxed. Great choice of beers always available and staff are great

Great little pub with great choice of beers, ideally placed for the Palace theatre...

My local pub. Friendly with great beer, much of it locally produced.

Have been a few times - can't fault it. Great and continually changing choice of beers. It is very small so if busy you can be a bit crushed.

Neat micropub with a varied and ever changing selection of beers/ciders on tap. Lovely outdoor seating area, with more inside and downstairs. They also do takeaway growlers!

Great Beer, atmosphere, people. What's not to like

We had my husband’s 40th birthday party in the Bunker as a private hire. It was brilliant! It was the perfect venue for a chilled and intimate do. They don’t have catering which was actually great as we could just bring along a few platters that were inexpensive. They had a great choice of wine and spirits as well as excellent beer, the staff were fab, would definitely recommend hiring and would happily do so again.

We had my husband’s 40th birthday party in the Bunker as a private hire. It was brilliant! It was the perfect venue for a chilled and intimate do. They don’t have catering which was actually great as we could just bring along a few platters that were inexpensive. They had a great choice of wine and spirits as well as excellent beer, the staff were fab, would definitely recommend hiring and would happily do so again.

Great choice of ales and a friendly barman, will be popping in again.

Nice little tap room with craft beer on tap. When I visited they had 2 alcohol free beers available in cans: Big Drop Uptime craft lager and Big Drop Pine Trail pale ale

Ooooo my goosh While i was having my drink The Waiter was washing the glasses in the bucket that you use to clean or mop the toilett gray bucket it looked like vileda one disgusting i could not beleive it Health inspector should go there Not only that he spend most of the time playing on his Laptop sad never again

came here on a relaxing drink only to find out that the waiter or bar man was terrible glued to his computer did not care about the customers we ordered plenty of drinks but everytime we decide to have more drinks it was like he did not care what a shame never again

My partner and I buy their English wine, or Real Ale, we sit outside and eat Sausage and Chips from Oldhams and watch the world go by. When the downstairs opened I had a guided tour, because I was walikng passed and asked! The staff and folks that run the place are lovely. My partner is disabled, and they could not have been kinder. Thanks folks, you don't know me, but you’ve made a world of difference.

Good beer selection, friendly atmosphere

Great tap house. Friendly staff. Slightly limited seating, but better now that the second bar has opened downstairs.

Awesome little place for a beer. Allow dogs in

Everything you could ever want in a bar 👍

Great night tasting a selection of lagers. Good beer, charming hosts and excellent company

No real ale on our visit, not good for a Good Beer Guide pub.

Great beer selection, fantastic atmosphere

Excellent little microbrewery with some lovely and unique beers. Definitely worth going if a nice ale is your thing.

I had my pre wedding drinks (stag in old money) in the bunker bar on 12th March 2022. Honestly couldn’t think of a better venue locally. Comfortably hosted 25 of us, beer was excellent as always , had our own playlist going through the night and had pizza delivered too to keep us going. Will live long in the memory. Thanks Wil and Cat.

Will have to visit again to rate. . .

Love this place. Great range of craft beers. Friendly and warm staff. Good environment with cosy feel.

Good beers great knowledge of the beers on tap and great recommendations of beers. Very good advice and responsible drinking measures in place. Would highly recommend if you are looking for a unique drink away from the madding crowds.

Loved it. Good vibes. Great choice of craft beers/ales.

Great atmosphere and great beer. Definitely worth a visit

Good range of ales, pleasant ambiance, helpful friendly staff.

West Road Tap allowed us to have a private birthday party in the new downstairs bunker which is an extremely cool little bar. They were extremely accomodating and a wonderful time was had by all.

Love this place but I don't get to go often. It is great to have a small pub with only good and different beers. It not the cheapest place but well worth a visit.

Southends OG craft beer spot. Great atmosphere and even better beer selection. Check it out if you're in the area.

Always a quality beverage in the tap. Knowledge staff.

Always enjoyed a drink here and miss the company. Through challenging times personally I sampled many tasty ales in a welcoming environment. Hope all is well.

Beautiful little small pub. Proper gem in the area

Always great craft beers on tap

Quirky small bar with outdoor seating. Serves craft beer and real ales and ciders. Good service. Couple of minor negatives; shuts at 9pm on certain evenings and heavy on taking card payment only.

Excellent venue for real ale and craft beer in Westcliff-on-Sea

Like your beer you will love West Road Tap

The excellence of the beer is surpassed only by the conviviality of the hosts and the friendly nature of the locals. Best pub in Westcliff

Great little micro pub. Great local ales and drinks!!! Outside seating area was perfect had the sunshining on us all afternoon aswell

Beer in top order as always. Well worth a visit

Great selections of beer (1664 different brews on tap as of 23/05/21 !!!) both on tap and in the fridges as well as great service. Love the wall of beer art on the phone booth outside - quite unique.

I had by first decent pint(s) here when drinking allowed outside. It was worth the wait - excellent choice and quality of beers. The bar felt very safe with good adherence to Covid regulations. We will be back!

Always a good selection of top quality beers both on tap aswell as bottles and cannned. All backed up by a good atmosphere and top notch service.

Fantastic little micro pub and bottle shop. Super friendly staff and great selection.

Very pleasant experience. Good beer. Attentive service. All covid precautions taken. So nice to have a much needed beer in a relaxed environment.

Not so good as a bottle shop, since the cans/bottles are at bar prices. Small-ish selection, small chiller, but I managed to buy quite a few good, vegan beers to take away. There were three cask beers and four keg taps for on-site consumption. Small seating area indoors on stools.

Great service as always, good variety of drinks

Just popped into The Bunker, the newest addition to this already great place, and was not disappointed. Lovely helpful and knowledgeable staff, great atmosphere and excellent beers.

Loved the Tap already and new downstairs is brilliant. Best bar in Southend quite possibly.

Really interesting choice of REAL ALES!😛

Best beers, always something new to try. Friendly staff, good atmosphere (even better when theres no pandemic)

Great team, great selection of well kept beers and a warm welcome to locals and visitors alike.

I visited here last Wednesday evening and sat outside. The waitress service was friendly and efficient. They had a good choice of draft beers and an extensive selection of bottled beers. As it was such a warm evening it was a pleasure to sit and watch the world go by. I was just sad that they shut at 9:30.

Fantastic range of beers on offer. It's an intimate place, not a lot of room but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment.

The West Road Tap is by far the best pub in the area. I’ve probably had some of the nicest pints I’ve ever had in there. There’s a great atmosphere in there if you go when it’s busy or if you go in the afternoon and chat to Will the owner.

Small pub shop but nice people .interesting beer .ales stouts . Nice peanuts.

Nice place to be lots of new craft beers to try

Funky little brew pub with great selection of beers, ales and ciders, highly recommended

Great selections of ales at silly high prices

As micro pubs go this is a great find, a decent range of craft beers with good service and quirky surroundings. Highly Recommended.

Frequented in summer a lot, it's nice to have an ale bar with an outside! Very cosey inside but everyone is so friendly.

Great couple of beers on a Saturday lunchtime

Used to be a public toilet, still is, very strange place and unless you are a vegan you won't get it or enjoy it, go to the plough its just down the road LOL!

Great little find!! Tasty choice of craft beers. Definitely recommend.

Excellent little craft beer place, equally excellent selection of beers, well priced, too. Go there!

My favourite and still the best micropub in the area!

Small, but pretty nice. Expensive beer, but what do you expect in a real ale bar?

Good beer, good people. Only been here once but really want to return. Oh be warned.... It's a little cosy

I love this place! It feels comfortable as soon as you walk in. Kegs are always rotating and his choices are always the best. We had the last of grapefruit and lime saison today in the sun. It was the perfect beer. I hope this is one He reorders this summer but if not we can trust what he gets.

cosy little bar offering a selection of craft beers also some cask beer which was in good form tonight

Love this place, don't get to visit as much as I would like but always a pleasure when I do 😊

Great atmosphere, good quality brews. Definitely worth a visit

Nice little place, called in for a swift half before palace theatre. Would highly recommend.

Nice choice of beers, well looked after. Friendly owner. Cheers.

I really like this little pub the staff and people are so friendly. The beer is really good and if your into craft beer they have some beers you would probably struggle to find elsewhere.

Me and some workmates went to visit when it was only open for a couple of weeks. The barman was rude and had attitude , the cider was warm and flat . We poured our drinks away and have never been back. They must have got better as it very popular in the summer.

This is the best micro pub I’ve ever been to. Will (the owner) is a well establish pub manager and really knows his stuff. Always a great selection of liquid and probably the only place in the south of England where you can pick up a friendly and insightful conversation with ransoms. Make sure you get in there early though... table space is rare!

Great atmosphere great beer. South East Essex CAMRA public of the year.

Brilliant bar with a wide variety of beers. Knowledgeable and helpful owner. We always enjoy a visit to The Tap.

I love this place. I’ve been going since it opened a couple of years back and watched it go from strength to strength. I love how it doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. They serve beer and that’s what the people want. It’s tiny in there but that’s what makes the place great. You only need ten customers and it feels like it’s buzzing. The guy who runs it is brilliant. He will chat to you if you want but he also knows that some people just want to be left alone with their pint - he is a rare breed. Other Craft beer micros are popping up in and around Southend but The WRT is and always will be the trailblazer. Keep up the good work.

An excellent tap room with unique craft beers and ales on tap and cask. Good atmosphere and friendly service. Perfect for Essex based hipsters and the like.