Namaste Village Southend-On-Sea — Restaurant in England

I’ve dined here twice in the last month and experienced the same themes each visit. It wasn’t busy on either visit with more than half the restaurant unoccupied.

This is a large venue with a big footprint occupying the building that used to be the historic Minerva pub on Southend seafront. I was really pleased to see a veggie/vegan restaurant in such a prime location. I like to support ethical businesses so was disappointed when this place fell short of expectations.

The service though friendly is poor. On the first visit our drinks order didn’t arrive and we waited a long time before we were able to get the attention of a waiter. Our food took a long time to come. On the second visit we waited a very long time for our food and after about 40mins the waiter came out again and asked us what we had ordered. Meanwhile the party next to us just got up and left without waiting for their order and the party behind us refused to pay as their food was cold and the complainant’s husband did not receive his order. We had to walk past this feud blocking the exit to the restaurant.

The food was tasty, very rich, filling and well presented when it did arrive. One of my dishes was cold but I ate it as I wasn’t sure how long a replacement would take! It’s not cheap! My curry was £15 and rice £6. A small bottle of Kingfisher was £4.50. They add 12.5% onto the bill for a service charge which I probably shouldn’t have paid but did!

The toilet lighting is dim and there was water (hopefully water) all over the floor on each visit underneath one of the urinals. The hand dryer was dirty.

It’s great to have a large vegan menu but I’m unlikely to return for the reasons mentioned above. Hopefully they can make some improvements to the basics of restauranteering to make the most of...

Namaste Village is a true gem for vegetarian Indian cuisine enthusiasts. From the moment you step in, the warm and vibrant atmosphere sets the tone for an exceptional dining experience.

Starters: We kicked off our meal with the Buffalo Cauliflower, which was delightfully crispy with just the right level of spice. The Veggie Kebabs were perfectly grilled, full of flavour, and paired with a tangy mint chutney. The Masala Puri, a street food favourite, brought a burst of textures and spices that transported us straight to the streets of India.

Mains: The highlight was the Jackfruit Biryani, served with a hearty Chickpea Curry and refreshing Raita—a creative, satisfying combination that impressed everyone at the table. The Paneer Lababdar was rich, creamy, and had a balanced tangy-sweet flavour, perfect with the soft, fluffy Chilli Garlic Naans.

Drinks: To complement our meal, we tried the Strawberry Pomegranate Virgin Mojitos, which were refreshingly sweet and tangy with a hint of mint—a delightful way to cleanse the palate between bites.

Namaste Village offers an innovative menu, excellent service, and beautifully presented dishes. Whether you're a vegetarian or just looking to try something new, this restaurant is a must-visit.

Would definitely return to explore more...

Visited as a +1 to my partner's Christmas meal with her colleagues on a Saturday night. 6 of us were seated near the entrance & it's entrancing water feature.

This is a vegetarian/vegan friendly cuisine so don't expect any meat in your dishes. Don't let this discourage you though as the food is brilliant

Love 2 Share Platter Samosa Chaat Masala Dosa Namaste Dosa Naan Bread Basket

Platter was an excellent way to start out experience, an array of savoury flavours & spices to get us going in preparation of what was to come

Samosa chat was very nice, Samosa, chickpea, chutney, yogurt & pomegranate seeds was a mourish bowl to behold.

The dosas were very enjoyable. Thin pancake like dishes filled with flavoured potato, cheeses, raisins, coconut & spices. Each served with a pretty white flower a 2 dips, 1 mild 1 spicy.

There is no subtitute for proper restaurant naan breads as shown here. Gujwari naan had a lovely coconut layer, butter naan was a delight to behold & the garlic naan was the best as to be expected.

We had leftovers to take home which I took glee in eating straight out of the fridge.

The service was good, staff were attentive without interrupting and the food was fantastic. I remarked to my lady we needed to return to try other...