The Pipe of Port — Restaurant in England

Unfortunately we did not have a good evening here.

Quick summary: If you are booking for this restaurant then I would advise you to phone your booking (don't book online) and specifically request a table in the main area. If none are available then book a different day.

The good: It is clearly a nice place but I don't think we got the best experience of it. The food was very good and the staff were friendly. The waiter deserves a sainthood for his patience (see below).

The not so good: Sadly we were seated in what felt like a corridor next to the kitchen at the back of the restaurant, which lacked the same atmosphere as the main area. We asked to be moved to another table but were told they were fully booked. I do understand that they were very busy but this was still a disappointment as it was our first visit here.

The really bad: A customer 2 tables away was extremely drunk. They had only just arrived so they must have been drunk on arrival. The restaurant manager told us he didn't seem that drunk when she seated them (or she would have turned them away) but he was shouting and slurring while ordering his food. That might have been the best time to ask them to leave !

We could have ignored the drunk man but things soon became more hostile when another couple were seated next to them and an argument broke out between the 2 men. The couple asked to be moved to another area and they were immediately moved (note we had previously requested to be moved). The restaurant manager apologised to us later and explained that was only possible because someone else had not turned up, which I understand but it still didn't leave us feeling valued as customers. I think we would have preferred to see the drunk...

I have to say that we were all immensely impressed! The entrance was almost missed. It is a simple doorway with stairs leading down. Once inside the pub, you are rewarded with a fab view of the bar and dining tables. Once we had checked out the drinks menu and had a chat with the very knowledgable bar an, we ordered our drinks. The women had cocktails - lovingly prepared by the bar lady and the men had the Porter, recommended by the barman. All of the drinks were excellent! Once we had our drinks, we made our way to our table and started to peruse the menu. It all looked and sounded awesome, but somehow 6 of the 8 of us chose the fillet steak, wrapped in haggis and pastry. Wow! It was some of the best food I have ever had! And in Southend too!! The deserts were pretty impressive too! Rich chocolate, caramel, cheesecake etc. All fantastic and well worth saving a little space for! We were in the pub for over 3 hours, enjoying our meals and the lovely wines on offer and at no time did we feel rushed - we like that! If you are in the area, or even coming from further afield, you have to try this pub. The atmosphere, the food, the drinks and the staff are all amazing. And don't forget to try the...

Group of 8 of us had dinner. We were surprised as, on the whole only the festive menu was available to order from. A 3 course meal at £42 (plus a service charge!) made it considerably dearer than some had budgeted for (the 2 course meal shown online) and I've had much better meals for far less. Nearly £50 before drinks and not even a Christmas Cracker. We sat down at 7.30 but didn't get our main course until 9pm. Our food was nice, pies tasty, but came with no veg to speak of. Disappointing. The staff were friendly and polite, but didn't seem to know the menu very well re nut allergies, and had run out of some items we asked for. My watery bean soup was so so. Our deserts though all agreed were very nice. I really wanted it to be a great meal, and its such a lovely atmospheric, cosy, olde worlde place, and reviews on line are very positive. Our experience was good, but not great. Staff were helpful, but didn't check everything was OK with our meals, nor if we wanted drinks through the evening. I think at less busy times our experience might have been better. I've tried to keep this review...