The Cocktail Kitchen in Southend-on-Sea

I have frequented this establishment many times over the years, but it seems to be experiencing a noticeable decline in quality. The Black Forest smoothie, once a highlight, lacked its characteristic flavour profile—there was no trace of sweet cherry, the creaminess from the nut butter was absent, and the consistency was poor, with an unripe banana aftertaste that was unpleasant. The rest of the food was unremarkable, falling far short of its former standard. Also, While it is understandable that new staff require time to adjust, the frequency of errors I observed was disconcerting. Additionally, the practice of holding completed items until the entire order is ready detracts from the experience, as delays compromise the quality of time-sensitive items like smoothies, which arrived cool not cold. Usually this wouldn’t be a problem I guess but waiting for >40 minutes doesn’t help. It’s disappointing to see a place that was once so reliable for one of the best smoothies nationally can slip up so hard.

We came here on a very wet and windy Monday! The welcome from Jo and Richard was warm and friendly. And the food was brilliant: hot and tasty. The policy is to source as much as possible locally and this made the food even more special. In fact brunch was so good we returned later in the day for more coffee, hot chocolate, indulgent chocolate and orange cake and healthy home made granola with delicious fruit, local honey and yogourt. Wish we lived nearer to Southend, but will certainly eat at attic next time we are in The area. Good luck to Jo and Richard - we wish them every success.

We stopped here for lunch today - two cheese toasties, tea and coffee. Everything was excellent - well cooked, delicious toasties,.decent coffee and nice tea. My only complaint was that the staff had tea in mugs rather than cups and I would have liked a mug too! The food, drink, service and value for money were all great. We have walked past many times but won't make that mistake again!

I attended the wreath making workshop with friends today and it was brilliant. There was everything we needed to make the wreaths to our own designs, bottomless mulled wine and some festive nibbles. I definitely want to go back to sample some of their other foods and wines. Great customer service and fantastic value for money. Can’t recommend these guys highly enough.

If you want a couple drinks with a small group, west road tap is perfect. It's small but has a great selection of beers and very friendly staff