Food by John Lawson in Southend-on-Sea

Just had lunch here, really top drawer meal, interesting, beautifully prepared, cooked and presented food in pleasant surroundings. A sophisticated experience but without the stiffness. And all up, good value too.

Absolutely phenomenal. I enjoyed all the courses and the wine pairings were sublime and were clearly well thought out. The staff are all friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Delicious cocktails. It’s a real treasure and I’ll be back to sample in a different season for sure.

Absolutely delightful afternoon on Mother’s Day. Mum and I throughly enjoyed John Lawson’s food, the concept and atmosphere. The staff were attentive, friendly and knowledgable. Will definitely return.

Really enjoyed the Friday lunch special. Wonderful service, fantastic interesting wine selection, and the food was inventive and flavorful. Was a little sad there was no bread to mop up, we heard the sourdough is delicious (but only available at dinner). Can’t wait to return!

I'm disappointed to be honest. I've dinned in many restaurants and many cuisines around the world, especially living in Australia for 30 years. John Lawson's philosophy is born from his experience of suffering from cancer and exploring only locally sourced, sustainable, seasonable foods. I'm 100% on board with this,however having dined there 3 weeks ago enjoying the Sunday roast where the protein was pork, to be served 3 weeks later and the only difference was the protein now being lamb was a little underwhelming. Everything was the same, from starter, entree and dessert. I would have thought that a chef that prides himself on reinvention would make some subtle changes as at £55 per head it isn't cheap. Perhaps not relying on repeat custom. Even though the protein changed the wine was unchanged, another subtle thing to consider.Some subtle changes could make a huge difference.Otherwise, food taste is nice service is good.Is it amazing - not really given the price.

I love the concept here. Locally grown sustainable food. Everything comes together to create an atmosphere that suits the rustic “dig it up and serve it up” ethos. The presentation, decor, furniture and even crockery take you away from Essex 2021 into a farmhouse dinner.So… why not 5 stars? Well, for an adventurous tasting menu, the food was disappointingly bland. None of the courses were truly memorable and they lacked flavour. I imagine some lovely herbs could also be grown locally and might add to the experience.Final comment. This was, despite the food being a bit below expectations, a fabulous night out and really good value for money.

Had the Seafood Tapas lunch here (Oct '20) which was incredible value for money. Really tasty selection and good sized portions. Menu varies (we had sardines, mussels and fishcakes), but will always come with potatoes, bread and salad. You can also supplement the meal with starters - we had the choice of oysters and/or whelks.Small, but perfectly matched wine selection.Great service - very friendly and efficient. The restaurant itself is small, but stylish.Tables spaced out adequately and Covid precautions taken (masks and sanitiser).

So firstly i wanted to like this place. It has a nice atmosphere and its rare in Leigh to find quality dining but unfortunately i was left very disappointed. 4 courses in a taster menu doesnt really strike me as a taster menu but just a menu. All 4 of the courses were small leaving me hungry at the end of the evening. The locally sourced and seasonal produce is a good idea but it meant almost everything was asparagus based. Out of all the things i had in the evening the asparagus mojito cocktail was actually the most inventive and tasty. All the other 4 dishes were small which was a disappointment but even more so they were quite bland. One thing i would mention is it is all well and good serving small plates that pack flavour and originality but no carbs with the main course and hardly any veg isnt good enough for this sort of price. Ive eaten many places over the years and thisnjust seemed to miss the point. I would compliment the staff though as very attentive and friendly. Unfortunately i cant recommend this as a value for money and fulfilling taster menu

Visited for a birthday meal. It was a special menu night with an asparagus theme running throughout. The food and dining experience was exceptional. We had a fantastic evening and look forward to going back. Sometime soon. A real gem.

Overall we enjoyed our evening here.There is something really nice about not having to decide what to eat and have your meal spread out over a longer period of time. Most items on the taster menu were nice and enjoyed almost all the wine pairing (park the dessert malbec).My only gripe is that we found service to be a little over the top with lengthy yet repetitive information given about each glass of wine. Could cut this much shorter as it often felt like it broke up our conversation with our friends. But I do appreciate the enthusiasm. For what you get and the dwell time we felt it was well priced.