A NEW Mediterranean restaurant has welcomed its first diners after moving into a former burger bar in Southend High Street.
Black and Red Bistro Grill is already receiving rave reviews from customers after businessman Hadi Yousefi opened the restaurant in recent weeks.
The restaurant aims to cater “to every craving food” with specially designed menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on offer to customers.
The new eatery is the latest in a long-line of restaurants opening in the High Street, including Mexican restaurant Plan Burrito and independent Japanese Sokuri which have both opened in the last six months.
Hadi has experience running restaurants in London and was keen to open an eatery in Southend after previously running restaurants in London and a business in Rayleigh.
“I used to have a business in Rayleigh, so I know the area well,” the restaurant boss said.
It has been a busy first few weeks of trading at Black and Red, which is open seven days a week, and Hadi says “it’s still picking up”.
The restaurant has replaced the former Love Thy Burger restaurant and created ten new jobs.
Diners have flocked to Google to praise the new business, its staff, the menu, and the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere, with one visitor saying they were offered big portions at a fair price.
One happy customer said the new restaurant is a welcome addition to Southend High Street.
They wrote: “My husband and I went for breakfast and we were both happy with the food we had ordered.
“The menu offered variety of dishes and sandwiches for breakfast and many more options of starter, main and side dishes for lunch.
“Southend High Street definitely needed a place like that to accommodate diners of all tastes.”
Another diner wrote: “I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it too. The staff are fabulous and really friendly which makes an immediate impression.”
“In addition there were some classic 80s tunes in the background which put me in a great place mentally for my solo lunch,” they added.
The new restaurant has joined the likes of Taco Bell, Wagamama, Punjab Grill and the Victoria BBQ Bar which have all opened in the city centre in the last 18 months.
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