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  • "Probably one of the best value restaurants in Southend, assuming you want something decent to eat and a good range of wines. I use the Pipe on a regular basis. Hopefully it will continue to provide the same quality under its new management and not "dumb down". Interestingly, the better restaurants are certainly more full full more of the time than the cheap and nasty places at the moment."
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Pipe of Port on the market for £325,000

11:00am Friday 13th July 2012 in News By Jasmin McDermott

Moving on – owners Steve Jones and Janet Cliff with estate agent Mike Gray outside the Pipe of Port in Southend Moving on – owners Steve Jones and Janet Cliff with estate agent Mike Gray outside the Pipe of Port in Southend

ONE of Southend’s most popular restaurants is on the market for £325,000.

The Pipe of Port wine bar and restaurant in the High Street has been the pride of husband and wife team Steve and Susan Jones and sister Janet Cliff for the past 32 years.

Steve and his family travelled from Manchester in 1981 searching for the ideal restaurant and after an extensive search, set their hearts on the Pipe of Port.

Sadly Susan, 57, died in July 2010 following a battle with ovarian cancer.

Steve has high hopes the restaurant, described as a Dickensian, candle-lit wine bar with mahogany tables and sawdust covered floors, will continue to flourish under new ownership.

He said: “It is a very sad decision, but we feel the Pipe deserves some fresh blood to keep it going for the next 20 years.

“It was a great source of comfort during these last few years, but it is now time to face a new challenge.”

As well as whipping up culinary treats, Steve has made several television appearances discussing wine and food on Sky, BBC and ITV, as well as filming the five short film pieces on cooking Greek food for former breakfast show GMTV.

He said: “We have loved every minute of our time here at the Pipe. We have had a lot of fun along the way and we have been given opportunities to visit vineyards all over the wine world.

“The people have been so kind to us over all these years that we feel we are letting lots of loyal staff and customers down.

“But we can’t go on forever and now is the time to leave.”

Mike Gray, of Dedman Gray estate agents, said: “We have already experienced a great deal of interest in the business.

“It is unusual to be offering a business and premises that have been so carefully looked after for such a long time.”

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