Southend city centre restaurant at former Baker's Bar

Moonlight Bar and Restaurant opened its doors in the former Baker's Bar nightclub at the end of 2023. 

But despite its name it has only served food. 

Now bosses have submitted a licensing application to Southend Council for the sale of alcohol from 10pm until 2am. 

The new bar and restaurant is currently only able to serve food - despite its name (Image: Moonlight Bar and Restaurant)

Manager and director of the bar and restaurant, Jeejo Phillip Neerum Plackal, 38, said: “At the moment we are not selling alcohol, we have just been selling food.

“Once we get approval, we are thinking of serving alcohol, we are planning to sell cocktails, beers, not all selective brands and some hard drinks, we will be hiring professional bartenders too just to focus on supplying the alcohol.

“We are planning to allow music to 11pm on weekends so we will run festivities in our premise, we have a small music system so we will use that, and we will not be using outside providers.”

Mr Plackal added that the plan has always been to serve alcohol, given the name of the restaurant, and that they wish to accommodate a family and adult clientele.

He added: “Moonlight is a good restaurant, it is serving south Indian cuisine, and we are focusing on the cuisine and the music, we are getting good reviews and people are coming again and again.

“It has been good, though the current economic climate is affecting business.

“We have had a lot of repeat guests and once they come into dine, they are coming to the restaurant again.”

Moonlight Bar and Restaurant opened on December 31 and joins several other restaurants and bars which are coming to the up-and-coming Alexandra Street area in Southend, which has been touted as a “Brighton Lanes” style area.

It will be joined by a new golf-simulator and bar, Bunker 19, alongside 5 flats in the site of the former Baker's Bar Nightclub.