Suffolk, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: This half-timbered fifteenth-century former coaching inn is a “reliable venue for good food”, with a menu that ticks boxes all the way from basic cheeseburger or beer-battered hake ’n’ chips to more original offerings such as goat cheese doughnut with beetroot sugar and a flexible selection of dishes available in two sizes – as either starters or mains. Top Tip – “the great lobster Caesar salad”.

“A beautiful high-ceilinged 400-year-old old barn in the middle of a vineyard” makes an “amazing setting” for the “great food” served at this restaurant, now in its third decade. “Wines made on site and in the local area” are a special feature, and you can “walk through woodland to view the vines” before or after eating. Post-lockdown there’s also the outdoor Moonshine pizza café.

2021 Review: “Quirky, quaint and stylish, with excellent food” – Julien & Karine Jourdain took over this antique Belgian gunboat in October 2018 from the Crépy family, and it’s “one of the best Ipswich has to offer”. Permanently moored in the marina, near the city-centre, its modern European menu options vary by the day.

2022 Review: Having initially announced its closure, in summer 2021 Vernon Blackmore re-launched this long-established property with a firmer emphasis on South East Asian-accented cuisine, and new ‘Spice Bar’ branding. Typical of the menu: curry from Malaysia, Indian BBQ ribs, or white fish katsu with a Japanese pickled salad.

2021 Review: A “great place to eat in Lavenham”, this wine bar and restaurant-with-rooms in a beautifully converted fifteenth-century brick-and-timber house rates strongly across the board. Hosts Jo Knight and Rod Benson are locals.

2021 Review: “The most beautiful old Tudor building” in the stage-set town of Lavenham is “just the place for a special-occasion meal” – whether “an indulgent tea served on old-fashioned trays” or “a sumptuous dinner in the elegant Gallery restaurant”.

“Difficult to find better”, say the many fans of this “stylish” gastropub (est. 2015), whose ‘Britalian’ food “nails the authenticity” of its influences, be it arancini; “leftfield but delicious lavender and honey custard tart”; or “simply great seafood” (not to mention the beloved ‘Be Unruly’ tasting menu, yours for a discounted £49 per person on Thursdays). Admittedly, it’s “well-hyped” these days – having garnered ‘best gastropub’ awards from many a national authority – and where there’s hype, there are inevitably skeptics, for whom it’s generally “far from cheap” and in a rather “unspectacular” roadside location too (albeit one handy for the A12, though). Top Tip – good for a business lunch.

“Well worth a detour from the coast” for “delicious food and an interesting menu”: Paul & Sarah Yaxley’s “exceptional” venue – a beamed former guildhall – is “an oasis in the middle of East Anglia”. “I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager 45 years ago, and despite many changes over that time it still never disappoints”.

“Interesting food of great quality and at a good price” from chef Zack Deakins is the attraction at this Grade II-listed townhouse on Angel Hill: one of the city’s better established culinary destinations. It “has seemed really busy and vibrant this year, which is great to see and really builds a good ambience”.

2021 Review: “For that romantic meal close to the town centre within super gardens and with a great terrace”, this elegant restaurant with rooms provides a “gorgeous” setting and “delicious cooking”. At lunch, there’s a cheaper set menu (as well as the option of sandwiches and salads).

“Mediterranean (meets Middle Eastern) fine-dining without the Michelin faffing or prices” awaits at this “quirky” restaurant (est. 2009) from Justin Sharp and FOH wife Jurga. It’s “in a most unlikely location” (a residential square), but there’s no quibbling with Justin’s “unusual” food, and “in a world of commoditised wine lists”, Jurga’s “perfectly curated list is a joy”, with “plenty of interesting wines from small producers, including organic options, natural wines, etc.”.

“At last Suffolk has somewhere very special again” – this “relatively new, upmarket” outfit is set in a five-hundred-year-old country inn that has long had a culinary reputation. Fans say it’s “the best-looking restaurant for miles around”, and is “trying hard” – they’re “obviously chasing a star” in the kitchen, which is praised for its “great tasting menu” (the only option by night).

2023 Review: In the heart of Constable Country, this gastropub with rooms is “a busy venue with a good atmosphere and friendly service”. Foodwise, it’s praised for cooking that’s “outstanding” at the “very reasonable price”; and wine lovers are well-catered for too, with 250 bins (they also run their own merchants).

“An excellent” stopping-off point in the heart of Constable Country, this centuries-old coaching inn has all the beams and wood panelling you’d hope for – as well as “very tasty meals with nice accompaniments”. There are “lots of tourists”, of course, but it’s a “fun” and “reliable” operation under the same independent ownership for 21 years.

“The delightful setting in Constable Country” makes this famous landmark – opened in 1925 – ideal for “special occasions and memorable meals”, and the beamed interiors are almost a match for the dreamy Dedham Vale location. But the pricey food has too often been judged “average” over many years – critics feel it “doesn’t live up to its reputation or ideal surroundings”.

Californian Sherri Singleton’s “marvelous neighbourhood restaurant” occupies a 1723 coaching inn, with great views of the River Stour, and bedrooms set above the pub or on top of kitchen shop and cookery school. The “consistent” and “sophisticated seafood menu” (but not just) ensures that it’s “always popular”, and there was praise this year for the “good-value set menu” (two courses £24.95 or three courses £27.95 per person).

2023 Review: This “delightful old village pub/restaurant” earns consistently strong ratings for its locally sourced and well cooked meals, which appeal to “locals and walkers alike”.

This red-brick hotel with rooms was formerly owned by TV ‘Hotel Inspector’ Ruth Watson, but is nowadays under local group The Hotel Folk; “the menu is seasonal and consistent” and features “lots of lovely fish” landed in Orford, as well as locally reared meats, with “professional” service thrown into the mix.