Harden's survey result
Summary
This “terrific find just outside Norwich” is an “excellent gastropub” with “really pleasant staff” – owned and run by locally born chef Daniel Smith, it’s “sister to the Ingham Swan and just as good”. Originally a village pub called the Red Lion, it was re-named with an African theme as the Wildebeest by a previous owner, and the name stuck. Top Tip – “the daily fixed-price lunch is very good and very good value”.
Summary
Locally born chef Daniel Smith’s “modern British” cuisine at his village pub-restaurant on the edge of Norwich is “always a winner” for its “imaginative flavours” and “excellent service”. “We eat here regularly and it’s first-rate both for the food and the pleasant atmosphere”, while “the set lunch and the tasting menu are both brilliant”. The venue’s name is left over from a previous African-themed incarnation.
Summary
“Excellent food, beautifully prepared and presented from local produce”, ticks the boxes at this village pub-restaurant just outside Norwich, which serves a modern British menu from Norfolk-born chef Daniel Smith (ex-Le Gavroche and Morston Hall), who also runs the Ingham Swan (his third venture, Warwick Street Social in Norwich, closed during the pandemic). The Wildebeest’s name is a relic of its previous life as an African-themed gastropub. Top Tip – “the fixed-price lunch is a real bargain”.
Summary
Co-owner of the award-winning Ingham Swan, local boy Daniel Smith – ex-of Le Gavroche and Morston Hall – took over this country pub (once an African-themed gastroboozer, oddly) in 2015. One reporter was “surprised at how good the food (creative modern British) was” on a recent visit – it “has definitely gone up a notch”. (As we went to press, Smith’s third venture, Warwick St Social, in Norwich, was still closed owing to the pandemic, but had plans to reopen in late 2021).
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Wildebeest Arms?
82-86 Norwich Rd, Stoke Holy Cross, NR14 8QJ
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £28.00 | £34.00 |  |
|
|
| SundayLunch | £32.00 | £38.00 | |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 95.00 | Always available | 7 |
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £19.50 | £37.00 | £6.50 | £14.50 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £44.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
82-86 Norwich Rd, Stoke Holy Cross, NR14 8QJ
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
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