Harden's survey result
Summary
“An unexpected delight in Sudbury” – a “lovely old house” with beams plays host to Stéphane Chapotot and Alain Jacq’s “excellent French eatery”, long a local light (and veggie-friendly too); post-pandemic, it has fused with the formerly separate café, and now serves “very well-sourced and presented” breakfasts and lunches, plus more gastronomic dinners on Fri/Sat.
Summary
“A joy to eat in, whether for lunch or dinner” – this Gallic institution in a timber-framed old Sudbury property has been run for almost 20 years by Stéphane Chapotot and chef Alain Jacq, who took it over from the former’s uncle. In fact you can eat here even earlier, since the café that used to be separate was combined into the same site to economise during the pandemic. “Although not strictly vegetarian or vegan, the Secret Garden always has absolutely delicious vegetarian choices”.
Summary
It’s “usually buzzing in Buzzards Hall” – the beamed, centuries-old setting of this wine bar and restaurant attached to the adjoining cafe, and where the “great quality” Gallic food, according to fans, just “gets better and better”; the fare runs the gamut from rustic breakfasts and light lunches to more gastronomic affairs on weekend nights.
Summary
The “super” setting – the beamed, medieval Buzzards Hall – pleases most who report on this four-year-old ‘wine bar & restaurant’ outpost of the adjoining café (although some fans think “its high quality of food and service really deserves crisp white linen and more elegant décor than something that looks like an old fashioned tea room”). No disputes, though, over cuisine stamped with “Gallic authenticity”, and which “continues to improve”.
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 Secret Garden Café & Restaurant?
Buzzards Hall, 17 Friars Street,, Sudbury, CO10 2AA
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £21.00 | £25.00 |  |
 |
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £8.10 | £20.00 | £8.20 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £22.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.40 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
Buzzards Hall, 17 Friars Street,, Sudbury, CO10 2AA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 9 am‑4:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 9 am‑4:30 pm |
| Thursday | 9 am‑4:30 pm |
| Friday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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