Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Suffolk
Hardens guides have spent 29 years compiling reviews of the best Suffolk restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 117 restaurants in Suffolk and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Suffolk restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Suffolk Restaurants
1. Maison Bleue
French restaurant in Bury St Edmunds
30-31 Churchgate St - IP33
“Fantastique!” – Pascal & Karine Canavet’s “little piece of France in Suffolk” goes “from strength to strength”, providing “an absolutely first rate” combination of “fabulous and exquisitely presented” Gallic fare, “charming” and “so professional” service and “elegant surroundings”. In particular the “super fish dishes always hit the mark”. “We usually visit at lunchtime and have to drive through two counties to get there!!”
2. The Table
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Woodbridge
Quay St - IP12
A pleasant, courtyard bistro (est. 2012) turning out non-pretentious grub, and now working with local suppliers to grow more exotic Far Eastern vegetables (they also run ‘Street Food Sundays’ in summer). The building perhaps shows a bit of the strain of having operated as a restaurant for 50 years, but it’s still a “cheap ’n’ cheerful” beacon in these parts.
3. Hintlesham Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Hintlesham
Hintlesham - IP8
“A lovely building” – dating from the reign of Henry IV and most famous to oldies for its associations with 1970s TV-chef Robert Carrier – this imposing country house hotel attracted too few reviews for a rating this year, but was tipped for “delightful afternoon tea in the garden”, or one of its stately lounges.
4. Aqua Eight
Pan-Asian restaurant in Ipswich
8 Lion St - IP1
As our honoured guests, we’d like you to know that any success Aqua Eight enjoys is thanks to your support and loyalty. Your custom and your feedback are extremely valuable.We’re always learning, so if you tell us on Trip Advisor or Top Table what you have e...
5. The Great House Hotel & Restaurant, Lavenham
French restaurant in Lavenham
Market Pl - CO10
After 32 years the Crêpy family were a tough act to follow at this “lovely” old (in parts 14th century) inn, on the square of a picturesque town: “a unique, quintessentially English building, whose other defining features are essentially French: this includes the staff, food, wine and especially the cheeseboard!”. “There’s very little to fault in its classic French cuisine”, and although the ratings awarded by its huge and dedicated fan club have slipped a fraction in the transition period, most reporters are optimistic: “since the Crêpys have retired the new owners have tried to keep the Great House just the same, and although it’s not 100% as good it’s getting there” is a sensible middle view. However you cut it, it’s “certainly one of the best East Anglian restaurants”.
6. Pea Porridge
British, Modern restaurant in Bury St Edmunds
28-29 Cannon St - IP33
One of the most popular and highly rated neighbourhood restaurants in the country – Justin & Jurga Sharp’s “delightful” bistro occupies a “tucked-away” townhouse in the heart of the town and “though a little off-the-beaten track is worth seeking out”. “Often combining quirky ingredients”, the “exciting” cuisine is “unusual, hearty” and “brilliantly realised” and supported by a “very interesting wine list”: “of diverse inspiration, with lots of natural wines and perfectly complementing the food”. Service, meanwhile “could not be more welcoming or accommodating.”
7. Trongs
Chinese restaurant in Ipswich
23 St Nicholas St - IP1
“Still our favourite!” – this beloved Chinese operation remains “just fabulous all round”, delivering “exquisite and authentic Asian flavours, paired with great service and years of knowledge” from the Vietnamese owners; “they hardly need reviews as word of mouth seems to always keep them busy, but here is one!”
8. The Crown & Castle
British, Modern restaurant in Orford
“Consistently good, flavoursome local food” (with “fish a strong point, landed on the nearby village quay”) is abetted by “efficient but laidback service” at this crowd-pleasing hotel; while TV’s ‘Hotel Inspector’ Ruth Watson sold it to a local hotel group recently, longtime regulars report that standards have been preserved.
9. 1921 Angel Hill
British, Modern restaurant in Bury St Edmunds
19-21 Angel Hill - IP33
“The influence of a committed chef-patron is obvious” at this “fab old building” – a “lovely old house just off Angel Hill”, modernised with a “smart interior”: Zack Deakins’s “phenomenal” food is “ambitious yet well-executed” (“I was genuinely left speechless it was so good!”) and delivered by “a well-led front of house” who provide “slick, discreet service”. “Do try the canapes, but get your own set or you will fight over them!”.
10. Shillingfords at The Foragers Retreat
International restaurant in Pebmarsh
The Courtyard - CO10
Carl and Beth Shillingford have moved from nearby arts venue, The Quay in Sudbury, to these converted former stables, “in the middle of a small village”. “With a carefully constructed ever-changing menu, Carl manages to forage for and produce the most wonderful food with ingredients garnered from the Suffolk countryside”: “amazing!”.
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Top Suffolk Restaurants
These are the top restaurants in Suffolk based on reviews by Hardens users.
Pea Porridge
Trongs
The Great House Hotel & Restaurant, Lavenham
Maison Bleue
1921 Angel Hill
Shillingfords at The Foragers Retreat
The Crown & Castle
Secret Garden
Popular Cuisines in Suffolk