Suffolk Restaurant Guide

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”.

“Surrounded by the Wyken vineyards and the Suffolk countryside”, this “bright and airy converted barn is warmed by a wood-burning stove that makes it cosy on colder days”. A “wonderful” wood-framed building, with a soaring ceiling, it serves “surprisingly excellent cooking” – say, “beetroot soup and freshly baked focaccia, feta cheese salad with maple and blood orange salad” – “washed down by Moonshine, their vineyard’s sparkling wine”. A fixture for more than 25 years, its latest addition is an outdoor pizza oven in an outdoor setting heated by fire chimneys.

This “very popular” Chinese has built a loyal local following over 25 years for its “great food” and “brilliant staff” – most of them from founder Foo Trong’s family, including his wife Michala, brother and head chef Viet Hoa, sister Lucy and parents – all of whom “really care”. “Trongs never disappoints – nothing is too much trouble. We’ve been going for 15 years and just ask them to bring us what they think is good!”

2019 Review: “Probably the best Indian in a town with many curry houses” – this family-run fixture (opened in 2005) is “very popular” thanks to its “friendly” and “attentive” service and consistently good cooking.

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”.

“In the Suffolk countryside near Woodbridge” (and handy for the A12), this rural gastropub “looks a bit unprepossessing from the road but is well worth a detour” and – having won just about every ‘Top Pub’ award around in recent years – is one of the most commented-on destinations outside of London in our annual diners’ poll. Braised rabbit, venison saddle or gnocchi are typical main courses from the à la carte menu, and there is also a ‘Be Unruly’ tasting option (for £70). Its army of fans say it “hits all the right notes”, providing “truly original cooking but without losing sight of the fact that this is a pub”, alongside “a fantastic selection of wines by the glass”. Ratings are dragged down, though, by a sizable minority who view it as “very expensive” for food that’s “good-to-average” (“if there were more local alternatives, I suspect we would be diverted”).

This “lovely old building” – a beamed former guildhall – is “as reliable as ever” under longtime owners Paul & Sarah Yaxley, who deliver modern European cuisine “at very reasonable prices for the quality”.

2019 Review: “The best Indian restaurant in the area” pretty much ticks all the boxes: polished setting, “fantastic value” (if slightly standard) grub (“even the toilets are good!)”

“Adventurous and beautiful food” featuring “really interesting combinations” and served in a “well-spaced” setting by “discreet staff” add up to a “delightful” combination for all who comment on Zack Deakins’s “very welcoming” townhouse, off Angel Hill: the most commented-on eatery in the locality.

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).

2019 Review: The relaxed ground floor brasserie of this attractive Georgian coaching inn, in the town centre, wins positive (if limited) feedback as an all-day dining destination with options from breakfast on.

“Allow your eyes to feast on the gorgeous colours and your nose to savour the rich perfume of the dishes” at this “small restaurant run by a husband (chef) and wife (front of house) team”, which is “tucked a bit away from the town centre”. One of the more commented-on restaurants outside London in our annual diners’ poll, it has won its more-than-local following with Justin’s “richly styled” Moorish/Iberian food, “cooked with real flair and passion”: “big flavours, with interesting combinations from top-quality ingredients”. There’s a “very interesting wine list” too – “a real eye-opener” – and “Jurga is always very happy to suggest which wines will go well with the food you've ordered”. “You never leave hungry!". It’s Suffolk’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, but not especially ‘haute’ in its approach: it’s closer to “a proper neighbourhood place, serving top-notch food”.

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).