Best restaurants In Norwich
Published 18 November 2024

Richard and Katja Bainbridge have established a very polished operation at their sleek city-centre venue, which has a burnished look to it from shiny stripped floors and contemporary furnishings. An outdoor area beneath parasols is a must for balmy early evenings, and the style of service is inviting and relaxing in equal measure. People note the enthusiastic buzz that reliably fills the place, its principal attraction being the restaurant's meticulously structured tasting menus.

A winter evening began with umami-laden teasers, ahead of a rice cracker with salmon roe and sherry mousse, served with an optional shot of fino. A brace of breads with flavoured butters heralded Alpine cheese soup and pickled celeriac (from the Alps of Norfolk, naturally) before a small serving of local lamb with truffled Jerusalem artichoke and parsley sponge. Fish was an unexpectedly trad serving of Cornish halibut in Champagne sauce, ahead of a choice of centrepiece dishes (garlicky sirloin steak, turbot Nantua, or a mushroom tart with red onion jus).

A splotch of chocolate mousse with blood-orange sorbet paved the way for the signature pudding, Nanny Bush's trifle, made with rhubarb, raspberries, spiced Cognac and ginger – a fitting tribute to that spirited lady. Vegetarian and vegan repertoires are as inventive as the omnivore options, the latter perhaps encompassing celeriac, carrot and fennel terrine, as well as truffled salsify spaghetti. There's also a lively wine list with some well-chosen glasses to open proceedings.

At the bottom end of Timber Hill in the centre of Norwich, this gem of an Italian restaurant looks nothing like the trattorias of yesteryear, but is instead a smart long room done in gentle teal, hung with pastel-hued paintings and furnished with unclothed, well-spaced light wood tables. Oliver Boon's menus reflect his lifelong love affair with Italian foodways, and highlighted names on his classy CV include Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr. Expectations are high and you won't be disappointed, with thrills turning up in every corner of the menu. Indeed, it's worth fitting in a couple of the nibbles before setting about the antipasti – perhaps creamy-rich croquettes of 24-month Parmesan or sweet-crusted garlic brioche with whipped garlic butter. Beef carpaccio with Harry's Bar dressing will whisk you off to Venice in a trice, but hake Kyiv with 'nduja, baccalà and coppa is more of a mystery tour. 'We couldn't resist it,' a reporter confesses, 'and I'm glad we couldn't.' Pasta is beautifully rendered, whether for bottone of ricotta with courgette, basil, chilli and puffed quinoa or black bucatini with bottarga and a Calabrian version of XO. Main-course meats such as lamb shoulder or Blythburgh pork are always top-drawer, while the garnish for roast salmon, tomato and clam panzanella – tempura-battered soft-shell crab – is a truly inspired touch. Does 'dulce de leche tirami-choux' sound like a bit of a mash-up? Au contraire, insists our correspondent who describes it as 'jaw-droppingly delicious'. Otherwise, a combination of yoghurt panna cotta with a cannoli of blackberries, sorrel and pistachio exercises quite a lure in itself. Drinks include cocktails and a short but serviceable selection of Italian wines.

In the same building as its misleadingly named sibling Gonzo’s Tea Room (actually a cocktail/burger/disco hangout), Brix & Bones is all about powerful, expert, generous open-fire cooking – the sort that also requires leathery aprons, muted lighting, cracking drinks and a pacey soundtrack. Ask for a seat at the bar, the better to immerse yourself in the whole spectacle while chatting to the ‘passionate’ and engaging young team.

Share a board of Cobble Lane charcuterie and maybe some Norfolk ‘crunch’ bread with treacle and acid butter. Brancaster mussels with ‘nduja, sea beet and fennel could follow, or you could go for one of the taco riffs (perhaps Korean pulled pork with pickled ginger and coriander). Superlative steaks and immense chops are licked with flame, slicked with the melted fat of 85-day aged Limousin beef, then seared, smoked, seasoned and spiced as befits each item, while fish might be whole plaice enlivened with guanciale beurre blanc and chives.

To finish, there’s abundant love for B&B's bone-marrow fudge doughnuts when they’re available, otherwise a sweet hit of chocolate fondant with honeycomb and pandan might do the trick. Wines are suitably bold – from the savoury, black fruit notes of a northern Rhône Syrah (Domaine Gérard) to the lush complexities of pure Sangiovese (Brunello di Montalcino Il Palazzone). Diners are welcome to take advantage of Gonzo’s rooftop garden bar if it’s open.

Handily placed for the theatre, this idiosyncratic set-up is billed as Norwich's first 'dessert bar'. Everything is made on the premises by pastry chef Jaime Garbutt (ex-Morston Hall et al) and his team, from the counter laden with cakes and bakes to a fridge stacked with desserts to go. You’ll be tempted by delights such as the ‘Jaffa cake’ sponges with a glossy chocolate ganache swirl or the deliciously moist chocolate and Guinness cake with coffee buttercream icing – so eat in with a coffee or have a selection boxed up to take out. Open Thursday-Saturday only, but conveniently until 10pm – to satisfy that craving for something sweet.

'It’s like being in France, only in Norwich,’ notes one reader; another says that ‘it feels more like dining in a friend’s home than a city-centre restaurant’. Either way, there’s a huge amount of love for this tiny bistro in the Norwich Lanes. Frenchman Thomas Aubrit and his wife Gemma have been welcoming diners through the doors of L’Hexagone since 2020. 

He cooks the food he remembers eating as a child with heartfelt honesty, while she runs the place with instinctive charm – and with a small supporting cast, they prove the old trope that the best things often come in the smallest packages. So tuck yourself into a downstairs seat in the intimate, dark-painted space or head upstairs where there’s more room but you miss out on Lanes people-watching. This is a place aimed squarely at feeding (very loyal) customers. 

The menu is short, and lunch could be as simple and pocket-friendly as a generous croque monsieur or a bowl of soupe à l’oignon. Alternatively, linger over a more substantial meal – perhaps salade lyonnaise or a tartine of butternut squash and Roquefort, followed by a bavette steak or casseroled chicken leg with tarragon sauce, mushrooms and frites. Gloriously simple stuff, indeed. Come evening, the repertoire might stretch a little to include, say, herby, garlicky prawn skewers or fillet of sea bream with roasted potatoes ‘grenailles’ and classic beurre blanc. 

The crème brûlée has its very own fan club ('the best this side of the Channel’) – no surprise, given the snap of the caramelised topping and the velvetiness of the set cream, but also check out the vanilla panna cotta with its beautifully sharp, fruity purée. The all-French wine list is as compact and well-priced as the menu, and each bottle has a 'unique personal reference’ – there are even some vintages produced in the owner‘s hometown.

Shiki may be in the heart of historic Norwich, but with its simple un-cushioned benches, bare tables, bamboo blinds and laid-back vibe it could be an izakaya in downtown Kanazawa. Order your Kirin beer or smooth Urakasumi sake, and snack on edamame beans and Japanese pickles while you wait for your dishes to arrive (not long, service is prompt). You might choose familiar donburi bowls (maybe rice with grilled eel and kabayaki sauce alongside miso soup and pickles), noodles (soba or udon) with seafood or beef, the ever-popular chicken katsu curry and salmon teriyaki, or even a generous bento box. Pork, sliced, pan-fried and served with ginger and softened onions kicked off an exploration of chef Shun’s otsumami (small plates) line-up, swiftly followed by fried aubergine (its skin glossed with stickily sweet red miso), then delicately savoury chicken yakitori. The pork gyoza have a local following all of their own, it seems. Rich unagi (eel) is grilled and laid over subtly vinegared rice pressed into an oblong to become a star of the nigiri selection, though meltingly soft otoro, the prized fatty tuna from the belly of the fish, is hard on the eel’s heels. So too are tender octopus, butterflied amaebi (sweet shrimp), and tuna-like hamachi. Pickled ginger, soy and wasabi punch layers of flavour into each mouthful, and nori wraps add some umami deliciousness. Desserts aren’t really a thing here – more likely is a shot of Japanese single malt – although palate-cleansing mooli hosomaki makes a fresh finale.