The best pub food in Suffolk Published 19 January 2025
Suffolk offers a remarkable selection of pubs, from the charming villages of Woodbridge and Bildeston to the bustling market town of Bury St Edmunds, each combining warm hospitality with expertly crafted dishes rooted in the region’s finest ingredients. From locally reared meats to fresh seafood, these venues showcase Suffolk’s rich culinary heritage, presenting everything from refined modern fare to comforting classics in atmospheric settings.
For Sunday roast enthusiasts, Suffolk excels, with The Unruly Pig near Bromeswell and The Brewers in Rattlesden both earning a place in The Good Food Guide’s Best Sunday Roasts 2024. Explore our list of the best pub food in Suffolk to uncover the unique flavours and character of this picturesque county, whether you’re after an indulgent roast, a relaxing lunch by the fire, or a memorable midweek meal.
Unfussy cooking and warm hospitality in a welcoming village hostelry
A gem of a village pub, owned and run by Will Orrock and his wife Cassidy Hughes, where there’s more than a passing nod to the Fergus Henderson (St John) school of cookery. Chef Adam Spicer's menu is brisk – beautiful … Read more
A gem of a village pub, owned and run by Will Orrock and his wife Cassidy Hughes, where there’s more than a passing nod to the Fergus Henderson (St John) school of cookery. Chef Adam Spicer's menu is brisk – beautiful ingredients are left relatively unadorned, and flavours are full. What a vol-au-vent lacks in flighty height it makes up for in crispness and the springtime deliciousness of foraged morels and wild garlic, and how good to see tenderly seared cuttlefish among the starters, alongside a silken ink-black mayonnaise studded with cod's roe – don't forget to save some of the excellent house bread for mayo-scooping purposes.
A terrine of brawn and ‘blood cake’ is as muscular as its name suggests, but alongside the heft is deft culinary balance from the crunchy bite of radishes and some zippy piccalilli. As for seafood, expect a few luxuries. The delicate flavour of lobster is somewhat swamped by its coronation sauce, although a turbot main course is memorably good. Served with fat mussels, the saline pep of monk’s beard and a gently spiced mouclade sauce, it’s a dish to hurry back for. Local produce stars throughout – from vegetables and leaves courtesy of nearby organic Maple Farm to chocolate from Pump Street or the St Jude cow’s curd served alongside a caramel tart. This is ‘proper cooking,’ notes one reporter.
The Greyhound is also a proper boozer, welcoming drinkers for honest sustenance. Do check out the great-value bar snacks – say Welsh rarebit or a ploughman’s including homemade pork pie and house pickles. Perfect with a pint, or a glass from a wine list which is fit for every occasion – be it a classy Burgundy (a 2021 Saint-Aubin 1er cru ‘Clos du Meix’ from family-owned Domaine Hubert Lamy, perhaps), a steely Austrian Riesling from the Arndorfer winery or a simple lunchtime sip from the Languedoc.
Define a pub you love. There’ll likely be an easy welcome, the sort that makes you plan your next visit as you're leaving; there’ll be firelit cosiness in winter and rambling outside spaces in summer; there’… Read more
Define a pub you love. There’ll likely be an easy welcome, the sort that makes you plan your next visit as you're leaving; there’ll be firelit cosiness in winter and rambling outside spaces in summer; there’ll probably be layers of interest on a beer and wine list that takes you excitingly down paths less-trodden without abandoning the familiar. And there’ll be a menu that feeds generously with beautiful, seasonal simplicity, and without taking itself too seriously. That's The Anchor. Graze on oysters, or allotment courgettes sliced raw and scattered with olives, Parmesan, rocket and an intense olive oil, or endlessly moreish halloumi fries sharpened by a dip in sweet chilli vinegar. Monkfish tail, muscular and roasted to perfection on the bone, comes in a broth that's satisfying with saffron-warmed potatoes, fennel and celery, or go for aubergine, cooked to sweet softness in the kitchen's wood-fired oven and served with lightly spiced chickpeas and rice. Fish and chips, burgers and steaks may be pub staples, but the pep of jalapeño in a homemade tartare sauce, a tangle of caramelised red onions, and a Café de Paris butter elevates each accordingly. Pizza? An outside wood oven roars into life (check times) to produce, among others, deliciously laden mushroom and Baron Bigod or a simple margherita version to order. The chocolate fondant is everything such a dessert should be, so too a lemon posset with a pistachio biscuit and berries – unless, of course, you need to save that for your next visit.
It can take a bit of wending and winding along the byways of Suffolk to reach this handsome roadside inn, but stick with it. The reward on cool evenings is cosy lamplight and fireside spots; when it's warmer, there's a shady terra… Read more
It can take a bit of wending and winding along the byways of Suffolk to reach this handsome roadside inn, but stick with it. The reward on cool evenings is cosy lamplight and fireside spots; when it's warmer, there's a shady terrace and, whatever the weather, fine food, drink and hospitality come as standard. Autumn menus are hearty with game from local shoots; summer visits are no less satisfying. Lobster Caesar salad – a perennial favourite – is generous with the crustacea, while a just-warm salad of fluffy gnocchi and that classic partnership of poached pear, Gorgonzola, walnuts and braised chicory ticks all the sweet/salty/sharp boxes. Pub classics are delivered with substantial flourish; otherwise, go for duck with udon noodles, pak choi and a duck broth or the tenderest chicken with kisses of dauphine potatoes, fat pieces of lobster, bright spinach and an elderflower gel that binds the flavours together deliciously. By all means finish with cheesecake, or baked Alaska, but on a warm day what can top a perfect panna cotta with the merest hint of lavender, bright strawberry sorbet, crisp shortbread and a sweet strawberry consommé. Mini desserts are a welcome touch, especially in the form of a few churros with dark chocolate dipping sauce. You’ll find big-hitters and familiar domaines on the wine list, while by-the-glass options include driver-friendly 125ml pours.
Rattlesden is a ‘whole package’ Suffolk village. It’s got pastel-painted thatched cottages, a magnificent church, a little river running through it and, above all, this gem of a pub. Given half a chance (and a su… Read more
Rattlesden is a ‘whole package’ Suffolk village. It’s got pastel-painted thatched cottages, a magnificent church, a little river running through it and, above all, this gem of a pub. Given half a chance (and a summer weekend) you’ll find head chef Matt Avery tending Big Green Egg barbecues in the Brewers' lovely garden, turning a deft hand to Texan smokehouse flavours and the likes of pork ribs, beef short rib, loaded fries and avocado tacos. He’s a chef who likes to take his time, whether barbecuing and ember-cooking, or teasing flavour from ingredients by aging and brining meats, or reducing wine- and port-rich sauces to their essence.
Order a glass of Chalklands fizz from Kentish winemakers, Simpsons, and settle in for snacks that could include ham hock terrine with a crisp little quail’s egg or scampi, but not as you know them – these are crisp, airy puffs containing monkfish and are delicious when swooped through a warm, lightly curried sauce. Follow with a fresh beef tartare – made using the trim from the Sunday roast and topped with the classic orb of egg yolk flecked with sea salt – or prettily plated mackerel pâté with a little pile of sourdough croûtons and pickled cucumber.
Lamb rump gets a patient 48-hour brine before arriving at table, roasted – the preceding hours’ care no doubt playing a part in its tenderness and seasoning. It comes sauceless with a little chard and crisp, butter-laden panisse – these moreish chickpea-flour chips slide onto a plate of beef fillet and short rib on the evening menu too. Date pudding with salted caramel and freshening vanilla ice cream delivers every ‘sticky toffee pud’ vibe, while a chocolate crémeux, sharpened with blackberry, ticks a box silkily.
Monday evening brings a fire pit ‘MeatUp’ between the pub and chef Matt Avery's ‘Smokefire’ brand, while Sunday sees a choice of well-balanced, contemporary roasts ‘with the focus on taste’ (think pork belly with ham hock and apple). The midweek set lunch (with choices) is also a steal. A standard wine list does its job admirably.
The single-track branch line that ran from Wickham Market to Framlingham in late-Victorian times is long gone, but the reconfigured Station Hotel is chugging along nicely as a local asset with gastronomic benefits – but no a… Read more
The single-track branch line that ran from Wickham Market to Framlingham in late-Victorian times is long gone, but the reconfigured Station Hotel is chugging along nicely as a local asset with gastronomic benefits – but no accommodation these days. Regulars repair to the bar for pints of Aspalls cider and ales from the nearby Earl Soham Brewery, while snacky sustenance appears in the shape of good-looking homemade sausage rolls and Scotch eggs. However, the main culinary business is spelled out on the daily changing blackboard. At lunchtime you can order time-honoured British classics such as bangers and mash as well as chicken pie, lobster and chips and devilled kidneys, plus sandwiches, charcuterie and salads; in the evening, things move up a gear, as the kitchen turns its hand to the likes of slow-roast pork belly with mash and greens or roast cod on spinach and pea risotto with lobster bisque. For afters, don’t miss the superlative chocolate sticky toffee pudding with ice cream or one of the artisan cheeses from noted supplier Hamish Johnston. The Station also does a good line in wood-fired pizzas (Thursday to Saturday), which can also be ordered to takeaway. A creditable wine list completes the picture.
A roadside pub where superlative cooking, sharp service and stylish plates of food meet a dose of easy irreverence. The name’s a giveaway, as is the art that fills the walls, starting with a bronze pig’s derrièr… Read more
A roadside pub where superlative cooking, sharp service and stylish plates of food meet a dose of easy irreverence. The name’s a giveaway, as is the art that fills the walls, starting with a bronze pig’s derrière behind the bar, a new piece that’s part of a smart post-lockdown refurbishment. Have fun here, and eat seriously well too.
Come for the velvetiest of veloutés, perhaps leek and potato with the salty pep of smoked haddock and a garlicky crostino, or the pub’s ever-popular white onion soup accompanied by a savoury bonbon (perhaps ham hock or blue cheese). Snack on crisp arancini filled with gentle Taleggio and ‘nduja that’s fiery with Calabrian chillies. Pasta is made with silky finesse and, this being a broadly ‘Britalian’ kitchen, it’s given good billing: strands of tonnarelli might come with crab and freshening chilli, lime and spring onion; a raviolo could be packed with rabbit and a flavour-balancing gremolata; tubular paccheri could be served with a rich venison ragù.
Steak and chips – this is a pub after all – often gets the Italian treatment, so well-rested sirloin might be ‘tagliata’, served sliced across the grain. The accompanying Parmesan chips are criminally pinchable, the bone-marrow sauce deeply savoury. To finish, vanilla panna cotta fits the Italian bill, but go British with a rhubarb crumble, or choose a magnificent chocolate délice with a sweetness-tempering espresso sorbet. Sunday roasts are delivered with a touch of elegance and sophistication as well as a keen eye for provenance, while Europe leads the way when it comes to the notable wine list. Tapping into the expertise of the well-led front-of-house team yields delicious rewards, with monthly changing 125ml pours, in particular, enabling exploration.
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