Caistor St Edmund Restaurant Guide

“An excellent gastropub” on the edge of Norwich run for 10 years by chef-patron Daniel Smith, who also owns the Ingham Swan (the memorable name is left over from its 1990s incarnation as an African-themed pub). A couple of long-term fans had their best meals of the year here, but ratings were held in the middle ground by one or two double-edged reports (“well cooked and presented, but more bucks than bang for what is essentially gastropub fare…”; “excellent Sunday lunch, but it says something about this fine city that it was the highlight!”).

Richard & Katja Bainbridge’s comfortable yet simply decorated dining room is often recommended as the best restaurant in Norwich and is well-rated in all diner feedback this year. There are a variety of menus, although they are in a “fixed ‘tasting menu’ style these days” which some diners feel “can be a little overwhelming at lunchtime”. Even such doubters, however, say “but it’s always a lovely experience, and so reliably good”. The entry level offering at dinner is an eight course ingredient-led selection for £65 per person.

“Exceptional food and service with chefs coming out to announce the dishes and even serve wine sometimes” again helps inspire very high levels of satisfaction with this ex-Alimentum chef’s “attentive and charming” dining room in a country house hotel near Norwich (which carried off a Michelin star from the tyre co’s 2025 awards). There’s an eight-course tasting menu for £95 per person, and at lunch a six-course version for £75 per person. Top Menu Tip – “Loved the homemade bread so much that they gave me a loaf to take home with me!”

“Inventive Italian dishes” are “delivered brilliantly” at this popular trattoria from locally born Oli Boon, a former head chef of Roux at the Landau and MasterChef: The Professionals finalist. There’s a relatively compact menu with a focus on handmade pasta, but it changes frequently to entice regular visitors. Top Menu Tips – “the parmesan croquettes are a must and if the agnolotti carbonara is on... have it!”.

Launched in 2020 by Frenchman Thomas Aubrit, son of a cook and nephew of a butcher, and English wife Gemma (FOH), this “very small” but very good Gallic outfit in Norwich Lanes has cemented its popularity with “simple good food” from a short menu featuring all the expected classics (e.g., onion soup, boeuf bourguignon). Thanks to the “very attentive” hosts, a “warm atmosphere” pervades both the miniscule downstairs bar and the 20-seat upstairs dining room.

2024 Review: “A fresh and vibrant menu with a fusion of local foods and inspired cooking” inspires enthusiastic (if limited) feedback on Jimmy Preston’s funky two-year-old, which started as a pop-up and went permanent in late 2021. In early 2023, The Observer’s Jay Rayner also raved over its “face-slapping flavours” and “cheeky, magpie-like romp across Asia” (including XO seasoning which includes Frazzles, Scampi Fries and Monster Munch).