Saxmundham, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: This comfortable old inn between Southwold and Aldeburgh has generated all-round enthusiasm since joining East Anglia’s Chestnut Group a couple of years ago: the food is well rated and “friendly staff make a meal here a real pleasure”.

“Always reliable”; “always a cheery welcome”; “always fun”; “always something new to try”… “and moreover, they charge reasonable prices!” These are some of the prime virtues of Sam & Maxine Hayes’s local stalwart which remains the most commented-on venue in this seaside town even after almost three decades in service, thanks to its “dependable” delivery of “simple, honest fare”. “The fisherman was carrying his catch through the restaurant and my wife spotted skate… 15 minutes later it was served to her!”

“My favourite restaurant in Aldeburgh” – this long-running operation from twins Alex (FOH) and Oliver (chef) Burnside, also behind local haunts The Plough & Sail and The Golden Key, “specialises in fish and seafood, but the meat dishes are also impressive”.

This red-brick hotel with rooms was formerly owned by TV ‘Hotel Inspector’ Ruth Watson, but is nowadays under local group The Hotel Folk; “the menu is seasonal and consistent” and features “lots of lovely fish” landed in Orford, as well as locally reared meats, with “professional” service thrown into the mix.

“Difficult to find better”, say the many fans of this “stylish” gastropub (est. 2015), whose ‘Britalian’ food “nails the authenticity” of its influences, be it arancini; “leftfield but delicious lavender and honey custard tart”; or “simply great seafood” (not to mention the beloved ‘Be Unruly’ tasting menu, yours for a discounted £49 per person on Thursdays). Admittedly, it’s “well-hyped” these days – having garnered ‘best gastropub’ awards from many a national authority – and where there’s hype, there are inevitably skeptics, for whom it’s generally “far from cheap” and in a rather “unspectacular” roadside location too (albeit one handy for the A12, though). Top Tip – good for a business lunch.

2023 Review: This attractive Arts & Crafts pub-with-rooms and an acre of land is a “good place to stay on the Suffolk coast”, with “friendly service” and “good pub grub” which puts an emphasis on local seafood and produce – including beers from champion local brewer Adnams. Mark & Sophie Dorber (formerly of the White Horse in Parsons Green, aka the Sloaney Pony) have owned and run it for 19 years.

Back in the day, this characterful, Adnams-owned Georgian tavern in the heart of the town was an easy entry in London-based journos’ round-ups of day-escapes from the capital. For many years now, however, it’s been a less commented-on and less reliable attraction: for the majority, “still a favourite in Southwold after forty-something years” and some would say “back on form”; but there is still the odd disastrous trip reported here.

“Excellent fish” is the highlight of the “imaginative” menu at this “delightful restaurant”, which is “probably the best place for dinner in Southwold”. The ancient building dates from 1455 and has been run for 15 years (10 as owners) by Kinga & Andy Rudd – the latter “a fun host who really cares about making sure everything goes very well”. Al-fresco dining is available in semi-private outdoor timber ‘pods’.

“Well worth a detour from the coast” for “delicious food and an interesting menu”: Paul & Sarah Yaxley’s “exceptional” venue – a beamed former guildhall – is “an oasis in the middle of East Anglia”. “I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager 45 years ago, and despite many changes over that time it still never disappoints”.

This “very good pub” (with rooms and a “lovely garden”) attracts a good amount of feedback and is “actually more of a restaurant now as the entire place is used for dining”, but that’s all to the good given its “cooking of a calibre expected in this upscale resort”. The owners also run a sister pub, The Parrot in Aldringham.