Anchor Inn in Babergh

Welcoming pub/restaurant in a pleasant setting. Friendly front of house staff. Good quality, well presented and reasonably priced food that was perfectly cooked and served. Would recommend and we will return.

Great place, the Easter Egg Hunt was great fun!

Good food at a reasonable price, unfortunately there was a children's party going on upstairs with lots of banging and crashing noises through the ceiling. I think they must have been short staffed as service was patchy (e.g. jug of water brought to table but no glasses). Impossible to catch servers attention, even when they were at the next table, unles they flitted by to see if we wanted to order more drinks and quickly nipped off if we didn't! It has been good on previous visits.

Along overdue revisit and we'll worth it.

We recently celebrated a friend’s birthday at the Anchor. The menu was so reasonably priced and the food was delicious. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the staff friendly and helpful. Looking forward to going again soon to enjoy one of their live music evenings.

Great pub in a lovely, historic village. Good service, great food and a lovely location. Highly recommended.

The best pub roast I’ve had, 10/10

Excellent fresh fish & lovely fresh menu choices, excellent service & fab desserts .A great find

I was lucky enough to visit the Anchor recently for a Sunday roast and I have to say it was the best roast I have ever had. Despite it being busy the staff could not have been more attentive. A special mention to your chef Daryn, his cooking is to die for! He is clearly very passionate about what he does, a credit to your restaurant. The food has come on so much compared to when I was there a couple of years ago.

Excellent food and excellent service from grace a good selection on the menu with lots of gluten-free available can highly recommend want hesitate to go back

So disappointed! My children booked as Mother’s Day surprise and also because it states gluten free. I ordered roast beef and you would have thought I would have Yorkshire puddings like everyone else but no and only one choice for the sweet. My husband order fish which was full of bones. We came out hungry and had stop off on the way back to Suffolk to eat.

Nice pub classics with modern twist and daily specials. Friendly service, well priced

I can only echo other people’s comments and say that we had stunning food and service. The atmosphere was set with real candlelight - which is barely seen these days - so it was unexpected and lovely that have. The staff were perfect and looked after us wonderfully. The food was outstanding and priced excellently too. My partner had a beautiful celeriac dish and when my partner commented on the great choice for vegetarians and how lovely it was - the waitress told us that the chef was vegetarian. I had a large steak and frites. That was cooked brilliantly - soft and soooo tasty!! We will be going back very soon!

Incredibly attentive service, great food and fabulous wine tasting by @mrwheelerwines. Will definitely be back to the Anchor. Thank you

Really lovely venue, friendly staff, great food, clean and well stocked loos. Thank you xx

Really enjoyable food and excellent service by all members of staff

Very nice place and lovely staff, we ate buffet as I was there for a funeral. Well catered for ❤️

Exceptional. We booked a table of six for the Saturday before Christmas, so were expecting it to be a noisy, crowded affair. Imagine our surprise when we were given a room entirely to ourselves. Despite being upstairs the Staff were highly attentive and we never felt neglected. The food was sensational. Starters we fresh and light and really tasty. My wife described her Burger as the best she's ever had (and we've eaten in a lot of London "gourmet" burger places). My Steak Frite's were beautifully cooked and the rest of table loved their meals. The desserts were great as well. All of the staff we friendly, conversational and happy. We feel like we have found an absolute gem in the Anchor and will be sure to return again soon. Highly recommend!!!

Great Gastro pub, super location, nice interior. Staff, friendly and welcoming, excellent service. Tasty food and decent prices.

Food was excellent and the staff very friendly, would highly recommend

Held our annual Christmas Lunch at The Anchor today, food and service superb

Very poor customer service. Visited on 29th November and after purchasing a drink and snack, I kindly asked the bar staff to phone a taxi as I had been in the local area and had failed to catch a bus out of the village to nearby Colchester. The staff member explained that they couldn't make the phone call and went onto explain that they couldn't make the call as they didn't have any taxi numbers. The staff member appeared to have a complete lack of interest in helping a customer of the business.

New head chef Darren up here is fantastic!! Amazing new specials food is GREAT, lovely pub with super friendly service.

Had the 3 small plate fish dishes, stunning. All our dishes were generous in size and very tasty. Attentive efficient and friendly waitress. Wish I had asked her name, deserves a special mention. We sat just left of the entrance and the only negative was the furniture upstairs being moved around. Very noisy.

Popped in after a quick walk along the river there for a quick pint and a pub lunch. Staff were super friendly! Dogs are welcome and the food was top notch. You can taste its all fresh and homemade and very well priced for its quality. They earned our loyalty and our tips! We shall be back thanks guys.

We booked for lunch just before Christmas, had a table upstairs, which is not a huge room, but that's to the benefit of being intimate and super friendly. I had the Fish dish, it was beautiful, the razer clams sweet and full flavour, the fish chips and tender on the inside. Service was excellent, what a brilliant pub. I have no reservation in recommending the Anchor.

Nice Riverside pub with beer garden. Service was good and pleasant staff. Parking is about 50m away. Hot drinks served as well (Did not eat, so can't comment on food)

A first vist very enjoyable. Good food. Recommended.

The location and atmosphere are lovely. Sadly the only vegan option was a linguini which had almost no sauce and no flavour (the meat and fish though looked great and my friends said their dishes were delicious) The staff are friendly but not hugely knowledgeable on what was on the menu. So overall probably okay if you aren’t vegan- if you are you may well be disappointed!

Really lovely staff and beautiful setting. The atmo6outside was great. Had the cod was good but the battery was not as crispy as I would have liked. Parking is a little tricky.

This wonderful pub set in stunning surroundings offers great food, beers and service. I love this place, it's a favourite within our extended family and recommend it without hesitation.

Went here for lunch with friends and our two dogs. Made very welcome, offered bowls of water for the dogs. Food was excellent - we shared tapas style fish dishes and salads. Good pricing, lovely table by the river, prompt and attentive service. Will definitely go again when in the area

Great drink and position to enjoy outside by theriver

Only stopped for a pint. Lovely staff and nice decor inside.

Parking not there fault but street parking limited or in a field 1/2mile away. Service great (sorry we got confused over your tip) Would go back

Enjoyed our delicious lunch in a comfortable atmosphere. Friendly staff were very helpful too.

Great place for food. Never been disappointed. Amazing place to come on a warm summers day. Superb views of the countryside.

Awful Caesar salad !!! Paid £16 lettuce was pink , eat under half , complained to staff , still charged me . NEVER AGAIN WOULD I GO AND EAT THERE !!! My daughter had tomatoe pasta it was like rubber !

we paddle boarded to the pub from a local campsite (Rushbanks) and enjoyed a delicious lunch and a couple of drinks sitting in the garden overlooking the river. Service was good and efficient even though they were very busy. Excellent fish and chips and seabass and vegetables. would definitely recommend.

The food was not great, we were serve food outside on a cloudy day, allowed to go in for desert, kick out in no time to let other people in. Puddings cost £8.50 which is too much and nothing special. The yorkshire puddings were not nice at all.

Lovely place Lovely food lovely people

Lovely pub with lovely staff. I had the large steak for just under 20 and although I wouldn't say it was large it was very nice. My friends had the catch of the day and a burger, and they all said it was tastey. I would definitely come back again.

Great food in a nice beer garden overlooking a small river

Wonderful location, great service, good food

Lovely setting, the food is nice but really £11:40 for a large vodka and coke come on guys ……..

This was a meal booked for our 6th anniversary and we travelled from Oxfordshire for the weekend, with this being the last stop on our trip. We were very well attended to during our visit, service was very fast and waitresses/waiters very attentive. The starters arrived almost immediately and they were lovely. The mains were good portion sizes and delicious. The food and drinks were great value considering the upmarket feel of the place. The desserts were also fresh and we practically inhaled them! Recommend the cookie dough, superior ice cream as well. Having the river right next to us was amazing. Only downside was it appeared that there was no parking and you had to park on the road, but it turns out that the car park is a bit further down from the pub over the bridge. We didn't realise until we left - some extra clear signage would be good. Overall it was a beautiful, relaxing space to dine, the food was 5* and we'll be coming back. It rivals The Angel nearby, but better value and setting!

Fantastic venue, food and service. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend such a lovely venue, especially as we had the perfect weather for lunch.

Very disappointed on a Saturday afternoon that arriving at 1200hrs and sitting at a bench table on the grass and having a drink for my wife to ask about a menu then to be told we were on a drinking only table!!! There were so many tables reserved but for the hour we were there remained empty!! They missed out on rather a lot of customers that were sent away!! We also saw others then coming to another pub not too far away due to the same problem!! Seems like only interested in holiday custom not local customers!! Good luck in the winter months!!!!

Absolutely beautiful in good weather, good food, staff friendly but disorganised.

Nice places right in the water with the river running beside it, very tranquil it has good food and smaller portions. Would definitely be going back, and recommend.

lovely little pub by the river. i had the steak frites and would recommend it!

Lovely location with nice outside seating near the river. However, our booking had to be inside as outside was full. Decor is pleasant, but confused, no real identity, photos on Google Maps are out of date. Staff friendly and efficient. Unexciting standard pub fare, heavily over described on the menu and over priced for the standard (£30 a head for a very basic 2 course lunch). It was OK, but probably won't bother again, there are so many others like it, with more enticing prices. It is dog friendly though, even inside, which is a bonus.

Use to frequent this place regularly in the summer to dine in the outside area but now you can not book outside and purely by chance you may get an outside space dependant on the day. They then want you to book using a credit card so they can charge you £10 a person if you don’t take up you booking. I understand that system as costly to pubs when people just don’t show but you need to guarantee something if asking for a deposit. I will not now use this pub and will use the Crown in Stoke By Nayland instead. Custom lost!

Great food, attentive service and fabulous atmosphere for a birthday gathering.Sunday roast was delicious.

Nice relaxing atmosphere, good selection of delicious locally sourced food, that was well presented. Friendly staff.

Great location, plenty of parking, lovely welcome by staff, excellent menu for Saturday lunch when we went, Crab fish cakes and thick cut chips good, this is a dog friendly pub with lovely walk. You will be glad you came.

Lovely Sunday roast lovely venue too

Went on Good Friday for an Easter Egg hunt and stayed for lunch. Nicely decorated ,attentive staff and a wide menu sensibly priced. Our food arrived quickly and tasted delicious. We will certainly go again.

Ordered small fish and chips. Very small piece of fish and charged an extra £2.50 for peas would expect peas to be included with the meal. Not great value for money !

Absolutely beautiful meal and dessert. We shall be coming back again very soon. Thank you all do very much. Alison Moore

My daughter took me to the Anchor Mother's Day treat, the food was 100% the staff was very friendly, the location was lovely can't wait to make a return visit 🥰

Amazing joint birthday for my sister and Mother's Day. Fabulous roast for 3 of us, and wonderful sea bass for my sister. Desserts of bakewell tart and honeycomb cheesecake, a delight. We always enjoy coming back to The Anchor when we visit my sister, and the service and staff are exceptional. Even purchased a piece of artwork while we were there! Thank you all at The Anchor ⚓️!

Absolutely wonderful on all levels! Excellent food Very polite staff No waiting for food Got the orders right ! Just perfection. We dine out a lot and to find a place like this is almost hard to find. Everything was so genuine and fresh. Place was so clean. Well done to the owners you are doing something so right keep it up . We

A great place to grab Sunday lunch.

Food ok but portions quite small. Expensive for what you get.

The Sunday lunch was v good, with plenty of choices including gluten free gravy if required. The lighting in the room upstairs where we ate was rather bright with spotlights in the ceiling. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Lovely location & even better service. Saturday night dins was great

Super welcoming and great food. We've been looking for a pub/restaurant like this near to home and so glad we found it!!!

The actual venue is beautiful, however, I ordered the burger which was served medium and due to kidney issues I was very sick. I wasn't asked my preference on cooking and if it said it on the menu I must have missed it. I stopped eating it when I noticed the pink and also it didn't taste very nice to me. However, my friend ordered the same and was very happy with it so maybe a me problem. The service was brilliant, everyone was very attentive. Log fire and decor was lovely. Would go again but avoid the burger lol. Beautiful desserts.

Super nice food.. the zesty lemon mayo is the thing 😎 great staff.. loved our waitress upstairs she had a cracking sense of humour

Popped in for just a coffee. Loved the style and decor and will try again for food. A modern pub

Fantastic place for a really nice Sunday roast. Food was very tasty and the ingredients used where of a high quality. Definitely worth paying a little extra, We decided to have the big roast which is for a minimum of two people. It comes on a big platter and consisted of amazing Beef, Chicken and Pork. Served with plentiful vegetables, Potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. A large jug of gravy was also supplied 😀 Service was excellent and the restaurant setting upstairs was very well appointed. Nayland is a lovely area and offers some amazing walks. Will definitely be returning to try other dishes from the menu. Thank you so much for a great Sunday Roast!! Keep up the good work.

Fab food and staff, can't recommend it enough 👌

What a great pub! We popped in without a reservation on a Saturday late afternoon and got a nice table. Food was lovely - nicely presented, good quality and flavoursome. Relaxed atmosphere and friendly service. Will come back when in the area again. Date of visit: [14/01/2023]

When staying locally, decided to try this local pub. Visited as two adults, two children. There was ample parking and the pub is in a lovely setting. The interior was nicely done with Christmas decs adding to the warm welcome. We had three courses each and everything was very tasty and arrived hot. The children’s burger was juicy and the steaks were cooking exactly as requested. Unusual thing to highlight but the peppercorn sauce was genuinely one of the best I’ve had. The desserts finished everything off perfectly. Will definitely revisit if back in the area.

Found this via Google for a spot of midday lunch. It didn’t disappoint! My partner and I both had the Turkey Christmas dinner and were impressed by how good the food was, the Turkey was moist and the rest of the dinner had so much flavour! Staff were very attentive and smiling every time visiting the table. Would highly recommend!

The atmosphere in the igloos is wonderful. A nice private space to enjoy dining with friends and family. The steak was great, the service wonderful, and the wine selection was good. Instagram @kirbystaltari

Truly lovely menu, had a great meal here before Christmas. Could have had gluten free Christmas dinner if I wanted but there were too many other exciting choices. The set menu is reasonable for this quality of food. Great staff. Vibrant atmosphere. Gourmet dining with a new take on traditional and local food, on the river in a picturesque village in Dedham Vale.

Service is always brilliant here, good selection of wines, the bar is also lovely. I’ve had steak here a few times which are often quite underdone, ordered MR turns up verging blue, which for me not an issue, however has been for people with me - resolved quickly by the waitress though. Have been back a few times and will do so again.

Great food, great atmosphere, lovely staff

Really lovely Sunday lunch, so good I’ve been two weeks in a row. Lovely fish dishes, Plaice last week, lemon sole this week, both fantastic. Sunday roast is consistent good too. Friendly, welcoming and accommodating staff, especially not having booked. Well worth the drive to visit. Will be back.

Good service, nice mea &l great location.

Really nice food and dairy free options for my daughter. We visited on fireworks night and the ordering was quite chaotic - kept changing whether they had a dish or not. Would return on a less busy evening!

Booked a table for 9 last night and although no complaints about the food we were made to feel rushed as there was a few big parties and it would hinder the small kitchen. I will add, the pressure appeared to be felt from the kitchen and not the poor people who were serving. When we spend £250 for the table i expect to leave when I am ready which would have been well within the allotted time of 3 hours. It left a sour taste on a otherwise nice evening.

Good service, great local beer and perfect setting by River.

Food was excellent (double burger and sea bass katsu curry) and seating outside lovely. We were seated quite quickly even without reservation (this was on Sunday at 4pm). Restaurant was fairly busy and food took a while to arrive but we didn't mind and enjoyed our drinks. UPDATE: We came back after a year and enjoyed it again. New menu with tasty food (we had lemon sole and Goan prawn curry) and very generous portions.

Food was wonderful and staff attentive and kind yet left us to our conversation and time with the menu. Log fire was going which was a super bonus. Had a lovely evening and will certainly return.

Went there for the first time ever this afternoon very smart tidy beautiful place plenty of room Outdoors too, service a bit slow for tthe best fish and chips I've ever had 🌟 and lovely smart friendly service.Update 1 year later, excellent 🍋 sole but seriously the Cod (no longer available)much better value and meatier!! ))

I love The Anchor, the food is amazing and the staff are fantastic. No matter the time of year, the pub is great. Garden area is lovely with views of the river. Upstairs is quite art deco and downstairs is traditional English country pub

A really lovely setting right by the river. The bar/restaurant area is very welcoming and warm feeling. Service by the very attentive, friendly staff was very good. The menu was little short, I felt a little restricted on what to order as some of the choices (to me) were a little niche. Obviously what’s not someone’s ideal would be another’s best menu ever so please go and make your mind up. The food was very nice, presented really nicely, and a good size serving too. Please go, even if it’s for a drink only it really is a great place to visit.

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Food was above average but no to die for. The 4 stars only awarded due to staff and location.

Having spent over £140 we were asked to vacate our table. How churlish, obs won't be going there ever again!

Absolutely lovely place, delicious food and super friendly service. The staff were very tolerant of our toddler on a late afternoon/early evening service, the kids’ food is great and very substantial. We would definitely come back.

my large group had a great experience here last weekend. the staff could not be more attentive or friendlier - we never had to wait long for beers. the food was top notch and good value

Good food and good beer. Service was spot on (just needs a few wasp catchers - there’s loads about)

Good food, good service, good experiance

Brilliant experience. Lovely ambience. Service with a smile. Very courteous staff. Highly recommended.

Really rude service today - arrived 5 minutes after our table booking, even though they say there’s a 10 minute grace period, they were so rude to us. We were hassled to place a food order within 5 minutes of sitting down. Just so unnecessary to be spoken to in that manner. Shame as location is just lovely and the food was quite good. Wouldn’t return though.

Walk in Sunday Lunch, enjoyable meal, Roast Beef, good portion size, decent selection of wine available by the glass. We preferred inside dining, because lots of children outside playing.

Nice pub with plenty of outdoor seating next to the river.