Dabbling Duck in King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Need a 2nd mortgage to buy food from here! Very overrated, staff snooty, & live on past reputation. Wouldn't visit again.

Had Haddock and chips and they were delicious, friendly and attentive staff highly recommended 👌

My son came up from London to take me and my wife out for a meal for my birthday, booked a table for 4 and was shown a table all very fine drinks were ordered and duly served meal ordered and that's when it started to go south it was not up to the usual standard that we are used to there, son didn't want to make a fuzz because it was my birthday It will be a long time before I return there.

I was shocked, considering this is supposed to be an award winning pub. I had the duck, and it was covered in breadcrumbs that tasted like aniseed. It was very disappointing! The flavour of the sauce and breadcrumbs was revolting, the duck was hard!, and the sauce was just mediocre. I was severely disappointed, especially considering the name of the establishment. You would presume the best dish would be the Duck. The chips were very powdery in the middle and not up to the standard that beef fat chips should be. The service was fine, but not once were we asked how our meal was! It could have been much better! The decor of the establishment was run down. It was on the whole a 1/10 experience. I would not recommend it.

Accommodation is in a house next door. Very noisy. Cold room. Steep staircase so unsuitable for anyone other than young and fit. Rooms are a peculiar mishmash of styles. Nothing to recommend it.

Beautiful pub in a beautiful village. Staff were so friendly and helpful. The Pisco Sour cocktail was one of the best cocktails I've ever had and made from scratch. The inside of the pub is gorgeous. It was just perfect.

First time for us. Having a Sunday leisure drive decided to stop for a Sunday roast. We had our dog which was not a problem. I had roast beef and my husband had roast pork. Both were delicious. Great gravy. We then had cheese and biscuits and a fruit meringue. Both were delicious. Little mistake with the cheese and biscuits but the waitress was on it and it was changed without any hesitation. Great food and great service. Definitely recommend.

Afternoon lunch menu was superb can't fault anything. Lovely staff and a very welcoming atmosphere

Wow what can I say. Came here on a recommendation by a friend. The food was amazing staff amazing location amazing. Highly suggest trying it here.

Crikey! This was a memorable dinner but for all the wrong reasons. In its favour, the food was not bad for a local village pub. However the service was very slow and our waitress downright rude. From the moment we arrived as a family of four, we were made to feel less than welcome and after a bit of bickering between the waitresses, we were finally shown our table. It took 2 requests to receive our drinks, and a 3rd to get our water. It took over an hour to get our food even though we had booked the early 6.30pm slot. When our food did eventually arrive, it came out at staggered intervals. There was a 15 minute delay before my son’s fish plate was brought out by which time everyone else had almost finished. No apology, explanation or anything. They had clearly overlooked his order. We didn’t complain because we were happy chatting and realised everyone in the kitchens must be pretty shattered after a long summer and the August bank holiday weekend. When it came to pudding, it took 10 mins to attract our waitress’ attention. She was literally standing behind us chatting to the couple at the next door table. They were discussing the logistics and prices of an upcoming party. I didn’t want to interrupt but it became very obvious that we had been waiting patiently. Eventually the couple indicated that I was trying to get her attention. The waitress gave me the biggest death stare, rolled her eyes and said, “Well, she can just wait!” OMG, I just laughed out loud. Any sensible person would have replied, “I’m so sorry, I will be with you in a minute” but no, nothing, not even an apology. When she did eventually stomp round to our table, she just stood there and said “Yes??” In a very challenging tone. I’m afraid I gave her both barrels and told her exactly what I thought of the slow service, and her lack of customer service. Again no apology. She was just rude and highly defensive. We asked for the bill and left. We will not be returning.

One night stay was good, but staff a bit distant. Room good, nice touch of putting homemade raspberry vodka on tea tray, but would have been nice to see a sample of the gin they sell. Evening meal not quite up to scratch, duck had strange texture. Desserts nice. Breakfast was good, staff not terribly friendly though. Nice to have fruit/juice/cereal on buffet to help yourself.

We popped in for a drink and was tempted by the Pizzas. Glad we did because they were lovely. We sat in the garden and it was a great peaceful space. Bar was crowded but looked lovely. All staff helpful and friendly.

I came here recently with friends in the evening, it was very busy and the service was extremely slow. I have reflux disease, so I picked a low fat option, a chicken salad. It came out and every bit of it was covered in a high fat ceasar/mayo thick dressing. It was not nice. The starters were not appealing either. On a positive side, it was nice to see dogs welcomed in and sitting with their owners at the table.

We were booked for dinner last evening, 15th August as friends live nearby. There were 3 of us dining. The place was absolutely bursting at the seams and we were taken to our table. There was a car rally on the green that evening. We all ordered a different dish. My friend had the Persian curry and after a few mouthfuls said it didn’t taste right. I had the chicken Caesar salad which I ate only half as it was so salty. The other person had scampi and chips. We did mention this to the waitress and she deducted one meal. As soon as we got back to our friends, she was rushing to the toilet, and had a terrible episode of diarrhoea and on reflection she thinks the chicken was not right. This morning her husband then had terrible upset stomach this morning and my stomach was not great. Give The Dabbling Duck a wide space. We won’t be returning after that incident.

Very busy place when we went but the food was good and they even had a doggy menu.

Very good pint and food. Took a while to be acknowledged but I am forgiving! Great location and place.

Wonderful 2 night stay and excellent service and food .. ! Highly recommend will definitely return!

Attitude of the manager was not nice after we told her we didn't have a booking, it was 5pm on a Monday afternoon and it was fairly quiet, but she seemed to um & Ah over it and begrudgingly showed us to a table.... we ordered burgers and tbh not particularly great and 1 drink each was £50 won't be coming back...

Lovely food, had a Sunday roast here whilst out on a bike ride with my partner and both enoyed the very nice beef , roast potatoes with vegetables, lovely locaction, we sat outside overlooking the green and also partook in lovely halfpint of bitter,, would visit again

Lovely place and good food. Will definitely go back!

Great breakfast , lovely location. Will be going back for dinner

Amazing pub/restaurant staff are excellent

Just excellent, popped in whilst passing by . Food was excellent great cider . After a disappointing birthday this stop made my day .

Went here for dinner whilst on holiday in the area - definitely a cut above the average pub grub with a really interesting and tasty menu. We had the burrata and beef pancake to start, and the duck with nectarine and pork chop with butterbeans for our mains. Plus a great cocktail! No room for desert but everything we tasted was perfect, and the service and atmosphere were great too.

Lovely atmosphere and great service

The Rose & Crown was one of my regular lunchtime haunts 45 years ago when I as a rep selling to farmers so it was interesting to return. We booked a room, and so ate both dinner and breakfast. Both were excellent, as was our room, which overlooked the village green. We visited after a day at Houghton Hall, which is less than 10 minutes drive away. We go there every year - and I suspect will stay at the Dabbling Duck again.

A very dog friendly establishment. Good food and friendly staff.

In great Massingham. Lovely village

We were very pleasantly surprised by this restaurant, which we didn’t know about previously. The Dabbling Duck focuses on serving good, locally produced food. There was a specials menu but in fact we chose from the main menu, venison pie and fish and chips. The service was fast, efficient and friendly, the food was well cooked and very tasty, and we were very pleased with the number of vegan options available so we will come back with vegan friends very soon. The seats were comfortable and we had a table for two in a quiet corner. It was Monday, so quite quiet. I love the fact that the dining rooms have huge bookcases, full of books, and on one wall near the bar there is a huge map of Norfolk showing where all the local produce comes from. Altogether it was a splendid birthday lunch experience.

My parents wanted to treat me to a top meal. They had visited on a couple of occasions and really enjoyed it. We were first sat a table in a lovely room which we were pleased about. As it began to fill up we realised we began to have a multitude of visitors to view the specials board. We were then joined by a family who then rolled out a dog bed. We ordered our food, I requested the monk fish. We tolerated the table for a little while longer but my face started itching as I’m allergic to dogs.so we asked to be moved. I was told this may not be easy as they are an “extremely dog friendly pub” I felt embarrassed and explained I’m allergic to dogs so sorry for the inconvenience. I also thought well the dog isn’t paying the bill!!! Please also note it does not state this clearly on your website and is not something that has been an issue for my parents in the past. The waitresses were then not happy with us and we were relegated to a rather disappointing table but that was ok. When my monkfish came it was half a monkfish tail so for £25 it was overpriced. The food I had was tasty but was a costly experience for broccoli, wheat and a monkfish tail. On being asked if we enjoyed the meal I asked if the monkfish fish was a starter and was told “if you are talking about the monkfish it’s an expensive fish” , I’m aware of this and gave no further response as the waitress is not the owner. An overall stressful, disappointing and memorable event but for the wrong reasons. Please note that many people suffer quite considerably with dog allergies and like with any other allergies you have a duty of care to protect them.

Great pub and place to stay, nice room with view over village green, good menu in surprisingly large restaurant. Low-alcohol beer on tap a rare find! (And home-made vodka a rarer one 🙂)

Lovely pub in a lovely village. We've been a few times and it's always been very good. Whether in the beer garden/pizza shed, in the bar or in the restaurant. Highly recommended 👌

Service, atmosphere and location lovely. Food was very tasty and well presented. Portions of side dishes and starters very good but extremely disappointed in portion size of main meal which was the smallest piece of monk fish I have ever seen at £25 per dish. Would not go back as felt it was not good value for money.

Excellent restaurant and exceptional in every way!

Lovely meal, great atmosphere and excellent service

Fabulous place! We were doing the Peddars Way and arrived soaking wet with a soaking wet dog. No one batted an eyelid! Had a wonderful Garden room with huge bathroom and bath, plenty of hot water. Fabulous dinner, fabulous breakfast, fabulous packed lunch!!! Highly recommend

Took my Mum for Sunday lunch today the lady that seated us was great but sadly after that everything went downhill, the food was poor and very disappointing, when plates were collected and bill was bought to us I thought we would be asked if everything was okay but nothing mentioned, we were very much looking forward to our visit but won’t be returning in a hurry.

As long-time veggies who often find pub and restaurant menus limited and samey, the offerings at The Dabbling Duck were really refreshing and really well executed. The Spring salad with feta and granola was delicious and had a fantastic selection of leaves with tasty dressing. The Seitan steak was a new experience for us, very smoky and tasty. So good to be offered properly thought-through meals without meat. Thank you!

Looks like a 'normal' pub from the front, set in a beautiful Norfolk village. The food here is excellent and of an extremely high quality with some very creative dishes presented well. Good vegetarian and vegan options too. Worth a visit. (Nice range of real ales too).

Just been taken to The Dabbling Duck by my daughter for my 70th birthday & what a lovely place it is! Although quite large the seating is broken up into different areas which gives it a warm cosy feel. The food is delicious and the staff friendly and helpfull. It was busy but at no point did we feel rushed in fact it felt very relaxed. We only used the restaurant & weren't staying at the hotel but I would imagine that that too is very comfortable.

Lovely meal, great atmosphere and space.

Beautiful village position.A very large pub/ restaurant but with lots of character ,child friendly play area at rear.

We popped in for a drink in the sunny weather last weekend, and it's a fabulous place, the drinks were well priced, I had a nice pulled pint of Timothy Taylor and it's set in the beautiful location of Great Massingham. The village where my family come from!

Just visiting the pub so can't comment on rooms. Great afternoon in the sunny garden with friends celebrating a birthday. Stone baked pizzas are definitely worth returning for 👍

The food was superb, fabulous service and very interesting surroundings. The village is extremely lovely and great for a post lunch/ dinner walk.

Excellent service food, food and drinks

Really nice food and very well cooked, but when the mushroom is bigger than the steak I still feel ripped off! Good to see a couple of vegan options. Found some staff to be a bit unprofessional and casual. Didn't appreciate the barman stuffing in a pizza after his shift whilst watching video's on his phone sitting on the next table. Music loud out back so hard to have a conversation if you're near a speaker.

Very nice location. Food lovely but table service was not good, unreliable and requests not delivered, slow. Overall there seems to be something wrong among staff. Only one waitress seemed happy and chatty. Others sometimes miserable, they didn't talk to each other, and getting barmaid attention was at ti.es very difficult. One very good practice we observed was a waitress literally scrubbing table tops after the tables were cleared late in the evening, perhaps the most thorough table cleaning id seen. Rooms average especially for the price. Overall we'd probably not recommend it based on price and table service poor standard.

The menu is very good, food excellent 😋 and the G&Ts fantastic 😎

I've eaten here several times and the food is consistently great, as is the service and atmosphere. I highly recommend it.

Had the pizzas in the barn, freshly cooked and very nice

Lovely place with friendly staff and excellent food. Will be a regular visitor

Nice meal 10/10!! Only thing is - the beer is not cold enough and little bubble

Simply a great place for a delicious hearty meal be it a a fish and chips or the veggie option. Pair your meal with a local lager and maybe even enjoy playing a cards game in the library in the back. Must have the chunky chips. I’d even venture to have some dessert. When in Massingham 🤷🏻‍♂️

Great location for cycling Peddars Way, great room, great service, great food, can you tell we loved it!

The staff in here were so lovely and made it a really enjoyable lunch. The crispy chilli beef was soooo good, ten times better than anything you would get from a take away. I had the burger as my main which was great, really juicy and filling with lots of chips.

Very sad day for us but We stop off for lunch on our way home from picking up our horses ashes , they are very welcoming! And the food was fabulous !

Lovely clean stylish place and warm

Fantastic proper pub with a gastro twist. Real warm pub with fires and cheerful staff. Once you've had a pint go and eat in the restaurant! The food is rubbing shoulders with a Michelin star but at average high street prices. Real gem of a place.

Really lovely Sunday roast, cosy sat by the fire, our dogs were well catered for too.

We travelled from Lincolnshire to meet family from Suffolk - it was a great mid point. Situated in a very pretty village, a warm welcome awaited us. Attentive, courteous staff, comfortable spacious restaurant and bar, a great beer selection and friendly locals set the scene. The lunch menu was the best I've seen in ages something to suit everyone, beautifully served and executed. My starter was golden beetroot with a goats cheese mousse, chicory leaves and a gremolata dressing - it was delicious, followed by a duo of venison with root vegetables, stunning in taste and beautifully presented. We are planning our next trip!!

I have just enjoyed the best pub lunch that I can remember! Food ranged from pub classics to serious restaurant food - our table enjoyed some of each. Beer and service were perfect. It's a long drive from where we live, but really well worth it.

Just had the most delicious roast here. Pink beef, giant Yorkshire pudding, the best gravy and some interesting (in a really good way) veg. Big portions but high quality. The desserts were amazing too. We had sticky toffee pudding with banana ice cream and peanut brittle - such a good combination. Perfect food and perfect service. If we lived closer we would be here every Sunday. It was very busy so glad we had booked. Very impressed how fast the service was though. Thank you Dabbling Duck!

Amazing food, very friendly and helpful staff. Would definitely recommend and will return.

Just gets better and better every time I visit; food, service, accommodation. Best place to stay and eat in Norfolk!

Comfortable rooms spacious. Tidy.very nice Could do with a luggage holder and a small table is all. Good restraunts and menu. Great breakfast and dinner. Service great and friendly.

Amazingly good food quality and tastes from a varied menu and interesting specials board. Classy and attentive service from pretty staff.

Such a great lunch here. Amazing food. Burgers were out of this world. Play area outside for the kids. Fantastic vibe in the barn. Faultless service. Will definitely be back.

Met up with my best friend for dinner on a busy Friday night, managed to get a table in the garden straight away, ordered food thinking there would be quite a wait but it came out very quick & served by a friendly member of staff, food was excellent, fresh, hot & nicely presented so yes we did have dessert too! Well done to all staff, you’re doing a great job, will definitely return soon!

Came here for an anniversary dinner and was disappointed from start to finish. Booked two months in advance but instead of being allocated a table in the restaurant we were left sitting in the main pub right next to a noisy bar area where the staff all chatted loudly nearby. When asked if we could have a table in the restaurant we were told “no, because they were fully booked” - I booked two months in advance so this made no sense at all!! When the food arrived the duck (£19) was only two small ends of a dry duck breast and not the whole duck breast?? Very small portion for a main course! Two small shrivelled bits of stringy spring onion on the side. Luckily ordered chips so that ended up as my real main course. The whole experience was disappointing. Would definitely not visit again.

I visited here with my family. Both me and my brother ordered the beef burger with cheese, burger sauce and pickles. The burger that was put down in front of my brother looked a totally different burger to the one I had. His looked so good, it had lots of melted cheese, you could see it all coming out of the sides. I was really disappointed when they put mine down, it didn’t look as if it even had any! So asked if I could have some cheese in there as the other burger had loads, then it came back with two slices of cheese put in there but not even melted like they had done with the other burger. I don’t understand why the chef couldn’t make the meals the same? We ordered the same thing off the menu and one meal clearly looked ten times better than the other, so there’s not many people that would have been happy in my situation. Other food I’ve tried here has been of a high standard and have enjoyed it in the past, I couldn’t fault the other things. This time was just so disappointing for me as I was really looking forward to coming here again, I love going out to eat and I’m rarely unhappy with my food. In places like this you do expect things to be done properly.

great food great service nice venue great staff food orders on time nice place booking is a must plenty to choose from good selection of beers etc

Dropped in for late afternoon drink,lovely warm afternoon,went in to the garden found all tables left with other customers glasses etc covid issues,sat down no staff,went inside to reception ,asked is it table service or what ,told table service ,someone came out took our order,started clearing the table didn’t clean or spray the tables, noticed staff where spending to much time talking and not carrying out table service efficiently plus stroking dogs and we never saw any staff sanitizing there hands after stroking dogs what’s the point of putting covid signs for customers ,when management don’t supervise there staff,,again had to go inside and ask to be served ,noticed staff came out with drinks ,went straight back inside not one went round asking if customers wanted serving,finished are drink and went,we was going to book a table for Sunday ,no way,such a shame a nice looking pub in an old Norfolk village.I nearly forgot the gents toilet is so small plus I wasn’t sure weather it was tap water on the floor by the urinal or something else.

We called in here for lunch on the way to The Broads. It was busy but we were made very welcome and given lots of choices of where to eat. We chose the cosy bar but everywhere looked lovely.The staff were so friendly and the food was delicious. We were given the main menu but only wanted sandwiches and had to ask if there was a sandwich menu. There was - on a blackboard on the wall. It was worth asking - the smoked salmon sandwich was outstanding.This pub is in a lovely village and we will definitely go again if we're in the area.

I’ve been here before and it’s was amazing, we were in the main dining room and it was beautiful, so I booked a table again for my mother’s birthday, it was in the bar area which isn’t as nice but still okay.The starters were not good, focaccia which was like an extremely salty piece of burnt toast for £7.50, it was inedible, I had the curry for main course and it was quite nice but nothing special. The wait staff were nice but we had to go to the bar to ask for extra drinks or the bill, they did not look busy and were talking most of the time but didn’t come to check up on us at all. We ended up leaving no tip as we didn’t want to pay for the terrible starters and the service did not earn any tip. I would still be willing to give the pub another go though, perhaps it was just an off day.

A very decent menu with dishes we had not seen on in a country pub before, cooking and presentation was first class and service friendly, informed and professional.Great value and easy parking.I hope when covid restrictions are lifted the phone at the reception desk can be moved...conversations can be overhead.

I’ve just reviewed this under the hotel, but we didn’t stay there! The food and service were both excellent. I had a nut roast with all the trimmings and it was honestly the best nut roast that I’ve ever eaten. My husband had the roast beef and thought his was very good too.

Had a great Afternoon and evening at the Dabbling Duck staff were fantastic ,food and drinks were top notch I would highly recommend this fantastic pub/restaurant Dog friendly too 🍺🐶

If, like me, your favourite nosh is top quality traditional with an excellent pint, this is the place for you. The steak was excellent.

We booked an early dinner on 27 June with our 3 dogs. Food and service excellent, DD on top form. Well done Mark and team

Heard it was nice , drove out of our way to stop for lunch on way to Burnham Market . Staff on arrival were pretty clueless in terms of seating arrangements . We were then told just to go out the back and order on the website …. Pizza not on because they said no staff in to cook one …Not very personable. Can’t comment on food or drink as we decided to drive onwards.

Recently moved to the area and this place came highly recommended by lots of people. Naturally, we've been eager to try it.It gets busy, so booking is essential for the main restaurant. We turned up and although they were fully booked, they offered us a table in the bar area which we didn't mind at all and were grateful for.Unfortunately, the young girls behind the bar were so loud and unprofessional, we couldn't bare to stay as we knew we just wouldn't be able to enjoy the meal/drinks.The girls were behaving in a totally unacceptable way, giggling and chatting amongst themselves. Whenever they spilled something or broke a glass, they found it super amusing and would laugh really loud at that too. We were shocked! After few minutes of listening to them, we decided to leave.Sadly, we would now not attempt to try this restaurant as it is not the ambiance we expect or would ever enjoy! We are a couple on our mid-30's. I don't know how older people would cope.

We took a chance as we hadn't booked but were directed to a table straight away even though the pub was pretty full. The staff and in particular the manager were friendly and attentive even though they were clearly busy. My partner had a crab salad and I had the sampi which was plentiful and beautifully cooked. We were on the road but wished we could have stayed longer.

Called to The Dabbling Duck for lunch first time after the lockdown, really disappointed with our meals. Morrocan aubergine dish was served cold (no indication on menu to say that and was tasteless). Sri Lankan Curry only had x5 pieces of chicken in, very disappointing. The staff seemed distracted and the atmosphere very flat and non existent. Not intending on returning.

Visited with two children on the way back from Pensthorpe. Despite not being able to book online and no reply to my telephone call, we risked It and I’m glad we did. We sat outside Close to the play area for my children,and ordered two pizzas which were absolutely delicious. Fresh dough and tasty toppings, drinks were brought swiftly to our table. A really good experience, quirky pub in a gorgeous village. My only suggestions for improvement as follows m:1. The table and also underneath it could’ve been cleaner2. Just one member of staff for the outside table - although she was very efficient, some support with waiting would help with 1. Above 3. A QR code on the table would help direct customers to the online ordering app (which was very good!). I wasn’t the only customer who couldn’t find it on the website

This is clearly a popular spot and the village is lovely. However the pub restaurant reminds me of a works canteen. Every space is geared to dining and more modern extensions have been added to accommodate more covers. Consequently the atmosphere and service suffers. I could only get a booking at 8.15. The drinks (real ale was off) arrived after 30 mins and the food after a further 40 mins. Eating at 9.30 is not my idea of a healthy meal. No apologies from the staff. After the pandemic closure I suppose it is churlish to criticise a business that wants to maximise revenue. However it was not an enjoyable experience and never again

One of the best roast dinners I've ever had. We had a really great Sunday Dinner here on our way back to Ely after a trip to see the seals at Blakeney Point. It's set on the green in a lovely little village.We had a mix of roasts (pork and beef) between us for main course and they were really excellent. The meat in particular was perfectly cooked and very tender, it's rare to get beef this good anywhere. Veg were good too and I particularly liked the crispy topping on the cauliflower cheese but the roast potatoes were excellent too.For desert I had the bread and butter pudding with white chocolate which was also excellent.Prices were also very reasonable at £13 for a roast main and half that for the kids. There was a small play area in the garden for the kids too and we could easily have stayed longer.

Walking the Peddars way path , we stopped for some refreshment after battling the heavy rain. Greeted by a very friendly host and staff, we enjoyed our stay!The barn was a well needed warmth and the pizza's hit the spot.

We have been here a few times and it has never been like this. The service was slow without any apology. The burgers seemed ok but the steaks were not. One was written off, one was cooked ok at one end and well over at the other.There were three dogs in the restaurant which I was not comfortable with and the all pervading smell of the pizza oven made me want to leave as soon as I could.

We booked in advance online and arrived on time. You wait outside and sanitise prior to entry. We were then shown to our table, friendly staff. We ordered four roasts and a crab main meal, along with some starters and a couple of desserts and cheeseboard.The food was really tasty. The roasts were lovely, lots of food. Personally prefer the vegetables and gravy separate to the meat potato and gravy, but that's a personal thing. Lots of cheese and crackers, desserts really large and flavoursome. This is really good value for money. Coming back in two days time so that says it all. Enjoy

What a lovely meal and place to visit! Holidaying in Norfolk we were after somewhere for an evening out. The dabbling duck did not disappoint. When we arrived they had us reserved for a room rather than a meal lol but no problem we were immediately seated and welcomed. Our waitress was just so friendly and helpful didn’t get her name but she had a wonderful leopard print face mask. Food was thoroughly amazing, congrats to the chef ! Tasty presented with care great portions and was divine ! I had nettle and wild garlic soup, duck, lemon posset my hubby had pate, steak and sticky toffee pudding. We both had a gin and a baileys £87 well worth every penny. If only we lived locally we’d be there every week just amazing !

We’ve been to a number of places around Norfolk over the course of a week and this was by far one of the best meals we have had. We had the Hake which was cooked perfectly and the duck was amazing. Really impressed with the service and the waitress was really friendly and knowledgable. Was really dog friendly too!

Nice friendly welcome even though we entered through the wrong door! It is the one on the left not straight ahead. Taken to table after usual track and trace etc. Service was efficient and helpful overall. I had the chicken curry which was really nice but for me the medium was bordering on hot. My partner had tasty fish and chips. No room for a dessert and bill with 4 drinks came to around £50. Of course Massingham is a lovely village and very much in vogue presently. Hence advance booking is recommended. Indeed the pub was very busy.

We ordered our Pizza online, my partner accidentally pressed the wrong time pickup which we couldn’t then seem to amend. After several attempts at ringing to change the time and getting no response we decided to go along and have our Pizza anyway. The service was quick and efficient. We went for the goats cheese pizza, which was really disappointing, the dough was rubbery and dry and didn’t taste overly fresh, the topping was mediocre. I’d give it a 5 out of 10. We also had the garlic bread which I can only describe as revolting it was completely flat, absolutely swimming in grease and looked very unappealing. As I picked a slice up it bent over and the greasy topping poured off. Needless to say we didn’t eat the garlic bread and never finished the pizza. Definitely will not be having takeaway again. However before lockdown we have had drinks in the pub and found it very pleasant, so in future we’ll stick to a drink.

I stayed here for 4 nights whilst on a course nearby. The food was excellent, the service spot on and the pub and village very quaint and old school. The pub was always busy. The service was good, even when busy. I would thoroughly recommend staying here if your on your own or with family

The Dabbling Duck was the best grub pub I experienced in 2019. On this occasion it was just good rather than great.This country pub is beautiful, with a great atmosphere, even on a Wednesday lunchtime. But there were a few picky things that left a bit of a sour taste.I tried to book a table through their website 24 hours in advance. I'm still waiting for a response.And the superb service last time around was a million miles away from this trip.But the grub was good. The highlight was the Monkfish tails with pickles. The main course pork was tasty but not the tenderist piece of meat I've ever had.Hopefully the Dabbling Duck will be back on top form after Lockdown2.

Very enjoyabel in a great location - the food was well served and hot in a good atmosphere. Thanyou to all

Dropped in with the dog for Sunday lunch. Excellent food and service and we could take our dog in the bar area to eat.Lovely pub in the middle of a quiet quintessential English village looking over the village green

Roast Beef to die for. Excellent service and staff very attentive. Will visit again. Gravy and Yorkshire puds what more could you ask for.

My wife and I like popping out for lunch. I’m so glad we popped to lunch at The Dabbling Duck. It was so special. We called in on the off chance and were met and served by a delightful young lady by the name of Jasmine. Well, when I say met, I mean greeted. And greeted and greeted. Every member of staff we passed had a nice word to say to us. Jasmine was never rushed or hurried and guided us effortlessly to our table. We asked if we may sit near the fire. ‘Not a problem’ she replied. It was only on my insistence to my spouse that we didn’t, and took a large table by the bookcases. She took our drinks order, rattling through a variety of ciders on offer - never thinking, never faltering. They came to us rapidly and correctly. Then the food. Once again, the educated Jasmine told us of what’s what on the menu with aplomb. She was fabulous. Always on hand and ever ready to exchange titbits on trade, their menu and ingredients and the surroundings. I skipped the starter but my wife ventured wildly and had the celeriac, apple and artichoke soup*My main came from the specials board and was the steak and kidney pudding. ‘If you don’t like mash you can have something else’ said Jasmine. It’s so nice for waiting staff to be proactive rather than reactive. I duly had chips and my wife plumped for either the hake or the scampi. ‘Hake’ said Jasmine. And hake it was*My food was divine. The ingredients cooked to a turn and the recommended chips weren’t just chips. They were heaven sent. The pudding was crammed with steak and kidney and the suet covering was complemented by a lovely, thick, tasty gravy. My wife had the hake*The bill was requested and it was earth shatteringly reasonable for such magnificent fayre. We couldn’t believe it. It got better when Mrs J decided to cane her credit card and treat me!All in all, sublime. The superlatives are inadequate. You MUST go there. And watch out for the magnificent Jasmine. If you’re wondering what the asterisk is for, it’s for this.......* my wife said her food was the best food that she had ever had.God Bless The Dabbling Duck. See you again soon!