Thatchers Needle in South Norfolk

Great food spot on service The new chef is great. Friendly front of house and great management. Would highly recommend Reasonably priced and what can I say you eat with your eyes and the food was excellently presented

Waited 10 minutes to be seated, had to find a member of staff, then was told food will be at least 45 minutes “so you might no want to bother” we didn’t !!

When we go in Thatchers Needle for lunch and drinks so polite and friendly every time and served by jennie always welcome.

Great roast beef on Sunday. Big portion and really filling. It gets busy so would recommend to book as we had time to wait. Caramel tart for dessert was the best I’ve ever tasted! Dog friendly too so extra points for that :-)

Ah, dining at this fine pub-restaurant was truly… an experience. After a solid 1hr and a half wait (I assume they were in deep contemplation of my order?), my food finally arrived at a crisp room temperature. The steak? Asked for medium-rare, got something closer to boot leather. As for the staff, let’s just say their specialty was in delivering judgmental glares rather than meals. If you’re craving cold food, endless wait times, and service as warm as the steak, this is *the* place.

Had a bad experience last year: got to the entrance, waited 5 minutes at the entrance. Was told that due to shortage of staff, the tables were not cleaned and could not serve more people. A reservation was made to dinner today in order to guarantee a table. Phone number, email etc. Travelled half an hour, to be told that due to shortage of staff in the kitchen, they could not serve more costumers. Why accept reservations then? Why ask for contact details and not inform the costumer about changes? Please get competent manager and more staff. Why have a restaurant open functioning at... 50%?

Very pleased with what I was able to have specially the plant bast ice cream as I am a dairy free and the only reason I could not give you a 5***** was because we had to wait quit a while and go up and ask for service for are desserts order . Thank and still looking forward to coming again

Have shared previous enjoyable meals, the most recent one got off to a poor start, (due to a hiccup in the on-line booking) the table was available when we arrived but only for two diners, I thought I had booked for four, so we were only offered a table in the bar area, I was a bit upset as it was my Birthday treat from my daughter, however the food was very good and we enjoyed our meal,

Me and my partner have been going near enough every Sunday for 2 years. The staff are great and friendly and also helpful. If there busy (which is often) they will always squeeze us in somewhere. Food is nice, fair priced.

This place was really bad then was really good and now it’s really bad again. You now have to order at the bar, get your own cutlery, the staff don’t bother asking how your meal is/was and the food is average. It clearly need more staff and a full time manager.

We had a really nice meal, very nice waitress Competitive on price. My one complaint is there was no milk alternative for my coffee.

Had a great visit with family. Food was delicious and staff incredibly friendly, nothing was too much trouble. I had the chicken tikka masala which was absolutely beautiful.

Great night out, food was great! Friendly waitress, will definitely come back! Oh and that caramel tart was just so good!!

Had a great mixed grill whilst doing some work. Quick and efficient service from the team! Would definitely return with the family to try something else.

Stopped on the way to to visit some family for something quick to eat. Food came out fast,was hot and tasty and the staff were fantastic. Will be back to try some more dishes on the menu as the food looked amazing coming out of the kitchen.

Very warm welcome great staff nice atmosphere went for the seabass was not disappointed very speedy service definitely be returning

Fantastic food and service ! Great atmosphere, Lovely staff. Great experience! Had the Steak Americano it was fantastic

Well the food has definitely gone up a notch. Food was cooked and presented lovely. Give it a go you will not be disappointed

Nice atmosphere, and friendly staff, as always. Good selection of meals, sadly one of the dishes we had wanted was sold out, but had a good alternative to choose. Excellent puddings! Service was just right, and thought for what we had, very good value for money. We will be back.

If you're looking for a phenomenal dining experience, then look no further! My dining experience at Thatchers Needle was truly exceptional. From the moment we entered! The atmosphere of the restaurant was cozy and inviting with very attentive staff which made us feel right at home. The menu offered a delightful array of dishes. I decided to try the "Royale Chicken Tikka Masala" served with Basmati and wild rice, Naan bread and poppadum. The flavours were well-balanced and the portion size was generous, every bite was a culinary delight. My dining companion ordered the "Fish and chips," which was Beer-battered Atlantic Cod With Chucky Chips and Peas the fish was fresh and perfectly cooked. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and I can't wait to return to Thatchers Needle to explore more of their delicious meals Highly recommend!

Having been to the Thatchers Needle in the past and had a good experience we thought we would have a meal there. Prices as expected were a lot higher than previous visit, average price of a meal £17=18 for mains, starters £8 to £10 and deserts around £6 to £7 Service was quite prompt, we chose the Surf & Turf, initial impression was OK but portion size a bit disappointing for the price point of nearly £20. Plate of food comprised of an 8oz steak, 1 mushroom, some small cherry tomatoes, a meager portion of chips and 3 prawns in batter. Was OK except for stake, stake was practically inedible, large amount of fat and had multiple layers of sinu running through it, meat that did eat was very tough, ate less than half of steak before giving up. The real problem came when I complained to the waitress, although she apologised (not her fault) I expected her to come back with some offer of a discount or at the very least a free desert, after all this steak was costing £20 right! But No not a word, had to go to bar to pay, told person at bar that i could not eat steak and had complained to waitress, all they would offer in compensation was 5% discount, really poor quality food and poor reaction to my complaint, we will not be eating there again,

Called in for a quick lunch after we saw it driving past to see family . Loved the calamari and fried on the lunch menu

We were a party of 13 for our traditional boxing day lunch(we came last year and it was excellent) and we were expecting a fab meal again , unfortunately we were so very disappointed. Their wasn't enough room at the table so we had to drag another over so we had enough settings. Drinks orders weren't taken for at least 30 minutes. Starters came , no spoons for the soup , we shared. We waiting so long for our mains , wrong items bought out. One person was given a child's turkey lunch and when it was bought back it looked as though they had just tipped the same lunch onto a bigger plate. We had to ask for gravy as we had miniscule amount on plates , 2 of us had none at all. We waited well over an hour for our desserts , 2 members of our party had to leave before they had theirs as it took so long. Again , no spoons so she bought us the soup spoons we needed earlier. Overall it wasn't a good experience unfortunately. After last year we were all looking forward to it but I don't think we'll be booking for next year.

Returned for another Christmas day lunch, did not disappoint. Food was good, the prawn salad very nicely presented, service was excellent. The manager came over for a chat and that was nice to see. One member of the party was a gluten free vegetarian and was helped in advance with her food choices, thank you, happy new year see you next year!

What a fabulous restaurant service was quick, very friendly staff and the food was marvellous will be coming back again

Had such a lovely evening meal, it was very busy but the staff handle it really well. Good service and the food was really lovely too! Our server was really helpful as we had a fussy eater lol! Overall would definitely come back again!

We visited the Thatchers Needle in March by chance and had a wonderful experience and lovely food so had no hesitation to return, a new housing development behind the pub is now finished so there is a large car park with electric car charging…and you can leave the car if wanting to take the short walk to the town centre shops. Fabulous welcome and great table ideally placed for our two dogs, a bowl of water was supplied. Lovely young lady (in her trendy Dr Maartens) who gave us fabulous service and attention, we chose from the lunch special 2 or 3 course menu and has fish goujons and chicken fillets finished off with Apple crumble and custard, all served promptly, freshly cooked and nicely presented and very tasty Certainly recommend particularly to those with dogs, the Greene King pub (GK pubs known for being dog friendly) around the corner does not allow dogs under any circumstances ……great value and very pleasant surroundings with nice clean and fresh toilets. Will definitely return Robert Freda Bella & Betsy

We went as a party of two separate families, and wanted to to split the bill before settling up only to be informed that they would not do that and as we were a party of 10 we could not use our 30% voucher. please be careful if you want to use the voucher as you need to make sure the bill is split into two family bills I.E. when you order you meals make sure they make a different order for all concerned.The service was slow we had to ask for the menus twice and as we had a baby in the party we asked for a high chair that when it arrived was broken. One of our party also had a chipped plate. All in all we had a bad experience at this restaurant and will not be returning ever.

I have been here several times before and with discounts and never had a problem. Service was also prompt and excellent so I recommended this place to my family for a Wake. But unfortunately we came for a meal with a 30% voucher and could not use it. Several waiters/ waitresses couldn't even produce T&C of the voucher eligibility. Refused to even discount 8 peoples meals which states in the T&C of the voucher...Very disgusted and will not be returning. Service was very slow but food was nice. VERY DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST.

Really sorry to have to write this but the service from one person behind the bar was terrible, she in her defence had been there since 11.30am and this happened around 10pm so she had a long shift! I was waiting to be served at the bar, we were playing darts (we were the away team) not a soul to be seen, about 10 mins passed still nobody, 3 of us were looking around trying to find somone but everyone was in the back somewhere, eventually a lady appeared her greeting words to me were you lucky to even get a drink what do you want? I said that's nice!! Have I done something? She said no she was tired, I said okay, she muttered and grumbled while serving the round, clearly we were not welcome there (maybe they usually shut after food finishes and darts was keeping them open) there were 2 other tables in the bar she was equally as rude to a table of ladies drinking, I said come on what's up? She said you lot being here isn't a big deal for me! I said what? She repeated it, I thought I'd miss heard her, by this point I just felt as did the team pretty unwelcome, I said are you not supposed to in hospitality make us as the away team feel welcome?? She said again your are not a big deal to me! I said maybe hospitality isn't right for her, she said im not bothered what anyone thinks I'm tired!! I said okay fine so do I just leave a bad review? To which she called her manager over to speak to her behind the bar, we were I guess waiting for an apology or something, but nothing, so I've no idea what she said to him but I very much doubt she disclosed the real conversation. The rest of the team were lovely manager was nice and we had a good night lots of laughs overall it was a nice evening (even though we lost darts) but she ruined it and made us feel extremely unwelcome, such a shame, we also spent easily £200 between us I spent over £50 myself on drinks, obviously that wasn't appreciated 😢 it's a shame to have to write this to be honest but there is no need for rudness to people that don't deserve it.

Good meal and good prices. Well done thatchers for good handling of what was a difficult situation. Nice to see the support of your peers

Quick service reasonable price good food friendly staff really nice food couldn't ask for more the end

Popped out for an early Sunday lunch, even though they were busy they still managed to find us a table. Food was great service was fast. Staff are very friendly.

Had 30% off vouchers come in the mail whent to use them for lunch today but told we could not use them as there was 9 in the party vouchers were valid for the lunch and of the right menu we all had vouchers but it seems you can use them for 3 or less at a table none of us will be going back again

Arrived early evening without booking. The staff were friendly and attentive. Quite a large menu with something for everyone. Probably spent more time pondering over the choices than we did waiting for starters once our order was placed. Food and service was great.

Absolutely fantastic. The servers greeted us with HUGE smiles and welcomed us wonderfully. We got sit down and got everything ordered within 6 minutes. The food came quick and was nice and hot. The food was absolutely delicious, whoever the chef is did a splendid job. The staff were well managed and made my daughters birthday even more special. Highly recommend, wonderful evening.

Waited to be seated but it wasn’t busy, waited a long time for my drink. Food took ages to come and they forgot to bring some of it. When the peppercorn sauce had arrived I had eaten my food before it got cold. Waited ages to pay. Overall a very poor experience.

Came in for a snack after taking the kids to the funfair, we had nachos and they were beautiful! Staff were very helpful and polite with a lovely atmosphere

Had an amazing evening with the family great service and food really good cocktails will definitely be coming back.

Very welcoming and friendly, staff very helpful, enjoyed my time here start to finish. Will definitely return.

Stopped on the way to the coast for a light lunch with my family. Food was hot and tasty and the staff had smile and were courteous. Will be back to try some more dishes on the menu as the food looked amazing.

Visited with my husband and struck lucky as they do 30% off on a Thursday on all steaks and grills. We both has Sirloin steak and the food was amazing and the staff were very attentive. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we will probably be...

Visited with my family for something to eat, we had the starter sharer and the ham hock. The food was excellent and the staff were on point.

Stopped for lunch at the Thatchers Needle in Diss and was so glad we did. The menu had something for everyoneeven those with special dietary needs. The food was great and the staff were really friendly and helpful. Would definitely go there again.

Had a great time with friends, service was great and the food was excellent, couldn't ask for anything more.

We stopped here for lunch and it was amazing! The staff seemed new from a couple of years ago and thank goodness as they were so friendly and polite! We came on Sunday and it was quite busy but we were served quickly and didn’t...

Typical Marsden pub, food is value for money, and is dog friendly. Doesn’t blow you away but does what it says on the tin! We ordered the food and had to ask for cutlery, you would expect them to have this ready before serving food....

Had a great lunch with the family, 8 of us, of varying ages. Good choice of Menu, kids were happy with the choices too. Clean , and all the tables had a decent bit of room between them. Very friendly and helpful staff. Service was...

Been a long time since I have been to the thatchers but my friend and I enjoyed the steak and Prosecco we finished our evening with expresso martini they were lovely The team were pleasant and we had a nice time thanks

Went for Roast lunch with in-laws… Almost £17 per person. I don’t have veg so just potatoes, meat & Yorkshire for me… none of us had more than a splash of gravy, non on my Yorkshire at all, I asked for extra & was told...

We've been here a couple of times over the last two weeks. The food is very nice, definitely a cut above the normal pub grub - I really enjoyed my steak and ale pie and chips. The staff are also very friendly and helpful. The...

Poor customer service, 1 person behind bar, waited 20mins just to order food gave up and went elsewhere, loads of staff seem to be doing nothing.

Great for a lunch time drop in. Food was quick and tasty. Dog friendly too which means I’ll be back!

Staff was friendly, food was great and presented well. Nice atmosphere, good choices for gluten free guests.

We visited on a Saturday night, the restaurant was really busy, but nothing was too much trouble for the staff. We both has sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce, which was cooked perfectly and tasted great. . Beer and cocktails replaced a dessert. . we will...

We arrived at the Thatcher's needle on Tues the 20th, visiting family, as my mum and dad stay close to Diss this place came highly recommended. We were booked in for 7.30 but arrived early, so we got drinks and was able to take our...

Booked this restaurant as we were visiting family who live nearby. Never again! Sirloin steak was inedible. When we told the waitress she said it’s hit and miss whether you get a nice steak or not and there’s a lot of complaints about it. She...

Met up with an old friend that i had not seen in years, the food was great and we chose the 2 course £14 menu, my only gripe is that i had to pay £2 extra for the steak option, why put it on a...

Group of 7 visited for a birthday meal. Friendly welcome and nicely located table had been reserved for us. Our waitress was fab, chatty and happy to answer questions about the menu as we had one gluten free diner. Kitchen did make a mistake with...

Waited at the Door for around 5-10 minutes before being seated… the restaurant was pretty empty with staff serving on the bar. However no acknowledgment or eye contact to make us aware we had been seen or was going to be seated! Poor start…. And...

Absolutely appalling, on arrival the ‘so called’ manager greeted us with rolling eyes, was seated at table on noticing dirty cutlery, ordered starter of lamb kofta kebabs. Well… lamb regurgitated meat balls which were piping hot one side and stone cold the other and salt...

Popped in on the off chance of having an evening meal. Got served realy quick and went to a table. Ordered at the bar straightaway. Fish & Chips came in under 20 mins, (Friday at 19:10). Had a half of Pedigree. Food was lovely, really...

First time we have been since new management have taken over so we were hoping things had improved, but sadly not, staff were quick to take our order and starters arrived not long after but that’s where the positives end! We waited approximately 45 minutes...

On this visit I was impressed, asked to be moved to a different table as didn't want to be near a speaker, moved elsewhere but still nearish to a speaker, thought that would be ok but would ask next time to be in the middle...

Handy for our hotel on a wet evening. Being a Sunday, roasts were on offer, even in the evening. They looked delicious, but too much even for me. My healthy salad did me fine. Pleasant and helpful staff. Modern interior and exterior but good atmosphere...

Waited in line, for some considerable time only to be told there would be a 30 minute wait, I noted there were plenty of tables free and even more free tables outside. I simply walked out in disgust, if you don't want custom than you...

This is probably a good place to go for a steak or a beer and a burger or if you are undertaking a survey of establishments specialising in serving factory produced food - which this place does very efficiently and the smiling service is excellent....

The food was like microwaved Iceland food with a sprig of parsley on top. Tasteless small portions. A few chips, hardly any veg, roast meal was like a TV dinner. I took my sister and her husband for Mother’s Day and it was EMBARRASSING. When...

After my dad had so much enjoyed his first visit here with some friends a few weeks ago, the pair of us returned this time for his birthday lunch. The food was still very good but the service was just a tad slow, nonetheless we...

Hi we went to thatchers needle a week back and I have to say I was very impressed with the service and the meal was great.I’m not sure if it was the manager that served us but he couldn’t have been more helpful my wife...

The combination of a warm welcome, comfortable atmosphere, helpful service, excellent food and a moderate price resulted in superb value.

We have been coming to The Thatchers Needle regularly for the last 2 months and have tried pretty much everything on the menu. From service to staff to great beer and outstanding food this pub has continued to impress and is more friendly, open and...

Hadn't been to Thatchers Needle in Diss for about 3 years as the last few times we visited it was appalling. We had lunch there today and it was lovely. The food was well presented, hot and delicious and served quite promptly. The staff were...

We enjoyed an excellent meal at Thatcher's Needle recently. There was a wide selection of food available and the food was uniformly excellent. Service was quick and efficient and we would definitely recommend it. Our four mains were lasagne, burger, salmon and a mixed grill....

When we first moved to Diss 18 months ago I read the reviews for Thatchers Needle, they were so poor we decided to give it a miss. Recently the management changed so I looked at the latest reviews and they had changed significantly so we...

Our first Christmas lunch here and definitely not our last. Due to past experience we hadn’t been here for a while but was pleasantly surprised. The new manager has definitely turned things around. The food and service were both excellent. Food was amazing, and plenty...

The food has much improved, it used to be very hit and miss. I had the hunters chicken with chips and salad and my friend had the leek cheese and potato pie with mash and vegetables. Both food and drinks were good value for money....

They were very busy but were kind enough to squeeze us in, and the manager was very patient with our children who were restless and excited. Nice GF menu with a few different options and a decent IPA on draft. For a last minute decision,...

We have a lovely meal, the manager fitted us in even though I had had a message to say they were full ( I didn’t read the message before going ) very good food ,30minute wait but were informed beforehand and they were very busy...

Booked their festive Christmas meal. Three courses for under £24. Eat here often. We had smoked salmon starter, turkey and all the trimmings and Christmas pudding with brandy custard. All the dishes were excellent pipping hot where applicable. Staff as always, very attentive and friendly....

We've only recently started going to the Thatchers, after previously hearing bad reports for the pub. New management appears to have really improved things as the food & service is great! The decor is like an old country lodge, which is homely and welcoming. The...

Visited this pub for a meal with work colleagues. Was expecting cheap chain pub type faire that is pre-cooked or microwaved. My pre-conceptions were completely wrong and I was pleasantly surprised by the menu and good quality meals that were nicely presented, fresh ingredients and...

Friendly greeting on arriva, order taken quickly No waiting Food was delivered on hot plates and was delicoius Will recommend without heitatiion. We partuicularly impressed with the Manager who was helping where needed .

After using the Thatchers needle over a year ago for food it was very disappointing. I have to say take a bow Thatchers needle you pulled it out of the bag it was fantastic, staff very friendly, highly recommend to have a meal here you...

After having panned and criticised this Marstons, I have to say it has seriously come along in leaps and bounds. I had the Chicken Tikka curry and my wife had Hunters Chicken. Served by a smiling happy young lady. The food was piping hot and...

This place has really improved. We had a lovely hot and tasty meal and the service was great. Compared to past experiences this place has really turned around. Will be visiting again. Thank you for a lovely meal

A great service & menu, I'd love to say thank you to Faye one of the workers here. All food was good & desserts were spot on.

My husband and I were looking for a good Pub or restaurant for lunch today the 18Oct 2022. We were very glad we found The Thatchers Needle near Diss. I noticed that the decor and seating was a bit worn and scruffy, so l wasn't...

Having been twice in the past and having two dreadful experiences I was cautious about returning. What a complete turn around. The staff from the moment we arrived were welcoming and really efficient. The young blonde girl who served us really knew her job and...

We visited, after a long walk with our dogs, they made us welcome in the bar area, serving the same menu as the resturant. Staff were friendly and helpful. We both had Buttermilk Burgers, they were great. Much better than our recent experience of Beefeaters,...

Not bad. A longish wait and food adequate but nothing memorable. Reasonable value and typical pub chain menu and food. The crumble was particularly bland and forgettable. Lasagne was not bad. Nothing to rave about.

Went on Sunday for dinner and was pleasantly surprised about everything since our last visit. Food was very good and the main course came out very quickly.

We visited earlier this month, opting for the Sunday lunch. The roast pork was completely inedible, chewy, tough & gristly. I raised it with the waitress, who then brought it to the attention of the management, whose response was I’m sorry that’s just the joint...

I visited The Thatchers Needle last night with my partner for a meal roughly around 6pm, service was quick & polite, the food arrived promptly, piping hot and generous portions, overall the meal was very nice (the best meal I have ever eaten there!). It...

First time back since covid hit, very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Abigail our waitress was very attentive on checking if we needed anything. Food was great and everyone's meal brought out at the same time will definitely be back soon.

We booked online for a table for 3 at 5:45. It was fairly quiet so expected to get served quickly. It took 1 hour 45 mins for our shared starter and main course to arrive. The food was mediocre so wasn’t even worth the wait....

we had a lovely meal and drink very reasonable price food was lovely staff was very helpful nothing was too much trouble

We were staying in the worst hotel in the world ! ! ! ! ! So we went here for dinner. Saturday 2nd July 2022. All of the staff we encountered were lovely, specially the chap in a flowery shirt, manager? The drinks, San Miguel...

Landlord didn't seem at all interested in anyone other than himself... Will never go back that's for sure

The food was delicious, the beer wonderful, the sweet was excellent and the service helpful and friendly …. What more does one want ?