The Barsham Arms in North Norfolk

I had booked for dinner a little while ago as a surprise for my wife’s 70th birthday and was already to go out last night. Imagine my shock when casually browsing through their website, it said that they were temporarily closed! I had received no text, email or telephone call to notify me that the booking had been cancelled and at very short notice had to find another restaurant. Luckily I managed to get a table at Sculford Mill where we enjoyed a really delicious meal and the service was friendly and exemplary unlike the Barsham Arms.

We visited The Barsham Arms on our recent visit to North Norfolk having seen it featured on The Hairy Bikers Go Local programme. Situated in a delightful location, The Barsham Arms didn't disapoint either. The food and service were first class and on a gourmet level compared with usual pub grub. My only criticism was the real ale was too cold the reason for only 4 stars, maybe due to a very cold cellar?

Booked Sunday lunch at the Barsham Arms at the end of August. Difficult to get through by phone but left a message and they sent an e mail to confirm the booking for 4 people for Sunday lunch at 2.00 p.m. on the 19th November. Before we set off we telephoned them and left a message to say that we needed to change the booking to a table for 2 as our friends were unwell. We were travelling down from Yorkshire and arrived at about 1.30 p.m. to a site that looked very run down and obviously closed. When we got out of the car to check the Board at the entrance said closed. At the very least were were extremely annoyed that no-one had contacted us to inform us that they had closed their business. What dreadful customer service.

Intentionally drove to the pub for a drink and was really disappointed and annoyed to find it closed at 12.30 despite the website stating it was open. Tried calling only to get directed straight to voicemail. If you’re closed then you should have the decency to update your website not waste peoples time driving to your establishment

Despite having booked and been clear about the party size (5), was offered a table to seat 4 with an extra setting crammed on the end in an otherwise empty restaurant. The starter of ‘mixed breads’ was simply a large chunk of bread. Fish and chips was poor - overcooked chips cooked in oil that had clearly been used too many times. It was an altogether really disappointing experience.

Not sure what happened, but came here for Sunday lunch for my fiancee birthday, but the pub was closed. Had no warning, no notice and no responses to my comms. Not sure what the circumstances were, hopefully nothing serious, but disappointed to not have what would have probably been a delicious meal

Booked a table for Sunday lunch, turned up to find the pub closed. Understand this was due to unforeseen circumstances, but no one contacted us to let us know. We organised a weekend away in Norfolk as an anniversary celebration, and our visit to The Barsham Arms was supposed to be one of the highlights. Fortunately we found a welcoming restaurant and delicious roast in nearby Sculthorpe.

Excellent meal out with family , polite and friendly staff , food was delicious cleared our plates! Definitely recommend for a family gathering!

Booked for my mum’s birthday, table booked for 730 didn’t get served until 9 o’clock, service, very poor, food, ridiculously overpriced, £25 for pork loin, £18 for haddock and nine chips, wouldn’t recommend this to anybody

Poor customer service and care very rude £25 for these portion sizes!

Four of us booked in for dinner, looking forward to a lovely evening with good food and drink. The atmosphere was good, and the decor was also stylish, but I’m afraid that is where the good points ended! First thing I noticed was the napkin… it was one ply, and not very big, certainly not what I was expecting! After sitting at the table, our food order was taken 20 mins later, we ordered 3 starters and 4 mains. After another 20 mins two of our starters arrived, after another 10 minutes there was no sign of the third starter, so we asked our waitress, who asked us what we ordered?? There was no sign after another 5 minutes, so we went to the bar and asked again, which then came shortly afterwards. However, the missing starter was barsham breads with herb butter, so was expecting a few different bread types maybe warmed, but no…what turned up was two cold doorstop slices of bread. We just could not understand how you could charge a that much for two rounds of bread and butter! Then three of our mains arrived, then the waitress realising we only had three meals, asked us what we ordered for the fourth meal!! The Chicken burger was okay, but very greasy and overpriced at £20! The steak was nice, but at £32 you would expect it to be, the fish and chips, again was okay, but very overpriced. We looked at the dessert menu, and it was a chocoholics dream, everything apart from ice cream and sorbet was chocolate, no variety which was very disappointing. I did expect better service, better quality of food for the prices charged, and definitely would not be visiting again.

Book for mums birthday meal, table booked for 730 didn’t get served until 9 o’clock, very poor service and completely overpriced food, £25 pork loin, £18 haddock, and 9 chips, wouldn’t recommend to anybody

Top piece of Norfolk pub life. Stunning hall just down the road. Bar staff were friendly and prices to be happy about. Shame Hawkstone had ran out.

I was disappointed with the food. Service was pleasant but had to keep asking for things like horseradish and mustard and drinks etc etc. starter was tiny. I liked everything on the plate for Sunday lunch, except for the meat. I had beef and we all found it really tough and chewy. Had the meat been ok and the starter been slightly larger it would have probably been fab. I had great expectations after seeing the pub on Hairy Bikers, but it is just average in my opinion.

Lovely gastropub with modern interior. Excellent service and food was phenomenal.

On holiday in Norfolk we tried several pubs, this was defiantly my favourite. There was 11 of us, best food, good choice, service was excellent, nothing to much trouble. It is way out in the open but well worth the travelling. We all had different dishes , all was cooked to perfection .

Fabulous food, great service and attentive staff.

A lovely find in Norfolk. Food was delicious although limited menu for the vegan crowd.

Really delicious high quality food, by far the best place to eat in the area. Friendly service and a great atmospher..

This is the second time we have visited and it will definitely be the last. After the appalling service we received earlier in the year we were invited back so the owner could make up for our disappointing overnight stay. However he was not onsite on the day we visited and had not told any of the staff we had been offered a discount on our meal. There followed an extremely embarressing 15 minutes whilest they poured over the mesages between myself and the owner, questioning if it was the owner that I had been in contact with (suggesting, I think that I had made up the conversation somehow) even though he had been the one who reserved the table for us. The meal itself was very below par, the beef was tough and the vegetables all tasted the same. We eventually got the discount we wanted but you could tell it was only to get us out of the pub. I was made to feel like a complete 'Karen'. which I hated.

Had the most amazing meal at lunchtime here today. Cannot fault the service and food. Will definitely be back again Absolutely fantastic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Only went for Sunday lunch. Two ladies on reception were very offhand and pointed to the right to tell me to wait for someone else to see to us. However, the rest of the staff were superb, friendly, polite and efficient We ordered the beefburgers with sides and no bread. No problem and the Dexter beef was brilliant. We sat outside on the patio but could have sat inside as there were plenty of tables available.

What a great find! Yes, it’s a little pricey (£7 for a bowl of olives…) but we had a lovely meal here. Sat at a table away from others (we had a 6 month puppy with us so this was appreciated so he would have somewhere quieter to sit away from passing traffic). Friendly staff, who were very attentive and gave suggestions when needed. The food was fabulous.. can’t fault. Pea risotto and Morocco’s chickpea stew is highly recommended (we are not veggies and loved these dishes). And desserts were delicious.. Would 100% return here. Highly recommend.

We booked through air b and b and when we arrived, they had no knowledge of us coming. Àpparantly they had been hacked. And had quite a few people turn up for rooms. My advice would be to ring direct and not use air b and b if u want to.book a stay with them. I know it wasn't their fault.

Tried to book a room which took for ever as they never call you back when they say they will. Stayed for one night only, greeted by the manager who was friendly,Room in need of spruce up, paint/plaster peeling off the wall. TV near on impossible to work as no instructions. Booked for bed & breakfast for the manger to say the chef doesn't work Monday's but he's coming in so can you be down at 9am, which we did , we were the only ones in the restaurant and it still took roughly 40 mins to arrive. They had to go to the shop as no milk.

What a fantastic night out for our anniversary, we were there with my sister and her husband for our 43rd wedding anniversary, great great food, wonderful service, nothing was too much trouble for out host , even down to the mint sauce with our mussy peas,will return, next time we are in North Norfolk

Really like this pub, have been going for years. The food was really good, the service however was really Fawlty Towers. However, it was all done with a smile.

Stopped for liquid refreshments enroute to North Norfolk. We purchased a pint of Amstel with a dash of lemonade and a non alcoholic Appletise £9.85. Shocked at the cost for two drinks. Will never return here again. WiFi with the correct password also did not...

I am absolutely thrilled to share my glowing review of the exceptional service I recently received! From start to finish, my experience was nothing short of outstanding, and I am eager to sing the praises of Alfonzo (I think that was his name) that made it all possible. First and foremost, the level of professionalism exhibited was truly remarkable. Every interaction I had, left me feeling valued and well-cared for. The staff's attention to detail and genuine enthusiasm for assisting me was evident in every conversation we had. We had the Sea Bream and Chicken burger, which were outstanding with flavour, atmosphere was friendly and everyone was open to talk which made me feel so welcome, would 100% be returning and recommend everyone try if they have not done so yet.

Really lovely food Nice and hot and a range of veggies, however the pub was almost empty Drinks were served without ice and service was lacking considering the amount of staff members We did ask to move tables as we were originally sat in the bar area

A tad quiet when I was there but I like it when it's like that. Would definitely go again but health issues mean it might be unlikely unfortunately.

Stopped en route for a break and refreshments. All acceptable.

Fantastic dinner, I was hoping to go to the Barsham Arms for so long... It didn't disappoint. I worked with Jake long ago and he was the best chef I ever met. You can taste his love and passion in his delicious food, and he...

A very disappointing visit. We arrived for our table booking at 7pm, one staff member appeared to be working alone and was busy getting drinks for other customers. He apologised for the wait, but we could see how busy he was. We were eventually shown...

Dropped by for lunch, warm welcome and nice lunch menu.

We discovered this place a few years ago, it was heaving and we had a slap up lovely Sunday lunch! This time we went for an evening meal, right at the start, 5pm kick off. The food was delicious, but the restaurant was dead. Sticky table (wrong cleaning fluid) no smell but four flies hanging around. For the price, I'd expect better in terms of initial impressions. People only started arriving from 6:30pm for presumably booked tables, so no passing trade that day maybe. It felt a bit weird to be the only family in the entire venue, but obviously could not be helped! Menu was very limited, we eat out a lot, try a lot of things, but not one of us saw anything we craved, HOWEVER they do offer chicken goujons, fish fingers etc. (Children's food) Just not on the menu. All in all kitchen produced really lovely tasting food, well delivered, service was attentive, welcoming and friendly and toilets were clean. For the price I would have expected just a little extra attention to detail front of house and a menu that was a touch more expensive, but still worth a visit to this historic beautiful building for nice 'eats' :)

Cannot recommend this pub more! The food was 10 out of 10 - catering so well for 4 coeliacs! The front of house team were so lovely - went above and beyond for us! Thank you so much for making it a lovely birthday celebration!

Very nicely decorated and service was good. Meals were very tasty but portion sizes were very disappointing small. £18 for fish and chips I'd pretty pub standard these days but for that you get exactly 9 chips, a cut of fish which amounts to a tail and some 'pea puree' which is like one of sauces on MasterChef they just smear across the plate with a single spoon. The meals the others I was with had would genuinely be mistaken for starters most other places. 'Sides' are very pricey but strangely much better portioned than the actual plates. Overall enjoyable but questionable value for gastropub food. Nice serving staff

Not very good gluten free options despite being told when booking anything will be OK for gluten free diet. Only ice cream for dessert. Steak not great, very chewy. Altogether overpriced, not good value. Very very disappointing.

We went to the Barsham Arms with friends for lunch on Saturday, we chose the Barsham Arms as they had a lunch menu with light bites and sandwiches - which was exactly what we wanted. When we arrived there was no lunch menu only a...

Fantastic pub with a relaxed, warm and welcoming atmosphere and the staff are friendly. Would come back and visit again

Lovely roast dinner. Friendly service, relaxed atmosphere and doggy friendly 😊

I stopped here for a sandwich while out on a bike ride. The sandwich, cider and service were perfect, and the main meals coming out of the kitchen looked and smelled amazing. I'll be back when I haven't got 20 miles on the bike ahead of me for the full dining experience.

Absolutely delicious, excellent quality produce and a lovely friendly service - perfect for a family get together, thank you very much 👍

Precio desproporcionado para los productos ofertados. Buen servicio y ambiente

We booked in for 2 nights. The service by Richard was absolutely great... the food breakfast and 1 dinner were very good. The room was OK but wasn't that clean. Lots of spiders and cobwebs. Sadly we felt the owner has lost interest in the business and its reflected in the standards. Such a shame. The staff are trying to keep the business going.. I wish them all luck.

We booked for dinner knowing the hairy bikers had been there. Well all I can say is, how sad this lovely building needs some loving attension. We walked in and was greeted by a very charming young man,having said we had booked a table, we...

Dreadful service after ordering 1hour plus, one very young girl on her own, misreading photos on website.

We stayed here for three nights. Many thanks to Jake and to his very friendly, and helpful staff. It was also lovely to meet the locals. You all helped to make our first experience of Norfolk very special and we hope to come back one day.

Very disappointing. Limited Sunday lunch menu, food was luke warm and vegetables were over cooked. However, the service was good. Online images are a bit misleading, I wouldn't eat there again.

We had a most enjoyable dining experience. Although the menu is short, it is very varied and very delicious. I am not sure how often the menu changes based on local produce available but I am sure it will never disappoint. The staff were very...

Would highly recommend this pub for a meal. Wow! Food was absolutely incredible! My other half and I both had the pork burger which were amazing! Staff were super friendly and helpful. Can’t recommend highly enough

Really, really terrible avoided at all costs. Do not book accommodation!!!!! Just don't go there

Tasty food but portions were small and very expensive.

4 of us ate there for lunch. Delicious food and good wine and beer recommendations. Our server Jack was an amazing personality and made our experience that much better. He was friendly and very welcoming. It seems that staff numbers were low but they did a fantastic job as I know staffing in hospitality has suffered post covid. Would definitely recommend

The food is amazing however the service was terrible. They had problems with their WiFi which was out of their control however there was only one person serving the whole lunch time. Although he did his best our long wait for food was unacceptable.

10 of us (5 couples) were staying at Piggyback Barns nearby, so, after exchanging a few emails and getting nowhere I eventually rang them and booked to eat here, telling them that my wife was vegetarian (this without having visited, taking the recommendation of the...

We went here for our annual girlie weekend away after watching on TV. I couldn't fault the food...super tasty, good portion size and value for money either local produce. Sadly the accommodation didn't not meet expectations, damp, fousty smell,cold and dirty crockery and glasses..dirty smelly tea towels...also felt customer service was very much lacking for the expectation of a high end pub. It felt as if the owners previously seen on tv had left and it was under new management. Not a place I would recommend despite a nice meal.

Absolutely fantastic roast today. Staff friendly. Very happy customers. Thank you.

Expensive for average food. One vegetarian choice and if not to your liking, tough.

When rating our stay at The Barsham Arms, I found it really difficult. Let’s start with the positives, the food was superb, no complaints whatsoever. Jake is obviously a very talented chef and we experienced this with our main evening meal and at breakfast the...

The evening meal was superb. We stayed for bed and breakfast over two days and the breakfasts were beyond compare. Service is very relaxed but more than worth the wait. Jake and his staff were so friendly and welcoming.

Lovely venue, very warm welcome, fab food. The pub couldn’t have been more accommodating for a mixed family group with 2 small children. Will definitely go again.

It was cold and unwelcoming, very expensive for very little food. I wouldn't recommend.

been at Barsham Arms with my wife. we had a lovely dinner. The place is very cosy, with very friendly staff and good food.

OK I will start with positives when we arrived on 9th April (easter Sunday) and our anniversary place looked nice and we're greeted by bar lady who told us we're short staffed as 2 had rung in sick (understand this as have run hotels and...

Came for Easter Sunday lunch. We drove up from Newmarket way (60 miles) having seen the place featured on The Hairy Bikers Go Local BBC TV series. The place is nice, very rustic and had a nice family vibe. I started with the crab rarebit which was delicious, the flavour was amazing. My partner had the ham hock which was also lovely. For mains we had the chicken ballotine and the roast pork. The chicken was excellent, however the roast pork loin was a tad dry and flavourless and the dish was not served hot enough. The other cardinal sin was that there was nowhere near enough gravy so I found myself eating my roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding way too dry. I would have asked for more but there was no opportunity. The staff were all very friendly but rushed off their feet so it was not easy to get anyone’s attention if you needed something. My partner ordered a glass of wine that never arrived, it wasn’t possible to get anyone’s attention to give a reminder. We shared the condensed milk pudding and ice cream. That was delicious. I would certainly come again if we are in the area.

We arrived at the pub with high expectations having seen the Hairy Bikers episode on tv. We live in Fakenham and had visited the pub pre COVID so knew what the pub was like. Lots of cars parked outside so obviously very busy. We were...

We stayed for one night to break our journey from Northumberland. We were delighted. We got a warm welcome on arrival, an offer to help carry the bags to the room and confirmation about our dinner reservation. Dinner was a delight, friendly and efficient service with delicious food all perfectly cooked. Breakfast was excellent, we had the small English option, which was perfect. Dogs are very welcome with east access to water and treats. Highly recommended

Booked weeks in advance for my Mums 50th birthday and was told they were looking forward to having us. We arrived at 7 which was the time we had booked to be told they didn't have our booking logged in. Even though we had the email to confirm. The waiter/Bar man kept telling us they only had 1 chef on and felt awkward, Out of place and an inconvenience to be there, We left after seeing the menu which was completely different to the menu they had stated on there website which is why we also booked. Went and ate elsewhere at The Red Lion Lounge at Fakenham which ended us being a good experience Totally annoyed and massively disappointed with the Barsham Arms and doubt we'll return.

Real tea room great atmosphere friendly helpful staff food is excellent well worth a visit

Okay, nothing special and expensive for what we had.

Friendly, well run, dog friendly pub with a good Sunday roast. I had the beef which was delicious particularly the Yorkshire pudding and the cabbage. Very fine indeed but the highlight for me was the dessert. I choose the jam rolly-poly that was absolutely sublime. All washed down by a fine hoppy Barsham brewery local ale.

Sadly very over rated. Long wait for very average food Could be so much better. Expensive mistake Will not be returning

Sunday roast. Burnt Yorkshire puddings, uncuttable beef and swimming in gravy! Maybe because end of service. They reduced bill by one order.

First time in “The Barsham Arms” , you have to go here. We just bumped into this pub on our return from the Walsingham Church. This cozy pub has left the best impressions! Hospitable hosts, delicious dishes, beautiful presentation and wonderful dessert. Not to mention the kind staff who went the extra mile to keep my toddler happy !🍧

Having tried to call to book over a number of days, we emailed a booking, followed by a phone message requesting a call if the booking was not possible? Drove 55 minutes for a birthday lunch to be greeted by a member of staff that turned their back and walked away, then a non apologetic bar staff member that said our booking could not be accommodated. Dreadful Service!

Beautiful restaurant, food is out of this world!!!

I read lots of positive reviews so I tried to phone and book a table for lunch. Unfortunately I couldn’t get through to the line. So I drove for 30 minutes and when I reached I was told they are understaffed and cannot take any bookings for lunch. The bartender could only apologise but did not even say to me why don’t you stay and have a drink. Do not make a trip up there unless you have phoned and reserved.

Just been here for valentines meal with my wife , exceptionally good food , attention to detail on the plate was impeccable, looks and taste mastered- if you’re thinking about going- GO! Really really satisfied. D

Most uninviting waitress I've ever met. Saying she was fully booked on a midweek lunch when the place was half empty. Then blaming that she was on her own and only had 1 chef. Thought soup du jour was a type of soup. Needs immediate replacement.

A most enjoyable, tasty meal with friendly service.

Food was delicious. Service a bit slow but very pleasant

A feeling of trying too hard & not quite making it. Food disappointing, bitter off. Till not working so problem for staff. Used to like going there. Pity.

Visited the Barsham Arms for lunch on New Years Eve. Very polite and friendly service. The food was great quality, very tasty and good value for money. The only improvement we felt was needed was the bar wing that we sat in, the decor doesn’t do the food justice, though this would not stop us from going back.

Delicious New Year's Eve lunch in a warm and cosy pub with warm and friendly staff. The fish and chips were excellent, the bread and butter pudding divine.

A warm cosy pub that I wish was on my doorstep. The Barsham and guests beers were good and the food is tasty. I've been for the Sunday roast and fish and chips, both hit the spot nicely. A good place to stop after a long muddy dog walk. Muddy boots and dogs are both welcome.

Not much food for a lot of money roast beef served in a dog bowl with a Yorkshire on the top and not much gravy.

Food was great, service incredibly slow. Waited over an hour to serve food.

A really nice cosy atmosphere with well thought out decor. However, the menu didn't match the location as it was largely deep fat fried based food (burger and fried chicken). These were priced as if they were complex dishes with interesting flavours and locally sourced ingredients. This means you end up paying £19 for a homemade replica of a KFC box meal (chicken, chips, slaw and mini corn on the cob) that has the word 'Cajun' to make it seem more exotic and the price justifiable - but it is just as described (and over salted). The deserts started from £9.50 for Bread and Butter pudding going up to £13. Regardless of cost of living, this is rural Norfolk not central London and is just too much vs what the food actually is. Bought ice cream from the garage on the way home instead. Add to this that the service was slow and made for an overall mediocre but expensive experience.

We've not been to the barsham arms for a while now but decided to give it a try after being tempted in by the delicious and intriguing pictures of the food on Instagram. We were pleased to find it's brilliant! The starters and mains are sublime, interesting choices and concepts that are well executed and down right yummy. The puddings are also really really good but just missing the final points to be as good as the savoury items.. we've been twice in the last couple of months and both times the dessert was very rich or had simply too much, less balanced perhaps than the rest of the menu but by no means anything wrong with them at all!!! I'd highly recommend having the petit fours option instead, a little taste of everything and not too much on the tummy. We will definitely be back and can't wait to see what else the chefs bring out!

Great food great atmosphere thank you josh for making our visit.would highly recommend.

Just had a family birthday celebration at this lovely pub. The landlord welcomed us and could not be more accommodating, even asking the chef to cook a meal not on the standard menu. We will be back, a brilliant venue for atmosphere and food.

Very nice Sunday lunch was great but not as hot as expected but very tasty..we did say this to them and was very impressed with there response could not have done anything more than what they did ...above and beyond thank you for today top pub 👏 👍

Fabulous roast dinner, great service too!

Good food but let down by chaotic service and a long wait, despite not being particularly busy.

Had dinner here as we were staying close. It was a very good meal. The triple cooked chips were outstanding, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The desert was to die for. Will definitely return when we next visit!

Lunched today. Arrived just after 12MD. There were two other people in at that time. They were still setting up. Chef ? explaining to one bar staff about a particular beer. The lady, bar staff took order for drinks then our order for food - I requested that the haddock be ski nned, if possible before being battered. My partner ordered club sandwich. The pub started to get busy, still only 1 staff member. Our food took about 40 mins. The issue. There was no notification of staff shortage or lengthy wait for food. Apparently only 1 bar/restaurant member and two kitchen staff. The bar staff member was new. It was obvious to me that some help was needed. When the kitchen staff rang, they must have realised there was an issue- one of them could have brought out the food so as to enable the bar member to meet the needs of the 19 customers. I was shocked to see that the bar member had no support. She did say that they had not been very busy but that is no excuse. If I, the customer could see the issue why couldn't the kitchen staff. We had to wait over 10mins to pay, to give the bar member the opportunity to catch up. In the meantime another 4 people walked in for drinks. I felt so sorry for the bar person, who was extremely good under such difficult circumstances. As for the food. My haddock came with skin on! The chips not crisp. My partners fries were blanched but not crisped. All in all a poor experience. We did leave a tip- not for service or food but we felt sorry for the 1lovely bar person. Get a grip owner and use some logic- no way to run a business. We are not on holiday, we live locally - sorry, won't be rushing back.

Excellent experience. Very friendly.

Great pub! Awesome food! Fresh baked bread - omgeeee!