The Black Lion in Babergh

Had a delicious sunday lunch at the Black Lion! Highlights were the roast potatoes, the attentive service from the lovely Chloe, and the delicious vegan-friendly sticky toffee pudding! :)

On the down side… Rather disappointing. Minimal welcome tray. Damaged lampshade and chipped paint on both walls and woodwork of Room 3. Thin pillows and no spares. No checkout process to pass on comments at the time. Overpriced on Booking.com and would have been cheaper direct. So did not offer value for money. On the up side comfy bed, pretty, quiet room. Window that opened. Good water pressure. Staff that dealt with TV issue and provided more teabags - thank you to you guys. Lovely breakfast. So thank you for all these things. If you could deal with the downsides then would come back with no hesitation.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Black Lion. All the staff were very friendly and professional and we had a very nice welcome. The room was great. We stayed for dinner which was superb as was breakfast. Overall an excellent stay and would highly recommend.

Visited for lunch with my daughter pleasant dining room good service varied menu with a light lunch menu. Food well presented and very well served delicious fish and chips and good drinks

Had a fantastic Sunday lunch here. We were looked after by Joe, from start to finish, service and food was great! Thanks 😊

We had a celebration lunch for 11 people at The Black Lion on Saturday and everybody thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a very good choice on the La Carte menu, great service from friendly staff and excellent food. It was good value for money and plenty of points on my loyalty card. A big thank you to all at the Hotel for making it such an enjoyable occasion, we will be back soon.

The food was disappointing. We waited an embarrassing amount between the starters and main course. My meal was simple but badly cooked. I expected better for the price and other reviews

Another fantastic meal here at the black lion we cannot fault anything the food was amazing as always and the service was outstanding special thanks goes to Joe O and Karina for looking after us and Jakob and Patrick for cooking dinner

To start the review:-the date I came was August 23 but the date was not avaliable as to choose! . I came for dinner which started off fine although I think the choices on your menu are very limited and very expensive the wine by the glass even more so,I ordered rib eye ( I will say was cooked perfectly) and a pepper sauce and side salad, the wait was very long but no body warned or apologised for this, I never got my pepper sauce and couldn't ask as the staff never came to ask if my food was satisfactory and I failed to attract any attention, however I asked for the bill and had been charged for the sauce ( which was deducted) to add insult to it all i was changed £5 + service charge. Needles to say I won't be back. Regards Ian Tring

We had Sunday lunch here and highly recommend the sharing toast. There needs to be x4 and order at least 24hours before to enjoy this delicious roast. You will each receive a slice of pork, a slice of beef and a piece of chicken. The roast potties and Yorkshire pudding are perfect. Delicious accompaniment of cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, carrot and parsnip. Delicious gravy to top it all off You will not be disappointed if you love roast dinner. One of our party had the vegetable wellington and was just as complimentary about her meal Highly recommend the roast peach to follow Great food, great service and lovely surroundings Highly recommend

My second visit to The Black Lion, a very nice lunch in a great location. Good choice, menu information and service from Joe O, thanks very much, we'll be back.

From the moment we walked in, we felt so welcome. Shown to our room & explained everything well. We had rooms 9 & 4 and they were beautiful & well kept. Nice big rooms with a lovely bath. Dinner was superb, we was very well looked after by Maddie & Joe O. Amazing food & service. We had the picpoul (white wine) & Appasimento (red) with dinner, great prices for great wine. We got a lovely night sleep & went down for breakfast where Joe L couldn’t have done more for us. Again, amazing food with even better service. We’ve stayed at a-lot of Chestnut group hotels, but this one is by far the best & we come back every year and will continue to do so. Highly recommend.

Absolute amazing place. We stayed here with our dog for our wedding anniversary. Its a little gem in a beautiful village taking you back in time. The food was amazing as were the staff. We will definitely be returning.

This restaurant is beautiful. The food was exceptional. I had the arancini and my husband had the veggie roast. It is very dog friendly even in the restaurant. Joe O was very attentive and fun. Thank you. We will be back!

We had a lovely Easter Sunday roast at The Black Lion. Everything was delicious and the service from Joe O was excellent! Joe was so attentive and helpful. They have good vegetarian options too - the butternut squash and spinach wellington was very good.

The Black Lion was recommended to us and I can see why. Service was amazing with Joe O looking after us, food was fabulous and the atmosphere was so relaxing. I would highly recommend. Excellent experience.

We had a Sunday Roast on Palm Sunday which was very tasty and well presented. We were late in the day (17:15), but the food was very food and NOT dried out, showing the quality of the catering. We ate in the bar area. It was airy and bright. We walked up to the Black Lion from where we were staying with a view to attend the service at Holy Trinity. It was quick which allowed us to make the 18:30 evensong service at Holy Trinity. Would we eat there again? Yes.

When you arrive in Long Melford this hotel looks gorgeous as you pull up to it and inside it has some beautiful charm to it. We stayed for one night and booked dinner at the hotel too as we just wanted to relax. Booking in went very smoothly and we were informed where we would be eating dinner and where the other facilities were. We were booked into room 5, in hindsight now we wish we had gone back to reception and asked if there were any other rooms available as the road noise was very loud. The room was right on the busy main road and it was so noisy it was like the window was open and this was due to there being no double glazing which i think may have helped to reduce some of the noise, the cars constantly went by from the time we checked in until gone midnight and then started again just after 6am so not the most restful night's sleep. The room was lovely but definitely needs some sprucing up. It was very chilly even with the radiator on and unfortunately the fan heater provided did not work. The bar area with the open fire was lovely to sit in and chat and our meal in the evening was very tasty and Cyril was a great host in the restaurant. Unfortunately we did have an overly loud group of people sitting next to us who seemed to take over the whole room but obviously that is not the hotel's fault. All of the staff at the hotel are very friendly and helpful and a credit to the hotel. We loved the area as it is beautiful and there is so much to like about the Black Lion. Would we return? yes but we would not want to stay in room 5 again and we'd love to see the rooms after a little TLC.

We stayed at theblack lion for 2 nights and ate there the 2nd night .we booked a table for 7.30 but went down at 6pm to play a board game before supper . There was no space in the bar area but they let us go to our table and play the game without any pressure to order food . We finished the game at 7.15 and then enjoyed the most lovely meal . The scotch egg starter and the prawns were top notch . Then the sea bass and haddock and chips also delicious . Throughout the evening we were looked after by Jo who in our opinion is first class and made the evening so relaxed During our stay all the staff have been brilliant . I almost forgot !! The full Suffolk breakfast thus morning was to die for !!

Poor food no taste like warm really disappointing however the staff were friendly and the service was good I will not be going back

A walking group of 19 descended on The Black Lion at 10 on Wednesday 6/3/24 (booked in advance). We were welcomed and served the tea/coffee we had requested with no delay. The lead member of staff was exemplary. We returned after our walk for lunches we’d ordered at drinks to find a room laid out in an excellent manner that suited us all. Food arrived promptly and was of excellent quality. We shall certainly return both individually and as a group when next walking in the area.

Super cosy ambience, great quality food and the team are really wonderful. Was also really impressed with the 0% sparkling rose. Lovely place to dine.

Most amazing Sunday lunch, first class service, tacos great, shared roast out of this world, could not fault anything .. beef pork chicken, perfect yorkshires clearly cooked on site, parsnips, cauliflower … great desserts too .. will be back

We stayed 3 nights with our 2 dogs, very dog friendly, they even provide dog beds, bowls & a snack in case woofers get peckish staff are lovely & always on hand, the food was amazing, BEST SUNDAY ROAST , we hope to return soon our humans , kind regards Rolo & Dilly xx

Lovely food. My husband and I dined at the Black Lion for the third time and the service as always was excellent. Catered for lactose intolerance and was able to enjoy a yummy dessert. Nice warm friendly atmosphere.

Service was good and the staff very friendly but food was disappointing and atmosphere was pretty poor. Maybe a harsh judgement on the food but we felt that, for the price, it could have been better. The restaurant is in desperate need of a face lift and is really blandly decorated. This does not add to the atmosphere which was all rather subdued for a Saturday night. Afraid we will not be returning any time soon despite the lovely expresso martinis!

My wife and I had visited a few times before for drinks. This was our first time though to eat as well. We were not disappointed. Tables are well spaced and service was very good. Our starters and deserts were excellent. My main course of pork cheek risotto was good, but my wife's loin of pork was cold and fatty. Her supposed roast potatoes were closer to boiled and disappointing. We were not put off though and will return in the future for a mid week lunch.

We visited with friends and i was keen to see if there had been any changes since my last visit when it opened a few years ago. The menu choice looks good and the service was attentive. I had the marinated chicken- but just seem to lack flavour and my wife said similar for her fish dish. So overall, we were disappointed and will try again in a few years time

My partner and I had heard a lot about the restaurant but we was blown away by the food. The cauliflower burnt ends were like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. The staff were very friendly and didn’t judge me when I ordered 2 desserts for myself. We’ll definitely be going back at some point.

Had a lovely meal at The Black Lion with 4 colleagues. The food was excellent and the staff very helpful and friendly. Would 100% go there again and again.

We had a table for 7 people to celebrate a big birthday and the service, food, wine and ambience were all perfect.

The quality of food did not match the menu and it was very mediocre indeed. Chicken and black pudding terrine freezing cold and tasteless. Big service charge, unpleasant staff

Two different but lovely visits in 24 hours. We arrived just in time for late drinks. I reacquainted with the local lager, and my better half a highly suppable Argentinian Malbec. All the staff were attentive to us and our dogs, and we decided to return for dinner the following evening. Greeted with dog treats and a bowl and a menu that was mouthwatering. We both had the smoked trout to start. Beautifully presented, and very tasty. We then diverged, my wife had the aubergine with chickpeas and I for the Flat iron steak. Mine was cooked to my request (rare to blue) succulent and tender. For dessert we decided to share the Suffolk Gold and a selection of petit fours. Rounded off with a Gaelic coffee. We were splendidly looked after by all the team, and hope to be back when next in the area.

Stayed for one night in a snug room, which we were expecting to be quite small and in fact, it was spacious, with a nice bathroom and views of the village green. Everything was clean & tidy, I will just mention one small thing I noticed there aren't grab rails over the bath (most places have these, when the shower is over the bath), normally I wouldn't pay much attention but since having Multiple Sclerosis I notice much more. Also, to note that this snug room is on the top floor, not good if you struggle with a lot of stairs. Thankfully, I was having a good week with my MS. Now onto the food, it was very nice & good quality with plenty of choice, both for lunch & breakfast . Service was polite & friendly. If ever there is a wedding in the area again, we wouldn't hesitate to book a room again. Will be back for food, hopefully very soon.

We were at the Black Lion for lunch, and sat in the garden. We ordered our drinks at the bar, set up a tab and carried the drinks to the garden ourselves. We then ordered a roast beef sandwich which came with fries and salad. The beef was delicious, nice and rare and very tender. We ordered two more drinks which were brought to us in the garden. Eating in the garden would have been great, as it was a lovely day, were it not for the chef constantly shouting from the kitchen - not once, not twice, but incessantly! When the server came to check if all was OK, I drew her attention to the racket from the chef and she admitted that she had been about to go in and tell him to be quiet herself. For a classy pub, it really wasn't good! And then the bill came. 10% service charge added, which is shown on the menu for food. However, whilst I appreciate that someone had poured our first two drinks, no-one had offered to bring them out for us and we'd carried them to the garden ourselves - so why did we pay service charge on this? To give her her due, we were about to tip and the server told us that service was included, which was very honest of her, Lesson for the future - get your own drinks and pay at the bar! And maybe bring earplugs!

My daughter booked a family celebration for my 60th Birthday. There were four generations to cater for and we were all made to feel like VIPs. We arrived for coffee and settled into the wonderful ambiance of the Black Lion. Lunch was delicious with excellent service. All staff were efficient, smiley and went that "extra mile" to make sure that our little three year old had as much fun as the older members of our group. After our meal, the staff had set up a cosy little area for us to relax, unwrap gifts and enjoy the atmosphere. Thank you for providing a perfect venue for us to celebrate together.

My daughter had her wedding here this weekend. Cyril and the team were fantastic. The staff were so helpful and the food was amazing. We could not fault anything and would thoroughly recommend this hotel for a stay or for lunch or dinner. The location and the decoration are delightful with added bonus of the green for lots of parking and a lovely garden area.

Embarrassed to have taken my friends here for a meal. The service was appalling, we had to ask to order food as we had waited so long yet nobody came back to take our order. We eventually had to get up to order food at the bar and the food itself was very slow to come out and wasn’t anything special for the price we paid. I am so disappointed as I used to love the Black Lion but it has gone way downhill in my estimation and I will not be returning.

I live in Melford and use all 7 of our great pubs, but sadly have found myself at the Black Lion just for drinks these days. . . The food used to be great, an awesome setting in the restaurant . . The food has gone way too pretentious for my tastes (just my tastes maybe, it’s a personal review, others may love it).. The scorched mackerel starter was 3 teeny pieces each the size of a second class stamp . . That was it. . Hmm . . Then (in my opinion) the greatest food massacre Suffolk could encounter. . When you read Suffolk Pork Belly you salivate at the thought of soft pork with a crunchy scorched crackling covered in jus and accompanied by creamed potatoes and some steaming vegetables right?. . Not at the Black Lion sadly . . That beautiful piece of local pork is cremated until grey and rock solid, and served up in hard chunks as part of a caeser salad with lettuce and mayo . . Absolute treason to that Suffolk favourite. . If this were 200 years ago the chef would be hanging from one of the large Oaks outside Melford Hall on The Green outside. . It’s truly a headshaking concept. . Suffolk Pork Belly will never forgive you . . Anyhow, massace aside the food needs to find reverse gear and get back to the basics a tad (my opinion), i would imagine a few people dine here and find nothing on the menu they want. . And that’s criminal . . Great ingredients that don’t need experimenting with. . Oh, Gins are fantastic, as are staff, setting, ambience the lot. . A great place, but let the ingredients do their thing.

Quiet meal at early lunch. Attentive bar staff and pleasant restaurant staff too. Non intrusive attention.

What a shame. We came here in May and had good meals. This time it was a total disappointment. £10 for three one inch stamp stamp sized mackerel pieces as a starter. And not even tasty; bland. Rip off. What really irritated me is that the service charge is added into the bill automatically. So the waitress, who hadn't dealt with the mackerel issue very well when it was raised, added in her 10% to the bill and then gave me the credit card machine to agree it. I didn't have any option to add or not add my tip, it was included in the credit card machine total. In fact I always give a tip, but I don't like to be forced to do so. When I raised this with her, she said that it was nothing to do with her, it was down to management. Just not good enough. I appreciate she has no control over the mackerel size pieces, but I don't expect to be MADE to pay a tip when it's optional. We won't be coming again. Instead, we will go 50 yards down the road to Scutchers which is a much better restaurant, and frankly the service is fantastic. And it's no more expensive. These people at the White Lion have no idea how to treat customers. It's a ripoff. Beware.

Have thoroughly enjoyed the food on previous visits but this time we were all disappointed with the quality and quantity of the roast beef in our Sunday lunches. Only one piece of beef, and once the fat and gristle had been removed from my piece, the remaining portion was not only meagre but also very tough. The mackerel starter was extremely small, just three 1-inch bits, more of an ‘amuse bouche’, and no roll or bread was served with it to bulk it up.

Very disappointing lunch today, despite excellent food on previous visits. Only one slice of roast beef, which was tough and gristly. The bread and butter pudding was inedible, although one portion was taken off the bill. Coffee Luke warm. However, staff were very pleasant, and their signature gravy was as good as ever. A bit upsetting, as we meet with old friends who have moved away, and an ideal midway venue for a catch-up.

The Black Lion is a lovely clean place with very helpful staff. Lovely Menu and caters for Gluten Free - food is well presented and awesome, You are not rushed - well worth a visit

The three of us had reserved a table for lunch and were placed in an old fashioned but comfortable room. The three course meals and the wine were very good.Our experience would have been even better if the staff had shown a bit more enthusiasm. They seemed to go through the motions without much interest in the patrons.

Wow, what a lunch. Fantastic food, excellent service & pleasant surroundings. Not the cheapest, but, you certainly get what you pay for. Highly recommended

The outside is deceptive. This is a larger establishment than I anticipated with beautifully appointed dining areas both formal and informal and an extremely attractive large patio. Like all the Chestnut Group collection of hotels / pubs there is great attention to detail in the décor both in and outside and the food is well above average pub standard in invention, quality, execution and presentation.

My son had recommended this and he was right. Plenty of space outside and the food was outstanding. Staff efficient, pleasant and interested in their clients.

This is our first visit here and we had a wonderful evening. The restaurant is warm, cosy and nicely decorated. The young man serving was very attentive and made sure we were looked after. We ordered the cod and chips and were really impressed with the way it was presented and it tasted delicious on top of the warm tartar sauce. The addition of pickled cucumber was a nice touch. The pork chop dish was equally tasty. Great wines by the glass. Will definitely return in the new year. Well done black lion.

We picked the Black Lion for my birthday treat this week and were not disappointed. The menu was inventive and service was friendly and efficient. Portions were very generous. We had the ham hock terrine with sourdough bread to start, followed by the pork chop and sea bream - both superb. We were pretty full by then but it would have been rude not to try the desserts. We enjoyed chocolate brownie and old fashioned rice pudding with plums and pistachios, which was particularly good. Covid19 rules worked well. Happy to recommend. PS - the dinner menu is served as a fixed price menu at lunch on Wednesday to Saturday so works out very good value for money.

Stayed here for a couple of nights.Hotel was warm and staff were extremely friendly, and COVID-19 restrictions were in place.We had one of the luxury rooms, with an en-suite, on the top floor. Please note, there is no lift, and my wife had a little trouble with the stairs. The room was a nice size, but the television was the smallest I’ve seen in a long while. Very difficult to watch any subtitles from the comfort of your bed. Please replace with larger screen.Food was served on the Sunday evening, but not on Monday or Tuesday, currently due to restricted opening hours. Our meal was delicious. I had the beetroot and salmon followed by chicken, then the rice pudding for dessert.My wife had the crab followed by sea bream with chocolate tart for dessert.All meals very tasty and nicely presented.Breakfast on the first morning was cereal or yoghurt followed by either continental or full English. Again, very tasty, although they didn’t have Gluten Free sausages, which was a slight disappointment as the hotel had been advised I was a Coeliac.Breakfast on the second morning was continental only, as we had previously been advised. They made up for my lack of GF sausages the previous morning by providing me with GF croissants, a lovely touch. Overall, a lovely hotel that provided a much needed change from the 4 walls we have been limited to for the last few months.

We popped in for a quick snack in this very attractive pub. We were given a light airy table by a window, were served a delicious series of first courses. Home cured smoked salmon with beetroot apple and horseradish cream was a particular favourite. The wine selection is good and very well priced. Picpoul de Pinet - a personal favourite around £23-5

The restaurant was amazing, the food was absolutely delicious and well-presented. Can't fault the food at all. I am vegetarian, and they had a delicious pasta dish I would recommend. There was only the one vegetarian option on the menu, but they did also have a vegan option which is created each evening depending on the ingredients they have. I had called prior to my stay to check the vegetarian and vegan food options and they were really helpful and entirely flexible depending on my needs and likes/dislikes. However, I did stay at the hotel with my partner for 2 nights and on arrival, we were quite disappointed by the cleanliness of the family room we had been booked into (there were no smaller rooms available as they were fully booked when we came to book). With Covid-19 being prevalent, I would have expected more attention to detail. The cups and glasses in our room were just out on the side without being upturned or on any mats, or in any wrapping. There was dust on the sides and on the kettle, including the headboard of the bed. There was also a dead fly and a small bit of what looked like plant debris on the bed sheet. The room also felt like it was in the middle of refurbishment, with the cutting in paint colour (around the edges near the ceiling and down the corners of the room) being different to the rest of the walls, it was a darker shade of purple/pink. There were also marks and scrapes on the walls. The teas, coffees and sugars were provided in brown envelopes which are quarantined before being provided so there's no worry with Coronavirus which we thought was good. The shower in this room was quite temperamental with the hot and cold water, we couldn't seem to get it to a comfortable warm temperature. We are both quite tall also and we did have to stoop down a little as the shower was clearly made for people that are smaller in height than us! Staff are regularly temperature checked but it is worth noting that none of the staff wear masks because they want to maintain personable and approachable for their guests, which I was ok with as I maintained socially distanced, but this could potentially be a problem if a staff member has coronavirus and is asymptomatic. We did raise our concerns to a very helpful member of senior staff, Michael, who listened to us and explained that the room had been quarantined for a few days before our visit and it hadn't been checked by the cleaner again before our arrival. This did reassure us that the risk of catching Covid-19 from anything in the room was very low as it had been quarantined. They did offer to clean it for us but we declined this as it would have broken our room 'bubble'. Michael then generously applied a discount to our accommodation cost which we were really grateful for. He then ensured the rest of our visit was as comfortable and pleasant as possible, so thank you Michael!

The Black Lion oozes class & has lots of character. The food menu is small but inventive. All 6 of us thoroughly our meal. The wine list is excellent & they serve great local Nethergate Real Ale. Much recommended!

Wonderfull service from beginning to end-young wait staff were attentive and friendly food was delicious and served in good time and a lovely warm atmosphere throughout. Chestnut group have a few restaurants in the area and having tried most I cannot fault them-they are doing a great job.

The staff were pleasant and friendly but after being recommended the local draught beer and ordered by two of the four diners we were told it was actually not available. I ordered the Roast Chicken and was told it was no longer available but roast beef that was not on the menu was available. I ordered this but when it arrived it was almost raw. I sent it back but it meant I was waiting for my meal whilst the three other diners had to eat their meal. All our meals were lukewarm and service was very slow despite there being not a vast amount of customers. Desserts were OK but nothing special and we felt it was a rather overpriced and soul-less evening out, We would not choose to dine there again.

We picked The Black Lion from its online reviews for our first dinner of our “minimoon” in Long Melford. We had a fantastic meal - the starters (scotch egg & chicken terrine) were really nice but the mains (pork chop & confit duck) were really REALLY nice. Both were seasoned well and had a great balance of flavours, no overpowering sauces, just allowing the flavour of the ingredients to come through. Perfect service - attentive, friendly, helpful & knowledgeable but not intrusive. If we ever come back to Long Melford, The Black Lion will be top of our list for dinner!

We had a lovely meal. Staff were helpful and they were happy to accommodate our two greyhounds. The vegan option was particularly good but we all thought our meals were excellent. The ambience was average, but at this time perfectly acceptable.

Something I always look for in a restaurant is ordering something relatively normal and being "blown away" when it arrives as it is something exceptional and full of flavours you did not expect - that sums up the food at the Black Lion.If you order the Ham Hock Scotch Egg as a starter I would suggest you get this as a sharing dish - a fantastic flavour combination cooked to perfection, but a meal on its own - far more than a starter for one. The Pork schnitzel, which is really a pork chop, was well seasoned and perfectly cooked (very moist) but for me celeriac purée and apple & celeriac slaw was really the highlight of the dish.Great staff, great service and great atmosphere (which is hard in these Covid times) - well worth booking a visit.

Amazing. Fantastic setting and excellent freshly cooked food. Good menu choices and excellent service. Couldn’t fault anything.

Arrived late and didn’t have time to check the other options in town for food so decided to eat at the black Lion where we was staying. So glad we did, the food was phenomenal and far exceeded our expectations. Would expect to pay double for the quality that we received. Staff were very friendly and helpful throughoutWould highly recommend.

My wife and I stayed at the Black Lion overnight. The food was very good, the accommodation excellent and all the staff were friendly and attentive. I would certainly have no reservations in recommending the Black Lion!

Popped in for some Christmas drinks with a couple friends this week. Not too local but wasnt aware of the pub before. Nice little gem to enjoy a couple social drinks in. George behind the bar was a good character, made us a drink I'd never even heard of before and as a beer drinker I wasnt too optimistic but it was a nice change. Made the visit that bit better, nice to see an old school type bartender as usually they dont get involved nowadays! The bar was nice and clean, not too busy and not too loud or quiet so all in all was a nice few drinks and will definitely be returning again for food that's for sure!

A friend told me this was an expensive eat for him and his wife. - over £100 for two courses plus some wine. My bill was £84 - two courses, two glasses of wine plus one coffee. Are you getting value? The food is good and nicely presented but portions are a bit on the small size. What lets down the kitchen is the general scruffiness of the staff. (This has been reported before and the hotel said it would do something.). Scruffy chinos really don't do the kitchen justice. Where are the white shirts and black aprons (or vice versa?).The challenge for this restaurant is the competition: Scutchers (some would say one of the best in East Anglia) is 70m down the road and the ever-popular The George in Cavendish has restaurant staff that look smart, confident and professional. Food is very good. And for a three course set lunch of outstanding excellence (that is much cheaper than The Black Lion) there is The Great House at Lavenham, one of Suffolk's most notable restaurants.I don't feel The Black Lion quite knows where it is. Is it fine dining? Not really. Is it good pub food? Not pubby at all - no battered fish and chips here. Yet you are going to have a good meal in pleasant ambient surroundings on plain wooden tables. You won't be disappointed at what's on your plate. Kitchen staff do a good job. You might have wished for a little more in the starter and a little less on the bill. However, staff smiles do not overcome a generally uneven standard of dress - especially men. And this lets the side down. Pricing against the keen competition is an issue.

A very nice visit to The Black Lion. Started off with the Gin cured salmon, very fresh and nice start to the meal. The mackerel starter looked rather nice also though! I then opted for the Lamb, which was cooked beautifully. Luckily I tried a little of my friends Duck dish which was simply fantastic! We both proceeded onto puddings which were both delicious! Followed by dessert wine, again very nice! Will come again.

We went to the Black Lion for lunch on Sunday.Although the roasts looked fabulous we don't eat meat. I went for the Hake and Marc had the heritage carrots purple potatoes. Both dishes were phenomenal.Service fantastic and atmosphere welcoming.

Loved this restaurant and would def recommend Food excellent Service with a smile Nicely spaced tables Good price Excellent wines Enjoyable evening

The best of several restaurants we visited in Long Melford. Just a short walk from our B&B, we enjoyed a peaceful dinner of Soup of the Day, Chicken & Sundried Tomato Tureen followed by Pork Tenderloin and Rack of Lamb all beautifully served. We don’t do puddings. It made a pleasant change from dining in a noisy pub.

We indulged ourselves in Sunday Lunch here whilst staying nearby and took advantage of the set price 2 course menu. We both chose the Roast Beef which came with the usual selection of trimmings including a very large yorkshire pud and was very tasty but I wished that the knives provided were a little sharper as I had difficulty in cutting the meat but non the less the portion provided would be enough to satisfy the hungriest of diners!The blackberry cheesecake with apple sorbet my Husband chose for dessert was quickly devoured with murmers of approval but I found the crackers provided with the cheese board were rather too hard to be really enjoyable so would have appreciated a mixed selection: cheeses were lovely though!.The decor in the dining area is very modern and all staff very friendly and we look forward to visiting again when next in the area.

afternoonjust got back from long melford.....celebrating my sisters birthday (2morro) my treat....first visit in the black lion to eat,had tea there in march to see if we liked the place....we have eaten in every pub/tea room in melford having sunday lunch....this pub/hotel is the best of all in our opinon....i had beef which was served pink but i asked for mine to be cooked a little more to my liking....vegetables were cooked to perfection seasoned superb.. honey glazed parsnips,lightly black garlic carrots, goose fat roasties but were dry not dripping in fat....gravy was very tasty,sister had pork loin..just as good as mine....service from young ladies was good.....but the male waiter was a bit slow in serving the coffee...but i will forgive you..lol.... deserts were tip top also......simply superb tasting sunday lunch..that so many other places mess up....will be going back...we are booking for christmas day....c u then..best place to eat in melford...second place is the crown which is also excellent....but the lion is a roaring success. regards to the chef and staff.

We have visited the Black Lion twice. On the first occasion we enjoyed the food which was beautifully presented, but felt we were pressured into having a dessert when we didn’t want one.However we decided to give it another try recently. As before the food was good but the restaurant had little atmosphere. We always tip for good service but the one thing we do object to is having 10% service charge added to the bill.Surely this should be up to the customer to decide on a gratuity

We stayed here for five days. It is a lovely old building, recently renovated and very smart. The rooms are a good size and we had a very large bedroom with an armoire (only 4 hangers) desk,comfy bed & with good lighting. One good desk chair and a comfortable armchair. TV was small with poor sound. It was very hot in the 30s and the small tower fan was useless so we were provided with a large fan which worked well. English hotels need to put in ceiling fans if they don’t have air conditioning. The pillows were good and we had to ask for a top sheet as duvets are always provided in the UK in hot weather and they are too much!

Vriendelijke bediening, mooi zitten.

Lovely setting, with friendly and helpful staff. A good choice on the menu and all beautifully cooked and presented, very tasty. Would recommend this restaurant, all very nicely set out and not too crowded with tables.

The pub is old and has lots of character. The staff are friendly and helpful and the breakfast is great. Rooms are clean and well modernized although the absence of a desk or chair would make a business stay not so good. The restaurant has a good menu but we found the food only average although the chef clearly works on presentation and being a bit different. No problems parking and Long Melford is a very nice Village.

This is an excellent find, very relaxing, friendly inviting place to stay. The attention to service was great not too pushy, just right and friendly.

Four of us were sat at a beautifully laid out table in a room buzzing with atmosphere for a mid-afternoon lunch.

Popped in here on a random visit out to Suffolk and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Me and my husband visited The Black lion during our weekend stay in the village. The service and food where both impeccable.

Excellent meal, great wines and an super staff willing to help and make your visit memorable. Will be back

Completely faultless. The food is delicious, plentiful and beautifully presented. I frequently eat at top rated restaurants and locations with celebrity chefs and while the food is generally very good, on this occasion, The Black Lion is outshining many. I was full after my main course but everything was so delicious, I had to call on my pudding belly.....saying no was not an option. Wow, wow, wow.

Stopped here for lunch before having a walk around the village. Service was initially excellent when we were shown to our table but a little hit and mis after that.

Has The Black Lion got a new Chef, or was he having an “OFF” day ?? We decided to book Sunday lunch for visiting family as we have eaten there a few times recently and have always been really pleased with the quality of the food but unfortunately today that wasn’t the case. The roast beef was exceptionally rare and and tough, in fact we did bring this to our servers attention and had the beef replaced but unfortunately the replacement was just as bad, to be fair they did apologise and we were not charged for the beef meal but we all agreed that the quality of the rest of the main meals (roast potatoes & veg ) was not up to their usual standard. The chicken was very tender and the deserts were good. It was such a shame as we had extolled the virtues of their Sunday lunches to our visitors.. I must add that the staff are great and we had no problem with the service.

The staff were very helpful, friendly and accommodating, but the highlight was the food. Dinner was on point. Skilled execution with confident presentation, the menu was a challenge to choose something from amongst the mouth-watering options. A very reasonable Shiraz at £20.50 was very enjoyable. It is a rare pleasure to relax knowing that the food will be good right from the start. Homemade bread with whipped butter just set the tone for the rest of the evening, all the way through to the light rhubarb cremeuax.

A lovely place to sepnd the night. Very friendly staff, delicious food, and brilliant bedroom. Great location, easy walk to Long Melford which is just a brilliant place to visit. Would definitely return.

Nothing overly fancy about this hotel restaurant but very comfortable with a good ambiance. The menu caters for most tastes and the excellent chefs offerings are well presented and beautifully cooked. Service is good and you get value for money.

Recently made over in Farrow & Ball style, this old inn is situated on a huge village green, next to a very attractive church. Wooden floors, nice scrubbed tables, good service, food is a very good standard

Lovely recently renovated hotel with 10 rooms. Super friendly staff who cannot do enough to help and assist. Charlie & Dijon were exceptional. Relaxed and comfy lounge. Warm and comfy bedrooms. Great food well prepared and not the usual fare. Will stay agin if in the area.

What an amazing place, beautiful building, stunning setting, fabulous food and friendly, helpful staff that couldn't do enough to make our family visit a success.

We had reserved a table and arrived on time. Stood waiting by restaurant entrance and ignored by staff moving about. One said “be with you in a minute”. Another who was the one who eventually greeted us but not before walking past us and ignoring us twice. Not a good start. We were shown to our table where we sat for 20 minutes before being shown menus and making a drinks order. Food portions were small and I guess should be fine dining but we’ve had fine dining and know what it should be. Expensive for what we had.

This is my son’s favourite restaurant in the area and he treated me for my birthday. The staff were welcoming, friendly and good service. I was given a complimentary glass of a local sparkling wine and a chocolate brownie afterwards with happy birthday written on the plate in chocolate which was a nice touch. The food was stunning in both presentation and taste. I recommended The Black Lion to one of the chefs where I work. Will definitely come back.

We stayed for 2 nights and had dinner on the first night in the restaurant - good food and efficient and pleasant service.Our room was spacious and comfortable - with a nice view of the green.

We booked late on a Sunday evening fully expecting to have a Sunday Roast but in my group 3/4 were intrigued by the black lions interpretation of Fish and Chips. We were thoroughly impressed, perfectly cooked and great potion size of Cod, brilliant chips, smooth bright pea purée and just the right amount of scraps. We will be back!!

Myself and my girlfriend had heard about the roasts at the black lion in long Melford and even know it was a 50 minute drive away we decided to give it a go

What a great place, a good mix of locals and visitors. Very relaxing stay, comfortable and cosy. Food excellent and I’m not that easy to please. Staff great, friendly and warm but not too familiar and couldn’t do enough for us.

We visited The Black Lion for our friends 70th birthday celebration and were very impressed. There were 17 of us in total and the lunch began by being invited into a very warm lounge area, which could accommodate all of us.

Our first visit today, and we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.

From the moment we walked into the Black Lion we were made to feel welcome by the warm, friendly and efficient staff. We were provided with several menus to choose from and opted for the set menu. We both had the beetroot and goats cheese starter, fish pie main and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Every morsel was bursting with flavour and delicious.

Excellent food, great service and very good value for money. Have family now moved to area and will certainly be going back!

Arrived for lunch, really impressed with the welcome. Attentive service. We all enjoyed the same starter - smoked haddock & poached egg. Three different mains, by this time we all agreed that this was one of the best meals we had eaten for a long time. Would thoroughly recommend this beautiful restaurant.