The Boathouse Bar And Grill in Babergh

The food, service and general ambience were first class. Sitting alongside the River Stour watching life go by, with a crisp white wine in hand and a selection of sea food was a lovely moment for our 51st Wedding Anniversary.

We enjoyed staying a night here. The room was clean and comfortable and we loved the setting of the pub next to the river. We had some lovely food and drink. The staff were friendly and efficient.

We never got to experience Lunch at The Boathouse as we found out via social media that the business had closed, just three days before our booking!!! Never had any emails from the owners notifying us that our booking couldn’t be honoured. I know that it must have been a huge knock for the owners to close down their business, but if it wasn’t for social media we would have turned up at the restaurant on the day of our booking! #customershungouttodry!😔

We have visited this restaurant a few times since moving to Sudbury several months ago. The food is always excellent and the staff helpful and attentive. We will definitely be eating there again!

Fab food, very reasonably priced, brilliant service even though they were very busy. Outside area by the river lovely. Car park small but plenty of side roads with ample space after 6pm.

We have been to this restaurant in its many different incarnations over the years and I can honestly say this is the best it has ever been. We had Sunday lunch and the food was excellent; beautifully cooked, freshly carved roast beef and succulent chicken. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and the sticky toffee pudding and custard was lovely. A special note regarding the superb service throughout. All of the staff were smiling and helpful and they could not have taken more trouble to attend to our needs. The location is gorgeous beside the river. This new business deserves to succeed and I'd highly recommend it.

There was friendly attentive service & great quality food. Clean comfortable surroundings. Prices comparable to other local restaurants. We like the fact we could sit outside under cover even when raining, with a good view of the river. A special offer (2 or 3 course) lunchtime menu would attract us to visit more often. There were only us 3 and another table of 4 all lunchtime on a Wednesday.

Second time visit , 1st was for a sunday roast , good portion size , very tasty and very quick service. The second visit was midweek as we enjoyed it so much on a Sunday we thought we try it out. Wasn't disappointed very nice again , quick service and a warm welcome from the staff A++××

Was told to visit on recommendation. Disappointing to say least. Brought my friends here who are in the UK from Oz. The decking felt like I was going to fall through it upon arrival - very tatty whole lot is moving (nothing to do with my own weight I might!). Sat indoors music way too loud barely hear each other. Asked for Prosecco, the barman had started to put this into wine glasses until a colleague said no! Comical! I choose the chicken salad which was mediocre. We then were presented with an unopened bottle of Prosecco at the table that was not ordered. You never bring a bottle to the table unopened anyhow - just saying. Told the young lad it wasn’t ordered by our table. The bill came and upon checking, we had been charged for the bottle. Waitress did rectify this when we made her aware. Friend ordered salad instead of chips with the steak, but chips came and had to ask to get them to sort the salad. No complaints on the steak I might add. The menus were filthy, throw them print new ones! Toilets were not great either. Location wise you are onto a winner it’s very nice. But outside decking and seating (wooden picnic benches in places) could do with replacing. It could be a lovely venue. The waitresses all seemed really young, and not sure what to do or say. Rabbit in the headlights etc Seemed vacant if I’m honest. They could all do with some training and personality. Just lacks class for me. I wouldn't recommend and won’t return. Location wise -nice.

We had a wonderful meal at the Boathouse. We had to delay our original booking time as we had a small baby who needed feeding which delayed our arrival . We called to explain but the staff were so accommodating and lovely and told us not to rush. The food was beautifully presented and tasted lovely. We would definitely visit again. The only constructive things we can add to enhance future experiences would be be the following. The selection of desserts were really limited as they had sold out of most of the selection and the wait time for desserts to be served was a very long 25 minutes. This was challenging for the toddler who wanted their ice cream ! Parking was also challenging and we had to park off site but again no reflection on the staff as clearly a popular place for people to visit.

We recently spent our anniversary dinner here and the food cannot be faulted at all, it was incredibly good and the cocktails were also delicious! We had to wait a while for our drinks at first due to a backlog in the bar but our waitress took these off the bill for our wait and could not apologise enough, she was absolutely lovely and a credit to The Boathouse! The only thing we didn’t like was that we’d reserved an outdoor table that we assumed would be in their beautiful undercover area, however we were sat in the outdoor bar area which was a little uncomfortable as we wanted a relaxing meal together. Aside from that, an absolutely wonderful restaurant with lovely views.

This was the first time eating here since new owners came in. Me and my husband were very satisfied with the sea food tagliatelle and the wagu burger. The panna cotta for desert was cooked to perfection too. The service was friendly and efficient even though the venue was very busy. We would definitely return perhaps for an evening meal

It is a lovely site. The service was cheerful and fast. We all hadcalamares as a starter, which I found rather tough. I had the Seafood with taglietelle. The sauce was delicious, but the seafoo was limmited to Mussels *excellent( and a small prawn. My daughter enjoyed her curry and my sister-in-law like the chicken. They both finished with Eton Mess. which was first class, I had the chocolate cheese cake which was OK. I hope that does not sound too disparaging; we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

We had a lovely evening at the Boathouse on a Friday. Food was tasty (we had wild mushrooms tagliatelle with pea shoots and cream, butter chicken burger and a crispy Aspall- buttered fish of the day). The location is fantastic; sitting in the setting sun overlooking the River Stour. When it got a little bit cooler, we went inside the bar to savour some well-deserved drinks. Overall, we had a fab time!

Great location for a lovely Saturday lunch friendly staff and excellent reasonably priced food wine and cider

I recommend here for many reasons: such a warm, relaxed yet attentive front of house team, a beautiful decorated venue, great value for money and the excellent gluten free batter - thank you, Chef! We'll definitely be back again. 10/10

The Boathouse is in a wonderful setting by the river, with plenty of parking. My husband and I went for Sunday lunch on our wedding anniversary and the food was delicious, the service was friendly and efficient, and it was really good value - couldn't...

Very disappointing Sunday Roast, beef fatty and chewy! Two of the party ordered Haddock then told much later there was none left! Charged £19 for one course! Service very poor too! Will not return.

Great place to go, right on the river which will be picturesque in the sunshine. Food was great, good quality, good friendly professional staff

Very impressed with the standard of food and service we received during our visit. The staff were exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable. Food was well presented and delicious.

We were here for a function. The meals were pre ordered from a small set menu giving a choice of 3 main courses.

The boathouse has great staff and great food. The food was full of flavour and served with professionalism. The only niggle is access to the bar is through the restaurant, we had our table knock by people passing by a few times.

Thoroughly recommend this restaurant, the staff are exceptional, very attentive and efficient. The Sunday lunch was delicious, with perfect portion size, showing quality over quantity. Not often in this area but would most definitely visit again.

Once again Darren, Emma and their team done a great job. We visited on Sunday as a group of 22. Food was delicious!! Service as usual was excellent. What a great team, helpful and attentive to all of our needs and requests. Definitely our new...

Had Christmas lunch here so we thought we d go for lunch Easter Sunday. Excellent food and lovely staff nothing is too much trouble would def reccomend x

Very friendly & welcoming staff who were efficient and attentive throughout the meal. Food was mediocre sadly, tasteless chips and underwhelming food, which was a shame as location and staff are excellent. Just needs a bit more imagination in the menu and food choices.

Visited on Friday night, we had an amazing meal and the staff went above and beyond for us the service was fantastic. They also had a great singer in so the entertainment was also amazing and the place had a great atmosphere. Would highly recommend...

Came here for our Wedding Anniversary, The staff are so friendly, the food is amazing made our evening very special. Such a nice warm family place to be with amazing views. can not wait for the summer to enjoy there fabulous garden and cocktails on...

We were a fairly large party and therefore asked to pre order our meals. Food still took an hour to arrive. Happy to wait an hour for food if its good when it arrives, but this was far from the case. Chips were sparse and...

Never have I had such a horrible meal I had the fish and chips When the plate arrived the chips had been placed under the soggy fish I have never seen black chips. Everyone at the table had a black chip.I got lucky and had...

Honestly the worst meal i’ve ever had, booked for a meal for 12 for my partners birthday, pre ordered meals. still waited over an hour for meals, although this wasn’t the end of the world we were then served what can only be described as...

A amazing find. Haven’t been here since last owners which put me off but I will definitely return, had a steak which was amazing then polished my other half’s fish and chips, Everything was amazing staff so kind chatty and attended to what we wanted

What a lovely place to meet a friend for lunch .. Sudbury was ‘half way’ for us both to meet We just drive towards each other and stumbled across the Boathouse. Situated beside the water , we loved this place and would certainly visit again....

This place is stunning and the food is so on point cant rate it enough ! Relaxed environment ,friendly accommodating staff . The chef is obviously very talented and knows his stuff beautifully done roast very impressed . Highly recommend 🥂

The food is tasty. The surrounding are picturesque. The service is excellent. Next time I am in sudbury this is the place where I will feed and water.

We visited for an 18th birthday meal. I had left it a bit late to book for 14 people, but they were very happy to accommodate us. We pre ordered and they had a varied selection of food that appealed to everyone. On arrival they...

Thoroughly impressed. Beautiful location, wonderful decor, fabulous music, extremely welcoming and attentive staff and the food WOW. Exceptional quality for a brilliant price. I first visited at the start of February and went again the week after! I just want to keep coming back! Recommend...

What a beautiful little restaurant. Amazing ambience. The staff were very attentive and polite. The food was absolutely incredible and when we got the bill we were so shocked at the amazing value! Worth a visit for sure! The only thing I would say is...

We booked this hotel because the restaurant had such good reviews. Although it states it is open until 11 on Sunday, both closed at 5 which was disappointing. A comment in the welcome email would have been useful. Small but clean room, recently decorated, though...

We have been to this venue quite a few times now. The food is amazing, the staff are attentive, the drinks are great, and the venue is stunning. Last night, the food was exquisite - the flavours and the presentation were very well done (I've...

It was a excellent evening the food was delicious a lovely atmosphere & all staff Very friend would definitely go back

Visited with my family for pre new year meal. 6 of us and one child. Was a little disappointed with menu it was not as posted online and did not offer as many options had I known this I may not have booked. Service was...

Superb singer, excellent food and brilliant atmosphere. We also stayed in the rooms they have which was great so we could relax and enjoy the evening. Highly recommend them.

Everything was amazing as always starf was out of this world food was epic one member of starf was amazing with my son she was so nice can't wait to come again

Finally this restaurant is in safe hands. We had a fabulous girls lunch on a rainy Tuesday afternoon and the restaurant was cosy, Christmassy and such a fun place to be. The food was great value for money. We choose from their lunch time menu...

We had a great sunday lunch with friends a few weeks be ago so decided to return tonight for be a mid week treat for a special occasion ...I accept England match was on but rather disappointing..empty restaurant ..only table but ordered bottle of red...

Cosy surroundings and Lovely vibe, food was fantastic, staff were friendly and super helpful. Will definitely be back!

Four of us booked a table at the Boathouse for a Saturday evening meal. The staff there are very friendly and attentive. There is a good choice from the menu and we were not disappointed with the quality of the food and drinks served to...

This was our first time visiting and it did not disappoint. Friendly, efficient service and food was lovely with generous portion sizes. Would have preferred a few other menu choices but this would not deter me from returning. Good all round.

Went out to lunch and saw this restaurant on maps and was so glad we found it. It is set on the banks of the river with lovely views. There are outside seats, a covered outside area and large inside eating area. We were offered...

We all had a wonderful meal tonight! The choices on the menu were amazing and the kids set meal of 3 courses for £10 was awesome! Staff were attentive and the food was delicious!! Will definitely be back ❤️

Visited yesterday as a last minute booking and on two separate recommendations. Overall very good. Ambience , decoration and restaurant service was to a very good standard. The setting is gorgeous, right next door to the river with a lovely outdoor terraced area adjacent to...

We had a wonderful meal, it was our first time visiting. The food was delicious and of high quality. Great service from the staff. Will most certainly be coming back again, highly recommend.

Meal for 10 yesterday, superb roast dinner everyone catered for. Staff were excellent and it was so good we booked in for Xmas

Absolutely perfect venue for small functions . Amazing food and lovely staff. Beautiful views and interiors

Fabulous menu choice, food was delicious & the staff are amazing, will definitely be returning very soon.

Everything was great! The food, the service and the setting.. the only problem I have is that I couldn’t try more of the menu on the same evening 😊 will 100% be back again and will be recommending!

We visited on a Sunday after a morning kayaking nearby. Booking online was simple. We received a warm greeting and were given very good service throughout. The roast was very nice, although the beef a little tasteless and very slightly tough. We would have liked...

First ever visit. Lovely decor, comfortably spaced from other tables. Good food and the service was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble. Will be back as soon as we can.

We visited on a Saturday night and were very impressed by the quality of our food, the choice on the menu, service and the setting. Top marks all round. Great to see such good service from the relatively young waiting staff. Excellent.

Fantastic restaurant! Beautiful setting, delicious food, fabulous service, dog friendly! Have been here a few times and will definitely return. It wasn’t a huge issue but we waited a small while for cutlery to be given to us and our table to be cleared. Thank...

Just had Mersey oysters. Perfect. Then scorch egg. Cooked perfectly. Then Scallops. They were incredible. Undersold!!!! I hope they keep on the menu. I never photo food but this looked & tasted amazing.

I booked The Boathouse for my sisters Hen party. We had a brilliant time with the help of the amazing staff and delicious drink options. See you again soon…

Beautiful setting. the food is great & good value. the service is spot on. Great place to relax on a sunny day.

Chips seem to be double or triple fried in questionable fat. The meat of the burger very rubbery and without flavor. Cocktail standard poor. Service mediocre. The bill was surprisingly high. Will not be going back, though to be fair the music was good, which...

My friends and I visited on Wednesday 25th night on the off chance of some food. To our delight even though they were busy had room. I had the sardines to start followed by a fillet steak and I have to say I was throughly...

I came to a Pilates and Paddle-board event last night and it was absolutely amazing. The space and setting is perfect. The staff were really helpful and friendly. The food was lovely. This is the first time I’ve been in in years, I will definitely...

I hosted a Pilates & Paddle Board event at this stunning venue. The staff were incredibly helpful and the setting is just stunning. The food was brilliant and the service was great. Thank you for hosting such a fantastic evening. Jade

Visited here on Saturday night after booking a table for 7pm well in advance. When we arrived we were told a list of what was not available. Fair enough. We then ordered cocktails. Passoa was put into an espresso martini which was really unpleasant! Then...

Have visited sudbury many times ,and decided to visit this pub and have a meal ,we wasn’t disappointed,staff were very attentive,very good selection of meals Fillet steak melted in your mouth and the cod just flaked and was very fresh

We choose the Boathouse as we had eaten there a few weeks ago and the food and service was excellent. We decided to return yesterday to celebrate my birthday and they have a new chef and the food sadly was very disappointing. Fish and 'triple'cooked...

Had a lovely meal a couple of days ago, booked a while ago for a table of two and was able to book on the morning for an extra seat. Very accommodating. Had calamari to start which was delicious and then a medium rare sirloin...

I cannot recommend The Boathouse highly enough. It was a very busy Sunday lunchtime and although there was a bit of a wait for food, the service was excellent and staff were very friendly and welcoming. I had the Gazpacho to start, and it was...

This is the first time we have visited the Boathouse since the new owner took over. Irie J is a singer who we have seen many times in the past so we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to combine the two. We were...

Myself and a group of friends attended an evening with Irie J with a 3 course dinner. Food was amazing !!! ( compliments to the chef) the wine was flowing and very reasonably priced and Irie was sensational . The night was sold out !!!...

First visit to the boathouse and not knowing what to excpect family birthday what a great night excellent food good value for money nice to see staff that are well organised and friendly, highly recommend singer Irie J was excellent kept the dance floor alive...

We should not have been worried about previous reports of this restaurant. 4 of us had a lovely lunch in the shade on the decking looking out onto the river. What a position. The food could not be faulted and the wine knowledge of our...

I have to say it was a lovely experience all round. Service and staff was friendly and efficient. Food great, atmosphere and location good. If only there was more parking more people could experience it. Please keep up the standards and good work. Look after...

Absolutely loved this family run restaurant… they made our mothers 60th birthday very special… dogs allowed outside aswell. Food was beautiful, staff were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend this place.

Really enjoyable Sunday lunch. This place has had a variety of guises over the years and given its lovely position on the river we've never really understood the frequent change of ownership. We went for lunch on Sunday and really enjoyed not only the location,...

We dined at The Boathouse on 8th July. It was our first time there but certainly will not be our last. The food was delicious and the staff really did appreciate the true meaning of customer service. We were made to feel special. Please support...

Went for Sunday roast and we have to say that you'll never go home hungry. Friendly staff and made very welcome. If I have one criticism it would be the carpark,which doesn't have the best of exits.

We just had our first Sunday lunch for 4 The Boathouse, didn't realise it had changed hands until we got there but were very pleased we reserved. The service was attentive and the food was delicious. I was unable to have dessert as the starter...

Really pleased this is under new and excellent ownership. It’s in a beautiful location with lovely views of the river. We visited for Father’s Day and loved the menu particularly the roasts. The staff are very attentive and friendly . Well worth a visit .

We came for a Father’s Day meal and really enjoyed our meal. Due to being Father’s Day there was a set menu but still a great amount of choice. Good children's menu also. Looking forward to visiting again and trying the normal menu.

Well this is the second time I have been to the boat house in sudbury. The first was very good and last night was excellent. I have eaten in many places with excellent food and I have to say the food last night was tasty...

Took friends over the Jubilee bank holidays. Staff were happy for us to move to another table to enjoy the sunshine/scenery. Menu's had something for everyone! Waiting staff very helpful and friendly which added to the experience. Food came in a timely manner and was...

Great lunchtime visit for 4 of us, attentive staff, super food and lovely location, especiallyon a sunjy day to eat outside. Recommended

Booked for 28th May, lively atmosphere great food. Excellent service from all the staff had a very enjoyable evening. I would definitely return.

First time visiting the boathouse and I found the atmosphere comfortable, the service was good and the food was lovely! I had the burger with cheese and bacon jam and my boyfriend had the 10oz steak which was cooked exactly to his liking. We also...

Had an evening meal to celebrate a birthday. Happy friendly service.. Good selection of food.. plenty on the plate too.. Would definitely go back again..

A welcoming atmosphere for an after work drink and some bar snacks. Staff were friendly and attentive. The venue is lovely, only the weather stopped me sitting outside by the river. Will definitely be back soon x

What a great pub. Really great service and delicious food. One of the best Sunday roasts I have ever had!

What a great experience. Food was terrific, staff very attentive and the atmosphere was great, a nice buzz in the dining room. We stayed for a cocktail afterwards and left very happy!

A beautiful location. Beautiful food. And a good cocktail selection. Unfortunately felt let down by a member of staff I think the manager! On her phone. And speaking to her staff in a very unprofessional manner. The waitress we had was lovely and was doing...

The staff were so friendly and accomodating for our group, brilliant all night long! The fillet steak was incredible, best I've ever had - would go back again and again

Went for first time on Saturday Birthday lunch and sat outside on a sunny day which was lovely. Food was Great and amazing service slowed up slightly for desserts. Only criticism was website was misleading with lunch deal. Will be back .

The food was to die for, the servers were excellent and it is located in such a beautiful setting. We particularly enjoyed the chicken schnitzel and the cocktails were amazing! The atmosphere was great and overall a really good experience. The only downside is there...

We loved our visit to the Boathouse, we were celebrating my dads birthday and we could not fault our visit. Great staff..

This was our first visit since it changed hands and having read the reviews on their website we were looking forward to it. Our friend was with us and I was saying how good this place was. Firstly service, we put our drink order in...