The Brantham Bull in Babergh

We popped in here for lunch, was told service would be about an hour, as they were busy, but actually our food arrived very quickly! Great pub for large groups wanting food. Large garden, dog friendly.

A pķarty of 14 of us had an early evening meal on Good Friday, We had booked this for our wonderful Dad's 85th Birthday. Gemma could not have been more helpful,organised and accommodating.From my Dad to the youngest member of our party who is 7.Gemma just puts her heart and soul into this family business.The staff are wonderful.Polite and efficient. As for the head chef,Gemma's husband Paul and joint owner of the Bull.He is one of the very,very few places that is actually able to provide and cook a steak to perfection.The whole atmosphere and experience,from start to finish was absolutely fantastic. The pub was busy as usual ,and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time,and this did not impact the level of service and the dedication of the whole team.Couldn't recommend this place highly enough.The best place around here for miles.Cannot wait to go back.Thankyou Gemma and Paul,and all the rest of the dedicated team.Julie A.

Wonderful atmosphere and welcome. Vast selection of food all served beautifully. Thoroughly recommend. Stayed overnight with our motorhome

Had a Sunday lunch and it was outstanding !! Fresh,piping hot food with unlimited gravy ! I asked for Cauliflower cheese and it wasn't even on the menu but the chef made it specially. Great value for money and fast and knowledgeable staff . 100% recommend.

Lovely little gem of a place. Really lovely food and great staff, seems very popular so worth booking in advance

Excellent Sunday roast haven't been lately we like trying various pubs will definitely be back in the future and will recommend to others

Lovely food, very nice atmosphere with friendly staff. There was a bit of a wait for our food but I think they had a party of 30 plus so not a surprise. Bonus was their own draught beer brewed for them by Adnams apparently. Would highly recommended them, only marked them down for the slow service.

It was to celebrate my retirement and 23 of us were accommodated in the smugglers bar. The party organiser was allowed in early to put up some decorations which made for a very cosy and inviting venue. The food was fantastic and plentiful and it all came out on time. There was no trouble in catering for vegetarians, egg intolerance and dairy free options. The staff were very attentive all evening and a great time was had by all. Thank you Paul and Gemma for help making the evening so memorable.

Very disappointed. Ordered the haddock and chips. Is came very dried up as were the chips. It had been fried several times and left to wait, thus the batter was inedible. Voiced my concerns to the waitress but as we paid upfront there was no redress. Wouldn't recommend unfortunately.

Had a lovely meal, it was hot and they gave us a large portion of food, the only down side, we had to wait quite a while for our meal but, it was very busy.

Had an excellent Sunday lunch today (23rd Feb) to celebrate my wife’s birthday with our family of eight adults and four children. Great roast enjoyed by seven adults and two children. One of the children had fish and chips and the other adult enjoyed the homemade pie. Huge selection of desserts! We will certainly be back!

Fabulous dining experience on a Friday night with family for mums 80th birthday. We all got our food together, all piping hot. Son was disappointed with his steak as was quite fatty. Everything else was lovely.

Lovely landlords and staff, always very warm and welcoming, best pub food in Suffolk. Beers are great too, Thank you TGR xx

Very nice pub, polite staff, great pizzas. Large beer garden with lovely view of the river.

Four of us went for Sunday Lunch today. Beautiful food and great service. Will defiantly be going back.

Nice people good food definitely go back

We would like to thank the Brantham Bull for our amazing Family Sunday lunch on Sunday the 19th of January. The service was outstanding (thanks, Jo) All the vegetables were cooked to perfection with extra, everything including lashings of piping hot gravy. All the meats on order were beautifully cooked and not short in supply. I vote it best Sunday roast available and not to be missed so thank you Brantham Bull you did us proud. Karen Fox

Had an excellent roast dinner here. The plate was full and the amount of veg was unbelievable. Two courses with a round of drinks came in just under £30 a head and it was worth every penny. Will defiantly be going back. Another advantage is that it is dog friendly, so we didn't have to worry about rushing back and not being able to enjoy ourselves. Plenty of parking spaces in the car park so no worries there either.

Wow. What a great pub. The food was amazing the staff very friendly and welcoming. A good variety of beer. We Will be definately going again. Thanks Paul and team

Thank you The Brantham Bull, our stomachs were nice and full, the xmas meals were lovely & hot we enjoyed everything we got. GF too.

Extremely efficient service. Food is fresh, simply presented and very homely. Portions are generous. Very pleased to see an outwardly gay chef, Paul Chenery, at his finest

Always fabulous food with several options, whether for Lunch or Dinner. Service is always with a smile.

Friendly, welcoming, with excellent service - not overboard, but attentive enough. Food spot on!

Today was a special Xmas Eve breakfast with numerous choices served buffet style by numerous staff also serving tea and coffee all for a £15 per head price. Couldn't think of a better way to start Xmas. Dining room full and 3 sittings. What a treat.

Quality has gone down hill latley last time the food was poor I won’t return

We had all preordered our choice of meal from their very varied menu. We were sitting on two long tables, the chairs are all very comfortable and the dining area nice and light and was nice and warm. Our meals were served very efficiently. I just chose two courses because I know the main meals are a very generous portions and I do love my desserts!! I had chicken cooked in a leek and stilton sauce, with new potatoes, broccoli and carrots which was really delicious. Then for dessert I chose baileys tart with Chantilly cream, which was rich but most enjoyable.

We had the Christmas menu yesterday. From the moment we arrived it was a very pleasant experience. Food and staff excellent. We will definitely be revisiting in the future.

Booked in on a Sunday after driving past many times. Wonderful place with great food and lots of staff. Our family had a great lunch thank you.

Four of us had Sunday lunch at The Bull. Although the food was nice, it really wasn't anything special. Would i return? Possibly.

Had the best Sunday roast we have had for years. What a lovely friendly pub. Even our dog was welcome in the bar area.

Booked a buffet (wake) for twenty family members last Friday morning. We couldn't be happier! The food was amazing. Everything from home made Coffee cake to fried chicken. My picture doesn't do it justice. They just kept bringing out more and more. Wonderful service as well. Very reasonably priced.

A great place for any get together. Thursday is steak night and I highly recommend a visit, just don't ask for your steak to be well done or you might get some sarcasm from the kitchen 😱🤣🤣 (all in good humour though)

Very good food efficiency in serving you even when busy. All staff very helpful. A very nice relaxing experience.

Great thanks guys will be back soon

As they say on tick tock don't walk run to the Bull Pub, we had a fantastic meal there, the omlette was the best we have ever tasted, I had ham off the bone, eggs and chips which was delicious everything comes out fast, big portions, hot, tasty and reasonably priced. The staff are very friendly also a big thank you to the chef for cooking us a great meal. Will we come back its a big YES from us both.

I cannot praise this establishment enough! Birthdays, special occasions and treats…..there is only one place I take the family to and it’s the Brantham Bull every time. Why?……The food delivered to our table is continuously top draw….Hot, delicious and very well cooked by Paul who certainly knows what he is doing. Having spent my 50th Birthday here and going for the Tomahawk Steak, I was very pleasantly surprised by the best bit of beef I have ever eaten. Treat Yourself and head for the Brantham Bull!!!

Stopped in the overnight motorhome area for the night and had dinner in the pub. Service and food were both excellent. Small menu choice with something to suit most people's taste. Decided to stop for Sunday lunch as we enjoyed our dinner. Sunday lunch was really busy and again the same excellent standard of food and service.

Was surprised how nice it was. Will be back.

Lovely pub and excellent food. Staff very friendly and efficient. Dog friendly. Will definitely go back again.

Been several times. The steak night couple of weeks ago was a disappointment. Likewise the Sunday roast was not up to 5 star ratings. Question has the chef changed

Great pub & restaurant. Food tastes good. Service quick and friendly. Ambience clean, that's how it should be. Thank you!

Great food! Lovely friendly staff. The restaurant manager Sasha looked after us very well, nothing was too much trouble and was very busy!

We had a lovely meal here. The staff are all so friendly, helpful and welcoming. The garden has lovely views and our boys were able to kick a football. The food is great too!

We we visited for dinner at the bull myself my daughter and my wife. I had the bull burger and they had stone bake pizza's the food was lovely the atmosphere gradually picked up as time went on.. my only concern was the time we were left waiting throughout our visit by our waitress , this would not put us off from coming again 😀

Excellent food, service, and an excellent menu.

2nd visit and still amazing. Excellent. Lovely meal. Friendly staff.

Great service and lovely views from the patio and garden.

We were camping locally and decided to drive out to a pub. On arriving the bar staff were friendly and cheerful. We selected a table, the drinks were bought over together with the menus and Specials Board. My husband chose the grilled sardines as a main (you could have this as a starter as well) with new potatoes and salad. I chose the Sweet Potato. Spinach and Feta Cheese Pie with new potatoes and salad. The portions were very generous, fresh cooked and delicious. With drinks our bill came to just a bit over £40. All in all a fabulous evening, we will be back. Many thanks

Very warm and friendly country pub dining with an excellent menu. Fresh home cooked food served nice and hot. Generous and delicious portions and you won’t be disappointed. Thoroughly recommend this lovely pub and will revisit again. .

This is a very friendly pub on the border of Essex and Suffolk, spotlessly clean and friendly accommodating staff. I had the pleasure of ordering Hake fillet with mash vegetables and white vine sauce. I can only say it was truly amazing! Well presented, good size portions, and a taste to die for! As good as any London restaurant I’ve ever been to! Well done the Bill.

Not been to The Bull in years. Went this afternoon with friends. Food was amazing, very good portions for the price. Staff were friendly.. Would recommend it to friends and family. Look forward to another visit.

A fantastic place to start and end your UK holiday. Half an hour's drive from Harwich and such a hospitable welcome from Paul and his wife. A cozy pub and good food, daily specials and meat, fish and vegetarian.

The Bull is just an all round fantastic pub/restuarant run by probably the most lovely landlord and landlady I’ve met in my 35 years of frequenting pubs. Make sure you get it on your list of places to visit :) Steak night great value and tastiest one I’ve had for a long time

Really enjoyed the food. The service was great Really welcoming atmosphere.

Great plan for a free overnight stop in our campervan, super view of the river, had a delicious dinner. Friendly service too 😁

A very pleasant Sunday lunch in a packed out restaurant. The car park was in overflow mode. (If I had a disappointment it was lack of inspiration on the dessert menu - which I ended up not partaking of).

Had a good experience with friends. With good food and nice staff

Lovely food and service. I went there with as a group of ten, we all got different mains and they were all delicious. They have both vegetarian and gluten free options. Some people got dessert as well and they were very happy with them. I will definitely go again!

Very friendly welcome, nice puppy with very friendly host and hostess and staff. Delicious food and parked the camper for free on a beautiful field overlooking the river. We will go back on our way back, highly recommended!

Tasty lunch and excellent camper place at the back with a view of the Stour

Very accommodating staff. We were visiting for a long weekend and had a few meals there. Brilliant drive and very friendly staff Definitely recommend

Incredibly welcoming pub, good atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food!

We keep coming back , good food , friendly staff , just a nice place to be.

Lovely Sunday Roasts, good portion sizes for the money.

I had a lovely evening, lovely food and the staff really were brilliant and well done to the chef

Great food, best chicken burger ever. Thank you.

Very nice certainly get value for money food was good well worth a visit dogs welcome as long as they behave in a certain bar

Not a trivial experience! As someone who loves hot quality food on hot plates I was not disappointed. In the immortal words of Arni "I'll be back!".

A lovely lunch here and dogs made very welcome. Certainly come again

First time my wife and I have been to this pub. Had lunch here today (22nd Feb). Superb! Premises are very well decorated and furnished with plenty of room between tables. The staff were all very pleasant, friendly, efficient. There was a bit of a wait for the food but this is very acceptable when they are busy and clearly cook everything fresh. Tremendous choice on the menu. I opted for the gammon with two eggs, pineapple chips and peas. It was a huge piece of excellent quality meat! My wife was thrilled to have skate wing with new potatoes and fresh vegetables. The portion size was large and it beat her! We will certainly be back soon! Thank you.

Lunch with the family. 9rdered the feta filo parcel for a starter and WOW! Unbelievable. Really out of this world. Haddock and chips for mains. All really nice in a good setting. Reasonably priced.

Just got home from a fabulous Sunday roast at The Bull. I have stopped for a drink before but this was my first visit as a diner. Service was excellent. Cheerful staff. Great portion sizes. Delicious, tasty roast Lamb. Served extremely hot. Lovely fresh vegetables. Like a home cooked family roast. Atmosphere was buzzing. Very busy but didn’t feel like slow service. I would highly recommend but I would say booking is essential on a Sunday as it’s clearly a popular restaurant! Well done Team!!

First time visit, went with a group of friends, very impressed from the start even tho the server was busy she acknowledged our presence and was soon back to seat us. Whilst waiting to place orders the chef popped out to chat and offer suggestions. Went with the Garlic Mushrooms and Sirloin Steak, Portions were Very generous and the steak was cooked to perfection. Not the cheapest meal but for what we had it was more than worth the cost. Highly recommended

Very clean, good parking, lovely food and helpful staff

Had a lovely traditional Sunday roast at the Bull. It was our first visit but having gone to several places in the area for Sunday lunch, we will definitely be coming back here! Great portions, great quality and nicely cooked!

First time back after several years away, had not returned due to poor service but it really has changed now , made to feel very welcome, meal was good and at fair prices, we will be returning soon.

As always Gemma and Paul can't do enough for you.15 of us on Sunday.Fabulous day !!

Food was excellent and piping hot. Service was polite and friendly. Table for 4 near the window overlooking countryside...very pleasant.

Must have been a bad night, food is usually good here but the burger was tough and tasteless, menu limited this night

Just been for meal at the bull , well by far it's the best , and only place I would go back too , for me it was excellent.

We are so lucky to have such a fantastic pub/restaurant on our doorstep!! We are blessed locally to have a lot of pubs in the local area, but none come close to the food, atmosphere and friendly staff at The Bull. Dog friendly bar area and upper restaurant seating area, and dog free restaurant over looking the rolling fields towards the river stour (which is amazing in the summer). In the summer time you get the opportunity to sit on their large patio or garden with some of the best views from a pub garden in Suffolk. There is a 5-a-side goal for kids to play football with, as well as a ground level trampoline. They also have a large permanent marque that you can hire out for weddings, birthdays or just family events, which comes with private garden area for guests.

Fabulous Sunday lunch, super starter of prawn cocktail with a mains of roast beef and roast pork. Both were delicious served with a good serving of fresh vegetables, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. We then tried the Bakewell tart, Jam sponge and sticky toffee pudding all were excellent. Great serves from friendly staff. Thank you for a lovely lunch!

Had a lovely meal there before Xmas, will definitely be back.

2nd visit even better than the 1st

Absolutely super Sunday Lunch. Haven't been here for years, but had a great meal. Food excellent! We'll be back!

Really enjoyed our Christmas dinner at the Bull. Good quality and plenty of it. Service was very friendly and prompt.

A fantastic night at a Robbie Williams tribute eve. Brilliant entertainment, all the staff were amazing & great food. Thanks 😊

Lovely Christmas supper with friends. A perfect evening 👌

We popped in after looking at the Christmas stalls around the back. Food was nice and hot with a good choice.

Clean pub but felt it wasnt up to scratch with the prices. Servers were lovely.

Another brilliant visit for Sunday lunch, great craic with the staff, the Chef was on point with everything. My mate was beaten by the portion size and that’s rare 😄 Keep up the good work guys, we’ll be back 👌

So lucky to have this pub local to me! Only been in a handful of times (so far) but everytime it has been fantastic Food is beyond scrummy, huge portions, well presented and home cooked vibes. Staff are friendly, attentive and nothing is too much trouble. The wine selection is great! The atmosphere of the pub is cosy and welcoming. It has wonderful additions from books to read, to quiz cards on the tables as ice breakers. Its spacious and dog friendly too, with amazing views across the River Stour. This is an establishment whose owners have thought of everything you can think of to make people feel welcome and it works! A properly run, community spirited pub - a real rare find! Love it!

If I could chose 10 stars I would! Everything was sensational from the food to the wine, the ambiance, and the service. Our waitress Sacha was amazing. Attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and not overbearing. We came for steak night and boy did it impress. I used to live in Manningtree and came more frequently, but since moving back to Ipswich haven’t been for a couple of years. It was worth the trip! Too many places offer quantity without quality, but this was both. I’ll be back soon, but with looser trousers!! It was lovely to get to chat with Paul and Sacha after our meal. Paul really is the host with the most. Try for yourselves - you’ll be back time and again!!

If I could chose 10 stars I would! Everything was sensational from the food to the wine, the ambiance, and the service. Our waitress Sacha was amazing. Attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and not overbearing. We came for steak night and boy did it impress. I used to live in Manningtree and came more frequently, but since moving back to Ipswich haven’t been for a couple of years. It was worth the trip! Too many places offer quantity without quality, but this was both. I’ll be back soon, but with looser trousers!! It was lovely to get to chat with Paul and Sacha after our meal. Paul really is the host with the most. Try for yourselves - you’ll be back time and again!!

Yesterday (5/11/23) we had a family 85th birthday party in the function room which we found to be perfectly suitable for the 18 guests attending. The hosts were very welcoming and accommodating from the moment we booked to the moment we left and the food was brilliant! We had a buffet including hot and cold and found the food to be of extremely high quality and of generous quantity to varying tastes. The day couldn't have gone better and if you're looking for a smallish function room with great food in lovely setting it's hard to beat. 5/5

This is the best place we have eaten at recently, staff were very welcoming and kind and the food was amazing. We will definitely be coming back. Thankyou.

What a fabulous find. The Brantham Bull is an absolute gem of a pub, from a family-friendly welcome, to some of the best food I have ever had, to the wonderful atmosphere and welcome. If you are passing, or if close by, this pub is well worth a visit for great food, drinks and hospitality.

Been twice before fine. Last Friday October 27th husband said shall we book the Bull for tomorrow? I said ask when is skate next on the menu? Husband came off phone said got skate today and lady said if any left it will be on tomorrow so have asked her to save you a wing and she agreed. Upon arrival went in sat down asked what drinks we wanted ordered. Same lady took our food order. Husband ordered Garlic mushrooms i declined a starter as did not know how big the fish would be, I noticed on the specials board skate done in frying pan with capers so said to husband better make sure if i can have in batter, Husband went to speak to this lady who was behind the bar area and she said yes no problem. I say with my drink why husband ate his starter and then we sat and sat and by the clock in front of us about 15 minutes. Then a man came up and took husbands starter plate away and we sat and sat and out came husbands steak and my fish/chips asked if wanted sauces said yes and asked for vinegar. Upon opening the fish to put the vinegar on having noticed the batter was dull and not glistening like should be this batter was like a suet crust that thick and dense. Nobody came to ask if all okay so ate the fish had better and put the rest aside to take home for our dog, I noticed people coming in through the other door and going to the bar and getting served and we were ignored, Then i waved my hand and a lady came over and i said this batter is awful thick and doughy and i can taste flour as though not cooked through properly. She said will tell the Chef. Whilst been waiting for attention had noticed another lady laying up a table in the distance as said to my husband laying for non existent people and ignoring us. First lady came back and i asked what did the Chef say she said have not spoken to her yet thought she said her, She said do you want to speak to Chef i said yes. Then this lady who had been laying up a table earlier came up and i asked her who are you ? she said what do you mean who are you i asked are you the Chef? Then suddenly this man appeared and said i will not have you being rude to my staff. I said have not been rude to anyone and he looked at my husband and said and you whistled at my wife. My husband is in his eighties why would he whistle at some middle aged woman and it turned out she was the one that took our order when we first sat down, Surely if my husband had whistled she would have said something to him unless she needs a mouth piece meaning her husband to speak for her. I said since coming in i have not got up Chef said i know and i went on have not left my husband and assure you he has not whistled anyone.. Chef said to husband if you have not i take that back then, Then went on he did not want any money for our food, I said about the awful batter he did not want to know, For the benefit of the few people eating and listening he was trying to deflect my complaint about the food and infer we were rude customers by husband whistling and me complaining. Forgot before Chef came out the first lady said Chef said there is nothing wrong with the batter. To which i said i am eating it and paying for it not him so he cannot tell me what is okay and what is not, Perhaps that was construed as being rude because he tried to tell me the same when he came out and i said do not talk to me like i am five. We got up to leave and then he said to my husband in future do not whistler at my wife as if we would go back there again this was after he had said i take that back then if you did not whistle my wife.

Fantastic family place, had a great meal with the family, kids had fun, staff are very friendly, lots of parking. Lovely place. Food was lovely tooo,

Exceptional service from start.