The Cock Inn in Babergh

Nice food and beer selection good beer garden

Lovely lovely little pub. You can tell they pride themselves on the quality of their establishment, food, and service.

Not as dog friendly as they claim to be

Very nice food, big portion, chatty landlord/lady

The cutest little pub, the owners were truly lovely and made sure you were well taken care of! The food was easily the best pub food I’ve ever had and my family used to own a pub like this!!! I had gammon and it was beautiful, not salty at all and very juicy. Hand cut fat chunky chips and wonderful fresh eggs. Even the side salad was delicious. It was quiet for a Saturday evening (pub is out of the way and hidden a little) but we very much enjoyed that. Truly wonderful place

Staying in a campsite locally, we visited this lovely pub twice during our stay and if we were here longer, then l am sure we would have been back more.. Cosy atmosphere with a log fire, great food and welcoming hosts, this is a gem that if you are staying in this part of the world, you won’t want to miss!

Sunday roast for four, roast beef was excellent as was the chicken pie and all the trimmings.

went here on recomdation . was lovely to sit and eat in a pub that felt like a pub . nice open fire locals chatting to each other . the food i had large beer battered haddock and chips . i rate this as 10/10 was that good cooked to perfection . the fish was all fish not fish hid in a ton of batter . the wife had the halloumi burger and she felt it was the best she had . ( high praise that ) so in nut shell really recomend trying this place as i only believe 1 review and that is my own experience and we will be using this more often

Oh dear! We had just been on a 5 mile walk with our dogs and were looking forward to a pub lunch at the Cock Inn. We were at first told there would be a wait before we could even order. When I asked why this was, they said they were busy (which, at that point, they were not) and also were very short-staffed. OK, one could forgive them that. We wanted to sit outside and when we said we would like to order food, were asked by the barman if we'd like our drinks put on the tab. We said yes. The manageress / owner then overruled him, insisting for payment of the drinks up-front. We then sat outside in the very pleasant garden with others, several of whom had dogs. We were asked, after twenty minutes or so, if we would like to order. We ordered ciabatta sandwiches, which duly arrived in reasonable time. Our friend, who was with us, after a couple of mouthfuls, said she could not eat hers. I had the same, chicken and pesto, and agreed that it was far from appetising. I left some of mine too, which for me is very unusual if I have paid for food. I went back to the bar to get another pint of Speckled Hen, the only real ale available. The barman then proceeded to fill the glass with Guinness before I realised what he was doing. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience. The management and staff were clearly having problems and some individuals did not appear to know what they were doing. The Speckled Hen, however, was very good.

Been there too long and the landlady is extremely rude to her husband and anyone within range

Lovely friendly welcome from Deborah and her team, local community also very welcoming. Food was fabulous. Really recommend the chicken / pesto ciabatta - don't know how they can afford to put so much good quality chicken breast on the sandwich at this cost. Best I have had. Def recommended. EXTREMELY DOG FRIENDLY 11/10 stars

Visited this fab village pub a number of times whilst staying locally. 2 lovely meals and drinks in a great location on the village green. Friendly staff too. Combine your visit with a walk around the village and through the very special Dollops Wood.

What a lovely little country pub which is dog friendly and the food is amazing I've been here a lot and the food is always been to the same amazing standard. The owners are so friendly. What a wonderful little pub!

Been there too long? I remember the owners moving in a long time ago and to be fair they were reasonable people. This is not the case now. The Landlady is rude, abrupt and treats her partner who obviously had some problems disgustingly in front of customers and seems to have lost all people skills. Time to move out of hospitality perhaps. Shame because it's an attractive local pub.

Very welcoming staff and customers, superb food and all very affordable and very tasty.

Cannot rate this place high enough! We arranged for our local u3a History group to have lunch at the Cock Inn at Polstead after visiting churches on the Suffolk/Essex border. Deborah was so helpful in arranging the menu, which had a good choice of meals. Nothing was too much trouble and she even arranged for gluten free bread to make the moules & frites gluten free. The food and service was excellent with dietary requirements catered for. Our group of fourteen all thoroughly enjoyed their meals. The setting of the pub is in a lovely location and you must visit the church which has the most amazing views over the countryside. Thank you Deborah for making the lunch go so smoothly.

Always a shame when a pub doesn’t keep its advertised opening hours updated. It was a fairly long bike ride to end up disappointed!!

A lovely quiet location and a pleasant walk through the woods from Polstead Country Park. Food and beer were both great.

Walked from Polstead Country Park, after being recommended this pub. Lovely meal, drinks & pudding at pub. Service and food was excellent. My Pimms was also very nice. Will defo go back when we return back to site. Thank you

Had a wonderful meal here yesterday, perfectly cooked catch of the day, juicy burger, crisp Greek salad and tender moreish whitebait. All in the sunny garden with genuine and kind service. Highly recommend.

Stopped here on the way through, really nice pun and garden

Visited here during our 5 mile walk from nearby Stoke-by-Nayland. Lovely quaint pub set on the village green Were greeted by the owner upon entering the bar and they had a good choice of locally brewed beers including their own ‘Cock Inn’ ale. We didn’t eat here but I did sneak a look at the menu and it was reasonably priced. Would return here if in the area

Had pre booked table requested 7 30 lady on phone suggested 7pm. Compromised at 7 15 as we were meeting friends for a 6pm walk. . Pie was an excellent choice in our party of 4. Not much going on as only ones apart from staff in the pub at 7.15. Service was unobtrusive. Give the place a go it would be a shame to lose this country pub for lack of visitors. Carol

We spend a few days camping just down the road from the pub Deborah and Michael made us feel welcome even the locals where lovely. The food well what can I say it was Brilliant we had a great time it made our holiday

Fancied a little drive in Suffolk, so decided to book Sunday Lunch , phoned and pre booked , they could not fit us in at 12.30pm , so booked for 1.30pm, when we got there was just waiting for someone to seat us , the staff were just standing there, finally went over and then got seated, considering they changed the time because said busy, there were only one other party of four there. Took ages to get a drink first, the waitress came over , we ordered the Tempara prawns to start, was not home made could tell the prawn inside was just mush, the sauce it came with was disgusting, ordered the Roast Beef for main, the potatoes were deep fried, I do like my beef Medium/Rare, but so rare thought it was going to walk off plate. When the landlady came over to clear plates, asked me why we had left our food, did tell her but don’t think she was really listening, At least they gave us a discount , only paid for drinks and starters. Such a shame as could be a really nice pub.

Deborah was a very welcoming landlady, along with her husband Michael. Lovely lunch for 14 walkers. I am a member of a walking group and our leader had prebooked tables for 14 of us, to eat there after our 5 mile walk. I had a steak and ale pie, new potatoes and French beans and gravy. The pie was delicious, home made by Deborah. The service was good and everything was nice and hot.

A strange old country pub. It has excellent beer and good food too. Service was good and the area is wonderful.

Fabulous fresh tasty food, dined here a few times, will be back, friendly staff, cosy village pub.

Should have known from the first contact! Called to book a table at 19:30 (reasonable time to eat) was asked if we could make it earlier, so we asked what time they could accommodate us, told us 19:00, which we agreed, then they said well we can fit you in at 19:15 (so not too different from original time. When we arrived we told the young lady we had booked (lots of tables with reserved signs on) and were told to sit anywhere without a reservation sign…being a chilly night we decided to sit in the bar where there was a fire, two nearest tables to the fire were taken so we sat at the third nearest. We were then approached again to say as we had reserved we needed to move to the table that had been reserved for us, which was actually at the back of the building, with no atmosphere, ambiance and freezing cold (thankfully there was a basket of blankets….so obviously it is an ongoing problem) My hubby had a glass of house red wine that was practically undrinkable and when ordering the pie was told it wasn’t available and 'anyway it was the end of pie season!' (Since when is a chicken pie out of season?) Food was very mediocre. New ?? member of staff was a tad over attentive, constantly asking if everything was okay. When we went to pay, took an extremely long time to add up two mains and two drinks (everything written out on a postcard of the pub…nice sentiments, but surely the sentiments could be pre-written to save the really long wait to pay. Then to top it all the landlord kept saying the card/or machine wasn’t working, only when told by other staff that the paper had run out was payment finalised. By the way…none of the other tables with reserved signs were occupied while we were there. Such a shame as lovely setting in gorgeous village. Unfortunately will not be returning.

Cosy welcoming traditional pub & restaurant with contemporary decor. Friendly, polite staff quick efficient service. Food was really good especially for 2 vegetarians. Even the olives were really good & a generous portion. Start freshly cooked Thai vegetable spring rolls with spicy chilli sauce really nice much nicer than I’ve had elsewhere. Portobello mushrooms burger & fries very good. Vegan chocolate& orange tart & sticky ginger pudding both excellent. The pudding was light & fluffy with pieces of stem ginger and an amazing sauce. Overall an excellent dining experience with a nice relaxed ambience. Would definitely go again,

Myself and my partner came to this place for a bite to eat for lunch. It wasn’t busy at all with only 2 tables of people eating, we were told to sit on a tiny round table where there was a discrepancy over a reserved sign and whether or not we were actually allowed to sit there or not, which seemed to really put the staff out. (Apparently it had been a hectic day- I’m not sure what days they usually have but if this was busy I’m not sure how this pub is still running!) My partner asked if we could order some food to which the man we asked said he wasn’t sure and that he would have to check, after disappearing for 5 minutes to carry out a single pot of sauce to a table- that must’ve been very hard work!!- we asked again if we could order food at some point. The man again looked very concerned and said ‘not at the moment, there’s someone in front of you’ Myself and my partner left immediately after this extremely strange visit. The pub itself looks very quaint and sweet from the outside but unfortunately the staff let them down majorly. We are both completely bewildered and confused at this strange encounter and I wonder if they have ever had people walk in for food before. Felt like we were the people from American werewolf in London where the locals look in horror as 2 Americans try to order a drink! Very strange! I’m sure that many people have had amazing experiences here, but probably have to call up a week before to as not to scare off the staff! I’m sure they will be just as happy that we won’t be returning as we are.

Shockingly bad. Rude landlord and wife. Poor food and beer cloudy and badly kept. No visitors. On a Saturday night, only 3 other people in the pub. A good looking pub, but don’t be fooled - definitely one to avoid,

Well what’s to say… The food I had the ploughman’s and it was huge Large green salad cherry toms cucumber the works Loads of thick cut off the bone ham, thick wedge of Cheddar Pickles gherkins and a pickle relish, sliced apple Warm granary baguette tons of butter Chris had the Burger must have been a 2” thick Pattie With bacon cheese salad the works plus extras and toasted brioche bun Fries on the side All the food was delicious The welcome once again was brilliant and warm as was the log burner Made to feel like old friends, and was pleased to learn that Chris was Reunited with his leg “) This is now a fave spot for us, and we will return and recommend that others Try it too. Best wishes to you both thanks again Chris and Sam x

We've moved into the area recently and were on a Polstead walk with the dogs - this is a fabulous pub to have a refreshing drink and lunch.

We recently held a 70th Birthday Party at The Cock Inn. The pub was closed for this event and they also catered the event. It was a huge success. The food was wonderful and everything we had hoped for. Wonderful relaxed atmosphere. Deborah and Mike...

A lovely friendly pub we have had a lovely weekend in Polstead mostly in the pub for good food and good company.Was also excellent new years eve and brunch on new years day. Thank you Debbie and Mick hope to see you again soon

Great place to visit, cosy and welcoming.

Great pub with great food, will definitely return 😋

Wow what a hidden gem in the lovely setting of the Suffolk countryside. We visited this stunning 400 year old traditional pub for our staff meal in the busy month of December and nothing was too much trouble for the staff here. The internal Xmas...

Lovely and friendly place to visit with the dogs

Lovely friendly village pub. Dog friendly as well. Open fire, great food and nice staff. Indoor and outdoor seating. Roasts on a Sunday. Fully recommend a visit.

Kleines gemütliches Pub....blieb nur zum Kaffee....mit hund..

Terrible wine. Terrible beer. The atmosphere might as well be a doctors waiting room. Do not subject yourself to this after a beautiful walk in Polstead. Go up the road for a proper pint in Stoke By Nayland. The village is beautiful but this pub...

One of the waitresses who served me, and my friends was very polite and helpful. She was willing to answer any questions that we had to ask and her food recommendation was spot on as the fish and chips was to die for. Not relevant...

An absolute Gem finding! From start to finish, Amazing! As soon as we entered we were warmly greeted, drinks were very good, Roast dinners were very tasty, as far as one of the best home cooked Roast dinners we have had to date! Deserts!!! Were also amazing, look at the size of it!!!! We will definitely be returning, thank you so much, kind regards Clay and Clare

Lovely traditional country pub. Very warm welcome from the start, booked our table for a Sunday lunchtime roast and wow it was delicious. True homemade cooking, vegetables spot on, roast potatoes amazing crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside. I had the pork which...

A lovely, well run pub. Had a lovely family meal there today. Staff are all very efficient, polite and attentive, even when there were issues with facilities and rude customers. Would certainly revisit and recommend

If I could rate this -5 stars I would. I arrived for dinner with 4 other guests making a total of 5 for Sunday dinner. I was NOT a walk in but had previously booked 2 days prior and was given the time of 2pm...

We enjoyed a wonderful Sunday lunch here today. Great size servings and great value for money. The staff were attentive and polite even when there were issues with the facilities and obnoxious customers being rude. We will certainly be returning.

convenient place to stop for a pint while hiking, sadly otherwise avoidable. food: fish and chips were good! atmosphere: cute little place in a quaint village. sadly malodorous water was bubbling up next to our table. some other guests said they had experienced this before service: folks working were kind, but quite stressed out and made numerous errors with us and several other tables whilst we were there, then lashing out at clients. their staff had so many internal miscommunications on our order that we had to cancel our sticky toffee pudding (post 30 minute wait).this might have been avoided had the cook not been outside complaining about bad clients (-1 star)for that 30 minutes. at all points the staff seemed defensive about the service claiming short staffing issues and being busy in spite of 1 in 4 tables being empty. other reviews reflect similar customer experiences over time Thanks for the fish and chips. hope things work out!

What a lovely place run by the same couple for 15 or so years, run smooth ales kept very well and food to match, a comutity shop across the road, enjoy this friendly place

Fantastic country pub, serving great beers and Fantastic food. Service was prompt and friendly. We visited whilst out walking and will definitely visit again 😀 A real gem.

The owners have run this for 15 years and it shows, the place is popular with all the locals and campers at the Camping site not far away, the Fish and Chips were the best and the locals are a delight, The Ale is kept...

Steer clear of this pub. Served a pint of craft beer, beer tasted and looked awful. The landlady didnt notice the barrel needed changing. On questioning the beer, she muttered under her breath, oh what now and tutted. Expensive at £5.40/pint, and a medium wine (not a proper meaure) £6.90, and no adjustment for the commercial bitter replacement!

Pub manager was very rude, waving his hands around when we ordered a drink. The barmaid later apologized. FOLLOW UP TO OWNERS REPLY: Unfortunately this is not a wrong review. There is only one pub in the village! On the 3rd September we came here at 12pm upon opening time for a drink after a walk around polsted. One member of our party asked at 11.50am 'I know your not open yet but can my daughter use your toilets'. The reply from the female owner 'Our doors would not be open if we were not open'. After that it went down hill even further. The male manager gave us constant attitude when ordering drinks to the point that a female member of the party had to walk away, and then later (maybe his daughter) a young female employee came outside and apologised for his behaviour. I can only report what happened, we were made to feel very unwelcome. Also looking at other comments and comments on trip advisor it seems a common theme unfortunately. If you don't like dealing with the general public don't go into the hospitality industry!

I came to visit a friend who was staying at a nearby campsite and we came here for lunch. It was perfect, we were made to feel welcome as soon as we arrived and our order for food and drinks was taken promptly. We chose...

I telephoned the inn to book a table for lunch. It was booked quickly and politely. We arrived and were warmly greeted. Drinks were quickly sorted and menus given. My husband chose the burger and fries and his question about food allergy was answered politely....

Beautiful location and pub. Let down by very unecessarily grumpy/aggressive pub managers!

The Cock is a beautiful picture postcard village pub, an English gem. We had lunch there today before a walk in the lovely surrounding countryside. The cheese and ham ploughmans, the smoked salmon and cream cheese baguette and the biscoff cheesecake were very tasty and...

Welcoming country pub in lovely village, be sure to visit the church on the hill.

Nice pub where you can sit inside or outside Lovely food with good service.

Took my elderlyparents, and our young children to eat at the Cock Inn. We were previously warned by locals that the owners could be borderline rude. Upon our arrival this immediately became evident. We also observed the owners swearing openly at one another. Food was...

Wonderful friendly pub with absolutely amazing food. All four of our dinners were delicious. I wish I lived nearer.

Lovely little gem and the food was very very taste.

Thanks for looking after us so warmly for an important family milestone. We had a private room with a plentiful and delicious fork buffet. Deborah stayed in touch to make changes to the numbers even while she was on holiday. Many of our guests commented...

Very pretty pub/restaurant in a picture postcard village. Plenty of parking round the back. The starter (crispy squid) was delicious. The mains were OK (mussels) but not very warm and I didn't have a desert. For me the big let down was the coffee which...

I would like to think I am a fish and chips expert. and I have to say the fish and chips here washed down with a nice cold San Miguel were one of the best I have ever had. It’s a Lovely quaint English pub,...

Dropped in for a drink on the way back to Polstead camping site with my wife and friends. Lovely village round this gem of a pub. Excellent service from the landlord. Draught beer was so good, I had another pint. Must also say the village community shop has to be seen, lots of fresh local produce at reasonable prices. Highly recommended.

Arrived with 4 adults and 3 dogs, couldn't have been made to feel more welcome. Great menu and an interesting range of beers/ciders to choose from - recommended

Very enjoyable well cooked steak in beautiful 15c building. Friendly hard working couple who try and make everyone happy. Thanks for the vote if you found this review helpful.

Beautiful place Beautiful location fabulous food X

Came upon this little gem of a pub while on a bike ride as we was visiting the area. Would have been rude not to stop. Owners were very friendly as were the locals. Very clean inside and inviting but as the sun was out we sat outside with a couple of beers and aspel cider on draught, Bowl of water for the dogs and they get treats too. Great local pub which is worth a visit. A very chilling afternoon. Thankyou

Only stopped for a couple of beers in a nice looking pub. Keep local pubs open 😉

Good food friendly service excellent beer

Lady behind bar is unbelievably rude. I’ve never left a bad review before. I’m really sorry to do this but there is just no need to be so rude. Being short staffed is understandable, being rude is not. We weren’t the only ones who got...

Extremely slow service and wouldn't even cook us a plate of chips after a 20 mile cycle ride to get there because the we hadn't rung ahead. Really.

A wonderful country pub 😊 great food, lovely friendly staff who looked after us very well.

Lovely pub in a small village. Delicious sandwich lunch and excellent Aspall cider on tap.

5 of us came for a drink on a quiet Saturday and were repeatedly treated poorly by the landlord and landlady who appeared to have an issue with us for no reason - making snide comments about drink orders being complicated (I.e. my pregnant friend...

A fantastic meal and a very warm welcome from Debbie and Mike as always. Best fish we have had in years and the chocolate and raspberry tart is to die for. Heartily recommend this wonderful pub in both winter with its lovely fire and summer...

A real gem. Good beer, excellent home cooked meals. Freinly atmosphere. Nice outdoor seating

Warm Welcome, Good food, Great Service, lovely country pub. Highly recommend.

Dropped in on a Friday lunchtime, in mid-walk across beautiful local countryside. Despite no reservation and the place being busy, we received a warm welcome and were found a delightful small table in the historic bar. Whitebait were exceptional and the haddock and chunky chips with mushy peas were just the thing for a chilly spring day. Pints of London Pride sealed the deal. A great find, welcoming people and a chef who knows what they’re doing. Totally recommended.

Debbie, Mike and team did an excellent job looking after us for a pre booked Saturday afternoon family birthday celebration lunch for 9 adults and 2 children in their cozy dining room. Delicious home made soup, succulent lamb shank and roast chicken alternative for one...

We called in fairly late and they very kindly accommodated us to two chicken and Leek pies and a steak. Lovely hot food on a very cold day. Thank you

We stayed with family at a local campsite and decided to book a table for 4 on Saturday night. It was quiet, as the weather had turned bad. But the food was fantastic! We each had the serloin steaks and they were cooked superbly! The chunky chips were 'proper' pub chips and were done to perfection. The owners were very friendly and welcoming and made the evening one to make sure that we do again when we visit once more in the near future!

Lovely traditional pub in the middle of a picture postcard village.

Called in for coffee with friends, very pretty place, lovely fire, great atmosphere initially, considering booking lunch. Then, the lady behind the bar was very rude, demonstrated obvious discontent that we were ordering coffee and did the same with the next couple who also ordered...

The hosts were very friendly and service was extremely good, food was great and very tasty will definitely visit again thank you

The atmosphere in the pub was very pleasant, the decor was most tasteful. The waitress was very pleasant and efficient. The food, however, was not as good as the cost would suggest. I had the duck spring rolls to start and they were very over...

Lovely place Lovely cook so nice come in to ask is we had a nice meal that was good 10/ 10

The best Sunday pub lunch I've had during 5 weeks in the UK. Delicious roast mains including vegetarian served with all the trimmings, and the biscoffe cheesecake dessert was heavenly! Top marks:)

Our first visit, and 4 happy customers. Lovely roasts, including a delicious veggie option. Friendly staff, and pretty surroundings. We'll definitely be back.

My fiancé organised a surprise engagement for me and this is where he chose to celebrate. We had been cycling past this beautiful pub all through lockdown but sadly couldn’t go in to say hello! Deborah, Michael and the team were so welcoming and attentive...

A pretty setting in a rural Suffolk Hamlet, pub was closed while I was photographing the rather complicated opening hours was shouted at by someone upstairs in the pub telling me they were closed and to read a sign in the door and go away....

A little gem....a lovely Sunday lunch with plenty of everything ( l personally had the beef) a big Well Done to the landlord/lady who were rushed off their feet...but still made us welcome...thank you..ps if you need a washer-up I'm still available 😁😂😁😂

Before walking from the delightful Camping and Caravanning site in Polestead, we'd checked the Cock Inn's on line food menu, Spring and Summer and were looking forward to having Ploughman's lunch of salad, Suffolk ham, cheese, apple, pickles, real ale and apple chutney and Sourdough....

A person working in a pub only needs to fulfill two tasks. Serve drinks and be friendly. Someone working here can only achieve one of these objectives. Personality and charm are necessary in the hospitality business! Could do a lot better. Nice village though.

A little strange that the little cars asked to leave (a lot of a two seater sports cars) no reason apart from they wanted to use the pub for a drink I would have liked to have a look at them and talk to the drivers.

We dropped by for a steak lunch while touring Suffolk villages. The setting is beautiful and the tables well-spaced; enough for us to find a private corner. The staff were welcoming, attentive and friendly. We enjoyed our steaks. They were cooked as we requested and...