The Riverside in Babergh

Now renamed, refurbished, under new ownership and operating as an Italian restaurant, so we thought we would give it a try for Sunday lunch. Four of us enjoyed an excellent meal. The food was tasty, well-presented, reasonably priced and arrived with little delay. The staff were friendly, accommodating and efficient without being intrusive. Our only suggestions would be - it would be nice if dogs could be allowed in the outside dining area, and please add ice cream to the dessert menu!

This place has had a bad name for as long as I can remember so I've never visited before. But having heard that it had been taken over by the same people that own the social eating house (which had great food) we thought we'd give it a chance - Really wish we hadn't. We visited as a group of 4 and all came away disappointed - Food was hugely overpriced for what it was. I don't mind paying a bit extra for good food but everyone's meals were dull and not worth the extra - I've had much better meals for less than half the price. To top the negative experience off, we visited mid-Covid when masks were still a requirement and the majority of staff weren't wearing them. They acted unprofessionally and were more interested in catching up on gossip with each other than taking customer orders so we ended up waiting a very long time. Definitely won't be back - It's a shame because it's a lovely location that could have great potential but nothing so far seems to have managed it.

Met up with friends and had a lovely afternoon which quickly turned into early evening. My personal plate consisted off ordering oysters and main of lobster. Truly delicious David our server was professional and Dave had great knowledge of wine which we enjoyed … would recommend if your looking for a relaxed , easy and enjoyable place to eat/drink. Parking probably the only pain but there are lots of places if you google before coming. 5* for us. Thank you for looking after us 🤩

Found The Rivers (recently changed name) by chance as it still comes under The Riverside- we were staying for the weekend in a local hotel down from the restaurant. But sadly the menu at hotel was really poor so we had to venture out instead. The Rivers were extremely accommodating, considering I called 8.30pm that same evening for a table. Food was Dee lish!.. had the king prawn linguine and mum had the chicken dish. But what is so important to mention is my mum lost her purse that evening and we had by chance mentioned the hotel we were staying at... once mum realised she had lost her purse, I quickly paid bill and we got back to the hotel ASAP. But it wasn’t there. So I ran down to reception and there in front of me was the guy from The Rivers returning it as mum had dropped it on the floor where we were sitting!... I couldn’t thank Dave enough for driving up to the hotel to return it, how kind and honest was that - and to the rest of the team too at The Rivers as they accommodated us at the last minute!!... so all in all - a truly wonderful experience - thx guys 😍

Visited on the recommendation of the new manager who we met previously at station house. We arrived early and asked a really friendly helpful gentleman in a blue checked shirt if we could have a drink before our table was ready which he was only too happy to oblige. We waited at an outside table for a while whilst the waitress was chatting , and we eventually got her attention. She’d never heard of one of the beers on the menu that we asked for to which she sneered at and weirdly looked at the menu as if we were lying?? It was out of stock anyway. Strange. When it got to our booking, we had to go and wait at the door awkwardly as the table was not ready. Blue checked shirt man was really polite friendly and attentive. We asked for a random red (as long as it was Italian) and he kindly picked a winner!! That was the last of the positive service. We ordered the porterman steak to share. We were not asked if we wanted any sauce, condiments or salt and pepper and in fact had no forks. We had to catch the eye of the blue checked shirt man to sort it out. He sent his staff over. From then on we were dealt with by a waiter who we can only describe as sarcastic and borderline rude. The food was lovely and we really enjoyed our meal No one asked if we wanted further drinks, dessert, water for the table or just if everything was ok. The tables around us were served more regularly and attended to whilst we felt ignored. We sat for a long while after finishing our meal and the waitress who was serving everyone around us finally asked if we wanted anything else (while she was cleaning another table) I said I would have, but it’s been far too long so just asked for the bill . She just smirked and said ok. She was particularly stuck up. Normally places like the opportunity to answer complaints so we reiterated the above to the checked shirt man who agreed, and confirmed he can’t get the staff to do anything he asks and had handed in his notice. They will miss him When will restaurants understand that people go out for the experience? I can cook at home Marked 2 for food only P.S

Poor service second rate food. Won't be going again. Cleanliness questionable. If staff are going to wear masks 'to protect customers ' needs to be consistent. Some worn, some not worn and some worn as chinstraps. All a bit pointless.

What a lovely evening! …. Fantastic food; Friendly, welcoming and professional service; delicious pesto gnocchi & salmon fillet ! I would definitely recommend the Rose Prosecco 🥂

Been twice this month to celebrate birthdays. We were part of a large group on both occasions. Fantastic location and ambience. Both times we had the sharing platters, absolutely delicious food well presented, and hot. Will be returning again, would like to try a few dishes other than the sharing menu.

The two stars are for the view. The food was misnamed in the menu e.g. blinis we’re actually a small fragment of a crumpet (sour cream and dill lacking), the garlic bread was described as dough balls but actually just two small slices of bread sadly lacking both garlic and olive oil and marked up about 500%. A disappointment.

Went to Riverside on 12th April and despite being the first day open after months of lockdown their service was second to none. The staff were fantastic, they were very attentive and so friendly - they really made the effort to make us feel welcome and not just like we were any other customer. One of us needed a vegan meal and as the food is cooked fresh they said to pick what we wanted from the menu and they would make a vegan version. The food came out quickly and was absolutely incredible, I couldn’t even recommend a specific dish as everything ordered was amazing. We were sat on the terrace overlooking the river with the sun shining and easily could have been somewhere abroad. It was a brilliant evening which can only be attributed to such brilliant service and we will most definitely be returning!

Friendly, atmospheric, the staff know the menu. Service fantastic, nothing is too much trouble will definitely be back

We were recommended this restaurant and it did not disappoint. I had Octopus and my partner had the fish stew and they were both delicious and cooked to perfection. The service was very friendly which helped us to have a lovely relaxing evening.

We have been meaning to pop into this Italian riverside restaurant for some time.It is very local to us. And what a treat it was. We only stopped for a coffee after a walk. But ended up having a light lunch of scallops mussels tiramisu and cheese cake. All were beautifully cooked, home made, fresh and packed with Italian flavour. All served by very attentive staff. Loved it and will be back very soon.

We booked this restaurant for the third night of a staycation touring Suffolk and North Essex, after two nights of indifferent food, we were delighted to find beautifully cooked and presented Italian food, what a pleasure! The restaurant was pleasantly busy, the service attentive without being intrusive. I can't wait to visit again.

One of the best restaurants I have ever been too! Me and partner were so happy we booked this restaurant we were amazed! The service was down to a T with a staff member always in eye sight if you needed anything, the food menu was large with lots of tempting choices. I had sea bass and my partner had steak they were both presented beautifully and tasted amazing! The only thing I would say is the wine menu is limited with only a couple of wines to choose from. Will definitely be returning!

Visited last night with my wife. Firstly I will say that the food we both had was fantastic but the service was pretty poor! When we arrived we were seen to the table inside which was fine. The drinks menu was already on the table so we chose what we wanted. We waited 20 minutes before they took our drinks order then atleast 10 minutes to get them... We then eventually was asked for our food order and the starters came out fairly quick. This was then followed up immediately with our mains Asif they were trying to play catch up. We had to ask for new drinks, ask for the desert menu and at no point did anyone ask how our food was. After desert the chap just said "are you done"? And that was it. This meal cost £120 for the two of us including their 10% tip which ide never have paid if it wasn't already on the bill! Overall a real shame as the food was lovely but the service was shocking. With so many nice restaurants around we wouldn't go back.

You cannot go wrong here, great setting, overlooking the river. The menus has a wide selection on offer, all beautifully prepared and served. What more could you want for on a late summer's evening.

We visited this restaurant just under 2 weeks ago for a birthday celebration. The location is fabulous and the weather was lovely but as we had only booked earlier that day we were happy to be seated inside as tables outside were full. Our order was taken promptly but we waited 40 minutes for our drinks to arrive. Shortly after this it became obvious that the manager/owner (?) and the chef were having an argument - in the restaurant with us and other customers close by. This was followed by this same ‘gentleman’ shouting at one of the waitresses and bringing her to tears. When we asked what was going on we were told it was a family situation and we should ignore it.Our food arrived and was beautifully presented and tasted fantastic but by now another waitress was in tears and there was even more shouting at staff and arguments with the chef. We commented that this was unacceptable and were shouted at to ‘get out, just get out’. We couldn’t believe he thought it was ok to treat his staff in this way let alone shout at customers. We won’t be going back.

Went as a group of four. Superb food with good service and great bottle of Italian red. Steak was delicious and perfectly cooked. Sauces both the peppercorn and blue cheese were very good. Starters also delicious and a nice selection of more unusual starters. Large Creme brûlée for dessert. Delicious. More expensive than most restaurants in the area but quality food. Only down side was it tends to get very noisy as restaurant was full but good atmosphere

We arrived on time for our booking and were shown straight to our table, service was polite Professional and fun, food was delivered in a timely manner freshly cooked and delicious bread was maybe homemade mmm lush and all our dishes Including steak and octopus were very well received....I had 2 deserts they were just as lovely Bit cheeky putting 10% on our bill for service charge but we’d had such a lovely time we ignored it and just paid ....I would maybe ask why nxt time they deserved and extra £30 Yes our bill was £296 but we’d had quite a few drinks and left very happy

When you arrive at this hotel and first see it, the hotel looks great in its location and when we went to our room it was just the same with the first impression, but from here on end it all goes disgustingly down hill, my brother is the mayor of Sudbury so visit Sudbury very often, we love to spoil ourselves so we have stayed in a lot of hotels in the area and this was the dirtiest by far. The toilet had disgusting poo marks on the rear of the toilet, the toilet brush was disgusting, the toilet seat was loose, when I had a shower the water was getting close to spilling out onto the floor so removed drain protector only to find it was clogged up with hair, the fan was so dirty had we switched it on we would have been covered in dirt, when I showed the pictures to the owner/manager he changed the toilet brush, the cups were dirty.

Arrived early for a boat hire which runs from the same car park as the restaurant so thought we’d have a quick coffee before hand and enjoy the lovely setting of the restaurant. At the front of the restaurant was one of the chefs out having a cigarette, just thought it wasn’t ideal but hey ho. My family waited to be seated we were looked up and down by the server and were told that we could only have the table for 20mins as they were busy, not exactly welcoming! (the restaurant had only 3 other tables in use and was otherwise empty) considering they were SO busy they took forever to actually take our coffee order! Eventually said coffees arrived and were fine. Used the toilets that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for a long time.We were going to go back after the boat hire for dinner, but decided to go else where. Don’t like to write bad reviews, but I’ve never been made to feel so unwelcome in all my life.As for social distancing etc, it didn’t exist!

I was surprised given so many below par reviews but I found:-1. Excellent scenic surroundings with comfortable table overlooking river.2. Attentive, courteous and efficient service despite restaurant being busy.3. Absolutely first class cuisine. Can definitely recommend the Octopus and the mixed fish and seafood stew.Not cheap, but the quality was there and already looking forward to my next visit. Prior booking recommended.

Arrived just before 1pm on a Monday for lunch. Started with asking if dogs were ok and were seated by a lovely table off the main decking. Ordered water for the dog, a shandy and a jug of tap water to start. 25 mins still waiting... Finally drinks arrived after they realised they'd forgotten about us. However instead of a large jug of tapwater a tiny bottle of water. And a glass with lemon and ice despite twice having stated no lemon and no ice please. Received a small glass of tapwater together with an attitude.20 mins later still no one had come to take food order, despite checking upon our arrival if we were there for drinks or food. After almost an hour finally someone came to take our order, only to proceed to be rude when we pointed out our disappointment at extremely long wait and the non-existing service!! Apparently we should have memorized the menue she pulled off the table before we had finished ordering during our 1 hour wait. (However we had "only" had the menu for about 20 minutes.)Asked to pay for the shandy (a bill that arrived with service charge added!! Obviously not paid), and went elsewhere before starving to death.

The food was lovely and the service was good the big disappointment was it is a greedy company and doesn’t pass on the government discount unlike every restaurant in Sudbury we visited was more than too happy to give us the discount

Good food and lovely location next to the river. On a Thursday evening the restaurant was very bust inside and out but still good service.

Called in for a couple of drinks.Location excellent and the drinks were great. Asked to book a table for the evening but it seemed that our custom wasn't what they were after. Told us they were fully booked but then proceeded to book two other requests in for bookings that same evening knowing we were within earshot of the conversations. Very evident they had their favourite customers and this made us feel uncomfortable. Disappointing. Spent our money elsewhere in the town.

The food was delicious. Scallop starters (although our order was incorrect) were just divine. Then breads/bruschetta ( because our order was muddled up!)Then mains that were gorgeous, but that we were too full to enjoy. Couldn’t fault the food, superb. Service was not warm, and apparently our fault that we were given the wrong order. Clearly have their favourite regulars. We were not charged for the additional dish though. Would love to return, but would like to feel welcome.

We had two meals in this restaurant while we were in Sudbury last week. One was to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary so I wanted somewhere special. We weren't disappointed - we had a great time - fantastic food and friendly staff.

I visited the Riverside today with a friend - unfortunately we couldn’t sit outside as it was a little chilly but we had a marvellous time - food and staff amazing we will definitely be returning

The first opening after a traumatic lock down, the food was amazing, totally perfect, the service on point and with a smile behind the ppe face masks. The whole experience was totally and utterly flawless, 3 of us had the octopus and we just smiled without a word with every mouthful, the mussels exquisite, the espresso martinis perfect... our first meal post lockdown was without doubt the best ever, ever ! even pre lockdown..without emotion just amazing. This restaurant is Michelin + and the team led by the great Iggy and Anita simply impeccable. Thank you for reminding us how important dining out is for family bonding and relaxation. See you all very soon.

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner. The restaurant is lovely and cosy. We shared a king prawn starter; delicious. I then had the octopus and my boyfriend had the mixed seafood pasta which were both amazing and cooked to perfection.Our only criticism was the fast service. We had barely been served our drinks before our starter was on the table and once that was cleared the main was in front of us within seconds. We love going out for a evening so it just made our experience a little rushed.Would go back but would ask for a slight delay in the service.

Had dinner here with friends, restaurant was full, including a party of 16+, so good atmosphere, fairly attentive staff, even though busy. Food was good, I had the mussels to start, very tasty with a chilli and garlic broth, good sized portion. Followed by the Octopus cooked to perfection. Wife had the Bruschetta, again good portion and tasty, followed by linguine carbonara. Just enough room to have the creme brûlée if picky it was too thick more like an egg custard, with too much sugar.Overall a very good experience

The most amazing location for a birthday get together. Fabulous food...Fabulous staff who could not do enough for you!!!Such a wonderful atmosphere...well done to Iggy and everyone there making it the most wonderful place for a night out. We will be going back!!!!!!

My wife and I stopped here for lunch. We had the sharing platter which was an explosion of Italian tastes. Lovely dried meats and salami, cheese, olives, anchovies, pesto to die for, tapenade artichokes and a generous selection of artisan breads.The whole lunch experience transported us to the shores of the Italian Riviera.

We booked for 7 adults and 4 babies. Brilliant service nothing too much trouble. 3 of the party had a delicious fish stew with good portions of fish and seafood. Those that had it thoroughly enjoyed it. Two of us had chicken which was moist and well cooked and one had a sirloin steak cooked just as he wanted it. In all a very enjoyable lunch in perfect surroundings . I would imagine in the summer it is sublime being next to the river with outside dining available. Will certainly be going back

Partner said his food was ok, my ravioli was bland. We were charged 10% service charge for a table of 2 which were there less than an hour and £4.5 for still water, when I asked for tap. Massively overpriced and not a happy customer.

We visited with friends today who recommended this restaurant and what a wonderful experience. Could not fault the quality of the food and service. Have already booked in two weeks time.

Sat night. Did manage to book by telephoning in advance - glad we did - restaurant and bar full - justifiably so! Service friendly, professional and absolutely faultless despite being so busy. Lovely, vibrant atmosphere - venue being enjoyed by couples, groups of varying ages, and families across 3 generations. Food was a joy - My wife is a serious and accomplished home cook and we also eat out a couple of times a week at various restaurants across counties and globally during regular business travel, so we were seriously impressed with chefs here being able to produce food at such a high standard when the restaurant was so busy! ..... Great service and food is obviously always highly sought after and popular, so do take the time to book and visit - we will definitely be adding to our “rotation”. Big thank you to all the team at Riverside for such a nice evening tonight!

This was our first visit to The Riverside. We were in two minds about booking as we have been disappointed with previous restaurants which operated under different management from this site. We are now glad we decided to take the plunge!Our party of four booked for Sunday lunch. The restautant was clean, bright and well-presented, and the service from the staff was prompt, friendly and welcoming.We all had three courses, with everybody ordering something different. Every dish was, without exception, excellent, as was the wine. It's not the cheapest restaurant in the area, but offers good value given the quality flavour, fresheness, cooking and presentation of the food.We had a very enjoyable dining experience and can thoroughly recommended The Riverside. We shall definitely be booking another visit to this establishment in the near future.

This was our first visit to this new incarnation of the Riverside, having been less than impressed on some of our previous visits. The decor has been improved and the food was good, as was the service. The setting has always been a massive plus. All the signs are that they are finally getting it right here.

Went a couple of weeks ago with friends. What a great afternoon/evening we had. The food was fabulous, the drinks were gorgeous (gin and tonic) and the view was stunning. The staff are all very nice here. Perfect place to sit outside on a nice day. We will be returning.

Great location on a sunny day, bang on the river with outside tables if you book.

Been recommended by mother many a time and visits regularly. Always walked in never booked and travel across from dunmow. We were due to have my birthday meal here so popped in to visit beforehand with my partner. The young lady who we first spoke to was accommodating and we looked at the menu. Then asked if we could have a carbonara, we had a back up light bite in mind incase this wasn’t possible. The owner walked in when asking for the carbonara and was frankly very rude. Over heard the request and came over and just kept repeating NO! NO! NO! Raising his hand to his neck in a waving movement NO! Without any explanation why. Made us feel very unwelcome and like we should leave. Then we enjoyable watched him cringingly smoosh is his paying EATING customers. After his rude welcome I won’t be returning and now neither will my family! Shame it’s a nice setting, just needs to learn customer service, and after all his time in high end restaurants you would have thought he would have learnt that by now. P.S anyone reading this the mushroom linguine down the mill is fab, go there instead.

We have eaten here a few times now and every time is amazing!! The food is so fresh, so tasty, had muscles today in the sunshine overlooking the river. The staff are so attentive and the menu not over priced. Will definitely be coming back again.

This was the second time I’ve eaten at Riverside and I have to say I was , even more impressed the second time around!

My family and I went to Riverside to celebrate my mother’s birthday. Despite arriving a least 10 minutes early for our 7:45pm booking, we were told the table wasn’t ready but to wait in the bar area. Which is fine, if only for a short wait. 30 minutes later and a round drinks one of the restaurant staff arrives to say “oh is everyone here, your table is waiting” no apology for the delay or suggestion of “we’re really busy, let me take your drink order and get you some bread or something in the meantime” just ushered to the corner of the restaurant and left with the menu. No suggestion if there were specials or any recommendations just left us to wait again. Another 15 minutes or so go by and no service no attentive staff asking for our drink order or to see if we are okay, nothing. Two female members of staff were just standing at the bar area doing nothing, so one of our party went over to ask for drinks. Only to be told that they were “busy”. Another 10-15 minutes go by and finally one of the two comes over. We order drinks and some water for the table, none of which she wrote down and leaves with out asking for our food order. 5 minutes later the poor chap from the bar area, who was left to serve by himself has been told to come over with our drinks for some reason. No table water given just explained this what one of the girls told him was ordered. These two were just back at the bar doing nothing. At this point we’d been at the restaurant for an hour and had only just been given our drinks and other tables had already been served despite sitting down after us, we came to the conclusion we would continue to be ignored and decided to finish our drinks and leave. Only then did another member of the front staff come over to say “are you ready to order now?” What a joke, we explained that we had been ignored all night and their poor service had ruined our evening and we wanted to pay for our drink and leave. The front of house manager then became very rude and defensive explaining that they were busy because of the rain (which was bizarre) and that a larger table had taken priority over us, just what you want to hear from service staff. We responded that the rain should have no effect on the staffs ability to serve its customers and that surely you should serve each table in order of booking rather than just ignoring tables. The front of house manager then retorted that she can only apologise so many times, which to my count was only twice, one of which was in this sentence the other was rather aggressive “sorry but we are busy!”. She then told us that she wasn’t going to say any more before going into another tirade pretty much turning the fault on us for not being a larger table, the restaurant for having a whole ten tables, the other customers for turning up late and the chef for being under pressure. At no point did she own up to the service staff’s behaviour and lack of interest. At this point I told her that she said she wasn’t going to say any more but she kept on going, can we please just have our bill. She then left on a huff, and then another confused waitress came over to ask “did we ask for our bill?” We paid up and were about to leave when the chef came out to see us, first thing out of his mouth was an apology and to ask what he can do to make use stay. The first time during this visit we were treated with respect and acknowledgement but alas it was too late we had already booked a table down the street. All in all 1 hour and 30 minutes wasted, no food and bad memories of Riverside.

Having booked a table for my mother in laws birthday, we were in good spirits. We had a table booked for 7.45pm and all of us arrived earlier than this. Our table wasn’t ready so we were told to wait at the bar until they called us. 30-40 minutes later we were taken to our table with the waitress saying “is everybody here now”. Really?! We were given a menu and left for half an hour with no offer of a drink. I asked a member of staff in this time to take a drinks order but got a defensive comment that they were busy. Only after getting up to go to the bar myself did someone come to take a drinks order. Still no food orders taken. After finishing off our drinks and waiting over an hour and feeling very hungry and ignored did we decide we would eat elsewhere. Only then did the front of house manager come to take our food order. The excuse we got was its raining so people had arrived late, it was busy and they had a big table. Well the big table you had were friends of mine and their booking was 15 minutes after us and had eaten their starters and were on their mains when we were leaving. Do you think this is okay? It’s a shame your front of house staff have no idea how to look after the customers because the chef/owner seemed genuinely upset and asked what he could do to make us stay (no-one else asked this) but by then it was too late. We are reasonable people and you could have easily made things better by not ignoring us and at least offering some nibbles whilst we waited. Right from the moment we arrived we felt ignored and unwelcomed. Well done for ruining our first and only experience of the Riverside. Thank goodness for the great service at Ballingdon Valley Indian where we ended up and thankfully ending our night on a better note.

We booked a table at the Riversde to celebrate my birthday and arrived about 10 minutes early. We were told our table was not ready and to wait in the bar and they would come came get us. Half an hour after we were due to be seated we were shown to our table for five and given the menus. We were not asked if we wanted any more drinks or told about the specials ( can only assume there were not any specials on that night). Then we waited and waited for someone to take our order. One of our party went over to a member of staff to ask about getting served some drinks and was told they were very busy. So we waited again, eventually the front of house manager took an order for drinks and we waited what seemed ages for the drinks to appear. By now we had been there an hour waiting to eat and no sign of an order for food being taken. Everyone around us was being served, Nothing worse than feeling you are being ignored. Now nearly 9pm and feeling hungry we still had no idea how much longer we had to wait and agreed to finish our drinks and book a table at the Ballingdon Indian down the road. Finally as we were finishing our drinks the front of house manager came back and asked us ‘ if we were ready to order ‘. I am sorry but what a joke - we had been ready an hour ago. The excuses were lame - it was because it was raining, we had a big party in, we are very busy, Firstly I can’t see what the weather had to do with it, the tables outside were empty, the big party of 10 were friends of ours and had booked for later than us but had already had their starters and mains, As for being busy there was an empty table inside. The restaurant is not that big maybe 10 tables inside, hate to think how they would cope when the sun is shining and people are eating outside too. Felt the front of house did not make us feel welcome from the minute we arrived, we could have been offered some bread or olives while we waited rather than just tease us with the menu. The staff need to ask themselves how would they feel if it was them and their family celebration had been spoilt. After paying for our drinks the chef/owner came over, he seemed a decent chap and apologised and did actually ask what he could do to make us stay but I am afraid it was too late. I had heard the food was good - that’s why we booked in the first place- but very much doubt we will go back or recommend the Riverside to our friends because of our experience with the service. On a happier note the staff at the Ballingdon were excellent and the evening ended on a high.

What a place, I am blown away. The food is fantastic - very fresh, well presented, well cooked and great service. The team here were extremely helpful and friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. I will definitely be coming back.

A small family Sunday lunch turned into a festival of Italian flavours with fresh pasta and very good wine all reasonably priced. Service was a little patchy owing to the restaurant being full but the ambience made up for that as we enjoyed the buzz of a family trattoria at full speed.Tagliatelle Carbonara and Linguine allo Scoglio were outstanding and the Grappa, excellent. A place for people who know how to dine. Comfortable, informal and excellent food. Best in Sudbury by far.

On arrival was greeted cheerfully by bar staff. Ordered a pint of cider and a lime and soda, when I questioned the cost of £7.60 was told the lime and soda was £3.20 WHAT FFS ITS A DASH OF LIME WITH SODA WATER. Even the the Mill hotel is less than half that and my local pub charges 20p.

Ate at the riverside last night with my friend, food & service were fantastic, will definitely be back soon.

Wow a must go place to visit , the staff amazing , the food is out standing , Iggy and Anita great hostesses , So attentive , thoroughly spoilt , amazing experience . Thank you

My wife and I have lived around the Sudbury area for nearly 42 years and during that time we have never discovered a Italian Restaurant that compares with the ones we frequent in Soho, until we heard about the Riverside. We ate there 3 days ago and quite frankly it was faultless. Friendly staff, great service and real Italian food from a great owner chef. Was honoured to meet Iggy and spent time with him chatting about his career. Sudbury is blessed to have such a passionate guy who cares about the food he serves. We will certainly be back.

Had a family meal here. My food was delicious. Did have to wait a little for our main but was worth it. Only comment is maybe a few more veggie options as I am vegetarian. However I do appreciate your main cuisine is fish/meat. Everyone enjoyed there food. Price is reasonable. Would return.

We came here for lunch. The food and setting was amazing. Iggy and his wife Anita were very welcoming and the staff super friendly. Would highly recommend.

Absolutely amazing meal last night at The Riverside in Sudbury. The new owners are brilliant! The most friendly and attentive staff I have ever known. The food was beyond amazing and we cannot wait to go back again! I wish the new owners the very best of luck for the future and we will 100% be back soon! Very recommended!

Superb Italian. Iggy his wife and staff made us so welcome. The fish was just to die for, we have never had such fresh squid and octopus. Sitting by the river just felt like being on holiday. We had such an amazing time. We will be back!

Came here last Friday for a family gathering and had the best time with the best food, served by truly lovely staff and cooked by a genius in the kitchen. Was simply the best meal I’ve ever had. I will be forever in their debt as I recommended this restaurant and it far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Special praise to Iggy, Walter, Claudia and Sky

We booked for 19 people and 21 turned up oops but no problemo for Ignacio and his wonderful front of house team. We had 3 courses , amazing antipasto , mixed seafood grill, tagliatelle, side dishes, amazing wines chose by the team. The food was amazing with huge portions, the service was impeccable... it was a great Italian family birthday in a beautiful location with fabulous staff and food - La Dolce Vita!

Visited with my husband on Saturday as we'd heard great things about the place. From the moment we arrived, we were impressed with the location (right by the river), the fit out of the restaurant and bar areas. Staff were great and the food was out of this world. Well done Iggy and crew - we'll be back!

Went to the restaurant for the first time tonight to celebrate my sons birthday. What a truly wonderful place, from the staff to the food. We had three courses and we all had something different every meal was simply delicious, I had the salmon the different flavours in my one meal was truly gorgeous. The chef came and spoke to us and was so welcoming as were all the staff. I don't usually write reviews but I really wanted to in this instance as we had such a lovely evening. Will definitely be going back.

We came with friends to try it as we had heard good things about it. Over the years it has had a bad reputation time and again and we had given up on it . However finally it seems to have been taken over properly .

I came to this restaurant a few weeks ago for a drink to have a look and while with my son I asked for a potion of bread I was told the chef was to busy, I returned again with my partner on 28/6 early around 5.45pm and although the resturant was empty we were turned away very disapointing

Finally a fantastic new tenant in this beautiful setting.

Heard good things so after a long day popped in on way past.

What a superb find recommended by the staff off the Mill Hotel fabulous food and Hospitality if you are in Sudbury this is the place to eat excellent menu full of choice and varied wine list thanks very much for a most enjoyable evening and meal Pete Viv Stuart and Lin

We went for the first time last evening. The food was absolutely delicious. The presentation was great especially the desserts. Service was good. I asked for the music to be turned down a little and there was no problem.

Good choice of food on menu. Food excellent, very tasty. Staff super friendly and attentive. Great location.

This restaurant gets my highest recommendation. My husband and I came across it by chance, but it now ranks amongst the very best we have ever eaten at. The food was simply delicious, and for the quality, extremely good value. Beautifully presented too. A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Visited on the off chance although it was full got a sharing board and a desert of pistachio ice cream

We visited the Riverside Restaurant last night for the first time, what a delightful evening. The staff were very welcoming and friendly, the chef even came out to advise us how long our meal would be as we had chosen chicken and he said it takes a little longer to cook, it definitely was worth the wait. We ordered Pollo alla Pizzaiola and I must say it was the most delicious chicken meal I had ever tasted, very succulent and flavoursome. We will definitely return. Bonus, the restaurant is located beside the river in a lovely setting

After calling in for lunch one day and having had a fantastic lunch. We thought we would return last Friday evening joined by our friends. Again the food and service we received was top notch. Lovely setting down by the river. Would highly recommend for enjoying a drink by the river and or experiencing to absolutely fantastic food.

Fantastic views, food and service. A delightful drop of Italy here in Sudbury. Could not fault a thing.

The Riverside restaurant has recently changed management once more after a series of unfortunate failed ventures over the last few years.

Stopped here for lunch on the off-chance after driving by many times in the past. It is under recent new management and what a lovely job they’ve done! Clean and comfortable with lovely river views, we were so impressed by this restaurant. My husband described the salmon with lemon sauce as ‘the best he’s tasted’ and the mussels were also very tasty. The bill was around £30 for two for one course and two drinks each, which seems very reasonable. We’ll be back!

After many recent changes of name/owner/staff let's hope that this restaurant will be here to stay. The food is excellent and the staff friendly and welcoming. Very lucky to have such a superb restaurant right on our doorstep!

Wow wow, I have had such great food today , the Mediterranean food selection is amazing , 10 out 10 lovely atmosphere great survive

Just ate a 3 course lunch here with our family.

What a pleasant surprise, my wife a I called in for the first time on Easter Monday. Really friendly atmosphere and the food was superb. The Chef and staff were really passionate about people enjoying the occasion. Great to have a good eating venue close by. Awesome afternoon - I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.

We are regular visitors to Sudbury from Kent and have been to the Riverside on a couple of occasions under previous ownerships, but since this has recently been taken over we will certainly be dining here more often now. The Italian food is first class, served up in a glorious riverside setting with excellent service. Delicious! We cant wait to return so will be looking forward to our next fantastic Italian dish.

Absolutely amazing food. Top quality cooked to perfection. The staff are so friendly and helpful. Can’t wait to go again

What a fabulous evening ... balmy spring night on the river. Walter accommodating requests for the perfect negroni with his charming style and skill. Anita and Claudia serving with care, compassion and professionalism . Followed by superb home made pasta and Italian breads with softly roasted tomatoes and balsamic ... sublime ... amazing service, food and value for money ... get down there !!

Just wow, we visited with friends last night and this has to be the best food I have tasted in a long time. Authentic, flavoursome and absolutely top notch service. A real gem, a must visit, we will definitely be visiting again very soon.

Fantastic service from friendly staff, the food was superb, great relaunch and the resterant looks amazingI cannot recommend enough

Just had a great lunch at this new restaurant in Sudbuy. Food was excellent, service was friendly. The setting by the river is idyllic and the decor is modern Mediterranean. We will be back! This restaurant has a bright future...

As it was my birthday, we thought we would try it. When I looked on website for phone number, I noticed that there was live music in the form of an Abba tribute! So after inviting my sister and husband, i booked a table. The deal was a 3 course meal with the entertainment for £25! When we arrived we had a pleasant surprise. The restaurant was beautifully decorated for Christmas, plus a tree. The staff were very welcoming , and took drinks order while we looked at menu. The food was lovely, two of us had smoked salmon roulade, the others had aracini balls. Again two had Turkey blagger, and two had beef bourbon. There was pear & almond tart, choc orange tort, but I had Christmas pudding! All absolutely delicious. Then the entertainment. Very good, we were singing along then later got up and had a dance!

Just had a wonderful Sunday Lunch here at the Riverside Restaurant in Sudbury ! Very generous portions, cooked to perfection and very helpful and attentive service ! I would highly recommend a visit here !

As you would probably guess from the name, this restaurant is located alongside the River Stour in the pretty village of Sudbury.

We visited as a threesome (with a 12 year old child) and the garden terrace was full of young locals treating it like a beer garden, we should have left then!

Was hungry after a busy day Friendly staff order taken and cold refreshing beer supplied Before I knew it a delicious steak, well cooked and enjoyed, thank you.

We visited here at short notice one Friday night in August. The place was almost deserted and we were shown to a table, so far so good. The interior is of modern design with plenty of room. The menu looks a bit limited and more Pub grub than fine dining, steaks, fish or burgers. We ordered pre-dinner drinks which were served quite quickly. We then ordered the main course of steaks with 'chunky chips' and some wine.

We stopped here by chance for lunch recently, lovely location on the river with outside areas, indoor restaurant and separate bar. The food was excellent with an open kitchen, if I had a slight criticism it would be that all staff involved in waiting on should know the menu especially specials of the day like the back of their hand !!Our waitress though delightful and very helpful was a bit short of knowledge !! I hope you see this as a positive criticism, overall we had a lovely visit !!

What a little gem. The location is just beautiful and the food was absolutely lovely. I had steak and my husband had the burger, both tasted lovely. The staff were very attentive. I would definitely recommend and will be returning soon.

We visited this restaurant last year. I believe it was then called the Boathouse. A compete disaster. Terrible food. Compete waste of money. We had three meals and got a full refund for two (it should have been three) but we were so fed up we couldn't be bothered to argue.

I loved this place. The setting by the river is superb, but it’s rare to find such excellent customer service these days. Every single member of staff was cheerful and helpful and they did everything to accommodate us. The barbecue was excellent as was the fish and chips. Proper home-made coleslaw as part of a very generous salad bar, a great selection of beers and wine. The fresh fruit salad was wonderful; generous portions and an array of complementary fruits. We all had something different for main course and it was all cooked and served expertly. Highly recommended.