The best restaurants in East of England

Great service as always the service is always good and the Vegan menu is really good We have searched Southend for other places and not found anywhere as good

A massive thank you to Ashley and his team for all they did to ensure our daughter and her now husband had the most wonderful wedding day. I know the weather wasn’t what we wanted but that really didn’t spoil the day. Ashley ensured the pre wedding preparations and everything on the day went perfectly and most importantly that they had the chilled, relaxed day they had wished for. Ashley’s calm, organised and flexible approach is perfect and made everyone feel everything was under control and there was no need to worry about a thing. Thank you so much

The Rise and Crown is a pub that we hadn’t visited for many years….. thought that we would give it a try for lunch with friends. Absolutely superb lunch, excellent food, home cooked and good quality. A menu which very much suited our taste… we will definitely be back!

Been enjoying Sams Pizza since one of the first pop ups in town. It is great that they have their own shop now! The pizza is light and fluffy with a soft crust. The sauce is fresh and really compliments the cheese and dough.

Excellent lunch, could only manage two courses, there was so much on the plate, the staff, Shelley and Ali, make this a warm friendly place to come and enjoy your meal. Looking forward to my next visit, this is indeed a hidden gem.

Fantastic breakfast, staff very friendly, everything top quality and piping hot. Highly recommended and definitely will be visiting again.

Gem of a restaurant food was amazing, the staff attentive and decor was pleasant. I decided to come to this restaurant after reading the great reviews so took the plunge and so glad I did. Me and my husband will definitely be returning food was lovely. Highly recommend.

This place is amazing, the food is brilliant, the service is even better. I cannot speak highly enough of the Burrito.

We had the best chocolate cake ever! And it came with story, as the rest of our meal. Friendly owner and quite an experience having the whole place to ourselves including listening to our own playlist.

Great new cafe, excellent cup of tea and a panini, was recommended by a colleague and I will definitely return when next in Kessingland. 10/10

Amazing food and service. Everything went really well. Chicken tikka dansak top notch. All our party said their food was delicious. Spotlessly clean, friendly and welcoming.

Monday Evening around 6pm Advertised as open lights were on but when we went in we were told that they were open to hotel guests only 😞

The BEST gluten free cake in Norwich! Making my gluten free daughter's birthday cake dreams come true. Thank you!

Amazing! Can't say enough of how organised this pub is and how friendly the staff are. I've been there so so many times and it never disappoints. The food has always been good and we even got to do bingo on burger day so it was cheaper! It's nice to have somewhere to go on a week day and chill with family for a bit. I was served by Gemma and Karis that night and the service was a amzing as always. Ive been here alot and been served by Rianne, Jenna and Josh who are also very accomidating. They are all sooo welcoming and nice to talk to. I only know two names I've heard for kitchen staff which is Gordon and Josh. The food is always good, there new menu is also good.

This is a very special hotel indeed. Kept, by its exuberant owner, in 1920’s style in homage to Agatha Christie who used to stay there. Full of old pictures and bits and bobs. Our bedroom ( medium size) was very comfortable with fun roll top bath but has modern amenities as well. But was next to the kitchen extractor fan which was noisy until 11 pm All the staff, mainly young people, were outstandingly helpful and polite. Nothing was too much trouble and it was the type of service I haven’t seen for many years. Well done. It is also highly popular , and full the nights we were there. Largely I suspect because of the combined dinner, bed and breakfast offerings. At very good value for money. The food was generally delicious and fresh. Duck, halibut, sea trout and the local crab and lobsters were outstanding but the “locally caught king prawns which, like the lobster, were landed today “ were obviously frozen as were tasteless and they ( king prawns) don’t live in UK waters. That was the only disappointment on the menu, which I wouldn’t have mentioned except they had been really hyped up by the enthusiastic person I assume was the owner. Good well chosen wine list and fine cocktails The reason I haven’t given five stars is with the regimented way guests eat. Severe set 25 minute table timings for breakfast and dinner. I do understand that the kitchen needs to be paced to cook such good food to order, but the timings on offer were not good for many of the customers. By the time we arrived to check in at 3pm after a long drive we had to settle for a 6.30 supper and 9.15 breakfast. The next day breakfast wasn’t available until 9.30 … hopeless for anyone who works or has to leave earlier.. and I overheard two couples saying their 6.30pm slot was far too early for dinner , but that was all that was left because the best table times had already been given to people from outside who had booked in for a meal. You are asked to go to the bar half an hour before your meal where you receive some underwhelming amuse bouche and are expected to buy a drink whilst perusing the menu. This is to help the chef timings but also allows for tables to be turned over and reset. The last day we were there the small bar was over crowded and we had to wait an hour to be shown our table. Service was then very slow. I just couldn’t eat rich food at 9pm having waited by then two and a half hours. So because I prefer more personalised service and eating at a time that suits my stomach, and I like to be sat at my table and not held in a “ holding pen” this is not an experience I personally wish to experience again. Having said that I realise that this hotel really does suit many of its guests, who really loved it. So it’s only my own opinion and I suspect I’m in a very small minority