The best restaurants in East of England

05/11/2020: We had lunch here on the final day before Lockdown 2.0. Every aspect was just as it should be from a good pub. While it, quite deservedly, has a loyal local clientele, the welcome was just as warm and friendly to 'out-of-towners' such as ourselves. The Covid-19 security measures were exemplary. A good range of well-kept, proper beers and lovely food. The highlight for me was the homemade steak & kidney pudding - so rare to find a truly homemade version and this one was packed with tender meat, surrounded by perfect suet pastry.

30/10/2020: This is our 2nd visit to this lovely well run pub in weeks. The staff are accommodating and friendly, and the food is delicious!

23/11/2020: Chicken patia, pilau rice, garlic naan. Delicious tender chicken breast full flavoured sauce just right. Order taken by nice professional guy, delivered by a lovely friendly lady. I don't think I would dare go elsewhere as it is hard to find a reliable decent Indian.

22/11/2020: Brilliant take away, as always. Complimentary dishes always just tops it all off. Food is always hot and tastes delicious. Thank you Lowestoft Tandoori.

08/11/2020: Myself and my husband visited here on Saturday 31st October. We were warmly greeted by a member of staff. The restaurant itself is ‘open plan’ very modern. It was lovely to be able to watch the chefs working on pass.Now when I think of tapas I think of cold Spanish meat, olives and bread. This restaurant brings a whole new meaning to it and it is wonderful. For starters we shared the most amazing fresh Socius focaccia bread and sticky prawns in chilli glaze. Our chosen main dishes were cauliflower, hake, beetroot, carrot dish and pork. The dishes come out as and when they are ready which was just perfect. There were many different flavours which we had not tasted together. We accompanied our meal with a bottle of Chablis. Oh and to finish as we did not have room for desert we had a White Russian cocktail. Yummy! I would like to add that when we arrived it had just been announced that England would be going into a second lockdown within days. At no time at all did any of the staff let this impact their level of service provided to us. The staff are a credit to the owners. It was evident who the owners of Socius are, however it was lovely to see how they interacted with their staff and worked just as hard as the staff. Thank you all for a wonderful evening.

01/11/2020: (Apart from feeling slightly rushed by our Waitress to give order rather too quickly after settling down at our table, and feeling tables (upstairs) were slightly too high for the chairs, we set about enjoying what was to follow and, Oh Boy, did we!)Mushroom starter is absolutely delicious, so is salmon one (I just could’ve eaten double the amount of salmon provided!).Main roast pork was cleaned off the plate by my husband - he said it was 12/10 - and my celeriac main was nothing short of fantastic. So hard to find tasty vegetarian Main dishes that go with a range of Sunday lunch vegetables. This certainly did.Brilliant, perfectly-cooked colourful veg sides were wonderful.Merlot and Viognier Wines excellent.I’d eat here everyday if my waistline would allow!! Will definitely request downstairs table next time where you can see Chefs at workWell done Team Socius and thank you.

30/10/2020: Had a fantastic evening - the restaurant has been tastefully socially distanced and the great atmosphere remains. As always the service and food were impeccable. We will return soon and would highly recommend it.

23/10/2020: Cannot recommend vita Bella enough. The service was fantastic right from start with the parking attendant up until we paid the bill. All staff was very friendly and helpful . The food was fantastic full of flavour and great size portions. Thank you for the complimentary drink at the end too.Can’t wait to visit again

25/10/2020: We’ve eaten at the Green Man many times in the past and wanted to support them in these tricky times so took a group of friends for lunch on Saturday. It was excellent in every way! Brilliant menu / ordering system - simple and effective. Drinks and hot, delicious, freshly cooked food delivered to a nearby “drop table” for us to collect (avoiding breaking social distancing rules). I can not fault them! All with a cheery smile. Thank goodness for the Green Man!

23/09/2020: Considering the times we are in with Covid being such a player on the scene at the moment, this pub has catered very well for this by having seating outside and none inside. Admittedly this will inherently come with a downside in the winter, but one problem at a time, for the time being it suits just fine. There is a limited menu with limited drinks. If you are after trying more than one real ale then you are going to be challenged as this place is trying to get by and survive therefore it doesn't have the array you would have seen post Covid. All this being said however doesn't detract from the fact that this is a lovely pub which a proper local feel to it. The staff range from Scotland to AUS and are very engaging with no hesitation to converse. The food from the limited menu is very good and the mains are either tapas styled or you can choose from a chicken cheeseburger or fish fingers burger, each lovely in their own right.

17/11/2020: 3 of us had a takeaway lunch today and it was exceptional and incredibly good value . Thank you for making my Birthday special Maison Bleue%!

10/11/2020: No idea if this is the right vehicle to write this review, if not so what.Two dear friends decided, as a surprise, to invite my wife and I to lunch today. It was her birthday. Many thanks to Jean and Vanessa for their kindness.They amazed us by buying in a Maison Bleue takeaway meal.Absolutely brilliant, content, taste, presentation etc superb.Very good value.Karine and Pascal are to be congratulated on the idea and implementation.It does seem that this idea may become permanent. If so good.In this time of concern, worry and loss perhaps they have discovered one way of making our lives that much better and less stressful.Good luck and thanks to them.Keith Lee

30/10/2020: We are regular visitors to the window at the Galley. The tea and coffee and food is excellent, particularly the sausage rolls, vegetarian rolls, home-made soup and baklava. Well worth a visit.

18/10/2020: Another fabulous meal, the quality and portions couldn't be faulted with easy to "cook" instructions. As a bonus we ordered some extras from "the Window" for Sunday

07/11/2020: I was thrilled that not much has changed to the restaurant aesthetics after the fire damage. I thought the staff were great and the food lovely, we ordered off the A la Carte; I loved the duck.

01/11/2020: Three of us has Sunday lunch here - All three courses were superb and absolutely spot on!Our 5 year old had a half portion of a Sunday roast as no children’s menu available - staff very accommodating and they allowed us to specify what meat and veg we would like for child’s lunch. Same with child’s desserts we were able to request child friendly options. The Sunday 3 course menu was exceptional value based on the quality of the food - we are visiting Norfolk at present and will look back at our trip very fondly, partly due to the exquisite lunch that we enjoyed today. Hope to be back one day!

11/11/2020: This is one of our favourite Aldeburgh restaurants and one we frequent regularly. We were here on the very last free evening before the latest incarceration and had a lovely time. Sam & Maxine work so hard to make everyone welcome and to prepare super meals. They had, at great disruption, even made Jam Roly-Poly especially for me, for which I thank them, hugely. Roll on freedom, when we can go again and again.

02/11/2020: Sam delivers hospitality with total enthusiasm and commitment. Food is great and always a good atmosphere which comes from Sam and the team. Always a firm favourite

08/11/2020: At last we have found a decent Restaurant in Ipswich, excellent value for money, great service from friendly knowledgeable staff, cant wait to revisit after lockdown 2

03/11/2020: I can honestly say I have just had the most amazing meal with my family. I tried snails for the first time snd the lady who served us was very helpful. She also advised on wines and was uplifting and friendly . I can’t wait to return in December once these businesses are permitted to open agin. When we have a table booked !

27/10/2020: My husband, daughter and I had a lovely lunch here. We had booked, as advised - glad we did as it was full. The food is excellent, focusing on fresh fish and seafood as you would expect but with a variety of dishes to suit all. Children are very well catered for in all senses too. The key to its success, however, are the staff - all efficient and friendly but Kelly (apologies, if I have not remembered correctly) led by example as the owner - especially engaging with Freja. Everything done met and exceeded current restrictions and requirements but maintained a warmth and personality, something so easily lost at present. Would happily recommend a visit to anyone and will more than gladly return when next in the area.

26/10/2020: A wonderful seafood restaurant in the quaint little harbour town of Wells-next-the-Sea. Lovely fresh produce cooked beautifully. Excellent service and all very Covid safe. Could have eaten everything on the menu!!! Will just have to go back to start working my way through!!

01/11/2020: We hesitate to post a less than totally positive review, as we are sure that everyone at Sutherland House is doing their best in very difficult times, BUT ........As a previous reviewer has mentioned, all eating establishments have had to adapt to Covid regulations, but most have managed to do it in a way where the customer still feels welcome & relatively relaxed. Sadly, last night we just ended up feeling like a massive inconvenience. That said, the food was good & there was nothing actually wrong with the service, but when they reopen after this next lockdown we hope they find a way of making sure everyone stays safe without feeling on edge & uncomfortable

22/10/2020: Had a really great meal here with a very nice bottle of wine. Staff lovely and followed Covid rules very well. Recommended a must visit for food lovers.

04/11/2020: Went there for lunch. It’s really beautiful inside just as you imagine a tea room with lovely decor and China cups .Attention to detail in every aspect of presentation.The food was lovely and fresh and there was a good choice . We didn’t have the afternoon tea but it looked lovely.The staff were really friendly and we felt covid safe

31/10/2020: Visited this gorgeous tea room on a day trip to Lavenham. The staff were so friendly and welcoming and the food was exceptional. We had the ploughmans and a cream tea which I both thoroughly recommend.

05/11/2020: We had not visited the Wooden Fender for a good while but decided to have lunch here and we are so glad that we did.The food was excellent, the staff very friendly and the place has a very pleasant feel about it. We will return as soon as they are allowed to re-open.Thank you very much.

25/10/2020: Just enjoyed takeaway Roast dinner. It was delicious! Lots of meat, fresh vegetables and massive Yorkshire! Definitely recommended!

29/10/2020: The rooms are excellent with every thing thought through and high quality.The service was excellent as well so it made for a very relaxing stayMy son has a nut allergy and the cook and staff could not have been more helpfulexcellent value too

28/10/2020: Charming pub and welcoming staff, food was of a good quality and really relaxed atmosphere defo worth a visit