
Suffolk's lifeblood was once the herring industry and the county's coastline facing the North Sea ensures that its restaurants are seldom short of fish. Lowestoft is the main port, but small places like Aldeburgh and Southwold also contribute local catches.
Free-range Suffolk pigs are starting to make a name for themselves and sweet-cured bacon and hams are delicacies that often turn up on restaurant and pub menus.
Suffolk also has some fine independent breweries, cider-makers and small vineyards providing tipples for its eating places.
The LighthouseStill going strong after 15 years, the Lighthouse is a real boon to Aldeburgh locals, culture vultures and holidaymakers alike.
77 High Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
152 AldeburghAndrew Lister and Garry Cook worked their way through some of East Anglia's top restaurants before taking over this bright-and-breezy seaside bolthole.
152 High Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
RegattaA fixture of the Aldeburgh scene since 1992, Regatta is a family-friendly place with a laid-back feel and the emphasis on locally procured and home-smoked ingredients served without fuss.
171 High Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk - Cuisine: Seafood
The Bru at The Brudenell HotelA much-loved seaside retreat for visitors to Suffolk's east coast and devotees of the Aldeburgh festival, the Brudenell is just a pebble's throw from the beach.
The Parade, Aldeburgh, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The Swan House RestaurantThe proprietors of The Swan House Restaurant at Beccles pride themselves on the fresh, organic locally produced fruits, vegetables and herbs, many grown in their own orchard gardens that go into The Swan House Restaurant's modern Anglo-Italian cuisine on offer.
Swan House, Beccles, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
The Bildeston CrownFrom the outside, the Crown at Bildeston looks like just another timber-framed Suffolk hostelry - albeit a fine example of the genre.
High Street, Bildeston, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Earsham Street CaféEarsham Street Café is a popular all day dining restaurant in the historic Suffolk market town of Bungay, open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, but they are better known for their award-winning brasserie, and many of their regulars travel far and wide to dine here.
11 - 13 Earsham Street, Bungay, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
St Peter's HallA visually stunning and historically fascinating venture in a converted medieval manor house (circa 1280) complete with its own moat.
St Peter South Elmham, Bungay, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Angel Hotel, The EaterieThe Angel Hotel occupies a most beautiful spot opposite the Abbey Gardens in the centre of Bury St Edmunds. First mentioned in 1452, the building has a wealth of fascinating history and has had close links with the famous Abbey throughout the centuries.
3 Angel Hill, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Best Western Priory Hotel, Garden RestaurantBuilt on the site of a thirteenth-century priory - hence the name - this listed Georgian building is in a pretty spot on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds.
Mildenhall Road, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
Leaping Hare RestaurantVineyard, restaurant, micro-brewery, spectacular gardens, shop and farmers' market, Sir Kenneth and Carla Carlisle's country enterprise has it all. Situated close to the family seat at Wyken Hall, the whole area is a bonanza for wildlife enthusiasts, foodies and wine buffs alike: Carla describes it as a 'hotbed of defiant utopianism'.
Wyken Vineyards, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Maison BleueA taste of the sea in landlocked Bury St Edmunds is what you can expect at this cheery venue not far from the town's historic Abbeygate.
30-31 Churchgate Street, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: French
Pea PorridgePea Porridge is a gem of a neighbourhood restaurant that opened its door in October 2009 in the historic market town of Bury Saint Edmunds.
28 - 29 Cannon Street, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Ravenwood HallOne of the most historic country houses in Suffolk, Ravenwood Hall can trace its roots back to the reign of King Henry VIII.
Rougham, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
The BeehiveGary and Di Kingshott have clocked up more than 20 years' service at this 200-year-old brick and flint village pub just a few minutes' stroll from Ickworth Park and Gardens (owned by the National Trust).
The Street, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Ickworth Hotel & RestaurantIckworth House was home to the Hervey family for more than 200 years before the whole estate (including 1,800 acres of parkland) was gifted to the National Trust in 1956.
Horringer, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
Theobald's Restaurant'What a lovely old building - will be eating there again very soon', exclaimed a couple of UK Restaurant Guide users about Simon and Geraldine Theobald's long-serving Suffolk restaurant.
68 High Street, Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The GeorgeThe George at Cavendish, "Les Routiers Dinning Pub of the Year 2003, East Anglia" had life breathed back into it by Jonathan and Charlotte Nicholson in 2002.
The Green, Cavendish, Suffolk - Cuisine: Global
Fox and GooseThe Fox and Goose is at the centre of village life in Fressingfield, with the church behind and the village pond in front.
Church Road, Fressingfield, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The Crown InnThe little village of Great Glemham may no longer have a shop or school, but it still boasts a thriving local pub in the shape of the Crown Inn.
, Great Glemham, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Queens HeadAn unusual three-tiered garden overlooking Bramfield's equally distinctive thatched church is part of the attraction of Amanda and Marc Corcoran's forward-looking Suffolk gastro pub.
The Street, Halesworth, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Triple Plea InnSituated just north of the town, this handsome country inn is reckoned to be 'one of the best in this part of Suffolk,' according to one UK Restaurant Guide user.
Broadway, Halesworth, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
BaipoA local favourite for lovers of Thai cuisine, and 'fantastic for a gastronomical treat' - according to one UK Restaurant Guide reporter, who praised Baipo's 'absolutely wonderful food'.
63 Upper Orwell Street, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Thai
Hintlesham HallA breathtaking Grade I-listed Elizabethan manor house with Georgian additions, Hintlesham Hall is a gem set in 175 acres of immaculate grounds and formal gardens within easy reach of Ipswich.
Hintlesham, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
K Bar and GrillAn outstanding first-floor bistro-style restaurant overlooking a buzzing Continental bar, Keo's reputation for great food and fabulous service is growing and attracting an increasing number of regulars.
St Nicholas Street, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
Mariners Restaurant at Il PuntoStep back in time aboard the historic Il Punto, moored on Neptune Quay in the port of Ipswich. She is the sister restaurant to Maison Bleue at Bury St Edmunds and Great House at Lavenham.
Neptune Quay, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: French
Salentina RistoranteNamed after the owner's home region of Il Salentino, this ristorante-cum-pizzeria is a godsend for shoppers and visitors to Ipswich.
28 Great Colman Street, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Italian
Salthouse Harbour HotelAn impressive waterside location overlooking fashionable Neptune Marina is the setting for the aptly named Salthouse Harbour Hotel. Originally a Victorian warehouse, the building has been transformed into a seven-storey modern destination with all manner of facilities - including a licence to hold civil weddings.
1 Neptune Quay, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
The GalleyA frontage as adventurous and unusual as the cuisine, you certainly would not mistake The Galley restaurant with its pink walls and aquamarine painted window frames.
25 St Nicholas Street, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
TrongsIt may look more like a small café located on vibrant St Nicholas Street, but the green frontage with low curtains hides, what is considered by its many followers, the best Chinese restaurant in the region.
23 St Nicholas Street, Ipswich, Suffolk - Cuisine: Chinese
Angel HotelA gem of a pub in a gem of a Suffolk town dotted with ancient half-timbered buildings, The Angel was first licensed in 1420 and stands in the market square, opposite Lavenham's medieval Guildhall.
Market Place, Lavenham, Suffolk - Cuisine: British
The Great House'A little pocket of France in Suffolk', is how Regis and Martine Crépy describe their multi-award winning hotel and restaurant.
Market Place, Lavenham, Suffolk - Cuisine: French
The Swan, Gallery RestaurantLavenham is a showpiece medieval market town and once-great centre of the East Anglian wool trade. It's now an immaculately preserved tourist honeypot, with the fifteenth-century Swan as one of its focal points.
High Street, Lavenham, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The Star InnMaria-Teresa Axion brought a touch of Spanish vitality to Suffolk when she took over this 400-year-old pub in the middle of a gentrified village, way back in 1993.
The Street, Lidgate, Suffolk - Cuisine: Mediterranean
ScutchersA bold, yellow-painted brick exterior marks out Scutchers, a lively country restaurant in one of Suffolk's most historic and most visited towns.
Westgate Street, Long Melford, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Coast RestaurantUK Restaurant Guide users are keen to praise the 'amazing sea views', warm welcome and 'excellent' food at this contemporary restaurant/bar housed in the Hotel Victoria.
The Hotel Victoria, Lowestoft, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Ivy House Country Hotel, The Crooked BarnNestling beside the watery delights of Oulton Broad, Ivy House comprises the sympathetic conversion of eighteenth-century Suffolk farm buildings and some new additions in vernacular style.
Ivy Lane, Lowestoft, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
The Swan InnNigel and Carol Ramsbottom run this village pub as a double act: he cooks while she works behind the bar and runs the show out front.
The Street, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Anchor InnThe yellow-brick Anchor Inn by a bridge over the River Stour isn't difficult to spot. Once a place where press gangs recruited their 'volunteers', it's now a relaxed, convivial hostelry with a delightfully cosy bar, a boldly decorated upstairs restaurant and a riverside deck for fine days.
26 Court Street, Nayland, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Swynford HotelSwynford Hotel is set in over 5 acres of beautiful grounds in an open park land setting. The Hotel's meandering entrance way is flanked by specimen trees framing the approach to the hotel revealing the historic gabled house main building.
London Road, Newmarket, Suffolk - Cuisine: Contemporary British
Butley-Orford Oysterage'A dining experience for fish lovers not to be missed,' enthused one UK Restaurant Guide user. Opened in the mid-60s, the Pinney family's vintage seafood café still stakes its reputation on locally bred oysters and incomparable smoked fish (cured in the smokehouse next to the beds at Butley Creek).
Market Hill, Orford, Suffolk - Cuisine: Seafood
Crown and Castle Hotel, The Trinity'Thanks to an act of architectural vandalism in 1896, you'd be hard-pressed to know that The Crown and Castle dates from the sixteenth century' – so say Ruth and David Watson, proprietors of this handsome hotel opposite Orford Castle's eerily impressive, stand-alone Norman keep.
Orford, Orford, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Bell Hotel'An exceptional, peaceful and tasteful meal,' was one UK Restaurant Guide reporter's summing up of dinner at this elegant, charmingly run hotel near the east Suffolk coast.
31 High Street, Saxmundham, Suffolk - Cuisine: Anglo French
The Duke's HeadGlorious Somerleyton Estate, with its stately Hall and 14 acres of fabulous gardens is now home to all manner of tourist attractions, corporate events, weddings and the like.
Slugg’s Lane, Somerleyton, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Sutherland HouseOne of Southwold's most distinctive buildings, Sutherland House has been around - in parts, at least - since 1455, and it still looks the part with its low-beamed rooms, ornate plastered ceilings, massive fireplaces and timbers.
56 High Street, Southwold, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The Crown'The kind of venture that makes Londoners glad they've come to the seaside - and locals even gladder that the don't live in London.
90 High Street, Southwold, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
The RandolphJust a mile or so from the trendy pleasures of Southwold, this rather grand-looking former pub was an outpost of the local Adnams empire, but is now run as an independent enterprise.
41 Wangford Road, Southwold, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The CrownThe Crown at Stoke by Nayland dates from the mid-sixteenth century and is a solid-looking, white-painted pub which now promises a great deal, with sofas and armchairs adding a touch of comfort to the spick-and-span, low-ceilinged interior.
Park Street, Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Angel InnAn elegantly appointed sixteenth-century coaching inn just off the A12, the Angel is now a serious and well-endowed venue that combines the virtues of a traditional pub and the attributes of a relaxed restaurant-with-rooms.
Polstead Street, Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The Buxhall CrownThis seventeenth-century village pub is tucked away near Buxhall's 'no sails' windmill. Inside, the Crown manages to combines the virtues of a thriving traditional hostelry (open fires, hop-garlanded beams) with the style of an upmarket gastro pub.
Mill Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The Shepherd & DogChristopher and Mary Bruce's latest venture is this re-born country pub in a village not far from Stowmarket. It has been given a thorough facelift, complete with stripped pine tables, sofas for chilling out, a new contemporary dining room with a horse racing theme and a pleasant terrace for al fresco meals while picking up an AA Rosette on the way.
Forward Green, Stowmarket, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Old Counting HouseSituated on Haughley village green, the fourteenth-century Counting House is an extremely popular choice for locals and visitors to the area.
6 Old Street, Stowmarket, Suffolk - Cuisine: International
Hitchcock'sBilled as a 'provisions store and dining room', Hitchcock's occupies a 150-year-old coal merchant's premises, but is now in the business of delivering food rather than fuel.
10 Station Road, Sudbury, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Tuddenham MillTuddenham Mill is a unique boutique hotel and restaurant that has undergone a sympathetic refurbishment by Agellus Hotels, who have created the perfect country retreat in the Suffolk countryside.
High Street, Tuddenham, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
The AnchorMark and Sophie Dorber are the enthusiastic, knowledgeable and incredibly laid-back duo behind the re-born Anchor at Walberswick and they have turned it into something quite special.
Main Street, Walberswick, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Bell InnA 600 year old Inn complete with resident ghost, The Bell Inn combines fantastic hospitality with traditional food and beer and boasts a list of accolades including awards from the AA and Les Routiers.
Ferry Road, Walberswick, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Westleton CrownA great favourite with tourists and holidaymakers exploring the Suffolk Heritage Coast, the Westleton Crown is handily placed midway between Southwold and Aldeburgh within easy reach of Minsmere RSPB Reserve.
The Street, Westleton, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Captain's TablePascal and Jo Pommier's likeable neighbourhood restaurant occupies a charming sixteenth-century building a short walk from Woodbridge quayside and the theatre.
3 Quay Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern European
Riverside RestaurantThe oldest cinema in the country, up-dated for sound and comfort, is just part of the deal at this success story overlooking Woodbridge Quayside.
Quayside, Woodbridge, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Seckford Hall Hotel & RestaurantConverted from a beautiful private residence into a breathtaking hotel, Seckford Hall still retains its impressive Tudor façade and sumptuous interiors.
, Woodbridge, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British
Spice Bar & RestaurantSome of the most colourful cooking in Woodbridge is to be found at this aptly named, first-floor venue overlooking the town's main drag.
17 The Thoroughfare, Woodbridge, Suffolk - Cuisine: Eclectic
The Froize InnDating back to 1490, the Froize Inn (a few miles from Woodbridge) has seen many changes over the centuries, and re-opened in 1981 after many years as a private residence.
The Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The AubergeOriginally called the Bull at Yaxley, this centuries-old Suffolk inn has been sympathetically transformed into a delightful country restaurant-with-rooms by current owners John and Dee Stenhouse.
Ipswich Road, Yaxley, Suffolk - Cuisine: European
Satis HouseCharles Dickens was a regular visitor to Satis House when it was a private residence, and the curious name actually pops up in his book Great Expectations.
Main Road, Yoxford, Suffolk - Cuisine: Modern British