Great ambiance and splendid views of the water. Staff are super nice and accommodated my auntie who…read moreis elderly in a perfect table by the window. Delicious food and very reasonable prices. Très bonne ambiance et une vue spectaculaire de l'eau comme arrière fond. Les employés sont très sympa et ils ont tout fait pour rendre ma vieille tante confortable avec une table à côté de la fenêtre. Délicieuse nourriture avec des prix très raisonnables. May buen ambiente y una vista espléndida del agua. Los empleados muy amables e hicieron todo lo posible para hacer sentir cómoda a mi tía que es viejecita y nos dieron una mesa cerca de la ventana. Comida deliciosa y precios muy razonables.

I first heard of the Butt and Oyster when I read Arthur Ransome's "We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea" as…read morea teenager. In recent years, various members of my family have moved to the Stour valley area and so I was very excited to finally have the opportunity to go here, having just re-read the book to my own sons. The Butt and Oyster certainly lived up to my expectations. Although, like many country pubs have become over the past ten years, it's really more like a restaurant with beer, the interior is still clearly old, with terrific character. Its situation in the village of Pinmill is everything you could wish for as a Ransome fan, with a host of boats new and old lining the 'Hard', a scattering of well-preserved cottages and sailboats drifting by on the Orwell. The food here was very tasty with some local themes - seafood in particular. I had a delicious Lowestoft skate with capers and roasted tomatoes. Plus, they sell Adnams ales which instantly gives it at least four stars on my scale. A couple of pints of Broadside washed the food down a treat. After lunch we also had a great walk through meadows upstream along the river. A real English country experience that feels like it hasn't changed much since Ransome's day. Except that it takes credit cards.

Situated on the banks of the River Deben, The Ramsholt Arms is somewhat difficult to find, but it…read moreis well worth spending the time to find it. There is plenty of parking, both next to the pub and a bit further up the hill and as you come down the bank your first view of the pub also provides a wonderful vista of the Deben estuary. Since there are moorings along this stretch of the river, the pub is a favourite haunt of boatsmen and the pub has a charming, un pretentious air about it. Food is good (with decent Suffolk portions) and the service is friendly and timely. It is a really nice pub to hole up in on a winters night, or on a sunny afternoon in summer - although it can get very busy on bank holidays. THe only downside is that, due to it being a bit remote, you will need to bring along a designated driver. I will admit to being a little biased, since I held my wedding reception there - and everyone commented on the excellence of the venue.

Found dog hair all over the seats and found smudged poo upon the window ledge in the males toilets…read more The poo had full on sweatcorn in and this is outrageous as I don't like sweatcorn.

Lovely interior with a well sorted menu. Came there for a Sunday roast. Was quite good although not…read morethrilling, a bit stringy

A super country pub and restaurant. It has a separate restaurant area that can seat up to about 50…read moreas a private party. They do of course take individual boookings and if the restaurant is full you can still eat the same food in the more informal bar area. The bar area has a lovely open fire in colder weather so it may be worth eating in there anyway! The food is jolly good English fare in the main, though there are some more exotic dishes. The fod is cooked to order and the waiters and waitresses are very helpful and friendly and the chef will alter things if the place is not over busy. There is a small garden with a play area for children and also pleanty of outside seating and car parking too. The prices are very good and the place is well worth trying.

The Red Lion was absolutely lovely!! I had heard mixed reviews about this place but decided to try…read moreit anyways since my boyfriend and his brother and I were all staying nearby, and it was a lovely surprise!! The fish and chips were so great, not overly greasy on the breading and the fish was very soft on the inside, well cooked. The sauce seemed house made and was really delicious as well which happily surprised me as someone who is more picky & more of a ketchup gal. The drinks were nice as well with great prices and a nice casual vibe throughout the restaurant without it feeling like a crazy pub. The service was alright though the food took a bit long. At the end of the day it was worth the wait! I loved it, 5 stars.

The good ol' red lion. For years its almost been a kind of 'also-ran' to the bigger and ever…read morepopular Black Tiles up the road. Its always been more traditional and 'pubby', but never quite managed to compete. Until now! Its got the same oldy worldy charm its always had, but now appears clean (no more dust!) and fresh, with decent lines (Starropraman, Bombay Saphirre, Tanq etc). Went in for a speedy tea before heading off to the Cinema in Ipswich, taking advantage of their set price menu (2 courses for £9 or 3 for £11). At this price i wasnt expecting much, but was pleasantly suprised. Starters were fast, Tuna fishcakes and prawn cocktail. I ordered the fishcakes but ended up with Lucy's Prawns. Both were tasty but the "deconstructed" prawn cocktail just wasnt as good as a normal one would be, and led to me having to eat it as Lucy wouldnt. All the elements were seperate, with naked prawns piled next to bread and a pot of Marie rose sauce. Looked good, but please, no more. Main courses were steak and Bombadier pie and chicken with mozzerella. The chicken was good, but again, Lucy was unimpressed with her pie, initially having to hunt for the meat, although upon finishing she said there was actually enough in there. I had a School Style strawberry jam pudding for dessert - proper yum!! The bill at the end was under £30 including drinks for us both. Silly cheap. All in all I now like the Lion a lot, and will definitely be back. The only criticism i could make would be the rather uninteresting and dull wine list, reminding me that I am very much in a pub! Looks like The Tiles has a competitor at last! ;-)

We were camping up in the area (September 2011) and this restaurant came highly recommended by the…read morecampground staff. We walked here and arrived about 6pm, just when they were opening. Very cosy atmosphere, beautiful old building and they've retained the charm. The food here was delicious, and very reasonably priced, especially considering they use local ingredients. The hosts were very charming and the locals were as well. A lot of outdoor space so can imagine on a nice sunny Sunday, it would be nice to take advantage of! If you're in this area, I highly recommend popping by here. My only regret is we needed to head out without really getting to enjoy the evening atmosphere as we were walking back to our campsite and it was dark.

This pub is in a very good location although the roads do get a bit narrow near the end but there…read moreis speed bumps all along the road to stop speeding drivers. The car park is large but the pub is very popular in the evenings and weekend summer lunch so get there early or make a reservation. The food is generally above average but the quality of food could be improved, however doing this would bring up prices. Service is good although more could be done to improve service. One thing that does impress is the views when sitting outside on a summers day which give lovely views over the Deben river. Overall this is a nice pub and is one of my favourite places to eat. With a few improvements this could become the best eating pub in Suffolk. Highly recommended, especially for a Sunday lunch on a nice hot summers day.

What can I say that isn't said by these previous referrals; we went on Friday afternoon and were…read moreseriously impressed. The staff were polite, and efficient: even going back into the kitchen to check what was in the Seafood Medley (we had two of these specials which are to be highly recommended); and the food was delivered extremely promptly with the highly exemplorary friendly service. Two of our party of four had Barbeque Chicken which they very much enjoyed too; the dressing that went with the salad was beyond description. This place is definitely worth finding out and eating at, they are top class in everything and you will definitely enjoy the service.

Everything was great. Good food and pleasant service. Warm environment that felt welcoming…read more Authentic local food. Would eat there again.

My daughter and I ordered the fish pie only to be very disappointed with the sloppy mixture under…read morethe potatoes. Not a whole piece of fish or prawn to be seen. The establishment looking very smart but not enough bar staff serving creating a long wait for a drink.

The best pub in north east essex. Great soup and pub food and a superb range of real ale…read more Deservedly popular with people from all walks of life and friendly staff. Just what a pub should be.Some live music as well. Fantastic!!!

What a cheerful little place. Plenty of odd corners, inside and out; friendly staff; the simple…read morebaguette lunch we had was most acceptable. Open all day for food, which makes it very useful if we need somewhere to go and stay for ages!