There are three excellent specialist restaurants, including Scutchers, three times winner of the "Which Good Food Guide" award as County Restaurant of the Year. Their award in the Michelin Guide 2000 was one of only a hundred and twenty four in the country.
For those with large appetities, the hotels and pubs also provide unusually good food. There is an Italian and an Indian restaurant (which has a take-away service too) and a fish-and-chip shop which is popular for miles around.
The Black Lion, The Green,
phone 01787 312356,
The restaurant at The Black Lion was voted 'Best Restaurant in Suffolk' for 2006 by readers of the East Anglian Daily Times. They do some lovely cream teas, too (see picture !)
Scutchers,
Westgate Street
phone 01787 310200
fax 01787 375700
web : http://www.scutchers.com
This is a bright, airy restaurant run as a family business by Nicholas and Diane Barrett.
According to the Good Food Guide 1999, the "menu brims over with lively ideas drawn from the global melting pot: Crispy Duck with Cucumber, Spring Onions and Chinese Pancakes (a favourite starter) rubs shoulders with Carpaccio of Beef and Mediterranean Vegetables, Seared Scallops on a Spicy Tomato and Shallot Salsa, Fillet of Lamb on Courgettes with Baby Tomatoes Olive and Garlic. A star among desserts is a Hot Vanilla and Raspberry Soufflé, though this is often reserved for special occasions."
The wine list offers a fine range of styles and variations from both hemispheres at very fair prices.
With 75 seats inside (and 45 outside in the right weather), the building has a heavily timbered interior dating back to the early 14th Century. There is wheelchair access..
Open Tuesday to Saturday; lunch 12:00 -14:00, Dinner 19:00-21:30
Café Marsala , Hall Street
phone 01787 378658 Indian and Italian cuisine.
Chips and Chopstix, Hall Street
phone 01787 378776, : Good quality traditional fish and chips, with a chinese
menu in addition.
The
Cock and Bell, Hall Street
phone 01787 379807
A pub that really cares about the food it serves, the Cock and Bell may surprise you with the range and quality of its menu. Fish dishes are something of a specialty, and the comfortable restaurant is adjacent to the bar.
The Cordell Restaurant (at the
Bull),
The Bull, Hall Street,
phone 01787 378494
fax 01787 880307
The Cordell Restaurant serves the finest cuisine amongst antique carvings. An excellent bar menu, together with cask ales and a fine selection of wines by the glass are available in the Reeves Bar.
The Crown Hotel, Hall Street
phone 01787 377666
fax 01787 379005
web www.thecrownhotelmelford.co.uk
The Crown Hotel serves homemade food which is prepared using fresh ingredients seven days a week. The menu itself is A La Carte with a mixture of traditional and contemporary dishes (bar snacks/sandwiches are also available).
The menu changes on a regular basis and will reflect what is in season at a particular time of year. It is advisable to book.
During the summer months there is also the option to dine in the walled courtyard. For more information, pictures of the restaurant and courtyard and details of sample menus etc, please visit our web-site, details above.
The
George and Dragon, Hall Street,
phone 01787 371285
The food is good, in traditional English style, and the bar is as popular with the locals as it is with visitors. There is an ample car park, and gardens at the rear.
The Hare, High Street (opposite
the entrance to Kentwell Hall)
phone 01787 310379
The
Lounge, Little St Mary's
Fully-licensed Restaurant-Bistro
open Mon-Fri 09:45 -16:30 Sat 10:00-17:00
phone 01787-379279
The best freshly ground coffee for miles around can be enjoyed in the warm, contemporary and friendly setting of this 16th Century building. Deliciously different lunches are available all day (and to take away).
Sit down with your glass of wine or beer to one of our sophisticated salads : grilled goat's cheese and roasted pepper or a hot grilled Panini filled to your specification with delights such as Parma ham, mozzarella & tomato or sausage, bacon and Brie or red pepper, olive and mozarella (to name just a few).
Also available are filled baguettes and a daily selection of homemade soups and specials such as asparagus filo tart, lasagne or vegetable cobbler. Follow your meal with a great hot chocolate brownie with icecream and a super cappuccino or other coffee from the vast coffee menu.
The lounge is more than lunch. Plan your day around it!
Melford Valley Indian Cuisine, Hall Street
phone 01787 310079
The Rose and Crown, Bridge Street (on the A134
a mile north of the rest of the village, on the road to Alpheton and Bury
St Edmunds)
phone : 01787 247022
The
Swan, Hall Street CO10 9JQ
phone 01787 378740
email info@melford-swan.co.uk
web http://www.melford-swan.co.uk.
The Swan Inn is a traditional village real ale pub with something for everyone.
It has a great atmosphere and attracts people from all walks of life and all
ages (even Tudor folks from the local re-creations, at some times of year!).
Fine beer, good value pub food, and interesting events make it a great place
to drink. Oh, and an attractive and surprisingly large beer garden (betcha
didn’t know that – some of our regulars didn’t either!).
