Cosy Country Pubs you Have to Try!

Set beside the marshes of the River Blyth, The White Hart Inn enjoys a wonderfully peaceful countryside setting just a short drive from Southwold. Inside, you’ll find wooden floors and beams, open fires and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes it an ideal spot for a relaxed meal with family or friends.

The menu serves classic country fare alongside Adnams beers, wines and spirits, with a mouth-watering Sunday roast served from noon until 6pm. After a wander through the surrounding countryside, settle in by the fire and make an afternoon of it.

In the pretty Suffolk village of Campsea Ashe in Wickham Market, The Duck is a stylish country dining pub that works just as well for a cosy meal by the fire as it does for a sunny afternoon in the beer garden. The kitchen serves homemade, seasonal dishes using locally sourced ingredients, alongside local ales, lagers, gin and a varied wine list.

There’s plenty to make a visit feel like an occasion, from Sunday roasts and burger nights to wood-fired pizza evenings and regular quizzes. Families are well catered for too, with a children’s play park right beside the pub garden, making The Duck an easy choice for a relaxed lunch, a quick pint or a leisurely meal with friends and family.

After a day exploring the nearby nature reserves of RSPB Minsmere and Dunwich Heath, head to The Westleton Crown and find a table in the cosy bar or in the restaurant, which opens out into the garden when the weather is warm.

The kitchen champions locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, with Head Chef Kieren Drinkwater and his team creating hearty, imaginative dishes inspired by the farm, sea and Suffolk landscape. Whether you’re stopping by for breakfast, a simple lunchtime bite, a relaxed dinner or a traditional Sunday roast, there’s a varied menu to suit every occasion. Pair your meal with a carefully selected wine, a thirst-quenching real ale or something sparkling if you’re celebrating.

After a day of ambling around the shops on the High Street and a bracing walk along the beach, stop by the historic The Cross Keys in Aldeburgh. The grade II listed building has recently re-opened after a refurbishment but has kept its character features. 

The Adnams pub serves a great range of meals made from locally sourced produce, including smoked haddock chowder, smoked sprats, fish pie and kiln-roasted salmon.

In the summer months, the coastal village of Walberswick is a popular visiting spot for tourists, but as the weather turns, it's a place to get away from it all; with windswept beaches, winding country lanes and two traditional pubs. 

The Bell Inn is packed with character features such as beamed ceilings, open fires, quirky snugs, hidden alcoves and worn flagstones floors. The menu uses a range of Suffolk produce offering home-cooked lunchtime and evening meals. After a bracing walk along the beach, it's the ideal place settle down by the fire in the dining room and sip on a pint of Adnams.

Tucked away in the Suffolk countryside near Chillesford, Froize is a rustic restaurant and music venue where food, music and nature come together. The kitchen champions seasonal, locally sourced produce from East Anglia, with fresh, hearty dishes that make it a lovely place to settle in for a leisurely meal after exploring the surrounding countryside.

There’s plenty more to discover beyond the food, too. Every few weeks, Froize transforms into an intimate music venue for its Folk at The Froize evenings, while Froize Uncovered offers guided wildlife walks with birding experts through the surrounding countryside, followed by a well-earned two-course lunch. It’s a rather lovely combination of good food, live music and the great outdoors.

The Sweffling White Horse is a traditional Suffolk pub serving draught real ales straight from the cask and hearty pub grub. The pub is unique in that there isn't an actual bar, but you can sample real ales from small, local breweries as you sit by one of the open fires and play the traditional pub games on offer.

A simple food menu is served in the evenings, with the winter menu including Farmcafe handmade pies cooked in the wood-fired range oven in the bar! If pies are low in stock, alternatives include batches of Smokey Bean Stew or Vegetable Chilli, and the tasty 'Hot Cheesey Huffer' (local cheese melted onto Huffer bread and topped with either smoked paprika or onion relish) is also a popular winter offering.

Discover the remote village of Dunwich; once the haunt of smugglers, this thriving medieval port was lost into the sea during a terrible storm. Today it's the perfect place to experience the raw beauty of the Suffolk coast - with coastal, heathland and woodland walks a'plenty. After you've worked up an appetite, find a table at The Ship Inn. Sit by the nautically themed bar next to the crackling fire, in the dining room or the conservatory and choose from the menu a delicious plate of hearty pub food, washed down with a pint of real ale.

Dogs are also welcome here and will be greeted with treats and water! 

Nestled in the village of Bromeswell near Woodbridge, The Unruly Pig is a multi-award-winning 16th-century Suffolk inn, combining original oak beams, sloping ceilings and cosy log burners with contemporary touches and an eclectic mix of pop and local art.

It’s the only Suffolk pub to feature in the Estrella Damm Top 50 UK Gastropubs, taking the coveted number one spot in 2024. The pub was also named GQ’s Pub of the Year in 2023 and featured in The Sunday Times’ Best Places for a Roast in 2024. Behind all those accolades is a relaxed, welcoming pub serving seasonal food, an impressive selection of wine and craft beers, with menus that change regularly to make the most of local produce.

Perfectly placed for exploring the surrounding countryside, The Unruly Pig is just four minutes from Sutton Hoo and within easy reach of Rendlesham Forest, Sutton Heath, Orford and the Suffolk coast. In warmer weather, settle into the decked area for al fresco drinks and dining, or bring the dog along to the very dog-friendly bar, where treats are always available.

Set in a beautiful countryside setting, The Freston Boot is a lovingly restored 17th-century pub with plenty of character. The historic building has been carefully given a contemporary twist, creating a relaxed and welcoming space where traditional pub charm meets modern dining.

With its fresh food and cosy, family-friendly atmosphere, The Freston Boot makes a lovely spot to escape to the Suffolk countryside for a leisurely meal or a drink. It’s a place where the building itself is very much part of the experience, with its unique features and centuries of history giving it plenty of character.

A stunningly refurbished 16th century listed country pub, The Queen's Head at Bramfield is an ideal place to stop for a pint or some pub grub, with dogs and kids too!

Open 7 days a week, there's a seasonal menu and an extensive wine and gin list on offer inside the16th century Grade II listed building, complete with beautiful original beams, large open fireplaces and elegant vaulted ceilings. The food, which is served daily, is predominantly British with a twist and there's a varied selection of gluten-free dishes and options for coeliacs. 

Children are kept occupied with lego and art equipment and dogs are catered for too, with both the bar and Long bar being available to dine with your four-legged friends. Complimentary Bonios are always behind the bar, along with water bowls!

The Dolphin Inn is a small family owned and run pub and inn, situated in the pretty village of Thorpeness. Serving a range of dishes using locally sourced produce including meat from the local butcher in Aldeburgh, fish directly from the markets in Lowestoft sourced only from sustainable stocks, bread is from the famous Pump Street Bakery in Orford, vegetables grown locally from a greengrocer in Leiston and milk from a local dairy.

The bar also boasts some great local names including Aspall cider and Adnams beers and gins - it's the perfect place to head to, to warm up after a bracing coastal walk with family and dogs or bike ride!

Right on the water’s edge at Southwold, The Harbour Inn is a proper old fisherman’s pub, with plenty of nautical character and a warm, buzzy atmosphere. Part of the Adnams pubs family, it’s just the place to retreat to after a blustery walk along the coast, with cosy corners in the bar and a light, airy fishing shed overlooking the River Blyth and Southwold marshes.

The daily menu makes the most of the pub’s waterside setting, with fresh local seafood alongside classic pub favourites, while a good selection of beers, spirits and wines provides plenty of choice for a post-walk tipple. Dogs and children are welcome too, making it an easy-going spot to settle in and watch the boats go by.

Dating back to the 16th Century, snuggle up after a walk in the Suffolk countryside at The Parrot in Aldringham; with exposed solid oak beams, open fire, wonky walls and low ceilings, it oozes charm and character. You can warm up in the bar and sit by the log fire during the colder months or find a bench in the private walled garden for a game of boules on one of the pistes in the beer garden when the weather is fine.

Serving a seasonal menu including steak, venison burger, mushroom and spinach penne pasta, Procters sausages with grain mustard mash to name but a few, alongside the best local ales and wines from Adnams, plus gins, whiskeys, rums and vodkas. 

A traditional country pub located in Wrentham between Kessingland and Southwold, The Five Bells is ideal for enjoying a hearty meal after a walk along the beach. 

Like other Adnams pubs, there's an extensive selection of real ales and spirits to accompany the menu. Food is served every day, lunch is noon - 2.30pm and dinner from 6.30 - 9pm. Home-cooked classics made with high quality ingredients include twice-cooked Blythburgh pork belly, kiln-roasted salmon Nicoise salad, chickpea, roasted cauliflower and peanut curry, scampi and chips and steak burger.