Eating, drinking and dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Norfolk.
Restaurants
Strattons
The award-winning restaurant is one of this chic boutique hotel’s main attractions. Here they serve organic and locally sourced produce prepared in thought-provoking style, specialising in cheeses from the British Isles and wine from around the world.
Ash Close, Swaffham,
(+44 (0)1760 723845)
Victoria at Holkham
A shabby-chic hotel a pebble’s throw from sandy Holkham beach, the restaurant here ain’t half bad. Owners Lord and Lady Coke choose the best ingredients the surrounding area has to offer, such as Cromer crabs, Brancaster Mussels and venison, beef, game and eel from their Holkham Estate.
Park Road, Holkham, Wells-next-the-Sea
(+44 (0)1328 711008)
Congham Hall
A vast Georgian manor-house hotel whose USP is its extensive kitchen garden where herbs, salads and baby vegetables are grown. Dine on this super-fresh produce while enjoying the breathtaking views from the terrace, including owls swooping in the twilight.
Grimston, King's Lynn
(+44 (0) 1485 600250)
Bars and clubs
The Crown Hotel
A bright, modern former coaching in, this bar/restaurant/hotel overlooks the quiet tree-lined green known as The Buttlands and offers stylish drinks/food/shelter in contemporary surroundings.
The Buttlands, Wells-next-the-Sea
(+44 (0)1328 710209)
Pubs
The Hoste Arms
This pub in Burnham Market is probably Norfolk’s best-known gastro destination, and quite right too: the award-winning food here – locally produced and lovingly cooked – is fabulous.
The Green, Burnham Market, King's Lynn
(+44 (0)1328 738777)
Walpole Arms
A traditional village pub with a top-draw restaurant attached, or should that be the other way round? Menus at this cosy, award-winning eaterie reflect what is best and freshest each day. In summer there is a strong Mediterranean influence, and if you come in winter, expect warming dishes from northern Europe.
The Common, Itteringham
(+44 (0)1263 587258)
Hare Arms
A great place to stop off if you’re in the area, this country pub is packed full of memorabilia gathered by the owners over the years. There’s a roaring fire in the winter, the sound of peacocks in the summer and a chance the resident cat will come and sit of your lap all year round.
Stow Bardolph, King's Lynn
(+44 (0)1366 3822290)