Where to eat

Best restaurants In Norwich
Published 18 November 2024

Norwich's culinary landscape is as rich and varied as its cultural heritage, offering a delightful array of dining experiences that cater to diverse tastes. The best restaurants in Norwich exemplify this diversity, presenting an enticing mix of traditional British dishes and international flavours. From establishments that prioritise locally sourced, seasonal produce to those that infuse global culinary techniques, the city's dining scene is a testament to its dynamic and evolving nature. Whether you're in search of a refined gastronomic adventure or a relaxed meal in a cosy setting, the best restaurants in Norwich provide an array of options to satisfy every palate. This guide serves as an introductory resource to navigate and appreciate the exceptional culinary offerings that Norwich has to offer.

Benedicts

Norwich, Norfolk £££

‘The downside,’ said one recent enthusiast, ‘is that our favourite restaurant is 200 miles away.’ Applause for Benedicts rings out far beyond Norwich, such is the delicious creativity of the six- or nine-course menus, and the genuine happiness of the service delivered at Richard and Katja Bainbridge’s city-centre bistro. Personal memory and shared nostalgia ripple through dishes (fans of The Great British Menu will remember the 2015 triumph of 'Nanny Bush’s trifle') but there’s no wallowing in sentiment: the cooking is bright and contemporary, colourful and fun. Home-grown radishes, a stick of raw kohlrabi and endive scooped through smoked haddock butter set the scene, alongside a ‘prawn cocktail’ tartlet (with sharpness from freeze-dried raspberries instead of lemon) which is as if made by fairies, so friable is the pastry, so delicate the flavour. A rice cracker dotted with sparky keta, ditsy rings of shallot and apple gel comes with a sherry mousse – because Nanny Bush did like a glass of an evening, so the story goes. Warm brioche bounces glossily centre-stage, deserving its solo moment, especially when some of that mousse remains. Bouillabaisse nods to that often murky overflow of gurning fish heads, but here a smooth, savoury soup is poured tableside around a stylish pan-fried croûton topped with crabmeat, samphire and dots of rouille. It’s a prelude to duck, pink and butter-soft to cut, which comes with a fresh kohlrabi slaw, peach-sweetened sauce and a slice of pomme dauphine (an 'irresistible cross between a hash brown and a rösti’, drizzled with chive mayo and flecked with red amaranth). Palates are rejuvenated by ‘jelly and ice cream’, perfectly grown-up and un-sugary, before a flirty lemon posset (hiding pieces of nectarine) on a lime syrup-soaked puck of genoise sponge takes the final bow. Wine service is notable throughout – a crisp but weighty Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec from Gascony’s Domaine Laougué played harmoniously opposite the bouillabaisse.

9 St Benedict's Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4PE

Best Local Restaurant

Benoli

Norwich, Norfolk ££

At the bottom end of Timber Hill in the centre of Norwich, this gem of an Italian restaurant looks nothing like the trattorias of yesteryear, but is instead a smart long room done in gentle teal, hung with pastel-hued paintings an… Read more

5 Orford Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 3LE

Brix & Bones

Norwich , Norfolk ££

Full-on open-fire cooking in moody surroundings

In the same building as its misleadingly named sibling Gonzo’s Tea Room (actually a cocktail/burger/disco hangout), Brix & Bones is all about powerful, expert, generous open-fire cooking – the sort that also requir… Read more

68-72 London Street, Norwich , Norfolk NR2 1JT

Figbar

Norwich, Norfolk

Handily placed for the theatre, this idiosyncratic set-up is billed as Norwich's first 'dessert bar'. Everything is made on the premises by pastry chef Jaime Garbutt (ex-Morston Hall et al) and his team, from the counter lade… Read more

23 St John Maddermarket, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1DN

Best Local Restaurant

L’Hexagone Bistro Français

Norwich, Norfolk £££

Contemporary, family-run bistro in the heart of Norwich

'Perfect hospitality, a true find,' sums up the immense warmth readers feel towards this tiny bistro in the Norwich Lanes. Frenchman Thomas Aubrit and his wife Gemma have been welcoming diners through the doors of L’Hexagone… Read more

22 Lower Goat Lane, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1EL

Roger Hickman’s

Norwich, Norfolk ££

* Roger Hickman has announced that he is closing his restaurant for good after service on 30 March 2025.* There is an unruffled serenity about Roger Hickman’s restaurant that hits the mark winter or summer, lunch or dinner.… Read more

79 Upper St Giles Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1AB

Shiki

Norwich, Norfolk ££

Shiki may be in the heart of historic Norwich, but with its simple un-cushioned benches, bare tables, bamboo blinds and laid-back vibe it could be an izakaya in downtown Kanazawa. Order your Kirin beer or smooth Urakasumi sake, an… Read more

6 Tombland, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1HE

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