Local Reviews
In December 2016, timothyP said about The Crown, Hartest
The Crown is situated in a beautiful Suffolk village which seems to be in the middle of nowhere and takes a bit of finding - but well worth it when you do. Despite a varied menu I stuck to the traditional roast beef and I have to say that it was the closest I have ever come to a home cooked. The beef, vegetables and even the Yorkshire pudding were excellent and very well cooked. The other members of our party had the pork whilst one had the plaice - all were pronounced as excellent.
Whilst there we noted the flyer about a Pie and Pint offer for Wednesday lunch at £10, so after visiting the excellent Bury St. Edmunds market we thought we would give it a go and again we were not disappointed. The pint is from their own brewery and is excellent whilst the pies are home made and freshly cooked. My gammon and pea pie was actually a suet pudding which I thoroughly enjoyed, but one or two other diners I noticed were not happy that they had a pudding as opposed to a pie so perhaps the Crown should advise people of that fact. Because the pies are 'made to order' with a 20 - 30 minute wait we were asked if we would like some home made bread and whitebait as an appetiser. Needless to say we said ok. The bread was served in a paper bag and was delicious - but a bit pricey! The (shared) pudding of treacle toffee pudding was one of the best we have ever eaten . The final word of praise must go to the staff who were superb - friendly,efficient and informative.All in all a great lunch for a reasonable price. We can't wait to visit the 3 other pubs in the group.
Whilst there we noted the flyer about a Pie and Pint offer for Wednesday lunch at £10, so after visiting the excellent Bury St. Edmunds market we thought we would give it a go and again we were not disappointed. The pint is from their own brewery and is excellent whilst the pies are home made and freshly cooked. My gammon and pea pie was actually a suet pudding which I thoroughly enjoyed, but one or two other diners I noticed were not happy that they had a pudding as opposed to a pie so perhaps the Crown should advise people of that fact. Because the pies are 'made to order' with a 20 - 30 minute wait we were asked if we would like some home made bread and whitebait as an appetiser. Needless to say we said ok. The bread was served in a paper bag and was delicious - but a bit pricey! The (shared) pudding of treacle toffee pudding was one of the best we have ever eaten . The final word of praise must go to the staff who were superb - friendly,efficient and informative.All in all a great lunch for a reasonable price. We can't wait to visit the 3 other pubs in the group.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In December 2016, Karine59 said about The Crown, Hartest
I was looking forward to our Sunday lunch having some family visiting from London. We booked at the Crown as I thought the food was great and it is a nice location and had great experience there before. Saying that, I was disappointed on this occasion. The white baits were succulent but the main courses were average. I also think that their young staff somehow lack customer service training. When asking information about food/wine, the very young lady, replied she didn't know and she had no inclination to find out an answer from staff who knew. I just find this attitude unacceptable. Saying this, other members of staff who dealt with us on the day were efficient and very pleasant.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In December 2016, Dave R said about The Crown, Hartest
Visited on a Friday for lunch.Similar menu to the sister pubs-which is a good thing.
Comfortable pub with several different areas to sit and a real fire.Good well kept ales and extensive wine list.
Just enjoying the fish and chips when a small child was wheeled into an adjacent table and proceeded to vomit in spectacular fashion over the table the pushchair and himself.Not the pubs fault but please keep small children in one area so we can avoid them if we want to...
Still enjoyed our visit and would call again.
Comfortable pub with several different areas to sit and a real fire.Good well kept ales and extensive wine list.
Just enjoying the fish and chips when a small child was wheeled into an adjacent table and proceeded to vomit in spectacular fashion over the table the pushchair and himself.Not the pubs fault but please keep small children in one area so we can avoid them if we want to...
Still enjoyed our visit and would call again.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In December 2016, stagbeatle2016 said about The Crown, Hartest
Visited with family just before Christmas. The Crown is quite close to where I live but for others it might well take a bit of a drive into darkest Suffolk to find. Hartest really is a very pretty little village and there are a number of good footpaths around the area if you fancy stretching your legs. The Crown as a largish pub geared up for food, part of a very decent local chain of pubs which includes their own micro brewery. We all ate from the Christmas menu which was reasonably priced. The food was good and the service attentive. Christmas crackers and decoration added to the festive atmosphere and i believe that they even run a shuttle bus to Bury during the festive period which is a really good idea.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In January 2017, christine w said about The Crown, Hartest
Our first visit here and I can't wait to go back. The staff are lovely - a smiley welcome as we entered and great service throughout - relaxed, attentive and so pleasant.
On Wednesdays, there is a "Pie and a Pint" offer for £10 - choice of meat, fish or veggie pastry pie with veg (cabbage and mash on that day) - my husband went for the fish pie - lovely pastry and good filling and nicely plated up - we were warned this would take 25 minutes as all pies are freshly baked - all the better for it. I had a small plate of potted smoked haddock with toast and I ordered a side of braised red cabbage - this was hot and comforting. The potted haddock was delicious, but could do without the "tomato foam" - the dish is so good, it does not need this cheffy addition - I felt it was added just to impress - it detracted, rather - but that is a very minor gripe - all in all, it was such a pleasant experience. The best bitter was great and I had a good glass of red - but please serve it in the appropriate red wine glass - not some goldfish bowl - so hard to drink from! (Another minor gripe!).Do try the Crown - we went in happily and left even more so, quite satisfied - and ready for a walk around the lovely village.
On Wednesdays, there is a "Pie and a Pint" offer for £10 - choice of meat, fish or veggie pastry pie with veg (cabbage and mash on that day) - my husband went for the fish pie - lovely pastry and good filling and nicely plated up - we were warned this would take 25 minutes as all pies are freshly baked - all the better for it. I had a small plate of potted smoked haddock with toast and I ordered a side of braised red cabbage - this was hot and comforting. The potted haddock was delicious, but could do without the "tomato foam" - the dish is so good, it does not need this cheffy addition - I felt it was added just to impress - it detracted, rather - but that is a very minor gripe - all in all, it was such a pleasant experience. The best bitter was great and I had a good glass of red - but please serve it in the appropriate red wine glass - not some goldfish bowl - so hard to drink from! (Another minor gripe!).Do try the Crown - we went in happily and left even more so, quite satisfied - and ready for a walk around the lovely village.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In February 2017, YogaGirl10 said about The Crown, Hartest
We are regulars at both the Beer House n One Bull but never ventured out to The Crown !!! What have we been missing !
I e mailed them yesterday enquiring if dogs were allowed and had an immediate response from Ben ! Who said yes in the bar n bottom restaurant n booked us a table !The Crown is such a beautiful pub , open fires , oak beams and really well decorated !
Fabulous menu , lots of choice !What was really nice was the staff ! So friendly and made us and PERCI my dog very welcome !
The food was excellent !We will definitely be returning here ! Has a beautiful garden so be lovely in the summer !
I e mailed them yesterday enquiring if dogs were allowed and had an immediate response from Ben ! Who said yes in the bar n bottom restaurant n booked us a table !The Crown is such a beautiful pub , open fires , oak beams and really well decorated !
Fabulous menu , lots of choice !What was really nice was the staff ! So friendly and made us and PERCI my dog very welcome !
The food was excellent !We will definitely be returning here ! Has a beautiful garden so be lovely in the summer !
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In February 2017, thejaspers said about The Crown, Hartest
We had a family lunch at at The Crown, nice menu and well presented food, slightly crowded room with a big family table of 20 behind us, service slightly slow and occasional reminders about drinks not arriving but overall nice location in a lovely spot.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In February 2017, Damon R said about The Crown, Hartest
I come to the Crown whenever I visit the Bury St Edmunds area because I know I won't be disappointed. The food is always excellent with both a local and a modern twist. Pork as you would expect, always featured on the menu, as does fish.
The biggest problem is choosing what to have, simply because I know I will enjoy my whatever I choose. Today I have opted for potted crab with smoked salmon and horseradish cream for a starter and lemon and harissa poussin with couscous and chicory for the main course washed down with the excellent local Brewshed IPA. The starter was excellent and served with a nice little (and still very warm) wholemeal loaf.
The main was equally pleasing. The chicken was succulent and. Wet tasty having been drizzled with lemon oil and harissa.
Rounded off with sticky toffee pudding ( I know , I shouldn't have)
All in all a very pleasant meal.
Other options on the new menu included such delights as porkbelly and chorizo pie, duck with rhubarb, bream with polenta chips and vegetarian options.
All the above are presented by very welcoming and friendly staff in a wonderful environment ( I had my meal in front of a roaring log fire by the bar).
I was very happy to re-acquaint myself with this hidden gem of a restaurant. Well worth the drive from Bury.
The free wifi is handy as well as it is in an O2 desert.
The biggest problem is choosing what to have, simply because I know I will enjoy my whatever I choose. Today I have opted for potted crab with smoked salmon and horseradish cream for a starter and lemon and harissa poussin with couscous and chicory for the main course washed down with the excellent local Brewshed IPA. The starter was excellent and served with a nice little (and still very warm) wholemeal loaf.
The main was equally pleasing. The chicken was succulent and. Wet tasty having been drizzled with lemon oil and harissa.
Rounded off with sticky toffee pudding ( I know , I shouldn't have)
All in all a very pleasant meal.
Other options on the new menu included such delights as porkbelly and chorizo pie, duck with rhubarb, bream with polenta chips and vegetarian options.
All the above are presented by very welcoming and friendly staff in a wonderful environment ( I had my meal in front of a roaring log fire by the bar).
I was very happy to re-acquaint myself with this hidden gem of a restaurant. Well worth the drive from Bury.
The free wifi is handy as well as it is in an O2 desert.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In April 2017, RK960 said about The Crown, Hartest
We’ve eaten here a few times over the years and have always enjoyed it. On this recent visit the food was good, but – and perhaps we just had bad luck on this day – the speed at which the food came was too slow. We had starters: lovely potted crab (highlight of the meal), a good soup of the day and well-cooked whitebait, but after that the wait for the main course meant that it was 75 minutes from arriving in the restaurant (at 12.45pm) to getting our main course (after 14.00pm). Fine fish and chips, and the burgers were deemed tasty. Excellent homemade chips too. But by the time we’d eaten our main course we’d run out of time and gave up on ordering puddings. Perhaps, as I say, we hit a day when the kitchen didn’t quite get everything right (it wasn’t that the restaurant was unreasonably busy): the food was good, but the speed of its arrival on this particular day left something to be desired. But it's a lovely spot, and from past experience we had bad luck on this visit. So do give The Crown a try if you haven't been here before, but maybe don't look at your watch...
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In April 2017, bluehat64 said about The Crown, Hartest
Picture perfect village and pub. Hartest is off the beaten track but worth a visit. Thick wooden beams tick. Friendly polite service tick. Good reasonably priced food tick ( soup and a sandwich very tasty and filling ) Local ales tick. Dog friendly 2 ticks.
Visited at lunchtime and not too busy with many families outside enjoying the sunshine and play area.
Visited at lunchtime and not too busy with many families outside enjoying the sunshine and play area.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk