The story
The Unruly Pig sits on Orford Road in Bromeswell, just outside Woodbridge, in a 16th-century building that feels instantly welcoming. Inside, low beams, sloping ceilings, and crackling log fires set the scene. Candlelight softens the old brick and plaster. It is a pub that knows what it is, and does it well.
The kitchen here serves modern cuisine, drawing on the best of Suffolk produce. The menu changes regularly, but the approach stays the same: bold, seasonal, and precise. Critics have taken notice. Grace Dent of The Guardian called it “about as good as it gets.” Charlotte Ivers of The Sunday Times described it as “a triumph.” William Sitwell gave it five stars and called it “a damn good restaurant.”
The Unruly Pig has been named number one in the UK Top 50 Gastropubs Awards three times (2022, 2024, 2025) and placed in the top 50 in 2023 and 2026. It also ranks 28th in the National Restaurant Awards 2025 UK Top 100, holds AA 3 Rosettes, and is recognised by The Good Food Guide and The Sunday Times for its Sunday roasts. In 2026, it earned a Michelin recommendation, cementing its place among the country’s finest gastropubs.
The “Be Unruly” tasting menu offers six courses for £49, or seven with upgrades for £79. For a lighter option, the Unruly Lunch delivers three courses for £35, celebrating local ingredients and changing weekly. The a la carte menu is served most days at lunch and dinner.
On Wednesdays, the Wednesday Wine Club lets you bring your own bottle for just £5 corkage—a relaxed way to enjoy a special wine with excellent food.
The Unruly Pig also hosts regular Guest Chef Nights, collaborating with chefs from other top gastropubs across the UK. Past guests have included teams from The Hand & Flowers, The Loch & The Tyne, and The Fordwich Arms. These evenings are a celebration of shared craft and seasonal cooking.
The restaurant’s name hints at its character: confident, unpretentious, and a little playful. It is a place where you can come for a proper Sunday roast, a midweek tasting menu, or a glass of something special by the fire. The service is warm, the atmosphere genuine, and the food consistently excellent.
Whether you are a local or travelling from further afield, The Unruly Pig offers a dining experience that lives up to the praise. It is, quite simply, as good as it gets.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
A roadside pub where superlative cooking, sharp service and stylish plates of food meet a dose of easy irreverence. The name’s a giveaway, as is the art that fills the walls, starting with a bronze pig’s derrière behind the bar, a new piece that’s part of a smart post-lockdown refurbishment. Have fun here, and eat seriously well too. Come for the velvetiest of veloutés, perhaps leek and potato with the salty pep of smoked haddock and a garlicky crostino, or the pub’s ever-popular white onion soup accompanied by a savoury bonbon (perhaps ham hock or blue cheese). Snack on crisp arancini filled with gentle Taleggio and ‘nduja that’s fiery with Calabrian chillies. Pasta is made with silky finesse and, this being a broadly ‘Britalian’ kitchen, it’s given good billing: strands of tonnarelli might come with crab and freshening chilli, lime and spring onion; a raviolo could be packed with rabbit and a flavour-balancing gremolata; tubular paccheri could be served with a rich venison ragù. Steak and chips – this is a pub after all – often gets the Italian treatment, so well-rested sirloin might be ‘tagliata’, served sliced across the grain. The accompanying Parmesan chips are criminally pinchable, the bone-marrow sauce deeply savoury. To finish, vanilla panna cotta fits the Italian bill, but go British with a rhubarb crumble, or choose a magnificent chocolate délice with a sweetness-tempering espresso sorbet. Sunday roasts are delivered with a touch of elegance and sophistication as well as a keen eye for provenance, while Europe leads the way when it comes to the notable wine list. Tapping into the expertise of the well-led front-of-house team yields delicious rewards, with monthly changing 125ml pours, in particular, enabling exploration.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
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