My partner and I visited The Crown on a recommendation of the owners of the B&B we were staying in last week. We went with some trepidation as we had seen some mixed reviews, but we were very pleasantly surprised. A beautiful pub in an idyllic setting, a great welcome, and the best steak I have ever eaten!!! Well worth checking The Crown out :-)

I cannot understand previous comments regarding poor veggie options. I'm a local lass so visit frequently with my husband and four legged friend. I'm a strict vegetarian and have always enjoyed the varied, unusual and delicious choices available. Unlike many other establishments they also change what's on offer frequently. A massive pat on the back and thank you to the chef for this.
I can't fault my lovely local.

Beautiful garden

My daughter and I had an evening meal here on a weekday and enjoyed a great meal and good service. Our two dogs welcome in the dog friendly part of the pub and in fact there were quite a few dogs there. Our only comment would be that people going with their dogs should be with them at all times and not tie them up and then almost forget about them, particularly if those dogs have issues with other dogs! This sort of behaviour can mar your enjoyment and also gives other dog owners a bad press! Lovely garden where you can sit but of course this is somewhat spoilt by smokers. Look forward to returning though as the good is of excellent quality and a varied menu.

Visited for sunday lunch We arrived at 2.30pm and where shown a table in the corner by the window, and told the waiter would bring the menus. We ordered drinks at the bar at took them to our table and sat down and waited No menu or waiter so we went to the bar and asked for the menus, to be told that they had completely forgotten us....
We sat down and waited and waited,after 30mins feeling hungry and disgruntled I went to the bar and ordered our food. We both ordered the Pink Beef Roast, after another 15mins the food was arrived.This was to die for (delicious) this certainly helped to smooth our disgruntled feathers.
It was such a shame as this could have been such a better experience, as the staff where very friendly when they finally attended us.
On leaving the waiter apologised and said he would advise the manager.
Will be interesting to see if they follow through.

We went for Sunday lunch. Staff were wonderful. Food fabulous. A lovely place to eat. We will definitely be back.

We have eaten here several times and cannot fault the food, but sadly the service on this occasion fell short of the mark. One of their sister establishments suffers from the same "The Cadogan" in Ingham . To wait 30 mins to receive a starter is not good service and the main course was the same. It would seem that these two establishments maybe just do not engage enough staff??

Just a quick review, went after work for a few beers in the sun with a pal. Beautiful garden and excellent location. Can't comment on the food, but the menu looked decent. Lots of parking and friendly staff.

Arrived on a Wednesday for my partners birthday. Six of us had drinks in the garden very pleasant. Pork scratching from behind the bar not good ! Very large lovely garden and a very nice pub but I think that's where it stops!
The pub was quiet. We ordered starters I had what was called Monkfish scampi to start. It was just like normal pub scampi, but a lot more money. We had a very long wait for our mains. I had pork belly which I found very dry. None of our mains came with veg so we had to order sides of veg and potatoes which I hate, I think a meal should come as a complete meal. I then had a pudding of a trio of chocolate desserts. This was £14 and a complete rip off. A good night but nothing to do with the food. Wont be returning.

Hartest is one of the prettiest villages in Suffolk. The pub has been 'done up' and serves very good food. Wines were good and the wine waiter knowledgeable. The roast beef was delicious and a large portion !! Good vegetables and served with gravy and roast potatoes. Another had pork and excellent crackling. Recommend the Rijoka wine Reserva.

Being disabled it was so easy to have an enjoyable evening here, very accessible disabled toilet was easy to move with mobility scooter. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Food was fantastic. Ambience very relaxed making for an excellent evening. We will be back very soon, thank you

Service very good ,staff on the ball , food very good met chef luke who seems to cook with a passion. No there wss nt paper towels in the very clean toilets but a top of range dyson hand drier . The garden / play area large and well looked after great for families especially if you have a dog like us .

Popped in for a bite to eat and they had a great value Salad and Sandwich for £7. Nice staff, even though they were very busy

If you're looking for a beautiful location, outstanding customer service and top quality cuisine, make the crown your number one choice.

Hartest is a delightful village set around a traditional green and rich is stunning period houses (with over 50 of them listed). The Crown is exactly how a village pub should be - a beautiful 16 century manor house with many retained features. The setting is idyllic with an extensive play area for children and access to pleasant riverside walks. The fare is of a high quality - good tastes and some adventurous ingredient combinations. The wine list is reasonable and sensibly priced. On top of all of this is a friendly, welcoming and attentive staff with a great desire to make the diner feel content. The Crown is part of a small pub/restaurant chain centred on Bury St Edmunds - all worth visiting

Food was good, service was very average though and they did not thank me after leaving a pretty decent tip which was rude, atmosphere was bad, and the waitress started a conversation with us mid meal while I was trying to eat, not okay, also was very expensive for what we had, shame as used to be a great pub.

We eat here on a fairly regular basis both at lunchtime and in the evening. The food is consistency of an excellent standard and nothing is too much trouble for the staff.

Not great for a veggie but OK. The staff were really nice and appropriately attentive. The cheese selection was very good.

Our first visit, beautiful setting with a fantastic venue,shame it was raining as the gardens looked very inviting.
Six of us for lunch, good menu choices. The main courses very good,need to be in sinc a bit with bringing the veg out with the mains as a bit slow. Pudding presented well albeit bread and butter pudding and custard served cold. Staff very pleasant and we will be back.

My son suggested The Crown as a venue to meet up with him and his partner and it was well worth the 80 minute drive from our home. We went on a Wednesday evening and found that it was busy enough to be comfortable without struggling to find a parking space or a way to the bar.
We had booked a table and, while the drinks were being ordered, we made ourselves known and were shown immediately to our table. In our eating area, the tables were a little like booths so some sliding in and out was required (something to bear in mind if your party are not very agile).
There was a set menu and a specials menu, both with a range of delicious sounding meals. Our three starters were mackerel, pigeon schnitzel and cottage pie fritters. Complimentary bottled water was brought and we were offered some "While You Wait" appetisers. (£2.20 - £4.00) Although we declined, they did sound tasty. The starters were delicious and just the right size, though I felt my pigeon was a little overdone.
There was rather a long wait for mains, but the ambience was so pleasant and relaxing that we didn't mind at all. (Though this might be more of an issue on a busier night) My son and his partner had steak which looked beautifully cooked, with a side order of (huge) crispy onion rings, my husband had the steak burger and I ordered salmon on a nicoise salad from the specials menu which was absolutely delicious.
I struggled to resist the dessert menu, especially the cheese board where you could select from a range of cheeses, but simply could not manage another bite!
The service was attentive but not intrusive and the staff very pleasant and helpful.
At £90 ish for three starters, four mains and two rounds of drinks, this was a good value and thoroughly enjoyable evening out. My husband was impressed with the range of beers on offer.
There is a pleasant outside seating area, a grassed area and a children's play area.
Well worth a visit for couples, young families and older visitors alike. I will certainly be going back!

Lovely venue and helpful staff. However did have to wait quite a long time after ordering our food. I was disappointed with the Chick Pea veggie burger. It was rather dry and sadly I did not enjoy it. Will try non veggie option next time as it is certainly worth going back.

Superb food, great atmosphere.... Just a little bit off the beaten track.<br><br>Thoroughly recommended *****

We went to The Crown with a group of friends on a Saturday evening. We had a fantastic meal, great atmosphere. with excellent service.

It's a bit off the beaten track but will worth the journey.

Thoroughly recommended.

This establishment is about 7 miles from Bury St Edmunds - it's worth a visit! The food is extremely good and very fairly priced. No frills, just excellent quality. The Sunday roast is so delicious we could eat here every week! The atmosphere is convivial and the staff are charming and attentive because they are interested in serving their customers in a professional manner. The owners have certainly got their finger on the pulse here, they know exactly what they are doing and who they are targeting. They value their customers and we keep returning. Try their other pubs; The One Bull in central Bury St Edmunds for a grown up, sophisticated soiree with friends or the Cadogan in Ingham for an intimate meal or with the family on a Sunday afternoon. You won't be disappointed. These places are like gold dust in this region.

First time we've been here since the new owners took over, always been fans of the Cadagon.
Nice nibbles of fresh bread and also some lovely whitebait
I had the sirloin of beef which was excellent, roast potatoes were amazing, vegetables very good and onion rings superb