The Chequers Inn at Thornham

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399 reviews

#3 of 10 Restaurants in Thornham$$ - $$$, British, Pub, Vegan options

+44 1485 512229+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Wed

12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Thu

12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Fri

12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Sat

12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

399 reviews

#3 of 10 Restaurants in Thornham

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

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CUISINES

British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

features

Location and contact

High Street, Thornham PE36 6LY England

+44 1485 512229

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Is this restaurant good for local cuisine?

Yes

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About

Dating back to the 16th century, this pretty village inn on the North Norfolk coast is a welcoming sight for visitors wanting somewhere enticing to stay, relax and enjoy a great meal in comfort. Inside you will find a traditional bar with a warm country feel, a vast open fire and low beamed ceiling and a contemporary dining room. You can also enjoy al fresco dining in our charming courtyard or one of the pavilions, which are perfect for groups, private dining, parties and celebrations. There are also 11 stylish bedrooms, recently refurbished with a coastal theme. The luxurious rooms and en-suite bathrooms offer contemporary 21st century comfort and style to relish in.

CUISINES

British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Dog Friendly

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4.0

399 reviews

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197

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CassyW

Sawbridgeworth13 contributions

OK, but need to manage expectations better to avoid disappointed customers

Jul 2020 • none

We choose the Chequers based on a recommendation from the hotel we were booked at. We checked out the restaurant menu, and booked online 8 days in advance - booking for the restaurant. We had an email asking us to confirm about 24 hours before, which we did. About 3 hours before our reservation we got a call to say that we would be seated outside, as the inside was being reserved for the residents. It was a lovely day so we said okay, as long as it didn't rain. My partner was a bit annoyed, as he rightly said they could have given us more notice in case that didn't work for us and we would have had time to research and book an alternative. We were seated in the garden, which was nicely set out and well spaced out. There were citronella candles on each table and the waiting staff apologised for the bugs, saying there was an unusual amount around. Again, it would have been nice to have been warned about that when they called to confirm our reservation. When we got the menu we were surprised to find it very different from what we had seen online - a reduced selection based on pizzas and grill based food - and not what we were looking forward to based on the online restaurant menu. We asked if we could order from the restaurant menu and was told that they were only doing the alfresco menu at the moment. Again, fair enough but if we had been told that at the time of booking or anytime before we arrived we would have gone elsewhere as this was not the food we wanted this evening. The waiter said the website hadn't been updated which is why we saw an old menu. We shared a box ( a mix of starters) and we had lobster and steak with fries. We shared a bottle of wine, which was nice. The food was fine. My partner had a beer, a pudding and a coffee too . We paid approx £135 including a tip. I felt this was expensive for the quality of the food. The staff were friendly and attentive though, and the venue was very pretty. I think if we had had our expectations managed better we wouldn't have felt as disappointed.

Written July 26, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

1sacha_deal

Brentwood78 contributions

Great meal Sunday evening 30th August

Aug 2020 • couples

Great meal out with friends in this beautiful restaurant. Despite the effect the Covid situation has had on the pub they have coped exceptionally well and they have re-configured the inside restaurant seating area to ensure this meets with latest guidance. The staff were very attentive and friendly. The food was exceptional. We had the ‘full box’ starter which means you benefit from sampling all of the seperate starters on offer, which was delicious and very reasonably priced. The whole lobster was also superb as was the lobster pasta dish and the lamb flatbread main. Starters, mains, bottle of nice wine and coffees for the 4 of us came in at a very reasonable £160. I would seriously recommend this place to anyone who is staying/in the vicinity of Thornham, it was GREAT.

Written September 1, 2020

mgsnorwich

Norwich965 contributions

Excellent, satisfying lunch

Mar 2020 • none

We are three people who monthly meet to lunch at a pub, usually (but not always) in north Norfolk. We came to The Chequers because we had recently read about its having been refurbished and under new, young managers. We were not disappointed. The menu was varied and had dishes for all tastes. As we ordered our food, we were presented with delicious amuse bouches and sourdough bread. From the starters menu two of us chose the mussels which were delicious and one chose the smoked salmon which was also good and a generous serving. For the main course one chose the Holkham venison chop, one the rib-eye steak and one the stone bass. Served with beautifully cooked vegetables, these were very satisfying meals of generous portions. Only two of us had room for dessert and chose the chocolate mousse and the other the Cranachan. With our coffee we were served petit fours. The draught beers were very good and there was a wide selection of wines. This was an outstanding lunch served in convivial, cosy surroundings by a very attentive waiter. It was far better than most of the Norfolk pubs and verged on "fine dining". The facilities were clean, especially the loos and the parking area was very large.

Written March 11, 2020

Sophie

13 contributions

Such a disappointment

Jul 2020 • couples

In comparison to nearby ‘The Orange Tree’ and ‘Socius’ this was a terrible experience. The short menu was overpriced and served picnic style (cardboard boxes), the staff were too concerned with social distancing to worry about service quality or the ambiance. I would suggest Chequers should wait until COVID has passed to reopen as their very strict operation makes dining here uncomfortable and not an enjoyable experience. The food was okay but we expected better and were disappointed the short menu was not mentioned when booking

Written July 12, 2020

Pesciclean

36 contributions

Smoked out and hungry

Mar 2020 • couples

Finding a table in the restaurant was easy with very few bookings, which is strange along the coast on a weekend. The menu is odd as it requires rotation to read, limited options for a vegetarian, which I now find disappointing as veganism is extremely trendy. The restaurant was cold as they kept opening to door to let the horrendous smoke from the kitchen out (6 degrees outside)! The gentleman waiter was attentive and very pleasant, which differs from some of the other staff member (no public embarrassment here). The food was extremely disappointing as the salmon dish was tiny, over priced (£21), over cooked with oil puddling around it’s periphery. The brown ship were lovely as was the crispy leek but I was still very hungry after I finished it. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted fine but for £21 I’m expecting a well cooked and filling meal. My partner didn’t fare much better as his pork belly was hard, the crackling like dust and an overwhelming ash taste took over the whole dish.. saying that, he did eat it all but then he was also hungry. We left and no we didn’t complain because it wasn’t about getting a refund, they couldn’t rectify that I would now stink like a Bon fire for the rest of the day and to be honest I just needed to get out of the smoke filled room. If they read this, if they do nothing at all about the bad food experience, I really hope they shut off the open window into the kitchen or stop the chefs creating so much smoke!

Written March 1, 2020

ccallender2017

Santa Fe4 contributions

A rip-off

Jul 2020 • none

Charged £30 in advance per person for dinner (when we booked a room) and the actual cost of our meal was just £35 for the 2 of us. No refund given when we asked for one. Nothing on the menu for veretarians and anyone who does not eat shelfish will also have a very limited choice. Not recommended

Written August 9, 2020

Harman

19 contributions

Sunday lunch let down !

Aug 2020 • couples

Really very disappointed that we had to leave without experiencing lunch here . I’d read some reviews before booking and was unsure but none the less we thought we should try for ourselves ! I wish I hadnt bothered . We arrived to an empty bar unmanned by staff . We waited and after a brief discussion that masks were now mandatory to wear inside a restaurant and bar, we were shown to our table . I could hear mutterings that others were struggling with the limited menu and there was zero atmosphere. I was really shocked that after visiting their website and seeing roast beef and roast pork that actually I could only choose from about five dishes served mostly with chips ! I didn’t book this, I booked a Sunday lunch and had not been told during several communications that this would not be offered . After ten mins we were asked if we would like a drink, still hearing other tables disappointed reactions to such a terrible menu. We visited four other very well known restaurants locally during our stay and not one of them operated in such an unimpressive, lifeless, and soulless way . The waitress advised that since covid they wouldn’t offer Sunday lunch . I asked why their website still offered a very tempting and varied menu when reality was actually a very poor and unimpressive one . She advised the website had not been changed ( although covid rules have been added to the site ) . The strange thing is, my review isn’t the only one with similar complaint so there’s really no point telling us thanks for the feedback, I’ll pass it on if you don’t then make the changes ! A really disappointing visit put right by the Orange Tree who jiggled some tables, got us in and offered a fabulous Sunday lunch of lamb ballotine with a very extensive menu too ! This morning some friends updated their Facebook - seems they were equally unimpressed by The Chequers visit too - what a shame everyone else seems to have got it right with The Chequers lagging miles behind them !

Written August 11, 2020

seaseaseasiders

282 contributions

Way overpriced, taking customers for fools

Sep 2020 • friends

The restaurant must have been having an off night, there were 8 of us and none of the starters or main courses delivered. Cullenskink starter at eight pounds was disappointing, undercooked potato and watery, papardelle pasta lacking flavor and venison that was as tough as shoe leather (nearly 30 pounds), portions in general small. Can’t think why anyone would return to this overpriced dining experience other than the lady serving us was great, apologized for the poor food and took the venison off the bill, she saved the evening of which the food was poor value. Advice so far is not to dine in a Thornham pub.

Written September 5, 2020

Louise W

1 contribution

Truly terrible service. Do not visit.

Jun 2021 • none

We went to the Chequers on a Saturday night two weeks ago and were more than disappointed – we came away feeling pretty angry at such poor and rude service. We rarely complain, but this experience was really bad. When we arrived there was no table for us despite calling beforehand to confirm a reservation made two months ago – the waiter, who was incredibly young and inexperienced, simply laughed and said ‘I hope so’ when we asked if they had a table for us. We sat outside believing he was then sorting out a table for us, but when we asked to come in he looked confused - there still wasn't one, so we were taken to an (unlaid) table near the bar. We ordered drinks – two people in the party are pregnant so we asked what non-alcoholic drinks they had on – the waiter looked confused then said coke but it was flat, or lemonade, and that was all (which seemed odd for a very nice restaurant, but we went with it!). Our drinks arrived after 50 minutes and several reminders (which were greeted with hostility by the only waitress able to serve drinks). They also turned up AFTER the food and were all completely wrong – after three attempts to get the right drinks, we gave up, settling for ones we didn't want. The food itself was lukewarm and we had to request cutlery to eat it with. We then ordered red wine, which they also forgot about. And then asked for some water which was slammed down on the table. We could see the staff were extremely stretched – there were just two waiting staff for the whole restaurant – but every time we tried to correct a fault or remind them about an undelivered order, the waitress seemed either extremely annoyed or about to cry. We overheard pretty much every other table also complaining, both directly to the waiters and to other guests. There should have been at least double the two waiting staff they had on that night, and the ones on duty were too junior, had clearly had no training, and were often rude. We left as quickly as we could, annoyed that they couldn't even grasp why we were disappointed, and also annoyed that the owners felt they could run a restaurant in that way and still charge pretty high prices for food. It was a really terrible experience and we were glad to get back to our hotel! Two days after we visited the Chequers, I contacted them via email as felt it was important they heard about our experience so they could fix things for future guests – typically, they didn’t even bother to reply.

Written June 23, 2021

Lisa G

Good morning, I am terribly sorry to hear about your experience at The Chequers and your feedback has been shared with the team here. We are experiencing challenges with a shortage of team as are a lot of our fellow properties up and down the coast. We have taken on board all the feedback we have received about this and made changes to the way we operate to ensure that our team are set up to succeed and deliver great standards of service moving forward. I do hope that you may return to The Chequers in the future to enable us to demonstrate that this is not the norm or the standards we strive to achieve. Kind regards.

Written July 21, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Colonel-Chris

London278 contributions

Disappointing

May 2021 • family

Disappointing. There is an on going issue here with staffing and needs sorting out. Not sure why the manager and owners seem to ignore the issue. We were actually made to feel guilty (after spending just under £300 for some bread , a single course and some wine) for the staffing issues. We were led to believe it was just an issue on the night , however on reading the reviews we realise this has been going on for sometime. The owners comment and apologise but nothing changes. They need to get more staff or limit the number of diners or reduce prices. Booked and even confirmed booking but on arrival we weren’t expected. Not a good start. Service was very slow. We waited 55 mins for the drinks to arrive. Food was mixed. Cod and sole very tasty but steak was very disappointing. Looking around the 3 couples near us also waited excessive time for drinks and food. We were told that it was nothing to do with the people on site but that the agency was to blame for not sending enough staff.

Written June 10, 2021

Jess D

Good Morning, Thank you for your review and I am saddened to hear of this experience you had with us. I can assure you this is not the normal level of service we pride ourselves on. I was wondering if you could please email us on info@chequersinnthornham.com with your name & contact number as I would like to give you a call to discuss this and the bill. Please make it FAO Jess. I look forward to hearing from you.

Written July 24, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

bootsgirl1968

25 contributions

An overall terrible experience!!

Aug 2020 • none

We were booked in to the Chequers for dinner on 10th August 2020 having booked a table for four the previous week.We arrived promptly for our reservation at 7.30 and although not clear on arrival,after questioning, the safety experience was good. We were seated outside as expected,the waitress was friendly and took our drinks order.When returning with our drinks we asked the waitress about some items on the menu and it was clear she had not been trained adequately to answer our questions,we ordered regardless and when she brought our starters(wherry and haddock croquettes and wild mushroom arancini) they arrived on very small plates without any kind of garnish. One of the mains was incorrect,and the side dish we ordered was cold,the waitress apologised and took the items back to be changed.In the meantime we realised the other three mains were cold and uninviting,including the steak which came without any kind of garnish,we sent the rest of the dishes back, We expressed our dissatisfaction, the waitress was very sympathetic and said she would pass our comments to the manager who, given we were clearly unhappy about all aspects of our meals took 10 minutes to come over to see us after clearing tables,a job which was obviously more important!! He listened to all our comments and apologised but it was not sincere in fact it was bordering on nonchalant.We offered to pay for the drinks we ordered and he mumbled a reply,after waiting a further 10 minutes for him to come back we left without being charged for anything. This is the first holiday all of our party had been on since lockdown and we were all really looking forward our meal out,we were all sadly disappointed. We also visited the Crab house at Wells and Socius Burnham Market during our stay,both of these restaurants were outstanding for food and customer service.

Written August 17, 2020

lewisNassington

Nassington151 contributions

NO LONGER A PUB !

Jun 2021 • family

We had the same unfriendly welcome as the previous review, went for a drink at 4pm (Saturday) with my Wife and disabled Son in a wheelchair. We were asked if we had booked a table, no but only one other table being used, same front and back of pub It is obvious that the Chequers only want you there if you are eating, drinkers go away ! I stated to the young lad that approached us that we wanted a drink and would vacate the table if and when needed. the reply was that there was a staff shortage, what a feeble excuse ! We spend most of the summer in Thornham and have used this pub regularly both for eating and drinking, We had the same experience last week at The Lifeboat Inn, Thornham, owned by the same chain Seems like the only way to guarantee getting a drink in Thornham is to go to the Orange Tree, they have designated tables for drinkers. Staff shortages may be a problem, this needs addressing urgently, we were in no hurry and prepared to wait for the person on duty to serve us. I would have thought that pubs having been forced to close for so long would not want to turn cash paying cusomers away. Looks like I may have to join the band of people that buy beer & wine at supermarkets and drink at home or I could go to The Orange Tree I hope that we do not have another lockdown otherwise The Chequers & The Lifeboat will look back and wish they had made money whilst they were able to

Written June 13, 2021

Jess D

Good Morning, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Like a lot of places up and down the coast, we are experiencing colleague shortages, however we are reviewing the situation regularly and operating within the team structure we have, making changes and improvements to help our guest experience. We have also had a few training issues with communication as to designated tables for drinks. Please be assured this has now been resolved and we do now indeed have specific tables for drinks. I sincerely hope this experience has not put you off returning, as we would love to welcome you back again at The Chequers Inn soon.

Written July 21, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

fopelfruit

Peterborough96 contributions

Disappointed

Apr 2021 • none

We sat outside in this lovely old Inn but came away very disappointed the food although tasty mwe both had rib eye steak came out very quickly which was fine but we were not given any napkins. We asked for some more potatoes and our waitress said 'you will need to pay for those', hmmm yes of course. She was polite but felt she was abit abrupt. I also listened to another waitress spreak to another customer in a way which I felt was very short. And for our sweet my husband had ice cream which was only 2 very small scoops for £5 I thought it was too much. We did enjoy our food but felt something was lacky, but the outside area was very clean.

Written April 20, 2021

Steve B

6 contributions

Disappointing, but so much potential

Jun 2021 • couples

What a disappointment. This was our favourite dining spot when we last visited Thornham pre-Covid. Experience this time was very different and rather Fawlty-esque. Starters of shared pigs cheek and chorizo were excellent. My wife's Arthur Howell rib eye steak was perfectly cooked but tough - OK, occasionally the meat itself can be below par. My hake main course was very tasty but not what I had ordered. The menus we were given (Sunday evening) were the lunchtime menus! We had noticed this and checked with the waitress before ordering that this was the correct menu and she assured us they were the same. The hake was meant to be with a completely different accompaniment (lobster risotto). When we actually saw the proper evening menu there were a number of dishes not on the menu we had seen and we would probably have made completely different choices. To be fair the more senior waitress apologised and gave us a discount on the bill. It's so frustrating though that this place has the potential for 4 or 5 stars, has an interesting menu, but is let down by some of the basics.

Written June 20, 2021

Jess D

Good Morning, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It is disappointing that on this occasion we failed to deliver the excellent standard of service we usually provide. I have shared your feedback with the team who are disappointed and have taken your comments on board. We look forward to hopefully welcoming you at The Chequers Inn again soon and providing you with the experience you should have received.

Written July 21, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Once in a blue moon

4 contributions

Small, simple improvements could make a huge difference to customer experience.

Aug 2020 • none

As mentioned in previous reviews, there is a serious lack of atmosphere. I think this is due to young staff who haven't had any customer service training and no real knowledge of the menu on offer. The evening menu was very limited, which can be a positive thing if the food is of a superior standard. Sadly not. We enquired about the "box to share" as a starter and were told that it was a mix of the four starters on the menu but it was completely different. For main my husband had the beef skirt steak, which was good, but I opted for the lobster pasta, a big mistake. Pasta should be freshly cooked and al dente but it seemed as though it had been overcooked well in advance and heated through. The pasta was so overcooked that it disintegrated when I attempted to get it onto my fork. Breakfast was ok but we were given just enough coffee for a cup each and a slice of toast each way before our breakfasts arrived, meaning that if we'd waited to eat it our toast would have been stone cold. So when breakfast did arrive I had my smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with no toast. There was no offer of extra coffee or toast and no question of "Is everything ok for you?" Coffee and toast, so inexpensive and a little customer service costs nothing. Our room was lovely and the COVID procedures were very thorough. Such a shame the small things were missing because they would have made such a difference to our experience.

Written August 29, 2020

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