“Why does food and drink taste so much better when enjoyed outdoors?” Asks Melanie Cook of VisitNorwich
It seems that around every street corner in Norwich there is a café, restaurant or bar spilling out onto our streets.
This is delightful cosmopolitan living at its best as the influence of popular European cities with pavement seating and attractive green spaces for us to nestle into grows.
Norwich’s historic urban network of ancient streets, courtyards and pathways to discover al fresco drinking and dining is a beautiful backdrop – there are some really wonderful places to find.
There’s nothing humble about a good cup of coffee. Drinking coffee has become an artform, a pastime with us observing, tasting and interrogating the best locations producing the greatest blend. How do you take yours? Mine is a silky, creamy latte served in a ceramic cup – which as an alternative could be used as a bowl, or a large transparent heat proof tumbler. Please never, ever serve me a latte in a slim, tall vessel with a tiny handle – that’s only for ice-cream in my book. Yes, I’m picky. But I like to savour my coffee like I savour my wine and what you drink it from is as important as what you are drinking.
Relatively speaking, drinking coffee is a cost-effective way to slow down and enjoy the moment. It’s a warm hug on even the hottest day. It’s a time to sip, catching up with a friend or sit reading a book. Grab 30 minutes and you will feel good. Quality of life is what we need – the smallest things can make a difference to how we feel in a positive way, and often the simplest – I regularly travel into Norwich just to enjoy a cup of great coffee. Not a lot beats the act of sitting outside in sunny weather watching the world go by. My go to place is St Giles Pantry in Upper St Giles. Try it if you haven’t already.
Spend the night in the city – summer nights are a thing to celebrate. An early evening stroll and a drink before heading home, a casual meet up with friends or a romantic fine dining dinner. Norwich’s nights out are intimate in this small city, and it has one for you to suit all your culinary wants and needs.
If a cool beer on a warm summers evening, catching the last of the suns’ rays is what you fancy – then you need to be at Sir Toby’s Beers on the edge of Norwich Market. A strong Nifty Fifty sitting at the end of St Gregory’s Alley as it morphs into St Benedicts Street before dinner – that’s Makers House. And for a G&T on a small deck elevated above the river Wensum, then make your way to The Ribs of Beef. Norwich is not short of divine small spaces.
The Last Wine Bar and Restaurant re-opened at the end of 2023, and the local food scene has welcomed it back with open arms – like a wise – yet fun, favourite aunt. With tables and chairs on St George’s at the front of the building, once home to one of Norwich’s shoe factories, enjoy a good bottle of wine.
With the largest selection of wines in the city, prices are upwards of early £20’s. You can also ‘chat over cocktails’ in their happy hour running Wednesday to Saturday between 5pm – 7pm the deal is two for £14. Yes please.
During Norwich Wine Week in 2023, Benedicts launched a small plates menu to sit outside the restaurant with a glass of wine. This year it’s back and better than ever. You can rock up on a whim or book a table. It’s the perfect way to unwind after a busy day if you want something absolutely delicious as an alternative to a formal, sit down and linger dinner.
They’ve even given it a name – of course they have – Benedicts Outside. Snacks start from £2.50 from Richard Bainbridge’s own product line with RB Smoked Nuts – they’re not just nuts. You can also order his famed Rice Cracker, Sherry Mousse (v) (vg) £6.5 – if you are not a regular, please order this! Also order his Parker House Bread and Butter (£5) because you will most definitely want to mop up every bit of his Sherry Mouse.
Small plates include Cheese Soup, Charred Red Pepper, Caper (v) £6 and Mackerel Pate, Celery & Radish, Crackers £9.5. And if you want something a bit more substantial try Lamb Breast, Pea & Quinoa Salad £9.5/£16 or Wild Garlic Tortellini (v) (vg) £8/£15.
And if that’s not enough there’s dessert too – Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Granita £9 or Rhubarb Sorbet, Homemade Rhubarb Gin (vg) £5.5 – see the full menu on his website: restaurantbenedicts.com.
Up for debate – indoors or outdoors? Yalm has plenty of additional seating in the Royal Arcade alongside its beautiful large windows. Yalm is perfect for a group because of their easy ordering and pay app system – no more dividing the bill and feeling miffed that you had one course when someone else had two – and there’s a choice of six local kitchens. You can book a table if there are more than eight of you.
I said Norwich’s historic backdrop makes dining in Norwich diverse and interesting. And none more so than Tombland where you will find a large outdoor area from Giggling Squid. Recently refurbished, this restaurant is the place to order delicious Thai cuisine using authentic Thai ingredients. There’s street food, nibbles and sharing platters, as well as squidgy dumplings, crispy salt and pepper squid, curries, noodles and stir fries.
This is one of Norwich’s most historic areas so walk through the Cathedral Close or down by the river to complete your evening if you want to end it with a slow stroll.
Just around the corner on Elm Hill, The Britons Arms offers dining outdoors in what must be the most hidden of hidden courtyards! And, in a setting so historic, you have to catch your breath when you think about the people and activity that have called this very distinct area of Norwich home since the 13th century.
The Britons Arms loves cooking with fresh, season local produce and really champion all that comes out of this county including wine from our local vineyards.
Finally, Norwich’s newest kid on the block Pho has just opened on Queen Street and includes outdoor space. If you love Vietnamese food, you will love Pho. It has a huge selection of dishes including Pho pronounced ‘fuh’. Pho being an aromatic and delicious rice noodle soup served with a side plate of fresh herbs to add as you desire (priced from £11.75). The portions are generous, and everything is tasty, tasty, tasty. Don’t leave without ordering a Cà phê Vietnamese coffee which is served black with condensed milk (each order includes a 10p donation to the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation in Vietnam).
I started this column with coffee, and I will end with it. When I tried the Cà phê, I couldn’t believe I had found coffee better than a latte.
It’s a serious game changer – condensed milk – who would have thought!
For ideas of where to shop, eat,
stay and visit in Norwich and Norfolk
go to www.visitnorwich.co.uk