Suffolk boozer regains Britain’s top gastropub title with ‘seriously good, unfussy food’
Far from being just a boozer with an elevated food menu, this year’s winner of the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list deserves to be recognised as “a damn good restaurant,” says the Telegraph’s food critic, William Sitwell.
The Unruly Pig, located on the outskirts of Woodbridge, the picturesque Suffolk port town, has held onto its crown as the country’s finest gastropub for 2025. First earning the top spot in 2022, this is the third time it’s held the title, bouncing back in 2024 after being overtaken by The Parkers Arms in Lancashire in 2023. This East Anglian gem, steeped in history and dating back to the 16th century, is led by the talented chef-patron Dave Wall. Over recent years, it has consistently earned accolades from the Taste of England Awards, National Restaurant Awards and the Good Food Guide, securing its place as a culinary hotspot – not just in Suffolk, but among the best in the UK.
After scaling the ranks of the annual Top 50 list since entering as a newcomer in 2017 (it won the ‘highest climber’ accolade in 2021, reaching the 10th spot), the pub has remained true to its humble intentions, serving up “seriously good, unfussy food” in its signature “Britalian” style.Tonnarelli pasta with brown crab, orford mussels, chilli and lime, octopus carpaccio with crispy caper & chorizo, and anchovies, and chocolate and hazelnut tart with Frangelico and blood orange marmalade have all been rolled out from the award-winning kitchen.
Even its seven-course ‘Be Unruly’ tasting menu (available alongside a £35 three-course lunch) offers excellent value at £79 per head – especially when reduced to an astonishing £49 on Thursdays.
Claiming second and third place respectively this year were newcomer The Devonshire in Central London’s Soho – named the highest new entry – and The Star Inn, a Michelin-starred 14th-century inn with rooms in Harome, North Yorkshire. William Sitwell described The Devonshire as “a masterpiece in hospitality.” Meanwhile, The Cornish Arms in Tavistock, Devon, which previously held second place, dropped to ninth. However, its chef, John Hooker, was named Chef of the Year 2025.
The Top 50 gastropubs list saw a notable increase in London entries, with the capital now hosting twelve pubs compared to last year’s eight, with three in the top ten.
Beyond the capital, Yorkshire made an impressive showing, doubling its representation from three pubs to six. The Three Horseshoes in Batcombe, Somerset made an improvement from twenty fifth to seventh, flying the flag for the West Country alongside The Mariners in Rock, Cornwall at number five.
The Bull in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, was this year’s highest climber, rising dramatically from thirty-ninth to eleventh place. Additionally, Tommy Banks’ newest venture, The Abbey Inn in Byland, which opened in 2023, was named Estrella Damm Sustainable Pub of the Year.
The Top 50 list highlights the talent and dedication of the gastropub industry, with votes cast by a 350-member academy of industry experts, including food writers, top chefs, and restaurateurs.
As for this year’s winner, where during a visit in 2020 William Sitwell found that “warm professionalism simmers at every turn,” its fortunes have not always been straightforward. Just two months after opening in April 2015, the Unruly Pig’s kitchen and food-prep area, as well as the private dining room, were destroyed in a fire, accounting for roughly 30 per cent of the building.
Its owners were determined to rebuild the place as soon as possible and reopened in December of that year, producing a pub that has truly risen from the ashes – a fate shared by the third-place The Star Inn in Harome, North Yorkshire, which in 2021 burned to the ground but reopened the following year to continued acclaim.
Finally, The White Horse in Fyfield, Oxfordshire, owned by Mark and Kay Chandler, was named this year’s “One to Watch.”
In conclusion, the voting panel for the Top 50 Gastropub awards judged that “the Unruly Pig is leading the way when it comes to providing an incredible gastropub experience, both in terms of the levels of its service and the high quality and consistent standards of its food.”
