The Old Bank — Restaurant in King's Lynn and West Norfolk

The old bank never disappoints. This intimate up-market restaurant is our favourite place to eat in Norfolk.

This old bank is an owner managed business - Husband Lewis in the Kitchen and Wife Aga as the perfect host out front. That said, as your evening draws to a close, you are just as likely to be served by Lewis.

This is a tasting menu experience only. There’s a choice of the longer or shorter menu, and (if you so desire) a wine pairing. The menus change regularly so you can (as we do) go back regularly and get a new experience every time.

Lewis is a talented chef. Every course is not only beautifully presented but perfectly prepared. He mixes flavours and textures in a pretty unique way. We often find ourselves discussing the food, comparing the courses and ranking them on the way home. It’s pretty rare to find a restaurant where you are actually talking about the food on the way home - don’t you think?

The menu is based on local produce and sustainability - and they have their own allotment from whence some of the ingredients hail.

Our most recent visit was as good as ever.

The wine list continues to improve. There’s a good selection of wines at pretty reasonable prices.

In terms of value, this place is excellent. I think it’s probably the best value tasting menu I have ever found.

The service is very special. It’s an owner managed business so expect a passion for keeping the customers happy and an enthusiasm for the quality of what they serve. All the staff are super friendly and helpful. I think the fact that it’s a small dining room helps with the attention given to all their guests.

I cannot recommend highly enough.

My Tips

Book early. This place fills very quickly. They only have 20 something covers.

I think the longer menu is the one to go for. If the table next to you get a dish you don’t you’ll be really...

Really enjoyed our meal and experience here. As with any set menu they can be hit & miss when it comes to personal choice and creating a menu that is to everyone’s taste is always difficult but we enjoyed 90% of the dishes here. We made a last minute booking and considered this lucky as you really do need to book quite far in advance. My only criticism would be regarding the drinks menu, it was quite limited and did not offer any high end spirits or bubbles. Not were they able to make a staple cocktail in an Old Fashioned but I didn’t feel is was right to mark them down for this but I hope you take it on board. We opted for the wine pairing which added roughly £50 per person. Together with the “longer” set menu (minus the optional cheese plate) this meal for two cost £330. The toilet is located outside in a separate building so not very convenient but given the small/quaint restaurant it’s not a big deal unless you are with youngsters or elderly maybe. I didn’t take photos of...

Our friends have been trying to book this restaurant for a long time but it's always fully booked - a good sign.

We managed to get a table last night to celebrate their birthday. From the moment you walk in your experience begins. The staff are very welcoming and the restaurant itself, although quite small, has a fantastic sophisticated atmosphere.

The food only goes to make the place even better. We have eaten in a number of restaurants in the area and this is the best food I have had for a long time. Amazing! PLUS, very reasonably priced.

And finally the owners are great. Very friendly and professional with it.

I debated whether to write this review because the more who know about this place the harder it will be to book but they fully deserve for everybody to know how good this restaurant is. We will definitely...