Fox Inn Bury St Edmunds — Restaurant in West Suffolk

The location of The Fox is perfect.right across the road from the Abbey Gardens with the aviary,garden shop,cafe and beautiful displays of flowers and the history of the Abbey to explore and absorb.having done this ,an exit leads you straight into Market Hill and the shops and restaurants and a lovely market.|The staff were all friendly and helpful and service was quick.|The plant based burger was delicious.|We stayed overnight and the room was very pretty with a vaulted ceiling and chandelier and air conditioning.We could park right outside the door as the accommodation is in what may have been the stables outside in the car park.|The extra large bed was huge but very very hard.We could not sleep at all.|The shower over the bath was great,lovely and hot.But to get to the taps if you want a bath, have to climb in the bath first and be careful the hot water doesn't reach you before you get out.Bath mats are available in reception.under floor heating was lovely.|Breakfast was awful for me,the thick slice of sourdough bread( no options) was too chewy and the scrambled egg was extremely dry ,inedible.|There was no coffee,tea,juices,cereals,fruits,yoghurt egg out on a table to help yourself to.every item had to be asked for.undoubtedly cost saving and saves wasting food but it wasn't very relaxed and once breakfast was served we didn't see the waiter again.|The Fox is a location with a lot of history,friendly staff,average food and quaint rooms in a lovely area.|Watch your drinks,twice asked for a short spirit and mixer,twice got half a pint of coke with a spirit in.when explained this wasn't what was asked for just got a shrug and no offer to put right so gave up.be very specific.|It seems very popular with locals and visitors and the atmosphere in the evening was a happy one..|We would go back if they changed...

When we arrived, young lady very attentive but not overpowering, allowing us as long as we liked before being shown our room, more drinks the merrier was probably what she was thinking because we had room 2 the only one, in what appears to be a mainly wooden structure, with a room above it. Room 2 very nice apart from the chunk out of the bath panel and the scalding hot water and the cold water which never seems to get cold. Tucked up nicely then room 6, above, arrive. You cannot go to sleep until they do, you have to go for a pee in the middle of the night when they do and you have to get up when they do. After a very long train journey it's not what you signed up for. The breakfast was excellent as was the service, both days, but we were never asked how was our night!!!!!! No use complaining as they were fully booked, as was everywhere we tried for the second night. Went off to look around as the wedding we were attending was not until 3p.m. Get back have a coffee and Brandy outside to try and put some life into us and went back to the room at 12.30. Housekeeping had not been, no problems probably had changes in one of the FIVE rooms. She knocked on the door at 1.15 and was O.K. to come back in 15 mins. Excellent. We arrive back from the wedding at about 11.00pm, very very tired through lack of sleep, and we had at least had the cups replaced, bed not straightened, bath mat not replaced????? The place ain't cheap, for us anyway. Obviously same problems as the previous night although it was a different couple. Up early for breakfast, as they were upstairs, Beautiful breakfast again but a smile from my face was not forthcoming. No point complaining as they are the staff. REMEMBER DON'T STAY IN ROOM 2, TAKE A CHAINSAW IF YOU DO GET...

I have visited this pub a few times now and have sampled a number of menu items. The overall standard of the food is good, with the sandwiches being good value, although sometimes there are listed ingredients that are actually missing so be sure to check when your food arrives. The smoked salmon sandwich is a favourite of mine. The burger is tasty although for the price I expected it to be larger. Side dishes of chips are great although the portion sizes are a little mean. The fish and chip meal is OK but again the portion size is ungenerous.

The service is variable - at best it is average, and frequently poor. If you have the nerve to go there for a meal and not order an expensive alcoholic drink then the waitresses pull some truly awe-inspiring faces. The best one I have seen was only a couple of weeks ago; the waitress actually scowled when I ordered a glass of tap water and was positively fuming when my partner didn't order a drink at all. To make matters worse, we were asked a further three times(!) during the course of our meal whether we wanted any drinks, and every polite refusal produced yet more scowling or sneering (from two different waitresses). We elected to not leave a tip on this occasion and will probably not visit The Fox again for a several months. Perhaps the waiting staff can use this time to practice smiling in front of a mirror. A short walk away there are several very good cafes on Abbeygate Street so I would suggest that a visit to one of those establishments might provide a more enjoyable (and smiley) dining experience.

The rather poor service is a shame as it really lets down what is otherwise not a bad pub. I shall visit again much later in the year to ascertain whether the staff have...