3 Best Restaurants in East Anglia, England

Beside the River Cam on the edge of Midsummer Common, this gray-brick 19th-century villa holds a two–Michelin star restaurant set in a comfortable conservatory. Fixed-price menus for lunch and dinner (with five to eight courses) present innovative dishes that place a focus on seasonal, often local, ingredients. Choices might include freshwater prawn with gazpacho mousse or sauteed duck liver and conte cheese. Service is both informal and informative. If you don't want to pay the eye-watering cost of dinner here, come for lunch, which is around half the price at £150 per person.

Part of a Scottish chain that harvests its own oysters, this airy, casual place across from the Fitzwilliam Museum is deservedly popular. The seafood is fresh and well prepared, served in a traditional setting with a modern charm. The menu changes seasonally, but the occasionally offered Bradan Rost smoked salmon is a real treat; served cold, it's flavored with Scotch whiskey, giving it a uniquely malty, rich taste. The restaurant is also open for breakfast.

This friendly, 300-year-old pub across from Constable's school in Dedham serves traditional English pub food. Dishes such as Ploughman's lunch (cheese, bread, salad, and pickles) and steak and chips share the menu with classics like shrimp scampi. The pub also hosts five elegant guest rooms.