The Gamekeeper

Great food and attentive service just how it used to be. Food was great and lovely atmosphere, highly recommend, especially for a Sunday Roast

+5

Excellent gastropub, well worth visiting! Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and charming old building. Food was great - we had two burgers and a pork belly, with the cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding for dessert - all were very tasty and well portioned. Good range of soft drinks too

+4

Me and my partner visited this quaint and wonderful pub for a drink. Relaxing garden and atmosphere, we moved on to food, which arrived promptly, with friendly service. The food was exceptional, i do note aswell the variety on the menu, i wish i could try more, i will definitely be a happy returning customer

It was probably my first visit to a UK pub or restaurant in over 20 years & also in my 1970s home village. Table booked by a Norfolk friend, purely based on Google recommendation, to follow a burial service in village church. It was midday Wednesday & only two people, so booking was not necessary. Entire experience was 1st class. Ver friendly, just right degree of service perfectly judging the time but also very honest on recommendations for food & drink, both of which were excellent & for reasonable prices. After the meal, invited to sit in the comfortable sofas around the fire next to the bar. Being a quiet, mid-week day, which though suited us well, I can't judge the atmosphere too well, but having been taken on a quick tour of the building, I can imagine it's a fabulous place when full of life. Highly recommended & big Dankeschön for brightening up an otherwise sombre day. Maybe I'll be back next year to try out the Biergarten! Prost🍺

Enjoying some small plates out in the sunny beer garden and listening to love music from Daisy and the Continentals jug band was the very definition of a perfect British pub afternoon. The pints were cooking, the food was delicious (try the pork belly bites) and the staff were all amazing, positive, helpful, friendly and welcoming. Plenty of games for the kids too and a common just over the way to take the dog for a walk too!

+6

Friendly service,. We came for Sunday roast early evening, all the meals arrived the quickest ever. great volume of meats and Variety of vegetables. We all enjoyed thoroughly. Thank you very much

A nice find visiting the area. Had a wonderful evening birthday celebration meal. We had the Pork Belly and the venison sausages, followed by the sticky toffe pudding and chocolate brownie. The food came out piping hot and very tasty. The service was great. Prices very reasonable. Would visit again. Thank you...

A quick visit to the quaint south Norfolk village of Old Buckenham and The Gamekeeper today for a spot of lunch. This 17th century, grade II listed pub is beautiful inside with exposed oak beams, eclectic wooden and leather furniture and a lovely traditional atmosphere. The service was perfect and the food was fabulous. My guest enjoyed Norfolk ham, fried eggs and skin on chips and I enjoyed the slow roasted pork belly with black pudding and Parmentier potatoes. I also enjoyed the lemon curd Pana Cotta with raspberry ice-cream and accompanied our lunch with real ale. Would highly recommend a visit and it looks like a perfect spot for Sunday Lunch. There is also a large room which caters for private events such as weddings. Another plus...it's very dog friendly for pre booked diners, Mr Ted was very happy although he didn't get to see a dog menu !

+4

Sunday lunch in the Great Hall; great atmosphere in an impressive venue. Menu perhaps a little small, but very well cooked and impressively presented. Staff friendly and engaging, if sometimes slightly stretched at busy times.

I just popped in for a pint and loved it. Great character & lovely staff

This and its sister pub , The Kings Head in Hethersett have fantastic teams bringing you the finest pub dining experiences. My support team always make sure they order dishes that suit my personal dietary requirements. I'm a very refined frenchie.

Very nice pub, lovely old charm with log burner ,beam ect. Staff very welcoming and friendly. Dog friendly too big +. 4 of us had dinner and couple drinks and everything was very nice.all positive and i would highly recommend if in the area.

We popped in here for some dinner and we’re not disappointed. The staff were very friendly, the food was amazing and the whole atmosphere was warm and cosey. Highly recommended!

what a lovely evening that we had last night at the Gamekeeper - fantastic environment, excellent staff and the food was superb. we had the Christmas menu and the portion sizes and presentation were top class. Also what impressed us were the quality and price of wines which were also fantastic.

Lovely atmosphere, delicious food, good portion sizes, attentive and friendly staff!

We had a wonderful Sunday roast here after a long day at Banham zoo. The food was incredible and prices very reasonably. Staff were very kind and friendly 😊 we would definitely go back.

Great food and attentive service. Very nice beers too. Plenty of parking. The interior of the pub is very spacious & older world charm. Three - four roomy dining areas ,the mix can intimate or group, each highly individual & very comfortable. Will visit again .The food served is delicious, fresh & the menue is highly Timely service from the kitchen.

Nice little drive out for lunch, Nice friendly staff. As it was a Friday had to have fish and chips which was very nice.

There was 5 of us,. Lovely food, atmosphere, lovely staff, enjoyed the cosy chairs by the fire. Will definitely go again

Popped in and managed to get a Sunday Roast , really friendly atmosphere, and staff . Lunch was very good , fair prices . Comfy areas to sit , surrounded by very interesting historical features . Would like to know re the history!

I called beforehand to check whether they could meet the needs of children who had dietary needs and the young lady could not have been more helpful. We had eaten at the Gamekeeper before but this time the food was even better and all of us enjoyed our meals. Service was great and very friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves

Had a very lovely evening with my lady and my dog the staff are very friendly and helpful and the food was delicious

good food and service nice friendly atmosphere just not my liking to many people

We went for a Sunday roast and it was excellent 👌🏻 great food for a great price. The pub has an chilled atmosphere too.

Amazing when today all excellent my hubby is a retired head chef and he is had to please but he loved every thing

Super fresh food. Ample parking. Lovely helpful staff. All good.

We made reservations on a Sunday for 13:00, but due to delays we were running gloriously late. The pub was very busy when we eventually arrived at 14:30, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming! We explained our situation to the lady behind the bar, who was lovely! She immediately said not a problem, I'll show you to your table. The conservatory/barn? area where we sat was beautiful. Tastefully decorated, comfy seating, warm, proportionally spaced out tables and the large mirrors on the walls reflected the light perfectly. The waitress and waiter that served us were impeccably mannered and seemed genuinely happy and fun. We both had the Sunday roast and it was delicious. The roast potatoes and crackling especially, were top class. It's making my mouth water now thinking about it. I asked for a glass of water and the waitress brought us a jug with ice and lemon and two glasses straight away. My only complaint is the water down there doesn't taste as good as up north ; ) We would highly recommend this gem of a place, and we shall definitely be back there for a longer visit and more food and drinks. Thank you to all the team that looked after us!

Lovely food and drink in relaxed warm country pub atmosphere

Excellent. Food was wonderful as were the staff who were friendly and engaging. Good beer selection. Setting was equally pleasing, we were in the great hall and even though it was busy (a good indicator) we still had room and could hear our own conversation. An excellent venue, recommended

Warm friendly atmosphere. Food was excellent! Butternut squash with coconut milk soup and gluten free bread. Gluten Free and vegan as well as meat options. They had gluten and alcohol free cider, perfect for a hearty stop en route or a place to go with friends for tea or food. The staff were super helpful and friendly.

Nice food and ale, great staff.

Nice vibe and very tasty food, plenty of room and not rushed, very enjoyable

Atmosphere and the pub/restaurant was lovely. We was told that 2 starters and 3 mains were already sold out. Then just before our starter came out that one of our mains we chose was actually unavailable too. Service was good, although the food did take longer than what we would expect to come out, we waited at least 30 minutes between starters and mains. When our mains did eventually arrive they looked great but then we waited another 6-8 minutes for the steak sauces to arrive. By this time most of the food was only warm. 2 of us order ‘Surf &Turf’, the ribeye was good but the Turf aspect of the dish was very poor . The ‘prawns’ were basically stone cold , cold water shrimp you’d get from Tesco. It seemed like they have taken far too many bookings for the evening leaving longer wait times and lots of items on the menu unavailable.

Birthday surprise meal for my partner with her dad and nan. Partner asked if they offer any cocktail drinks, which they didn’t. The waitress highlighted that the had no pork, no prawns and don’t cook seabass on Monday’s which is a shame as we liked the look of the pork & prawns. Once we ordered, waiting for our mains, the waitress comes out and said sorry, our deep fat fryers have lost temp. again so unable to cook the calamari so had to order another alternative.. running out of things to order. Birthday girl ordered a pizza as a replacement, however this was delayed with the rest of the table which was a shame. High expectations, but unfortunately things didn’t go well for us.

Whilst in the UK, we've made a few pub grub hauls and this joint has to be one of the nicest aesthetics and comfiest places to eat, the decor is awesome and a very quirky gastro take on a traditional British pub with plenty of roaring fires to keep you toasty. However, the nut roast wasn't the most exciting. Fairly yummy, lacking any kind of real flavor or seasoning and a pretty average result. I also finished off with an Espresso which was unfortunately cold and pretty bleak too. Support local businesses!

+6

Nice pub and good food. My boyfriend and I came for Valentines day dinner. Had sharing platter for starter which wasn't too bad, not quite my cup of tea and 3 pieces of bread which didn't really make sense, should of been either 2 or 4, don't think it was really worth the £17. Asked for bottle of sparkling water which I think we have been completely forgotten about and had to ask again after about 10 minutes which is quite disappointing considering it wasn't even busy. I've had tomahawk steak which was great but don't think I'd have gone for it if I could clearly see the price which was cleverly at the very bottom of the board which you couldn't see if you were sat down (£65). It would have been helpful if the menu was actually updated and posted online. It was overall a good experience minus slow service and the cheeky positioning of the steak price which was bit of a slap across the face when the bill came 😳

Unfortunately not impressed with the food, new potatoes and broccoli underdone and I prefer mine underdone but they were hard. Husband’s medium rare steak came out rare with a slice of cold garlic butter on it; his rocket looked well past its best. Paper menus were very dirty. Such a shame as beautiful building and friendly staff. Won’t be returning

Disappointed used to be very good needs a Chef change. Menu very ordinary Food sent back cold gravy and sauce thin and watery. Over priced pub grub

Visited The Gamekeeper this afternoon and had a genuinely lovely time. The setting was warm and welcoming, with a relaxed atmosphere that made it easy to settle in and enjoy ourselves. The service was absolutely brilliant – friendly, attentive, and just the right level of chatty without being over the top. The food was okay – not bad by any means, but it didn’t quite feel like good value for money. Flavours were a bit muted and it lacked that something special you’d hope for. Still, the vibe and the service more than made up for it, and we left having had a great afternoon overall.

The Gamekeeper, Old Buckenham, Norfolk Date of visit 8/6/23 Ratings based on image portrayed and price point. See our featured post for the rating scale. Overall experience 4/10 Food 4/10 Service 4/10 Cleanliness 4/10 Atmposhere/ Setting 4/10 Value 4/10 The Pecking Orders Verdict. This Keeper needs to up their game. Quite underwhelmed with our recent meal here. Felt like a half hearted attempt at sprucing the place up had been made unfortunately a half hearted attempt at the menu also. 2 out of 4 dishes were OK. Not the cleanest place. Staff seem disorganised. Food ordered. Starters Pork Belly Bites £5.00 Mains Margherita Pizza £13.50 Wherry beer battered Fish & Chips £17.00 Seared Duck Breast £19.00 Desserts We gave this a miss. The Pork Belly starter was OK. Reasonable sized portion. Soft and covered in a sweet sticky chinese style sauce. The fish was very disappointing. Bland, soggy batter and not the freshest fish. No hint of the beer used in the batter and a very dark colour from being overcooked on well used oil. The chips were chunky possibly twice cooked and plenty of them, more like wedges but quite pleasant as were the mushy peas. The pizza was light with a good even coating of cheese and tomato. The best of the dishes. The duck was overdone and not what we would call seared as per the menu. More like chargrilled. I'm not a fan of the 'grill marks' on food. It is essentially a burnt strip and much prefer a good even crust. This duck tasted chemically like it have been cooked on a gas grate. With only two soggy sweet potato wedges to accompany it, I was certainly glad to have the pizza to make it a meal. The staff were very loud and very slow. One waitress spending an age chatting to one table. I had to order drinks at the bar after a long wait with empty glasses and then had to wait again to be served. I was the only one stood there, barmaid was on the phone for what seemed like forever. Dried food on the glasses, toilet paper on the floor in the bar area and salt and sugar left on a sideboard, empty vinegar bottles looking sticky like they never got cleaned between refills. Not somewhere we are likely to return to.

+6

Dessert was better than the main meal, which was rather disappointing, overdone hard roast potatoes, little gravy , mean portions of carrot and parsnip , meat was ok though Don’t think we will make a return visit

Went here for Sunday lunch for my Mum’s birthday. Roast dinner was okay, very quick service. I ordered the chocolate torte and salted caramel ice cream … this is possibly the saddest dessert I’ve ever seen. Not exactly a wow factor over all. Had much better meals in other places.