Called in for lunch yesterday. Continues to rank as my most favourite pub. Food well up to standard, Adnams fine, character timeless, staff very friendly and as mentioned in previous review, interior (and exterior!) beautifully preserved without in any way being tarted up or faked. Cannot find fault with this pub and can only echo previous comments. Also worth noting the certificate on the wall from the National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, certifying that it "has been included on CAMRA's national Inventory in recognition of the outstanding historic importance of its little-altered interior". Never knew such an inventory existed. Would be interested in knowing what other pubs are on it

Staff & other drinkers were friendly, couldn't have been more welcoming and couldn't do enough to help us with our 8 month old child. A good pie tooReally enjoyed a cold December Saturday night here. Really friendly staff found four of us (+ dog) a table for eating even though they were full and we had not booked. Fantastic pies, and the beer was tip-top - I was even offered a glass to taste whatever I wished in the tap room

Made a return visit.Friendly staff.Simply oustanding beer. In a word,superb.Strongly recommended First class pub.On every visit beer brewed in back of pub been superb. Chaucer beer at 3.7 served at 2.30 a pint. A dark mild 5.5 served from barrel at 2.70.Would strongly recommend.Very good unspoilt pub which brews it's own excellent beers and at very good prices. Ask if the 5.5% mild is on, at �2:70 a pint it is a must. This pub is a must.

Drove past yesterday and noticed the place is offered for sale by Fleurets, who seem to specialise in licensed premises. Suffolk CAMRA website also list it as temporarily closed; so there may be hope that it will re-open as a pub. I'll keep you informed.Butley Oyster now, sadly, closed as from December 2012 and shows no sign of re-opening as a pub. Food OK, but the wait of nearly an hour for fish and chips was unacceptable. Only one person cooking on a busy August Friday lunchtime is not good enough.

Yes, a lovely pub indeed. I have to agree with the poster who said that the furniture left something to be desired, though. What's wrong with trad wood tables, chairs and benches etc? Couldn't fault the friendly welcome and well kept beer and ss I shall return!Quite busy on a weekday lunchtime. Nice selection of guest ales, in good condition. Bar snacks tasty.

It didn't have a bad pub atmosphere, either. It would have been more atmospheric but the total disaster of the choice of bar-room furniture, I wonder who on earth thought that was suitable for a pub.Popped in for a pint fairly early in the afternoon on a Friday so was quiet. Barmaid very easy on the eye, nice pint of Adnams Southwold for me and also had Ghost Ship and one or two more. Has a homely feel.

For HOTELRIES read HOSTELRIES in my review. Terrible typos annoy me no end!Spoons have done an excellent refurb on this lovely old hotel - one of their better hotelries in my opinion. I could while away most of the day in here! I just hope Spoons very keen pricing doesn't have too harmful an effect on the trade of other pubs in this lovely old town, though. It would be nice to think that Spoons and other pubs could all coexist with no problems. (Fingers crossed).Closed but looks set to reopen as a Wetherspoons. So enjoy all the other pubs in Beccles while you still can.

As £10 per head for block booking was requested we won't be patronsing The Crown. We felt as though we could not be trusted to turn up. So, if you thinking of taking a large group to this place-be warned!Forgot to mention that this is a great place to take dogs.

Dogs are welcome in the bar AND the hotel rooms. Also we discovered if you go past the garden area at the back, it leads onto a couple of fields where the dogs can run around. Or you can take them behind the church across the road.

The beach at Dunwich is only a 5 minute drive away.I stayed here for 2 nights last month.

First of all, unlike mctsuffolk, I didn't find it any more expensive than most pubs in the South of England these days.

The actual bar has a very relaxed / rustic / country pub feel, complete with open fires. Sadly however, the locals must find something else to do with their time, as it was pretty empty on a Friday night.
Has the usual Suffolk choice of Adnams or Aspalls, but hey, you expect that.

The rooms are very nice and cosy with good beds and showers.

The breakfast and service were amazing.

However, for our free main evening course, I chose the £23 steak, which was very very ordinary indeed.