The story
The Wildebeest, at 82-86 Norwich Road in Stoke Holy Cross just outside Norwich, is a modern British restaurant that holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2026. The kitchen serves modern British and modern European dishes in a village pub setting a few miles from the city.
Chef patron Daniel Smith leads the kitchen and sources heavily from Norfolk growers. He trained under Michel Roux Jr at Le Gavroche in London, then with Galton Blackiston at Morston Hall, where he won his first Michelin star as head chef at 23. The kitchen holds 3 AA Rosettes for 2026.
The sample Sunday menu has shown seared hand-dived scallops with artichoke velouté and squid ink tuile, and chargrilled Norfolk pork fillet with burnt apple purée. Pan-fried halibut comes with pomme purée and Kings Lynn brown shrimp, and dessert might be a warm pistachio sponge with dark chocolate crémeux and orange segments. Menus change often, so the dishes you are served may differ.
The main room is light and spacious, with plants, bare floors, banquettes and laid tables. A terrace with parasols sits out front, and parking is available at the side. Dogs are welcome at lunch and all day on Sundays. The wine list has over 200 bottles, including biodynamic and organic choices, with bottles from £26 and wines by the glass from £6.75.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
good quality, good value cooking
At first glance it looks like a roadside pub, name emblazoned on the painted brickwork, garden furniture and parasols on the terrace, decent parking at the side. But look again to find an ambitious restaurant in a spacious, airy room with plants, bare floors, moody photographic art, banquettes and carefully laid tables. Chef-owner Daniel Smith’s roots live deep in the classical repertoire, so expect ingredients that nod to luxury, and techniques that tell of a drilled and skilled kitchen. The choice is rich (and pricey) in these days of pared-back, shortened menus – a seven-course taster, a substantial carte and a more wallet-friendly set menu 'du jour'. Out for early applause comes monkfish, beautifully pale and tender, with brown shrimps, a tangle of crisped potato and freshening cucumber, some chopped finely into a raita and some chunked and seared sweetly. It’s no surprise to find scallops on offer, seared and served with pork (belly and boudin), as tradition dictates. Fillet of beef and Gressingham duck breast vie for main-course attention, but John Dory wins. It is crisp of skin and expertly cooked, while the mash it sits on is of the silkily butter-laden Robuchon kind. The result is luxurious, generous and well-seasoned, finished with a flourish of Champagne sauce and minuscule spheres of courgette, pieces of asparagus, flicks of samphire and a few nasturtium leaves lightening everything up. Desserts are true to classical form, so expect soufflés, crémeux and parfaits that do wondrous things with local strawberries, cherries and rhubarb, all plated with fragile tuiles at jaunty angles, sharp sorbets and gels, and the occasional tumble of sweet white chocolate. You’ll find wine from £26, while a broad by-the-glass choice (starting at £6.75 for a simple South African Chenin Blanc) is welcome.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
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