The Harbour Inn, Blackshore, Southwold

Official site of The Harbour Inn - www.harbourinnsouthwold.co.uk

Official site of The Harbour Inn - www.harbourinnsouthwold.co.uk

A pleasant and rustic pub at the end of Southwold harbour, it looks as though it has been extensively extended in recent years to the extent that it has now taken over the adjacent building which is used as a restaurant with a short passageway linking the two. Views of the harbour from within the pub are limited, with the good sized patio and gardens instead overlooking the fields at the rear. The main part of the pub has a couple of bars split over two levels, with the bar counter being in the upper level but a useful serving hatch for punters in the lower bar. Décor wise it’s quite traditional with a beamed ceiling, chequered tile floor, and a mixture exposed brick work and wood cladding on the walls. The upper bar has more wood panelling making it somewhat reminiscent of a ship’s cabin and there were a liberal covering of flags all over the ceiling. Elsewhere was a brick fire-place with a wood burning stove and various nautical artefacts such as pictures, a ship’s wheel, bells, anchors and so on. Food wise the menu offered a good choice of pub grub dishes divided in to small, medium and large plates, and these were priced at £6, £10 and £13 respectively. Options included lamb curry, sausage & chips, fish & chips, etc., as well as several other fish options which befits it’s location with the catch being landed just a few yards away. We were only there for a light lunch and enjoyed both the pork scratchings with sticky shredded pork belly and the mackerel paté. Beers on tap were all from Adnams with their Mosaic Pale Ale, Ghost Ship, Southwold and Broadside.