Review of Hunstanton’s Mariner Inn: so many delicious options at this restaurant

On a rainy drive to Hunstanton at the weekend, I reminisced on sunny family lunches previously spent at Hunstanton’s Mariner Inn.

Me and my partner Tom decided to visit on Saturday evening for dinner, and it looked like many people had the same idea as both the bar and restaurant were busy when we arrived.

Despite this visit being on a miserable wintery evening, I have fond memories of coming here with the rest of the Carter family for lunch, looking out to the sea followed by a walk on the beach which is just a few metres away.

However, the Mariner Inn still has plenty of character in the dark and was lit up and had an older traditional pub feel inside.

Friendly staff greeted us and showed us to our table. There were plenty of drink options, and it’s and a great place to visit if you’re a fan of beer, wine and cocktails.

However, as the designated driver, I opted to try one of their mocktail options and had a virgin zombie (£4) which consisted of lime and pineapple juice over ice served with grenadine.

Tom chose one of the many cider options and went for a pint of Strongbow (£5.20).

Both of our drinks came out promptly and I was impressed with the presentation of my mocktail, which was also sweet and punchy.

We decided to go straight in with mains. The Mariner Inn had a huge variety of options varying from an array of seafood to pub favourites. I was also very impressed to see a total of five different vegan options.

Wanting something with a bit of gravy, Tom decided to go for the bangers and mash (£15.50) which consisted of a giant Yorkshire pudding filled with butcher’s sausages, mashed potato, peas and onion gravy.

I decided to go for the three-bean vegetable chilli (£14.50) which came with steamed long-grain rice, vegan flat bread and nacho crisps.

We were both impressed with the portion sizes and overall quality of our food. My chilli was fresh and tasty and the flatbread which accompanied it was soft.

Tom said his meal was delicious and came out nice and hot too.

We both decided we had room for something sweet but concluded we couldn’t manage a dessert each so decided to share a caramel chocolate brownie (£7.50) which was served with vegan ice cream.

This was the star of the show for me, gooey, rich and absolutely divine.

Our total came to £46.70, which I think reflects both the quality and portions of food we received.

This is somewhere I can’t wait to return to, especially on a summer lunchtime when we can walk off some of the delicious food.

Ratings out of five:

Food: An amazing variety of options, with plenty of plant-based choices. ****

Drink: Great choices here, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. *****

Price: I’d say it’s a fair price for the food we got. ****

Staff: Friendly and attentive. ****

Decor: Great decor which reflects its place on the coast, and even better when the sun is shining. ****