In 2008, a small, 35-seat steakhouse opened in Thetford. Owners Andrea (from Brazil) and Mario (from Portugal) Marinho persevered with Cheers through the challenging first years. Their real breakthrough, though, came in 2010.
This was when they introduced hot stone cooking, with diners cooking their own steaks at their tables. This interactive twist was successful. In 2017, the pair opened a second restaurant on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds. In January 2025, they expanded further still, opening their third venue on Norwich’s Surrey Street.
The 70-seat Angel Hill restaurant is one that I pass regularly, but I’d never been in until recently. We booked an early evening table for my birthday meal in June.
You don’t *have* to cook your own steak at Cheers. There are various meat, fish and vegetarian dishes on their menu – but we wanted to go for one of their set menu offerings.
Special Menu 2 at Cheers is priced at £34.50 a head, and our son ate free as he’s under 10. This set menu includes starters, mains, sides and either sangria or soft drinks – with absolutely everything unlimited.
We had to hold back on the starters – after they arrived at our table, members of the team regularly checked in to see if we needed more. I loved the garlic and white wine-spiked mussels, and those king prawns were beautifully juicy. The olives were plump and flavourful, the chorizo moreish, those crusty white rolls perfect for mopping up the sauces.
While we ate, we beat the heat with a jug of sangria. It didn’t taste particularly strong but it was beautifully fruity and nicely chilled.
The team cleared the starter dishes, and it was time for the star of the Cheers show: the hot stone. We could feel the heat radiating from it as soon as it reached the table – and our steak, fries, halloumi, rice, black beans and coleslaw soon followed.
The thin-cut steak came with plenty of seasoning – and it cooked in no time at all. The sizzle of the stone provided great theatre to accompany our meal and the meat itself was absolutely delicious.
We’d chosen one steak, one halloumi meal (the child isn’t a steak fan) and the halloumi was equally beautiful. With crispy fries, perfectly-cooked rice, flavourful black beans and cooling coleslaw on the side, it was a real feast. It took us a little time to work out cooking times for the steaks (it was our first hot stone experience!) but we were impressed.
The stone, of course, cools down after a while. When this happens, a member of the Cheers team collects it from your table and replaces it with a fresh one – a seamless cooking experience. Just as with the starters, the team regularly came over to ask if we needed more steak, halloumi or sides, and topped our drinks up when required.
£34.50 a head felt like an absolute steal for the quality (and quantity!) of the food, the sensory excitement of the hot stone experience and the care and dedication of the Cheers team. If you’re looking for a meal with family or friends with a difference, I highly recommend booking a table.