Our Favourite Drinking Spots in Ipswich
Insider Tips
The county town of Suffolk is well known for both its history and its beauty. In fact, in a previous edition of Insider tips we offered up some suggestions of where and how you can see this for yourself thanks to some handy recommendations from our pals over at Pentahotel Ipswich. Well, for better or worse that’s not what today is about, not at all. We’ve been diving into some research to compile a list of some of Ipswich’s finest and most fun drinking establishments. From the more traditional to somewhere we are very familiar with, we’ve got the lowdown on some awesome places to wet your whistle – alcoholic or otherwise.
Isaacs on the Quay
Ok, maybe this is cheating a bit because we did mention it in our previous blog post, but Isaacs is one of the most popular places on the waterfront in Ipswich with good reason. Equally as likely to be the place that you wind up at the end of the night as it is somewhere you can take a morning coffee on the quay, it is a great spot for people-watching, and there is just something about having a drink next to a body of water that gives off that holiday feeling. They show plenty of live sport if that’s what you are into, and at just 1 mile from Pentahotel Ipswich, you can get back to your room with a pleasant 20-minute walk along the water.
Arlingtons Ipswich
If you take one look at the interior design at Arlingtons you can probably see why we’re fans of this place. With a stylish and chilled vibe, it is actually a bit of an iconic local institution of sorts. Focusing more on food, coffee, cake and brunch during the day, it turns into more of a popular cocktail bar on Friday and Saturday evenings. Based in a beautiful and historic building in the town centre, it is less than a mile from Pentahotel Ipswich. We recommend dropping into Arlingtons on the way home to Penta after some time spent exploring the town centre.
Boom Battle Bar
If that title seems a bit shouty, it’s with good reason. It’s time to get your game face on as Boom Battle Bar, or the Battleground as it refers to itself, is all about games, competition and activities. Expect the drinks to take somewhat of a backseat in a place where you can have a go at axe throwing, an augmented reality batting cage, crazier golf (who knew it could get even crazier?) and karaoke, amongst other things. Pretty much the opposite of Arlingtons in terms of vibe and energy, one similarity is that it is also in the town centre and can be reached by Pentahotel Ipswich on foot in under 20 minutes.
Arcade Street Tavern
Feeling crafty? This is absolutely one for beer hipsters and aficionados. With „around 120+ beers in stock at any one time, made up of cask, keg, bottles and cans.“ They really know their stuff. Pilsners, stouts, golden ales and pale ales, locally brewed or international favourites, they really have it all covered. There is even a can-sealing machine, so if you‘re enjoying something and fancy taking some home to enjoy later, they can do that for you. What if you aren’t crazy about beer? Well, they also have over 110 different types of gin on offer, and we’d wager they have some high-quality mixers to go with them. You can get back to Pentahotel Ipswich fairly easily by bus or on foot after a decent session.
Pentalounge
Before we touch on our last and totally not in any way biased establishment, we have to give an honourable mention to the excellently named Fat Cat Freemouse. It is a little bit further afield from Pentahotel Ipswich but if you don’t mind the extra distance you can find an incredibly inviting and welcoming pub that has won many local awards and even national recognition.
Now, you didn’t think we could compile a list of places for liquid refreshment in Ipswich without showing a little love to the Pentalounge did you? In all seriousness though, we are proud of the Pentalounge and we think it shares a number of similarities with the above venues; like Isaacs we can offer you something appropriate for the time of day and a great spot to meet new people, not just watch them. Like Arlingtons we put a lot of effort and consideration into creating an environment that is stylish and relaxed. Like Boom Battle Bar we recognise the fun in some friendly competition and you can find a selection of games in the Pentalounge. Ok, maybe we don’t have over 100 types of something like Arcade Street, but we do have a pretty extensive menu with lots of variety and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic stuff on it.
On top of that, we can offer something that none of the others can... A comfortable and private space with a big bed to collapse into at the end of the night. The best thing? It’s right upstairs.
