The Butt & Oyster, Pin Mill, Ipswich

A good sized pub in a prime spot alongside the River Orwell, it consists of a number of rooms over a couple of floors as well as a small paved garden at the front of the pub. Considering it’s location, it can understandably get very busy at peak times and getting a seat may not always be possible. The main bar is reasonably compact and has quite a rustic feel to it with quarry tiles on the floor and an ornate brick fire complete with a wood burning stove and a pile of logs stacked up ready for the colder weather, and of course, being beside the water there was the obligatory display of knots in a glass case. At the front was a larger room that looked to be more geared up for dining, and a small snug was across the hallway. Upstairs was a more contemporary room, again more for diners, with a wood strip floor, Farrow & Ball paintwork and cream wooden boards on the ceiling. Various ship photos were on the walls as well as a model sailing ship in a display case. The menu offered a good selection of pub grub dishes as well as a selection of burgers, and these were mostly priced around £10 or £11. A specials board added several more options for a couple of pounds more. Our prawn & smoked salmon and chicken & bacon Caesar sandwiches were both decent enough and the staff were friendly and helpful. Beers on tap were all from Adnams with their Southwold, Ghost Ship, Fat Sprat and Broadside and these were dispensed from barrels racked up behind the bar. The solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk.