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Beer of the Week (w/e 8th June 2025) with Bucking Fastard
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by paulof horsham
Submitted on Saturday, 21st October 2023
With picture contributions to 5860 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (20 more images)
Detail Pages
Arcade Street Tavern, Ipswich
Ipswich
IP1 1EX
Served areas
Reviews of Arcade Street Tavern (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about Arcade Street Tavern
Ipswich's take on the craft beer bar, this is a two-room pub reminiscent of a larger micropub with some first-floor overspill seating. The pub is located next to the large archway into the eponymous arcade, and you enter into a parquet floored front bar with two-thirds height wall panels, plain uppers, large shop style windows to the front and right and a compact servery to the left. The bar has a tongue and groove panelled counter with extensive shelving across the bar back and a TV screen in the centre listing all the draught beer options. Pew and chair seating stands under the windows to the right, with a few mirrors and other such decorative bits around the walls. A door to the rear leads you on into a back room with high stool seating in a slightly darker space thanks to the limited natural light on this side of the building. The arcade is to the right of the pub and offers some sheltered al fresco drinking space if you're happy to stand under the impressive arch. The first-floor overspill room is a compact space with good seating options and muted lighting, but it’s rather removed from the lively atmosphere downstairs and was relatively empty as a result.
They had two cask ales alongside the far more extensive craft keg range - Kelham Island Easy Rider and Lacons Encore (£5.30 a pint). The Encore was in fine shape and the cask seemed to be selling at a roughly proportionate rate to the keg range, which included brews from the likes of Deya, Brew York and Thornbridge as well as a couple of house brews. The staff seemed friendly and industrious, keeping things ticking over nicely in the face of extremely high pre-match demand ahead of Ipswich Town’s home fixture that afternoon.
I really liked this place, from the striking appearance of the arch on approach, to the comfortable interior, solid beer range and friendly service – it ticked a lot of important boxes. In a town blessed with a number of fine, traditional ale houses, it’s good to have a different option to add some variety to the local scene, and I felt this place filled such a gap nicely and is a must-do for fans of craft keg beer.
Date of visit - 8th December 2024
On 28th March 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Arcade Street Tavern
The Arcade Street Tavern feels like a fairly small place on initial inspection. Arriving immediately after a football match early on a Saturday evening, it seemed like an achievement just getting up the step and into the door, such were the crowds who had descended on the pub. The whole front room was packed to capacity, with the vast majority waiting to be served.
In fairness, there were enough bar staff on duty and they had the entire queue cleared very quickly. Just a couple of real ales are served. On this visit, these were Bishop Nick Heresy & Shortt's The Cure. Keg beers included Adnams Blackshore Stout & Ease Up IPA, Pipeline Forgotten Dreams & Burnt Mill Pintle.
We retreated outside and ended up standing outside the front door. So, I didn't get to see the rear rooms in the pub. The arcade itself stretches for some way back alongside the pub and that's where most of the crowd of customers had dispersed to. There were a few tables and also some kind of food stall to feed the masses.
This pub is probably best visited at quieter times, but I saw enough to see why it is listed in the Good Beer Guide.
On 22nd October 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3101 recommendations about 3099 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Arcade Street Tavern
A nice place with an almost Georgian feel outside with its powder puff sky blue paint job. Modern (if characterful) interior which feels a bit like a converted wine bar at times. Three rooms inside, one behind another. Neutral greys and natural wood decor. Two cask on; my Earl Soham Brandeston Gold was a bit over-vented (NBSS 2.5). Of more interest was a comprehensive Belgian, German and American beer list. So we came back later and did a beer from the 1001 Beers To Try Before You Die book, a 2014 bottle of AleSmith Decadence, which was a huge boozy figgy bomb and set us back 25 quid, though we had the satisfaction of the landlord making a point of serving us personally on hearing the order and fetching the bottle direct from the cellar and chatting to us for a few minutes afterwards (he said he was ‘sorry to see it go’ but was pleased it was drunk by a pair of beer professionals! A more upmarket atmosphere in the evening and I must say I enjoyed our second visit much more than the first. I’d recommend this one as the final pub you do in Ipswich, and enjoy a nightcap beer.
Visited early August.
On 12th September 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5589 recommendations about 5570 pubs]
View more reviews of Arcade Street Tavern (6)
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- Official site of Arcade Street Tavern - www.arcadetavern.co.uk
- Facebook - Arcade Street Tavern
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Arcade Street Tavern - whatpub.com
Derby Road (Ipswich), 1.67 miles, 32 min walk (show)
Westerfield, 1.98 miles, 38 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Function Room : Yes last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No - It could probably call itself one though - last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
- WiFi : Yes last updated 12 September 2021 by Quinno _
