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Church's Bistro Bar

Church's Bistro Bar Summary

  • Address: The White House, Hatton Court, Ipswich, IP1 3BW (Map)
  • Tel: +44 (0)1473 219138
  • E-mail: Click here to contact
  • Cuisine(s): Bistro, Modern British, Modern European
  • Opening Times: Mon - Tue: 12:00 - 14:15
    Wed - Sat: 12:00 - 14:15 18:30 - 21:00
  • Avg Price: £28.00
  • Party Planner: Group bookings & Party planner
 

(Avg Price is the average cost per person for two courses, coffee, half a bottle of house wine and tip/service)

Church's Bistro Bar Description

Paradoxical though it may sound, Church's Restaurant and Wine Bar is situated in a quiet, picturesque part of the busy Ipswich town centre. It is ideally positioned for shopping and offers easy access to other attractions including theatres and various places of interest.

Church's is housed in a building which is 'Grade II' listed and is over 400 years old. The wonderful oak beams and layout helps visitors to appreciate it's historic charm. Whilst the décor blends 'old' and 'new' in a tasteful way. As soon as you enter the front door you should feel relaxed in the warmth of the surroundings, especially as the staff are friendly and will make you feel at home.

You can relax on a sofa and enjoy a drink whilst perusing the menu before being called to your table to enjoy a meal. If you are fortunate enough to sit by a window in their first floor restaurant during an evening meal you will overlook the illuminated gardens and church spire, a truly enchanting experience!

At lunchtime they offer an enterprising and interesting selection of sandwiches - like tuna and avocado with lime, chillies and coriander or oak-smoked Scottish salmon, crème fraiche and rocket - as well as the full menu, so it is difficult to estimate an average cost, as it could vary from £4.95 to a much higher figure.

In the evening you could start with mussels with shallots, garlic, almonds and parsley or pesto risotto, with toasted pine nuts, rocket and sun-blushed tomatoes, with mains such as roast fillet of monkfish wrapped in pancetta, borlotti bean cassoulet, rocket and parmesan or classic braised oxtail resting on a bubble and squeak cake with braised baby vegetables.

With such delicious sounding choices, no wonder that they were selected by 'Suffolk' magazine as one of the fifty best places to dine out in the county.

Note that the times given are for the service of food, Church's is actually open from 11.00 - 15.00 on Mondays and Tuesdays, and 11.00 - 23.00 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Fixed Dinner

  • £15.95 (3 courses), Wed-Thur

Your Reviews of Church's Bistro Bar

Ann Hedges (21 October 2008)

We went for a girlie lunch to Church’s. We had heard about this bistro, but it was our first time there, and we were really impressed. The food was lovely, and not too much was given on the plate, which I liked. The wine was £10.50 a bottle, which we shared. We expected a low quality wine, but it was fantastic. We had the option of a £2.50 dessert; I went for the cheese with onion marmalade and can recommend it, as it was very generous and fresh. Overall it was a nice experience.

Owen Morgan (12 November 2007)

A little hidden but worth finding, Church's was really nicely done out inside with a range of good number of seating options two, four or six around a table or a couple of comfortable leather sofas. The background music was jazz when we arrived and then changed into a good selection of alternative twenty first century music. The staff were very friendly and accommodating and that was one of the main reasons, I decided to eat there with an old friend I was with, neither of us are from Ipswich.

We started with coffee, which was ok. I had a latte and my friend had an Americano, there was no crème left on the Americano and the latte was a little too milky but it beats Starbucks. The lunch menu was quite limited but with something for everyone. The wine list was also varied and good offering a selection of wines by the bottle or the glass and a high-end cellar selection for more discerning wine drinkers.

We started with some tasty olives and a platter of bread and sops. That was the highlight for me, nicely presented, and totally delicious. We both opted for the club sandwich which came with some thin home-made crisps. These were excellent, sweet, crispy and slightly greasy but very nice. The club sandwich was well presented but a little disappointing. The chicken and bacon were a too dry and the sauce was quite bland. The granary bread was fresh and soft and the tomatoes too. If I were visiting again, I would have gone for another of the interesting sounding sandwiches or one of the simple but appetising mains.

After lunch I went for the vanilla cheesecake with rhubarb compote and a cup of tea. The tea was hot and strong, like it should be. The cheesecake was slightly less well presented as the rest of the meal, the idea was there but someone had been a little heavy handed with the icing sugar! The compote was rich and flavoursome while the cheesecake tasted good, but was a little too heavy. Thanks to the staff and the atmosphere, I would definitely visit again but would choose differently to avoid the coffee, that’s something I'm particularly picky about being a master Barista. I reckon that I might have more luck with something else from the menu. Let's hope so.

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Additional Info for Church's Bistro Bar

  • Yes Children welcome
  • No Groups allowed
  • No Air conditioning
  • No Outside seating
  • Yes Reservations
  • No Cover Charge
  • House red: £10.00
  • House white: £10.00
  • Service charge: Not included
 
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