Swallow Brewers Fayre — Restaurant in Ipswich

Following our visit 7 months ago (as per below review) we thought we would give this another go...

We opted for the 2 Mains for £11.49 where you can add starter and/or dessert for £2.99 each.

Garlic & Herb Mushrooms were ok, albeit the mushrooms very slimy. The Crispy Chicken Goujons were amazing, I would have these again and hope this are as good.

The Mains.. so previously with the main meal the Garlic Bread could have been done for longer, this time it was overdone. Too be honest the majority of the Mains appeared to have been left on the griddle/oven a little too long, the Lasagne was well done, the chicken (Smothered Chicken) was too. The Skin on Fries were not the best.

I appreciate we were not in a 5 star restaurant and given the price, I guess it was all in all ok. The food was edible, not the best, not he worst.. but will we return?

The staff were friendly and polite.

(PREVIOUS REVIEW) So.. if you look online for this particular Brewers Fayre.. the price showing (at the time of our visit,which is what enticed us) was £10.99 for two main meals on the lunch deal (Mon-Fri 12-6pm) HOWEVER once inside it is actually more.. £11.49.. when mentioned to staff (believe a manager, basically told they knew and were trying to get it changed!!! So not the price you may expect!!!

Food... we both started with Garlic & Herb Mushrooms with BBQ Sauce.. the staff were helpful and changed one BBQ Sauce for another... HOWEVER.. the mushrooms were like bullets, trying to get a fork in or cut with a knife was near impossible... so we resorted to being uncouth, having to use our fingers!! So, they were slightly overcooked, and lacked any Garlic taste.

With also both opted for the Smothered Chicken (Similar to Hunters Chicken). The Skin on Chips were ok, a little cold, the piece of Garlic Bread could have been cooked a little longer.. the Chicken was ok (Succulent, although did not actually taste like chicken.)

The staff were very friendly.

All in all.. disappointed that the advertised price for that location at that time was wrong.. food ok.. but not great... but filled a hole......

This was my first visit and I won't be rushing back.

A party of 4 (2 adults, a 7 year old and a 1 year old) we were seated at the back of the restaurant near the play area. A few other families were there too, and I can understand seating families with children near the play area and perhaps away from those who have no children, but to say it was noisy is putting it mildly. The people on the next table were loud (not the Swallows' fault, I know) but the noise echoed around the entire area as we were seated very close to three walls and actually against one of them. The acoustics were not conducive to enjoying a meal or talking to others on the same table.

The wait for the food was far too long. 35 minutes after ordering it hadn't arrived so I went to the bar to ask how long it would be? Another 10 minutes, I was told, due to having a rush on tickets. Given the restaurant had several empty tables (I'd say 1/4 to half empty) I'm glad it wasn't full!

My fish pie was nice. Not amazing, but tasty and I did enjoy it. My daughter had fish and chips, and the children a childs meal each. The chips were cold on all but we were so hungry by this time that they ate them (we certainly didn't want to find someone to complaint to then chance a wait of another 45 minutes for hot ones!). Another little niggle is that we had to ask twice for ketchup to be brought to us.

Maybe, I'm old fashioned, but no one came to the table to ask if everything was ok with our food. And because of paying on ordering at the bar, no one asked at the end if everything had been ok. That said, the waiting staff, when they did come to bring menus, drinks and food, were very pleasant.

So, I'm sorry, not a great...

We went to the Swallow on a Sunday evening just after 6. We ordered our meals and whilst waiting for them to arrive a young waiter came to the table to say that they had run out of dumplings for the Doom Bar pie. He asked as if there was anything else we would like but there was nothing offered and there didnt seem to be much alternative so we said we would have Yorkshire puddings. when the mail came it was clear that the Yorkshire puddings have been reheated and left over from the carvery buffet, one of the meals the potatoes were raw, another meal was a Yorkshire pudding filled with sausage and mash and the Yorkshire pudding was not cooked and doughy in the middle, another meal we had was chicken covered in the sauce which was Barely There. The meals that we had were definitely under par not cooked properly and reheated No staff came to our table following this. A young waitress at another table was gleefully telling the customers that because she worked there she got so much discount from her meal . Due to seeing nobody to let them know we left a note on the table telling them how Shabby the service that we had enjoured. All in all this was quite a let down and definitely not worth the money. We were very disappointed in all the meals and service. We will not...