1640 Hart House — Restaurant in Ipswich

I’ll start out by saying this was one of our family favorites for so long! We absolutely loved this place and look forward to going. It has certainly changed. You have to make a reservation way in advance- I get it. But they have no option to do so online. We had requested the tavern as we have 2 kids with us. No problem. I called earlier in the day and confirmed time and that it was the tavern. I got there and we were all the way downstairs. It’s a charming place but I felt it was more for couples. Luckily my kids are well behaved. But I let it go.

Next the experience- as soon as we sit down the bread basket person is there. Let me get my coat off first please and sit down! I used to love coming here but they tend to rush you all the time here to fill their tables. You can’t even take a break eating before someone is swinging by asking to take your plate away! I am not looking to spend all night here and I get you have to move tables, but when I am spending over 200++ for dinner drinks please don’t push me out or have people stalking the table! I also have spoke with the owner and she seems to have an attitude. Don’t know why such a chip on her shoulder. The wait staff used to be SO amazing now it’s a gamble if you get someone grumpy or not.

Next food-I get prices have gone up all over but man,the portion sizes wow. They don’t even offer the pop overs or small bread basket anymore you get one small piece that’s it per person! We got an appetizer special, and it was 4 small dates with a pile of plain lettuce in the middle for 15 bucks. They were good but not enough for the price paid. Next dinner- I ordered the tuna dish with sticky rice. This dish used to come with a tuna steak but last night I literally got 5 SMALL slices of tuna, over a large pile of lettuce and a cup of bland sticky rice. It was shocking. I left hungry. It’s as if they split a tuna steak in half and served me one half. It’s just unacceptable for the price paid honestly. The kids dishes are nice sizes but my son who is Gluten free ordered a burger and they gave us a regular size and charged for a regular.

Not sure I would return again- there are other gluten free kid friendly places to go to. It’s a shame as I did love it there. But I have been feeling the shift the last few times I have been there re: the portion sizes, staff etc....

The Harthouse is always busy, even off season this place has a full parking lot, packed bar, and a busy dining area.

There is a tavern/bar area that is lively, although bring a flashlight and give your eyes a few minutes to adjust when you walk in. This area is dark, it could be 4 in the afternoon and inside the tavern would look like its midnight. This could be just the tavern area as I did not go into the dining hall.

Even for a busy Friday, the bartenders were all over it. We never waited long to put in any orders, drinks or food. I got a martini that was better than most.

The bar menu has some good options, I would recommend going simple as the sandwiches/fries looked outrageously good. My steak was good but it was really fatty even for a sirloin. The scallops were cooked perfectly but the batter wasn’t good, I would have preferred them grilled. Also, they put a glob of butter that didn’t melt on the steak. Overall I wouldn’t get the surf and turf again. I regretted not getting the Reuben with fries. Again, I was sitting in the tavern so anything goes. My date loved her filet and got a tastey rum cocktail.

This will be my local go to spot as it’s obvious that this is the place to be on a Friday night.

Hit the thumbs up if you...

As a relatively new resident of Ipswich, I really wanted to like the Hart House.

Rather than a creative, gourmet experience, this restaurant essentially serves up a very suburban meat-and-potatoes fare more in line with a standard outer mall establishment than a one-of-a-kind eaterie. The portions are quite large but the quality small, and the dishes taste carelessly made.

The first time I went I ordered the duck. The entrees all arrived sporadically, with mine the very last to emerge from the kitchen. Unfortunately the duck was so completely overcooked and dry that it was inedible, and since most of the table were already finishing their entrees, I had to forego my meal and left hungry.

I decided to give the Hart House a second try last week. The seafood chowder was my first disappointment. It was served with a well-formed skin on the surface and had the thickness of cottage cheese. Then, the baked scallops were small and overcooked, and my mother-in-law's medium-rare tenderloin was well-done and dry.

My spouse did enjoy the onion soup, however, so I can at least give this place two stars.

Two experiences at the Hart House resulted in overcooked, uncreative food with uninspiring service. I won't be giving it...