Choate Bridge Pub & Restaurant

excellent service… tastey food. the baked haddock is wonderful and of course the pub burger is great and generous

I wish I could give no stars. This was the singular worst bar/​restaurant experience I have ever had. I was in town for the holidays staying with friends who live in Ipswitch and we decided to pop in for drinks before we had dinner in town. The two female bartenders were brash right off the bat, and even more hostile when they learned we had out of state ID’s. The barked at us for a drink order and we were all taken aback by their very blatant dislike of our party for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, I am absolutely stunned by an older patron next to me screaming racist terminology, claiming the only reason he couldn’t use those words in society anymore is because «everyone is retarded». Two women with him attempted to hush him a little, and he only became more incensed. Meanwhile another table had taken notice of my friend and were loudly voicing their displeasure at his presence. I can only assume his visible tattoos on his arms offended them. My friend’s wife overheard and told them to stop being rude, tears in her eyes. At which point the bartenders said we were trying to «start a fight» and wanted us to leave. News flash people of Ipswitch: if there is a car hood with a Budweiser logo hanging from a drop ceiling, you aren’t dining at the Ritz. I live in Washington, DC, and this sort of open bigotry and total lack of any attempt at providing even mediocre service would never fly. The place would go out of business, and rightfully so. We finished our round of drinks as quickly as we could and left. No atmosphere, horrible patrons, angry, bitter staff. I have never been treated so poorly for no apparent reason whatsoever. If you are an angry old white person with one foot in the grave that hates anyone that isn’t exactly the same, this place is for you. Otherwise, I recommend steering clear. There are some absolutely adorable restaurants with delicious food in town. This is NOT one of them.

Food was good, it was bar good options but better then typical bar good. My complaint is that they are CASH ONLY! I didn’t check the reviews before I went here and there is no viable sign that I saw saying they don’t take cards, what a pain. Come on, get with it! It makes me think they are shady. I never carry cash, I’m not going to start just so I can come back here.

Wife and I popped in for a beer and dinner the other night. We both had the haddock, hers baked, mine fried. Both were good, fries and onion rings were great as well. Beer was cold, people friendly and nice atmosphere. We will be back

This place is consistent and good. I love the baked haddock! I have a gluten allergy and they are careful and understanding of my needs. Come here if you are in Ipswich.

maybe more like 3 ½ stars. the food we had was good. I should say fried clams were very good, I didn’t like their fries, onion rings were ok. haddock plate was very good. the clam plate portion was reasonable, actually a lot of big clams, but as most places do, they load on the fries and rings. haddock plate portion was good, not huge, but food itself was good. haddock was so fresh. atmosphere was kind of «stuffy». got the «vibe» that there were a lot of regulars in the place. waitress was nice. we went on a Fri afternoon. It must get crowded in there, not much room. prices seem reasonable. i’d give it another shot, but not anytime soon.

If you are from out of state, don’t bother.
We couldn’t even get passed the doors with the giant «if you don’t have a Massachusetts ID we will not serve you»

Warm atmosphere. Servers are nice and friendly. I tried chicken fingers and fish&chips they were delicious.

Back at this great place after 4 years away. What a pleasure to sit at the bar, have some Ipswich Ales, great seafood, and watch the world go by outside. Bartender Katie is fantastic. A must visit. A five star place that I’ll still give four stars to: cash only. Seafood isn’t cheap, so credit would be appreciated.

This place is amazing! The menu offers the usual pub food, but it also offers pizza with many different toppings. However, the highlight for me was the seafood. The clam chowder is rich, creamy, and has plenty of flavor. The lobster rolls are very good; with lots of lobster to fill you up. The strange part is, the lobster is not on the actual menu, but that makes it more intriguing for me at least. The fried clams are the crowned jewel with fresh clams battered and fried to golden perfection and served with an amazing sauce. Also, the fries and onion rings are crispy and golden brown. Overall, this place is a wonderful place to go on any night whenever you feel like some good pub food or seafood. Remember to bring cash, because this place is CASH ONLY. The prices are decent, and portions are on the larger side. I rate it 5 stars and highly recommend it to all.

A Local Joint filled with townie residents, it serves delicious seafood. I would recommend the scallop plate (22.95) and the clam plate (22.95). The clam plate is on par with Park Lunch in Newburyport. Just a friendly reminder that they have a splitting plate fee and ordering stuff to go also has an additional fee. Bathroom is decent.

Enjoyed a nice lunch. Great Clam Roll, awesome onion rings — moderate prices. Sat in the bar area on a high top table with a view of downtown. Only problem, No Point of Sale register, our hand written check was incorrect — overcharged $ 10. Caught the mistake & had fixed. Cash only too. Would definely return & bring family

We end up here, at least 3 times a month, (20 years and counting). Here’s the deal… Cash only, but they do have an ATM. Their cheese steak is EPIC as it’s made from their prime rib special, the night before. You can enjoy that on Thursday and Saturday. Their burgers are the best, North of Boston. Tuna sandwich is excellent, chicken fingers are solid, steak fries are perfect… But you have to request them, otherwise you’ll get the usual double fried fries. Let’s see, what else. Um, pizza is awesome and doughy, steak tips are excellent. Huge spot for locals and not many tourists. It’s one of five awesome restaurants within a ¼ mile. Enjoy! (We always do!).

Hands down the best seafood chowder or clam chowder in town as well as the best steak and cheese, and prime rib. Something about the marinade. Cheap drinks. The only downside is it is frequently crowded and never popcorn.

Relaxed, townie pub vibe and ambiance with terrific comfort food.
We sat at the bar and had some very fresh Ipswich ales in nicely frosted mugs.
For lunch, I got the steak tips which were divine. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, with meat that just melted in your mouth.
My wife got the teriyaki chicken salad which also bursted with flavor and was quite tasty.
For sides, I had the butternut squash which was fresh and delicious as well as the rice pilaf which was good (there is only so much you can do with rice pilaf).
This is a great place to go for a non-​pretensious, relaxed meal with good service and great american standards.
IMPORTANT: They are cash only!

GREAT food — I especially love their butternut squash! Dining area is small, so weekend evenings are busy (I haven’t dined here during the week) and there is sometimes a wait (20mins max for us). Keep in mind that they only accept cash. If you don’t have cash, no worries, they have an ATM on the premises.

Casual pub that made a great stop off near the train after apple picking at Russell Orchards. Decent prices and generous portions with some local brew options. Their ½ lb burger was huge, juicy, and delicious, rendering me comatose for the train ride back.
Service was a little slow, but we were a large group and the place was packed, so completely understandable.

I only had a few hours to show off Ipswich and impress my friends visiting from my home town of Detroit. I took them to the castle, the beach and showed them around a little. They suggested eating before taking off and mentioned that they had not had a lot of seafood while visiting the eastern seaboard. I knew the pub was just the right place and would impress. Lobster and clam rolls were enjoyed by all. Good service. Good size portions. Many specials along with basic pub fare and lots of variety. Nice place to sit and chat.
I often suggest a meal at The Pub to visitors coming through the Ipswich Visitor Center. It is where the locals eat… often. I know patrons at The Pub will always get a consistently good meal.
Just remember The Pub is cash only.

Discussing after concert Ipswich clams with a local. We were on our way to highly touted, tourist oriented venue but were steered to the Choate Bridge Pub as being better, less crowded and where the locals ate. Found an interesting, old Irishy/​Englishy wooded pub with a comfortable bar I could stay at for hours with a good selection of beers (Especially Yeungling which we can now get in New England). Separate dining room was a little small and much less appealing than the bar area. Bar itself and the six high top tables had incredibly comfortable and sturdy chairs. So sturdy we all noticed. Wonderful, patient, humorous waitress who told us what we were thinking of would be too much food.
Wife had lobster roll, all lobster, no filler. The little taste I got was great and she loved it. My scallops were very lightly breaded, tender and tasty, among the best I’ve had. Fries were battered before frying and very good. Both other diners got different sized fried clams… roll and small dinner. Amongst us all, we could not finish the clams. They were great.
This is not elegant dining, We went in wearing shorts, and Polos, but it is exactly what we wanted.
If you are looking for local seafood in Ipswich, give this place a look see. You won’t go wrong.
…Good for well behaved children big enough for high top bar stool seating but too small and bar like for squirming, noisy two year olds. Don’t take offense. We took our kids almost everyplace.
… And these photos don’t do it justice. They are too dark, making the place appear more «divey» than it is.

I really hate to post a review of the Choate Bridge on Unilocal because I fear it will drive more customer traffic, and I selfishly want to keep this place to myself (OK, and for all the other locals who come here). Tourists: please follow the New York Times’ food section recommendation and go to the «Holy Trinity» of fried clam places in the next-​door town of Essex (Farnham’s, Woodman’s, Essex Seafood and/​or The Clam Box in Ipswich).
Sure, the Choate Bridge might have lobster rolls with mostly solid claw meat and no filler for only $ 15 or so, and it may have the tastiest fish chowder on the North Shore for only $ 4 a cup, and fried clams and scallops that rival or beat anyone else’s, and the freshest Ipswich Ale on tap around (the brewery is just down the street), and friendly experienced staff who aren’t college kids doing a summer job — but they only accept CASH! Trust me, you don’t want to eat someplace that won’t take your Visa or MasterCard, do you? Move along, nothing to see here. ;-)