Aurora Bar and Restaurant in Ipswich

Great roast for my mums birthday meal

Great food, attentive staff and a lovely little touch for our anniversary...thank you

Seated with a view over the floodlit marina and expertly served delicious food by wonderful staff...

Brilliant service and food.Really fresh and vibrant venue. The downstairs areas seemed nice to chill and have a few drinks. We had a meal upstairs where the views of the waterfront were great.Faultless service from the staff and great food to help celebrate my mothers 70th birthday.Would highly recommend.

Cocktail making and 3 course meal for my hen. The 2 employees who hosted the cocktail making were great and made it fun. The 3 course meal was delicious, all 25 of us really enjoyed it and no one could fault the meal or service.

What a fantastic place great staff great food & fantastic ambience 5*+

Once again left waiting for a cup of coffee for my wife and I. Eventually we left and went elsewhere. Wont try them again.

Really busy, but pleasant staff. We stopped to grab a drink and watch the fireworks. Not the place to ask for a beer, but a reasonable choice of draft lagers though.

Very slow service, cocktails took an age.

Very slow food service for light bites. Orders sometimes forgotten to be sent up to kitchen. Have cancelled and received a refund on 1 occasion taking an hour and no sight of food. Dont know if the food is quicker to come out if you sit upstairs and order cooked food. If youre downstairs stick to drinks, at least you wont be waiting as long. Could be 5 stars in the future if they speed up the service and improve communication with the kitchen.

Visited on Sunday; 2 staff on the bar in happy hour and didnt serve anyone in order so some of us were ignored for long periods of time. Attempted to get another drink at 4.50 after queuing for 15 mins and was told that happy hour was closed (though 5pm end was advertised on the barand that we needed to order via an app....which didnt work. Unhelpful staff, terrible service...they clearly arent bothered.

Delicious drinks, great atmosphere and even better views.A little slow on serving but worth the wait on the cocktails

Greeted by friendly staff at the bar. Had stayed for a few drinks and took advantage of the cocktail menu. Outside terrace area with plenty if seating for small or large groups. Very enjoyable evening!

Planned to have a nice evening sitting outside looking over the water, ordered drinks, excellent start, music was so loud outside it was difficult to talk, then went to order food and was told as they had a party on no food was available till much later, complete shambles, left and went home disappointed and hungry!!

Lovely food, very friendly staff but quite pricey.

Lovely food and staff who were very accommodating. The views over the quayside at sunset are stunning!

Nice venue, friendly staff, good choice of drinks and food and now opening up for summer.

Looked good nice place but the food was strange almost experimental. I found cress on desert was just weird.

The waitress has no manners, weve asked for menu twice and never got it after 30mins of waiting. The older guy tried to be funny when Ive asked for the bill and trying to teach me what should I say in a sarcastic manner. I would recommend recruiting more pleasant staff as whats been happening today has been ridiculous... would not recommend it at all :)

We went as a big party and the people were lovely, attentive and personable. Best of all, there were enough of them, and they all smiled. Its a good venue. Recommended.

I do love this restaurant as it does nice cocktails, good food and has a dance floor downstairs so we spend the night in there. However, they seem to have increased their prices and their customer service wasnt as good as it has been. Ill be heading elsewhere on our next visit

We went here for the works Christmas party. The starter (parsnip soupwas really good. The turkey mains was OK, although the cranberry sauce was too cold for the warm mains. The pear tart was disappointing as it was only puff pastry with a dollop of ice cream and half a cooked pear.The service was excellent, better than a lot of restaurants.

Great place to celebrate a hen do and great food! Love the ambiance and the decor

Lovely clean restaurant, good customer service with tasteful food. We had a table by the window and were able to watch the sunset, other guests ordered cocktails while sitting on the balcony which looked appetising.

A slow and uneventful evening resulting in delayed drink service, very limited menu choices across all course (a selection more a-custom to a hungry horseending in a check that did not fit our expectations !The saving grace was the food was good fresh and hot.Thankfully the company made the evening !

We went here today with our family for the start of a birthday treat our for our daughters birthday. The location is beautiful, and we were aware pricier for drinks and food, but figured the service would match the price. Our first round of drinks took a long time to come, however one drink was missing and took a further 15 minutes. We then tried to order a second round of Drinks only for the app to fail (which has to be one of the worst food ordering apps I have usedand one of the waitresses was kind enough to take our order manually. We had ordered 3 iced coffees, of which arrived minus straws & as served in jars unless you want a mouth full of ice unable to drink without - once again, another drink was missing. The lady advised she would get some straws and the missing drink, but 15 minutes later (on a 32c daystill no straws or the missing pint. I asked another waitress to chase where they were, and the next thing we know Is two members of staff are walking towards us, very aggressively and pointing - they come to our table saying “what’s the problem?” Very confrontational, and I explained we have ordered drinks and no straws - the supervisor, Rowan, proceeded to accuse us of being rude, and a lot of other things and created a big scene! We just wanted to pay, but she just kept on going, accusing us of being rude to all her staff which was just totally not true! Asking for items missing is my right as a consumer - don’t work in the hospitality trade if you are confrontational and lack any kind of empathy or accountability! Plus calling us mate really topped it off. We were all very shaken and upset to be honest, and this really did put a dampener on what should have been a special day, especially when all the front of house proceeded to stand at the front of the restaurant pointing at us and talking amongst each other as if we had committed some kind of cardinal crime, and all the chefs hanging out from the top bar area watching and laughing! I have never ever experienced anything like this, and to pay near on a 100.00 for 3 rounds of drinks and a few nibbles, to be accosted by staff is just crazy! The manager also come out, and really don’t understand how me asking for straws and our missing drink erupted into a scene like something out of east Enders! I would seriously recommend the staff get trained in taking some accountability for there actions, as the customer service from staff was appalling. However, the lady that welcomed us in and saw us out, was extremely pleasant, and professional. I will point out not all the staff were rude, it just seemed to be 3 that had a raging attitude, and it was a (veryhot day, but we will never be parting any of our hard earned money to this venue again, which according to Rowan is good, as long as the business model is based on one of visits and not on building repeat custom. Sorry for the long review, but there really was lot to cover!!!!!

Lovely building and great staff. Came for a Bottomless Brunch with a few friends. To start with they were a tad slow at topping up our glasses, but once they noticed we were all fast drinkers they were very quick to come back and top them up.Only reason not a 5 star is I had a full English minus Mushroom, Beans, Egg, black pudding and so asked for one tiny extra Hash Brown. I got 2, but was charged £1. Same applies for a couple extra slices of toast, got charged £1. When your total bill is £266 and I was only having half of what I ordered, a 20p Hash brown really could have just been included.Never mind, I would come back as we had a very nice time.

Gorgeous location. Drinks are expensive, which is fine but you expect the service to match the price and quite frankly the service is shocking. We came here for my sister-in-laws birthday and spent a lot of money. The app is very confusing and didn’t always work. Took ages to get served. My sister-in-law’s order never arrived. When she complained, they asked to see the money go out of her account and still insisted that they never received the order. They argued for 25 minutes. In the end they found the order but were still arguing. They did eventually brought the drinks plus two complimentary drinks 50 minutes after the order was placed.

I have to say this place was shocking! Went for drinks with family. Had to order drinks via an app, which in itself is fine but having to wait over an hour for any drinks to be served is appalling, some drinks arrived, the rest of the groups drinks arrived some 20 minutes later and even then only because we chased it up. Shots were also ordered, when these didnt arrive an hour and half later we questioned why, only to discover they had run out of what we had ordered so they just ignored the order completely even though we had paid!!They have expanded their outside seating area but clearly cannot cope with the volume of orders. I certainly have no interest in returning which is a shame as it is a beautiful place in a prime position on the waterfront.

Witnessed quite a rude exchange with staff and a customer. Service was slow, not a single person came to see us and it was relatively empty. The app they use for table ordering is rubbish. Menu seemed incredibly limited and overpriced

Excellent attentive service and well priced tasty food - the sea bass was delicious as was the minute steak. Great cocktails and a lovely atmosphere. Would be nice to see a slightly more exciting menu in the coming months but totally understand the restrictions with covid. Well worth a visit and well be back.

We visited here after the first lockdown. Assuming there would be relevant restrictions in place. I had heard good things about the food and that it was quite an upmarket restaurant. When we arrived it was already quite busy with very little in the way of social distancing. It only got busier and a lot louder, raucous is the word I would use to describe it. The food and drink were nice but the whole experience was let down by the sheer volume of loud, unpleasant and inconsiderate drunk people n the restaurant. When we left there was a queue of people packed tightly together waiting to enter. In hindsight, we should have reported them for breaking restrictions. Needless to say, we wont be returning.

We had a jug of water, 3 burgers and a Vegetable bake thing over pastry.The water tasted like it was from the sewer, probably old ice. The pastry was overcooked, cant go wrong with burgers, however they were served on a wooden chopping board, we prefer normal plates.Cant complain about the service, we were seated at the reservation time.You must validate parking if you park just next to building.

Spontaneous early evening meal out and glad we did.My fish and chips perfectly cooked. Served with minted mushy peas and tartare. Generous portions. My companion had a chicken roast dinner - only the bones left on the plate.Ive always thought Aurora may of been out of my price bracket, but found the cost reasonable.Felt covid safe and observed staff correctly wearing masks and still managing to maintain good service.

I love their minute steak with salad and thin chips. I highly recommend it.

Very good place to eat and drink. Good price for what you get. The terrace is very big and you have a lot of space to come with a group of friends but also there are tables of two. The decoration gives a classy and cozy aspect to the place.

I was here on Sunday with my friends to celebrate my birthday. Some of my party are smokers and had gone outside for a smoke... despite them already being inside before... they had to be asked to join the back of the queue! When I spoke to a member of staff and questioned it, I was told thats the way it is! I said that its shocking and that they should implement a stamp system. I said that I was going to write a bad review and was told to just go ahead! Poor customer service there! I wont be bringing my custom back there!

How was it? Pretty poor by anyones standards. Lovely venue but service and food were bad for a pub and shocking for a restaurant. It was half price because of eat out to help out and it was still overpriced! Ive had far better food in Wetherspoons to be fair. Also the Gin menu is really basic and the craft beer is nonexistent. Potential is there to be amazing because the location is good, the balcony is really nice and theres loads of outside space, but the basics need to be much, much better.

My husband and I met a friend here this afternoon and had a few drinks and then a burger, this was fantastic in fact best burger I’ve had in a very long time. One thing I didn’t like , there was no social distancing in the queue for the bar and therefore a difficulty in getting to the toilets as everybody is bunched together. There was no interaction with the staff who should have been monitoring the situation. Very poor staff attention. Won’t be repeating the experience any time soon. More needs to be done by the staff to ensure there is a safer environment for all members of the public.

Aurora hosted us for our annual School House Dinner last month. We hired the whole of upstairs for 91 guests and we were offered a fantastic 3 course menu; with all dietary requirements creatively catered for. Callum and his team completely took control of ensuring that the evening ran smoothly. The tables looked beautiful, the food was delicious and the staff were incredibly efficient and friendly. It is a wonderful space for a large party and I would highly recommend it.

We enjoyed our visit thoroughly. Chose bar nibbles plus a glass of red wine. The food was excellent tastey and beautifully presented. Service was exceptional from a cheerful friendly and efficient staff. All this at a waterfront spot with lovely views in the sunshine of the marina and the visiting Ark. We will definitely be returning for a full meal in the restaurant upstairs which boasts a veranda as well. Thank you Aurora!

one of the best restaurants in Ipswich. Staff are excellent, very friendly with great service.Food is amazing, and very good value.

this is a very beautiful place to spend time with friends or the girls here are very romantic and very nice staff. this is really a place where I will come again. Very tasty and attentive staff who look to ensure that the client is satisfied. I want to thank the staff of this envy for a wonderful evening for a delicious dinner, I wish you success !! my friend and I were satisfied

My friend and I had lunch outside on Thursday afternoon. First time to Ipswich and the scenery was lovely. Food was extremely good and the chips were the best i ever had. Daniel the bar manager was very friendly and made us both very welcome. Lovely guy! Would absolutely recommend this restaurant plus decor was fab too.

Popped in on the off chance of being able to find a table and so glad we did. Not the cheapest (but a long way from the most expensivebut the quality of the food makes it very good value. Service perhaps a little slow but the food more than made up for it, one of the best meals for a long time and worth every penny. Good atmosphere, good staff, great food and good value. Highly recommended.

Cant praise this place enough. Been several times and it is always amazing. Great menu providing something for everyone and the staff are fantastic. Excellent wine list and a lovely setting, particularly in the evening when the lights are bouncing off the water. Highly recommend

Good honest food cooked well did not have long to wait. Very reasonably priced. We had a roast dinner with all the trimmings and lots of freshly cooked veg. But you can have a cooked breakfast in the morning if you prefer. My daughter often meets her friends here as its cheap affordable food but better than fast food.And they have room to sit and chat for a while especially if her friend brings her toddler with her.

Lovely location, excellent service and delicious food. Really made an effort and made sure I felt like the birthday girl!!

Having eaten here a few times I’ve always found the food to be excellent, good quality ingredients and great flavours! It’s a shame that every time we’ve gone there is always a half full or quarter full resturaunt, as there is no background noise or music played there is a constant lack of atmosphere. The staff are generally very friendly, although sometimes wooden most of the time. We also had a recent meal where the group we were in were asked (politelyto keep the noise down at a works Christmas meal (of 12 peoplewhere there was only 3 other tables and no actual complaints from anyone. It left me feeling deflated at what Aurora offers for the prices they charge, very pretentious for me. Likely won’t return at this point, a shame but the great food is not worth the prices they’re charging and with the lack of atmosphere.

Try hard, but end result is far, far away from what the presentation suggests. Keeping it simple will be beneficial to this over-ambitious restaurant.