Ipswich Star pub of the week is the Steamboat Tavern

This week we have headed down the The Steamboat Tavern in New Cut West, overlooking the River Orwell and Ipswich Waterfront.

To be honest, this pub is one of my most-visited in the whole of Ipswich - the previous Ipswich Star/EADT office was right around the corner in IP-City Centre and we would regularly go there for a pint or two after work.

The beers on tap (Image: Newsquest)

But we've moved away from that office now, so my reasons for going have diminished somewhat.

Anyway, I headed over one bright and sunny Wednesday lunchtime to check out the place and see if anything had changed in the last few years.

While the interior and beer garden are pretty much the same, I was a little struck by how busy the pub was at about 12.30pm.

But then I remembered the pub is right by the Felaw Maltings office building, and it soon became apparent a lot of workers were having a liquid lunch.

Christmas has arrived at The Steamboat (Image: Newsquest)

I perched myself down and had a snack while I reacquainted myself with the pub and had a chill on my lunch hour.

I wasn't particularly hungry, but I checked to see what food I could get on the menu. As well as classics like burgers and ham, egg and chips, there were also paninis and sharing plates such as nachos and cheesy chips.

The Steamboat is where I distinctly remember having my first pint of Adnams Dry Hopped Lager, which is absolutely delicious - so I was pleased to see it still on tap.

Other beers and ciders, like Carlsberg, San Miguel and Aspall, are available, of course.

The Steamboat has a set up for live music, with it being no surprise that a certain Ed Sheeran counts the pub as one of his favourites in Ipswich.

You may remember back to December 2023 as Ipswich Town played Norwich City at Portman Road, with Ed coming to this pub to sink a few pints before he headed back into town after the game.

Ed Sheeran at the pub back in 2014 (Image: Archant)

And back in 2014, the Shape of You singer put on a secret gig at the venue - much to the delight of the huge crowds who got word of the occasion.

With The Steamboat being a little further away from our office, it's a bit of a shame I don't visit it much more. However, maybe I'll start to make more of an effort in future as it's a great place to chill out.

As with most things in Ipswich and wider Suffolk, if it's good enough for Ed, it's good enough for me!