The 1640 Hart House is a favorite! Â I love the ambiance of this antique building with the tavern like bar. Â Big comfy chairs, fireplaces and exposed beams all add to the warm atmosphere that make you feel like you're a guest in someone's lovely home. Â The employees as well make you feel like you are a welcomed guest every time you are there. Â Whether it's Rose with a funny joke, Julie with her beautiful smile, Barry with a wave from the bar or Sully coming out from the kitchen to say hi, I feel like it's a second home.
Now to the real importance of a restaurant, the food and drinks. Â You know how when you look at a menu and you want over half a dozen of what they are serving and it's impossible to make a choice? Â Yeah, it's awesome and happens to me whenever I open their menu. Â The best part is, I know that whatever my choice may be, it will be seasoned and cooked to perfection EVERY time. As for the drinks, no tiny martini glasses here, they do it old school and their cosmos are fantastic!
If you go for the first time, try to arrive early so you can get a seat in the tavern. Â Best clam chowder in New England, so definitely order a cup of that. Â And if you are overwhelmed by all the delicious choices, the Hart House Chicken is my go to.
Sorry Hart House. This is my mothers favorite Resturant, she eats here once a week. Every birthday and Christmas I buy her a gift certificate to this restaurant. The place is super cute and has a lot of history. The food was very good but the service was terrible! Our waitress was rude from the beginning. Brining us wrong food and giving us attitude about it. She obviously didn't like our kids for some unknown reason, they were very well behaved watching their iPads quietly the whole time. Half way through the dinner she changed her attitude to condescending and started calling us Hun. The ultimate sin was dropping our check and leaving. It was handwritten and hard to read in the dark room. We were 4 adults and 2 kids. My stepfather grabbed the bill and was prepared to tip on the amount. I called the waitress over and asked if she included the tip. Ina rude tone she said Yes it's clearly written on the check. Well it wasn't clear and she added 20%!!!! Food was great, experience Sucked!
Review Source:It's nice to live in Ipswich and have such a great restaurant to go to. Â When you eat here it is like going back in time. Â We've been to the 1640 Hart House 5 times in the past year. Â Their American menu is robust. Â Their steaks are huge, cooked to perfection and are mouth watering. Â All around great atmosphere and phenomenal food. Â When friends come to visit us in Ipswich they always want to go back to the Hart House. Â No surprise here 5 BIG STARS!
Review Source:It's on the pricey side and a bit of an older crown 60+. Â The food is good and the bar makes decent cocktails. Â It's always dark inside so be prepared to bring a flashlight or use your phone to read the menu. Â It is not a bad place to go if you don't mind waiting for a table. Â Better yet make sure you do a reservation before going.
Review Source:This place has become a tradition for both EASTER and THANKSGIVING, food is fabulous, as is the wait staff and historical atmosphere. We are usually a group of 20-25 and they have no problem accomodating us (with months of advance notice). Â Our group would not even consider going anywhere but! Â
PS: Â There turkey dinner is delicious!
I visited to the 1640 Hart House last weekend to try the food and see their function space before deciding where to book a rehearsal dinner. First walking in, I fell in love. The place is incredibly charming. However, when we were brought down into the basement to be seated, I wasn't thrilled. It was extremely cold down there - yes, of course it's a drafty several hundred year old structure - but I think it's time they fixed that problem with some insulation and more heating ducts (or a working fireplace). After one member of our party asked the waiter about turning on the fireplace twice, he finally came back to tell us that it was broken and the room would become too smokey. (Sounds like maybe they just needed the chimney swept.) After that, she asked about turning on the heat twice before he finally did (or his manager did.) Sitting in the basement though, we could only feel the heat when we stood. My feet were blocks of ice for the entire meal. The only other thing I disliked about the atmosphere was how dark it was. I'm all for mood lighting, but another light bulb or candle in the room wouldn't have hurt.
The food was good, although I hated how heavy the bread was. The homemade salad dressing was wonderful. I had the Hart House Chicken which was quite good, but not great. Everyone in the party seemed to enjoy their meals. The chicken pot pie looked incredible. The waiter did neglect us for quite a while and he also forgot a few requests - one guest asked for ketchup which he didn't remember until the rest of us had basically finished our meals. At that point, she was able to start eating her meal. My water glass was left empty for a little longer than I would have liked, luckily not everyone at my table is a water drinker, so I was able to take over another water when mine wasn't refilled quickly enough.
The food did taste very good, unfortunately something that I ate there didn't sit well and I ended up sick when we got home. Of course this was unpleasant, but I know it could simply have been something in the food to which only I was sensitive. Needless to say, if I ever make it back there again, I won't be ordering the homemade blue cheese or the Hart House chicken. Just in case.
Oh and on one final note, we were able to see the owner and ask her about booking a function. The place was incredibly busy, so she was likely stressed at the time, but she didn't seem very pleasant. She did show us the room our party would fit in and she also ran up to her office to print us the menus but body language really is everything and she just didn't seem interested in booking any functions at that time. Oh well, on with the search.
We must have ordered the wrong things. Â I found the food pedestrian at best. Â We were seated in the tavern, the place was packed on Saturday night. Â We ordered from the restaurant rather than tavern menu, as we were in the mood to eat. Â The stuffed quahog appetizer tasted of smokey stuffing with some chewy bits which must have been clam, but certainly was not very appetizing. Â I ordered scallops wrapped in prosciuto. Scallops were pretty small and the prosciiuto tasted like Canadian bacon. Â The wife had seafood pasta which was just that, no magic at all. Â We shared a berry cobbler, which was oatmeal and some fruit heated up. Â The waitress was pleasant enough, although she forgot to bring our bill back after I gave her my credit card. Â I finally had to go to the front and ask for it. Â I honestly don't know what people are raving about, this place disappointed us.
Review Source:I have been to the 1640 Hart House many times. Â Unfortunately I can't seem to find it on Yelp! Â Perhaps due to the poor cell service as this restaurant is just off the beaten path a bit. Â But just enough where you know you're in the right spot, but not too far away from downtown (less than 5 mins). Â The pub menu is very reasonable for the quick dine in, and the pub itself is incredibly cozy. Â The restaurant itself is very cozy as well. Â I have always had great meals here. Â The duck is usually prepared differently depending on the season, but was cooked perfectly. Â If you eat duck than you know it is a very difficult food to cook right. Â The last time I was there I had a lamb shank that was the biggest, but also very tender, that I have ever seen. Â I couldn't finish it. Â The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star review was the service the last few times. Â Although very nice, the absence sometimes was too long between visits. Â The last few times I have been I have had to search for my waitress both times. Â Not a deal breaker by any means, but the wait staff could have been more attentive. Â Both times were not terribly busy so I can't let it slide, unfortunately. Â But between the atmosphere and well prepared and tasty food, this place will always be a repeat.
Review Source:This has typically been one of our favorite restaurants as we are local to the area. However on a recent  visit there were five of us celebrating a belated birthday dinner. Our reservation was for 7:30 and we were promptly seated in the lower dining room  very dark with poor lighting , now I am all about intimate dining but I want to see what I am eating.
We ordered drinks and two were poorly made and had to go back to be corrected. We ordered dinners all of which came with a complimentary salad. The skimpy salads arrived swimming in balsamic vinegar there was very little lettuce a few carrots shavings on top, these were clearly left over salads from the wedding going on up stars. Â We attempted to order one of their more popular wines which they were out of , can you imagine being out of a moderately priced wine at 7:30 on a Saturday night? I attempted to order a Grey goose citron martini. They were out of Grey goose. Â Someone didn't check the liquored cabinet before unlocking the doors.
The entrees arrived. Two of us ordered the roasted chicken which was so salty we could not eat it. My partner had the cider brine pork which gave him Montezuma revenge all night.
When we tried to talk about the poor salad presentation and salty food, the waitress sluffed it off and told us she would say something to the kitchen. The manager never came over to acknowledge our poor dining experience. It will be a while before we return. Buyer beware if there is a function going on when you arrive eat at your own risk
What an amazing place. It's been my parents favorite for 30 years. We sat in the pub and I got the fish burrito. Yum! Fresh fish, slaw and a terrific sauce. And the lobster corn bisque was divine. Don't forget dessert. Bread pudding, nom nom nom. Big portions. Fab cocktails. Great service. Good for kids. Love the history of it. Highly recommended. Long waits so plan ahead!
Review Source:Big ups to the 1640 Hart House for a perfect birthday celebration for my husband. Â We were lucky to have the best server in the place, Rosalee, who is a sweetheart and gives great ordering advice. Â We were served fresh popovers for the bread and they were amazing. Â Started off with a bottle of the David Bruce Pinot Noir and the oyster appetizer in the pernod sauce. Â The oysters were outstanding, as was the wine. Â I could've eaten the oysters as an entree. Â Next we both had the Filet Mignon with the Grilled Shrimp. We substituted the bibb salad the Filet comes with with a house salad with their awesome blue cheese dressing, and a side of asparagus. Â Terrific, and cooked perfectly. Â Also loved the baked tomato with the blue cheese that comes with the dish. Â We had no room for dessert this time, but on past visits we've devoured the apple crisp. Â We love the small dining room near the hostess station where Rosalee reigns. Â So romantic, especially in the winter when they have the huge fireplace going. Â The pub menu at the bar is also excellent as is the pub ambience and beer selection. Â On a Friday or Saturday you need to get here really early if you don't have a reservation, especially if you want to sit at the bar. Â We discovered this place years ago and had our rehearsal dinner here in 2006 in their beautiful function room. Â We've never had a disappointing meal here. Â Its also our go to place to impress out of town guests who want a "New England experience."
Review Source:I write this post with much regret. The 1640 Hart House used to be my favorite restaurants in the area but their prices have continued to creep out of my range, while portions continue to decrease and most of all, recent disappointing staff changes have forced me to dine elsewhere. One good thing about all this, if you do decide to go, there is no longer a wait to get into the tavern.
Review Source:WOW Yes, this is as good as it gets in the North Shore for tasty eating.
I sat in the tavern area. Be warned - the bread basket alone is incredibly delicious with a raisin bread and a roll that seems to be apple/cinnamon scented. I attempted to not fill up on bread, not sure I won that fight.
I got the baked scallops; they were amazing and the mashed potatoes were fantastic.
4 out of 5 stars for the Shrimp and Scallop sautee that my dad got - it was good but the heavy cream on it was too much for me. I preferred the baked scallops.
Can't wait to go again when I'm in the area and learn more about this cool place.
Only down side - my water glass was constantly empty and I had to really work to get it refilled.
Very good food, lovely interior, mediocre service. Â I'm always surprised when a server at a $50/per-person meal lets a water glass stay empty for 20+ minutes.
What's up with the exterior? On the outside, it looks like a junky pizza place on steroids! (Perhaps it looks better in the daytime? I doubt it.)
The wine we had was good and a bargain! My only real complaint is that I ate too much. :)
My husband and I made dinner reservations here to celebrate our anniversary, and we were both wowed. Â The restaurant itself has a great atmosphere (fireplaces, candles on the table), and the staff were all very warm and helpful.
We shared a bottle of the wine that was on special, and really enjoyed it. Â We both had a steak dinner and the sauce that was served with the meal was delicious. Â Huge portions for dinner, but we wanted to split a dessert. Â We opted for the caramel bread pudding. Â It was so yummy. Â Although the restaurant was packed (especially for a Thursday night), we never felt rushed, and our service was always very prompt. Â
We'll be back again!
This place is quintessential New England and definitely one of my favorite spots in all of MA. Whenever I know that I'm headed to The Hart House I am excited because I know that I can count on delicious and hearty food, awesome local beers on tap and a super comfortable atmosphere. The tavern section of the house boasts a long bar along with table seating where you sit in large old leather chairs with a fireplace at the end of the room. Picture it. Oh yeah. Outside of the tavern area and throughout the rest of the house are several different dining rooms varying in size and charm.
All of the food is delicious and so far I have never been disappointed with a meal. In the summer I lean towards the seared scallops, broiled haddock and other seafood specials while in the fall and winter I usually go for the Shepard's Pie (bring your best appetite) or the marinated grilled steak tips that are accompanied by a vegetable and fries. All of the prices are reasonable and you get a very generous portion of food with each dish. The different dining rooms make the house the perfect venue for private events. I only wish the Hart House was closer to my house.
I'm not really one to make lists of places for potential rehearsal dinners, birthday celebrations, etc., but if I were to make one... 1640 Hart House would be on it.
The building itself is immaculate- looked like there were several private dining rooms but what I think is the pub area (long and narrow room) with leather high back georgian wing chairs is great. Intimate and cozy, perfect for a date night or celebratory dinner. The portions are quite large, which is nice for sharing. It's not that I was not impressed with the food, it was all good, but I could tell it wasn't the BEST quality ingredients (thinking specifically of the cheese on the margherita pizza).
Maybe I am just used to going out in the Boston/Cambridge area and expect a spendy dinner tab at the end of the night, but this was surprisingly reasonable given the portion sizes and *very* full glasses of wine served. Will make a point of coming back here next time in the area just to sit in those comfy chairs once more!
Hit this place up on a Sunday after checking out the Ipswitch scene. As usual, the Yelp community did not disappoint with an accurate rating of a fine restaurant establishment. Cool decor, and friendly staff.
GF and I sat down, and were greeted by a friendly server and a nice assortment of breads. I m not just talking some white and wheat rolls, but they had breads with berries in it and even had popovers (Look it up if you are not sure what these are. My GF knew, otherwise that is what I would have done).
We ordered drinks, French Onion Soup, and a fish soup. They came out in these monster bowls. Both were delicious and after scarfing down a bunch of bread, and the soup, I was already getting full. However, then came the main course.
She had lobster risotto that had large clumps of lobster and the rice was cooked just right. I had pasta with garlic and cream sauce with scallops and shrimp. The fish was all very fresh, and the price was affordable. Now at first, I thought that the food was extra yummy b.c. I was slightly drunk, but we brought some home and it was quite good the next day as well. I would be back if I was up this way again. Go Ipswich!
The Hart House never fails to impress. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The bar area is great if you're looking for a more casual drink with friends, and the dining area and private rooms are wonderful for a more formal night out.
The food is always great, as is the service. If you're planning on going there during the weekend, think about making a reservation, as it is always packed.
I just returned from a birthday dinner at the 1640 Hart House in Ipswich. What a great place! Walking in is like taking a time machine back to the colonies. Great ambiance, candle lit throughout, lively bar, and the food was really, really good.
First, the portions are huge, so think about sharing. We started with the best brioche basket-warm and crunchy. Two of us got Mashed potatoes yummy for comfort food folks; sesame coated tuna-great; lamb chops were delicious; pumpkin ravioli so good. Our only complaint was the chicken pot pie--it had a great crust and veggie mix, but so few chicken pieces we almost sent it back. We all had doggie bags.
The dessert menu looked so good we will have to go back just for a try. We did get the best bread pudding EVER for a birthday cake, and it tasted like french toast in the shape of a pie.
Our waitress was friendly, attentive and at times funny. A great night.
Price wise entrees are 16 to 26 with high side being steaks. Tons of food, so easy to share and then have room for dessert.
I look forward to eating at this restaurant every chance I get. Â The
service and food are always top. Â The atmosphere can't be beat!
I have decided to have my wedding there next year. Â Since I am
a chef myself, I recommend this restaurant to every one who will
listen. Â Check it out!
After spending the day at Crane Beach we were looking for a pub atmosphere and a couple of cold ones. Â We found the 1640 Hart House on Yelp! Â We were so pleasantly surprised by the uniqueness of the tavern and the history of the place. Â The food was excellent. Â The service was friendly. Â At first I felt a little under dressed with sand in my shoes but soon enough we saw some other casual diners. Â I would highly recommend this place!
Review Source:After visitng the Hart house a few more times since my original visit I have really come to love this place. You really come here for the atmosphere, which is pretty cool with its old charm and slanting floors. The food is always cooked well, although I thought it lacked a lot flavor in my first visit. They have a nice loung with additional seating upstairs. Service is always good- a nice balance of attentiveness and leaving you alone to enjoy!
Review Source:This is consistently an excellent restaurant.  The food and drinks are always good.  Make sure to call ahead to make a reservation as it  gets very busy there.  Can't recommend this place enough.  Huge portions also, so that you can bring the leftovers home for another meal.  2 complaints:  the bar closes too early! and the service can be on the slow side if they're real busy, which is most of the time!  : )
Review Source:Great atmosphere, very cozy and comforting!! Â This restaurant has the slanty floors and walls, and has everything in tact from the 1600's. Â
The bottle of red wine we had was excellent... a David Bruce 2006 Pinot Noir.
For apps we had the eggplant, stuffed clams, escargot, etc. Â and everything was delicious except the stuffed clams had too much bread/flour and not enough seafood.
Our dinners were excellent as well! Â I had the gnocci which was absolutely delicious. Â Definitely reccommend this restaurant!
This is a wonderful New England eating experience. Be prepared for Boston prices in the dining room but experience suburb portion sizes (you'll take home half of the steak). Wonderful house wines, and they pour a good glass (unlike chain restaurants that give you a shot of wine in an over sized glass). House salad dressing is excellent. Let the chef lead the way when ordering sides and I think you'll be pleased with the selections of veg. and starch on the plate. The tavern is wonderfully cozy with high back wing chairs and a pub style menu for lighter fare. You can rent many of the 'house' rooms for parties. The fireplaces are all real with logs (no gas jets here) and give off a wonderful warmth. Watch your step EVERYWHERE. In and out of the bathrooms, between the rooms, out the back door. But if you can navigate this your in for a wonderful evening.
Review Source:Charming and quaint the Hart House is a great place to go for a romantic dinner. Full of quiet nooks and fireplaces the atmosphere is warm and inviting.
The menu is much larger than it was before it changed hands a few years ago with lots of variety and something for everyone. Our clam chowder, escargot, roasted chicken and steak tips  were all delicious. The sides for the main entrees were redundant and not very imaginative which was disappointing.
The service was good but SLOW so beware if you are in a hurry stick to sitting in the pub. If not enjoy the pace and savor the food it is worth it.
I went to the Hart House last Friday night with my boyfriend and had an absolutely wonderful experience. Â Originally we had planned to eat in the pub area, and we actually put our names on the waiting list before heading over there. Â Upon arrival, however, we realized that the pub area was too busy and loud for our tastes and so we asked to be seated in the dining area instead. Â They sat us immediately in a ground floor room with low ceilings, exposed dark beams and a large open fireplace. Â The ambiance was definitely key :-)
Both of our meals were fabulous (hanger steak, artichoke chicken) and I got a huge glass of Pinot Noir for a very good price. Â And we decided to end the evening with the blueberry cobbler which was also excellent. Â And to top it off, our waitress was absolutely amazing. Â Such wonderful service made it a pleasure to eat there.
In the end it was a great meal for an awesome price (the bill came out to a little over 50 - we were surprised!) Â I highly recommend it and we will definitely be going back!
It is a nice old house that has MANY rooms and if you can get one, you might be lucky, depending on who is in the rooms with you. Â Privacy and quiet might be a plus!
Brunch is pricey but good, all you can eat, which isn't unusual, but their MUSIC, IS SO L-O-U-D ... IT IS HARD TO HEAR THE OTHER PERSON NEXT TO YOU! Â Their live piano and I think saxaphone or something else, WOULD be nice, if you were in ANOTHER room, as well it is just LOUD and when they take a break, I know myself and my family relaxed as the place turned back to normal. Â Just have some classical music on the house speakers at a LOW LEVEL! Â I sound like such an old man.
The food is good and the place is nice, just a bit pricey and their Brunch is LOUD!
Fireplaces make for a Winter Wonderland when it's COLD outside and WARM inside.
Good for groups in rooms, but don't steal food and bring plastic seal bags RED HAT LADIES! Â OH YA! Â I was there when you took the dessert gobblets! Â SHAME ON YOU! Â If you need to save money do NOT go to this place as it's expensive, get hot pockets instead! Â Leave the pricey and NICE food for us!
The Heart House is a home and now restaurant built in 1640 and its off the beaten track which still doesn't stop it from filling with locals that like to eat. Â The bar is nice and some of the dining areas have low ceilings and are reached through narrow staircases with smaller doors.
The food is not typical pub fare and its not diner fare either but all sticks to your ribs like good home cooking with a modest twist should.
I make it here every three or four months since I don't work one town away as I used to but once I introduced my brother and father to this place I hear they go almost every week.
And the best part ... they don't say "enjoy" after they serve the food ... because they know you will.
I am more than satisfied by the Hart House; I (heart) the Hart House. Â It's warm and cozy rooms, big fireplaces and delicious meals make it a favorite for a romantic dinner out. Â The service I've had there has been really good and the food... did I mention the food is delicious?!?! YUM! Â I don't think the prices are that bad. Maybe my idea of a nice night out is different than the other reviewers. Â It's not like the tasting menu at No. 9 Park or anything! Â Anyhow, great place for a cozy dinner with your S.O. Â It's been our go to place for the last few birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Â Really enjoyable. Â MAKE A RESERVATION- and try to plan ahead. Â They can be really busy. Â The parking lot fills up as well and it's gravel, so if you're wearing heels you might want somebody to lean on.
Review Source:First thing to know is that this place is divided into a fancy restaurant section and a more laid-back pub section. The menus are also divided: the restaurant menu is pretty pricey, with $20 to $35 entrees, and the pub menu is less so, with anything from $8 sandwiches to a $25 steak. You can order from either menu in the pub, though.
I ate at the pub, and I really enjoyed the food. The artichoke gratin with pita chips was good but not great. The fried calamari was, again, good but not great. The lobster, corn, and chive soup was fantastic. It tasted mostly like an extraordinarily creamy corn chowder, but with strong notes of chive and a few pieces of lobster.
I got the steak tips for my entree and was pleasantly surprised: steak tips are hit-or-miss for me, and these were a dead-on hit. I also have to agree with yelper Amy K. that the blue cheese dressing was incredibly good. It tasted sort of like buttermilk and blue cheese blended together. My dinner partners enjoyed their entrees as well.
Also of note is the atmosphere: it's cozy old-school New England in the best way possible. And I mean old-school New England in the sense of, well, back in the 17th century when they were trying to make things seem as much like home (Ye Olde England) as possible.
With drinks, appetizer, entree, and tip our meal came out to about $45 per person.
A quaint old home that has been turned into a restaurant and pub. The decor of the restaurant is very New England and super cozy when there is a fire going in the fire places. The menu of the restaurant is filled with traditional classics as well as some fusion with some newer recipes. Once seated, you're presented with a basket filled with delicious breads.
The prices in the restaurant are a bit steeper than if you opt to eat in the pub, which features a fantastic 1640 salad with field greens, goat cheese, walnuts with a vinaigrette dressing - I usually get mine with grilled chicken but you can also get other add ons. The burgers and other sandwiches in the pub are also good. Portion size is larger than average too.
The pub decor is more of an English/old American style, and somewhat dark, but it creates a nice ambiance. The new management has also created an outdoor roof deck which is very nice when the weather cooperates.
Service is almost always great. In the many times I've been here I can only recall 1-2 times where service was not top-notch. You won't find cheap food here but you will find good food.
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