We were so lucky to have our wedding reception at 1640 Hart House. The staff was wonderful, helpful and prompt, and my guests are STILL talking about how amazing the food was! Kim had eyes on everything at all times and I’m so glad our reception was in her capable hands. I have to mention the food again, because it truly stole the show. 1640 Hart House is a jewel, in every way.

Hart house was an incredible experience from the rooms to the fire places to the food. Everything was great! Ask for a tour while you're there..they showed us every room in the house and gave us a little history about each room. Very well done, the servers were so nice and the food was fantastic. The portions are HUGE!

Easter was a great experience. We have been going for years and The 1640 Hart House never disappoints. The food, presentation and service was excellent. Sean was a very professional wait person. He knew his menu and answered all our questions. He was more than attentive to all his tables in our area. This establishment has managed to keep high standards even in difficult Covid times. The quality and the variety of their food is excellent.

Wedding reception here after wedding on a schooner in Gloucester. Absolutely beautiful start to finish! Food was AMAZING! Staff were brilliant!

As always, great experience at Hart House. My extended family comes here for dinner every holiday season and reserves one of the private rooms for our meal. The food is always tasty, food/drink menus are robust, and service staff are great. After a year without the tradition we were thrilled to return!

Haven't been here for at least 7 years. Decor is still colonial and attractive. Hard choice between 3 and 4 stars, but 3 won when Hart House is compared to the many very good restaurants in this area. My wife started with the Stuffed Quahog Clams. Two good sized. Good but tangy. She guessed that there was too much pepper. My son and I both got the Pan Roasted Oysters. Unusual way to fix oysters and very good. Side of spinach and bacon. For a main, my wife got the Shepard's Pie. Very good (we lived in the UK 3 years, so one of her favorites), but too much. My son had the NY Strip Steak. Ordered rare and it was. But again, too much pepper---no reason to ruin a good steak with pepper. I got the Seafood Risotto. Good, but not exciting. And half the plate was filled with green beans, too many. Noted that the menu you see posted on the web is not the same as the menu you actually get. Good beer menu, including draft. Good wine and drink menu. Atmosphere nice but soundproofing lacking in the dining room---we had to listen to the conversations from two nearby tables. Good service.

Great selection of pastas, chickens, steaks, seafood and many other choices from their extensive menu. I have enjoyed just about every dish I've tried. The atmosphere is so cool, as the restaurant is housed in a Colonial era building that really makes you feel like you've gone back in time. I even have to duck my head under the entrance to some of the dining rooms. Not a ton of natural lighting throughout much of the place but that's what gives it its throwback charm. The tavern section gets crowded fairly quickly but it's very conducive to striking up a friendly conversation with your fellow diner seated next to you. Bartenders are very nice and make great drinks. Has a very comfortable and low-keyed vibe that prompts a great sense of community throughout.

Just called to confirm my reservation for tonight and was informed that my reservation was cancelled, apparently by me 2 weeks ago! I informed the hostess that l did not, tonight was my husband's birthday and l requested a special table. The hostess was condescending and arrogant! She in not so many words, accused me of lying and told me in the future to call a week in advance to confirm my reservation. I requested to speak with the owner and was disrespected by the owner as well. I was given 2 options. To have dinner in the noisy tavern or nothing. I declined and told the owner that l have been a customer for years and will never be back! Zero loyalty on their end and beyond poor customer service skills! Marianne Rossetti

Made a reservation four days in advance for a certain section. Got there and they did not have my reservation and stuck me and my family at a table with hardwood chairs, the hostess said they don't guarantee those tables anyway. When the table my reservation had been was free free, I asked to be put there. Hostess reluctantly agreed but put a time limit on it saying it had been saved for a reservation, which contradicted her previous statement. So, to not be hurried out we stayed at the undesirable table. Right after another group was seated at the desirable table and stayed way past the time limit that would have been set on us. Though the food was reasonable, I won't be back due to the bad experience.

Never a bad meal here in 20 years. Very affordable for what you get and the quality. Good service and nice and cozy old new England style charm.

Hart house was unbelievable! The best food I had in a long time. We had a party of 16 for my graduation and everyone’s meal was perfect and delicious, the chef blew us away. The waitresses were awesome! Thank you so much Hart house for accommodating our big family !

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. Disappointing.

Best restaurant in Ipswich to go to. Been going there 25 years. I recommend sitting in the tavern area. We were surprised to go in and get a seat at the bar at 9:30 on a Saturday. Tends to fill up 6 to 7ish. They now take reservations for the tavern area and would recommend that on a Friday or Saturday. Very extensive menu and excellent across the board. George Washington stayed there in the early days when it was a bed and breakfast!

It took us a couple of weekends before they could even accept our reservation for two in the time frame we wanted. Call them early if you intend to go at dinner times. That being said, when we finally got in, with the place being filled to capacity (and its a decent size with different rooms etc) I totally expected that service would be understandably a bit on the slower side. That has been a common theme these days with similar places. I'm happy to say, that was NOT the case here for our first visit! I hate when my glass is dry for too long, and it wasn't. The service was both fast and friendly. We were both pleasantly surprised with that. The drinks, (martinis for us) were very good. My wife LOVED her Hoddock plate (crusted garlic? I think). I went all fancy and got the Reuben sandwich with fries. Sandwich was excellent, Fries were kinda average, but decent enough. Oh, the calamari app was great, too. The sauce it came with was so good. Overall a great experience that i did not see coming. We will certainly revisit soon.

Loved the setting in the historic house that is well maintained and beautifully decorated. The food was magnificent throughout with a chocolate "gift" cake for dessert that was beyond delicious and presented perfectly. My only minor note to the experience was that as a party of 4, we were in a relatively small room with a couple large parties, one of which was particularly loud. Not necessarily something the restaurant can control, but one consideration could be having space for smaller parties separately from larger ones. All in all, we had an excellent experience. Highly recommend!

It's a fine restaurant with upscale pub fare and I will go back. But, I'm dinging them on atmosphere because the dining room is beyond cozy and intimate: it's DARK! The 4 of us had to turn on our cell phone flashlights to have any chance of reading the menu. I watched others at their tables struggling to read their menus also. Kind of silly if you ask me.

What a great place to have a meal at! Kim was a gracious host who was full of neat information on the awesome historical building you are actually dining in and Libby was a wonderful server that was pleasant and very attentive. The food was absolutely delicious and the portions were generous. The menu has many options so this place is good for many palates. Would definitely return here again!

This is a gem of a place in Ipswich with an extensive menu for dining and a large selection of wines. You can make reservations for for a lovely 3 course meal or grab a quick bite like a burger in the Tavern with no reservations. The food was outstanding - roasted rack of lamb, salmon and shrimp special, crusted tuna, grilled sea bass - it all tasted delicious. The portions were very generous, and cooked to perfection. The service couldn't be better, all the staff were very friendly and did not try to rush us through dinner. We had a very relaxed meal, sitting in plush, deep leather chairs that were extremely comfortable. The ambiance was very cozy as you can see from the photos. It was a perfect evening at an exquisite inn.

It was like stepping back in time. The history of the house from it's era of the 1600's of days gone by, was truly an inspiration to be part of. From it's unique rooms with the sloping wide pine floors, slightly slanted walls and stairwells. You can't help but let your imagination run wild thinking of the centuries of families that resided in this home as their residence. A lot of original nooks, floors, plaster walls, doors and hardware. The restaraunt has a great menu for both food and spirits. The service was fantastic, the food and cocktails we chose were delicious. Definitly will be returning. This visit we dined in one of the multiple private dining rooms. Next visit we want fo check out the bar and tavern on the main floor!

We had the rehearsal dinner for our son and future daughter-in-law at the 1640 Hart House last night and I would give the experience 10 stars if I could! The atmosphere was beautiful, the space so perfectly decorated to complement the rooms decor. The servers were so kind and professional and attentive! And the food was top-notch— chicken, haddock, salmon— all was cooked perfectly! If you want to make a special occasion even more special, reserve your event here! The owner, Kim, was so attentive and helpful over the phone with all of my questions. She absolutely knows how to make an event one to remember.

The waitress was great We were seated downstairs. Where you have to duck your head to get down. Although they neglected to tell anybody that there was a post in the middle of the room that you needed to duck under as well. It was very dark needed to use your phone just to read the menu. On my way out smashed my head on on the post in the middle of the dark room that I didn't know about bleeding everywhere. The food was very good but very overpriced

Love this restaurant. Go every year for my birthday. Prices a little on the steep side but within reasonable range. Food always excellent as well as the service

Went for Valentines Day dinner. The meal was cooked perfectly,the chef did a fantastic job. Our drinks were made just right, and our waiter was attentive. Call to make a reservation, though. Hours of operation are a bit tricky, would love for them to be open later.

I use to love the Hart House it was my go to restaurant. Last night two of Our meals we terrible. I order eggplant and I sent it back because it was cold. I asked our waitress to have it heated up and she brought back a new cold eggplant. We order Schnitzel and that was also not cook and cold. We were so disappointed we bragged about how great it was. We were so disappointed with our experience. 😢

Elegant yet with great respect to the era of the house. The staff is amazing and the atmosphere at Christmas time was magical. The menu is traditional in a very classy way with an enticing set of ingredients with the menu offerings. We had the roast duck with bread pudding (special) and the seared salmon.

Always great food here but the thrill is the room you'll be in and just how quirky it will be 😀 Our last room had a pitch to it that almost had our drinks out the glass on one side. (See pic)