Excitement is building as Ipswich prepares to welcome a string of big-name restaurants as part of the Buttermarket makeover.
We revealed yesterday how Prezzo, Coast to Coast, Joe’s Kitchen, Five Guys and Wagamama will be moving into the centre along with a 12-screen Empire Cinema, with the news tantalising taste buds and prompting plenty of discussion on social media.
A poll on our website showed Five Guys burger joint to be the most hotly anticipated of the new arrivals with 42 per cent of the vote, with Wagamama a close second on 37 per cent, with four units still to be filled at the new-look leisure venue ahead of the planned opening at the end of next year.
Matthew Clyne, from Ipswich, likes to eat out and is excited by the new options coming to the to town - especially given they are all under one roof. “There is a lot of good things in Ipswich but this new centre sounds really good,” he said.
“At the moment you can go into the town centre for dinner and you have to walk quite a long way between the restaurants if you don’t find one you like or can’t get a table, so having them all in the same place that would be a lot better.”
Sami M’Barki often commutes to Ipswich from London for work and believes having a hub of activity in the evening will be perfect for the town.
“It all sounds really good,” he said.
“When you open up something new it shows people the town cares about them and that you’re not just an entity. It can make people feel better.”
Kathryn Baker, 29, is looking forward to the new-look centre opening and is particularly looking forward to going out to dinner at Wagamama.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “It should be really good and it’s really nice to see something like this being done with such a big space in the town.
Hannah Houlden, 17, is also excited to see Wagamama come to town. “It’s really good to have up-to-date, modern, restaurants come to Ipswich,” she said.
Despite all the excitement, Sally Pryke, who comes into Ipswich from Woodbridge to shop, and is concerned the surge in restaurants will make the town less attractive to shoppers. She said: “What they’re doing does sound really good, but we come into the town to do our shopping so if they closed any more down we probably wouldn’t bother coming in.”
Which other restaurants would you like to see in Ipswich? Let us know by taking part in our poll
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here