Things you should know before visiting Spoon World Buffet and Bar

The restaurant closed back in June due to Covid-19 restrictions but the self-service buffet reopened on Friday, November 26.

During my visit here is what I found:

Hygiene

The whole buffet and restaurant was very clean. The waiters and waitresses were constantly walking around collecting peoples dirty plates and pointing towards the clean ones so that people did not have to stack their fresh food on top of their leftovers, or carry half eaten food back to the food counters. We were also given gloves to use when handling utensils. All very reassuring.

Food and drink

The food all tasted great. A particular highlight was the Chinese dishes and the freshly made crepes.

The food wasn't as warm as I had hoped but was still enjoyable and was constantly being topped up by the chefs at the restaurant.

The Tikka Masala had great taste but was let down by being a little bit cold (Image: Archant)

I tried a selection of the mains dishes - pizza, Chinese and Indian - and was impressed with the Oriental selection. There was such a wide variety. The pizzas were all cooked fresh and tasted great however, the Indian dish - a Tikka Masala - did let it down a bit as it was not luke warm at most. The taste was good, but would have been even better if it was hotter.

The Crepe's at Spoon were really tasty and freshly made (Image: Archant)

There was also a wide selection of desserts, with a selection of cakes, jelly and ice cream but the standout for me were the freshly-made crepes. They were amazing. There was also a selection of toppings that you could put on yourself including sugar, chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce.

Another bonus is that the soft drinks are refillable.

Selection

Although there is a scaled-back lunchtime menu there is still a wide variety of choices to choose from.

There is a selection of Chinese, Indian, sushi, pizza and desserts during the lunchtime service.

The Chinese dish may have been my favourite (Image: Archant)

During the evening service there are more options including German kebab, teppanyaki, roast grill and dim sum.

The lunchtime menu did not offer a great deal for children, but there was chicken poppers, chips and pizza.

There is a wide range of soft and alcoholic drinks at the restaurant.

Atmosphere

Although the restaurant has not even been open for a week yet it was very busy for a Thursday afternoon.

It is a great family-friendly restaurant with plenty of seats and some large booths in the restaurant and although it was pretty full you would not have noticed. It was quite quiet and overall a nice place to eat out.

For families that all have different tastes and normally struggle on deciding on a place to eat out, then Spoon is a great place to visit as it covers so many elements with a large choice of options.

You are asked to pay before you eat and once shown to your seats you do have to go up to the bar to get your own drinks. Which was fine for me, as I was on my own, but this might be a bit of a struggle if you have young children you cannot leave unattended.

Overall experience

Overall I really enjoyed the food. The service I received was great. Although the food was not as hot as I would have liked, it was still delicious.

I walked in not knowing what to expect and walked out pleasantly surprised. I will definitely be visiting again.

Location and parking

The restaurant is located in St Matthew's Street in Ipswich. There is no parking at the restaurant but there are plenty of public car parks in the area with the closest one being next to the New Wolsey Theatre.

Opening times and prices

Lunchtime service:

• Tuesday - Friday: 12pm - 3pm - Adults £8.99 and children (under 150cm) £5

Evening service

• Tuesday - Thursday: 5pm - 10pm - Adults £15.99 and children (under 150cm) £8
• Friday: 5pm - 11pm - Adults £15.99 and children (under 150cm) £8

The restaurant is open from 12pm to 11pm on Saturdays costing £16.99 and children £8 and 12pm until 10pm on Sundays and bank holidays - same pricing structure applies.