The former Lloyds Tavern in Ipswich town centre is set to get a new lease of life this summer.
The venue is being taken over by Colchester-based pub/restaurant operator Paul Tonkinson, who runs the Three Wise Monkeys venue in the heart of the Essex town, and he is planning to launch a similar venture in Ipswich.
The old Lloyds Tavern is being refurbished ready to open as another Three Wise Monkeys in the late summer.
Mr Tonkinson said: “We are really excited about it, we are absolutely buzzing about getting it open.
“We got into the building a couple of weeks ago and it will probably be a four month project, opening in the late summer.
“We think the Three Wise Monkeys concept will work really well in Ipswich, it is something different.
“We have been in the pub business for 20 years, I am from Australia and a couple of my first jobs here were in pubs in Ipswich. I have put down my roots here, my wife is English and my in-laws are Ipswich Town season ticket holders.
“Colchester Three Wise Monkeys has been going three-and-a-half years. It has been a great success.”
The focus in Ipswich, similar to Colchester, would be high quality food, beer and music - offering support to the local live music scene.
“We have been looking for the right place in Ipswich for a year, and Penn Commercial have been a tremendous help,” he said.
“There are some very successful places, pubs and restaurants, in Ipswich, in the town centre and the Waterfront, and we want to be there with them.”
The reopening of the venue will create around 30 to 40 new jobs, with at least 15 of them full-time, with the already-experienced Colchester team set to help get it up and running.
The plan is to have the ground floor as a large ‘tap house’, serving over 20 draught beers from keg and cask, spirits, cocktails, wine and coffee.
The first floor will provide a spacious bar and kitchen with food served throughout the day, including slow smoked barbecue food and burgers.
Mr Tonkinson also hopes to turn the basement area into a gin bar, with a `speakeasy’ vibe, to make it a hidden gem of Ipswich nightlife, and is in discussion with the planning authority.
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