I know Mannings much much much more than "greenarrow" because I go there everyday and some of the staff are my friends.
And also I am a handyman of the pub.
There is no drug problems at the pub at all.

Everyone, Mannings is a marvellous pub and if you doubt about it please go there to check it by yourself.

The comment from "greenarrow" is completely untrue.
CJOBY Says 'Needles to say, all the staff are fantastic' .... Is he referring there is a drugs problem at this establishment ?A reasonable range of ale (usually at least three available) and normally well kept - unfortunately it's very expensive here though. Has a lovely walled in beer garden out the back (can be a bit of a sun trap). Serves food of the bar snacks and pub grub variety.

A real premier league ale pub which lucky Ipswich residents have two. This and The Dove within walking distance although its probably about 10 - 15 minutes walk.

A great selection of ale on offer must have been about 14 mid week. Covering local and national micro breweries. The beers on offer cover all the beer styles light/traditional/dark. On the blackboard above the bar it has the beer style indicated next to the beers. A mild and stout were available on my visit which were both in very good condition.

This pub is a winner for real ale. Always brews from the Fat Cat brewery in Norwich along with a good mind bogling selection from other brewers around the country.

The scotch eggs are large and the other bar food tasty. A winner.Good pub, used to meet up here every Friday after work and stay till closing. Excellent giant scotch eggs! haha

Recommended if you want an out of town beer, it's worth the trek!

The Emperor has improved by leaps and bounds since Nigel left it, and hopefully the same will happen here. This goes to show, you can't run a successful pub by sticking a few real ales on the bar and letting everything else go to seed. As I said in my previous reviews, this pub has been scruffy, freezing cold and dark on my visits- on one occasion so cold I couldn't stay to finish my beer. It really wouldn't have taken much investment to whitewash the walls, stick up a few traditional pub signs by way of decor, turn on the lights and central heating and offer a bit of pub grub. Anyone wanting to run a successful real ale pub should pop along to the Dove or Fat Cat to see how it's done - it's not rocket science, but great real ale isn't the only thing on offer, customers need to feel comfortable enough to want to stay. Hopefully this pub will be taken on by someone who is able to offer west Ipswich the great real ale pub it really needs.I had the rumours confirmed at lunch time today. Nigel, the landlord is leaving the pub this Sunday. What a shame this pub was not more successful! Ipswich residents you should be ashamed of yourselves for not supporting.

This is one of my favourite lunch time destinations with excellent beer quality and conversation. The beer was always reasonably priced and the pub was always friendly. Nigel is already removing some of his items from the pub. At lunch time before I asked I noticed that the front 3 hand pumps that he added have now gone. The juke box is in the process of having the cd's removed.

Anyway there are still two lovely dark beers available today. Make sure if you want to say goodbye to Nigel come this week before Sunday. Nigel is planning on taking a break from the pub trade at the current time.
Nigel now has a regularly updated beer list at
http://www.rosecrownipswich.blogspot.com

tip top ales plus some fantastic chatter as long as the bands aren't on when it can get a little noisy.

Best pub in town. Garden is cracking in the summer, music is brilliant, pool table, really nice bar staff, excellent atmosphere. Forget the hating, this place is the dog's bollocks.

WHOOP WHOOPGREENANDWHITE what utter b*ll*cks you speak. drug dealers and prostitutes?? so you are the type of person that would know what they look like? use them often do you? this is a great pub and will only keep getting better, especially with the new management in charge. my advice to you is lay of the crack my friend it ruins your life. and those prostitutes you are so familiar with may give you some sort of ghastly std. just some friendly advice use it wisely. haha

This comment from Northern Monkey is what you would expect from a bigoted individual many years ago.

He says that crack ruins your life - yes it does, and obviously he knows that from first hand experience. I have never taken drugs in my life or been with a prostitute and this libelous slur on my reputation will be persued in a Court of Law. Hmmm, not sure what GreenAndWhite has been smoking. I can only echo what NorthernMonkey has said - stay off the crack.

I stand by my first comment - highly recommended, and will continue to be one of the few pubs I still go to regularly.

lots and lots of beer. the choice is boggling and the staff are more than happy to oblige with tasters.
sadly the excellence of the dove comes at a price, and that's it's incredible popularity. a great pub to visit when it's not so busy, however during busy periods you may find yourself thinking of going elsewhere.

still it remains one of the best pubs in ipswich. Exceptional. Yesterday offered 12 handpumps, 10 in action, plus 12 on stillage in the ‘tap-room’. Not only does this represent the largest non-festival beer choice I’ve ever seen, but the selection was also sourced from no fewer than 17 different breweries. I sampled many and the quality was consistently excellent. Plain but comfortable décor, friendly staff & customers - happily gave directions to the Fat Cat (number 2 bus across road). Top notch drinking venue.Do not mist this pub at all costs. At least 14 ales on at most times along with some interesting fizz and a good bottle and malt selection. Adi’s beer from the wood can be most first-rate at times and Karen does a lovely job with the home made food.

The bar staff give time even when it’s packed and this can be the problem at times. Not the bar staff but if you’re going on a Friday or Saturday you’d better get in quick as it’s normally standing room only.

One of the best pubs in Ipswich and I love it. pubs don't get much better than this if you're in to propper beer.

I have run pubs for Bass and Scottish & Newcastle (as they were then known), from Colchester to Coventry. All had restaraunts. I think I can fairly say I am reasonably experienced enough to comment between a good pub and a bad pub.I may like to surgest to the people that write these reveiws a little something, TRY RUNNING A PUB. It aint easy. Stop making it personel and remember its only a meal not life or death. Rant over. I think the 'Butt' Is a great place, take the time to go down relax and enjoy your visit. Yes I agree sometimes the food can take a little to long to be served but hey YOU TRY IT!We visited the Butt this month and cannot fault it. Absolutely fantastic food, the best fish and chips i've ever had. The staff were all efficient and really friendly, especially Chris, who somebody on a previous posting has said was rude! We thought he was a fantastic chap with a great sense of humour, something you dont see often enough. We will definately be going again, can't wait.

Popped in here to see some bands a few weeks ago. Quite a good atmosphere but the beer availability was shocking... Saturday night and nothing on draft (I don't just mean ale either). Having paid to get in I felt I should at least stay for a while - the money was for charity so I could hardly have asked for it back but was disappointed that they took my money without warning me that there was nothing to drink! Best thing on offer was Newcastle Brown Ale - with four of us drinking it, we'd cleared them out of that in a two rounds too. Probably an off-day but can't rate it very highly from this visit.Best pub in Ipswich - bands, staff, management, atmosphere are all great, this is a real music-lover's pub. well nice friendly pub the management are brilliant dominic and lee they have resident djs dan and phill how are the best...
its like being on holiday every time we visit live entertainment every wed. the best pub in town well done guys

Have to agree with other reviews. The cheap beer prices are fantastic- ordering a pint of Abbot and being asked for £1.89 is something which can only happen in a Wetherspoons. However it's also true that the pub is understaffed, you will wait at the bar to be served even if there are no other customers, and you'll wait 20 minutes or more for even the simplest food order- perhaps a deliberate national policy to ensure you order another round of drinks. The menu looks sumptuous and seems to promise a lot but somehow boils down to very little- the food is all of the out-of-a-freezer kind . Unsurpsingly the clientele are mainly people attracred by the cheap deals on drinks.Full of scummy weirdos and I waited 20 minutes to get a pint. Cheap though.One of the larger and better Wetherspoons, well that's at least what I found yesterday lunch time. The 'Wetherspoons International Real-Ale Festival' is currently on and I believe 12 hand pumps were available with beers from the festival. The pub seemed to be friendly which is unusual for Netherspoons. I wonder if the festival has brought a number of different people in to the pub at the moment. I was talking to a guy who was working through halves of the beer that was available from the festival programme. I was served quickly which is much better than the other Wetherspoons in town.
I know in the evening that this will be a much different story.
The pub is large and many tables and chairs are available for customers who are dining. It has a nicer area for dining than the other town Wetherspoons if that is what you are looking for.

Used to have a brilliant range of ale but went in there one evening this week and they had ten hand pumps but only one beer (GK IPA). GK taking this one over has meant it has taken a serious turn for the worse.Cheers TiaMariaJim, I am obviously getting confused with the Lloyds No.1 pubs. I guess in that case it is owned by Greene King then! The ale selection today then is understandable. Sorry Love_good-ale, this pub is nothing to do with Wetherspoons, they were never involved with Hogsheads. I think you're confusing their Lloyds No.1 pubs with this one which is presumably named after its address.

Good pub! Some excellent nights to be had there, Uprock and others, resident DJ Ed doing well and Ady's a top bloke. Good bar staff, calm atmosphere (if it's not a football night), great sports place. Big screen, loads of little screens so you can see the games if you want to. Good beer garden!

Recommended!!Good pub, a bit local but still a good laugh, me and the lasd go in there on a Saturday to meet for our first few beers. Good atmosphere, music is pretty mainstream but there's good overall sports coverage and a good landlord.

Worth checking out.Changed out of all recognition in the last few years. Just not my sort of place anymore. No doubt it will do weel with its new clientele, but not me.

The good news for all those of you knocking the Railway is that it's closing down, so you won't have to worry about its shortcomings any more.Once a decent venue now a grim dive. Has recently had a ridiculous noise limit imposed (110 decibels) I turned up with my band to play and our drummer alone was 120. Thing is, standing right outside the pub you can barely hear bands at all. This place is not going to last long. Miserable staff, overpriced beer, they are digging their own grave. Boycott. I don't go in here a lot, but always have a good night when I do venture in to see a band.

Thankfully the smoke issue is no longer a problem, but it does get very hot in here in the summer.

Has a very Adnams feel to the pub - traditional feel with wooden floors, chunky wooden furniture. Tends to have 3-4 Adnams beers on offer and are usually well kept. Also serves good food. Has a walled in beer garden out the back.OVERPRICED AGAIN £3 A PINT FOR VERY POOR QUALITY BEER THERE ARE BETTER PLACES IN IPSWICH..JUST.. THAN THIS WELL ONLY 2 THE DOVE AND THE FAT CAT.A lovely old fashioned pub with a superb welcome and a great feel, between the Town centre and the docks - sorry, marina :-)
Beer kept as well as anywhere. Be you a regular or a newcomer you are looked after superbly.
Believe the food is good too.
Recommended highly

Had a xmas meal here and don't know if it was a one off but the food was very average and what put me off was the anaemic looking susages (think they used the microwave..) and stffing balls - yuk. Wasn't the greatest meal I have had. Sorry I won't be returning to eat again but it is a nice location and old pub woudl be Ok for a summers drink so would go for a drink. Staff seemed nice too. Lovely place. Good beer, good food, v friendly helpful staff. Pleasant to sit out in the garden, or sit in the bar or the restaurant. If this was nearer a town it would be packed, but that is apart of its charm and it probably has one of the best bar ladies you could meet.Attractive old country pub, with moderate size public bar and an unobtrusive restaurant extension. Adnams beer plus guest, in January 08 Tournament. Range of food small but very high quality, though quite pricey as you would expect. When I went in, the music of Texas was playing in the background, and I don't mean wistful ballads about dogs dying and trailers burning down. There is an unsurprising boot theme to the decor and pictures by local artists for sale on the wall. Parking to front more than adequate.

Well what a christmas, we have a very enjoyable christams at the venue, with a local shaun doing the disco Christmas eve. We promptly aquired our New Years Eve tickets that were only £2.00, and may i say what a very pleasant way to spend new years. the pub was policed at all times, one felt secure and relaxed. In addition a full run buffet was a lovely touch, a disco which commenced at 7pm, and a finally of the fire work display, all for £2.00. we have already booked for next year. Well done to Andrew,Heather and family. And a big thankyouMuch better than it used to be- the new owners have smartened it up and the old air of shabby dilapidation has gone. 4 real ales are available, as before, but one of these is now Adnams Broadside which happens to be the finest beer on earth so I will be dropping in more frequently.Food has been reintroduced, but if I could offer a word of advice to the owners it would be a good idea to state exactly when this is available- no one is going to call in on the off chance they've hit 'food service' time. Also, how about welcoming families again?- in years gone by there was a family room, why not bring this back to life? New landlords have certainly started to turn this pub around. Warm, friendly welcome, great beer.
Certainly worth trying

After my previous not so good experience I thought I better visit again. This time a much better experience.

A lovely traditional pub that seems quite out in the country, even though only a few minutes walk from Ipswich Town Centre. A nice walk through Cristchurch Park from town can take you there. Walk past Christchurch Mansion and keep going for a few minutes looking for the first right hand gate to exit.
6 hand pumped ales were available Adnams Best and Broadside, Youngs Bitter, Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Black Sheep and Brains SA. It is a friendly pub with quite a bit of banter going on whilst I was there.
The pub is split into 3 areas lounge, saloon and a back room. In the lounge all the available meals are on the wall facing you. Quite a choice of meals even some game was available. A number of pictures of yesteryear Ipswich were on the walls also.

I will certainly return again as the beer quality was good and it seemed like a real community local.
A great traditional pub with varied selection of beers and food really well cooked.
Friendly staff and sensible prices.
I don't get to puibs as much as I used to, but although this is a couple of miles from my home, I'm definately going to make it my "local".Fantastic food, friendly staff and a good selection of standard bitters including Young's, Black Sheep and one or two others. They are always in good nick and it's worth dropping in for the food and a few pints of an evening.

Clare and I love the place.