Tower Street Food Hall to open in former Ipswich Yates after £2m refurbishment

A new food hall will open in a former Ipswich pub after a multi-million pound refurbishment – which its manager hopes could become the ‘heart of the town centre’.

Sandeep Singh and his team have been hard at work this week converting Trafalgar House, the former Yates, into Tower Street Food Hall.

Mr Singh believed food halls were ‘the next big thing’, offering a taste of global cuisine, including smash burgers, sourdough pizzas, Korean, Chinese and south Indian food.

There were also plans for live music, events and stand-up comedy gigs.

Mr Singh, who is based in Chelmsford, said he spotted a market gap for Ipswich and that a food hall ‘ticked all the right boxes’.

He estimated the business would lead to the creation of about 75 jobs and hoped to welcome diners before Christmas.

The 48-year-old said: “What we want to offer is a family-oriented destination dining experience that isn’t pretentious, where people can just sit down and have a nice meal, a nice craft beer or a cocktail.

“We feel this is something Ipswich really needs. Tower Street is in a very convenient location and is casual enough for what we want, while still being good enough to take someone on a date, host a work lunch or an event.

“It’s a huge space where we can seat about 280 people.

“If all goes to plan, the conversion of the building should come in at just under £2 million.”

Mr Singh said different parts of the building were designed for different purposes, although people would be able to sit wherever they wanted.

This included upstairs diners getting a good view of the town centre, he said.

Despite this, Mr Singh said he was keen to respect the 160-year-old building’s heritage and hoped to offer a ‘Victorian, industrial feel’.

Trafalgar House has been vacant since September last year when Yates shut.

The hunt for a new tenant began in December.

When asked why he chose Ipswich for his food hall, Mr Singh said: “Why not? It has its problems like anywhere else, but I see an opportunity. I hope and believe this could be the heart of the town centre.”

Mr Singh said planned opening hours for Tower Street Food Hall were 11am to 10pm.

He plans to submit a planning application for a glass door for be installed at the front of the building. A licensing application will also be submitted.

Mr Singh said he first contacted Ipswich Borough Council about opening in the former Yates in March.

However, he said he was buzzing at the prospect of being able to welcome diners.

Mr Singh added: “I get up early in the morning, really excited about the project. It’s something I’m passionate about and when we’re done with it, it’ll be fantastic.

“We’re not serving frozen food – everything will be fresh and come from local vendors and suppliers. Meals that are good for both your belly and soul.

“We have a great team and I’ll be on site managing the hall. We also plan to use technology to help customise people’s experiences.”

Mr Singh signed a 20-year lease for the building.