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Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Bucking Fastard
Submitted on Thursday, 22nd April 2010
With picture contributions to 1482 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (2 more images)
Detail Pages
The Wharf, Northampton
Bugbrooke
Postal town: Northampton
NN7 3QB
Served areas
Reviews of The Wharf (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Wharf
Original Review - March 2012
The focus here is definitely on food and there's an extensive menu from which you can choose anything from a sandwich to a three course lunch. My soup and sandwich was very good with the soup being freshly cooked and delicious. Not bad value for just over a fiver.
The outside of the building is distinctly uninspiring. A bland and modern box but there's plenty of seating outside where you can look over the Grand Union canal. Inside there's been a huge effort made to create atmosphere with an open fire, lots of wood and brick and subdued lighting. To the left is a large dining room with all the tables properly laid out while to the right is a more informal bar area where tables were also being used to eat at on our lunchtime visit.
Three beers available: Phipps IPA, St Austell Dartmoor Best and GK IPA. In good nick but a deeply uninspiring choice. With a menu and, in my experience, food as good as this surely it would make sense to offer beers of a similar quality.
A great place for lunch, especially on a sunny day, but I won't be rushing back for the beer.
Update - March 2014
The Wharf remains unchanged but does feel cleaner and sprucer and the welcome is warm and the service efficient.
Our most recent visit was on a pleasant early March Wednesday lunchtime but the fire was lit and the pub was warm with a reasonable number of customers taking advantage of the lunchtime menu as well as having a quiet beer.
The menu has been updated and is extensive with separate sections for lunchtime, sharing plates and salads as well as starters, mains and grills. It all looks very appetising and although we didn't eat this time I'd welcome an opportunity to do so. The prices vary inevitably but you'll manage lunch for between £5 and £10 with ease and mains are between £12 and £16 generally.
The biggest change is in the ale selection with four handpumps on this time offering: St. Austell Ruck and Roll, Hopping Mad Brainstorm, Nene Valley Brewery NVB and Whittlebury Golden Vale. Two of those breweries are based in Northamptonshire and Hopping Mad is just over the border in Olney Bucks. The Brainstorm was excellent and in good nick. Quite an upgrade on my previous visit and a pleasant surprise.
Having been a handy stop for good food, I now feel that The Wharf has become a destination pub in itself.
On 6th March 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Wharf
A new build pub with a very uninspiring exterior saved by it's canalside location on the Grand Union.The interior is a bit more charming with wood clad ceilings but rather too much undressed brick.Through the front doors,you are faced with the bar while to the left is a formal restaurant and a raised area while to the right there are more dining tables and chairs but also a very welcome wood burner with sofas either sideMuzak is played at an acceptable background volume.Food is the main reason for calling in,but there are a few locals who gather to drink at the bar while the friendly welcome also means that there is no problem drinking without dining.To the side of the front door is a red telephone box,just a decorative ornament.
On my lunchtime trip there was a bar menu at reasonable prices with quite a few light bite alternatives (around £5) if you dont want a main (£6-£10),and I was impressed by the cooking.Sadly the ale range failed to match up ,on my trip with three handpumps offering a bland choice while a fourth handpump was unused.
There is a pleasant canalside garden which must be a great draw in fine weather,and there are a few external dining tables for the same reason.The pub itself is below the level of the canal ,so the dining room doesnt get great views of the passing traffic.
I would use The Wharf again to eat ,gastro quality without being pretentious ,but higher marks would have been awarded if more care had been taken with the choice of ale,despite the good condition of my Phipps IPA and St Austell Dartmoor Best.
On 16th March 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
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- Official site of The Wharf - www.thewharfbugbrooke.co.uk
- Facebook page of The Wharf - www.facebook.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Wharf - whatpub.com
Long Buckby, 9.28 miles, 2 hr 59 min walk (show)
Wolverton, 15.9 miles, 5 hr 6 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 10% - last updated 21 January 2017 by ROB Camra
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 16 March 2012 by Moby Duck
