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The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon), Market Harborough
Market Harborough
LE16 7NJ
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
Long rectangular bar with a lowish ceiling at the front but a higher extension further back. Booths along one side, and the raised beer garden to one side also has a covered row. On this first revisit for 13 years, the implausibly large number of handpumps (14) were offering the standard Greene King IPA, Doom Bar and Abbot plus Salopian's As One Door Closes, a couple of local Grainstore beers - Tupping and Ten Fifty (£2.66) - and the Cucumelon Sour from Adnams (which obviously wasn't selling quickly as it was discounted as a Manager's Special).
On 23rd October 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8928 recommendations about 8928 pubs]
Moby Duck left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
Actually one of the better looking Spoons I've visited over the years, a nice exterior and a longish slightly curving interior of three areas not in the usual canteen style. of course the usual suspect beers were present along with four or five guests of mostly local origin, I went for Grainstore Tupping which was fine, NBSS 3.
Unlike most Spoons I would probably call in again if back in town, which is not that probable.
On 20th October 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2232 recommendations about 2198 pubs]
Quinno _ left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
Attractive looking exterior containing a fairly bijou JDW within, three areas stacked one behind the other. Some nice dark wooden features including an ecclesiastical box, bar upper and set of booths. Four guests listed though the Jaipur was off. Leeds Midnight Bell was a tidy substitute (NBSS 3.5) and justified the GBG listing.
On 4th September 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5754 recommendations about 5735 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
An attractive looking Wetherspoon’s pub located on the main road through the town centre, it’s quite a long and deep building and although all one open plan room is logically divided in to three separate areas, one behind the other. Service seemed quick and efficient, not only at the bar but also with regard to clearing tables and so on which makes a pleasant change from some of their other establishments that I have been in recently.
The large bar counter is in the middle section and this was made from dark wood with some carving and spindles etc., as well as a few old sepia tinged pictures of the locale set in to the woodwork above. Opposite this was a row of booths also made from dark wood with an etched circular glass panel between each booth depicted various fruits such as bananas or pineapple. These provided segregated seating for small groups of four or six and seemed to be the most popular part of the pub with spaces here quickly grabbed as soon as they became available. Décor wise it was otherwise pretty much the usual JDW formula although with a reasonably attractive arched roof in the central part, although the air conditioning ducting that had been installed here detracted from the affect somewhat. At least it had all been painted green to blend in with the ceiling as much as possible. The front part of the pub also had some elegant wood panelling on the walls and some areas of exposed brickwork.
Beers on tap were Slaters Top Totty, Phoenix Wobbly Bob, Ringwood Forty Niner, Greene King IPA, Abbott Ale, Doom Bar and Anti Hipster. Ciders meanwhile were well represented with Grainstore Lady in Pink, Magners, Strongbow, Strongbow Dark Fruit and Thatcher’s Gold, the latter of which seemed slightly past it’s best. Perhaps it doesn’t travel too well. Prices seemed very reasonable with a pint of the Thatcher’s and a glass of wine coming in at £5.25, compared with £7.80 just for a glass of wine a few doors away, albeit that was a larger glass. All in all, whilst I’m not a massive fan of Wetherspoon’s, this does seem to be one of their better outlets.
On 14th August 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2098 recommendations about 1997 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
From the outside this looks like a small Spoons but there is a wider front area then the bar is on the left and some booths are on the right. Further on again there is an open plan room that was more or less empty on my Wednesday morning visit. It has a bonus point that the toilets don't involve stairs. I thought it was fairly large for a town the size of Market Harborough and it seemed to be doing a good trade, mainly breakfasts.
The bar has two sets of hand pumps, six at the front with the interesting stuff and eight at the back with the IPA variant on the JDW Trio of Doom doubled up and a couple of ciders.
The interesting stuff was Springhead Sweet Lips & Willy's Wheatbeer, Wychwood (Brakspear) Oxford Gold, Oakham Inferno, Caledonian Ithaca Nut Brown and Lymestone Stonefish Mild. I had time to try the Inferno and the Wheat Beer (£2.39) both of which were in top condition.
I thought this was a good Spoons well above the normal standard.
On 30th May 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
The Sugar Loaf is an attractive building on Market Harborough's High Street. It takes a good look to work out that it's a 'spoons.
Once inside there's no doubting the pub's provenance although, aside from the ludicrous exposed framework and ducting at the back, it is one of the better appointed 'spoons I've visited.
On our Sunday lunchtime visit the pub was very busy with people restoring the tissues after the local remembrance parade to the point where the wait for food was up to an hour at one stage. Despite this, the bar staff worked on stoically and although there was something of a wait for a drink, it was delivered efficiently and with a smile.
Beers on were the usual Abbot and Ruddles Best alongside Everards Tiger Triple Gold, Maxim The Simcoe Kid, Tonya Cornett OG IPA and Hook Norton Chinook Gold. A couple of those were festival ales and, for a relatively small outlet in a small town, that isn't a bad selection and all that we tried was in decent shape.
Surprisingly, given the number of town centre boozers it boasts, Market Harborough isn't a great town for real ale and, of those I've visited, The Sugar Loaf is the best by some way.
On 12th November 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 691 recommendations about 690 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Sugar Loaf (JD Wetherspoon)
A small shop conversion 'spoons but always very popular the bar is at the rear where a two story building has been opened out but no prizes for the interior designer,just maroon ducting and supporting cross bar dominate the upper part.There are six handpumps with just two regular in Ruddles Bitter and GK Abbott and four festival ales in reasonable shape on my visit.The Sunday lunchtime meal deal was proving a big hit with pensioners and mobility scooter drivers,and although it is the usual 'spoons offering given the lack of decent real ale houses in the town centre,this by default is probably the best bet if you like real ale.
On 10th November 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3041 recommendations about 3041 pubs]