John Franklin's in Northampton

Good vibe... ideal before a show.

Had a £13 five-item antipasti board - and it's a VERY generous board! Been too long since my last visit, and will definitely keep it in mind for future visits. Thanks!

Arrived at 10:05 on a Saturday to be told they were not serving food after 10, even though the website says they serve until 11:30. Really disappointed, there are a load of people coming in after a show at the derngate and everyone was looking for food.

Whether you're out for a drink, sorting your emails, or enjoying a first date, it's the perfect place to be! Absolutely in love with it.

We chose this venue to celebrate my sons 30th Birthday, we didn't have food but we did invite about 100 people to come along and join us in our celebrations. What a night! The staff were brilliant, there was nothing that was too much trouble, Bar staff efficient, friendly kind and couldn't do enough to seet our needs. (they really did want to be there) The venue itself is cute, clean and tidy and met all our expectations. The manager did all he could to go the extra mile to ensure we enjoyed our evening. Great staff, great central venue, and an all round lovely experience. Thanks to all concerned.

Great coffee shop/bar in the evening. Came here for the pre drinks before a night out. Ended up staying here. Good selection of gins. Staff were friendly and could see this being a coffee meet up with artisan cheese and breads for lunch.

A gem, the atmosphere is relaxed and quiet. The seating is comfortable, the food is excellent, a small choice but just enough. Good selection of wine and beer. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Nice place to meet and chill and have a relaxing time

Lovely place, bit posh and a little expensive drink wise, but would definitely recommend

Great friendly helpful staff highly recommend

🤷‍♀️ pizza oven & toastie maker not working so, we were told cold platters only, Just before our (somewhat overpriced) platter was served, the machines sprang into life. There were only 6 customers at the time, 2 of whom gad already ordered the toastie before the outage. What a shame that none of the staff cared enough to just check that maybe we would like to change our order to 1st or 2nd choices but they were too busy playing on their phones I tried to politely suggest that it would have been good if someone had just given some thought to thinking about their customers and given us the chance to change to our original choices to one of the staff who literally shrugged his shoulders, said he agreed it would have been nice but there you go. Very, very disappointed

Nice place to meet up and have a drink and a bite to eat before a show at the derngate

Dreadful place, very grubby looking and toilets absolutely filthy. Food completely overpriced and underwhelming, service surly and everything too much trouble. Toasted sandwich - huge chunk of bread, hardly any filling, sausage roll served half cold when requested hot, tiny portions of cheese and meat on £9 platter. Will never return.

Very laid back and friendly service. We had a pizza and the mixed plate of the day. The pizza was excellent. The mixed plate was different to the one advertised, but several cheeses, two cooked meats, chutney and bread and cheese biscuits made a plateful. Very busy and we went early as it was a pre-theatre trip for us, so we could just walk through to the theatre.

Lovely place to visit for food and drink prior to theatre visit next door at Royal & Derngate.

Convenient for theatre but a bit expensive. I paid £7 for a bacon and brie toastie which came without much filling and no garnish.

We had drinks here before going to the Northampton Cinema. Staff friendly, reasonably priced drinks, would suggest more selection of small bites for pre events.

Visited twice now and there’s a lovely atmosphere, great wine selection and the cheese boards are amazing! Would highly recommend to anyone wanting a nice chilled evening where you can actually have a conversation with a relaxed vibe. Will continue to come back :)

Good coffee, which was all we went for that morning. Staff friendly and the place was clean. The food looks interesting, so we may return for some.

Aiming to be wine and cheese with pizza, but ruins ambience with loud 80s disco music - one or the other? Pizza bases and toppings ok, but bland as no herbs, garlic or even pepper available. Tables left dirty for an hour or so, had to ask for the next door empty one to be cleared. 2 for 1 cocktail = 1 cocktail poured between 2 glasses rather than 2 cocktails - and when mentioned, was rudely dismissed with a ridiculous statement. Cheese presented in cabinet - but little bits wrapped in cling film in a very unappetising display. Staff inattentive. Could easily be very nice, but falls totally short. Will go elsewhere in future.

John Franklin's is a fantastic little destination location, always great service and it's such a unique place, great drinks and with that something special with their food offering. A great place for a business meeting, casual catch up, or a good evening out! Not been back for a while, but still a lovely place to go, and still with a great beer selection!

Pleasant theatre bar food. Best time to visit is after the performance has started.

Went here before the theatre and it was very busy. The cheese was lovely but 3 cheeses with one cracker per cheese, grapes and no chutney felt a bit poor and not good value for money. My partners pizza was nice. If you are serving cocktails you need more staff as it is a long wait So nearly brilliant

Always go here when we go to Derngate theatre

A group of friends went for a birthday celebration and it was amazing! The food my friends ate looked and smelled amazing! The moaning and contented smiles was enough to let me know the food was GOOD! With food allergies I decided not to risk it, but I did splash out and have a cocktail or two. They were happy to slightly alter the cocktail so I didn't have chilli in it (as I have an intolerance to it). But it was so tasty! And I rarely can have cocktails so this was amazing! The cocktail I had was the Passionfruit margarita (minus the chilli) & I barely have any photos because I drank them so fast! Tart but tasty!

Really friendly bar with a great atmosphere. It's worth a visit if you're in the area!

We have walked past her so many times so we decided to pop in for a drink. We visited on a Saturday evening and it was about half full. The staff were very friendly but looked a little bored as they were on their phones. Nice small selection of drinks and a lovely looking cold ham and cheese counter, which I would like to visit again and sample. It's quite a small, intimate venue with additional street seating. Very faint background music was playing which added to the calm environment. A pint and a medium wine for £10.60 is about standard these days. Overall, quite a nice place and we will be back.

Reserved seats . Staff friendly and helpful

Nice place, first time here 6 days ago. I only had hot chocolate to drink and to get warm a bit, it was a very cold day.

Great place for parties. Good selection of cold meats and cheeses. The toasted sandwiches are lush. The pizzas looked good too.

Service was really poor, no energy and wasn’t told the seemingly available upstairs table spaces were booked until I’d paid for food so was left standing to eat a soggy wet pizza that I wouldn’t have enjoyed even if I sat down!

Lively bar, great atmosphere! We had a selection of food as part of a large group, including baked Camembert, pizza and cheese boards! Was amazing! We had been to see a show so was really handy as right nearby. It was busy though so I would recommend booking, tables can be reserved. Would definitely recommend.

Yesterday, I was graduating at the Royal & Derngate theatre and was struggling to make the day's arrangements work for my parents who are both in their 80s. The staff at John Franklin's went out of their way to help - they effectively looked after Mum and Dad for me while I raced around getting gowns and photos done. I arrived back to find two well-fed and very happy Oldies all raring to go for the Ceremony itself. Staff went out of their way to make sure that they were comfortable and it was much appreciated. Thanks!

Had a great meal there, staff were lovely, really enjoyed a family meal together

Really nice bar serving coffee, beer cocktails etc and a selection of snacky food, cheese, platters and pizzas. Great ambience and internal decor. No hand pulled beer but not a real problem. Ordered two pizzas and my Italian friend thought they were really excellent. I agree! Pricewise, pretty good value for money – perhaps more expensive than some of the other bars around town but that’s what you get for a better quality of environment and clientele. And as for service, it was a quiet Wednesday night and the staff didn’t have much on but they did a fine job.

Really cozy place right in the town centre…

Dressed to impress. John Franklin’s is A deli, cocktail bar, cafe and lounge with an outpouring of class.

Lovely lunch. Could do with better seating options. Chairs with tables at the right height for eating would be better.

We.were the only people in there.no atmosphere. One lovely waitress and one stroppy one

Style over content trying to be hipster place. Don't accept cash that's fine until the Internet fails. A bit expensive I can pay less in London for a pint of larger. Better value place's to drink in the town centre.

Decor ~ lovely, great location. Food ~ lovely after the availability issue with the special platter was kind of resolved. Staff ~ Their hostess skills need work, however they are very good at eye rolling the customer 5/5 for that! All 3 of them clearly didn't want to be there. If it wasn't for them I'd of given 4 stars. Still had a lovely time, can't let miserable staff ruin your evening!

Decor ~ lovely Food ~ lovely after the availability issue with the special platter was kind of resolved. Staff ~ Their hostess skills need work, however they are very good at eye rolling the customer 5/5 for that!

Decent pub that serves cocktails. A can highly recommend the Dark and Stormy cocktail made with rum. Oddly there is only one toilet!

went for a coffee got the bowels going

The lady behind the bar was quite rude. The glass of white wine I had tasted as though it had been opened for a while. No atmosphere, very soulless place.

Went for a drink here last Thursday on my birthday and the hostess/front of house was so rude. When she asked if we had booked a table I explained I attempted to use their online message system but I had not had a response, she made it abundantly clear she didn't believe me...why would I lie when the bar was half empty?! We stayed for one cocktail which they messed up and then left, won't be returning.

Very friendly, good food, good service. Thank you 😊

excellent food and service ! great coffee

Overpriced on Food. But very fast service though…

Such a great spot. Good selection of drinks and a nice location to watch the world go by. Not sure if food is served as we only wanted drinks this time at the tables out the front. What a sun trap, it's lovely!

Very expensive. All I remember is different cheeses

Order was wrong when brought to the table, had to chance missing items, cutlery wasn't clean so not a great experience.

Nice place, friendly staff.Would recommend a visit tho not if you are going to the theatre.It gets packed!

Ideal to go before the theatre or before seeing a movie at the Northampton filmhouse. One of the few nice bars in Northampton.

First time in the John Franklin bar excellent coffee and food looking fresh and delicious 👍

Franklin's is integrated with the Royal and Derngate Theatre building with a door directly into the reception area so ideal for pre and post performance eating and drinking. It offers a good range of drinks and an interesting deli range - you can choose the number of items you want and make up your own combinations. Good cakes and comfortable seating.

I have enjoyed this place previously in the past during the day, but the New Year’s Eve visit was the worst ever! Don’t go here unless you feel like putting up with bad- tempered staff and inexperienced servers who act as if they are doing you a favour not interested in working to provide a nice experience ... cheese and drinks were overpriced and not worth the money. It is sad, because but no one needs more rudeness! Very unprofessional all around. We we there New Year’s Eve and won’t be back soon!

Pleasant interior and offers interesting variety of food to the usual bar drinks selection. Convenient for theatre as in Northampton's Cultural Quarter

Over priced and empty. The waiters are not up to par and did not care for our needs. I won't be going back in a hurry

I visited before the show had a light meal and drinks. Lovely place.

Very nice location. Beautifully refurbished with nice choices of draft lagers, beers, wines, bar snacks, etc. Not sure if the bar made was not used to pulling beers or the taps arent well kept but the beers were quite 'lively' and had a slightly watered down flavour, which was disappointing as there has clearly been a huge investment in the environment.

John Franklins is one of my favorite places to visit in Northampton. However on 02.11.19, in the evening we ordered a cheese board. Usually these are well presented but on this occasion there waa hardly any cheese, the brie was in scrapes, there was a end slice bread and about 4 crackers. I ask for a bigger slice of cheese, l should have taken the whole cheese board back.

Always good service here and coffee and red velvet cake is yummy

Good coffee, good cake... winner all round 👍

Had lunch here with a work colleague, nice setting and lovely selection of cheeses,we both had toasted sandwiches, seemed a bit overpriced as no accompaniment with it.

It’s that good, I am writing this whilst still here! The food platters are to die for, you can pick what you want on them and there was so much on it, we were beaten! Excellent value for money, excellent service and the wine menu, although small, is excellent quality. I don’t think I have had a food platter ever that can beat this place for quality and value for money! Thankyou!

Lovely quiet drink and cheeseboard before going into the Eroll Flynn cinema. Only only complaint . Arrived about 5.40pm and every table had reserved, and name for 6.30pm. Numerous people came in and left because there were no tables available. We left at 7.00pm and not one of those reserved tables had people at them. Surely this cant be acceptable , you probably lost so much trade.

Love this place, good drinks great food. Pick the right time and you’ll grab yourself a table and really enjoy

This place is ideal for a pre-theatre snack as the cheese board and other light bites were good value. Access straight into the foyer, wide selection of drinks and a nicer place to wait than the main theatre.

Had the august special,cheese board and wine! Had a choice of 3 wines,and could pick 7 items from the deli counter,taste was g8t,defo enough for 2.Service was good,had an enjoyable relaxed evening.Would recommend.

Great place and Owen & co were brillant

Fabulous had the cheese platter. Lovely decor and excellent service. Recommended

Yum yum slurp slurp. What more do I need to say 😆

Nice quiet corner for a glass of beer and a chat with an old friend. Very friendly staff, good service, nice beer (and wine for my friend). Definitely glad I tried it will definitely go there again! May even have a bite to eat next time. Enjoy, Christiaan 👍🙂👌

What a great find, as we wanted a drink before going to a show at the Derngate. Fabulous surroundings, friendly and efficient staff and great drinks. The latte tasted great and there was a selection of gins to choose from and new brands being introduced. Rhubarb and apple was the selected gin tonight served with dried apples - tasted fabulous. The seats were really comfortable, and a choice of comfy sofas or tall stools. Food can also be purchased - lovely fresh bread with olives or cheese. Definitely worth a visit.

Love the simple menu, good coffee and mocktails and alcohol of course

Like this place, will defo be visiting again.

Great venue for a business meeting. Friendly staff and great coffee.

Nice atmosphere, great decor, food excellent

Nice quiet bar in Northampton town centre. Visited with my wife and daughter . We had food from the counter which was plentiful and good quality - nice selection of beers definitely worth a visit

The location and setting is perfect, the cheese board was delicious and gin the selection was just good. Unfortunately the service really lets it down. The 3 girls were on their phones when we arrived and didn't manage to smile or engage with us at all during our time there. Such a shame for a great place to be let down by the people who work there.

Wheelchair accessible, low lights which will help with sensory sensitivity. Good tea but need better choice of dessert and allergy warnings.

Lovely bar. Quiet enough to have a chat. I also recommend the warm salted caramel vodka and apple juice, tastes just like apple pie!!😋

We have been here before mainly for a drink before the theatre. The cheese and meat platters have always looked good so we decided to order on. There is a wide selection of cheeses and salamis and you can make your own selection The food was excellent. It came on a wooden platter with bread biscuits butter pickle and grapes. We were told we could have more bread if required and they provided 6 think cut slices of different breads. It certainly filled us up and left delicious tastes in our mouths. We did have large glass of wine to accompany the food and it was all very good.The place is not very big and it does get packed before a show starts so I recommend you get there early if you want a table. However the atmosphere is very good and it is no hardship to linger over the wine

Lovely friendly atmosphere with yummy cake and cheese platters. Good choice of wine beers and cocktails.

Thank you John Franklin’s. Great evening before and after the theatre. A group of us shared two 7 item cheese/meat boards and as we couldn’t manage it all before the performance, staff kindly put it in the fridge and reserved a table for us to return after the show. Excellent service, only negative is that some wanted a hot drink when we returned, this wasn’t possible as the machine had been switched off, but it’s a bar, a G&T was an alternative! We’ll be back, thank you!

Can be accessed via the theatre complex. We stopped for lunch which we saw being freshly prepared. Lovely choice of cheeses for a platter as well as hearty toasting. Coffee was delicious and all served with a friendly smile.

Dropped in for Cheese and drinks on a late Saturday afternoon. Gorgeous wine and cheese and super selection of Gins too. Lovely staff, who were helpful and friendly all topped off in a relaxed and beautifully decorated bar/eatery... have been many times and this review is consistent with every visit... needless to say we'll be returning.

Lovely atmosphere as always. Great staff.

Nice enough place, but really needs a staff transplant. No warm welcome to be had here, I'm afraid. Shame as it could be quite good.

Popped in for a drink after xmas shopping. Fab chilled atmosphere & cosy sofas to relax for a minute on after the craziness of N'ton town shops! Staff were very lovely. We will be back 😊

Full of character and great for getting together for a drink and a chat.

Great location and the mixed cheese board is fantastic.

Pleasant atmosphere good coffee have not eaten here

Perfect stop off before or after events at the Derngate or Errol Flynn

The cocktails are excellent, the atmosphere is perfect if you want to be able to talk but still have a good buzz and the cheese board is another level of amazing! I’m still thinking about it the next day!

Stopped here after a visit to Errol Flynn Filmhouse for cheese and wine. Great selection of cheese accompanied by bread, crackers, chutney and grapes. The waitress even offered us extra crackers and bread if we wanted. Definitely be back.

Comfortable, smart café that doesn't rush you and is linked through into the Royal & Derngate theatre.

Visited last night for a relaxed start to the evening. Great food, friendly staff. A good selection of meats and cheeses. I would recommend visiting when it is not too busy, as it is a smallish venue with a small bar. That said I was extremely impressed and will visit again.

Really nice bar, staff are welcoming and friendly, a good choice of wine beers and spirits, you can stand or sit and enjoy a conversation with friends here