Montagu Arms in East Northamptonshire

EDIT May 25 The place is under new management, things haven’t improved much. Unfortunately the menu is a bit dated, prawn cocktail, scampi, ham egg chips etc. it’s like a bang average garden centre menu. It’s currently 23 degrees outside and there is soup on the menu, surely this should be seasonal? One thing, the chips are fantastic, chunky & crispy very good! However the burger was overcooked and dry. The staff are all or mostly new, some lack hospitality experience but hopefully just teething problems. The main thing is the menu needs to change with the seasons, I want lighter snacks maybe some bread & olives etc it’s almost summer 2025! I will revisit for drinks, but I’m not spending money on this food. EDIT: This is still a good pub, with a nice atmosphere. Unfortunately the food has been lacking the last few visits. The roast dinner is fairly basic and the Sunday menu really lacks imagination. I recommend for drinks, but there is a lot better food for the same price at other similar locations. FIRST EDIT: Nice country pub with attentive/friendly staff, good range of drinks. The food isn't bad, average to high pricing for the type of venue and location. Overall a nice experience the few times I've visited 👍

My friend had a really nice Sunday lunch yesterday staff were attentive.

We came with my parents to celebrate my Mum's 85th Birthday! Good food and the service was also good as I think the girls are now more trained up. The food wait was not too long and we had a really lovely time!

The food was poorly prepared,The new ownership is a poor replacement.

We arrived early for a 1pm table. We ordered drinks to drink in the garden. I asked if I could open a tab? The response was no. So I had to pay drinks at that point. I had told the barman that I had booked a table. We waited in the garden until 1 o’clock. No one came to tell me that my table was ready. So I went into the bar to find out if my table was ready? We were shown our table. We waited 45 minutes for our first course. I considered that too long to wait! The food was really nice and tasty. So over all a very nice friendly pub but the service was slow.

This was unfortunately disappointing. We met family half way here & at first were impressed by the venue. Unfortunately the service was extremely slow, I think only sped up because they overheard us talking about it. One waitress in training, brought desert over & said “sorry I don’t know what it is” . Food was generally nice except the risotto was awful & hake was a tiny portion. Deserts were lovely. A real shame the service was so slow as this really let us down.

Went here with family. Waited well over an hour for our food, which when did come was wrong!! Myself & daughter ordered the Katsu Burger we got the Katsu curry with rice!!! They took it back and we thought we would have to wait even longer while the rest of our family got their food. But oh no the burgers came out very quickly only to find they had scraped the rice off the chicken from the curry cut it in half,stuck it in the burger and brought it back!!!! Disgraceful!!!! Hence we never paid for any of it. Would not eat here again.

Only nipped in for a drink,but we was so impressed so going to book to eat very soon 😋

Good food, attentive staff & a playground for the kiddos in the garden in the lovely village of Barnwell. What's not to love?

Slightly long wait for the order to come but it is all cooked fresh and was superb. Need to book on a Sunday lunchtime.

Took an hour an hour for food to arrive with with waiting and no service saying sorry

Waiting staff seemed totally uninterested in serving anyone. Waited over an hour for dinner, identical dishes had no mash or vegetables on, eventually it turned up separately in dishes. Asked for the sweet menu, never came. In the end we left very disappointed. This was a birthday dinner for my parents 80th. We won't be back.

Nice village pub with decent food

Setting and decor is lovely but the place is let down by the food and the service. Poor quality of food Starter - pate no better than being scoped out of a tub and covered with 4 pieces of toast no additional condiments. Could have got nicer from a local supermarket. Main - Beef bourguignon was served with mash that could have been packet mash potatoes with half a block of butter thrown in and the beef itself pretty tasteless. Dessert - orange and cinnamon tart with ice cream tasted bland. Bar staff were great and polite. Serving staff lacked.

We had a warm welcome here despite changing our booking. Good beer and good food.

Fantastic tucked away treasure of a place ✨️ staff all super helpful, food was great and has something for everyone with a pool table, table top football and a play area 👌

Food was great and the 3 course deal was very good value. Friendly staff and really nice surroundings.

Sat in the bar area which has a pleasant, traditional feel. The food is good and comes in generous portions at a reasonable price. Good service.

Sunday lunch on a sunny day in the garden was perfect. Consistently great food.

Iovely inn serving great food ,good service and reasonably priced

Go. Its great. The village, pub, its parking, its gardens, the loos, the menu, the Barnwell bitter....all just great!

Extreme thanks go out to Nathan, Ian and all the team at the Montague Arms for giving us the best family get together for my wife’s birthday. Twenty seven of us, food was fabulous and hot, drinks were a plenty and the service was absolutely exceptional. Can’t thank you all enough and we will be back again for our next big family get together.

Fantastic food options with a good ‘specials’ offering. Warm, friendly bar staff - always service with a smile! Relaxed welcoming atmosphere- particularly weekends! Traditional food options to cater for various tastes including GF . Great atmosphere!

I took some friends here for dinner one evening, as it came highly recommended to me. The service was friendly and polite, the place itself is a mixture of both old and new, with the original parts of the building being 17th or 18th century architecture and the restaurant itself being a newer building. Food was served in good time and at a good temperature… extremely tasty and well presented… very good for the price. Would definitely come here again, although, maybe earlier in the evening than on this occasion.

This is a traditional pub in a beautiful village. We received a very warm welcome & the service was efficient with no wait to be served. Outside is a lovely pub garden with a good play area for children, camping field & large car park. A pleasant place to have a drink & some lunch. The food is exceptional! I had the Monty Burger which had a generous two burgers & tasted delicious! Always a good atmosphere even on a Thursday night, which was when we visited most recently. Highly recommended.

We absolutely love the Monty Arms. It has a play area next to the beer garden which keeps the children entertained. Food is excellent and there is a decent range of beers to choose from. Definitely worth a trip (or many!)

Great food, local ales, and a fantastic location. Staff friendly and helpful. Little playground for the kids, too.

Lovely location. A really good experience. Lots of parking. Great service. The food was lovely. Nice table with plenty of room. Wheel chair friendly. Recommend the whole menu.

A massive thank you to Ian and his team for providing space for 50 of us on Saturday to celebrate the life of my Dad who sadly passed away recently. The staff were excellent, and the food and drinks were delicious. Guests arrived from all over the world to this event, and everyone was full of compliments for the location, facilities and friendly atmosphere of The Montagu Arms in Barnwell. Thanks again, you made the day special.

Many thanks to Ian and the team for excellent food and service to celebrate the life of a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, cousin and friend. Our Bob. We could not have asked for more

Very busy Saturday evening. England football and the pub was full inside and out. But the service was fast and the food fast and tasty. Well done. I'll be back!!!!!

Lovely pub, ambiance and food. Service great and good to see tables cleared quickly too. Seems rare in many places these days, thank you.

We booked the restaurant and a buffet for my birthday last weekend. Ian was so helpful in organising the food as we have friends and relatives who are vegan, vegetarian, gf vegetarian etc!! However everything was organised to perfection and there was so much yummy food!! The atmosphere was lovely, as were the staff, no problems at all , it was all so relaxed and pleasant and I would definitely recommend this as a lovely place for large gatherings . The gardens are lovely and available for my guests to go outside if they wanted to. The price was very reasonable for a savoury and puddings buffet for 32 people . Thank you Ian and all your staff, a very professional job and I had a great time!!

An amazing place to have good dinner and excellent service

Food too expensive for what it is. Small portion sizes and poor quality/cold on arrival. Such a shame as venue is so beautiful.

FINALLY!! A restaurant that has got the pate to toast ratio correct. This alone is worthy of a 5* review. Originally popped in last night for a pint, which turned into 2, which turned into - well you know how it goes. Decided to stay for a meal and are very glad that we did. Starters were duck, pate and prawns followed by three burgers. What we didn't eat was put in a takeaway box as well which was great! No complaints whatsoever from either my wife or daughter - a rarity I can tell you ;-) Hats off to all the staff! Will definitely be popping back in the near future and recommending to anyone that will listen. 10/10

Very friendly pub with good food!

Nice meal and staff attentive. Lovely setting

Had lunch, meal wasn't bad, portions a bit stingy. Service wasn't the best.

Really lovely food and great staff thank you ❤️

Food was amazing, great old country pub feel.

Good atmosphere. Well prepared and tasty food. Pleasant staff. Selection of beers including Timothy Taylor, what’s not to like Well worth a visit - I’ll certainly be back 😁

I was very disappointed with the roast lamb dinner today. I was unable to cut the meat it was so tough and stringy. The meal overall was tasteless very disappointing The staff and atmosphere was very good but the food was a let down. The meat was left on my plate when collected by waitress and I explained that the meat was inedible but nothing was said. I did not make too much fuss as my grandson booked this for me as a surprise for Mother’s Day.

Was staying near by and its the 1st time I've called in and definitely won't be the last the food was amazing, and you definitely pay for quality it was so fresh crispy Lettuce and the beef burger was freshly cooked the chips was crispy on the out side and fluffy on the inside the service was quick and friendly staff was lovely the pud was busy with everyone was friendly and it was a grate pint I definitely recommend this place

Excellent food and real ales from local and regional breweries. We all went for the fish and chips.

Crowded, and I think our fish had been sat under a heat lamp for a considerable time. Dry and tough. Disappointing. The pub was very busy and is obviously popular so I think we must have got them on an off day....

Really lovely meal in the restaurant between Christmas and New year. Everything was perfect

Great place, great food, great atmosphere.

Lovely pub. Kids and dogs friends, seating outside, reasonably prices.

The pub was fine but the food was not good standard for the price. Pie ok, "smash" for potatoes, and overcooked peas for £15.50. The fish pie was ready meal standard

Great first pub for us, Meals were a good size, and the atmosphere was great. Good prices

Quaint place. Perfect to bring friends and enjoy some drinks and pudding.

Chilly in outdoors eating area. Food good.

Fantastic place, food was amazing, very friendly would certainly recommend.

Only been there the one time and would go back again nice food friendly staff.

Fabulous food. Greek style Koftas,must go again very soon.

Good old pub. Nice visit beer really nice

First ever visit and what can I say absolutely stunning food service 100%

Good food and staff. One thing we left the restaurant about 10pm and the car park was completely black,think you need to put your lights on , couldn't see where we were walking.

Met up with some friends for an evening meal. Lovely and clean interior and exterior. It was raining but could see a nice beer garden, plenty of seating, well looked after, some areas covered against the weather. The staff were friendly, the menu was pretty good, not big but sufficient choices for each course. It was busy, but we were still well looked after, not rushed or forgotten. A very good ambience, in fact we were the last to leave, as they have a bar area, you are not rushed to leave from the eating area. Would highly recommend 👌

A lovely village pub... excellent food at very reasonable prices. Great play area for the kids is a bonus

Good atmosphere. Really enjoyed the Camembert. Would recommend and return.

Came in on a Friday night with a fairly large party and it seemed to be fairly packed. Plenty of seating outside and the inside looks like it would be a pleasant place to have a pint on rainy or cold day. There was an almost constant crush at the bar to order but staff was attentive and food was flowing from the kitchen fairly quickly. Food was okay. Nothing special but not bad either. All around safe bet for a pub.

Wonderful pub. Food always well prepared and presented. Very tasty dishes. Staff very pleasant and helpful. So good to se a pub doing well

Nice beer garden just had drinks passing on a hot day. The food that was being served looked nice fish and chips etc good portions. Small play area and lots of parking.

Excellent old village pub in great setting. Great selection of food and drink.

Lovely out of the way pub Great food Good prices Large outside sitting and play area

Love the Monty Arms, great pub for both drinkers and eaters. Food is always great and service is brilliant too. 100% recommend!

Superb pub, really nice food and welcoming staff. I definitely recommend going here.

A nice mix of traditional pub and a more modern restaurant experience. Friendly staff a nice range of drinks, nice food and a large outdoor beer garden.

Excellent food and great atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

It was pretty good, although we were initially overcharged on a Wednesday evening when there was supposed to be a discount.

This pub is situated in the beautiful village of Barnwell, just off the main A605 road. We visited a week or so ago and had an excellent Sunday roast dinner, no complaints. Lovely garden to the rear and the pub is perfectly located for people walking the Nene way path. Parking is to the rear of the pub. A very oldy worldy type pub that serves good food.

Went for Sunday lunch, food was very very good, service was excellent and the beer bloody perfect, what's not to like. The quintessential english village pub, so rare and hardcto find these days.

Cute pub, good food. Excellent service

Recommended by a previous visitor, despite being a large party with another arriving shortly after us the food was delicious, served well, and in good time on hot plates by friendly staff. The variety and choice of menu dishes was good. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience

We had a delicious meal here yesterday celebrating my sister turning 40. The food and service was quick and efficient. Everyone enjoyed the food in this welcoming cosy pub. I will be definitely returning. Thank you all

Called in for just a drink on a busy Friday evening and ended up having a meal.. Service was good and the food quality was really good .. Six of us food and drinks came to about £130 which seemed good value .. I Had the sea bass with was really good and one of our party had the burger which looked really good ..Will definitely return..

Lovely Sunday Lunch here excellent food. It's been a number of years since this was our favourite pub and now we have been back, with the changes made, we are looking forward to returning here a lot more in the future

lovely old pub in a beautiful village, great staff and good beers and wine

A really lovely meal to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. Thankyou

Super meal, lovely surroundings, attentive staff. What more could you want? Nothing bad to say. Very reasonably priced too! The white chocolate crème brûlée was so amazing I took one home for my daughter. (I’ll pop the ramekin back soon and book in for lunch again 😉). Highly recommend. 👍🏼

Good food, service was a little slow but a good overall meal.

Food was lovely and service was great well worth 5 stars

Really nice food, busy pub, recommend booking

Had a lovely lunch . The staff were lovely and very helpful.

Great atmosphere would highly recommend...

Beautiful surroundings and lovely meal. Highly recommend!

A lovely country pub located in the picturesque village of Barnwell. Only popped in for a pint but will certainly sample the food menu in the near future. Several real ales on usually with one or two from the local Digfield Brewery as they are also located in Barnwell. Nice decor inside and attentive staff, worth a visit.

Wonderful food, all beautifully cooked and sticky toffee pudding was to die for! Plenty of people in the restaurant (especially for a Monday night) so there was a satisfying buzz around and it was a perfect place to catch up with a friend.

We had a very good Sunday lunch here. The food was lovely. Being popular, the dining room was full and busy, and was really quite loud when we first arrived. Fortunately, it quietened down after a few tables emptied and we were then able to have a conversation and hear each other. The service wasn't quite as good as the food.

If you’re not a regular, you’re not welcome. No customer service, repeatedly ignored, the food was cold and really poor quality. Very disappointed, won’t be returning. There are much better pubs in the surrounding areas.

Great night at the Billingsgate Fish night. Food 5*, staff 5*, setting 5*, will be back thank you😊

Book a table. They put us in the bar where we couldn't eat our food without other people bumping into us. No one came to take our order so we had to push our way to the bar. Then 40 mins later the food came out cold. Way over priced for the portion size. Ended up going to another restaurant for a second meal. Would not recommend this pub. Full of rough and load farmer.

Beautiful bar setting and delightful staff

Reasonable if restricted lunch menu but certainly not cheap

A lovely old pub and restaurant, with good food. An added bonus is that it is dog friendly.

Can't fault the atmosphere, the service, or the food. Another visit today, 12 of us and still just as good.

Excellent service, good lunch menu plus daily specials, clean, uncluttered and lots of seating options. Nice location.

Good service good food and 3 course for £20 on a Wednesday goid deal