The Sun Inn in Northampton

A superb evening with amazing food & drink. Lovely atmosphere, no rush. Just a lovely experience full stop. We were served by Chantelle who clearly loves her job, an incredibly engaging person who puts her guests at the heart of everything she does. A huge call-out goes out to the "unsung heroes" in the Kitchen for preparing & serving some outstanding food. Well worth the visit, & I will most certainly be back Many thanks to all the team at the Sun Inn, Hardingstone

Tl;Dr - Delightful village pub with terrific food at a very reasonable price for the quality. Parking is challenging, if an on-street walk of 2 minutes is 'excessive'. Arriving on a weekday evening (18:45~), it was easy to park directly outside the pub, and no reservation was needed. After umming and arring, I went for the Steak and Ale pie, with garlic mushrooms & pork crackling for a side. The whole menu shouts: 'Good food, good flavours'. I wasn't disappointed. I'm no pie guru, but I've had my fair share of pie & mash over the years. Genuinely, this might be one of the best standalone pie & mash dishes I've ever had. Let's start with the Steak and Ale pie: Perfectly cooked, golden brown shortcrust pastry with a deep filling of rich, quality, tender steak pieces and a hearty ale (no grisly or fatty offcuts here). Nestled on top on a herby, incredibly well seasoned, creamy mash with the perfect 'stiff peak' texture and the seldom (small) lump that lets you know it's been balanced and mashed by a real person. Supported by 'just over' al dente seasonal veg and a rich, savoury gravy (no awkward 'more gravy please' requests needed) that complements the pie filling well. Why more people don't deliver herby mash is a question I've never really considered before! But it's a real reminder on how simple additions can elevate a side to so much more than the sum of its parts. The seasoning of the whole dish was absolutely spot on, as was the portion size. The overall combination of flavours worked incredibly well, the richness of the pie filling was perfectly balanced by the relative 'sweetness' of the greens, and the gravy was the perfect taste, 'depth', and consistency (not watery, nice and 'meaty', with no skin). I don't feel I can really do it justice here. The dish was terrific, truly satisfying! The garlic mushrooms were terrific, with a perfect 'bite' texture (without being undercooked). The mixture of different (wild) mushroom types, supported by rough cut garlic and a smattering of herbs created a deep earthy flavour that really complemented the main dish. The garlic isn't overpowering, but I wouldn't be getting intimate with any vampires shortly after eating; the rough cut (very small pieces) pack an excellent punch! A great accompaniment to the steak and ale pie, and greens, without overwhelming the dish. Finally, the pork crackling. Fresh, 'hot', crispy, and crunchy, with the characteristically uniform thin layer of fat that still 'melts' a bit when you bite into a fresh piece. Cut into satisfying 'strips', they might well have been the best post-meal 'savoury snack' I've come across, but I personally would have like a bit more sea salt flakes on them. That said, I feel like I'm really picking hairs at this point (not literally in this case). Service was terrific, quick, and attentive. In summary, I was recommended to come here by a local friend, and I'm glad they did. I hope I have the chance to come back, and I'll be sure to recommend it to anyone else in the meantime. 9.5/10, a great meal experience. Some might say it's expensive, but having spent my fair share of time in pubs next to Premier Inns, I'd pay the extra £4-5 quid for a pie and mash here any day of the week. It's absolutely worth it!

Food was appreciably very good. On street parking. Atmosphere was nice and private when we visited and neat also . I thoroughly enjoyed my desert. Apart from not having some food that was on thier menu every thing was smooth.

Called in for lunch while out walking. Nice interior, country village pub feel and relaxing. We both had the lunch special menu ,cheese burgers with skin on fries ,salad and slaw.great burger very tasty and filling,the sticky toffee pudding was massive and I'm a big eater.At £19 for two courses not the cheapest but definitely felt full afterwards and had good service from our waitress throughout .Will use when in the area again for sure.

Great pub. Spectacular food, albeit a bit pricey. Hidden gem, as the place doesn't look too big from the street, but it's a classy English pub inside. Loads of seating and nice staff too. Well worth a visit

An excellent pub with a really friendly vibe and atmosphere. We have been using the Sun Pub quite a bit over the last few months and every time the experience is superb. The staff are attentive knowledgeable and understand the offering really well and always take good care of you.the pub itself is warm, inviting and the decor is absolutely superb Quintessential English country pub! They also have a fantastic beer garden and outdoor space including a really beautiful private dining space which we will hopefully get to use this year . Overall , highly recommended . You will not be disappointed with your experience at the Sun Inn, Hardingstone.

Lovely evening spent in the Sun Inn with friends this evening. We were served by Molly who was very helpful and considering she was new to the roll she was very confident. Anything she didn’t know she soon found out. Meals were served quickly and were very hot. Good warm atmosphere.

Visiting friends for a Christmas get together and the quizmaster convinced us to take part in the quiz. The quiz was great and like no other pub quiz we have done, it was clear much thought and time had gone in to it. The staff served drinks to our table all evening and gave us great attention too. We did not eat as we weren’t planning on staying as late as we eventually did: Overall we thought a lovely pub was extremely well run with hardworking and attentive staff but on this occasion the tongue in cheek, slightly offensive humour that came alongside a well delivered and cleverly thought out quiz really made it a night to remember. Thank you

Good food, nice atmosphere, service was a little slow.

We were recommended this place by friends from Northampton as we were meeting friends from Coventry and we are Dunstable so kinda in the middle....it's a gem of a find, we booked for 5 and a nervous doggie, they gave us the perfect table away from the main pub area and we loved it and so did our dog! Food was good, I have horrendous dietary requirements but they followed my order exactly which is rare for me to get, (be lovely if there was a pineapple with the gammon and a jacket potato option😜 instead of chips and egg! )staff were friendly. We will definitely go back and if you want a quiet table, table 8 was great! Thank you Sun Inn we'll see you again!

50th Birthday Party in the Barn, great staff, nice atmosphere and will go again! Nice location in a village too!

We had a lovely meal at The Sun Inn, the food was great and the service was excellent.

Nice village pub with good service but the food is average and well overpriced for the location

Wonderful cosy pub, a little on the expensive side maybe - and a bit tricky to find parking. Overall though, well worth it!

Realy great food ,welcoming staff. Lovely pub atmosphere. A good varied menu. Definately recommend.

Good food, nice atmosphere, cozy and and excellent selection of drinks. Brilliant service too.

Parking very poor in the village. The pub does not have any parking.

Works Christmas party.Hired the barn .Food was excellent Service was great and everyone friendly .We all had a brilliant time.Thank you.

Fab find, and really happy about that as I'm only a stone's throw away. Cosy and welcoming with the open fire, christmas twinkle lights and candles. Food was delicious and good value as we used the lunch specials menu. Waiting staff were friendly and chatty, I'll be going back again very soon.

Fantastic roast experience. Booked a table for 9 and a dog. Service was quick and attentive. The food was lovely, served quickly and all together. Really couldn't fault it!

Lovely local public house, food is good excellent service, place for the children too play, very nice atmosphere, parking is an issue, you need to find parking for yourself

Go to location with the dog. Great selection for food and drinks, good outdoor space and everyone who works there is super friendly!

Thought this was a fantastic venue. We were a large party placed in the function room and were well looked after. Great food and service.

Recommended The Sun Inn yesterday and definitely was not disappointed. Early lunch with my grandaughter, who is at the Uni and lovely treat for her as she didn’t know her Dad was a surprise visitor too. From the moment we walked in we were made to feel very welcome. The food was excellent but the service, outstanding. We will definitely be going back to the pub when in Northampton. Thank you again 😊

Many thanks to all the staff who looked after us so well last Sunday week. We had a large family get-together, 23 adults and 2 toddlers, from all parts of the UK. We had a really good time, the food was lovely and the service was excellent.

£17 for 2 pints and and 3 packets of crisps - never again - nice pub but RIP OFF prices - McManus you should be ashamed of yourselves charging these prices - and food prices are also extortionate for very mediocre food

I recommend everyone to visit this cafe!

Very nice pub, clean, tidy and friendly staff, plenty of space, lovely outside area and small but nice function room x

Had a 40th birthday party, service was really good. We had the function room on the side Minor hiccup with couple of meals being later out but not worth moaning about. I had risotto but got food envy when I saw the other meals, good portions for price. Seating area outside and play area for children. Parking is hit and miss as street parking only but normally get a space with a short walk. Thoroughly recommend 😊

Everything about this pub lunch was perfect. Welcoming staff, lovely ambience and great food. Will definitely be going back again.

Busy but meal came in good time and was very good Nice setting and garden Staff very fendly and helpful

Had a fantastic meal and drinks with friends food was brilliant will definitely be returning

I hired the barn for a private party for 60 guests. We decided on a hog roast with the sides and it was delicious. All the staff were amazing and worked very hard to make sure I had the best evening. We have had numerous Sunday roasts at the Sun and never had a bad meal or service.

Poor . Sunday roast. Cold food. Look like it had been left under a heater. Dry, and gravy congeled Shame because its a nice pub. And the outside seeting is nice

Excellent service and good food

Quality food with a quaint pub/restaurant feel. Friendly team. Not had a bad meal there in over 4 years.

Really lovely food. Excellent service, a great selection of beers & drinks and an absolutely fantastic manager.

Service was cheerful and polite. Main course was good value but desert very disappointing

Really nice place to relax on a Sunday with a big smoking area at the back and excellent service and food

Edited review - Came back for a second try and had the Tomahawk pork - super improvement in the food very happy about it. Good work team --------------------- Came here for my Christmas party. There is access but there are steps that could be a challenge with a wheelchair, however because it was dark couldn't spot an additional entrance. They do have a huge garden out back for kids. The ambience of the restaurant is welcoming. As a pub they had a good selection of drinks available. So why the low score? The starters were not the best reflection of cuisine. The buffalo wings feel like they were over baked and that crunchy texture you would expect was missing. There was no orange buffalo sauce or blue cheese dip served with it. Super disappointed with the home made hummus, tasted of olive oil... And that's it no lemon no tahini no flavour just olive oil spread. The flatbread was rubbery, like stale bread put through a toaster it not long enough to solidify or it was microwaved. The main meals were ok, I had the pork belly turned out to be pretty good, crackling was a little thin you would expect it to be more fluffy. Steak was good. Bangers and mash were good. One of our party did not like the pasta with mushroom and cream sauce... Described it as pasta mushrooms and single cream no other flavours. So in all a disappointing experience.

We ate at the Sun recently whilst visiting relatives locally. I thought the food was at the top end of acceptable on pricing. I had the seabass priced at £19 and whilst this was absolutely delicious, the portion size was very small with only one filet of fish which I would guess was around 90g, roughly half of what an adult portion should be.

Visited as part of a work group. Ordered chicken skewer to start, dry and shrivelled up. Main was lamb couscous. Lamb looked as though it was still alive and couscous was crunchy. Finished off with chocolate ice cream which tasted like no other chocolate I had ever tasted before in my life with ice crystals in the middle. Overall an absolute disaster.

Visited as part of a work group. Ordered chicken skewer to start, dry and shrivelled up. Main was lamb couscous. Lamb looked as though it was still alive and couscous was crunchy. Finished off with chocolate ice cream which tasted like no other chocolate I had ever tasted before in my life with ice crystals in the middle. Overall an absolute disaster.

This is a very pretty pub with good food, albeit rather expensive for what you are getting. For example, I paid £16 for what was ultimately a rather basic bacon cheeseburger. If you are not worried about the cost, this is a lovely place to eat with a pleasant atmosphere and attentive, friendly service.

It shame the prices here are outlandishly process a straightforward burger over a £15!

The Sun Inn is everything you’d hope for from a local establishment. Dark wooden interior give a taste of eras past, but the modern design ensures plenty of light and comfort. It has a lively feel but with plenty of space and tables. The garden to the rear is breezy, great for summer drinks. The staff are engaging and helpful. They are quick to, never letting much of a queue form at the bar. The food is excellent, and good sized portions. Though not budget, with mains starting from around £15. Parking can be difficult, but even with a number of friends converging on the pub, there was plenty of street parking to be found - though some had a two or three minute walk. A five star rating for classy, friendly pub that mixes the old and new seamlessly with a lively, friendly local feel. And great food of course.

Great pub with a great beer garden. Food was excellent as was the service. Highly recommended.

Went there for a birthday dinner, absolute rip off on the food scene. Will definitely not recommend Had the sea bass fillets. Three tiny pieces

10/10 would the sun inn again, best food ever! Went with family and it was the best food I’ve ever had!

Having ordered a gluten free tuna melt and double checking with staff that it was gf I proceeded to eat it. Two hours later, after becoming horribly ill, I realised that staff had made an unforgivable error. I didn’t get the brown gf Genius roll that I was supposed to have but a white, wheat based brioche roll. I feel very let down by the Sun, I don’t trust that staff are properly trained in the products they are serving. Must do better!

3 Cumberland sausages atop mash potatoes, atop mixed vegetables, in a lake of gravy! Simply the best sausage and mash I’ve ever tasted!

Lovely village setting with a great outdoor area for kids. Children enjoyed their food and hubby's burger looked tasty. Unfortunately I had the nachos and it was one of the worst meals I've had for a long time - it was so greasy I couldn't eat it, and had to go home and make a sandwich. No one asked us if the meal was okay even though there was a plate of uneaten food. Service could have been more attentive. It was a shame because I think if I'd picked something else of the menu I may have enjoyed it :(

Beautiful gardens. Went to a 90th party in there barn great service

What a lovely place. Large comfortable bars with a good selection of drinks & cask ales. A very large beer garden with lots of tables. Pleasant staff and the locals were friendly too!

Lovely pub, lovely food and lovely staff. Children and doggies welcome. We’ve become regulars!

Great pub friendly staff. Good food

Lush food, high end pub decore is lush and the food is worth the extra pricing

The pub had a wonderful layout and quite a quaint atmosphere. The food was great too. Will certainly recommend it to my friends and family.

Unfortunately my meal was inedible.

A great village pub. A lovely Sunday lunch with good service.

Food was lovely. Warm and wecolming and dog friendly.

The staff were friendly . The food was good , we booked a certain table but didn't get it . Whish was disappointing because we was near a very noisy table

Had Sunday lunches. I found there wasn't much room between the tables however all seemed to be ok. Sunday lunch took a while to come out and we both wished we had asked for a side or two. The portion was adequate. The lamb was well done, definitely no raw meat. Using the front entrance there are a few steps to navigate. Whether there is step free access to the rear I don't know. There is no car park, I was about a quarter of a mile away...

An outstanding location with a beautifully presented pub, food was excellent and service to match.

Absolutely first class service and fantastic food. Clean and good value for money. Awesome staff — well done for making our visit worthwhile

Nice and cosy staff excellent food good

Really lovely pub, great service and good quality food but very stingy with the portions. For £19 I would have expected more than 1 slice of beef and the only vegetables was 1 tablespoon (literally) of cabbage, if you wanted any more veg you had to pay for it. My appetite was less than satisfied.

Wow this is a great pub. Definitely filled with locals but extremely friendly and food amazing. Pet friendly - in fact they are openly welcome! Had a nice couple of pints and a scotch egg :)

It was nice, we all felt some of the mains are expensive, the Lamb and the cod loin are both overpriced in our opinion. The cocktails were also not very alcoholic if at all.... apart from that all good but next time we will visit on a Sunday as the Sunday roast is excellent....

Very busy, and physically sitting at the table was quite a squeeze. Service was slow. But, the food was delicious and reasonably priced, and the pub was warm and cosy. I've amended my review, as after chatting to a friend, I realised that my order of the vegan 'chicken' burger didn't come as described on the menu - it was missing the bun, mayo, vegan cheese and fried onions :(

We go there fairly often as it is a great place to eat *and drink having a few different real ales as well) but we booked for Christmas Dinner this year .. It was truly fabulous, great food and the staff were wonderful working so hard to ensure everyone was looked after .. it was a fabulous Christmas Dinner with a lovely atmosphere and was a magical experience

Best scotch Egg I have ever had service was great. Hotpot to die for. Deserve every star.

Always welcoming. Lovely, relaxed atmosphere. Quick Service. Even though one of the meals was not correct, we were quickly offered a complete replacement.

Really good food, really good selection of drinks. Service was friendly, they were pretty slammed so some small errors were made. We were a group of 8 and the seating arrangements for a booked table were quite tight, could probably do with removing a couple of tables. Have been here in the summer and the beer garden was fab. Will definitely go here again.

Lovely place everybody so friendly will be definitely be visiting again

Called in for a traditional Sunday roast and we were not disappointed. Lovely staff, great atmosphere and a table right by the roaring fire. We squeezed in 3 courses, all were fabulous. Nice portions, great flavours and all for a very reasonable price. Highly recommend.

Excellent food, friendly and helpful staff

Excellent food. Service a tad slow but can't fault the grub we'll be back.

Lovely beer garden, friendly service and a really good sandwich. Visited for lunch from the nearby bike park

The “manager” was so unbelievably rude we won’t be returning. I did send an email to head office with my concerns but almost 2 weeks later I’m yet to hear back. Very pricey for awful service and below standard cocktails. Also the sausages are awful...

Good range of ale 🍺 great atmosphere nice beer garden. Food looked good.

Great pub. Very good alcohol selection and good food.

Excellent seating options, friendly staff

Staff pleasant but slow and we weren't told of several items not available on the menu until we came to order. Food good but slow service.

A wonderful afternoon spent with the family at a christening party. Very good staff.

This pub is lovely. We sat in the well maintained garden which has a children's play area that kept our grandson busy while we had a drink. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

We were in the area and googled around and stumbled upon this place. Their website had lots of information and was easy to book a Sunday lunch a couple of days in advance. (Others we had tried were fully booked) Beautifully decorated. Nice outdoor patio/garden...

We eat and drink here regularly. It’s lovely cosy and sometimes lively pub. Good food, and the staff are always friendly and quick to serve. This year we had our work Summer BBQ here. The manager, Danni was so helpful and patient with my ever changing needs. The food provided was fantastic. We’ve never had such good finger food left over at the end. There was so much of it and it kept coming out. Thanks Danni and staff.

Great food, lovely atmosphere. Staff are brilliant.

Had our work do here last weekend and couldn't fault it at all. All the bar staff are friendly and welcoming, atmosphere was great and the food even better!

A g duo band followed by disco music. Quiet enough at the back end of the garden and not so loud to order at the bar ..service & time was great bothat the table & bar. Food was also very good although condiments ..vinegar and tomato 🍅 sauce had run out which was not satisfactory for some in our group. Good cocktails 🍸 👌 but expect to pay £8 .. We had a very good night this side of town & as a part of 4 would all recommend 😀

Good food. Polite young staff. Enjoyable

Met with my sister half way to collect my niece for a stay. Booked The Sun Inn for lunch. It was perfect. Staff couldn’t do enough for us. Food was delicious. Great with dogs also!

A pleasant village pub with good food. Can be busy. Post Covid, it is much as it was before.

Great food in a country pub setting. Lots of varied drinks on tap and in bottles. Very friendly staff. Would happily return.

Good food and friendly staff. A great atmosphere.

Cosy atmosphere inside, still with plenty of seating, large outdoor area. It has the best vegan food that I have tasted and beautifully presented too

Lily and staff was 2nd to none could be more helpful and food was amazing and reasonably priced definitely be back.

Great service, food good, drinks very expensive

Went here for a 60th birthday meal, gorgeous food and absolutely fabulous service, couldn’t fault anything. Even has a small play area for kids