The Wig and Pen in Northampton

We had only found the pub on the web, we hadn’t been there before, but it looked good online and we booked a table for 6pm on a Saturday. When we arrived it became clear that a table hadn’t been reserved for us, in fact there weren’t any tables available. We were just told to wait until one became free and then order food at the bar. This was not what the website had led us to believe. It was very noisy in the bar area, not conducive to a meal, and so we just left. Really disappointing. We should have been told when we booked if it wasn’t going to be appropriate or convenient.

This is the sort of pub you could happily stay in all lunchtime and afternoon. I prefer these older historic pubs to the more polished opponents. We visited for some drinks earlier, the lady behind the bar was extremely understanding as I continued to try to remember my pin number! A great little pub full of atmosphere and has plenty of television screens dotted about. It serves food too. Very impressed. Visited 9th October 2023.

Arrived and ordered a roast dinner each. When the food arrived it was cold and raw, or extremely over cooked. The chicken on my daughters plate was so dry I struggled to cut it up, the broccoli was so hard my partner said the trees at the racecourse are weaker. The Yorkshire puddings were so hard you could knock someone out with them! Gravy came out - shock, it was cold. Asked them to take it back, cooked a fresh. Bought out extras we ordered (cauliflower cheese) and surprise surprise it was cold. Sent that back. Dinner came back out, it was again raw broccoli and rock hard yorkshires. The cauliflower cheese was hot finally. The gravy had gone cold so had to ask for a third lot. Server suggested to shut the door, not that that had any affect on the dinner’s temperature. No refund or free items offered, extremely poor considering there wasn’t anyone else eating so hardly rushed off their feet. Won’t be returning to eat again that’s for sure. What a shame.

Disappointing. Not busy but bar staff couldn’t give me lemon in my G&T because she hadn’t cut the lemon yet!! Food very poor standard like frozen chips with cheep sweet chilli sauce, pizza just average. Last time I went there, the found was amazing, a few years back now. What a shame the new owners couldn’t keep the standards up.

Went to this pub before the theatre and after .Before we made the most of the 2 4 1 cocktails which were a bargain and made to perfection, staff are excellent. After the theatre we went back to a great party atmosphere evening , outside with the entertainment singer a super night great pub

Great staff, good drink selection, wonderful place to hang out with friends and have a good time, would always recommend this pub

I know im a regular at this pub but let's be honest where else wpuld i take a very close friend for her birthday After all te covid stuff it was decided. A good burn out was needed 17 of us there and we all agreed it was a great night out and the staff were brilliant

Top pub, fab staff, great atmosphere, well organised and accommodating! Ciara and Steph were fantastic, had the best night out in a very long time!! ❤️

I was headbutted by a drunk, security did nothing. Never going to that pub again I'm a 59 year old man I don't go out for this sort of crap

Came to the Wig for a quiet early Friday evening drink, why were two noisy children allowed to roll around on the floor adjacent to the bar. Staff either didn't notice or care, as they were ignored. The Wig never used to be like this. Not what I would expect from a McManus pub.

Excellent town pub with good food and wide range of beers. Roofed courtyard is great when the temperature allows. Live music at weekends.

Although over the years have visited quite a few pubs had not been to this one. Early afternoon and had a good pint in the garden area. Tables were well spaced and it was a pleasant area to have a pint. Good service and price-anywhere up here is cheaper than at home. Noticed heaters were there for cooler evenings.

We ate here in the beer garden with friends. To be fair most of the meals were perfectly fine. Took a long time to get the food from ordering. Prices good. Unfortunately the bread/toast with one of the breakfasts was mouldy. We did get that meal refunded but would of expected more back. Wouldn’t eat here again.

Stopped by in the hope we would be able to just have a quick pint on a Saturday night, already been turned away at a couple of town centre pubs with a stern "we have nothing if you haven't booked". Greeted at the door by one of the door team who although looking quite intimidating couldn't have been friendlier, he went off to see if they had anything outside and came back letting us know he had a shelf and a couple of stools if that was OK. Absolutely it was OK, although he apologised that was all they had due to bookings we were fine with it. All covid measures in place and a great Saturday night atmosphere which we were glad to be back in the thick of. Every single member of the team there that we came into contact with were lovely, smiley, efficient and friendly. A huge thumbs up for somewhere we wouldn't normally go but may just return for more than drinks next time, the food looked amazing!

My husband and I ordered a rump steak, medium rare for him and Nachos for myself. The steak was cooked perfectly, no gristle. Ordered with fried mushrooms that were delicious. Chips, a sea of peas and grilled tomatoes. It was amazing. I ordered the nachos, which was a sharing plate, but the chef was happy to do a smaller portion. It was lovely, the guacamole had a bit of spice. Will eat here again. Kudos to the chef

The Wig and Pen continues to provide high quality ales and the table service was great. Thank you for keeping us safe while providing entertainment

Was here in September with 60 others nice sunny day all sitting outside good pub very friendly and the staff all helpful worth a look if your in town

with 8 real ales on the bar and what is a lovely old fashioned pub,the wig and pen is a great city centre pub

We were here on a Friday night and they had a live band playing outside. Outside is all undercover with patio heaters. It was a really good atmosphere.

Very expensive pub Prob dearest in town No way would pay over 4 quid pint Rip off Just as dear as london

Great entertainment! Always smiles, warm welcome and a great night! We live locally and come regularly as a couple, always have a great night

Usually love this place but when saw that when order pint with dash want to charge extra 65 pence when other pubs in area don't absolute jokr

Where’s all the staff gone? The wig and pen that everyone knows and loves was always busy, where staff didn’t have a moment to do anything other than serve and smile. While the minimal bar staff that they do have are busy sorting things out...

Just returned from here and asked DJ for a track - wouldn’t play as apparently Indie night !! What a joke , place was half empty and no atmosphere !! Not advertised anywhere as Indie night , only on FB apparently ! Won’t be returning...

A really good band at The Wig and Pen this evening. Look forward to them appearing again. We did not eat there but they take CAMRA card so you get 10% discount on real ale.

Used to be a great pub, busy & friendly, recent change of bar & door staff has seen this place lose it's way, wouldn't bother going back now, door staff especially unfriendly & unprofessional, the mail coach, next to the derngate, is a far better...

Polite and friendly staff. Checked up to see how everything was during the meal. Food came out and all the condiments were in separate vessels: gravy in jug, horseradish in small bowl, and cauliflower cheese in its own dish. Two generously sliced portions of beef...

Hadnt been for a while so wasnt sure what to expect, but it was certainly worth the visit. I would highly recommend to anyone who's wanting a great night out.

Oh dear what has happened to the night Wig & Pen, A pub that was well known for its bright and helpful staff and it’s energetic atmosphere seems to have absolutely dissolved. The staff don’t look like they want to be there and the what...

I recently visited the Wig and Pen on a weekend which I can only say they had some technical difficulties in regards to their tills and card machines. The young girl behind the bar was very polite and simply explained what was going on and...

Perfect after work drinks-in garden good atmosphere staff very friendly a good pub to visit didn’t eat this time but the food that was being served looked lush as always

Tuesday night and was not expecting much to be honest. Some bloke said to try here and I am so glad I did.

If you'll see my previous review on here, I once referred to this as the "best pub in Northampton" and it honestly was once. The food used to be amazing, as did the atmosphere, when I last had a fish pie here, it was huge and fresh and delicious, the one I was served the other day was mediocre, with a small bit of Veg - not a patch on what it used to be, with daily specials and a lot more choice.

popped in for a pound and some scran before a show. bar staff were very friendly and the place had a nice cosy atmosphere. drinks were refreshing and the food was very tasty. we picked off the 3 for 10 tapas style and probably should have picked a none battered option just to even things out but that was our choosing. if we're back in Northampton town we'll be back

My wife and i visited Northampton for a couple of days of golf and went here on the first night and it was excellent the live music outside was fantastic what a venue and really friendly people too

I visited the Wig &Pen; on a Saturday evening. A real mixed clientele creating a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Good range of beer and pleasant staff. A nice place to be without tuneless music and intimidating atmosphere. A place to go!

I first visited the Wig and Pen this month. I can happily say the atmosphere was brilliant. The staff are friendly, approachable, always happy to assist or offer reccomendations on the large selection of drinks and have a good rapport with regulars. The food was of a high standard and lived up to its reputation!

Appalling food, tasteless after 30 minute wait and clearly thrown together rather than properly cooked. Eaten here before and worst yet. Another once too Northampton pub living on its past reputation. A waste of £30 and if had time would have requested a refund. Can see why establishments such as this take money up front!!

We moved from the area a year ago and until then visited The Pen regularly. The food was always amazing (homemade and excellent quality), great vibe and fun staff.

Boy, has this place gone downhill. We knew they had music on late afternoon, but decided to pop in for a quiet, post shopping drink before the entertainment started. The bar staff seemed to think they were the warm up entertainment, dancing behind the bar, with the music turned up loud, so you couldn't have a conversation. This pub has definitely, lost it's quality.

The wig and pen are surviving on there past history, with the rugby, its expensive, the drink is expensive, and to be quite honest a bit of a dive, the beer / larger is rubbish, whether it be dirty glasses, flat larger, or new staff that couldn't give a dam the flat larger they serve the customer, then its your fault and your made to feel as your to blame, I walked out in disgust.

Fab Sunday lunch. Very fresh and tasty. Generous portions and good value. Also nice & quick. Would definitely recommend

Good pub in the town busy at times but friendly locals and staff make it worth a visit dont rate the door staff tho very over the top and picky

Went back to the wig and pen for the first time in a while. Loved the new food menu, my meal tasted amazing. The manager was extremely efficient and polite, staff looked very professional in their new shirts and the service was excellent throughout the night. Couldn’t knock this pub down on anything.

Delighted to return back to my home town, we entered the Wig and Pen and to my suprise it was an incredible atmosphere with everyone enjoying themselves, the food was also great and the staff where professional and understanding, during my time there the manager made everyone feel welcome and made sure we where all enjoying ourselves, I fully recommend this pub as there are a few like it.

Went to The Wig and Pen on Sunday, I have to say the food was amazing. I requested with a member of staff if I could have a small roast dinner as I didn’t think I would be able to manage to eat it all. They catered to my needs. The roast dinner was amazing and was very flavoursome. Will definitely return soon.

My friends and i were on my birthday night out friday 7th dec we had been for a meal and followed on to this pub where we requested songs with the lovely DJ and sang and danced everyone was having a great time yes i was standing on a small low stool of which i slipped off but landed on my feet it was a funny site but then this red head door women took my drink off me and told me to leave aggressively i agreed i put on my shoes but by this time she had gripped me up both arms left with bruises completely unnessary behavoir the other door lady was laughing with us 5 mins before hand so why was she so aggressive and rude ? Clearly needs re training she is lucky i didnt do her for asult ! Most people left after we did ans followed us i to the next bar i had 4 to 5 people come up to me and express how out of order she was and that i should report her hence why i am writing this review plenty more pubs to go to in this town that welcome fun loving ladies .

Have always enjoyed a pint in the wig and pen,the choice is first class and always kept well.

This was one of our stops on our night out in Northampton. Not the best pub in Northampton and by no means the worst. But the staff are all friendly the bear is cold we had a drink and on to the next pub.

Went here because it used to be a great place for lunchtime food. A bit on the pricey side but you don't mind paying for a quality meal. How wrong I was ! I ordered special

If you are looking to have a taste lunch served by high skilled and very professional staff head to the Wig and Pen you won’t regret it.. we will be back

Was here about 6 months ago and the food was fantastic, came back and was so disappointed, potato’s seemed as if they hadn’t touched the water. Al dente, not the word for it!!! Meat was tough as well, never again.

We came down aftwr watching the rugby, what a beautiful place! Some amazing cask ales here! Friendly bar staff and great choices of gins! Will be coming back soon

Note to owner. If you are going to sell yourself as a real ale pub then you need to employ people who:-

First things first the title is slightly mis- leading, the drinks were not really the problem. My Guiness was perfectly acceptable & Sarahs wine was passable. I mean things used to be somewhere between good and excellent but those days are long gone.

Quiet pub. Nice for friends to have a chat and catch up without loud music blaring out. Good selection of real ales. Friendly bar service. Worth stopping by.

I've already written a review for somewhere we'd tried to eat when we visited last week, and our disappointment that the little Italian café was now serving sausage and mash and not a lot else.

Nice little pub in centre of town with a garden area, tv screens and live music. I ordered a Sunday roast, which was beautifully presented but lacked any flavour and the cauliflower cheese was very floury. Service was good though so I’d be tempted to give it another go.

This is a great pub in the town centre. Attracts a more sensible crowd in my view. Small bar Large garden Good range of beers Reasonable pricing Not loud Large screen tv I really like this pub. It is welcoming and you feel at ease.

Came here with a friend for a Sunday Roast. Such a warm welcome. Ordered our food and drinks. Sunday roast came promptly and looked amazing. It tasted as good as it looked. Generous portion sizes and great tasting. Will definitely be back again. To top it off there was live music on and really set the atmosphere off for a great afternoon.

A warm welcome awaits you at this pub. Called in for a meal before going to the Derngate. Great food, good beers , friendly staff. Live music nights / days are excellent

Decent beer at reasonable prices. Mixed bunch of customers, which is great. Lively and relaxed. Always enjoy my visits there.

A lovely beer garden, some great food, even better ale and some great live music. A sumday afternoon cant get much better.

well known pub in the town good selection of drinks goos staff and a big beer garden i enjoyed my time in here and will defo go back

Great atmosphere very friendly staff nice and relaxing after work now classing this as our local after work

I came here with my baby was a little worried with getting the pram up the stairs but was offered help by two members of staff which made me feel very welcome and that nothing was to much trouble they also took my order from outside.

Great for meeting friends after work staff very pleasant Nice and cosy for a few drinks before heading out

Stopped in on a Friday night with some work colleagues. Really busy, but good live music and plenty of staff to serve. Reasonable prices and very enjoyable time

One of the best real ale pubs. Good selection on offer and hot drinks too. Not over priced either and has a great atmosphere helped by the small size.

Popped in on Saturday afternoon for some lunch and a couple drinks and i wasn't disappointed. Great service and even better food! THE BEST FISH N CHIPS I've honestly ever had. Great selection of ale that i was allowed to try before i bought them!

Visited several pubs in the area this was a great find nice friendly atmosphere good selection of beer unfortunately we had already eaten so did not sample the good probably next time.

Great pub good atmosphere and friendly staff, had a couple of meals here food was excellent will definitely be returning .

Took my wife for a Sunday lunch here .

This is a great little Northampton town centre pub. Right in the middle of the night life. Great atmosphere. Great choice of beers and gin. Excellent for a gathering.

We booked a table a few days before, when we turned up shortly before 1800 there was confusion over whether a table was booked, available or even if we could eat. We were finally seated around 1820 and given menu. The food was of an above average standard and quality, with most plates empty at the end of the meal, plates were cleared away with no offer of desert or coffee!! Therefore we asked for the bill, one colleague approached the bat to pay and was promptly told, this is not your bill, where is your bill. They advised it was what we were given when we asked for the bill, the reply was, well what table number were you on, (the tables don't have numbers) we don't know what table number. This time of responses continued and it shouldn't come as a surprise, no tip was left and we won't be back again soon, which a great shame as the food, drink and atmosphere was decent.

My wife and I popped in here for lunch, whilst shopping in Northampton one Sunday. we both opted for the roast beef, which was absolutely stunning. Cooked to perfection, with a very tasty Yorkshire Pudding and loads of perfectly cooked veg! I can honestly say, the Wig and Pen will be my new Sunday lunch spot, when in Northampton!

Thank you for a lovely Christmas lunch. We were all looked after, especially as people came at different times. Great service. The food was lovely too. Special thanks to Greta who helped in the organising. Nothing was too much trouble . The vegetarian selection was good.

I really wish there was a half star option because the Wig has slipped to a 3.5. There is absolutely nothing bad here, the ales were good & the wine selection decent. Neither were great but above the town standard. Shame wine is served at half measures, a 175ml is a bit shy of a full glass. The food was good. I had a trukey bagguette with stuffing & cajun chips. The bagguette was good, not over full but filling. The cajun fries were giod as chips but randomly covered with piri-piri. Not bad but still not what I ordered. My partner had the corgette&brie; baguette,she described it as alright. Sadly she felt the stilton chips failed, the chips themselves she described as like biting fat. The service was, as ever it has been, very good & the pub has retained a fine atomoshere shame the food was a bit meh over all. If I am honest some of this review stems from what maybe an overly high expectation, this is still a good venue but not quite the outstanding one it was.

We stopped in there for a drink , we decided to stay and eat there as the food looked really , which turned out to be fantastic food and welcoming landlady

I've been here quite often, usually for beer and rugby but don't think I've ever reviewed the food. I ate here on a Friday lunchtime and it was better than I thought it would be. The menu was quite varied and the food arrived quickly, was tasty and well prepared. The service, particularly from the barmaid was efficient and friendly. I'm glad we ate here rather than some of the other pub options close by.

Visited the pub twice over the weekend and can honestly say this one of the nicest pubs I have ever visited . Plus this weekend there was the added bonus of tasting German pilsner in a stein , due to the pub celebrating Oktoberfest . Will definitely visit again!

Had a Saturday meal with a friend here. The food was good, prices reasonable and we sat in the nice outdoor space and would do again on a nice day.

Been here several times but first time we had eaten straight from work -the food was really nice -fresh -hot and very reasonable -staff very friendly really enjoyed our food and drinks we will be back .

A true nice chilled relaxed pub just away from the main drag in Northampton.Nothing else to say really......it's just a good place, and, staff are very good.

Visited at lunch on a Monday. Food was good with a big choice . Shame about the piped muzak which was rather intrusive. Staff were friendly and helpful.

I stopped off here whilst in town on a rain soaked day and to my pleasant surprise coffee was only £1 - a real bargain. The pub is lovely with a real traditional feel to it and there is a significant covered outdoor seating area. The staff too were friendly and welcoming. This is a real treat and I have to say the coffee was better that a popular high street chain that charger more that double this price.

Popped into the Wig to check out there cider festival and I wasn't disappointed, the barman aloud me to try whatever I wanted and was extremely helpful and also the chef who was doing the BBQ did a great job of explaining what was on offer. The Honey roast pork was delicious to say the least, a much better trip this time round and enjoyed every moment of it!

A stone's throw from the Guidhall in the town centre is this fairly unassuming watering hole. It's the traditional dark wood beams and darkly coloured carpet school of decor, stretching back from the street door in a long, inverted L-shape. As I walked in I felt momentary trepidation as a couple of heads at the far end turned my way. Fortunately, I was greeted by a decent range of hand pumps at the bar and also a smiling member of staff. He was patient while I prevaricated and then ordered a couple of halves, which were served in traditional handled glasses (simply because the others were in the wash, I was told). Both guest ales, one red/amber (Urban Fox) and one dark ale (can't recall the name - sorry!) were well-kept offerings that I supped while reading my Kindle and casually noting a range of customers that seemed principally to lean toward business and travelling lunchers.It was shortly after 1pm when I wandered in, with few customers, but began to attract a lunch crowd not long after. Glimpsing a few of the plates that came past subsequently, I would say that the food looks good. There was a pleasantly laid-back atmosphere during my 45-50 minutes' visit. The TV and any background music (was there any?) were unobtrusive. I was tempted to return later to find out more about the jazz evening but we never made it. My only reservation? I still cannot get used to paying almost £4 for a pint outside Oxford and this far from London. I should have checked in advance for a CAMRA members' discount - yes, they do one!

Out with friends or your partner this is a friendly safe and comfortable environment. A lovely garden with live entertainment a must go as a starter for a night out.

We visited the pub on a very bust early Saturday morning for the Lions rugby match. The pub had very sensibility suggested booking and a table was waiting for us. Because of lots of people ordering food at the same time the kitchen was obviously working to capacity and the staff seemed rather hassled. The food took 45 mins to arrive but when it came however it was an absolutely delicious Full English that we all enjoyed. Really good sized portion of tasty food that was good value. I would echo some other comments however that the bar staff could make more of an effort to remember who has been waiting longest at the bar for service. It is part of a skilled barpersons job but it seemed that quite a few of the staff simply served who was standing in front of them, even if they had just walked up while ignoring others who had been patiently waiting.

Decided to eat here after a very long day at work. My friend and I ordered the same meal (lamb pie), his came first and was fine. My meal arrived a few minutes later and was so over-cooked that I couldn't cut through it. The waitress took it back and brought another, but this was exactly the same. She then offered me a replacement meal and a refund which I accepted and re-ordered. A different member of staff came over to let me know that I would have to pay even more. The manageress shouted across to me from behind the bar and was incredibly rude and unprofessional. The chef was equally belligerent. I will not be repeating the mistake of visiting this pub. A DREADFUL EXPERIENCE!

Went to see a cancelled Luther Vandross gig which let the weekend down, stopped here for a drink, nice little pub, gets busy on the weekends but what else would you expect from a town centre pub on the weekend

Been a few times in the evenings (week days) and liked it, food good music good.Just popped in to town (Saturday 20th) and fairly busy no problem, willing to wait my turn but it never came.Please not that the bars are not single file and that the person in front of you is not necessarily the next person to serve and a good bar person looks around, not happening here though.If you called our "WHO'S NEXT PLEASE!!" You may get through the confusion better and retain my business.Got no problem with busy, but being not served is a big problem and not returning on a Saturday to waste any more of my day thanks.

Stella, Carlsberg, Peroni? Sigh! Chain pub? Kill me!If you're going to be a pub, be a great pub. Be a really good pub. Serve very good beer and simple, but high quality British pub food. It must be a really hard formula to achieve, because not many pubs do it.That's what the Wigan and Pen does.

Made a quick visit to this bar as they are holding a beer festival. This is a small bar but blade much bigger by the excelled beer garden which is open all year and the site of the beer festival. Good range of beer and cider including local brews. Have eaten here before and can vouch for the food.Worth calling into the bar.

Visited the Wig and Pen last night and really enjoyed it. The pub was lively and quite full, so obviously a popular destination on a Saturday night. The pub offers food, a wide range of ales, beers and spirits and a large garden area. There were also several signs detailing live music on Sundays and beer festivals in the next few weeks.We were served quickly by friendly bar staff and the drink prices were more than reasonable. Would definitely visit again.

Was up visiting family and met in this pub which is quite historic and had a good atmosphere. The menu had a reasonable range of pub grub and this tasted great when it arrived. Definitely a good place to meet after work or in my case a 300 mile journey.

This pub has gone down hill over the last couple of years and now they have really taken the biscuit. They are refusing to serve Northampton Town FC fans and along with other football fans as this is a Rugby pub!!I support all my local teams but mainly football. Now if we wear the wrong colour shirt we are not allowed in.Support all your local teams!!Never drinking in here again.

We went in especially for the friday brunch. A good choice and was cooked to perfection. Friendly staff and clean. Good selection of ales

Had a couple of drinks after work very friendly and welcoming will be returning -staff very pleasant and very central to the town