Reviews in Northamptonshire

We booked a table for New Year’s Eve back in September, so we weren’t sure what to expect in terms of menu or entertainment. On arrival, the pub appeared very quiet and almost looked closed. We were shown to our table by a waitress. The pub wasn’t busy, and most guests had already finished eating. We were asked for drinks shortly after sitting down and ordered a bottle of wine. We were asked if we were ready to order food when the wine arrived. I asked for a little more time, but the waitress returned very quickly. The menu choice was limited unless you wanted a burger, with around 25 different burger options. I chose the curry, and my husband ordered a burger. Once ordered, the food arrived within about five minutes. The curry appeared to be microwaved, as the sauce had hot and cold spots and also lacked flavour. My husband said his burger was enjoyable but chips were cool. During the meal, the waitress repeatedly looked at our table to see if we had finished. As soon as my husband ate his last chip, our plates were cleared immediately, and we were asked if we wanted anything else, but we were not offered a dessert menu. We then heard the waitress call into the kitchen that our table had finished. From arrival to cleared plates, around 35 minutes had passed. The staff were mostly very young, including in the kitchen, and it felt as though we were being rushed so they could finish their shift. While this is understandable on New Year’s Eve, it negatively affected the experience. It may have been better not to serve food at all that evening or to stop serving earlier. We were given the bill without being offered anything further and left after around 45 minutes in total. We were not acknowledged as we left. Perhaps it was just the night, but the atmosphere and food were very lacklustre, and we wouldn’t rush to return. It’s a shame, especially at a time when pubs are closing so frequently.

Good food and service but need to offer a changed menu as it doesnt change much.

Came New Year’s Day and the food wasn’t as good as the festive menu we had in December. Had the trio of lamb and it was a small portion , lukewarm and not a lot of flavour .my Irish coffee wasn’t hot either . Such a shame as it’s always been excellent. Was still hungry when I got home so had to have something else .

Great service and good food. Will certainly go back.

Fantastic pub, great vibe, pet friendly, lovely location and great food quality, reasonably priced too!

Interesting menu and the burgers we had were superb. However, we found the menu a bit limited compared to what it used to be. Whilst there were alternatives to burgers the choice was certainly much less than we were used to seeing. It’s now much more a burger restaurant than anything else. Whilst we would certainly go again, it’s likely to be infrequently rather than regularly. Certainly miss the original menu.

The Hopping Hare is a convenient break of journey for me to or from the Lake District but in fact, I now take care to visit simply for the quality of the restaurant - what a marvellous discovery in a pleasant but mundane suburban district of Northampton. The produce from the Althorp Estate - pigeon breast & duo of lamb this time - is superb and the kitchen makes the most of it with slightly elaborate but not excessively tricky dishes. Desserts are worthy of a five star hotel, yet here they are in this pub restaurant with (very economical and perfectly pleasant) rooms. The servers are a delight as well, genuinely friendly and good humoured.

All really good

Always a good experience here.……Had lunch on Sunday 28th Dec. Great choice on the menu, starter and main course were excellent. Too full to eat dessert. Service, as always was excellent. Super friendly staff , cheerful and welcoming. We stop here often en route from Devon to our home in Suffolk. Would not consider anywhere else

Another fabulous meal at the Admiral Nelson. Whenever we visit family in Rugby we do a canal walk and make a trip to this fantastic waterside pub. V friendly staff and welcoming to dogs.

We’d passed this pub in our narrow boat lots but never eaten there. This was a pre-Xmas night out with friends and we all thought it was excellent particularly the food - all arrived quickly and was delicious - and the service which was with a smile. Would definitely go back.

Our now annual visit for a pre Christmas meal was excellent as always, superb food, lovely staff and a great way to start the break.

I booked for the festive menu and wasn’t disappointed. The food was beautifully cooked and the service was first class. Thank you to all of the team at The Admiral Nelson.

We have been several times and the food and service is always excellent - most recently we had a lovely meal, and despite the restaurant being very busy due to Christmas parties, the whole team were brilliant and could not fault the food. Highly recommend and will definitely return.

We had our staff Christmas Party, the food was great, service attentive & quick and overall we had a fabulous night.

Family Christmas meal. Good job we booked , very busy. Food very tasty, although turkey dinner was huge could not eat all of it sadly would have preferred roasted parsnips not cubes Good service snowballs were a bit smaller than last year,

Fabulous food. Excellent service. We have been to the Hopping Hare on many occasions and have never been disappointed.

The Sunday lunch sharing board is absolutely delicious. Always return for this, cooked to perfection. Service was excellent