The Boat Inn

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#1 of 3 Restaurants in Stoke Bruerne$$ - $$$, Bar, British, Vegetarian friendly

+44 1604 862428+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Mon

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Tue

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Wed

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Thu

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Fri

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Sat

9:30 AM - 10:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

744 reviews

#1 of 3 Restaurants in Stoke Bruerne

Travelers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

$6.00 – $37.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

Bridge Road Near Towcester, Stoke Bruerne NN12 7SB England

+44 1604 862428

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Does this restaurant have live music

Yes

Unsure

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About

Situated in the historically rich village of Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire, beside the Grand Union Canal and by a working lock, The Boat Inn is an independent freehouse owned and operated by the Woodward Family since 1877. Boasting a healthy selection of well-kept ales and good value homecooked meals. The Boat Inn with four Bars, Restaurant and Bistro has facilities to cater for all individuals and parties alike. The bars and bistro boast a healthy selection of traditional ales, ciders, wines and spirits with an extensive bar food menu to compliment any occasion. Woodward's Restaurant has a reputation for friendly service and high quality food, produced by our highly trained and experienced team of chefs, at affordable prices. We welcome you to join us and we look forward to being of service to you.

PRICE RANGE

$6.00 – $37.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Buffet, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront, Dog Friendly, Gift Cards Available

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4.0

744 reviews

Excellent

375

Very good

165

Average

Poor

Terrible

ozziemog

58 contributions

Covid Secure and nice meal

Aug 2020 • none

We had booked a table and when we arrived we were impressed with the care and the attention we recieved in these difficult times. Staff were wearing face masks, our names and contact details were recorded on arrival and our temperatures checked and recorded. The tables had where possible been socially distanced and where this was not possible movable screens had been placed between tables. The food was very good and reasonably priced and the location of the pub was nice overlooking the canal. All in all a very enjoyable lunch.

Written August 28, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ashtukay

Thank you from all of us here at The Boat Inn for your kind words and positive feedback. We are very pleased to hear you enjoyed your time spent with us. We hope to see you again soon. Many thanks.

Written September 4, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

shane😁😁

Northamptonshire15072 contributions

All in all fairly good.

May 2021 • couples

We visited about 10.30 am and ordered the breakfasts.....I had the regular costing £9 whilst the wife ordered the small for £6. We had 2 cups of tea and this totalled £18. For what was paid We certainly received value for money but its the location that is the show stopper, beautiful canalside pub with a decent sized garden. Fairly good all round. Visited 31st May 2021.

Written May 31, 2021

Ashley Woodward

Thank you for your kind words and constructive feedback.

Written June 3, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Carole N

Blackpool82 contributions

home cooked food and service with a smile

May 2021 • family

Having had a bad customer service experience at the Navigation pub across the bridge we migrated to the Boat Inn. They have a really good simple system whereby you ring a bell if there aren’t any staff about. We were greeted very warmly by Fi Fi and got a nice table canal side. Drinks orders were taken by another young waitress and arrived promptly. The gentleman in our party said that the pint of Wainwright’s here was much better than at the Navigation. Fi Fi chatted with us about this and that and took our order. The food arrived after just the right amount of time. The mixed grill was declared excellent and was certainly a big plateful. The mushroom dish and the chicken were also very nice - the only slight criticism was that the accompanying potatoes were a bit lack lustre - maybe a bit of fresh mint with a knob of butter would have helped. Overall though good home cooked fresh food served with a smile by attentive staff and reasonably priced. Just one bit of customer feedback - maybe think about moving the boat which is right next to the seating area so that the customers had a much nicer view of the canal etc. Being where it is blocks out the view completely

Written June 16, 2021

Ashley Woodward

A huge thank you for your kind words and positive feedback from all.of us here at The Boat Inn. I'm very pleased to hear you enjoyed your time spent with us. I will pass on your review to the rest of the team. We hope to be of service to you again in the not too distant future. Many thanks.

Written June 18, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ronen G

Northampton41 contributions

Disappointed family visit.

Oct 2020 • family

Had ham eggs and chips. Disappointing because the chips were freezer chips unlike in previous visits. My grandson ordered lamb shank. There was only one small quantity of peas as greens served with this rather expensive dish. Ashley was excellent in serving.

Written November 19, 2020

Ashley Woodward

I'm very sorry to hear the food was not to your liking during your visit, we will always do our best to put things right in the event of any issues, when given the opportunity. I'm pleased to hear the service was excellent despite the issues with the food mentioned. Thank you for your feedback.

Written April 28, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Karen M

Bromley76 contributions

Covid???

Sep 2020 • couples

We visited this pub having booked a table for drinks and food for 6.30. Restrictions all in place as expected. We were shown a table. 36 minutes later we still had no drink. Nervous about even considering ordering food. Would it even arrive before the new closing time? Asked 3x for our drinks. Locals who arrived after us had drinks within minutes. The bistro area was ignored. Not only us looking at our watches. Surely this table service could be better organised. To add insult to injury when finally we were asked what we would like...the young waiter had zero clue what beers were available. When asked for a third time why it took 36 minutes to still not have a drink..we were told by the unpleasant man behind the bar "if you don't like it you can bu**er off". So we did. If you are thinking of having a meal at Stoke Bruerne I would suggest give Boat Inn a wide berth and go to Navigation where bringing drinks and food to the table seems to be zero problem...in a timely manner with a smile. The Management at the Boat Inn are clearly finding it impossible to satisfy their customers and probably will suffer the consequences of poor customer service. We certainly won't be visiting them again. Such a shame as it used to be such a lovely pub. Understaffed, badly managed. Food might be nice..but we never got to find out.

Written September 30, 2020

ashtukay

I'm sorry to hear you had such a negative experience of your time spent with us. We will always do our best to ensure customers are served as fast and efficiently as possible. I appreciate at times, waits can be longer, due to the current restrictions to table service only. On this occasion we were working through a queue, which resulted in a slightly longer wait for service. It's a shame that a male member of your table was so aggressively confrontational to the staff and landlord, as a result of the 10 minute wait (after ordering) you experienced. Your patience is appreciated during these difficult times, while we adapt to new restrictions, in order to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. I'm pleased to hear that despite leaving so abruptly, you ultimately had a pleasant experience in Stoke Bruerne.

Written October 6, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Paul W

8 contributions

Awful bar food

Jul 2020 • couples

Visited with my wife about 6pm on a Wednesday evening and tried the bar menu and really wish we hadn't. Mw wife had Ham and cheese sandwich with a side order of chips £ 8.50 .... the bread was thin sliced packet with cheap packet ham and cheese with very little of it and chips over cooked and again not many of them which thinking about it wss probably a blessing. I had a lockdown burger and chips £10 .. totally bland and tasteless with even fewer chips.. they benefit from a lovely setting but terrible food... think the chef ! .. sorry cook has given up ... show some pride for gods sake !

Written August 1, 2020

ashtukay

I'm sorry to hear you did not enjoy the food on this occasion. We will always do our best to put things right, if given the opportunity. We encourage customers to notify us immediately if anything is not satisfactory with the food or service we provide. The ham we serve is homebaked and sliced ourselves. I can assure you, therefore, that it is most certainly not cheap packet ham. The bread we serve is medium sliced bloomer bread and not a typical standard loaf. The burgers we serve are Aberdeen Angus, with complimentary seasoning, which I can assure any customer, can be tasted, notably a good whack of pepper. I will pass on your review to the rest of the team.

Written August 22, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Koala

Northampton168 contributions

First visit since covid

Aug 2020 • none

We’ve been here quite a few times and always have an amazing time the food and wine is always good and it’s great value for money. Great place to “eat out to helping out”. This time was no different, apart from the Covid precautions, temperature taken on arrival and contact details taken by the cheerful barmaid. Then find a table (we went on a Monday lunchtime and it was quiet), it’s a reduced menu but still plenty of choice, you do still order at the bar but there’s screens and sanitizer everywhere. Just the same as always, you just leave through the back door or I’m guessing the side one so you can walk along the canal. Perfect and safe pub, you’d be crazy not to give it a go.

Written August 1, 2020

ashtukay

A big thank you for your kind words and positive feedback from all of us here at The Boat Inn. We hope to be of service to you again soon. Many thanks.

Written August 22, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Georgina

1 contribution

Our dogs birthday party

Jan 2020 • none

We took our dogs there today for a 10th Birthday Party. The food was good apart from Two of us had burgers and they looked anaemic and tasted awful. But what ruined the day for me was the rudeness of an elderly man behind the bar. I asked for some serviettes to mop up a small spillage on the table, he said they come with your meal, he then said oh you want to clean your table and practically shoved a dishcloth in my face. He clearly was not in the the right job for dealing with customers. All of my party found him extremely rude. That’s not how you treat your paying customers.

Written January 25, 2020

ashtukay

I'm sorry to hear you had a negative experience of the service on this occasion and I apologise on behalf of The Boat Inn. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed the food, though it was not entirely to your liking. We always encourage customers to notify us immediately if anything is not as desired and we will always be happy to put things right, one way or another. I will pass on your review to the team to ensure, as best possible, this does not happen again. I hope your dog's had a lovely time despite the human errors and happy day of birth to dog in question.

Written January 27, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jeremy G

8 contributions

Breakfast at the Boat

Oct 2021 • none

Well, that was a mistake, having a breakfast at The Boat!!!!! Why you may ask?? It was so good, that we're going to have to go again, and again!!! Friendly staff and dog friendly. They were quite happy for our Newfoundland dog to sit with us in the bar while we tucked into their £9 breakfast - 2 sausages, 2 rashers of bacon, 2 hash browns, 2 pieces black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans, with toast. We were so full, that we only needed a snack in the evening. They do a smaller breakfast for £6, so that's an option for the smaller appetite.

Written October 19, 2021

Ashley Woodward

Thank you for your kind words and positive feedback from all of us here at The Boat Inn. We are really pleased to hear you enjoy the breakfast and the warm welcome. We look forward to seeing you again soon. I will pass on your review to the rest of the team.

Written October 24, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Robhardwick

Chesterfield11 contributions

Small bones!!!!!

Apr 2021 • family

Don’t bother eating here unless you like 2 inch “small bone” in your fish. We had six and when we asked for the manager he was rude and said it says on menu small bones in the fish. I accept small bones but 6 x 2 inch is not in the classification of small bones. When asked about it his response was it didn’t kill you did it!!!! Stay away unless you like rude people when you try to make a comment

Written May 31, 2021

Ashley Woodward

I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with your meal. I apologise that you felt the manager was rude when dealing with your complaint. However, we cannot help the fact that home battered cod fillet may contain small bones (of various size) and we would not have been aware of the amount of bones until brought to our attention. I hope that despite the bones mentioned, you enjoyed the sizeable hand battered cod fillet that came with them. Thank you for your feedback.

Written June 3, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Shelly

1 contribution

Poor service

Aug 2021 • couples

Booked in for Sunday lunch with my partner. We each had a starter and main of roast beef and roast lamb. Both were delicious and couldn’t be faulted. The service on the other hand was terrible. We finished our main and sat waiting with our plates for almost an hour before I had to approach a member of the team to ask for the bill. I could understand the wait if they had been busy but with 10 tables and 5 people serving and the fact they stood talking the whole time we were waiting. The tables either side of us were served their mains and desserts all whilst we were waiting for someone to take our dessert order and clear the plates. After paying went elsewhere for dessert. It was a shame as the food was delicious.

Written August 29, 2021

Ashley Woodward

I'm very sorry to hear of your experience. I will of course look in to this and notify the rest of the team. I'm very pleased to hear you enjoyed the Sunday lunch, however I'm equally disappointed that you weren't look after as we intend. I offer my apologies on behalf of the family. We will do our best to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you for your feedback.

Written September 2, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Brian M

14 contributions

Beautiful location, Staff

Oct 2020 • none

Beautiful location, Staff Excellent, especially Fifi 😊 great food and beer, kitchen staff kindly accepted a food order that wasn’t listed on the menu. Great recommendation from Fifi of Worcestershire Sauce with fish finger sandwich!. Can’t wait to try a Breakfast!!

Written October 13, 2020

ashtukay

Thank you for your kind words and positive feedback from all at The Boat Inn. I'm very pleased bro hear you enjoyed the fish finger sandwiche. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Written October 14, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jannerbloke

Plymouth13682 contributions

Refreshingly good pub - in parts.

Jul 2022 • none

We spent nearly a week staying in a cottage roughly opposite across the canal. This is a small cluster of catering businesses , a museum and a road bridge and a lock, all part of or beside the Grand Union Canal. We have tried to experience most of the facilities. We did but shouldn’t have hesitated to sample The Boat Inn. It looked a bit glum and tripperish from our windows. It stretches a long way along the opposite quay. At one end is a modern building containing a restaurant we haven’t seen open. In the middle is a shop selling very basic essential food and a big selection of ice cream. I think some residents and boat users come here for breakfast and maybe other meals but it was a bit Spartan and catfish when we came through. BUT….this evening we apprehensively came over to the bar/pub half on the left. The whole building is rambling, a mixture of moderately old parts and complicated new rooms even extending into a car park at the back. They can obviously accommodate very large numbers here. Not really our type of place at all. So it was a pleasant surprise and delight to wander into the canalside bar and find a well fitted traditional pub space running through two or three room and into a curious but fun indoor bowls space and all serviced by welcoming staff at a couple of bar counters amply and thoughtfully stocked with a well selected array of beers ciders spirits etc. You can drink inside or out and even feel part of the regulars/locals even if like us you are well disposed common trippers. We liked it and are happy to recommend it to others.

Written July 7, 2022

Ashley Woodward

A big thank you for your kind words and positive feedback from all of us here at The Boat Inn. I'm very pleased to hear you enjoyed your time spent in Stoke Bruerne and with us in the pub. We hope to see you again in future. Many thanks.

Written August 25, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

davidalocke

London63 contributions

Lockdown bacon sandwiches are great !

Mar 2021 • none

During the current lockdown (will it ever end?), The Boat has a take-away hatch open from 10 to 12 each day. I cannot resist a bacon sandwich and they do the best ones I've had . They even wrap them in foil to keep them warm! Also on offer is a range of cakes and home-made sausage rolls, plus tea coffee etc.

Written March 23, 2021

Ashley Woodward

A big thank you from all at The Boat Inn for your kind words and positive feedback. We hope to see you again soon.

Written April 28, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lindsay S

Northamptonshire227 contributions

Fabulous food. Covid compliant. Great service.

May 2021 • family

We visited for a lunch time meal as a party of three adults and one Chihuahua. I’d booked in advance. When we got there we were greeted quickly and led through to our table. There was plenty of sanitiser available. We were reminded to check in on the Covid app and then served our drinks very promptly. The lunch time menu has something for everyone whether you want a light bite or something more substantial. Our party had scampi and chips. Tuna Mayo sandwiches and a ploughman’s lunch. All of the meals were really good with the scampi being nice and crispy. The portions were generous. The service was really friendly and helpful in these strange times when you’re never quite sure what you should be doing. We will definitely return.

Written June 10, 2021

Ashley Woodward

A big thank you from all of us here at The Boat Inn. We're really pleased you enjoyed your time spent with us and we look forward to being of service to you again soon. Many thanks.

Written June 10, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.