Address: 11A The Ridings, Northampton, NN1 2AQ, United Kingdom
Phone: +441604628774
Rating: 4.5
based on 113 reviews.
Food Quality
Pros:
"It's not often I rate a burger 10/10 but the bees knees was amazing!"
"Food is very, very tasty, varied and plentisome too."
"Each bite was a burst of flavor, perfectly cooked and infused with authentic smokehouse goodness."
"Food portions were amazing and tasted amazing."
"The food tasted AMAZING. I had the ribs & wings. Ribs tasted lovely and smoky."
"Absolutely blown away by the quality of this barbecue place. Everything we ate was juicy and tender."
"The Phat Chef Burger is up there in one of the best burgers we've had."
"Great atmosphere and great food I had the cow, chicken and pig burger with a side of onion rings."
Cons:
"I've marked down little on food as it was very salty in places."
"The food tasted AMAZING. I had the ribs & wings. Ribs tasted lovely and smoky."
"Food was tasty. Service was good. The decor and theme were very nice. Good selection of drinks and cocktails. My only comment is that I felt a bit cold."
"Food was really good apart from the pulled brisket which I wasn't a fan of."
"Feel sorry for the servers as the food has got significantly worse recently."
"Super salty, one of the toughest beef briskets I've ever had. The milkshake was the best part."
"Everything was over seasoned and the ribs were overdone and the sauce was quite bitter and not pleasant at all."
"Great food (except the ribs which were rock hard), huge portions and the prices reflect that."
Service
Pros:
"Staff are super attentive and polite too."
"The staff at The Smoke Pit were friendly, attentive, and always ready to lend a hand."
"Quick and friendly service which is the best."
"Staff-wise everything went perfectly smoothly even for a large and chaotic table."
"Gemma was very friendly and service was fantastic from all staff."
"Staff were friendly and service was prompt."
"Staff were very friendly, patient and considerate of my partners dietary requirements."
"Fantastic service and the food was out of this world."
Cons:
"The service wasn’t good enough though. It took 25 minutes for a waiter to ask for our drinks, 1.5 hours to get our food from being seated, and another 20 minutes to get the bill after we had asked 4 times."
"However the service wasn’t good. Drinks came out 1 by 1 (there was 8 of us), and some were missing, we were sat for 50 minutes before we got our drinks and our order was taken, and a further 45 minutes for food"
"Service after eating wasn't great and it took a long time for the servers to clear our table and give us the bill"
"I know some colleagues were a little disappointed with their choices but I was pleased with mine. Felt the service generally was a little slow - slow to take orders but it was a snowy night so they may have been short-staffed."
"The staff were more concerned with chatting to each other and barely paid any attention to the restaurant."
"Only reason I've give 4 stars is service and absolutely cremated bacon. Although friendly and happy, took ages to take drinks order, then ages to order food, half cleared the table and took ages to finish clearing and asking if wanted anything else, then forever to bring the bill."
"i don't know what happened but all good was super salty... the menu looked good on paper, but the ox cheeks, and my friends dishes were on the verge of having to send them back... i cannot recommend to have food, drinks were good and decoration quite cool"
"Service was slow. Tables were loud."
Atmosphere and Decor
Pros:
"Also love the art around the restaurant."
"As avid graffiti fans, we were ecstatic to find the decor at The Smoke Pit to be an absolute work of art."
"The decor is fantastic, the music even better."
"Really enjoyed every aspect of The Smoke Pit. Buzzing atmosphere with an interior to match."
"Great atmosphere and great food I had the cow, chicken and pig burger with a side of onion rings, it arrive nice and hot did not look alot BUT I struggled to finish the meal."
"Absolutely top place. Popped in on the way from London to Birmingham for dinner. Staff were super friendly and chatty, the food was amazing."
"We love this place. Everything about it is just superb. Tasty, cooked to perfection, the service, the drinks, the music - it's pretty much the whole package"
"The Smoke Pit is brilliantly well run. The decor is great, the staff were very chill and friendly and the menu had a good selection of dishes."
Cons:
"If you're looking for a quiet place for a meal this is not for you as it was a great place for going with a crowd as I did."
"The atmosphere was great. The staff was very friendly. The hot sauce names were hilarious. The food was very tasty. The art surrounds you. The only reason I give this place a 4/5 is because it seemed a little pricey for what was received."
"Make sure you're hungry! Portions are big. Would recommend the Haloumi fries. Best I've ever had! Burgers were lovely too. Not cheap though. Expect to pay in the region of £30 per head."
"Great food, but massive portions! Beware of the combo platters, the Bad Boy Beef is plenty big enough for 2 to share, maybe even 3!! 😲 Katsu scampi starter is a must though, really tasty!!"
"The atmosphere and decor was good, the service was fine but my issue was with the food."
"Food still great! Decor not so, know it's a graffiti look, but just looks like someone had thrown a tin of paint at the wall!"
"At these prices I was pretty disgusted to see the 'napkins' were a whole kitchen roll just left on our table."
"God I love this place ain't cheap but the food reflexes this had the east munch box omg says for 2 but really its for 2 big eaters everything was stupid good faultless and the sloppy Korean fries 'just take my money' 10/10 on everything"
Price and Value
Pros:
"Good choice of drinks, ales, cocktails and cocktails on the menu."
"The prices are high but it is value for your money."
"Definitely recommend and would go here again."
"I cannot wait to go back!"
"Good food, nice atmosphere. Sharing nachos were amazing."
"Great food, freshly made. It's not the cheapest place, but you get what you pay for."
"Great bbq food, came here with a colleague. We went on rib and wings night (where if you finish the tray you get another absolutely for free!) but decided to share the main tray with everything on for mains. Very tender and tasty!"
"I really enjoy this place, food is always good, I love the hot wings and ribs, they used to have dirty fries on the menu, please bring them back 🙏, staff very friendly and helpful."
Cons:
"The only reason I give this place a 4/5 is because it seemed a little pricey for what was received."
"If you're young and modern, its probably great. But I'm not. If I'm paying £15.50 for a basic burger I expect to either leave stuffed full of food or thinking the burger tastes amazing."
"Then £6.75 for a glass of coke (admittedly refillable) is almost theft."
"It was expensive, but the platter was delicious."
"Prices are not for the faint of heart but you get what you pay for."
"The only issue I had was that the brisket was a little too saucy. The portion size was good, and plenty of other sauces available for the fries etc."
"Absolutely amazing place, the food is a bit pricy but absolutely lovely."
"I give extra 1 star for service and ambience and 1 star for portion. As you can see the total cost amounts up to £50+ for 4 adults which in Northampton, I consider that price extravagant."