Restaurant deals in Northampton: things to know before you go

While a lot of people use Northampton as a base to travel in and out of London, there’s still plenty to boast about in the town. From the grand architecture found in the centre, to an interesting food and drink scene that’s blossoming every day. Here’s your guide to restaurants in Northampton town centre and near you.

What are the top-rated restaurants in Northampton?

Picking just a few is hard, but we’ve selected three of the best restaurants in Northampton, covering different tastes and cuisines, below:

• Sakura is one of Northampton’s best Japanese restaurants. It serves teppanyaki food, which means that skilled chefs will prepare your food right in front of you on a huge (hot!) steel plate. Expect pillars of flame and a touch of the theatrical!
• The Stuffed Olive on Wellingborough Road, meanwhile, will take you on a culinary journey around the Mediterranean with food from across the region and a wine list that’s more international.
• Church Bar & Restaurant, as you might have gathered from the name, is set in a beautiful old church. It’s not often you get to sip cocktails under a stained glass window! The food is contemporary fine dining, with vegan and gluten free options available.

Where are the best places to get lunch in Northampton?

You have tons of places to get a quick lunch (or something more substantial) in Northampton. Here are three of the top restaurants and cafes that locals rate the best:

• The Hub of Northampton, located not far out from North Gate station, prides itself on serving its food with passion and a smile.
• The Platform Club is part of the university union, serving up oven-baked potatoes, paninis, pies and pastries.
• The Shed Cafe lives up to its name in the best possible way. With its quaint interior and white wooden walls, it could hardly feel more English, and the delicious cakes only heighten that impression.

How do you pair wine with food?

Paring wine and food is all about taste. Learn how to really, deeply taste and savour the things you eat, and drink and you’ll start to know instinctively how to put the right wine with your food. Don’t worry, though, there are a couple of shortcuts.

A good place to start is pairing a light wine with light food and heavier wines with heavier foods – a sauvignon blanc with sole, for example.

Another clue is that if you’re boiling, steaming or poaching your food it will have more delicate flavours and will sit better with a light wine.

Finally, be careful at the end of your meal. The sweetness of a dessert can make your wine taste sour, so be sure to pair it with a sweet wine to avoid the stark contrast, Sauternes is a great choice.

How does a restaurant get a Michelin star?

A Michelin star is, for many chefs, the culinary mountaintop. The process for giving them out is still happily old school, and surprisingly there are only around 120 inspectors in charge of dishing them up worldwide.

These inspectors have the enviable job of travelling the globe and sampling roughly 240 restaurants a year. The precise metrics they use for awarding the coveted stars is a secret, but Michelin Guide editor Rebecca Burr did tell the Telegraph a few details. It’s naturally very much focused on the food, and technical skill, refinement, signature dishes and having something that sets them apart are all important factors taken into consideration.