The Malt Shovel Tavern

The Malt Shovel Tavern has been specialising in real ales for more than 20 years and has won many awards, including Northampton's community pub of the year and Northamptonshire CAMRA Pub of the Year.  We've got a great selection of award-winning real ales, single malt whiskies, Belgian bottled beers and continental lagers to tempt you. What you won't find is a pool table, jukebox or fruit machines - just a great place to relax and enjoy a good drink!

Paul
5 Star
An absolute gem of a pub! A superb selection of drinks served by friendly and knowledgeable staff. Always a warm and friendly welcome from the bar staff and locals alike. Keep an eye out for their upcoming events, as the recent gin, cider & rum festival was great! Big thanks to Megan, Steve and the team at The Malt Shovel. Cheers
Thursday 14th July 2022

Andrew Thomas
5 Star
A fantastic, relaxed, welcoming pub and perfect for the lover of real ales. A small but tasty food menu (loved the Steak and Stilton pie) and i was very impressed with the bar staff's knowledge of the extensive range of beers on offer. Many thanks
Saturday 2nd July 2022

Francois Lariviere
5 Star
I spent 2 weeks in Northampton on business and an English friend of mine recommended I check out the Malt Shovel. Originally from Montréal, now living in Los Angeles, I’ve traveled multiple times to England/UK. I really do fancy the traditional English pubs and their cask ales. Can’t say I was swept off my feet with the city of Northampton itself, but the Malt Shovel was definitely a hidden gem I’m very happy I discovered through recommendations. This is a typical English pub like we don’t see much anymore. The decor, the overall ambiance; it meets perfectly what we, foreigners, envision in our head of what English pubs are like. The lad behind the bar (Steve I reckon) was particularly personable, very welcoming, and shared tons of advocates information and stories. He truly made our nights, on repeated occasions, particularly enjoyable (I believe I went 3-4 times throughout my 2-week stay). He really went out of his way to make sure we were looked after and felt welcomed. Not knowing what the future hold, one thing is for sure, I will be back at the Malt Shovel if I happen to be back in Northampton! Ask Steve to serve you as cask ale with a “sprayer”, your life will never be the same! *wink*
Friday 22nd April 2022

Fletch
5 Star
Great proper pub. Good selection of real ale. Not many like this left. Enjoy 👍🍻
Sunday 13th February 2022

Bobby Samelak-Pain
5 Star
Lived in Northampton for years and never popped in until last week following a show at the Derngate. A really lovely pub with a warm atmosphere and decently priced drinks as well. Great staff too. Nice rear garden too.
Saturday 21st May 2022