New town centre restaurant assures customers it will become ‘go to’ once they pay the venue a visit

One of the owner-directors of a new Northampton town centre restaurant assures customers it will become their “go to” once they pay the venue a visit.

‘Restropub’ Craft & Skewers opened in the former Electric Pavilion building in Gold Street at the end of last month.

Hoping to bring something brand new to the town centre, their concept is to combine Indian street food with a traditional pub environment.

By replicating the “casual aura of a pub”, customers now have the opportunity to enjoy cocktails and craft beers while watching live sports.

This is the second location in the Craft & Skewers chain, and the first has proved successful since it opened in Newport Pagnell in November 2021.

Having opened more than a month ago, the team held off on hosting an official launch event until they were settled in and everything was up to scratch.

Now that is the case, the invite-only launch event is taking place tonight (June 29) and it will be all systems go from then on.

Talking to Chronicle & Echo, owner-director Avishek Prakash said: “Business has been steady and now is the time to let everyone know we are here.

“We have used the first month to work things out, but customers have already enjoyed the food and we have a good chef.”

Having already been praised for what they have brought to Northampton town centre, Avishek says the team is “very happy” – as well as the fact they already have repeat customers.

One person has visited five times, bringing a different person on each occasion to spread the word about Craft & Skewers.

When asked what customers like most about the venue so far, Avishek said: “The food receives the most compliments and people like the layout.

“We have a bigger selection of beers coming after the launch, which we plan to push to customers.”

Butter chicken has proved the most popular choice on the menu, but the owner-director says it is promising to see customers trying new and different things.

“Come and have a look,” said Avishek. “Once people see the venue, they will be proud of the quality and layout – and it will become their go to place in the future.”

Ahead of the launch, Avishek, who has been involved in the hospitality industry for 22 years, said there was the potential to take this concept further following its success in cities like Birmingham.

“We’ve got the winning formula, and our venues are a lot more Instagrammable than a typical pub,” he said.

The food menu offered in Newport Pagnell consists of cocktail plates, home style curries, mixed grills on sizzlers, and sides and sundries – including a variety of rice and naan bread.

Avishek says the Northampton menu is “90 percent the same” as what is offered there, but it has been simplified further to meet everyone’s needs even when the venue gets busy.

He described Northampton as a “big town” and says the Craft & Skewers team is “excited and hopeful” about what they can achieve here moving forward.

Once the launch event is under their belt, the aim is to get the restropub’s name out as far and wide as possible.

For more information, visit Craft & Skewers Northampton’s Facebook page here.