Three Peterborough Pubs Worth Crossing Town For

Your nearest pub has one enormous advantage.

It's near.

Sometimes that's all you need.

But there are other nights when five minutes round the corner isn't the brief.

You're meeting friends from different parts of Peterborough, going out for food, or just fancy somewhere that makes leaving the sofa feel justified.

So which pubs are worth crossing town for?

We've picked three that give you a reason beyond simply serving beer.

The Brewery Tap: Go for Thai Food and Oakham Ales

You could walk into The Brewery Tap for a pint and leave it at that.

But you'd be missing most of the point.

At 80 Westgate, this is the home of Oakham Ales, so there's an obvious attraction if you like cask beer. JHB, Citra, Inferno and Bishops Farewell are among the brewery's familiar names.

Then there's the Thai food.

And that's where a casual pint can rather easily become an evening.

The menu includes curries, stir-fries, noodles and Thai sharing dishes, with the three-dish tapas option being particularly tempting if nobody can decide what to order.

You know how that goes.

“Shall we get a couple and share?”

Ten minutes later there are enough plates on the table to cater for a small wedding.

There are also live music and DJ nights, so it's worth looking at what's happening before choosing your evening.

You can check the current menus and events directly at The Brewery Tap.

Why cross town for it?

Thai food and beer brewed by a Peterborough brewery is a much stronger argument than “it's a pub and we're thirsty.”

Charters: Go Because You're Drinking on a Barge

Some pubs need paragraphs of explanation.

Charters has a rather shorter sales pitch.

It's on a boat.

More specifically, a converted Dutch barge moored beside Town Bridge.

And after more than 30 years in Peterborough, it's one of those places that can be easy for locals to take for granted.

The bar is below deck, while outside there's a large riverside beer garden.

Come on the right summer evening and that's probably where you'll want to be.

Food includes burgers and other bar dishes, while the Riverside Pizza Kitchen operates at selected times.

Charters also runs live music and DJ events, with its outdoor stage coming into its own when the weather cooperates.

This is the pub I'd pick when a few people are meeting and nobody wants the evening planned to within an inch of its life.

Get a table.

Order something.

See where the evening goes.

And if someone is arriving by train, the location isn't bad either.

Check what's happening and when the food is being served at Charters Bar.

Why cross town for it?

Because sitting beside the Nene with a pint on a warm evening beats staring at the same four walls you've been staring at all week.

Even better if there's a band playing.

The Moorhen: Go When You Want a Pub Afternoon, Not Just a Pint

The Moorhen gives us something different again.

It's beside West Lake in Hampton, away from the city-centre choices, with outdoor space, sport, pool, darts and dogs welcome throughout the pub.

This is less:

“Table for two at seven, please.”

And more:

“We'll meet there about three and see what happens.”

Which is sometimes exactly what you want from a pub.

There's room for people to spread out, something to do if conversation temporarily runs out of steam, and you don't have to leave the dog at home.

The lake setting helps too.

If you've spent all week indoors, sitting outside with a drink has considerably more appeal than moving from one indoor chair to another.

The Moorhen regularly runs food and drink offers, but those are the sort of thing I'd check on the day rather than choosing the pub around a promotion that might have disappeared by next month.

Current menus, opening times and offers are on The Moorhen's website.

Why cross town for it?

Dogs, outdoor space, sport and the sort of afternoon where nobody is checking the time every 20 minutes.

Three Pubs, Three Different Plans

This is why trying to name Peterborough's “best pub” doesn't get us very far.

What night are you having?

If you want Thai food and Peterborough-brewed beer, The Brewery Tap has an obvious claim on your evening.

If it's sunny and a pint beside the river sounds about right, head for Charters.

If you want dogs, sport, games and a long afternoon outside, try The Moorhen.

And if none of those sound like your kind of pub?

Good.

Peterborough has plenty more.

Want to Eat Your Way Around Peterborough?

Our friends at Peterborough Taste Trail spend rather more time thinking about where to eat and drink than is probably healthy.

They're hunting down independent restaurants, cafés, pubs, delis, takeaways and individual dishes around Peterborough including the places that don't always make the obvious city-centre lists.

So if the Thai food at The Brewery Tap has made you hungry, that's probably where you should head next.

Explore Peterborough Taste Trail:

https://peterborough.tastetrail.co.uk

As for the pubs, we're not declaring a winner.

Some Friday nights call for Thai food and Citra.

Some call for a table beside the river.

And sometimes all you want is the dog, a pint and absolutely no reason to be home by six.

Give us your opinions or alternative suggestions in the comments below.