Turtle Bay Northampton — Restaurant in England

Came in here for the third time in as many months.. Was very quiet but service was still very slow. When waiter (assistant manager maybe?) took our drink order we ordered our food at the same time. For the third time coming we were told you have no curry goat…have you just forgot to take it off all your menus? On the spot my partner then ordered the same meal as me, the waiter then finished up our order quickly without asking if we wanted any sides and walked off, we had also wanted some chicken, dumplings and slaw but never got the option to spend more money, we decided to not call him back after the lack of asking us and the lack of curry goat. Food came out quickly and was piping hot and tasty! No complaints. We then waited whilst the waiter cleaned tables in a nearly empty restaurant for another drink, I had to flag him down from laying out napkins to ask for a drink after an hour of being there, really not attentive for a table service restaurant. Once you are sat down, you’re just left. We sat for a further 15 mins to catch attention and order another drink but instead decided to pay the bill, which we had to go up to the bar and pay as nobody had come near us. I have been for bottmeless brunch on a Friday and Saturday and have received thousand times better service. You had 6 other tables in once your 2 bigger tables left, with either lone persons or couples and couldn’t give a decent service and atmosphere. Lost out on sales as we intended to have more than 2 toasties and 2 drinks we were celebrating an occasion and ended up going elsewhere continuing with drinks...

I’d never been to Turtle Bay before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As a vegan, I’ve learned to go in with cautious optimism — you never know if “plant-based options” means one sad salad or an actual exciting meal.

I’m happy to report: Turtle Bay nailed it.

First off, the cocktails. Their menu is a tropical daydream — I tried the Reggae Rum Punch and the Koko Colada, both packed with flavour and dangerously easy to drink. They strike that sweet spot where the alcohol is present but doesn’t overwhelm the fruity freshness. Plus, they’re generous with the garnish game, which makes them extra Instagrammable.

Then came the star of the evening: their 24-hour marinated plant-based chicken. I wasn’t expecting much beyond “good for a vegan option,” but it blew me away. The texture had bite, the seasoning was deep and smoky, and you could tell the marinade had actually been given time to work its magic. Paired with their spicy sauces and sides, it felt like comfort food with a Caribbean kick — the kind of thing you could order again and again without it feeling repetitive.

And a big shout-out to Charlotte, our server — she was friendly, attentive, and made us feel genuinely welcome. She happily answered my vegan-related questions without rushing me, and even gave great cocktail recommendations. She’s a credit to the place.

The atmosphere was lively without being overwhelming, and the service sealed the deal for me.

Come for the cocktails, stay for the plant-based chicken, and if you’re lucky, let Charlotte...

Went out for bottomless brunch 3pm Saturday afternoon. Rang a few days before to confirm the booking and asked to extend the table passed the brunch time. The person on the phone was very abrupt, verging on rude and told us they were fully booked and could not have the table after 5pm. On the day the restaurant was very busy and you could see our server was very stressed. Drinks orders were slow to be taken and the drinks took even longer to arrive. One time only one drink arrived, and we were told it was something different to what it was. Several times we had other tables drinks arrive. It felt chaotic to say the least. One waitress would put a drink down on the table and expected us to pass it down the table. The food was tasty and arrived promptly. The cocktails were OK, nothing fancy but what you'd expect on a bottomless. Given the brunch is £40.80 each though I would expect good service to match the price tag. We asked to speak to the manager who it turned out was our waiter. We explained the service wasn't as we'd expected and we felt disappointed. He was very apologetic and understanding, and agreed we hadn't had the experience he would want his customers to have so was more than happy to rectify the situation. In the end we left happy enough but I would think twice going back again especially...