St Albans Restaurant Guide

“A perfect experience – superb canapés, mains and desserts”: former Auberge du Lac chef Phil Thompson (from a family of chefs and butchers) wins consistently excellent ratings for his town-centre venue with a conservatory and terrace. “Never had a bad meal here”.

2019 Review: Opposite art deco cinema The Odyssey, this slick banquette-lined venue wins solid feedback for the main event – grass-fed, 21-day aged and sourced from the Queen’s own butcher; now with two siblings in Chandler’s Cross and (as of late) Beaconsfield.

2018 Review: A 17th-century pub with beamed ceilings, wooden floors, log fire and garden, handily placed in the city-centre; fans “have never been disappointed” by the “very reasonably priced” food (especially lunch) although cynics feel that it’s “variable” at times.

A “small” and “cosy” dining room tucked away behind a small pub – and with a new offshoot, The Plough, in the hamlet of Sleapshyde. “The food (the weightier ‘Bill of Fayre’ out back, and snacks up front) shows a great deal of thought and the staff obviously feel proud about what they do, as they deserve to”. If you feel like a cocktail, make it a Martini – barman Roberto Fiorillo surprisingly snaffled the ‘World's Best Martini’ award in 2019!

“Affordable and with a nice vibe” – these good-looking, all-day hang-outs major in brunch, but make reasonably-priced options for a relaxed meal at any time. This year, they added Kensington High Street and Islington to the stable and spread beyond inner London to Surbiton and St Albans.

2019 Review: A “beautiful location” – this “large, rambling and well-spaced” Georgian private home was opened as a gastropub by the Chester-based Brunning & Price chain in 2016, and has quickly built a solid reputation for a “pleasant” menu “full of excellent choices”, “allied with good service”.

One of a small Hertfordshire chain, run by hospitality veteran Andrei Lussmann and whose backers include famous restaurant investor, Luke Johnson. The worst trip last year was from a disappointed London-based reviewer, but it attracts a good number of local reports, all praising “good quality food (with a focus on sustainability) served with precision and at a reasonable price”.

This “very good modern Turk” uses high-quality ingredients, including organic meats from Wales, to produce some interesting meals in this under-served town, and it “gets busy and can be very noisy”. There’s a spinoff branch in Berkhamsted.