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”.

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!

One of a small Hertfordshire chain, run by hospitality veteran Andrei Lussmann and whose backers include famous restaurant investor, Luke Johnson. The worst trip this 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.