please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This is my local. The food is standard pub-chain stuff but perfectly acceptable and there's a wide choice. I've never had any problems with serving times for meals but then I eat there only 3 or 4 times a year.
The bar still maintains at least 4 real ales, Pride is the regular, and, apart of one glass of "Rocking Rudolph" Xmas ale (never buy a beer with a jokey name) they have always been good choices and well-kept. The interior is deceptively small but well-kept. There is a semi-separate dining area. Dogs are allowed in.
The garden is even smaller now as part of the land has been given over to building a Co-op.
The landlord and landlady are friendly and chatty, the staff is variable but have, as far as I am concerned, fallen below average.
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To say that "service can be slow" is an understatement. This is not a bad place to stop, but if you are waiting for food, be prepared for a LONG wait. The beer is all right, but when it gets down to it this is a M&B chain pub. I have used this place several times as a break from the long journey from the South West to East Anglia (it's about 1 mile off the M25), but I doubt I will use it again. 5/10
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Another facelift for this pub Autumn 2015 and the interior has improved with a more sensible seating layout. New set of taps with 10 real ales on the bar.
It is still staffed rather light and although they do their best service can be slow.
Prices have crept up over the last couple of years. It used be that only Wetherspoons was cheaper but now prices are more or less average but a small discount to Camra members.
Beer quality is still an issue. Its very strange here, pints are poured and they look and taste OK but by the time you are halfway down the glass the beer has lost condition and developed an unpleasant taste. When the beer is poured I notice that the head is made up of very uniform bubbles not the random sizing you usually see in real ale, I'm not sure why that should be I haven't seen that anywhere else that actually serves "real ale" as Camra would define it. This pub does have very long beer lines to their tap room and I guess that cannot help.
The staff will change your pint with just the odd grumble if its not good enough but I always feel guilty about it if I've drunk a significant portion of the beer already.
I do hope they can sort their quality issues out.
One more word of warning - don't go on a Tuesday night as its Quiz Nite. The quiz master who makes constant gaffs and struggle with the queens English is amusing for about 5 mins. She shrieks the questions over the Tannoy so loudly that your head will resonate and conversation is impossible. Best avoided.
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Nice to see six beers on at the bar - although not the greatest choice.
Regular ales are: Brakspear Bitter, Doom Bar and at least one decent brew, Wadworth 6X.
Guest ales today were; Summer Lightning, Adnams Southwold and the one I went for, Al Murray's Beautiful British Beer.
It wasn't in the best condition, so therefore not beautiful.
I wish I could feel better about this pub, but it seems to disappoint.
It has a large car park, central bar surrounded with plenty of tables, standard Ember Inns menu and the staff okay, but does not float my boat.
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Had a meal here Friday 25th July. For a Friday evening meal in what is essentialy a locals' pub it was very acceptable - food good & plentiful with good, attentive service.
Ther were about six ales on with a CAMRA discount. The Hopback Summer Lightning was very good, the Black Sheep Holy Grail was less to my taste.
This multi level Ember Inn was clean & tidy with a large beer garden at the rear.
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clean pub with different areas for dining etc 2 guest beers tried were ok, young staff not very attentive
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Not a patch on a couple of years ago.
Short measures
Long waits at the bar
A poor reputation with local staff
more and more pikey types in there, one day its really going to kick off
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Considering this seems to be the only pub in Chiswell Green, I think they do quite well. Pub grub with a twist is very good. Seemed to have 4 standard ales on which were all good. Beer garden is very large but also not much seating and all sloped. If they did a little more work to it, it could be best beer garden in the area. Worth a stop for lunch and drink but not a session.
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Three ales on tap - Young's, London Pride and Pirate's Gold from the Wooden Hand Brewery, so bonus points for a lesser seen Cornish ale.
Plus points for the friendly and efficient staff.
Minus points for the weird smell, the fact it was pretty grotty and had a tired feeling around the whole place, and also that some of the food tasted quite funky.
An Ember Inn, so you'd expect it to be of a comparative standard compared to other pubs in the chain which I have visited. Not so, and won't be back.
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Chips, chips and more chips...rude staff and greasy glasses, what's with all those flies around the bar area.....one to avoid!
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Pub no 17
Ok pub
Good beer
Ok service
6/10
Recommended(just)
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This pub has been under new management this year - too early to say if thats good or bad. Definately an improvement on all but the last landlady.
Beer quality is variable, usually a good range but not always well kept. I went in here on Tuesday and had a very disappointing pint of Black Sheep that was probably left over from the weekend - so bad I left half of it. On other occasions its been good trouble is it should be good all the time.
Service can also be quite slow, they sometimes seem reluctant to get enough staff behind the bar. Staff are not knowledgable about beer.
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Cask Marque ain't worth the paper it's printed on and should really be rebranded as Cack Mark. Well over half the pubs I have visited with Cask Marque "accreditation" would have difficulty pouring you a glass of orange juice without spoiling it let alone have any idea about dealing with ale.
anonymous - 27 Nov 2010 13:38 |
Tried this pub for the first time last Saturday afternoon. A pub serving food all day can be really useful to know. I liked the interior with three or four different areas to eat or drink.
I am not over keen on 'chain' pubs because although you normally get a good choice of meals at reasonable prices you seldom get that home-cooked look and taste.
Three of us had macaroni cheese - which received no complaints. I had the chicken and ribs but with the salad undressed - I complained. The ribs were nice, the chips were nothing special, the chicken was a dry fibrous hard slab and my undressed salad was.........dressed.
Why do places dress the salad? It is vile. Forget the food, what about the drink?
Six real ales were on which at least is a plus. Some could be regular beers - Deuchars, Moorland OB and Courage best - not my favourite ones. I had the Greene King Thirsty Dragon and Jennings Tom Fool both disappointingly bland. I wouldn't be surprised if the Thirsty Dragon was Greene King's IPA in disguise!!!
As this place has been Cask Marque accredited I asked the young barman if he had a Cask Marque leaflet of other CM pubs in the local area. "Cask who?" was his reply. Cask Marque, I repeated. "Wot's dat den?" he asked. Where is the landlord or landlady when you want them? Why are thick kids put in charge?
Cask Marque is an organisation which offers the opportunity to train you lot how to look after and pull a decent pint of beer: I informed him.
The blank look on his face was like the one Homer Simpson has when he has not understood a single word that's said. This is not an isolated case, it has happened in many other Cask Marque pubs.
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As others have said, one of the M&B-owned Ember Inns chain. These can be quite varied - like many others in the chain, this had a reasonable real ale range when I turned up (five or six, including a couple of less usual ones), but otherwise was nothing to write home about. It has a nice frontage, but inside is rather cluttered and feels a bit claustrophobic. Food was very poor: my BLT sandwich fell apart in my hands, the bacon was burnt, and the chips pretty poor too. I doubt I'll pop back very soon.
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There was nothing particularly special about this place. The interior was cosy enough and the real ale range was good - Roosters Celtic Corker, Adnams Broadside, Youngs Bitter, Courage Best and Fullers London Pride. But the pub was a little too noisy for my liking, and the location on a busy road is not the best. Service was quick and friendly enough.
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I've been here a few times with a close relative who lives nearby. One of its plus points is that it serves food all day, and so if you are looking for food in the magical hours between 2-6pm, this is a place to come. The food itself is extremely variable, in my experience. Mostly it is fast food of the something and chips and peas type - little chef oldstyle. I have had a nice steak there in the past, but today I had steak which was so tough it was like old boot leather.
The staff are frendly and helpful, however, and the other customers seemed quiet and pleasant.
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Not in St Albans, and despite being a chain pub it's alright, good selection of beer, and a really good beef burgers.
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Very enterprising beer choice for a chain pub, probably needs more real ale drinkers to get through the guests. Friendly and knowledgable staff, in cotrast to the King Harry down the road.
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A Ember Inn so it attracts a lot of diners. Sunday roast is quite cheap at �5.95 but is fast food type, at least they offered clue as to hoe tough the roast beef would be by providing a steak knife. Four ales on, Young�s Special, Henry�s IPA, Pride and one other. Large car park and a few tables on the grass out front by the main road.
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I have been a few times to this pub when visiting friends. The food always seems to be very good. If you go there you must try the beef burgers, they are no ordinary ones. There are huge and so scrumptious. If you have ever tried American beef burgers these are better. Also they are nothing like the wishy-washy high street burgers. My friends and I were very impressed, friendly staff and good food.
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In Chiswell Green and not St Albans as the address suggests. Excellent beer and a great selection of food. We didn't try the food as they were very busy and had an hour's wait and we had to be somewhere within the hour. Will definitely visit again, though.
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Never better than mediocre post renovation. A pastel hued, sanitised bore-fest: predictable in every particular. Ideal for primary school teachers and interior decorators.
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this pub has it all,despite being part of a chain. great food, reasonable prices, very friendly staff..
a great place to eat or drink
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Still going strong with a good selection of real ales with constant rotation.
They now do a grill night on Tuesday's from 5pm with steak and pint or real ale (under 4.1%) for �5.99.
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Continues to improve, also congratulations at getting in the Good Beer Guide!
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This is a useful pub to have in the Chiswell Green area, and it has definitely improved since last year�s makeover. There is plenty of space, an unobtrusive television, and a satisfying Ember Inns food menu. But there is still room for improvement, not least providing enough staff for the front bar, and they need to keep an eye on the quality of the real ales. Still, give it a go if you�re in the area.
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Good choice of frequently updated ales. Keenly priced meal deals at lunchtime. Quiz night is good fun too. Observations regarding the local young chavs are broadly correct but remember that as this is Chiswell Green and theres sod all to do, at least if they are in here they are not causing trouble elsewhere !.
The young lad behind the bar in a constant day-dream needs to get his arse in gear though !.
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My old local. Used to be great back when Mickey managed it (and before then when it was Jack and his wife who's name escapes me). Seemed to be increasing numbers of chavs and pikeys creeping in for the last couple of years, which is a real shame because they still do great ales and the staff are pretty good. Quiz night is a laugh too. Even won it a few times.
Often a gang of little turds can be seen hanging around outside on weekends.
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A positive transformation! Popped in yesterday, and was amazed to fine SIX real ales. My pint of TT Landlord was fine, and looking at other drinkers' glasses confirmed that their beers were in tip-top nick too.
Food is typical Ember Inns fare but perfectly reasonable. Quiz nights on Sunday and Tuesday.
anonymous - 3 Dec 2006 10:18 |
The place is much better since Cilla took over, always a couple of good ales on and the food is not bad for Microwaved stuff.
Bar staff need dragging into this century but overall not a bad place for a few pints
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Beer continues to be good! All credit to the new landlady who has really turned this place around.
Its shut for a refurb at the moment, opens today, we'll see what that brings.
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Maybe the glasswasher saga is nearing the end? Have had nothing but good pints in here for the last few weeks.
Quite agree about the sign - "a hideous carbuncle on the face of an old friend" to quote some clever chap.
In the past there have been issues with the service, you know where staff look through you to server their mates next etc etc but thought it was OK at the moment.
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good beer and new landlady has customwers at heart. Quiz nights can be good fun and food is cheap and of good quality. Only issue is service is dead slow.. I've seen faster service in a closed little chef.
Sad but it can ruin your evening.. bar staff need a rocket and lessons in bar skills. Good job they don't work in a town centre pub.
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Yet another horrible pub sign - seems to be a plague of these in St Albans. Re: King William 4th , Blackberry jack etc.
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I believe these guys have problems with their dishwasher and tainted glasses are spoiling the ale. Its a shame as for a while it was really good but these problems have been ongoing for a bit too long now and the progress made is being wound back. I cant see them getting in the GBG without more consistency.
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More of an inn/restaurant than a boozer, but so what? There are currently 4 real ales, and although the food is (below) "uninspiring chain pub fayre", it's very well prepared and reasonably priced, IMHO. The barstaff/waitresses are efficient and friendly. You could do a lot worse than come here. An easy 7 out of 10.
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New landlady towards the end of 2005 and what a difference, drinkable ale! Usually 3+ ales in good condition. This pub is now bustling most of the time. Food is fairly standard overpriced and uninspiring chain pub fayre but overall a big improvement.
I still don't know what pub James (below Sep 2004) went to, I think he must have been lost.
anonymous - 18 Jan 2006 10:05 |
A reasonable pub, usually about 4 ales on sale including Directors plus lagers. Food fair to good, prices OK. I beg to differ on the quizmaster who, when I was last there, was incoherant and stumbled over "big words" - OK, we didn't win but he was not up to much. Recently redecorated, nothing too severe, but lost a bit of atmosphere. The outside seating overlooks a main road, parking front and rear, always a space.
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This pub is pants. Full of chav's and the ale is seldom drinkable. Shame its a great building in a great location. The food is typical chain pub fayre as well.
Desperately needs a proper owner/landloard.
Enjoy a walk a mile up the raod to the King Harry you may benefit from the exercise.
anonymous - 21 Apr 2005 14:26 |
this pub is superb,great ale which is refelcted with their current aquisition of a cask marque! The quiz master is good to!
James Bolan - 21 Sep 2004 14:13 |
