please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Old pub offering 3 or 4 ales. Some sections were 'reserved', and one of the beers we tried tasted 'off' (though in fairness it was replaced without question), but still probably worth a visit as it's in an attractive part of the city.
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Trades on it's location and claims to be 'oldest pub in the city/ county/ country'. Quirky outside but bland corporate interior. An improvement on the ale front with a few Farr's and Purity brews on - which were drinkable. It's popular with younger folk and the dining didn't dominate. Still lacks atmosphere and although the ales were okay didn't fancy staying for another.
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I would love to drink here on a regular basis. Unfortunately, at £4.95 a pint!!!!!! I can't afford it.
The beer choice is great but beyond the budget of normal people.
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Been three years since my last visit.
Beer wise, things have improved - 8 real ales on and a much broader selection. Enjoyed my Woodforde Wherry.
Food Wise, I was a little disappointed to see laminated chainy style menus. I remember when it was ever changing nightly printed out A4.
Everything else as I remember and a must visit pub. Just to say you've been to (one of) the oldest pubs in England.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2tMDBNJ
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Now has possibly the best range of ales in town with 8 beers all from local breweries including Farr, Leighton Buzzard & 3Brewers. Three dark beers on offer including the excellent Smokin Angel & Most Potent Porter by Farr.
The young ladies behind the bar were very enthusiastic about the beers.
Unfortunately the prices are ridiculous (£4.50)
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Nice old pub with lots of nooks and crannies. Six real ales were on offer and my Purity Ubu was excellent, if on the verge of being a short measure. Parking nearby is a nightmare however.
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Most commentators seem to give short shrift to the 'oldest pub in the country' thesis - what about Lloyd's Number 1 bar in Milton Keynes for a start. It's beautifully located in a park near to St Albans' magnificent cathedral and reminds one of pubs like Hampstead's The Flask. Our beer choices were a) Russian Winter from the Itchington brewery (replete with communist livery) and Bitter & Twisted. Oliver Cromwell apparently stayed here - no mention if Enter Shikari are regulars.
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Another candidate for 'oldest pub in England' status! Nonetheless a decent pub with 8 cask ales on offer on a Monday evening. The Harviestoun 'Bitter & Twisted' was excellent. 9/10.
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Finally, somewhere to visit after an afternoon walk in the park that welcomes families. Free jelly babies on the way out were a hit with our well behaved 5 yo.
It won't please those that would relegate us to McDonalds or Harvester, but it's nice to know there's room for all in some pubs in St Albans.
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Oldest pub in England but unfortunately, it could do so much better. Ale was on but 3 typicals. Worth it for a tourist but not much else.
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This could be so much better than it is. I popped in for a quick pint the other day and went for the Harvey's. I sent the first pint back and the second wasn't much better. I guess they make so much money from the through trade that they don't need to pay attention to the kind of things that would make people want to return.
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Four ales on when we visited including Harvey's, Doombar and Tribute. Went for the latter and a pint and a half, plus a packet of crisps, cost �6.20.
Not cheap, then, and not particularly well kept beer either, with a slightly tangy after taste.
Low ceilings, roaring fire, children and dog friendly. Didn't seem overly publike, if that makes sense, and more geared to serving somewhat over expensive food.
Sure it's a nice place to have a drink sat by the river in the summer, but not sure worth a diversion down the icy paths and in the rain.
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Horrid staff, always smugly in on their own jokes, dirty dogs sniffing around....over priced grub and beer....its more of a museum than a pub....Avoid!
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Another pub lunch visit. Beer was ok, staff nice for a change (usually too busy talking to each other, but to be fair that was a couple of years ago), patrons smilingly tolerant of my vocal 2 year old son. So all good I guess, except it was a bit flat somehow. It never seems very pubby when I go in here, if you know what I mean. Mind you, neither do most of the pubs in St Albans. Good job I'm moving away soon.
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Solid, if touristic, pub. YOFC claims to be one of England's oldest pubs: I don't know about that, but it's certainly a decent place to have a drink. It is both centrally located, and rather well-hidden, down the hill from the Cathedral, just by the entrance to Verulam Park. A central bar area serves a front bar, rather characterless and given over to dining, and a much nicer main back bar. Highlights there include a sunken cockpit area and an impressive fireplace. Typically three ales on, including TT Landlord and Harvey's Best. I've always found the Harvey's to be reasonably, if not spectacularly, well-served. Food here is variable: I've always found it quite good in the mid-week (typically a bit more ambitious than average pub grub), but the only time I visited on a Sunday I was sorely disappointed by a very poor roast beef. The quiz on Thursdays is good fun.
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Landlord served in a jug handle..... excellent food. Good service. I like this pub a lot.
anonymous - 7 Feb 2011 23:57 |
If this is supposed to be one the country's oldest pubs then someone needs to save it before it closes through disinterest.
Care and attention is what this pub needs. It benefits from a great location but few reasons to visit it. Beer and food are ordinary at best. The overall cleanliness of this pub is also lacking, tables especially seem to only be cleared by customers and the tables are rarely wiped, making eating a little haphazard. The best bet with this pub is to go when its warm and sit outside!
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Went on a Saturday night in Early Spring.
Arrived around 10.30 after a couple of pints in the 6 Bells.
Was pretty empty except a couple of large groups of Students or youngsters around that age!
Was served a pint in a Handle glass (nice touch!), but it was dire.
Left half of the pint on the sticky, beer soaked table, and walked out.
Sat in the cockpit part of the pub, were were the only ones in this section but had to contend with the students constantly going to the back door, and then back in again, and again!
No tourists evident... well they were probably put off, like me!
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A place to take visitors - Ye Olde Worlde charm, old beams, dubious claims to being the country's oldest pub...
The food has always been excellent when I've tried it, the beer's good too.
The crowd definitely seems to be more tourists than locals, e.g. went for a meal on a Friday night a few months back and it was nearly empty.
Only minus is the choice of music: they go for trendy stuff like Manu Chao with just does not fit in at all with the atmosphere of the place. Weird.
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Ye Olde Fighting Cocks ( to give it its full name ) somewhat dubiously lays claim to being the oldest pub in Britain. Reading the newspaper cuttings inside the pub, however, whilst we learn that there has been a pub here since the 8th century, the present building is mainly 16th century, having been largely rebuilt in 1600 following floods in 1599. The pigeon house that forms the basic central framework of the pub dates back to the 14th century.
We also learn that Oliver Cromwell probably spent a night here during The Civil War, stabling his horse in the bar area. In my usual cynical manner, I was half expecting to read the usual ghost stories ( strange apparitions seen, cutlery rattling, furniture mysteriously moving etc ) - but I must have missed them.
Whatever the whys and wherefores of the pub's age, it's an attractive looking building situated in a pleasant location on the edge of Verulamium Park and a large lake. As rather worn and faded pub signs outside indicate, it's starting to look slightly neglected in parts. The interior is the usual mixture of pillars, low beams and oldish furniture and, apart from a lighter modernised area near the bar, quite attractive and traditional looking.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it's principally a food orientated operation with an emphasis on families and a standard pubco menu is offered. The inevitable noisy kids and large pushchairs were much in evidence.
On my recent Saturday afternoon visit, beers on were Harveys Best, Doom Bar, Landlord and Abbott. The Harveys was perhaps cheaper than I might have expected at � 3.00p, but was distinctly below average and I had to ask for a top up.
If you're a first time visitor to St Albans pubs, you'll probably want to include this one and I'm not going to attempt to discourage you, but be aware that there are attractive alternatives close by.
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I was here at the weekend for sunday lunch and the place was freezing. The only available table was next to an unlit open fire which the staff said they couldn't light for some reason. I had the lamb which was incredibly fatty and my partner had the beef which was like chewing gum. We paid the bill and when the waitress asked what the food was like I stated it was't great to be honest to which she replied no one else complained and walked off. I'd already paid the bill so clearly wasnt after a discount. Won't be eating there again.
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Went along for a Sunday lunch, mainly because of its location near the park and really enjoyed it. The pub has a lot of character and was very busy when we were there - though we were still able to get a seat. The food was quite pricey and the veg was a bit lacking but the meat was lovely. I was more impressed with the ale which was top notch.
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Here's an equation for you, in an EMPTY pub tonight:-
2 barstaff
1 customer (me)
0 service.....
...for 5 minutes, then I walked out. What a load of crap!!!!!
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Fantastic pub, really good beer, excellent food. Top beer garden and location when the sun is shining. Only problem is that it's very popular and busy.
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An apparent change of hands since my last appearance in 2007, but ostensibly at least no worse for it. Clearly it was still well-subscribed by eaters - although I expect the clement weather assisted - and a good mix of customer could be found, albeit arguably accented more towards young families.
I was advised by a local chum of mine that the ale quality had perhaps dwindled somewhat under the new regime. We found the T Taylor Landlord, and especially the Harvey's Best, to be extremely lively - almost as if sparklers had been used. However, once it had settled down there were no quibbles with the flavour, so, not top marks on this front but not enough to justify crossing off the list either.
A charming semi-rural location yet close to town, the FC has a lot of potential, and if that is never quite fully-reached it is likely to be because it is owned by a bland pubco who favour an identikit approach - I do hope it can keep doing things well and maintaining an edge, which is especially tough in a town blessed with numerous high-quality hostelries.
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We went here this sunday and had a fantastic sunday lunch. Things must have changed since March (See earlier review) as the food was fantastic and came in huge portions. We had prawns with lemon mayonnaise followed by fantastic roast beef and half roast chicken. Dessert was Eton mess and chocolate bread and butter pudding.
Service was friendly and very efficient. The pub is beautiful and we will return very soon.
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Came here with the family for lunch on Sunday and what a fantastic experience, although the pub has only just re-opened it appears they are really making every effort to make this historical pub work well. The food was very tasty and good value for money . The staff were friendly and made us feel very welcome. (Oh and the new loos are a winner!)
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Came here en famille last Sunday, weather was great, beer garden livley enough. Beer is pricey in this place and had a good pint of Harveys. The food was a disgrace and not worth the money �12 for a roast that consisted of half a carrott, half a potato one slice of beef. I would really think twice about eating in this place although the menu has changed and got smaller so has the portions, not impressed and will not be returning, the visit means this place gets Zip from me, terrible and certainly worth avoidaing on the weekend, unlees you like queing for epensive food and beer, in the current economic climate this place does not represent good value and I hope the management are aware of this.
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It's reopened! Not only that, but I have just had the amazing experience of drinking a pint of Harveys Sussex Best in St Albans ... and, yes, it was in this pub. I told the barman how pleased I was and it didn't seem to register, but never mind. Better brains than mine will decide whether the new team at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks know what they're doing, but my own first impressions are favourable. Reasonable beer, good food and they've even given the place a lick of paint. Could be a lot worse.
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Apparently an alarm bell was ringing inside for more than 12 hours this week. Doesn't look at all good.
anonymous - 15 Feb 2009 11:22 |
It was all locked up today with a simple notice on the doors saying they were closed for essential maintenance and refurbishment. There was no mention of how long it might take but it may be some sort of emergency repairs as the notices clearly haven�t been there long and they are still displaying a menu dated 25th January outside.
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Popped in here on a sunny Sunday afternoon in October.... unsurprisingly the pub was busy but we found a table.
The atmosphere was excellent. The beer was OK - Black Sheep & Abbott - and when we ordered food the cheerful staff said we would be waiting over an hour.
A hour later we enquired as to progress and the barman came to our table to give us an update. Excellent service on a busy afternoon.
dGriz - 13 Oct 2008 08:58 |
Messy garden, uninviting loos, we went there for Sunday lunch hoping for a good Sunday Roast @ �10-50p for Roast Lamb. The garden was packed. By 4pm they had no roast left. We ordered other dishes �9 each for Beef Stew in Ale Pie [which was claimed to be home made] and Pan Fried Chicken Breast. They took over 35 minutes to deliver it to the table. It was OK, edible.
On going to the bar trying to order a beer and a tonic water, I had to ask the price as there no clearly visible price list. I complained about this and was told that there was a price list in the other bar on the blackboard, which was illegible. I was told by the lady behind the bar that if I didn't care for this arrangement not to come back again - I might take her advice. I do not care for this kind of attitude at all.
Prices
London Pride �1-45p half-a-pint
Tomic Water, bottle of �1-25p
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Ok but fairly small bar in the front, good vibe on a Sat afternoon as always packed with shoppers nipping in for a quick pint and therefore you can hide your boozehound tendancies and get hammered at 2pm without feeling like the only drunk in the village.
The resturant in the back does great quality food. And I mean gerat, esp the roasts, burgers and steak sandwiches. However take a book or even a blanket with you as they take on average 45 mins to an hour to serve you. It pains me to say this but I've been at least once a month for the last six months, always hoping for improvement and being sorely disappointed.
The staff are always helpfull but frankily there's some poor management going on as I regulary see people complain, to which the permanently red faced manager always tries to fob them off with excuses about it being 'freshly cooked' blah blah like this was a novelty and not the norm these days...
Great potential if they sacked him!
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Sorry about my last comment I don't know what came over me!
I absolutely love this pub! Even more than my right hand.
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Had the misfortune of venturing in here for a sunday lunch, felt don by getting a bowl of soup for a fiver ( soup was good though ) but had a mare of a roast beef roast, meat was badly cooked or porr quality, could not decide which. As for a pub, this is more trying to be up markey gastro pub, but the service is bad with either too busy bar staff or are they unattentive....enjoy the beer garden in the summer then head eleswhere.....except the DOM.
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stopped in here on the way home, hic.... pub busy but smelt of fish and �10 for two average tasting glasses of wine a rip off wont rush back
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The oldest pub in Britain?
Judging by the smell of the "fish" when I went in I'd say probably, and one of the worst.
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Erm, yeah, as I said. Crap.
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Ye Olde Fighting Cocks may or may not be the oldest in Britain but for all the 500 odd years it claims to have been around, those in the 21st Century are surely not it�s finest. Admittedly it was a Sunday afternoon but of the dozen or so staff I spotted milling around most were cooking, delivering food, taking food orders, explaining why the sea bass was off, organising seating plans and generally doing anything except what I expect in a pub, serving me beer. I suppose I shouldn�t complain, there are plenty of proper pubs in St Albans serving a good beer, I really should leave this to the hoards who for some reason find it so fascinating. I�ll probably leave it another year before calling in again, for research purposes only you understand.
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Is this really the oldest pub in Britain? I don't think so, but suspect that the question is unanswerable, depending upon one's definition of "pub", "ale house", or - in the Fighting Cock's case - "old building on this site where the monks enjoyed a bevvy". To help the debate, I humbly offer the following list of pubs and dates of origin. No 1 oldest pub: The Old Ferryboat Inn, Holywell, Cambs (AD560); 2 Royal Standard Of England, Beaconsfield, Bucks (pre-1066); 3 Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, Nottingham (1189); 4 The Bear, Oxford (1242); 5 Adam & Eve, Norwich (1248); 6 The Old Crown, Birmingham (1368); 7 Fleur De Lys, St Albans, Herts (1420-60); 8 Old Fighting Cocks, St Albans, Herts (1485). What?! The Fighting Cocks only at no. 8??!! I'll be cursed for all eternity. Never mind, if anyone can solve this issue once and for all, I'm sure many people will be grateful. Anyway, there you are, a little puzzle for Christmas! Signed, a very festive historyloony.
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Another ancient St Albans pub with bugger all to recommend it. Yeah yeah, lovely old building. But, no atmosphere at all, laughably slow and incompetent bar staff, and a snotty clientele. Crap.
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I'm biased as I'm a favoured regular but I think the food is good and I love the atmosphere and the fire in winter. Pub garden in summer is unbeatable.
One of my favourite pubs ever. The building is amazing altho the loos could do with a makeover.
Melissa and Richard are lovely hosts. The staff are always friendly and helpful.
I don't care that it's a bit pricey as it means that you usually don't see spotty barely legal drinkers or barely dressed blondes..
The location is great for a roast dinner after a wander round the park on a sunday.
I always take visitors as it's a talking point as well as providing everything else..
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Don't waste your time in the Fighting Cocks, you'll pay a lot of money for bad beer and slow service. Basically they're well aware that due to location and being the oldest pub in England (yeah right) the place will often be undeservedly full so they simply don't try. A nasty, cynical place. Carry on walking past the lake and have a beer at The Six Bells which is wonderful.
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Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is the correct name for this lovely quaint old boozer. Reputedly the oldest pub in the land it's a great place to go if you are trying to impress a date, with it's low ceilings and original oak beams, and a great atmosphere. Best visited in the winter though, as in the summer it's a real task to get near the bar, let alone get served.
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I can echo all the comments about slow service. It was a nice sunny weekend so the bar was always going to be busy - did it ever occur to the management to have the right number of staff on? Waited 20 minutes for a pint before giving up, numerous others did the same.
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Enjoyed my food and beer tasted good. Didn't go to the bar, so can't comment on the speed of service.
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Give it a miss - the bar staff are so slow it defies belief, you will only end up get frustrated (and thirsty).
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The food is simple but usually good and the best thing about it for me is that is serves food all day on a Sunday. For those people like me who always just seem to miss the food serving times for the sunday lunch, this is better than the waffle house down the road as an alternative eating place. The added benefit is being able to walk off the excess food and beer around the lake after.
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Food was good but a little tight with the chips!!! Bar staff incredibly slow, partly due to not enough of them. Black Sheep ran out, London Pride, Abbots and Speckled Hen also available. Hoegaarden was good. Worth a visit for sure but dont go miles out of your way to experience it.
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Service slow, barstaff not interested, very expensive, food ridiculously so. Don't bother with this place.
anonymous - 24 Sep 2006 07:43 |
Ok, so it's very family orientated and a bit too "Ye Olde Pubbe" (reminded me of Bill Bailey's Chaucer pubbe gagge), but it has a lovely outdoor space and the food was excellent. It was a good place to take the parents on a sunny afternoon, but not where I'd go for a big night out.
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Didn't even stop for a drink. Excessively touristy. Great location, interesting building, a couple of standard real ales. Better places to drink in town and the Lower Red Lion is just around the corner.
anonymous - 23 Apr 2006 17:09 |
More a restaurant than a pub, really. Whoever the barstaff are on duty determine whether you will have a good or bad time in this pub. It's worth a look but don't hang around if it doesn't appeal.
anonymous - 23 Jan 2006 21:19 |
Visited here the day before New Year's Eve and was sorely disappointed.
They had no draft bitter because...they'd not ordered it in time! We ended up having a bottle of Spitfire and going on somewhere else.
The music was too loud and wholly inappropriate.
Worth a look because of its history but you won't want to hang around.
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If you like to combine pubs with history you'll love this place. Very old building with a traditional feel. Nice beers on tap including Black Sheep which is a good sipping beer. This is the only place I've ever been where they still serve beer in the old style glass tankards.
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If you were to write a list of grievances about pubs in general on scraps of paper and put them in a hat, then pull one out at random; a)You'd have way too much time on your hands & b)It'd almost certainly apply to this pub.
Service that moves at the speed of continental drift, poorly kept beers at inflated prices. A food menu which would cost you an arm & a leg for standard pub lunch if they actually had anything advertised on their menu available to order. Overcorded inside and the back garden has been overtaken by a giant game of Jenga with small children endangering themselves and nearby drinkers with collapsing 8ft stacks of wooden blocks. Avoid like the plague! Memo to all the tourists who wind up here: Whilst most English pubs might not look so olde worlde and charming as this from outside, nearly all are better once you go in. Investigate your other options.
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Highly recommended - Great in the summertime sitting outside, after a walk around the park great surroundings.
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Yeah, definitely aimed at the tourists visiting the cathedral or the Roman villa ruins and museum. But can you blame them? It's such a far walk from town and there's no parking to speak of. The only people that walk by the place are the tourists! Having said that, if you live around St.Albans and really like Americans and sticky tables, it's worth the effort!
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A classic case of a wasted opportunity. This pub is in quite possibly the nicest part of town, in a gorgeous old building in the shadow of the catherdral.
Instead what you get is a dirty and generic waste of space. When I moved here I was really looking forward to a pint in one of the country's oldest pubs - it was such a disappointment - obviously aimed at getting a quick buck off the tourists for no effort. Considering the quality of the pubs on Fishpool St, just round the corner, you'd be mad to drink here.
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Unless it's gone all to hell since the last time I was there, this is as fine a pub as you'd want if you wanted a little more than cheap, crap lager and women in skirts shorter than they are. Decapitation is always a risk as the beams are very low and the floors are wonky, but it just adds to the 'ye olde' feel of the place. And in the summer? Name me a better pub to sit outside in the sun in the whole of England and I'll show you my arse.
Very highly recommended.
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What the hell has happened here? Went there two days ago and they had 1 McMullens Ale on, poor range of lagers, crap wine and food. The also have hot mulled wine on tap!!! Very odd. The place is dirty and tatty. The owners are a disgrace to let supposedly the oldest pub in England get to this state!
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Reputedly the oldest estate pub in the UK. I once fell ridiculously in love with a beautiful girl from St Albans - we'd take romantic strolls in the Abbey grounds, often ending up at the Cocks. Wonderful times... she dumped me after about six weeks.
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Oldest surviving pub in the UK. The layout and low ceilings attest to that. The name came from the cock fights once held here. Decent beer served by youngsters. It's tucked away by a lake and river, away from the town. I love this sort of pub. Lots of character and a lived in look.
jason - 5 Apr 2004 23:39 |
my uncle used to run this pub, it is a beautiful building! and has a great atmosphere with friendly locals.(is ging still living in the car park?)
sub - 2 Apr 2004 16:37 |
Nice pub, friendly bar staff, high prices. It seemed to go a bit downhill after its renovation but now it appears to be getting better again. It's a great pub in the summer as it's right next to Verulamium lake and has a good beer garden.
anonymous - 29 Dec 2003 18:00 |
I liked this pub - lots of nooks and crannies to sit in, quiz night with a dyslexic quiz master, the normal sort of beers, nice location with a good beer garden next to a river, near the abbey, lots of students and the women were, by and large, fit as f***!! Heartily recommended!!
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decent pub, basically OK, nothing special, sort of regenerated olde worlde...Reputed to be THE OLDEST pub in the UK...plays on its reputation.
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