please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Not to be confused with the White Hart. Nice enough place with a good selection of ales. Had a pint of Almasty which was a pleasant enough Simcoe brew but it not one you'd have a second pint of. It's started the habit of reserving tables for Kevin and Jocasta at 7 - not something I'm a fan of in pubs. Surely you reward those who spend more time and money in your establishment by letting them sit where they want rather than shifting people for late coming interlopers.
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Our last pub of the day in St Albans was the White Hart Tap. It was much better than I remembered it from my last visit over 7 years ago. I remember it being packed on that autumn Saturday evening. But it was much more pleasant on this winter Saturday afternoon. The barmaid and customers were friendly. Families were present. The ale range was Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Tring Side Pocket For A Toad, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Sharp's Doom Bar, Staggeringly Good Stagger Saurus IPA, Mad Squirrel Roadkill & Howling Hops Pale. Ciders were Aspall's Temple Moon, Weston's Flat Tyre & Friel's Traditional Cider. I'm increasing my score from 5 to 7/10.
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Return visit to try the food and wasn't disappointed. Also had one of their own beers(session brown ale) available which was very nice.
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Really nice pub with a good range of ales with an emphasis on IPAs. Unfortunately no dark beers on my visit. They apparently have an in-house brewery but there was no sign of it's produce. Didn't try the food but it looked very good. Extremely friendly cat. Will certainly return in the near future.
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Refurbished back street local with an excellent range of real ales. Well-heeled and slightly boho clientele. A few too many dogs for my liking. But this was a good pub and well worth the visit.
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Occasionally over-tolerant of noisy babies (or, to be fair, of "enlightened" parents who choose to impose their squalling infants upon our intolerant ears).
Otherwise, much improved these days. Ale range varied and interesting and always in good nick. Former unpleasant elements among staff now gone.
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The proprietors were readying this boozer for a fiftieth birthday party on our visit, ruling out any chance to sit after 7pm on a Saturday so a black mark there but Tring redshank went down well amid a range of decent ales. On the Good Beer Guide cover soon after Berkhamsted's Rising Sun which might give a hint as to where the compilers of that book live.
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Is this a "marmite" pub?
Usually a ubiquitous ale selection when I go in.
They don't charge for the scowl from the barman either.
I don't like marmite
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Pub was packed last Wednesday night for its popular quiz, Red Squirrel Red Dawn Mild and Otter Bright both in great condition.
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I don't get this. How is this in the CAMRA guide, let alone on the cover? Dropped in on a Thursday evening. One pint of terrible London Pride and 1 pint of very mediocre Taylor Landlord. Feels like sitting in a badly designed and made extension on the side of someone's house - there's more atmosphere and better kept beer in your average Wetherspoons!
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Well-kept ales, friendly service and excellent food. 10/10.
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My fave pub in the town. It's a 'proper' pub and does it well!
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Very busy one Friday lunchtime. Long wait for food so did not stay.
Shame because the menu looked good and I noticed there were four or more real ales on offer, including the superb Mad Goose from Purity.
Ended up in the Garibaldi just around the corner, but will definitely try again at a quieter time.
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Nice little gem, just a little off the beaten track in St Albans.
Arrived too late to sample the main food unfortunately but the Scotch Eggs were excellent.
They have quite a selection of American beers but I went for the local brew "Sidepocket for a toad" and they went down very well.
Staff were friendly and efficient, good mix of customers - including a dog that wasn't impressed with the accordion player and tried to join in :-)
8/10
dGriz - 18 Mar 2013 14:48 |
this pub made a real effort with their beer festival;marquees and cooling jackets for the beers outside, a variety of curries,sausages and roast dinners on sale.tidy garden with plenty of seats.beers tried were all good.
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The best pub in St. Albans, now run by long-standing landlord 'S' together with newcomer 'A' (a refugee from the downsizing in the world of financial services). The food is excellent, and you don't suddenly get blasted with deafening music when you're trying to read a newspaper. The bar staff are very good, and the regulars really ARE regulars. The quiz night makes Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons look like a vicar's tea party.
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The only White Hart Tap in the Country. It is the pub outlet for the White Hart Hotel. Service and beer were good. I am 62 and my uncle is 82 and the staff were polite to us so they do not discriminate against old people. It is our third visit but couple who ran bar did not recognise us so we could not have made much of an impression. I had Town Crier beer and chicken coujan with potato wedges and salad which were served promptly. Parking can be expensive. There is a charge for roadside parking until 20:00 but parking is free in two adjacent car parks after 18:30. Single bar pub with small covered garden outside. Used by CAMRA for their meetings. More pubs per square mile in St Albans than anywhere else in Universe so competition is fierce.
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beer fest today all beers in good nick from the outside bar.
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this is a nice looking,clean pub that has good looking food, but i have not ever had a really good beer here;always flat and tired even though its from decent breweries usually . just hope new landlord will settle in and resolve this.
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Pub No.11
Good pub
Good beer
Ok service
Recommended: 6/10
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Well kept beer, home cooked food, good service. CAMRA use pub for meetings. Pay and display car park opposite.
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My son likes this pub a lot and try as hard as I can (several times)...sorry it is just not for me.
Here's the positives..good ales several choices invariably in good condition.
But maybe I am developing a complex....look I am 61 years old so why do I always get scowled at whenever I go in? Am I too much of an old fart for here?
My attempts at conversation to the bar staff invariably fall flat.
This is a sister pub to the White Lion nearby and they are friendly always..period.
Having said that it is popular and busy so do go in...might be the place for twenty plus somethings to visit that deem themselves too old for the town centre circuit bars and like to drink real ale.
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Good pub for a pint or two. Not terribly exciting on the beer front but always well kept and a good garden when the weather's up to it. Wouldn't recoomend for food, especially on a Friday. Booked there recently only to find we only had a 1 1/2 hour slot on the table and the average fish 'n' chips were both pricey and served with less than good grace. Probably this place is full anyway so they don't have to be overly fussy about service.
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Good beer, friendly staff, locals at bar always hold the door for you if struggling outside with pints. Nice covered outside area for smokers. Occasional visits from White Lion's three-legged dog. 8/10
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Always felt that this is an underrated pub in St. Albans or at least a best kept secret for the locals. At best I only visit it once or twice a year with former work colleagues and with every visit it gets better.
A warm welcome last time was met with a good range of ales including JHB from Oakham. The secret is working well.
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As reasonable as a refurbed pub can be I suppose. Nice range of ales including the Purity Mad Goose which went down well. The curry night seems like it may be worth a return for some time.
anonymous - 14 Nov 2010 11:52 |
This place was packed yesterday evening, with standing room only at the bar and very little seating to be had elsewhere. It was certainly the busiest pub I visited in St Albans, with some people spilling outside. Ales available were Oakham JHB, Dark Star Espresso, Fullers London Pride, Brakspear Bitter and Hook Norton Old Hooky. Would probably be more pleasant with less people. But still a nice enough pub in a good location.
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A good range of well kept beers, the food looked good and we will go back next time we are in St Albans.
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A place that's grown on me. A reliable selection of real ales, the landlords run a tight ship, the piped music is eclectic and interesting but kept at a low volume (a godsend in a day and age when many places assault your ears).
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My favourite pub in this area, beautiful garden, good beer, good food, good night out!
10/10
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Nice back street pub on a street corner close to The White Lion and The Goat.
The single bar interior is pleasant enough and comfortably furnished in a rather unremarkable style.
On my recent early Saturday evening visit, the pub was noticeably busier than The Farmers Boy, from where I had just come, with what appeared to be mainly a youngish professional crowd.
It's another real ale orientated pub - beers on being Deuchars IPA, Pride, Butcombe Gold, Hobsons and Titanic Anchor. The latter - � 3.00p was reasonable. It's in the current Good Beer Guide
This is a decent enough pub, but, in a well pubbed city like St Albans, it doesn't really stand out from the crowd and wouldn't be one of my first choices for a visit.
Finally, do note that, in a city where car parking appears a challenge, there is a largish public car park opposite
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Again, better than the below reviews suggest. This is one of a number of nice pubs in the local backstreets. Very much a local: the ideal sort of place to head on a weekend afternoon to read the paper with a quiet pint, I would say. Five ales on: our group sampled Ridley's Little Bob, which went down well, and Titanic Lifeboat - more of an acquired taste but still quite decent. Old Hooky, Pride and Brakspear also spotted. The landlord seemed good to me - friendly and attentive.
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I never liked this pub or the various landlords it's had over the years.
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Just had the misfortune of visiting this one again for some reason. Land lord was a complete ****, it must have been his time of the month or something. We definitely will not be visiting again. Avoid.
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Good beer garden, good beer, not the friendliest staff though I've found. Food alright, I prefer the very local competition this pub has...
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good, clean, smooth running pub
real ale somewhat over rated though
nice garden but not enough space inside
not sure about 'best pub in st. albans' but decent enough!
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Five ales available (Landlord, Bitter & Twisted, Burton Inde Coop, Deuchars and Pride) a nice selection but the two I sampled were decidedly flat and out of condition. It's a nice enough pub inside and bigger than it looks from the exterior, plenty of light if you can bag a seat by the large bay window. Daily papers are available. UInconvinced on the strength of this visit unfortunately, needs better QC on the beer.
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Agh, Morris dancers blocking the entrance! Well, that was my experience on Monday night but never mind. Excellent beer, good food and good service. Great stuff.
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Splendid little place tucked away but still not tricky to locate. An obvious follow-on from the White Lion or Garibaldi if one is immersed in a crawl of the area.
A relaxed friendly atmosphere pervades the interior, and on a fine day the tables outside are pleasantly appointed. I daresay those living nearby must find it difficult not to saunter down here at lunch and even more challenging not to remain all afternoon! Several excellent cask beers can be found too, which make this something of a hidden gem, or a relatively unsung herp at least.
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Good pub.
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Thoroughly enjoyed my pint of Thwaites Lancaster Bomber and the four other ales seemed fine judging from comments of others in our group. It was a quiet Sunday early evening and were sitting outside so difficult to get a true impression but overall felt like a very nice pub.
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Great pub, should visit here more often!
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Pride, Batemans XXXB, Daleside Blonde, TT Landlord, Deuchars. My only other notes state �two large bay windows, nice bit o� white pine�. So there you have it! Sketchy memory says good beer � my first visit, but I�ll return next time I�m in this neck of the woods.
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Had a great pint of Celtic Gold last week at �2.70 and Landlord at �2.90 is better value
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It's happened! �3 for a pint of (indifferent) London Pride! I don't know if the WHT or Punch Taverns set this price, but it's excessive. I shall be supping here less from now on.
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Good place to stop off if you are on a crawl of St Albans� real ale pubs as it is on the route from the Farmers Boy to the Garibaldi/White Lion. They have a good selection of real ales that is changed regularly, but I have always found the pub a bit sterile and the clientele a bit insular for my liking. Has a large beer garden out the back and a few tables out front.
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Visited yesterday without any problems with staff, service or beer quality. Nice to see the resident cat is still there.
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Very surprised at the unfavourable reviews on here. Never had a problem with anyone behind the bar, and unlike practically every pub in St Albans the WHT actually bothers to rotate its selection of ales. Which used to bug me about The Goat, but under the new management there seems to be new stuff coming in (only so many times you can drink Spitfire and Adnams Broadside). Anyway, to my way of thinking the WHT has always struck me as a kind of surrogate Yorkshire pub for stranded ex-Yorkshire dwellers like myself. Anyone who knows what that means will get this place immediately, anyone else will probably whine about "the service" (get a life)! Oh, and since the smoking ban the air quality has improved dramtically!
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I like the WHT, but the service from the grumpy bloke that works in this place ruins the experience for many. Had a couple in there on Sunday afternoon [August 26th] and a couple in the beer garden asked me if the barman working was always unpleasant? Sadly, yes, he is. If you can deal with his attitude, go enjoy a beer there as it's a nice pub to sit and relax in.
anonymous - 29 Aug 2007 13:38 |
Excellent Deuchars, Friendly local sort of pub. The food is unpretentious and home made - absolutely excellent. Sunday lunch with all trimings was just like Mum used to make! A proper joint, with fresh veg. Gravy (not jus!)
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I think some of the reviews on this pub are harsh. The pub is unpretentious and has a friendly laid back atmosphere. The food is all home-made and good, and the Beer is also good. The garden is a pleasant retreat away from the nearby centre of town, and generally the other customers are made up of decent folk � not too many scumbags venture here.
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Went this Saturday lunchtime after the smoking ban and the Timothy Taylor's Landlord was delicious. Sandwiches and cheesy chips were very tasty.
Quite busy too.
anonymous - 7 Jul 2007 17:28 |
This pub needs a good shake-up. The service was friendly enough and the beers OK, but the atmosphere was complacent and unwelcoming. Quite a bit of grime around too.
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Looks better on the outside than the inside, a real locals pub, you nearly have to climb over one of them to get a pint as the desperately hug the bar.
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There's a distinct lack of fresh air in this pub. I trundled in yesterday evening for a couple of pints, but left after one because the atmosphere was a bit stinky. All the windows were closed and there was a definite whiff of toilets in the bar. Not nice, not nice.
Then I trundled up the road to the bar of the White Hart hotel, which I surmise once had a connection with the WHT. But the service was so appalling that I left after 5 minutes, without having been served. What is WRONG with these people?!
All in all, not a good evening.
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Most friendly boozer in St Albans, small bar area and small dog with a foot fetish ( I do not jest ). Does pretty good food and has a wapping big beer garden out back. Sometimes has live music which is a bit too loud for me, but on the whole I love it. Plus the missus likes it too so it really is a bit of a winner.
anonymous - 29 May 2007 16:05 |
The jury�s still out on this one (having had good and not-so-good experiences here) but I expect it will improve once the smoking ban comes into effect.
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A lot better than it used to be. Good food and they had Deuchers IPA on which I always enjoy.
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This place is okay to enjoy and nice pint in and read the paper.
It is, however, bloomin' dirty and could do with a lick of paint and a good clean. C'mon, make the effort! It wouldn't cost you much to do!
anonymous - 4 Dec 2006 13:53 |
Seems to be getting back on track, after a rather lacklustre summer. 5 ales regularly available, all in tip-top condition. Keep up the good work.
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Young people not welcome! Old Gimlet Eyes behind the bar almost scorched us in two with hostile laser beams. We did get served, mind, but only stayed for the one. A pity, it looks like a nice pub from the outside.
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Nice pub away from the town centre. Beer a bit on the pricey side....Good pub to read the papers in....Mitch
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Found this to be a friendly establishment, St.Peter's Golden Ale in good form yesterday. Sadly couldn't stay for the music. Oh dear, changing hands? I hope the delightful Miss Jones will survive any changes [a ultra-friendly black and white longhaired feline]
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Hold the front page. Rumours are circulating that this pub is about to change hands. So anything can happen!
Meanwhile they're still serving London Pride, but have changed the other beers to Milestone Rich Ruby (4.5%) and Deuchars IPA (bringing up the rear at 3.8%).
anonymous - 20 Feb 2006 13:19 |
One of St Albans' better pubs - and therefore up against stiff competition! Fine beers, good food and very customer-focused. Why do I give it 8, and not 10, out of 10? Well, mainly due to human nature ... personally, I find it hard to relax here, because EVERYONE is trying so hard to impress. All very impressive, but not all of us are alpha males or alpha anything. Despite that somewhat grumpy remark, this is a very good pub.
anonymous - 30 Jan 2006 20:35 |
Nice pub. They no longer have Internet computers (as stated in the GBG). Very friendly pub cat!
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My last visit to the White Hart Tap was a few months ago now. We used to vist two or three times a week,for a quite some time. The Pride was always exceptional, and there was also good selection of guests lined up. It was very freindly, had some nice regulars and the themed food nights were great. I just wish It could be transpanted to here in Switzerland...
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Good pub, beer generally high quality. Sat night bands nearly always worth dropping in for. Joint landlords have pulled this pub out of the mire it previously occupied for years. "Offensive tongued landlord" (see earlier comment) does not always confine his disagreeable moods to ten minutes after closing. However, rumour suggests he's off soon, so won't mark it down.
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Very good indeed. The barman (landlord?) took pains to check that the beer was high standard, and meanwhile the chef was bringing a succession of tasty dishes to hungry customers. My pint of London Pride was first class. Friendly atmosphere.
This little area behind the London Road is full of good pubs, with the White Hart Tap and the Garibaldi being the 'creme de la creme' (in my humble opinion!).
anonymous - 1 Apr 2005 14:43 |
If you're exercised over what the landlord called you, ten minutes after closing time, then he was right anyway.
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Terrific pints of anything in there, very good landlord. Bit small but atmosphere very friendly. Good beer garden, best in area save for white lion imo
Dave - 30 Oct 2004 12:35 |
My local, and I would never go anywhere else. Excellent staff esp on Mondays. Not counting my own, this offers the best Sunday roast I have ever had. Good bands on Saturdays but arrive early if you want a seat.
Dave - 6 Jul 2004 13:11 |
The beer here is always spot on with guest ales not so commonly found in small tenanted pubs - the Deuchers IPA in particular well worth visiting for. Also is the good unpretentious lunchtime food (especially Sundays) and friendly service from keen staff.
stephen - 4 May 2004 23:19 |
Fab local friendly pub, great food, great wine selection, guest beers always a must, good live bands on a sat night, fantastic bar staff, always with a smile, (especially on a sunday!!) Recommended for a drop in even if you are alone.
Don - 18 Apr 2004 20:10 |
A superb pub - the best pint of London Pride in town and always a good selection of guest ales. Staff friendly and lunchtime food excellent. Evening atmosphere great with friendly locals always up for a chat.
Steve - 15 Apr 2004 20:40 |
Great pub, Deuchars tremendous ! - forget the nights Mazza's on she just gazes at her "fiance" !
You Sure Cured Ahead - 14 Apr 2004 21:51 |
Very good back street pub fast become an institution in St Albans. Live music every Saturday.
Landlords have striven hard to make this a nice pub to visit
Simon - 11 Apr 2004 00:56 |
The model for any good decent corner street pub. Friendly, relaxing, good food at lunchtimes, a garden in the summer and you never feel intimidated visiting it. Reading the newspapers on a Sunday lunchtime accompanied by an array of Sunday papers available - THE way to spend your day off.
Geoff - 10 Apr 2004 07:19 |
Quite, friendly pub. Bands on a Saturday night are great if you like traditional rock & roll / covers type stuff - and they do the best pint of Deuchars I've had outside of Edinburgh.
Richard - 29 Mar 2004 23:50 |
this is our favourite pub. The staff are all lovely, the food is home-made and fantastic and there is a garden for the kids to run off some energy before settling down for lunch! Relaxed and welcoming..
kate - 21 Mar 2004 11:49 |
Beer ok, beware the offensive-tongued landlord at throwing-out time. Very smoky, no smoke-free area. Bands are difficult to see due to the layout of the pub.
Allan Stewart - 18 Mar 2004 00:39 |
This pub is normally quite quiet except at weekends when they have bands, usually of the blues/folk variety. There is a darts board, if that's your thing, and a beer garden which is quite big and nice in summer. This pub is close to 5 or 6 other pubs so if you're going on a 'quiet' pub crawl then this one's for you. Parking nearby.
anonymous - 29 Dec 2003 17:30 |
Great beers, great lunchtime food and Wednesday evenings. Music at weekends.
Good atmosphere and landlord.
Tom Savory - 12 Nov 2003 14:19 |
