please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This is still very much a restaurant (2015). No signs of it being a pub again, which leaves The Waterend Barn as the only Wetherspoons Pub now in St Albans.
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There are now rumours circulating that this will re-open as a Whetherspoons, possibly with a completely new refurb.
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I passed by last night and can confirm that "The Cross Keys" is now being re-decorated and re-vamped to be re-opened soon as an upmarket Bar & Grill.
So the only Wetherspoon Pub remaining in St Albans is "The Waterend Barn" which has extended it's range of real ale with barrels behind the bar.
I was told by a member of staff that this is to be a permanent feature.
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A large proportion of pubs in St. Albans sell real ale. The staff almost always friendly. Had a better selection of real ale than the Water End Barn, although this has improved. Food standard Whetherspoons fare. The only gripe is that it is quite a dark place, due to dark furniture and lighting.
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If last post is correct, its not as big a loss in St Albans as if in another less ale friendly town. Typical spoons grub and beer but smaller than most spoons I've been in. Better pubs in St Albans unless you really are on a budget.
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Closed as of 31st May, 2012. Unusual for Wetherspoon's to sell a pub, but they are concentrating on their other St Alban's pub "The Waterend Barn" just down the road at The Maltings. Rumour has it that "The Cross Keys" HAS been sold to another Pub Chain and will remain a drinking establishment.
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A nice enough spoons'.Decent selection of beer on and staff seemed helpful enough.Shame we losing it as a Wetherspoons :(
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A GREAT SHAME THIS PLACE IS CLOSING VERY SOON DUE TO EXPIRY OF THE LEASE, 9 beers on today ;incl 4 festival ales at �2.25, food good and friendly staff.
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Clean and well kept. Plenty of beers on, plenty of information about beers that are coming. And special beer events organised - Battle of the Breweries coming up! The staff are relaxed, friendly, unstressed. Very positive signs of good management.
There are big clear glass windows giving a view of the world passing by. It's a small to medium size place, with lots of typical Wetherspoons dark stained pine, and lights turned down low. Nice relaxed atmosphere, if just a little too gloomy.
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We ended up in here yesterday as one of the Pubs on a Pub Crawl after Finding The other Spoons The Watered Barn too packed for getting a Meal. Glad we did really as this one was much better that I thought it would be. Being smaller and less packed we found a nice snug corner too sit and have a Mixed Grill. This Spoons looks very Similar too The Alfred Herring In Palmer's Green in decoration Over-sized lighting Etc and From the Red signage it had years ago denoting it was also one of the original Non Smoking Ones years ago. We had a good Blow out and a few pints before continuing our pub crawl. Staff see friendly enough and Ales we tried were all in good condition there was about five on tap at the time and a few coming soon including a Christmas Ale. Other than that its you usual Spoons Menu and a good selection of Ales I would go in again when Passing as its in a handy place.
On 18th November 2011 - rating: 7
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That coffee machine has got to go. It seems to take forever to work, the barstaff get flustered and the queue for beer gets longer. Time for a rethink.
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never thought i would see �3 a pint in a spoons
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Pub No.10
Poor pub
Good beer
Ok service
Not recommended: 4/10
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Standard 'Spoons aimed at OAPs and alcoholics. Nice beer though.
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Once went in and there was a good atmosphere. Been back a few times and this has never been repeated. Just a scattering of blokes looking down into their pints. Always have interesring beers on but so do sainsburys and you wouldn't choose that as a destination for a night out.
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very good selection of ales today
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First day of the wetherspoons beer fest , 5 beers on racking food was good as usual.
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went in mid afternoon and a barrel of essex beast had just gone on and it was gorgeous with curry on special at �3.99 very nice.
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I always get a well kept Ale whenever I go in here. Say what you like about Spoons pubs and people do...but I like the amount of change I get back after paying.
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cider fest recently,good range of beer today, mini fest on 25th sept. curries very good in here, sensible amount of staff.
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Had a tasteless pint of ale in here, served probably by Kelvin as the beer was minus 273 in temp.
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i drink in this pub every saturday around lunchtime and ive noticed both the beer quality,range and temperature have improved also seems like slightly more staff as well ; the shift managers are helpful if you are not sure what ale to have, the foods good for its price although i have yet to find a spoons that has mastered the humble chip.
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Good variety of beer but an old mans pub that had had any traces of life or atmosphere surgically removed when I visited. One to avoid.
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Typical and unremarkable Wetherspoons just like all the others all over the country. Does, however, do good cheap ale which is about the only reason to visit. Apparently, the hot chocolate is good as well if you like that sort of thing.
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where's the 'talent' in this pub? Two ugly blokes behind the bar at the weekend.
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I think some of these comments are a bit harsh I think it's a great little pub offering some of the best value in st albans ! Staff have always been helpful and freindly
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The staff were extremely rude to us the other night. Made some unnecessary snarky remarks towards my friend about not having any ID on her when all she wanted to do was have a meal with a non alcoholic drink. Then came back to kick her out. Rudely. We were very obviously over the age of 18, but still they chose to be nasty. We certainly won't be going back there anymore.
puffy - 29 Aug 2009 00:42 |
The sort of pun frequented by ruffians out looking for a fight. Some transvestite type person called the bar staff 'homophobic' which I believe is unfair.
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Great Canadian ale on last night. Unintended final pub in a crawl with a friend last night, following on from a disappointment earlier. Closing time routine, which can make or break a visit to this (or any) pub was not pleasant, being hurried out by security guards is not the way I like to finish a session. The carpet on the landing by the gents' toilets was covered in shards of broken glass. No attempt had been made to clear this for some time as pieces had clearly been trodden on an broken up smaller.
While we did not let these things spoil our crawl, they could well ruin other people's so it is only fair to warn others.
Wetherspoons may have a corporate identity when it comes to pubs, many being described as "all the same" etc, however there is a broad spectrum of quality (in terms of service, atmosphere etc) and while pubs like the Drum in Leyton are at the top end, sadly the Cross Keys lies at the opposite end leaving much room for improvement.
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A cheap dump full of Alkies and kids. avoid
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Fairly typical Wetherspoons, but an execellent selection of the Real Ales festival beers on (about 10 to choose from) - a better bet than the nearby Lloyds No. 1 (Waterend Barn), and cheaper too...
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Lots of ale pumps, but last night 2 of the alleged beers weren't "on yet", according to the barstaff. i found this disappointing - do they deliberately lure people in with the promise of certain, then force us to drink inferior stuff?
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Standard 'Spoons, bit dark inside due to decor. Usual ales + 5 guests a plus.
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Decent location at the top of Holywell Hill where London Rd meets the High Street. You can normally rely on the quality of the real ales in this Wetherspoons and they usually have a good selection. The cheaper JDW prices means it can hold it�s own in the real ale mecca of St Albans.
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During the day frquented by a lot of old geezars(mainly Irish). during the evening more mixed age groups.
cheap beer, choice of ales, wide screen TV. Not a bad place.
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During the day frquented by a lot of old geezars(mainly Irish). during the evening more mixed age groups.
cheap beer, choice of ales, wide screen TV. Not a bad place.
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Pub opens at 1000 or thereabouts, and customers appear immediately! There are much worse Wetherspoons places than this one. Cheap booze, reasonable food, but the barstaff are grossly overstretched.
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The pub is generally well presented. not so many kids about in here any more, most of them have moved to the waterend barn. The food is good depending on the microwave technician on duty. I can't give this pub a brilliantly rating but based on value for money, the range of drinks and also the quality and condition of the ales, this is a reasonable pub. Last time I was in there were 7 ales on, including spitfire and directors (my favorites) which were very well kept indeed. this a good pub but the food is wetherspoon food which generally is edible but not the ritz. This is the best place in St Albans for cheap goodish food and excelent drink for a cheap price, especially when you take into consideration that the Waterend Barn is exactly the same food and drink for at least 20% more on the price because it has "Lloyds bar" in its title
anonymous - 22 Mar 2007 04:28 |
good cheap beer ala wetherspoons. Service is terribly slow as mentioned previously. Less of the under age drinkers now but they still exist.
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Not enough barstaff.
You can wait ages to get served, and then if a 'regular' gets in front of you then sure as eggs are eggs they will get served first.
This is a beer factory - customers are just slabs of meat - typical Wetherspoons.
anonymous - 16 Aug 2006 20:09 |
The refurbishment has definitely improved this pub, although the lack of natural light is still a problem.
I didn't count 10 ales (see below), but there is a good choice of drinks and the barstaff do work hard.
Food has become an even bigger selling point: there is a Breakfast menu (until noon) and a full main one after that, both offering great value.
I've been criticised previously for saying on this site that the O'Neills in St Albans is one of the best I've been to. I'll now compound that crime by saying that this is one of the best Wetherspoons! Which it is. So why go anywhere else? Because the Cross Keys is a very hard pub in which to relax; it's a classic "pile it high, pack 'em in and sell it cheap" business model. There comes a point when good company, different ales and non-standard meals are worth paying a bit extra for, so other pubs nearby shouldn't despair. Still, if you want to drink and eat well cheaply, the Cross Keys is a good place to visit.
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After the refurb the pub looks much better. over 80% of the pub is non smoking until 6pm (sofa area included, which 'SCREAMING BRATS' are not allowed in) and still well over half non smoking after then. 10 excellent ales on at the moment, all in good condition. The newish plamsas although there only have sound on big football game nights. coffee is absolutely lovely, and the staff have put a lot of effort into making them. although normally short staffed, staff are friendly and can be helpful. one of the opening duty managers, ben is very good at his job and works extremely hard when left on his own. food has vastly improved and all the staff have greatly improved at there job. James is a fantastic manager.
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Anyway, just in case you wanted to know, the pub will be opening with a new wooden floor and carpet, the toilets are getting tidied up, there will be a new coffee machine, although not sure why you want a coffee in a pub! The decor will be tidied up and will look a lot nicer. New glycol coolers mean they will be offering more "extra cold" options, including more guest lagers. This pub is a bit of a victim of its own success. True it gets busy at times, but for one of the best value pubs in town in such a small space - if you don't like it, go somewhere else!
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Oh blimey, now THIS pub has closed for refurbishment! It's all go in St Albans, it really is. Will the Cross Keys be even better when it reopens? I can scarcely contain my excitement. (Heavy sarcasm - sorry)
anonymous - 2 May 2006 12:03 |
This quote from a friend sums up this place:
"In the daytime home to the city's alcoholics, in the evenings their delinquent kids."
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One of the better Wetherspoons I've been to. Lots of ales, cheap but in very good condition, and tasty food. BUT there's not enough natural light, so the pub's a bit gloomy. Worse, at 4.30 yesterday afternoon - a Friday - there was only one barman; he did his best but it took ages to get served. I thought this was ridiculous. Overall - cheap and not very cheerful. 6/10
anonymous - 4 Mar 2006 08:48 |
as with most wetherspoons its a hit and miss affair... despite previous comments the choices of beers seems to be limited these days, pissed old farts in the smoking area, screaming brats in the non smoking area, just not for me - i'm obviusly a minority being a non smoking beer drinker looking for a quiet pint !
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Very cheap drinks...takes ages to get served though! Pub seems split between very young drinkers towards the back of the pub while the front area is popular with old soaks. Food is good.
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Impressing number of hand pumps: 12 - and a great variety. Well kept beeers all the way. Normal Wetherspoons food. Cheap and OK.
Noticed that the (normally overworked) staff had time to chat with the regulars. Nice.
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Cheap and good ales, reasonable food and hardworking barstaff, but the decor is a bit grim and I left feeling rather depressed. And it was only 3pm!
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On a recent visit from Spain to meet up with old friends,it was great to meet Seanie again and see his smiling face,and see him in action wheither on the door on a weekend night or whizzing round the pub on a busy night with a word for everyone.Ya never lost it ya ledgend!!
Thanks to you and all the team for your hospatility.
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not a bad pub, no music but cheap ale it's all good
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Cheap enough, as all Weathersppons are, but atmosphere terrible on a Friday night. Seems to be a mix of students desparate to get drunk on the cheap before going on somewhere nice, and winos who've been in there all week. Avoid except at lunchtimes when quiet and decent food!
Richard - 7 Sep 2004 01:08 |
A Weatherspoons pub its cheap and they don�t play music.
During the day there�s a mix of ages from your seasoned old fellas spending their pensions on the Key variety of Old Ales to your slightly down market office works in for a quick drink and lunch.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday after 8.30 the place is transformed when hordes of young drinkers descend upon the place attracted by cheap drinks and comparatively liberal door policy (many other places hike the age up to 21's on these nights)
A staging post before the kids head off to Batchwood Night club (aka "Snatchwood" or just "Batch") it often empties by 10.30- 11.00 as people head off before the price on the door goes up at 11.00.
If your young and on the pull its a reasonable port of call for cheap drinks and jailbait.
Jamie - 27 Apr 2004 17:10 |
Incredible place, mix of ages and livelyhoods, standing at the bar next to a model and an old irish soak etc. Not as much trouble as there used to be but gets too busy and loud later on - Seanie the manager is a legend
dpiom - 11 Mar 2004 20:18 |
not a bad boozer no music which is a shame but the beer is fairly cheap and the food is very nice and reasonably priced so overall not bad
Bobby williamson - 31 Dec 2003 18:06 |
