Townsend Arms, Hertfordback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I can only assume this is under new management. After a few teething problems early on (see my review on 7/3/11) this developed into a decent alternative to the College Arms in the summer of 2011.
Armed with a Tastecard we have tried to eat here several times this year but have been driven out on most occasions by the presence of loud, sweary types. We did actually manage to eat there one evening after Wayne & Waynetta were asked to tone it down and keep an eye on little Spudulike (it was close to 10pm) and the waitress apologised for the boisterousness of certain elements who were, apparently, friends of the bar staff and "in here most evenings".
Our most recent visit will be our last. Place was nearly empty at 3pm on a Sunday - albeit after a busy Sunday lunch session - and I guess the bar staff must have been whacked out because they did not seem in a hurry to serve us.
It must be tough to turn away regular customers but when they, in turn, are discouraging occasional visitors, it becomes a difficult equation for the management.
Maybe Hertford is just getting more sweary? We've had the same problems at the White Horse in Castle Street, with my Scouse friend saying they would never tolerate this sort of leery behaviour in any pub in Liverpool.
I may be turning into Colonel Buffington-Tuffington-Smyth but I can't say I moved to Hertford to be patronised by Scouse mates on levels of decorum. :)
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Spent an enjoyable Friday evening in the restaurant, the service was exceptionally friendly and efficient (although they were quiet). The food and wine was excellent, have not had anything as tasty in a long while. The restaurant was a little cool but it was our choice as at the start of the evening it was quieter. The bar was lovely and warm with a lovely fire but I understand the pub can be a little noisy on a Friday early in the evening but it is pleasant later on. Only slight down side is the decor it is very clean and bright but also bland, walls are bare without any pictures.
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Saturday lunchtime visit. Four hand pumps at the bar but only one on (Spitfire). Get your act together.
No wonder pubs are closing. This might soon be one of them.
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Its so nice to see this pub open at last!
I took the family there for lunch just after they opened, and I must admit it was so nice to see the place looking so welcoming. The fires were roaring, the staff behind the bar were friendly and chatty. They have developed 3 distinctive areas in the pub, from the snug where you could read the papers in front of the fire, to the bar/dining area, with the restaurant on the rear! This will be great in the summer overlooking the garden.
We each chose different things on the menu so we could try each others dishes :-) this included the starters of creamy mussels, roasted pigeon, and the roasted butternut squash soup followed by the classic and huge portion of fish and chips, the individual steak and ale pie and I had the rabbit. The food was all cooked to order and beautifully flavoured. We were very impressed, and we look forward to coming back soon to try some new dishes - the waiter advised us that the menus would change frequently due to seasonal products.
We prefer wine to beer, so we were quietly impressed by the wine list on offer. We look forward to trying them all on our future visits.
They have definately opened this pub with good pub food and wine so its definately a gastro pub, and I would be happy to go there by myself wor with family and friends.
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Lovely food, alreay had the burger and a roast there, and will be back again to keep working through the menu.
Quite pleasant with the fires going to sit on the sofas with a drink and a book.
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This place reopened on 1 March as a gastro-pub. I had Sunday lunch in there on the first Sunday after they opened and it is fair to say that in terms of service, they still have not got the system right (slow and shambolic - e.g. no warning about red hot dessert plate fresh from the oven). Food was nice though, with the missus commending these things called "vegetables", which were lightly cooked and flavoursome compared to the overcooked stuff you often get in pubs.
Typical price was �11.50 for meat, pots, Yorkshire puds and the aformentioned things called vegetables. In terms of value, not a patch on the Galley Hall a bit further up the road, where you are likely to get twice the portions for �5 cheaper, but the Townshend Arms is clearly going for a more upmarket crowd, and the cooking is better.
Can't comment much on the pub side of it, as we did not stay for a drink. The conservatory where we dined was a bit taters for early March so I was keen to return to the warmth of the car. The pub bit does have two coal fires which apparently caused a few problems with smoke every time the front door opened. They had two ales on tap: the ubiquitous Adnams and another I did not recognise and now can't remember (Golden Brewer? Sounds more like a race horse)
A previous restaurant on this site went out of business, I believe, and I fear this might go the same way unless they raise the level of service to match the prices. Local competition is fierce. The aforementioned Galley Hall is a wonderfully efficient cheap and cheerful pub/restaurant while the nearby College Arms is going for the same mid-market gastropub space and doing it much better at the moment. Having said that, they had a bloke going around seeking constructive feedback so maybe they will improve.
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Dear oh dear - my girl and I stopped here for a swift beer that became swifter with every inaudible bawl and bellow from the neighbouring bar-room full of 'turned-up-collar boys' and sweary chav in-breds. I felt a little sorry for the (likely) landlord and his lady - they smiled sweetly as another glass was dropped on the floor...Hertford Heath strikes me as a place to dump all the old anti-socials from nearby Hertford town and this is their pub.....there are loads of bright shiny pumps full of gassy crap...and that's reflected on the clientele. The best beer was Newcastle Brown Ale.....at least with the bottle you have a back up weapon to toss at the proles apart from your glass....
This place needs a landlord with a crossbow to keep control plus a range of �3 real ales and no lager to rid him of these achilles heels.
Not a place to relax - shame...it looks nice from the outside...
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The pub is closed at present
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Has had a lick of paint in recent times and possibly a change of owners.Lovely beer garden for summer drinking.Used to serve Landlord but ale choice is now down to the ubiquitous GK IPA.GRRRR.
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BIT OF AN INTERBRED PLACE I THINK EVERYONE WHO USES IT HAS THE SAME SURNAME!!!!
anonymous - 24 May 2007 12:36 |
Full of mouthy pikeys. Looks alright, but bit of a hole.
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