Bar Azita in St Albans

A bit disappointed with our experience overall. We walked in and there was a member of staff at the bar ignored us for a few minutes and then walked into the restaurant and ushered a waitress to show us to our table. He did not welcome us smile or anything made me feel very awkward. However the waitress who served us was really nice and tried her best. Food was ok, taramaslata starter with pitta was delicious. Main was ok, although chicken over done and that slaw has no flavour. Rice also very plain and not authentic. 12% service charge was a bit steep and I do not think it should be in place I found it very expensive for what it was and the atmosphere in there is frosty and not the most welcoming. I’ve had lunch before and had a different experience.

I have been coming here for years, the food is always amazing as well as the service. Good cocktails too, I’ll be back again.

Have always experienced amazing service and incredibly delicious food. Every time we go to eat there the people are welcoming, very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend going at least once a month :)

been at bar azita few times and always great service, good food my friends really enjoyed it as well ! excellent i would say

Second visit in 5 years, just as good as I remembered it 👍

Excellent food, friendly staff. We had the Tapas lunch deal, which was superb value.

An enjoyable lunch with a friend. The humous and the patatas brava were great, although the vegetable kebab was a bit disappointing, I knew I should have gone with the falafel instead.

This is one of, if not, our favourite restaurants in Harpenden. It never fails to impress. We visited for lunch last week. The service was great, food was delicious and we are already looking forward to our next visit. If you are looking for a menu with lots of protein and vegetable options - Bar Azita is a great choice!

Loving the food, lots of choice and high quality... The place has a great atmosphere

Meal out for my nieces 16th. Had better tapas but it was ok. I think it depended on what you had. Was very busy for 5.30pm booking but then again it was Saturday!!

Food was really good service was excellent real gem of a place 👌

Saturday evening Tapas with a friend. We were served by Beth who was extremely attentive and friendly. Made our experience very pleasant and we thoroughly enjoyed food and drinks. Back soon!

Lunch outside in the October (!) sun. Great value special "tapas rapido" for 3 mezze dishes. Also highly recommend the Albarino wine

Great food with excellent service and a good atmosphere.

Excellent food, great service and a fantastic atmosphere. You cant go wrong.

Slight issue with one of my dishes, which wasn't a big deal. However manager did not take kindly to my gentle feedback and made me feel uncomfortable.

Friendly helpful staff and owner, delicious filling food and cold beer. Lovely for a lunch.

Nice relaxed place, good service - food was a mixed bag. Meat off the grill was nice but the rest was lacking/ bland and I think some was very similar to just deep fried frozen stuff from shop. (like the prawns)

I love both locations. They have a comfortable up market vibe that I completely here for! The servers are always so polite 💕

8 of us had an excellent and very long lunch. Food was great and our server was brilliant.

Been a few times and the food is usually exceptional but on one occasion some of the food was a on the bland side. Shared the Mediterranean platter and while most of the selection was good, some of the fried fish was on the greasy side. On the plus side, the cold starters are fantastic, the Olivieh is a must try. Service was good with staff very attentive even at busy periods (which is always). Wine selection also very good, one of the nicest whites I've tasted is from here.

One of the best tapas I have ever had , we had a meat and a fish platter between 4 of us, superb,2 bottles of wine and 4beers and I think the bill was around 120 quid. Brilliant

Great food, drink and atmosphere

Casual night out with friends - have been here lots of times and always enjoy. The hospitality is good and it’s a great place for a chilled night out with friends. I love the informality of it all and how everyone can share dishes - it’s good fun, good value and good quality. Looking forward to the next time.

Nice atmosphere, food v mediocre

Superb recommend a visit we traveled 30 miles as we heard the tapas was good and we were disappointed

Wonderful food and atmosphere. The staff were all excellent and took great care of our larger group. The food was delicious - all of the vegetables were beautifully seasoned and dressed perfectly, but the highlight was the pita and aubergine dip (in the picture). It was such a wonderful surprise, smoky, beautifully spiced and smooth, perfect with the excellent pita. I’d love to come back here again, it’s an excellent spot for any occasion!

If you like Mediterranean tapas then you will like it here.Great atmosphere and great service.

Couldn't fault the food. Everything was excellent and the service too.However, when we ordered Sangria it came without a stirrer and we couldn't get the fruit out of the bottom of the jug. In hindsight I should have asked for a long spoon. Also, if it's a sunny afternoon avoid the round table at the front in the window. We were placed there and it was very hot and uncomfortable. I asked if they had an awning to protect us from the sun and heat but there wasn't one. They have them at the side of the restaurant though but that didn't help us So please bear that in mind if you go there on a sunny afternoon/evening.

Good Mediterranean food if you’re wanting a fix in the area :)

Food is soooooo good here, highly recommend x

Went there for lunch. Had the Chicken Shishlik with a Punch (drink) and an Affogato. All were very good and the service was good. My biggest complaints are : 1. the price of the chicken which was 17£ and that came only with a portion of salad. Again, it was tasty but 17 ? I think it's a bit expensive. 2. The service charge of 12% which translates to "tip". I was actually surprised to see this on my bill. This is a US trend that should die there. Tipping should be voluntary and I say this as someone who worked as a waiter. 3. The atmosphere. The blame goes on the interior design and the music. Both are fine but they didn't make me feel comfortable, relaxed or at home for me to stay longer and maybe enjoy a coffee or another Punch. Will I be back ? Maybe sometime in the future.

Great food and drinks. Service excellent. We all really enjoyed our food.

Was actually really disappointed tonight, we had a large group who were celebrating and from the get go we had rude waiters, thought nothing of it until one of our friends (who we were there celebrating) didn’t even get one dish served after the rest of the table had already finished theirs, she had to ask for her main to be served. Our plates were being taken away before we’d finished and we had to keep on saying “please leave it I’m not finished.” To which we got frosty receptions from the waiters. I even had my alcoholic drink taken before I’d finished it. Along with this, we had around 3 different waiters hurrying us out of the restaurant because there was another party even though they had served the meals late and scowled the entire time. Felt rushed, not welcomed and like we were a hassle for the waiters. We were there for around an hour and 10 minutes, I’d understand if we occupied the table for 3 hours but we barely got past the hour. On top of this at the end, the rude staff tried to add a 12% service charge for essentially kicking us out. I’m really not happy with this service.

Terrible unfriendly service, over priced food and the worst of all they add 12% service charge on over priced food and poor service.

Poor service, unfriendly staff, rushing you all the time, over priced food and to top it all they add a 12% service charge on your bill, it couldn't get any worse.

Was actually really disappointed tonight, we had a large group who were celebrating and from the get go we had rude waiters, thought nothing of it until one of our friends (who we were there celebrating) didn’t even get one dish served after the rest of the table had already finished theirs, she had to ask for her main to be served. Our plates were being taken away before we’d finished and we had to keep on saying “please leave it I’m not finished.” To which we got frosty receptions from the waiters. I even had my alcoholic drink taken before I’d finished it. Along with this, we had around 3 different waiters hurrying us out of the restaurant because there was another party even though they had served the meals late and scowled the entire time. Felt rushed, not welcomed and like we were a hassle for the waiters. We were there for around an hour and 10 minutes, I’d understand if we occupied the table for 3 hours but we barely got past the hour. On top of this at the end, the rude staff tried to add a 12% service charge for essentially kicking us out. I’m really not happy with this service.

2nd time here and the food is amazing, will come again when in the area

As a recently diagnosed coeliac I was relieved that there were good gluten free options, including gluten free pitta for my dips, and that the staff and chefs seemed to have a good understanding of cross contamination so I felt very confident and had an amazing meal. No separate fryer so couldn't have chips or anything fried but that didn't matter as plenty of other options. We went for my husband's birthday and they were kind enough to make his dessert extra special with a candle and happy birthday piped in chocolate on top and even didn't charge for it!

Delicious food, friendly service and good value.

Best service I've experienced in a long time

This is a lovely restaurant, great food and very friendly staff. I couldn't pick a favourite from everything we ate as it was all superb. Ill definitely be going back again.

Very Greasy and over priced food, I suggest Tabur in Harpenden for a quality meal that is far more authentic… !

This is my go to Tapas restaurant. The food is always on point!

Great food & very friendly staff. After all these year it's been running it still has great standards 😁.

The food and service was excellent. No provided parking.

Went this evening for a surprise party, staff were amazing, food was fabulous, everyone enjoyed themselves with no complaints. Highly recommend

Good service. Been here a couple of times for cocktails but finally tried the food. Would definitely return !

Had a lovely meal this evening. Great vegan and non-vegan options. Very tasty food and lovely prosecco and beer. Friendly service. Well worth the money.

Hadn’t been here for a few years but it hasn’t changed, thankfully. Lovely tapas-style food; quality ingredients and well cooked/seasoned. The potato chips were a little soggy, but didn’t detract from the overall experience. Lovely cosy feel in the front area with high tables. All of the staff are brilliant - highly recommended!

Very nice place good atmosphere good Spanish tapas I will recommend if around

Really nice restaurant with lots of menu choice. Nicely decorated and friendly staff. We had boquerones (whitebait), falafel, aubergine with honey, pork pinchitos, & swordfish shishlik. The pork and swordfish were very nice, the rest - ever so slightly over fried, but good enough. A lovely atmosphere, some over pricing here and there, but a good restaurant overall. We enjoyed it

What a great atmosphere. Excellent end polite staff. The menu has great variation and selection from local sourced food. It's is busy all the times every time we visited. Great bar and an excellent wine choice menu. As they say, you can't go wrong here. We were there on business, but many private party diners as well. To be revisited soon !

Another great visit to Bar Azita! The food is consistently delicious, the staff are friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.

Always a fantastic meal and ambience guaranteed. We frequent Bar Azita often and recommend often too. The food is delicious, the staff are always polite but fun too. Restaurant is clean. Wine is good. What else is there to say?

Loved the atmosphere, the nice staff and the wonderful food very much!! The haloumi (both fries and grilled) and the falafels with humus were awesome. And fantastic cocktails 🍹

A great evening spent with friends. Very tasty and fresh food. Would highly recommend a visit.

Couldn't seem to deal with a large party

Such a wonderful place to eat on a Wednesday night great food lovely staff wonderful atmosphere most tables were full

Love Bar Azita! Fabulous cocktails and the food is amazing. My problem is I can't chose and end up ordering more food than one person should eat! Highly recommend.

Good atmosphere, good service. Food was quite good but as they serve foods from different styles of cuisine, no dishes blow you away. But the concept is good and I would recommend for a good night out

Love this place. Always a good vibe walking in and the servers were very professional and friendly. And don't get me started on the chicken skewers and taramasalata. So mouth watering, saliva almost flew out of my mouth across the restaurant. In short: I LOVE THIS PLACE

Not sure if the restaurant is under new management but we were left feeling down trodden by manager Lindsey on Saturday evening. We totally understand that the restaurant gets busy so tried our luck to get a space at the bar (does not require booking), after seeing the pair in front of us receive such a warm welcome for a similar request we did not expect that it would be any different for us. We were initially ignored by Lindsey who went directly to the group behind us in the queue, then told despite there being two spaces at the bar that we would not be allowed to sit there as it was “too busy”. After offering to take a walk and come back later we were told there would not be any space for us at all this evening. Again, we are aware that the restaurant gets very busy but it’s a shame that treatment is not the same for all customers. Sad to be leaving this review as we’ve been coming to this restaurant for years.

Amazing ambience, amazing staff, amazing food. We were completely gob-smacked with the quality of food; everything well seasoned full of textures, colours and flavours. The best experience when going out for a romantic dinner, guys. Incredibly satisfying and worth every penny. Thumbs up!

Went for a xmas works night out...Great food and alot of it and all delicious. There was 15 of us and we had to preorder service and food kept coming..

Excellent service and great food menu for vegetarian too..loved it

Some food needs a best presentation. For me the cheese board was ruined with the oil they poured on it. Should be on the side. Patatas bravas.... well, they are supposed to be spicy... and they were sweet ...

Visted for birthday meal, had a reservation (would definitely recommend making reservation beforehand as gets busy esp at weekend) Food was lovely really enjoyed it, have dietary requirement and were very careful with order. At the end of meal they brought out plate with happy birthday and ice cream was such nice surprise. Overall lovely time and would recommend to visit.

First time visited, took my husband for his 60th birthday lunch after reading some great reviews. Staff were friendly and service was good. Sadly, this was as far as the compliments go as the starters were overcooked, dry and the main (Lamb Souvlaki) was overdone and incinerated, resulting in dry, tough, charcoal lamb. Not sure how you can go wrong with a sald, but that was also achieved spectacularly with a paltry wilted offering. A real shame as was so looking forward to it. Not worth the bill, that despite advising our server (not that we needed to as half the plate was still there) made no offer to discount the meal or any kind of gesture. Starters of Lamb meatballs and Falafel lacked any flavour. I guess the Hummus was OK, but pitta was hard and not fresh. Surprised at the previous reviews rating this restaurant as certainly did not match our experience. O am not one for giving bad reviews but on this occasion it was necessary, hopefully this was a one off and tye chef was having a bad day!

Bar Azita has offered consistently good service and tasty meze for several years. We are never disappointed and the prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is buzzing since it is a popular place.

3rd visit. Consistent service ,food & atmosphere. Buzzing but not too noisy, so suits groups or couples. Sharing platter option gives you something to talk about & plenty to eat !

We visited after not having been for well over a year due to Covid, however the food was not as good as we remembered. We were advised a small salad came with the platters but this wasn’t true for the seafood one. The prawns were delicious and the cod squares soft and succulent, however the sword fish was dry, one chunk of the three was inedible. The whitebait heavily breadcrumbed, and again dry. The meat platter looked better it did have some salad, the chicken was nice but the sausage and lamb very over cooked and the first piece of lamb was pure gristle. The lamb was replaced but of course when a dish has to be replaced, it’s brought up when everything else is finished! Overall it was a disappointing evening, food wise.

My friend took me to Bar Azita for a belated birthday dinner! It was amazing! We had booked a table inside but as the weather was fantastic they offered us a table outside! I felt like I was on holiday! Our waitress was so attentive and lovely. We started with the Rose Sangria which was so delicious that we got a second jug! We shared the couples vegetarian platter which was amazing! The food was hot and fresh- and plenty for the two of us! We’ll definitely be returning!

Had dinner Alfresco tonight despite the dull weather, the welcome and service was warm.Kept warm with the patio heaters. Service from our wine waiter and lovely waitress was wonderful, food good too.It was our anniversary and you helped make it special.Looking forward to our next visit. Thanks a lot.

Decided to lunch here as it was close to the train station and the reviews were good. I’m so glad we did! The staff very kindly let us have our table earlier than we’d booked and were all so welcoming, friendly and helpful. The food was delicious, freshly cooked, served quickly and great value. Myself and my three daughters were visiting Harpenden, my mum’s birthplace, to mark the 20th anniversary of her death. The staff and the food at Bar Azita really helped to make this a special visit for all of us.

Wonderful to be back inside at our favourite restaurant. We sampled some of the delicious new cocktails and the swordfish and prawn skewers were amazing Will definitely be visiting again soon

Always a wonderful ambience and consistently great food and service! The menu suits everyone and nothing is too much trouble for the friendly staff!

My friend & I needed a special experience for our first lunch together in over a year. Bar Azita gave us just that! Excellence all round; atmosphere, service, cleanliness, delicious food. We will return soon. It was very memorable,Thank you

We have been here a few times and always enjoyed it however on this occasion we was left waiting ages before anyone came to take out order. When we finally ordered the food came before our drinks and that was after a 45 minute wait and us chasing twice. We was told they are busy which I fully understand but 45 minutes is ridiculous to even get drinks. The food that came was either cold or like warm and usually I would complain but didn’t want to be left waiting another 45 minutes to get it replaced. Our table was outside but even so the food should have been served hot. Its not like we left it sat on the table once brought out, we tried it as soon as we got it. The prawns were really cold and no where near as good as they normally are. Honestly it was really disappointing this time which is such a shame. It’s not cheap here and usually we thoroughly enjoy it but on this occasion it was disappointing.I expected it to be amazing and that includes the service with being closed for so long due to lockdown.

After reading so many good reviews we thought why not pop along? Bad mistake it was totally underwhelming... and if like me you’ve visited Spain & the Balearic Islands over 100 times you’ll realise VERY quickly there tapas is mediocre at best! Location great, nice wine BUT 2 out of 10 for there English (Harpenden) version of Tapas, won’t be returning in a hurry. Las tapas deben dejarse en manos de los españoles

We thought we had booked but I had booked the wrong night! The kind staff managed to fit us in on a typically packed friday. Food as good as ever and service very efficient indeed. Thank you so much. Great to be back!

We had an amazing collection from Bar Azita. We had planned to dine there but the weather was very poor (due to covid its currently outdoors only) so they kindly let us switch to collection. Every dish was excellent (particularly the meat dolmeh and albondigas), and the Lychee Martini was delicious. I couldn't recommend more highly!

Love the menu, super cocktails, great staff and delicious food. One of the best restaurants in Harpenden. Thank you!

Went for lunch with my husband on Sunday , we had reserved a table for 13:45 but arrived much earlier, being bitterly cold and seen tables empty at the restaurant I popped in and asked if we could move our reservation forward, the staff could not be more accommodating, we were seated immediately and mocktails or mulled wine was offered free of charge. We ordered a selection of tapas : calamari ( fresh and nicely done) serrano ham croquettes ( tasty and well executed) lamb ( tender and well seasoned) and patatas bravas ( not bad but not the best I have had) The star of the meal was the Spanish blend platter , with grilled marinated chicken , pork , veggies and chorizo sausage... the meat was so tender it would literally melt in your mouth and so flavourful too, the veggies roast just so and the chorizo of great quality. Can’t wait to get back !

I've been to this restaurant a few times and it never disappoints. Food is always delicious - make sure you don't leave with out having a dessert. Even there tea tastes better than I have ever tasted! Mondays are great as they have live jazz music. Staff are always very friendly and you can see into the kitchen which I love.

I won't comment on the food, it's as good as it always is but what I wanted to say was a little thank you for something that made all the difference to our visit. I came with my daughter for a Saturday lunch last week and had the usual dips (Oliveh is just brilliant) and tapas but what stood out was our waitress. I'd joked about a previous customer leaving their chocolate behind when paying the bill (who does that?) and as a lovely gesture she gave us extra chocs on paying our bill. Such a sweet gesture and it really made the visit. To remember us in this way during her busy service, in these really hard times for restaurants was just lovely. Thank you.

Had an amazing dinner with a date, great food, wine and cocktails and our waiter Alex was lovely. However the whole evening started in a wrong note when the host greeted us with a terrible attitude due to an error she made when confirming our booking. We still stayed and had our meal but the were put off by this for the whole evening. Luckily the waiter made up for the host’s bad attitude. If it wasn’t for this we would’ve given this place the maximum rating.

Food is always great, with a great selection of different dishes that suit whatever your current needs are. Nice selection of cocktails (and mocktails for our designated driver!).

I’ve been to Bar Azita many times and have never been disappointed by the food or customer service. Literally every dish is delicious and the atmosphere is perfect. Could easily come for a quiet meal or for drinks with friends - any occasion. Bar Azita is my first choice of restaurant whenever we go out, we visit weekly! The badam dip is the most delicious thing I’ve ever had! Honestly cannot rate this restaurant highly enough. (Sounds like an ad or As if I’m a relation to the restaurant but I’m not! It’s genuinely that good)

What has happened to this restaurant? It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been here and it’s changed for the worse. We arrived on time for our booking and were met by a friendly member of staff who showed us to our table. The Covid precautions were explained to us which seemed very good and well thought out. We ordered out drinks which arrived promptly and then we chose our meals. As per a normal meal, we ordered starters and then our main course selections. This is where it all went wrong as fairly soon afterwards the food started to arrive, all of it ! Bread and dips, starters and mains. We tried telling the waiter we didn’t want it all at once but were told that as we only had a limited time for our 8.30 booking we had to have it all at once????? This was not explained when we ordered the food but as it was piled up in front of us. The main courses of fish and mixed meat were all over cooked and dry and rather than an enjoyable meal with friends it was all rushed. Some dishes didn’t arrive at all which was a blessing really as we didn’t eat all of the food with it not being very good.It was a very rushed evening accompanied by a fairly large bill. Poor service and dry overcooked food. Disappointed is all I can say and won’t be returning any time soon.

Called in on spec after being let down by another Harpenden restaurant. We were asked to wait outside while they found a table for us (good covid security) We were then shown to our table and the Covid measure clearly explained to us, which were comprehensive and make us feel safe. We ordered Tapas, they were excellent well prepared and presented. As I was driving ordered a soft drink, they had a great selection and my Hibiscus Tonic was beautifully presented. Overall a really enjoyable experience.

I have eaten here hundreds of times since and love it every time. Great atmosphere and great food.Everyone who has been knows that the Bademjansalata is the best thing on the menu! The butterfly prawns and the lamb are my favourite things on the mains, definitely recommend.

Bar Azita is always great, but I think they've really stepped up their game! We ate here on Saturday night and the food was absolutely fantastic. We ordered two platters and some sides to share between four. The whole thing was delicious, especially the tuna. And really interesting cocktails - so nice to have something different, rather than just the classics. Great staff too.

We really enjoyed our al fresco tapas, and made the most of the Eat out to help out scheme too. The staff were very friendly and the food was outstanding, with lots of veggie options. This was our first meal out after lockdown, and we were impressed with the measures taken to keep everyone safe.

This was our third meal out at Bar Azita. We turned up for lunch without having booked but were offered a table outside, which suited us. Azita is very covid-secure and has done a good job setting up to protect customers and staff, with a one-way system, sanitising station, etc.The food is absolutely delicious, home-made tapas. Our kids (age 7 & 9) love sharing the dishes and trying new food, and it's helped them to discover new tastes. The dips - humus and tsaziki - are wonderful and the falafel were the nicest I've had! We also ate chorizo, veg and chicken skewers, filo parcels, tomato salad and it comes with hot pittas. All delicious!I think one dish was mixed up but we didn't notice - I'm sure if we had done and pointed it out, they would have sorted it out.Indoors it's a lovely atmosphere and the service was fantastic, really prompt and courteous. One of our favourite local restaurants - thank you Azita!

Great meal here! Haven’t been in a long time but it appears they are continuing to deliver great-tasting Mediterranean food! We also thought the cocktails we had, while they are less classical so threw us a bit when reading the menu, were delicious! We will definitely be returning soon.

We visited Bar Azita this week for the first time since lock down and it was excellent. The staff were friendly but professional; the Covid precautions were good, and the service was quick but not hurried - overall we felt well looked after. There were six of us, both meat eaters and vegetarians, and there was plenty of choice for everybody. I had a beuatiful salad with avocado, mushrooms and halloumi - fresh, tasty and very good value for money. I also had spanakopita (phyllo and spinach pies), delicious and filling (maybe over ordered abit but it was worth it). I am told the meat dishes were all excellent and the mixed tapas dishes were yummy (especially the feta and honey phyllo wraps). The restaurant was full and felt lively but not noisy - we left feeling like we had had a little mediterranean holiday in the middle of the week. Great night out, definitely would go back.

Went here with the family Great restaurant food is fantastic service is great. Outside seating is a real bonus in the recent hot weather.

Fabulous food - fantastic service - great ambiance - brilliant value for money - absolute quality - highly recommend

Last night I visited Bar Azita with my family. We booked a table inside, but because it was a warm evening, we asked to sit outside which the staff accommodated for us.This was our first visit to Bar azita since lockdown and all staff adhered to social distancing rules well.Norbert was our waiter and was very attentive and friendly. Baklava for dessert was very yummy++++And the cocktails here are always delicious (best in Harpenden). I had pina colada which made me feel like I was on holiday, made by Christian perfectly, who is always very helpful and friendly when I visit.Definitely my favourite place to eat/drink in Harpenden!