Boar's Head Restaurant in East Hertfordshire

My partner and I visited the restaurant for the first time on New Years Eve, the restaurant is decorated amazingly and the bar staff were very friendly welcoming us. We were showed to our table and after 5 minutes or so our order was taken, within not even 10 minutes our drinks and starters came out. Our starters were amazing and shortly followed our mains, I am vegetarian and when I ordered my main I asked for the dish without chicken, the waitress said she would make sure with the kitchen if that’s ok, she never came back so we assumed it was fine, when my main came out it had chicken in, a different waiter kindly took the food back to the kitchen and a few minutes later it was replaced. The waitress that originally took my order came to see where my food was and I explained it came with chicken she said ‘Oh’ and walked away - that was the first rude encounter. The whole time during our meal there was 4 screaming young children running through the restaurant they knocked into my partner three times and were disturbing the other diners too, the children were family to the waitress and there was a table with a few adults on again family of hers so they were getting her full attention and the rest of us were left waiting, there was many other things that happened during our visit and we were absolutely appalled. The service was shocking but from that one waitress in particular she was so rude to us and the other diners, a group of 8 were sitting next to us and when they tried to ask her a question she simply said ‘HANG ON’ and walked away they all looked shocked. We were never offered more drinks and wasn’t even offered a dessert menu. When we eventually got someone’s attention to ask for the bill we then waited over 20 minutes to receive it. As we were leaving the someone on a different table asked for the dish I had but without mushrooms, the waitress started laughing and said ‘I’m only laughing as someone just ordered it with no chicken’ and started joking about my order very loudly next to us.

For a restaurant with such a vast meat cellar you can’t get fillet steak unless sliced in thin pieces, i then asked for a wagyu burger that was over cooked and no fillings, sauce, so not the best meat experience.

No alternative to chips with any of the meat dishes,so it’s chips and salad…no rice…unreal. no bread bought to the table, portion sizes of meat on the mixed shish are small for 25 quid. Meat is nice but value for money not great and my brother asked for a medium ribeye and it was served rear to medium with blood in it and chewy.

Sunday lunch lamb and beef was lovely as were the roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding., however the vegetables were too hard for me to eat, I know vegetables shoukd not be soft but I could not chew the carrots or broccoli. Such a shame as the rest was lovely. Also couldn’t have coffee to end our meal as the machine was broken and they had run out of a tea that I wanted.

We had a family Birthday celebration and our first time we had been there. The party was 10 Adults and 2 Children, the service was attentive throughout, there was a little delay when they brought the main course out, but it did not bother us, as we were not in any rush. I had the Garlic Mushrooms, I was a little disappointed as there is normally a a bread or toasted bread to go, however it was nice. My partner had the Calamari and that was nice. I had the T-Bone Steak and asked for it to be medium rare, but it was more like medium, the flavour was tasty. I think I will have the Dallas Steak next time. My partner had the Octopus as a main and that was tender and well seasoned. We had no room for desserts, but in fairness to the establishment, they cut the cake up and provided plates etc. All in all, there service was good, the food was good. A little pricey but you get quality food. Looking forward to a return match.

We've been there twice now and will certainly return. The only reason I haven't given it 5 stars is because of the inconsistency between the 2 visits, and because the menu just lists dishes with little or no description so you have to ask. I ordered Octopus starter on both occasions: the first time the portion size was enormous, a huge octopus leg, well cooked, crispy on the outside and moist and tender meat inside. The second visit the leg was about a quarter of the size, smothered in way too much garlic butter and a bit soft and mushy on the outside. It was good, but not nearly as tasty. My partner had the scallops and really enjoyed them. The mains were fantastic on both occasions. We love lamb so decided to splash out £80 on the rack of lamb which the menu says serves 2-3. With a supermarket rack of lamb, it's usually a bit too much food for one, but not enough for two. This was enormous! It was spectacularly served, with the chef bringing it out on a domed silver tray, his assistant unfolding a serving table, uncovering the most generous rack of lamb, then the chef carving the huge ribs and seasoning to our taste. Best lamb we'd ever eaten, but had to ask for a doggie bag to take away as there was enough to feed 3 or 4 people. The second visit, we both had steak. I rarely order steak in restaurants as I cook it perfectly myself at home, so am often disappointed by ordering it in restaurants. We had to ask what a Dallas steak was, turns out it's a large rib eye on the bone. Both our steaks were perfectly cooked as requested, best I've had, better than Gauchos or Hawksmoor. With cocktails and a nice bottle of wine it's not a cheap meal out, but the food and service are exceptional.

Fabulous meal at the Boars Head, service was amazing and they made it special for my husband’s birthday! The Octopus starter was amazing! As was the steak. Will definitely be back soon

What looks like an exceptional establishment was quickly undone by the terrible food and long wait times for it. The front of house staff were excellent, quickly took our orders and were incredibly apologetic. Nevertheless the food was cold, dry and overdone. It also took 2 hours 15mins for our mains to come. The food did not taste good and we left feeling hungry and frustrated. We will not be returning.

The cocktails were amazing. Most friendly staff. All round good experience. Would recommend, such a good night, can’t wait to come back x

Went out with friends to eat here. Lovely food, well cooked and a good price, staff very attentive and music as well which was nice as it was live entertainment. Ignore he bad reviews, go try for yourself and make your own mind up. I would recommend eating here

Birthday lunch for our son - food was excellent and the waiter was very attentive - our first visit but won’t be the last - great place

Ate there yesterday for a family get together, lovely atmosphere, great food great price, and staff is a fantastic waiter, really looked after us, will definitely go again.

Cannot fault the Boars Head, food is very good and you won’t go hungry generous portions, service is the best I have experienced in Bishops Stortford, they made my birthday celebrations with my family and friends 15 in total truly incredible ,they did not rush us were very attentive in a subtle way ….thank you guys we will be happy to recommend and look forward to dining there again soon

Restaurant wasn’t busy for a Friday night so says a lot immediately. Tables were wobbly and despite the restaurant being pretty empty we were seated right next to another couple. Starters were nice, prawns and scallops. Mains not so, we ordered fillet steak and what turned up was not fillet, not sure what it was… it was tough and fatty. 15% service charge is excessive and prices expensive for what you get. Won’t be returning. Staff were friendly enough.

Lovely restaurant, amazing food, excellent staff always make your visit very personal, would def recommend 👏👏

We visited last saturday night for the first time, was vey impressed when you walk in and see all the lovely meat displayed in the cold cabinets, so was looking forward to eating it . go to our table and waited around 10 mons for...

We thought the food here was great, and can really recommend the octopus starter and lobster ravioli. We thought the steaks on other tables looked amazing but we both prefer seafood! Service was excellent- they were busy, but the waiters were brilliant and we found...

Really enjoyed evening of great food at the boars head, lovely ambience and the young female singer was amazing!! Who is she?

Had a lovely meal last night with friends here. First visit since its changed owners friendly wsiters delicious food snd really good atmosphere. They had a fabulous singer who sang who the right songs that we could listen to but still chat away! Would definitely...

Lovely restaurant with great service. Amazing atmosphere and amazing singer last night !!!Would definitely go back !

I visited the boars head last night and can definitely say I will be returning. The food and the service was outstanding- not to mention the amazing entertainment! The young girl was amazing and really made the night special. She sang some of my favourite...

Anniversary dinner for 2. Roaring fire & warm welcome. My wife’s Scallop starter wasn’t cooked quite enough, no fuss made but 6 more scallops arrived cooked to perfection. Both my T bone & wife’s Sirloin steaks were spot on. Tastiest I’ve had for long time....

Wife and I went for a birthday treat and left having had some lovely drinks, good food and great service. I’d happily go again.

Food was lovely, but extremely over priced for the service. The waiter we had was rude, zero customer service skills he looked like he would of rather been any where else. Snatched the menus out of our hands,was just terrible. Wanted to leave as soon...

We had the best time last night! Group of 16 of us and when we got there we were in a private room which we weren’t expecting but worked brilliantly! The staff couldn’t do enough for us, we ordered cocktails and they arrived super quickly!...

Great experience here, the dancers were amazing and tried to get everyone involved. Food was good and the service was good considering how busy it was in there. It was quite noisy so wouldn’t recommend for maybe couples who want a quiet meal.

Booked a private room upstairs for 20 people for my wife's birthday. Staff couldn't have been more helpful, setting up the room, efficiently serving our guests and keeping them topped up with drinks! They served 20 mains without fuss, and the food was excellent. Yes...

We stopped on the way back from stansted. Early evening -great service and quality food. Not just the steak but also the pasta - spoken as an italian family who are v fussy on english pasta meals. Even with the steaks the mac and cheese...

Recently visited Boar's Head with my family we all had an amazing time. The food was absolutely amazing steak was to die for. The staff was very professional and made us feel extremely special. We will be back very soon.

We had a lovely meal here celebrating my birthday with my friends. Service was first class, food didn’t disappoint it was amazing. Lovely atmosphere on a busy Friday. A very positive first time for us. Can’t wait to return!

My wife and I had a last minute escape from the kids without a plan decided to follow up on a recommendation from a friend. The food was amazing and service was impeccable from the staff! Made even more special with the lovely entertainment. Lovely...

Staff were rushed off their feet and didn’t apologise or give us an idea of the wait time. Wasn’t even offered a drink for an hour and had to ask 3 times. When the drinks came mine was missing. We went here for my sisters...

Saturday evening I took a group of friends to what I thought was a brilliant place with atmosphere. The lovely waitress was over worked and stressed there wasn’t enough staff, the starters came out under cooked, took 50minutes after being seated to get our drinks...

Erm I really don’t know where to start with this place. Positives were the starters, delicious. Our waitress was sweet and did look after us even though she was run ragged. Mains, 3 sirloins and lobster, all 3 were cooked fine but the steaks were...

We visited on a Saturday night with friends , the entertainment is fantastic , a very lively evening, DJ played unlimited favourite songs one after another , great for couples or a girls night out , cocktails, dancing great music and an overall fantastic night...

Too loud and too much samba for a nice restaurant! Loved the food but will not be back because it’s way too loud! Samba is terrible in a restaurant where you want to eat and talk! It’s not appropriate at all! Will not be back...

Went for a meal on Saturday night. We weren’t informed about the loud music with on line booking. The steaks were great but definitely not worth the price. The music was so loud it was impossible to have a conversation and it spoilt the evening....

Although the food was very nice I do not think that it's worthy of prices they are charging. The service was a little slow but allegedly short staffed. Waiter bought us a bottle of wine and just dumped it on the table. What they don't...

My husband and I attempted a visit last night. We turned up at our booked time to be told our table wasn’t ready and asked to wait by the fire. 10 minutes went by and we still weren’t seated, or even offered a drink. While...

Very disappointed. So loud and we were upstairs away from everything . Though if you want to see dancers make sure you are downstairs . Too many tables crammed into small spaces . Waiters running around like headless chickens and couldn’t believe they were carrying...

Husband and I went out with another couple to catch up over dinner. The food was nice (octopus was really good to be fair!) but quite pricey. Staff were very friendly, but it felt very rushed. The entertainment was really good, but far too noisy...

We had a great night at the boar's head on Saturday night. The menu is big with great choices for steak and sea food - octopus was amazing! The food isn't cheap but quality is great and good service. The entertainment was fabulous, there was...

Had a lasagna on a Saturday evening which we can not fort it was homemade went in there again this weekend on Saturday 5th at lunch time with my husband ordered lasagne at I’m certain it was a cheap one out of a container shame...

Third visit to this restaurant, and it hasn’t disappointed. Just the best steaks, but tonight it was sea bass, beautifully cooked. Cocktails are sublime, service excellent. Not cheap but top quality.

We visited The Boars head on a Saturday night the atmosphere was amazing fun and upbeat! The cocktails were the best I think I’ve ever tasted (especially the piña colada’s) and the food was unreal! Definitely worth a visit! You won’t be disappointed!! Thanks to...