Chequers in Stevenage

Visited with friends for pre Christmas lunch. The service was slow and impersonal. We waited ……. and waited for our orders to be taken and for food service and for further service for drinks and coffee My salt and pepper calamari starter was tepid at best and was absent any hint of salt or pepper. Mains were ok but coffee was again tepid, all an indication the these items had been hanging around in the kitchen waiting for delivery to our table In all a two course lunch and coffee for four people took more than 3-hours Clearly more staff with more experience are needed to service the restaurant if things are to improve to an acceptable standard

Called into Cheques for Sunday lunch… Wow 🤩 fantastic beef, roast potatoes, glazed carrots.. ordered extra pigs in blankets and Cheese cauliflower… Top quality, service was super friendly and speedy Gonzales….a big smile 😃 and will return for the Epic Sunday roast.. Enjoy 😉

Friendly pub, serving great comfort food. A favourite with the family. Lamb shank was very nice, served with a smile by Suzie Thanks.

Our waitress Suzie was fantastic

Lovely service and great food. Suzie was fantastic.

Unfortunately after returning to the Chequers for a lunchtime meal. We were very disappointed. I had steak pie and was unable to even cut the meat let alone chew it I returned the meal. I was offered another meal but by this time I was put off any food. My wife’s lasagna was burnt around the edges but she did eat it. I was refunded for my meal but I thought it would have been offered at least a complimentary drink. Alas we will not be returning

Lovely service 👍Rachael 's Pizza is amazing no need to go to Italy😁👍

Great place with lots of history and excellent service (especially by the manager) who has taken this pub to new levels !!

Lovely old building, nice atmosphere, good food and drink selection, friendly staff

Great evening - lovely food and service.

Highly recommend, jake and Rachel exceptional customer service. Dogs welcome and overall lovely country pub x

Everything was hard ! Flat bread you could use as a frisbee and a curry which the chicken was so hard it taste like rubber ! Least the dog will get a chew at the end of the night ! Also what the hell is wet hot chocolate ?

The staff are great, I like the food, the services is very organised.

Lovely time thank you Sam!!!. Truly Exquisite. Not a bad word to say about this lovely pub.

Lovely relaxed pub with log fire. Staff were very attentive to needs and food nice .

Emma served us today and her service was perfect! Very knowledgeable about all the dishes on the menu!

Better then your average pub for food and especially the service from Emma. Food was flavoursome, plentiful and well presented. Will recommend this pub

Great atmosphere - lively pub for Sunday lunch - 5⭐️ - Abby, Rachel & Emma superstars

Best customer service from Karen, Jack and Tony, the three for £12 was the best we’ve ever had

Haven't been to the Chequers for some time but thought the lunch menu looked good so thought we would give it a try but were quite disappointed with the service. We were taken to our table and given menus. Shortly after the waitress came and removed a vase of flowers on the table. We thought this was quite odd and rude. We were feeling quite cold so asked if we could sit anywhere warmer. We were told we can sit anywhere but will have to order from the bar. We moved nearer to the fire which was nicer. The waitress then came to our table and removed the flowers there too! We then went to the bar to order because she couldn't take the order - only remove flowers. The waitress was at the next table but said it's not her job to take orders at the bar so we had to wait until the bartender was free. We ordered from the set menu which was 2 or 3 courses. We weren't sure if we could eat 3 courses so thought we would start with 2 courses. They didn't tell us that if we don't order all 3 courses at the same time, the third course will be from the main menu, therefore double the price. When we went to order at the bar the bartender was eating his dinner opposite the waitress. The waitress told him he had to take our orders and he had to leave his meal so we felt sorry for him. Overall could do with some better team-work. Regarding the food, I ordered the fish-cakes from the lunch menu and it was quite small - 2 small fish cakes, a few halved baby potatoes and 2 broccoli stems. My friends had lasagne and gammon which was much larger.

Nice cosy place with great seating and amazing food 😍🔥👍

Attended at lunchtime with my husband for a welcome home meal. Found what we wanted on the menu after a pleasant greeting. Very well looked after by Mais and Lily

Excellent afternoon within a wonderful setting and great service. Warm welcome from Maisey and Lily in a polite and professional manner which made for a great lunchtime meal experience.

Lovely food, good value and excellent service from Anna and Maisey. The open log fire is very cosy and welcoming for a pre dinner drink in the bar

Thank you Anna for your amazing service. We will be back soon

We was fitted in with no booking and they were very friendly

The menu was good as was the food - when it arrived. Very slow service especially between courses.

Good evening with friends, enjoyed the food, friendly atmosphere and helpful staff. Come here once a month and always good.

Awesome Pub, great team, and really lovely food. Love coming back once a month for our LEGO meet-up.

Great bar staff excellent manager .. would come again !

Service was top notch. The food was really good, we were served by Tony. I must add, he went out of his way to assist me - my phone battery was running low, I was expecting an important call . With hope all lost I was pleasantly surprised to see Tony, charger head in hand coming to the rescue. It is nice to see and experience outstanding customer service. It's all about the nuances

Had a really lovely family meal here ad a wake. Kitchen staff were given the info before but had an oops or two, but these things happen. The quality of food and service from the staff was superb.

Lovely food. Nice atmosphere. Very friendly and the waitress Maisie was a 10 out of 10, her hosting couldn’t be faulted, she couldn’t do enough to keep me and my husband fed and watered. Will be visiting again very soon. 😁

I live locally and have been going here over the years it's had its ups and downs particularly surviving the covid period and change of landlords over the years. I think it's a bit like marmite people really like it or they don't it's lovely inside particularly when the log fire is alight. Good outside area in summer. I tend to have the sea bass always consistent and the mini puds and hot drink partner has fish and chips or chicken both good.Drinks list is good. It would be nice if they change the menu occasionally but I choose the same thing mostly.anyway..

Lovely pub with a lovely cosy atmosphere. The staff are so friendly and welcoming. Had a lovely meal of macaroni cheese , garlic bread and fries and absolutely delicious My friend enjoyed her hunters chicken. Desserts were to die for. Plenty of parking , just a wonderful find for us and we will be back, Thank you for a great afternoon 👍🍾🌧️

Don't even bother!! - Turned up at 12.30, to be told they haven't prepped much and have taken a few meals off their limited menu. This is the 2nd time this has happened. Pure laziness from kitchen staff didn't seem that bothered and stood there shrugging shoulders. Shocking to be honest for this to happen twice and not just on a random occasion! Went to the Three horse shoes instead down the road and was greeted with a happy waiter with a full menu prepped and ready for us to enjoy! You are better off driving less than a minute down the road for a better service and food!

Don't even bother!! - Turned up at 12.30, to be told they haven't prepped much and have taken a few meals off their limited menu. This is the 2nd time this has happened. Pure laziness from kitchen staff didn't seem that bothered and stood there shrugging shoulders. Shocking to be honest for this to happen twice and not just on a random occasion! Went to the Three horse shoes instead down the road and was greeted with a happy waiter with a full menu prepped and ready for us to enjoy! You are better off driving less than a minute down the road for a better service and food!

A few good friends and I popped in for a midweek dinner. I had the steak (cooked by Ben) - it was quite possibly the most delicious steak I’d ever had! Cooked beautifully and seasoned to perfection. Rachael, Anna & Grace looked after me. Serving the most delicious gluten free beer in town! My friends and I can’t wait to come down again!

Table booked for 1.30 ordered at 1.45 starter arrived 2.15 after having to ask for it Then had to wait another 20min for main course which was cold The lamb would of been nice if it were hot Potatoes could not even get a steak knife to cut Vegetables were swim in water t the whole meal was in edible

Despite making a booking prior, we were told on arrival there was a 45 minute wait on food. The main courses was excellent. The starters were forgotten and the main was brought out first. When I asked where the starter was, no apology was given. I was then offered if I wanted the starter at that point. This was a birthday meal for my wife so I was disapointed.

My husband & I took 2 visiting relatives and we were disappointed with the overall experience. The fish cakes tasted little of smoked haddock, wth no new potatoesas advertised, the choice was chips or fries,the brie bites had very little filling, and the sea bass sauce was bland. Considering it was midweek there were shortages of lamb rump,eton mess and new potatoes.

Lovely lunch. Food was excellent and the service couldn’t have been more friendly or attentive. Will definitely go back.

the driver left it on the floor outside. Health and safety issues. you need to address this with immediate effect before I contact the authorities. I want a refund

Lovely Vintage Inns pub/restaurant. Very good food and service, would recommend and visit again.

Beautiful pub. Wish I had found it sooner. Friendly staff. Food was great

Great food, great service, thanks Maisey. We have booked for Christmas.

Excellent service by Emma and Jordon the chef is outstanding! 100% recommend.

Pretty slow service but was 4pm so not peak time with a lot of staff. Whitebait was excellent, big portion. Lasagna was good too. Would come again but probably order from the ‘3 for £10’ bar snacks menu as it looked like far better value and had good variety.

Always great food, great service and a great atmosphere. Extra special thanks to Anna and Adam for looking after me the other night, always going well beyond what good service is. Can't recommend this pub enough.

Great atmosphere and very dog friendly. Amazing food just a shame we had to wait over an hour for our main. Wasn’t even busy so not sure why there was such a long wait. Would have been nice if staff came and apologised for the wait and took our starter plates away. Lack of good service but fab food.

Food was lovely. Staff were very helpful. X

Had lunch, terrific value and great food as always. Friendly staff and great surroundings. Update, another great meal and service...would highly recommend 👌 had the gammon with egg and chips swapping the peas for baked beans.

Menu appears to be reduced from when I used another vintage inns.

Great food at reasonable prices

Ordered the bar snacks. Wow! £10.00 for 3 excellent value. Only gripe was one of the breads was a bit crispy but didn’t warrant knocking off a star. Also had the Coffee with a chocolate brownie again excellent value. Keep up the good work and value for money. Rich

Really nice food and not too expensive. Only down side was there was quite a wait for the food to come out and if you go later on they have often run out of a number of things on the menu. My seabass main was delicious though!

Delicious food, friendly staff. Lovely place. Took a while to be served but I think they were quite busy. Lovely place, will be sure to come again.

Just an excellent lunch thank you so much for dealing with so many of us at zero notice with no hassle and much kindness x

Been to this pub numerous times in the past and had a very pleasant experience. However, on this occasion the bar staff were very rude and unhelpful and the waitress wasn't any better. Asked me to scan a QR code for the menu, when I didn't have a phone with me. All in all, wouldn't recommend.

What a great find just outside Stevenage. A traditional oldy woldy pub

Had a good meal and service was great.

Food and service perfect - Maisey was lovely and patient!

Very nice old pub inside, spoilt only by the shabby patio (needs a sweep at least) and the filthy glass topped tables. Who wiped them and thought they'd done a good job?!! Also, dead plant on it! Food and staff all lovely.

Having recently moved to the area, I thought I would give this a try. However I think my last first visit may be my last. Trying to stay roughly within an hour for lunch as I was working from home, I didn't arrive until well after 2pm to avoid any rush. While the pub was not empty, it did not seem to be particularly busy. I ordered a starter and a main meal. The starter duly arrived in good time but after taking deciding on another pint I took the empty plate back with me as no one had come to collect it. Halfway through my second pint I realised it had been 50 minutes since my order was placed. I went inside to ask about it and ,like a miracle, no sooner had the barman enquired about it then out it came! I know these things can happen but there was no apology, no attempt at an explanation so I can only imagine this is what passes for normal at the pub. The quality of food was certainly not of a standard to make up for what I considered to be poor service. My only consolation is that I saved money on the desert, and tip the experience would have otherwise cost me.

Anna and Maisey were amazing, very friendly and attentive. Shout out to Rachael too... everything was perfect!

Food was cooked perhas not in so fresh oil as aroma of fried food was a bit strong.

Food is expensive, and not enough food ,but was nice , looks good inside

Great evening at The Chequers thank you Cassie for your great service.

Myself and my friend love a good catch up over lunch. We hadn’t been here before but had both driven past on many occasions. So we decided today to give it a go. And I am so pleased we did. Firstly, what a gorgeous little place. They were very busy but managed to get us a lovely table for two. The service was impeccable, polite, attentive and friendly. Our food did take a bit longer than expected to come out but it didn’t matter as we could see how busy they were….and we weren’t in any rush! We both had salads. But far from boring. It was absolutely gorgeous. I’ve already decided to need to bring my hubby back here and we can take the doggy too. Only annoying thing was halfway home I realised I hadn’t shown my Vintage Inns loyalty app. Must remember next time.

Had arranged a family meal (Wake) following my mums funeral. Staff were very helpful and pleasant when booking the table for 13 of us and gave us a lovely private area. Waitresses were great, food was good and made it a lovely occasion. Would recommend. Thank you

Service was not as expected Had to wait a while for food and drinks Food was not piping hot 2nd drink we ordered did not arrive

We booked a table for 4 and on arrival we were told that there would be a long wait for food due to a wake that had taken over most of the pub. The seating we were given was not a suitable one for OAP and the seating was very low to eat comfortably. On requesting another table away from the open door we were told there was no other seating. The very abrupt waitress said that she would ask the manager but I told her that we were going to leave to which she replied GOOD!! We had given our phone number on booking and we thought it may of been good customer service to ring us and tell us about the wake and possibility of the delays. We felt we were a nuisance and will not be recommended this Vintage Inn to anyone.

We had a wake at the chequers or as one of my grandkids called the “after-party” For my mum, 40 people in attendance, the catering was excellent and went down a treat. Cannot recommend this pub enough, thanks to all the staff and chef.

Went there for the festival was amazing

Lovely staff, polite and efficient, but the lunch food took quite a while to come out even though there were very few people eating. The mac and cheese was mostly burnt on the bottom and sides and the fish finger sandwich was actually fish goujons with hardly any tartar sauce which made it all very dry. The child's meal was good. Sadly Mitchel and Butler we won't be returning.

Loved Cheq-Fest. Great music and atmosphere.

Had an amazing time at cheq-fest today. Music was awesome, food was delicious and the service was impeccable. Can't wait for next years event!!

I just finished a gig singing at this pub and the atmosphere was great, staff was very friendly and one of the staff memebers named Rachael was super helpful throughout the whole time.

Delicious roast! Well worth it!

We went here for the first time on Father's Day. I was very impressed by the staff. The food was really good, liked the quanity and selection of vegetables that came with the meal. Didn't get that feeling you sometimes get on days like this that they need you finished and out.Will definitely use again

Lovely Sunday afternoon spent having a roast dinner for Fathers Day. Emma was warm, welcoming and friendly. Many thanks x

Our favourite place to come for a roast in in Stevenage. We had the pork belly and turkey and both were fantastic, food came out quickly and piping hot. The pub itself is very cosy with great seating. Great service from Abbie, Rachael and Grace as always!

Our server, Emma, was really friendly, helpful and lovely to our toddler. Lovely service

Lovely 3 course meal for father's day. The food and service were both excellent. Emma was really friendly and great with our 3 year old.

Great place,Go and see, Lovely staff,😁

Amazing food cooked by Rachel. Cannot fault it! Amazing service by Anna x

We visit this pub regularly. Really friendly and helpful staff, nice atmosphere and a great Sunday Roast. - would highly recommend

Love this pub, if you're looking for a quiet relaxing place to enjoy a drink then the Chequers is just the place, dogs are allowed inside but not in the restaurant itself , rightly so But there is plenty of room for everyone The food is very good and so is the service, very helpful staff Love this establishment, whether summer in the garden, patio, or winter next to a roaring fire As I have said they do cater for our canine members of the family, water, treats etc I absolutely love this place

We've returned to The Chequers again & had a lovely meal, excellent service & a warm welcome.We will come again in the autumn.

Lovely place to meet friends, staff were very friendly and helpful, food was good and the service quick, highly recommend it.

Great service and excellent food

We had the aubergine gratin, fish and chips and a Sunday roast. The fish and chips was rather impressive actually, better than the local fish and chips shops. The roast was pretty good, good gravy and the lamb had nice crunchy fat, but it was overcooked, the aubergine gratin was a bit of a fail, lacking in flavour and generally a bit "meh". Average beer selection with a standard wine selection. The service was quite slow, not at fault of the wonderful staff, the gentleman behind the bar was really nice and super efficient. The bar is just very small, and from what I could see it had a single EPOS, limiting the serving potential, which on a busy sun filled weekend really let's them down. All in all it's worth a visit and would return if I was in the area.

First time visit yesterday, lovely place, staff were very welcoming and friendly, only downside was quite a few items were off the menu as there was a shortage of staff, this can’t be helped, quality of food was excellent, we’ll definitely be back

looks a bit pricey but the roasts are amazing. Quality meat and a decent size portion

Went to celebrate birthday, wrong decision..food not great, unhappy staff, drinks week..items on menu not available at 2.30pm

Had our works night out here, food was amazing and service couldn't be faulted, looking forward to returning soon.

Had our work meal service was excellent and adam and the staff were amazing 👏

Adam, Jessie and Emma were absolutely fantastic ! The food was lovely and they were very attentive!

Cosy, traditional, good food and drink. May 2024: The sea bass main course was cooked to perfection and the lemon tart was exquisite.

Very welcoming pub, great service and food.