Coopers Arms in North Hertfordshire

I come back to Hitchin to see friends having lived overseas for years. I then get an update from Euro car parks that I owe 100 GBP. Super frustrating. It was dark when I arrived and signage was poor. No where in the pub did it suggest I check about paying for parking. Seems I am not the only one with this problem so suggest the landlord takes this onboard and starting displaying better signage. And I have seen the response about Euro Car Parks helping with non-customers abusing the space. Not good enough if you are not updating your customers inside the pub.

I've been coming here with my team for their weekly quiz for a couple of years but we won't be coming again. I was running late last Tuesday so drove rather than walked for the first time and parked in their car park. A week later I got a £60 demand from Euro Car Parks telling me I've parked illegally. I appealed as the only sign I noticed was the "For Patrons Only" sign and given I'd spent £30 on a round I figured I qualified. Not so - allegedly there is a sign stating you must register your car at the bar. Of course this is not obvious and anyhow unreadable in the dark in a dimly lit car park on a winter evening - but then again it's not in the interests of McMullens and Euro Car Parks for it to be legible as they are the ones benefitting from gouging the pub's customers. Apparently McMullens hived of their car park to the notoriously money grabbing Euro Car Parks earlier this year to rake in more revenue. Personally I've no interest in companies that treat their customers with such complete contempt and fleece them in this way or in paying McMullens directors' bonuses with completely unjustified fines. At the very least they could instruct the bar staff to let customers know they're going to be robbed if they don't register their vehicle. Anyhow, given that we spent £120 a week in either the Coopers or The Millstream (both McMullens) which will now be spent in other pubs McMullens will get the financial result they so richly deserve. They must have real geniuses in their marketing team.

No longer doing what I would call traditional pub grub, see menu. Very little real ale either😥. So if you are looking for that try elsewhere. Appeals more to burger fans and I'm not really one of those. We did try the filled Yorkshire's but we ain't fans of that either. So as it's clean, friendly with prompt efficient service it only gets 3 *'s from me but only because it's not my kind of pub.

Absolute shocking behaviour from bar staff on friday night being told I couldn't be served as I was "stoned out of my head" which was shouted out loud with a lot of customer's being able to hear. How embarrasing as I was completely sober being accused of being on drugs without anything to actually back it up. Shame on you

Great pub always a good atmosphere and a really historic building

Excellent service. Friendly atmosphere and a good vibe .

Absolutely amazing British pub. Old-looking, with character, tasty local real ales and good food. Thank you for your hospitality, Sophia, Ash, Dan — as well as the trainee (apologies I can’t remember her name) who did a smashing job!

Really bad service, would not recommend!! Megan the manager and Tash, had really bad customer service on dealing with issues with food in the venue. Me and my family will not be returning, When I asked why 3 of my meals out of 5 have come out half an hour late they were speechless with nothing to say not even an apology. I asked how to file an official complaint and I was told I wasn’t able to do this. Food wasn’t worth any of the hassle. If someone can get back to my review and let me know how I can take this further as I think they need higher trained staff to deal with situations.

A pub the way you want a pub to be.

This is a beautiful pub with lots of character. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my lunch. The halloumi fries were lukewarm and didn’t taste fresh and my korean chicken was inedible due to the sauce being so strong and over concentrated. We were given a refund for the chicken. Such a shame as I ate here last year and really enjoyed my meal.

Have no idea only walked past it ☹☹

Good range of local beers, indulgent food, quirky atmosphere, friendly staff.

What a lovely pub this is, just popped in for a bite to eat, ordered a burger & it was out in no time. Quick service.The staff were really polite & knowledgable. Food & atmosphere great. Well done all.! Highly recommend.

Don't get the chicken wings, they're not particularly nice. Still 5* though because the burger I had was amaaaazing. Edit: menu changes aren't good

I chose the Coopers to say goodbye to a work colleague who was leaving my company. I went inside to the loo, and as I left was told I had gone out of the staff exit to the back garden, for which I apologised. Later I went to the same loo, leaving via the correct exit, but was basically asked to leave the pub for ignoring the previous request. I apologised for my misunderstanding, not realising it was a staff loo, but they insisted I left. I thought that my error was my exit route, not that it was a staff loo. Wrong, my error. I’m 62, wear glasses, am respectful of people and rules, and made a mistake, yet had to leave my own staff leaving ‘do’ in a remarkably intolerant display of bad judgement.

Lovely pub a short walk from Hitchin town centre. Decor is nothing if not unique. We popped in for lunch and the food did not disappoint. Decent sized portions and freshly cooked. The menu is traditional pub fare but reasonably priced. Good selection of ales too from local to more well known brands. Definitely somewhere I would come back to if in the area.

Great pub with nice drinks and friendly barstaff

Nice pub, good selection of beers and large menu of wings and burgers

Great food and friendly service nice atmosphere

I totally recommend Coopers arm! I’d go for a burger every day of the week 😅🤭 cozy and the staff are great

Wrong venue, not sure why Google asked me to review this pub. I'm sure they are wonderful though! Ha ha

Absolutely delicious chicken burger. Lovely cozy pub, even had the fire lit. Good atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Very nice old pub with a great atmosphere

Great place for meeting friends. Don't bother ordering with the app, food took a long while to arrive and my drink order went missing

Really lovely pub everything good about British pub's rolled into one.

Had a works evening here and it was very nice. Nice location, the pub was beautiful and it had parking around the back

This is a McMullen's pub, so previously a no-go for us due to the completely undrinkable own brand beer ("Rivertown brewery"). I cannot overemphasise how bad this beer is. The first time and only time we came here before, we left 3/4s of our pints and went elsewhere. Thankfully they seem to have had a wake-up call, and recently the McMs pubs in Hitchin have all started serving some 3rd party beers, e.g. Neck Oil. This pub is now visitable, and everything else about it is actually really nice. It's cosy but not small, atmospheric but not noisy, and well worth the short walk up the hill from the end of town. The open fireplace is a nice touch, and the staff are really friendly. Can't really comment on the food. We ordered mac and cheese for our son, which he wouldn't eat because it was unfortunately absolutely smothered in a sickly sweet barbecue sauce which was strange, but my wife and I didn't eat. Definitely recommend for a cosy drink after a damp trudge round town.

Old traditional authentic pub , delicious burger and tasty nachos . Worth visiting!

Really lovely pub. I can't believe I've lived within walking distance of it and never been. Really cosy, nice feel. Log fire. We were initially the only people in their having food and the music was strangly loud maybe not turned down from evening time so sat and ate my yummy burger in a disco. :) would 100% be back.

Great pub, great food would heartily recommend a visit. Megan is awesome.

Lively place with good time spent with family.

The pub looks amazing after the renovation, they have a super cozy fireplace and sofas. There is a festive menu with delicious massive burgers. Sadly they don’t do Sunday roasts, but overall food and service and fantastic.

Good food, good ambience and good service.

Really enjoyed the tata tots and 2 for 1 cocktails on a Friday night. Good atmosphere and friendly staff

Beautiful pub, friendly ser ice and great food. Better beer glasses would be a nice touch, it means a lot to me anyways and friends who had coffee for left them they said it was horrible..so again worth a look at.

Nice back street pub food looks amazing even though I didn't try it very friendly bar staff nice little back garden too

Really like this McMullen's pub. Good, honest food menu with generous portions at a great price - I personally recommend anything from the burger menu. They have a great selection of beers, all well priced, and nice little courtyard out the back. The staff are really friendly, and time we've gone in there also seems to be a perfect amount of people - never too rammed, but always a nice, laid back atmosphere.

This pub is beautiful, and they serve mild! If I lived nearer I'd be here all the time.

Didn't eat there this time but hope to in the future. Seems a nice traditional pub with a good atmosphere.

Brilliant time. Shanice and Rhys were absolutely brilliant, great service! Great smiles, answered any questions perfectly

Great service, nice little beer garden, great food. Only let down was some of the meals were lukewarm at best. Tasty but definitely not hot. Sweet potato fries were the best I’ve had anywhere! Crispy and bbq dusted.

Great pub, lovely atmosphere. Good choice of beers. A fantastic burgers. Well worth a visit.

Absolutely fantastic! We had the chicken and bacon wraps, the chips were out of this world, service was great, atmosphere- lovely and warm, highly recommended!

Had a fantastic burger here staff were so accommodating & friendly Lovely pub with great service lots of choice of drinks and dog friendly 😊 we sat outside in the new refurbed garden our choice as it was a lovely sunny evening our black lab enjoyed a drink from the doggie barrel and lots of doggie drinking bowls to choose from, but she was also welcomed inside. Thank you for a lovely meal and great atmosphere

The Coopers Arms pub in Hitchin is a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. Located in the heart of the town, the pub has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with friendly staff and a range of drinks to suit all tastes. Many customers praise the pub's extensive selection of beers, including real ales and craft beers from local breweries. The food is also a highlight, with a menu featuring classic pub dishes such as fish and chips, burgers, and Sunday roasts. The interior of the Coopers Arms is traditional and cozy, with exposed brick walls, wooden floors, and a fireplace. There is also a large beer garden at the rear of the pub, providing a sunny spot to enjoy a drink or meal in the summer months. The pub hosts regular events, such as live music and quiz nights, which are always popular with locals. The staff are also known for their friendly and attentive service, making the Coopers Arms a great choice for a relaxed night out with friends or family. Overall, the Coopers Arms pub in Hitchin is a must-visit for anyone looking for a classic British pub experience, with great food, drinks, and atmosphere.

Amazing food and lovely atmosphere

Loving the refurb to the Cooper's, looks great and warm and comfortable. Delicious menu serving burgers and modern classics like Mac and cheese, all to a very good standard. Great selection of beers. Brill place to hang out

This review is long overdue. Shanice and the team are just amazing. Ever since the refurb and take over, the service, food, quality, experience and atmosphere is just 10/10. Couldn’t fault a thing. Food was incredible. Choices of drinks and food is brilliant. If you’re looking for a great pub with all the above then this is your place! What a great asset to Hitchin! P.s the food is on par if not better than some of the high end London restaurants.

Great pub, great staff, great food. Period! A very good community ambiance and feeling. All burgers, wraps and dirty fries are very good.

Fantastic burgers today and excellent service 😋😋👌😁

Great pub, very clean n tidy, great staff

Great pub with excellent ambience love it

I came here with my sister, visiting me from elsewhere, before Christmas, when it was bitterly cold and had been snowing. She had an idea about going to a cosy traditional pub with a roaring fire and when we walked in it was exactly what she had pictured ! Then the food.... We were hoping for traditional pub food, a steak and ale pie, fish and chips etc and we were faced with American burgers. Even when they asked what cheese I wanted and I said cheddar, they didn't have that, they only had 'American' or 'Jack' cheese. What? It is no good saying that other pubs serve that type of food, I know that. The point is the food does not match the ambience. Not saying it was bad, it was fine. Just not what we wanted from a traditional British pub. Please change the menu. You can get burgers anywhere.

Lovely, hidden gem. Food centric but with good beers on tap. Worth travelling from Letchworth for... We'll be back a 3rd & 4th time soon! Our teenagers loved it and dog friendly too.

Lovely decor & atmosphere. Very friendly staff. Mediocre food.

Absolutely fab bunch that work there...Always happy and smiling ☺....

Popular pub and well deserved after a complete re-furb. Cosy open fire and a good range of beers.

Cracking pub and atmosphere,a firm favourite when we lived there

Excellent venue. Only had drinks. Can't wait to try out the menu, especially the nachos.

Warm welcome and real fires on a cold January lunch. Nicky, the bar lady couldn't have been anymore helpful, food good,and very quickly, would recommend 100%

Beautiful cozy little pub with the best quality food. Lovely atmosphere and brilliant service. My new local :)

Lived in hitchin 32 years and its safe to say this place is currently doing the best food around. Best burger ive ever eaten i had the maple burger. The chips are hand made and lovely i would easily rate my food 10/10 Quick and polite service too All round extremely pleased with my visit Love that its been kept a traditional pub as hitchin is losing them Many thanks Jacob

Staff were very friendly, really good service!

Nice warm pub, staff great, fire lit and varied food.

The place is cool. But I was poorly served by a snobby and rude blonde lady. A pity that we still depend on who is behind the counter to have a good service. As a journalist, I have to register here my bad experience for the first time in this place.

£15 for 8 chicken wings, won't be going there again!?!!

Lovely cosy pub tucked away on a quiet street. Delicious vegan pub food options.

Great pub ran by a fantastic manager and great staff...

Hesitant to leave this review as I don’t want Hitchin’s best kept secret to become well known and busy!! Amazing local pub. Great atmosphere, fantastic service and warm comfortable feel. Real fire, pub food and everything you would want from a cocktail / wine menu. All in all, our new second home! Locals come and go with good humour and lots of banter & smiles - excellent place to while away a few hours on a cold & frosty winter Saturday

McMullens beer wasn't very nice, but the staff were great.

Wonderful and friendly Staff comfortable and welcoming surroundings and as we went to watch the England vs Senegal match even the football went exceptionally well 😀 myself and my grand daughter enjoyed the evening and shall be returning for the Quarter finals.

Love the place. Warm and inviting. Food and beer absolutely 1st class as is the host 😃

Lovely pub,Great beer,The manager is lovely,as is her staff....

Lovely, unpretentious pub serving decent food. Good atmosphere and friendly staff. Dog friendly

What a gem, having visited many years ago had never considered trying here again - the refurb is great, and the burgers.. well, phenomenal! I plan to make my way through sampling the entire menu ☺️. Lovely staff, great atmosphere, awesome food, dog friendly. New firm favourite for us 👍.

Amazing decor inside, great atmosphere (live music and open fires) and the burgers are absolutely unreal. Also nice friendly staff and good ale selection

Really like the recent makeover and new menu. The Coopers is a lovely comfortable place to be. Really good value for money too. Super staff who couldn't have been nicer and more helpful today when I messed up my daughter's order.

This is a cracking pub, period. I’m sitting in here now and it’s banged out. Can barely get a table to sit and have a drink or eat. As the description says, it has bags of charm since it’s a really old building. It’s what those architectural boffs like to call quirky. The highlights for me are that the mens toilets are spotless and smell good too. And that’s been consistent every time I’ve been in here. Secondly. The staff are lovely. Service with a real smile not a fake one. They’re just a nice happy bunch. I do believe they are all female bar staff. It may have something to do with the gaffer is a lady. I dunno. And it really doesn’t matter. Fact is. They’re nice staff. Prices are what you would expect. Food was pretty good but I only ate in here at lunch time a couple of times. I dunno if they have an evening menu or not. Either way, it’s a great atmosphere and a good place to enjoy ur evening in part or full.

The new renovations to give it a "modern look" is beyond horrendous. The new owners took the charm right out of the building. Ladies room was absolutely filthy. The employees however are the only reason I'd go back. They are so delightful and helpful.

Fantastic little pub with some amazing features, amazing wood work and a great atmosphere. Dog friendly and really friendly staff!

Really friendly & helpful staff. Nothing is too much trouble and they all make you feel very welcome and are very dog friendly, even offering our dogs treats and a bowl of water. Food is always really good and I particularly enjoyed the open fire it made it really cosy. Would definitely return!

Friendly staff, great atmosphere and the food menu is good aswel. Would recommend to friends and family.

This pub is so welcoming with the loveliest staff, I had dinner with my nanna and their new menu was just so good, much better than average "pub food". it is now one of my favorite places in town!

The best pub in Hitchin in our opinion! Always loved the Coopers, and used to live virtually next door!!!

Loved the newly refurbed Coopers..food was great and staff so helpful and friendly

Great old pub, absolutely authentic old place. Worth a beer just for a look at how pubs used to be. Mcmullans mot a great fan of their own ales but that is personal preference, plenty of other draught beer

Lovely place for a get together and the menu is great. Really friendly staff and Nicky is fantastic.

Decent pub, loved the decor. Drinks were good as well

A great pub with a good selection of beers and ales. If you enjoy burgers then definitely try out their menu.

Great pub newly refurbished and friendly staff. Didn't eat here but understand the food is good.

Nice pub. The refit has not lost any of the pubs traditional feel. Good choice of draught drinks.

Lovely mac and cheese at lunchtime. Friendly staff

Always a nice pub to visit. Had a refurbishment since my last visit. Not too sure about the green, but then I wasn't there to review the decor

Great food and beer selection in a sympathetic modernisation of a very old building of historicsl note. Good crowd of locals.

Beautiful and relaxing,lovely staff.

Old pub in centre of Hitchin. Polite bar staff. But food was a problem with items missing from menu, slow service on the mains and we were the only ones in at the time of ordering. Also strange a McMullens Pub didn't have any McMullens bitter available?!

Had lunch here today & it was brilliant, I would highly recommend this place, tasty fresh food , great surroundings & amazing customer service , will be back.

Nice pub serving food . Menu restricted as shutting down on sun 17th April for 6 week refurbishment. Service and food still very good and reasonably priced

This is the loveliest pub in Hitchin.

If you like traditional pubs with good beer you would like the cooper's