Craft and Cleaver in St Albans

Been coming for years including two 30th birthdays! Perfect for quick service, amazing food and a great night out - would 100% recommend

We walked in on a Thursday evening for our sons birthday. Staff were so, so nice and really made our evening. Amazing food, really good kids menu and Cocktails Amazing! Will definitely be visiting again!

As a Texan I approve of this place! 10/10

We visited this venue for the first time, and loved the food. The platter was great and the meats were well cooked. Good beer selection and the cocktail were were great too! Totally appreciate that you get what you pay for, but the prices are a little on the steep side, but still doesn't take away from the great experience we had!

I’ve been coming to the Craft & Cleaver for years, mainly for beers and an evening meal, and have never been disappointed. I recently took my wife and family for a Mother’s Day brunch and again we had a brilliant time. The menu is wide-ranging and caters for younger eaters; the food is delicious, service impeccable and all competitively priced too. Kudos to the whole C&C team!

All good as always. Love this place. So many different types of draft beers on the taps and House cocktails . New menu came out today, seems brilliant. I’am sorry, but this much food for 2 of sharing??? Thanks C&C

Amazing!! Best food and great service

Brilliant food, great menu. Love the ambience and really great service.

Was very excited to try this restaurant today after hearing great things, but unfortunately left feeling a bit deflated. Travelled 30miles Firstly I'd like to say the guy greeting us at the front with top knot and beard was warm and welcoming so thankyou. 5* for you. Lady serving us..... Smile , we thought you were annoyed at us the whole time 🤷🏼‍♀️ Mothers day menu ( which we weren't aware they were doing as we had already chose off the original menu amongst ourselves before coming, it didn't mention on the website either) very overpriced with underwhelming choices. Some of us had the sampler which had an added £5 for the apparent extra food.... Not entirely sure where the extra was as I had 3 ribs with little to no meat a handful of chips 3 pieces of burnt ends and a sausage. The food was cold and tasteless. Some had the brisket which was a slab of cold dry meat with little to no flavour. The white wine was warm and enough for about 4 sips In a glass. I'd like to mention what I noticed... Unless you are a regular or a family member of the pub you will receive small portions. as we waited we noticed people recieving very appropriate size portions (which made us even more excited about our food arriving) , these people were clear regulars or family members/friends of workers. Go for a KFC instead, full bellies and won't feel robbed of £250

We came in around 2pm on Saturday - the place was quite empty then. We got seated and placed our orders. My order came out wrong but since we were seated in a corner it was difficult to get the attention of a server without getting up, but I wasn’t too bothered and the food was good. However, my complaint is that after we ate, we asked for the bill, and were forgotten. After waiting almost 20 minutes, we had to ask again. Overall it was not a very pleasant experience, and I wouldn’t come here again.

The Food was really good the service was spot on

Another great meal and really convenient before shows at the Alban Arena. See you again soon.

Folks, this stuff right here is the real deal. If you’re coming from the American south, this bbq feels right at home. The seasonings and smoke flavor capture the Texas-style very nicely. I recommend you hold off on the sauce for a bite or two and explore the complexity and craft of good bbq. Then, enjoy some of their unique flavors if you wish, but you shouldn’t need any 😍 Nicely done, everyone. I will return for a 3rd helping next time I’m in town 🤙

Always exceptional and their Ribs are something to be celebrated!

Staff are lovely, attentive and know they’re menu well so we’re amazing with their recommendations

Love this place. Such a good restaurant with really nice staff! Fully recommend to anyone! Also the Peanut butter shot is incredible!

We have loved coming to c&c over the years for great bbq but had a rather unpleasant visit a few months ago whereby the food wasn’t as good as usual and there was an abundance of flies in the restaurant which was off putting as they were the kind you get for leaving food out. Following this, we chalked it up to just a one-off bad day and we left it a while before deciding to try again this weekend but this time, to go for brunch to ease back into it. Well, it’s safe to say that I doubt we’ll be coming back based off the brunch. The service was appalling (us and two other similarly small tables in the whole restaurant). It was slow and they didn’t have items on the menu (tater tots) which we weren’t told about until a few of us tried to order. In addition to this, we were told we couldn’t have the smoothies we had ordered because they couldn’t find the lid to the blender. Further to this, when our food did eventually come - which again was slow and at considerably different intervals despite ordering as one party - it was tepid and all of us agreed we were leaving not feeling full which is a shame when a brunch for 5 of us (no alcohol - 2 x full English and 3 x pancakes with either tea or juice) came to over £100 - not at all terrible for St A prices but didn’t match up with the subsequent services and product received. Overall a meh experience which was a shame as aforementioned, many a meal has been had by our family there over the years but I doubt many more are to be had in the future.

Grest seevice, fantastic food, all good

This is truly the best of the best! The service is always great and the food is delicious!

Can’t imagine a better bbq place 10/10

Food was great! Highly recommended

Another visit to one of my family faves, Tiny Rebel on draught a bonus

Great service and tasty food - the short rib croquettes and the brisket burnt ends are a particular highlight!

Wonderful experience as always. Food and staff are always great!

We stopped by here for a drink and had the house lager- it was light and easy to drink. The place has a nice atmosphere with some outdoor seating. Had a look at the cocktail menu and it looks great…very interesting and unique options 🍹 👀

Regularly visit craft for brunches, beers and meals. Craft has a proper community feel and the food never fails. I’ll be a regular for as long as I live in the area.

This is life changingly good. The service is phenomenal and alessia was top tier making you feel like one of the team the whole time. You’re truly missing out if you don’t go here!!

Great food, quality service and good ambiance. The pulled pork and pit beans were phenomenal. If you’re a fan of smoke house food, ribs, burnt ends, this is the place for you. Would definitely recommend!

Real smoker BBQ. Good quality ingredients barbecued to perfection, burnt ends aren't burnt, just delicious Nice selection of beer, wine and cocktails. Love the pickleback. What more could you ask for?

I love this place!! Such good vibes, amazing cocktails and even better food! I go for something different every time because there’s so much to choose from, and every time it’s delicious. It’s great for all occasions, catch ups, birthdays or date nights. We went for brunch a few weeks ago too and it was absolutely delicious with so much choice. The staff are so hospitable and the bar is dog friendly. 10/10!

Amazing Food very tasty and fresh. It is not the typical bbq place. You notice straight away that food is quality. Service was outstanding by a young lady and she has been there for 2 weeks only. We are not local but definitely will try to come back if we have the chance

Beautiful food, great atmosphere friendly staff. Definitely returning

Literally one of my favourite places to eat locally. Insanely tasty food!! We nearly always get the pitmaster tray, which has a little of everything. They also have my favourite beer on tap. Food comes out quick, decor is cool & staff are friendly. Also added bonus is that dogs are welcome!!! They even bought him some meat as a treat. Love love love!!

Always love coming here! We were served by Bea (who is awesome!) and had a lovely meal. Great vibes all round (and love the b1tch juice cocktail!!)

Eva was a great waitress, had good knowledge of the drinks and food menu and suggested alternatives giving amazing ideas. Would recommend especially on a Saturday as the music really adds to the experience! Fantastic night

great food and great service with a smile!

Popped in for a quick meal before attending an event. The staff were attentive and engaging. Food was really tasty and a good selection of drinks.

Delicious bbq food, pretty good value. Nice casual vibe.

Great service and excellent food! Enjoyed it liads abd Bea was great!

As lovers of their evening menu, we had to come and try Craft and Cleaver’s new brunch menu. It did not disappoint! We had a vegan avo toast (without halloumi) which had clearly been carefully created and developed and not just slapped on the menu as a veggie/vegan after thought. It had a slight bruschetta taste to it which was delicious. We also had the pit masters choice which was like a barbecued version of a full english. All round absolutely delicious and will certainly be back soon!

Great food. Great atmosphere. Even better staff. No more to be said. If you haven’t booked. Why not ?

Lovely place. Really recommend the blueberry pancakes. Staff are friendly, we’ll be back soon.

Wonderful place. Came with friends from out of town and our children (aged 6). Great service, menu and vibe. Will come again.

Absolutely brilliant food, some of the best barbecue I've ever had. Beef rib, burnt ends amazing, star if the show was the Mac and cheese, phenomenal. Highly recommended!

Simply delicious! We had a sharing platter, it was beyond tasty! 2 of us ate every last bit on the platter! Friendly service. Highly recommend 😋

Fantastic dinner at C&C! Servers Danni and Kate did an awesome job! Will definitely be back for my next birthday 🥳

Good food, served hot by attentive staff. Look forward to coming back again.

The food was delicious, especially the burnt ends which were incredible. Danni and Kate took really good care of us and we’ll definitely come back again! Thank you ☺️

Great food, very filling portion of the sharing platter, everything well seasoned, juicy, and succulent! Attentive staff. Very busy so only able to get counter top seating (but this isn't by the bar!) at 9pm booking (same day booked), so book in advance. Picante cocktail delicious (like a spicy margarita)

We had our newborn daughter arrive two weeks ago and today is my birthday (so couldn't leave the house). C & C don't usually do takeaway, but were extremely kind and created a takeaway pack with a list of easy to follow instructions to finish the job at home. It worked out brilliantly and was delicious. We had Beef ribs, burnt end, mac n cheese brisket, pit beans, tater tots, house slaw and a peppercorn sauce. Genuine thanks to the team at C & C, we really appreciated your efforts and the little surprise in the card.

Restaurant had a lovely atmosphere, the person who served us was very friendly and welcoming. The lager was light and refreshing. Very nice. Food was amazing, the flavour and everything was more than I imagined. The coleslaw on the side wad amazing.

I frequently dine at Craft & Cleaver St Albans because the food and service are consistently excellent. They’ve got some really good zero / very low alcohol beers as well.

Very pleased. Been a delight to enjoy dinner here. Looked after really well. Thanks B. Top job

Service was ok, the corn is a must have , the fries too was well seasoned , I actually came craving wings but I wasn’t blown away to be honest I will rate the food 5/10. The cocktails are really good but if you are craving good wings, this might not meet your expectations. I ordered the platter without knowing it was pork ribs as it was not specified the type (steak or pork) of back ribs on the platter menu.

Amazing place for BBQ food! Craft beers and cocktails are excellent too!!

It’s been an absolutely amazing once again experience at Craft Cleaver! Prawns are the very best and a must to try & all the rest was fab as well - huge thank you!

Excellent food. We had the Pitmaster tray and it was excellent. Great service and good wine.

Absolutely loved this place. We ordered burnt ends and rack of ribs. The food was excellent, and there's a great selection of craft beers that we were offered tastes of. Big thanks to Shane, who made us very welcome on my wife's birthday. I'm definitely coming back with our friends.

Great all round. Burger was really tasty - well presented and substantial too. Nice selection of draught IPA’s etc. Will be going again next and following weeks while staying in St Albans on business trip/s.

Walked in without a reservation, staff made every effort to make space for us and food was delicious

First time visiting and the food was AMAZING!!! Definitely coming back here again, tad noisy but I think that was because there was a group of people who had come into the pub from a run maybe? Staff were lovely and polite.

We always love eating as a family in the Craft and Cleaver. The food is delicious, service is great and a chilled atmosphere.

Craft & Cleaver does what it says on the tin. We need more original places like this. Staff were great as usual, shout out to Phoebe.

Good food and friendly staff. Worth a visit if you like BBQ food.

Phoebe S. Was AWESOME !! Absolutely amazing and professional customer service. The best!

Great food and a good atmosphere. Service could be quicker.

Best BBQ I've had since I worked at the famous and now closed Duke's in London. The burnt ends were incredible, as was the mac and cheese and baby back ribs, but the beef rib was on a whole other level. Very glad to have found this and will be coming back on a very regular basis.

The food is amazing, the service is wonderful and the staff are accommodating too ! Would highly recommend and do to anyone I can.

We had lunch yesterday as part of a very large party and the food was great. We were with our 1 year old daughter and the service was exceptional from the blonde staff member looking after our table. We've never felt more looked after as parents in a restaurant- really considerate service including serving the baby's food at different intervals to the adult meals (genuinely the first time both parents have been able to eat at the same time since she was born, because the baby's food was brought out first and she didn't need feeding while our own food went cold), and really thoughtful touches like noticing and replacing our cutlery when the baby was using ours. Would not hesitate to recommend or visit again and extra special thanks to the staff who went above and beyond.

Been coming here since we moved to St. Albans and it never disappoints. It’s our family’s favourite spot. Food, service and just the general feel of the place are always on point.

We had the pleasure of visiting Craft and Cleaver in St Albans for their bottomless brunch, and it was nothing short of incredible! From start to finish, the managers and staff went above and beyond to ensure we had an amazing experience, with a genuine special thanks to Chris, Shan and Nick, who made us feel so well looked after. The food was absolutely delicious, and the drinks were of excellent quality, flowing freely without us ever having to wait - something that often happens at other bottomless brunches! This was honestly one of the best bottomless experiences we’ve ever had. Despite the place being really busy, the service was exceptional, and we felt valued throughout our visit. The price was also very reasonable for the high standard of food, drinks, and service we received. We would highly recommend Craft and Cleaver to anyone looking for a fantastic brunch spot. Can’t wait to return!

Food and service were great ! Very decent bbq place. Will come back again.

Lovely food and great service. The shrimp starter was awesome and the pitmaster tray was a fantastic collection of tasty BBQ meats.

Had a nice time here with a few friends. Only thing I wasn't too fond of was the burnt lemonade. Strange concept I think if it's your thing then I'm sure it's great but not for me.

We had our works Christmas party for 12 people, the management team were really helpful with all arrangements and pre orders. Most importantly, the food was exceptional! Everyone from our team loved it. Great service and great beers as well! We will be back very soon.

Great food, portion sizes definitely ensure you don’t leave hungry and the service was friendly and excellent (Thanks, Gemma). As it was a birthday celebration, as we were paying, a couple of shots were brought to us which was a nice little touch.

Great food - particularly the BBQ platters (solo and team options available). Nice cocktails and selection of craft beers as well. Vegetarian options available (and allegedly very good per our solo vegetarian) Went for a birthday party and team were very accommodating and helpful particularly as it was a last minute birthday plan on a Friday evening. Thanks in particular to Phoebe (couldn’t catch the name of the earlier young male server who was also very accommodating!)

Just saw it on the street and decided to give it a chance, and food arrived quick, the brisket's sweetness mixed perfectly with the beef sausage's spiciness, complimented by the whiskey gravy and the seasoned fries. All in all, best BBQ experience I've had in years.

Went here with some friends for my birthday recently and had the very tasty Pit Master Trays. Enjoyed it so much I went back with my son yesterday and tyried the Texas Tray with extra pork belly burnt ends. Again the food was fabulous. Servers were great. Very chatty and helpful. I will definitely be back again to work my way through the rest of the menu. Not many places in the UK sell good quality BBQ food. If you're into BBQ, this place is well worth a visit.

Love this place, very consistent

Great food and brilliant service from Phoebe thank you

Been coming for the last 3/4 years, excelllent every time no matter how busy you feel looked after. Will always return.

Food was lovely nicely cooked and presented service good to if only they had one normal lager on tap would come back again

We had a lovely meal at Craft and Cleaver, the food was 10/10 and all staff were so helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend, cocktails are amazing - must try!

Amazing food! Love the barbecue variety and great value.

Cannot fault the food or experience

Have been wanting to visit craft & cleaver for a while- managed to book a table for our wedding anniversary- Delicious food ( those burnt ends were amazing) . Marshmallow moonshine shots were yummy ! Great service - place was buzzing . Can’t wait to visit again .

Amazing food, the meat was mouth watering and melted in the mouth. Brisket was delicious!!!

This is the second time we have eaten at Craft and Cleaver. Previously I had a build your own combo which I couldn’t finish. This time I tried the Jacob’s ladder and it beat me again - I was expecting to receive 2 beef ribs! 😀 The food, service and drinks are all really good, plus it’s good value for money, and I will be returning again, as I want to try one of their burgers next.

The food was amazing, good atmosphere for a family on a Sunday lunchtime. Top selection of food and drinks!!

Food menu has reduced drastically in size which is a little disappointing as my favourite dish has gone off but it has improved the time the food comes out! Very noisy atmosphere, could do with a touch more soft furniture to reduce this! Over all great.

Friendly staff, laid back atmosphere and great food. Looking forward to our next visit!

Bored with the food choices, the burnt ends are no longer burnt but slushy and chewy. Swap out the prison metal plates you have used them for too long, get some cherry beers in. But yep I will keep coming back!

We had a fantastic meal here tonight, on our first visit. Lovely food, we had a selection of different dishes on our family table of six. The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed all the dishes. I’d thoroughly recommend the platters. Service was very attentive. We’ll definitely be back.

Super yum! So many original and tasty options for drinks. This place never fails to impress.

Delicious food, great beer selection, nice atmosphere.

I visited on a very quiet Thursday evening after a long day of travelling and kids not getting along. Service was solid and polite, the barman was observant and accomodating, allowing a few taste of the craft beers so I could make a choice. I had the brisket cheese burger which in my opinion was good but not 5 star BBQ, the chips were fresh and tasty, the house pickles were a treat. The craft beers selection was admirable. If you want some BBQ and craft beers, I can’t imagine a better place in St A’s.

Great pub and food, one suggestion when 4 people eating with 2 sharing platters, perhaps have 4 of the items I.e. sweetcorn.

Absolutely amazing food, was mine and my partners only time in our busy schedule to have a 'Christmas' dinner together, thank you for an amazing time, we loved it all

Excellent ribs, brisket and cocktails. Exceptional service. Will definitely be back.