George Street Canteen in St Albans

Fab brunch spot and sitting outside is a real treat

This little place has moved from the ‘places to try’ to the ‘places to go back to’ list. Two beautiful English breakfasts served by a very friendly and attentive team. A lovely peaceful location - definitely recommend.

Wow! Hash browns (with avocado) were absolutely delicious. Service was equally brilliant. Nice view of the cathedral. Why would you go anywhere else?

Canteen is a great cafe with lovely staff, adored by locals and tourists alike.

My son had been craving for hash browns and he seemed to enjoy their home made one. Had a good English breakfast as well and my wife liked the breakfast burrito.

Lovely food and friendly service for a late afternoon snack! Sweet potato "fries" were perfect and more baked than fried and excellent sausage roll!

Ordered the Mexican Salad Bowl and really wished I hadn't. It was extremely bland, made with cheap watery beans (probably straight out of a tin) 'adorned' with soggy pieces of low quality inauthentic 'Tortilla' perched on the side. Nothing like Mexican food, and so not worth the price. It tasted of nothing & I got the impression they don't care enough to sample it before they dish it out. Also, service was sloppy - mixing up orders and tables. Underwhelming with an unpleasant atmosphere - won't be returning.

My first time here and I now intend to make my 'go to' breakfast/ brunch location. The food was freshly made and expertly cooked. It was obvious that all the food was fresh and freshly cooked. We opted for the home made hash browns with eggs, bacon and avocado. It was lovely and I would highly recommend it. Good coffee to. Thank you.

Exceptional food, lovely people and beautiful setting

We had vegetarian food. Tasteless, everything is cooked separately with no flavour. Avocados were really raw. And it was quite expensive. Do not recommend.

The service was very nice, the staff were very friendly and polite. The food however was disappointing. I had the veggie breakfast and the plate itself was tiny overfilled with mushrooms making it difficult to properly cut my food up. The hash brown was the biggest disappointment. I understand it’s advertised as homed made but it was actually potato pakora and very far from the traditional hash brown I was expecting. Overall the friendliness of the staff saved the experience because the food was well below average.

Trinity was excellent very polite

What a great hidden gem! Visiting friends in St Albans and was introduced to this lovely place. Really accommodating even when they were really busy.

The staff make the Canteen. Friendly, talkative and kind. They sell excellent food and coffee and I'd really recommend the Tiki Tonga coffee sold at the counter.

I went here for breakfast and a cup of tea. The food was very nice and the service was quick. It was great to see how many locals use this cafe and how the staff know them by name. This cafe really is a hidden gem well worth going here and I will go back again

Great cafe for brunch and lunch.

As a treat I popped in as I have enjoyed it in the past, a man I hadn’t seen there before served me. He was rather abrupt and as he kept asking me if I wanted a drink when I declined I felt rather unwelcome. I wrote it off and tried to enjoy myself. As I took my last bite (I didn’t eat slowly!) he came to collect my plate even though I was clearly still chewing, apologised but this didn’t help with the feeling of being unwelcome. I popped into the toilet before going to the till to pay and I heard him very loudly stating I had run off without paying; everyone must have heard him! Not sure what the panic was about as I only had a croissant.. You can imagine how embarrassed I felt when I came out of the bathroom and paid. Not so much as an apology! In fact the guy just walked off. Please consider how you treat people and talk about them and revisit your previous excellent level of customer service. This spoilt my whole day when I really needed a little treat. Your words and actions can have a great effect on people.

The staff here are so friendly and the food is amazing! The Christmas specials are a must have! Would definitely recommend!

So lucky to have had a local recommend George St Canteen. Fresh food from nearby farms and their own garden, a real gem.

Nice breakfast, if somewhat expensive but it is St Albans. Friendly staff and good veggie options

I met up with a friend here. Previously have tried but couldn’t get in due to it being full. I see why now! Delicious coffee. Very friendly, nice normal staff, homemade food, the sausage and sage sausage roll was divine. Followed by courgette, feta fritters with avocado. All in all a delightful place. Will definitely return.

I've become a regular at George Street Cafe, and it's easy to see why. The staff outshine themselves with every visit, offering the kind of genuine, friendly service that turns a simple meal into a daily routine. The veggie english breakfast was the best I've tried in the area, perfect with top-notch coffee and pastries. This cafe is a standout in the area – a well-deserved five-star spot that keeps drawing me back.

Perfect little courtyard cafe. Stopped by for brunch and a hot drink. Dog friendly too.

Had left my phone outside on table. It was packed, jazz night street party. Went back could not find phone, but the owner came outside with me and used his phone to ring mine in the packed beer garden. It was found under a coat on table, intact. I was on holiday in St Albans and I lived 200 miles away so it was a great service and very helpful. Brilliant.

I love this place. Nice relaxed atmosphere. Can get busy and hard to get a table if you haven't booked. I recommend their sausage rolls.

Great breakfast or brunch place. It's quite big with lots of tables outside and some inside. First class coffee. Nice vibe - including a delightful mini nature reserve at the bag overlooking the Abbey. They have bee hives and produce honey which is used by a local distillery to produce a special gin. Recommended.

A delightful little cafe near the center of town. The service was really friendly and the hash browns were excellent. Unusual in that they were little spheres but they had a lovely peppery taste. Well recommended.

staff chose to blank my girlfriend and I to sit some other customers before us who were behind us in the queue. Suffice to say I won't be returning. P. S food is avg hence you think they'd make an effort

I popped into this lovely quirky cafe yesterday morning, and was greeted by a genuine smile and positive pro active service. I opted for the Veggie breakfast which was delicious, (avocado perfectly ripened.) The coffee was great, It is a delight to see a family one cafe thrive and see such charming staff. Nothing was too much trouble. On top of all this the cafe has a secret garden at the back and even has it's own home made honey! Will definitely visit again.

Great food at reasonable prices and friendly staff. What could be better?

The best version of an English Breakfast I had on this London trip. The hash browns are a must to add. Atmosphere is very nice with plenty of outdoor seating and a nice garden area as well. Very friendly people

I do like this cafe but they do need to control customers and their dogs. In front of service personnel customers allow their dogs to lick plates, feet on tables, benches and chairs. Also service personnel stroke the dogs and some allow dogs to lick them, then go onto serve food. It's not really on, it's a place for all and hygiene should be a top priority, not all owners worm their dogs and this can make people seriously ill. Yes dogs should be welcomed and controlled by customer backed up by service personnel who need to get this under control. It's good food, reasonably priced and a nice place to be and relax. Make it pleasant for all.

I have been here a few times for breakfast and always had a lovely experience. The food is great and the service is usually efficient with lovely staff. However, I went for brunch with my family yesterday and the service was slow and one of the waiters was incredibly loud and rude which made the usually pleasant and relaxed experience into somewhere we wanted to leave as quick as possible. The drinks took a considerable amount of time to arrive and so I asked if I could have some water from the waiter who was serving us and when a different waitress was serving us our food I asked her as well for some water as I was considerably thirsty. As a waitress myself I didn’t think this was an unreasonable thing to do. Behind my back this waiter then proceeded to say “ she just f***ing asked me for some water” on two separate occasions to his colleges which made me feel completely uncomfortable. On another occasion when we were trying to enjoy our meal he was shouting and swearing with another college. This is completely unacceptable and I don’t feel as though I now want to come back to George street canteen unfortunately.

Wanting a late but light lunch and being strangers to St Albans we just wandered in off the street by chance and we were so glad we did. We were very warmly welcomed and chose to sit outside under the awning. My husband had an excellent Greek salad and I had the courgette, feta and mint fritters and they were truly delicious. So much so that I am going to make them myself and I hope they’ll be as good. The service was friendly and pleasant and we were intrigued to find that they have a small nature reserve at the far end of the seating area – what a lovely initiative. A great find and we will certainly visit again if and when we are back in St Albans.

Lovely setting, fabulous customer service & delicious food! It’s tucked away but we’ll worth looking for it. We will be back!

What a find!! Perfect setting with the cathedral as a back drop! Such a friendly crew and Julie smashing and can’t do enough for you! I had a proper cuppa tea and they refilled with hot water and the breakfast was superb! Very reasonably priced to!!

Wonderful Cafe, tucked away on the side of George Street, wonderful wildlife garden at the back, New batch of Bee's making honey that they also later sell. Wonderful brunch and divine coffee. Excellent service and nothing was too much trouble. My client was also impressed. Thoroughly recommend!

We visited here for the first time, we are locals to St Albans. The service was slow and when we were seated, we weren’t served first and the table behind us, who came after us was. We weren’t given a reason or apology to why we were served afterwards? The food was okay, there was a mix up with my sister in law goodness bowl as she is GF and Vegan, but had halloumi in it. When she got the salad back it looked smaller than before and was bland

Came for lunch with friends, I'm a coeliac and they were able to offer a good choice. Very friendly and helpful service.

We were looking for a non-chain restaurant/cafe to have lunch and George Street Canteen hit the spot. Great selection of interesting vegetarian options - freshly made and very tasty. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely return.

Great. Cornish sausage rolls were amazing. And their wild garden is really interesting. (Translated by Google) Excelente. Los rollos de salchicha de Cornualles eran increíbles. Y su jardín salvaje es realmente interesante.

We popped in for a spontaneous brunch on Sunday morning, it was very busy and looked promising. I ordered the vegan brunch and my partner had some fries and a slice of toast. My brunch was very disappointing for £12 I got scrambled tofu (which was excellent) , a couple of very mushy tomatoes , a tiny slice of gluten-free toast for 50p extra and some nearly inedible soggy mushrooms that were not properly cooked . The homemade hummus was good Overall it was very disappointing and I didn't even feel full at the end of spending £12. i expressed my disappointment to to the staff but didn't get a very sympathetic hearing. It's a pity because I feel like this could be a very good restaurant , but what I had really wasn't very good and I cannot recommend the place

Best coffee and croissant in St Albans. Lovely staff and excellent manger. It's very dog friendly and has a lovely wildlife garden overlooking St Albans Cathedral.

I met a business colleague for a breakfast meeting (our first time in person) in this cafe yesterday. When we ordered my colleague asked if there were any fresh juices or smoothies - there were not, “I’ll just have water” she said. When we ordered...

Delighted to have the cafe back open after its recent refurb. New tables and chairs. A complete revamp of the servery area makes the room look much bigger than before. There is now space to eat in this room! The food is amazing as always...

Just popped into the George Street Canteen for a lite bite to eat and a cappuccino after their recent refurbishment, Love the new tables and chairs, the service area looks so much bigger then before, with a small seating area now available at the servery. Food outstanding as usual and the coffee and service friendly. This has always been a quirky cafe and the beating heart of George Street (Translated by Google) Acabo de pasar por George Street Canteen para comer un bocado ligero y un capuchino después de su reciente remodelación. Me encantan las nuevas mesas y sillas, el área de servicio parece mucho más grande que antes, con una pequeña área de descanso ahora disponible en el servidor. La comida es excelente como siempre y el café y el servicio son amables. Este siempre ha sido un café peculiar y el corazón palpitante de George Street.

Shockingly over priced for somewhere that looks like a caravan club house £1.50 extra for beans on a breakfast that is already £11.50!! (Translated by Google) ¡Sorprendentemente caro para un lugar que parece una casa club de caravanas £ 1. 50 extra por frijoles en un desayuno que ya cuesta £ 11. 50!

Lovely food and coffee (Translated by Google) Comida encantadora y café.

Great food, service, location, environment and dog friendly. The gluten-free options are plentiful and very tasty!

Brilliant place tucked away from the high street, with great service and amazing food. Would definitely recommend if around St Albans high street. (Translated by Google) Un lugar genial escondido de la calle principal, con un gran servicio y una comida increíble. Definitivamente lo recomendaría si estuviera cerca de la calle principal de St Albans.

Great place: a genuine business that cares Started coming here towards the end of the summer and it's become my go-to coffee and breakfast place. Really great coffee and also interesting, tasty and well-executed food (Mexican Breakfast Bowl is my favourite). Just so nice to come somewhere operated by the owners and not a faceless chain. (Translated by Google) Gran lugar: un negocio genuino que se preocupa Comencé a venir aquí hacia el final del verano y se ha convertido en mi lugar favorito para tomar café y desayunar. Muy buen café y también comida interesante, sabrosa y bien ejecutada (Mexican Breakfast Bowl es mi favorito). Es tan agradable venir a un lugar operado por los propietarios y no una cadena sin rostro.

My husband and I love George Street Canteen. We go probably more regularly than we should (enough that they know our order!) The breakfasts are all delicious and they are able to confidently cater for allergies. The setting is lovely - its off the busy...

I had the Mexican breakfast bowl, which was delicious, a very satisfying size for breakfast and a great vegan option. The staff were so friendly and the place had a friendly, chilled vibe. I would definitely recommend 👌 (Translated by Google) Tuve el tazón de desayuno mexicano, que estaba delicioso, un tamaño muy satisfactorio para el desayuno y una excelente opción vegana. El personal era muy amable y el lugar tenía un ambiente agradable y relajado. Definitivamente lo recomendaría 👌

Great food, excellent staff . (Translated by Google) Buena comida, excelente personal.

Always a good brunch spot, great food and tasty coffee! (Translated by Google) ¡Siempre es un buen lugar para el brunch, excelente comida y delicioso café!

Food was good so can't complain (Translated by Google) La comida era buena, así que no puedo quejarme.

Thought the bacon roll was a bit expensive but hopped I would get something decent. Very disappointed with small bun with hardly any bacon in it. Don't mind paying but do expect to be satisfied with the item eaten, this did not meet the requirement....

Gorgeous cafe hidden away in St Albans. We've been here a few times, only when it has been sunny and warm and have sat outside, so not sure what it will be like when it's cold and wet. The food is very tasty but our last experience was a bit hit and miss. There was no more sourdough bread so some of the menu items were not available. I had hashbrowns with poached eggs and avocado, which was delicious. The hash browns are small crispy balls, perfect with the eggs. My partner wanted a full English breakfast which came with sour dough, he a) asked if he could have hash browns instead of sour dough, but was told 'no'; and b) if the the price could be reduced because of the missing items, he was again told 'no'. This is not very customer-friendly and the fact that there are at least two big-name food shops within walking distance where alternatives could have been purchased appeared to have been overlooked. (Translated by Google) Hermosa cafetería escondida en St Albans. Hemos estado aquí varias veces, solo cuando ha estado soleado y cálido y nos hemos sentado afuera, así que no estoy seguro de cómo será cuando esté frío y húmedo. La comida es muy sabrosa, pero nuestra última experiencia fue un poco impredecible. No había más pan de masa fermentada, por lo que algunos de los elementos del menú no estaban disponibles. Tuve papas fritas con huevos escalfados y aguacate, que estaba delicioso. Los hash browns son pequeñas bolitas crujientes, perfectas con los huevos. Mi compañero quería un desayuno inglés completo que venía con masa agria, él a) preguntó si podía comer croquetas de patata en lugar de masa agria, pero le dijeron que no; yb) si el precio podía reducirse debido a los artículos que faltaban, se le volvió a decir 'no'. Esto no es muy amigable para el cliente y el hecho de que hay al menos dos tiendas de alimentos de renombre a poca distancia donde se podrían haber comprado alternativas parece haberse pasado por alto.

If you're outside in the sunshine with a view of the Abbey, this is a great place, with good coffee and great pastries when they are fresh. Sometimes, though, the pastries aren't so fresh, and if you have to go inside and have to eat...

Nice venue and ambiance. Good food and drinks. Competitively priced! Would certainly recommend a visit. (Translated by Google) Buen lugar y ambiente. buena comida y bebidas. ¡Precio competitivo! Sin duda recomendaría una visita.

Went for lunch and being a Coeliac they knew exactly what to advise me on. I went for the all day breakfast. It was delicious. Lovely to sit outside with The Cathedral in the background and very interesting wildlife garden. Very friendly staff, will definitely...

Lovely outside eating area. I would recommend booking first as it can get busy. (Translated by Google) Encantadora zona para comer al aire libre. Recomendaría reservar primero ya que puede estar ocupado.

Where shall i start? We wanted to try something different at St Albans and went to this place which is located in a very cute mews but….. The food is shockingly bad and i am in hospitality/food&beverage business for 25yrs and i have seen many...

We visited on Saturday for the first time to have a coffee,the service was very slow.... My 2 friends popped inside to order our drinks,whilst I sat outside at a table,only to be told it was reserved!-with no sign to tell us...so we sat inside & waited to be served...long time before we got our drinks...not sure that we would go back..need to sort the service issue out!! Shame🤔 (Translated by Google) Visitamos el sábado por primera vez para tomar un café, el servicio fue muy lento.... Mis 2 amigos entraron para pedir nuestras bebidas, mientras yo me sentaba afuera en una mesa, ¡solo para que me dijeran que estaba reservado! Sin ninguna señal que nos lo dijera... así que nos sentamos adentro y esperamos a que nos sirvieran... mucho tiempo antes de que consiguiéramos nuestras bebidas ... no estoy seguro de que volveríamos ... ¡necesitamos solucionar el problema del servicio! Vergüenza🤔

Friendly staff. Good food options. Nice atmosphere. (Translated by Google) Personal amigable. Buenas opciones de comida. Buen ambiente.

As it was a nice day when we visited Canteen; we had hoped to sit near the new wildlife garden, but most of the outdoor seating was out of use so we had to sit in the covered marquee area. Food and drink were OK,...

Nice atmosphere and staff. However NOT COELIAC FRIENDLY. If you have a low gluten sensitivity, it could potentially be suitable if following the gluten free options on menu. I was told that toasters, fryers etc. are shared with gluten food items. Staff however did show some awareness regarding the cross contamination issues, but required initial prompting to investigate. Substitutes were not made and my ‘gluten free BLT with chips’ became an expensive salad! Otherwise, a nice stop for a drink or a regular meal if not gluten free! (Translated by Google) Buen ambiente y personal. Sin embargo, NO ES CELÍACO. Si tiene una baja sensibilidad al gluten, podría ser adecuado si sigue las opciones sin gluten en el menú. Me dijeron que las tostadoras, freidoras, etc. se comparten con alimentos sin gluten. Sin embargo, el personal mostró cierta conciencia sobre los problemas de contaminación cruzada, pero requirió una indicación inicial para investigar. ¡No se hicieron sustitutos y mi 'BLT sin gluten con papas fritas' se convirtió en una ensalada cara! De lo contrario, ¡una buena parada para tomar una copa o una comida regular si no es sin gluten!

Friendly great food (Translated by Google) Buena comida amable

All four of us enjoyed our food and the service was excellent, but the menu was quite limited. My BLTA (a BLT with avocado) came on a brioche bun, an ticked all the boxes.

Halloumi and avocado burgers, double cheese sourdough toasties, yeah I know bit of a cheesy overload for the family, but it tasted so good! Nice eating out in the sunshine, pleasant place and cheerful helpful staff

We find our experience / food here hit and miss. When it’s good, it’s nice, food is tasty, and service is lovely - when it’s not and we’ve experienced this 3-4 times now…the portions are terrible, the food is poor and the last time, we asked for a chorizo swap because of dietary requirements to a piece of bacon and they said they’d have to charge more because they wouldn’t do a swap of any kind?!? Because of that, we won’t return (Translated by Google) Encontramos nuestra experiencia / comida aquí al azar. Cuando es bueno, es agradable, la comida es sabrosa y el servicio es encantador; cuando no lo es y lo hemos experimentado 3 o 4 veces ahora... las porciones son terribles, la comida es mala y la última vez, pedimos un chorizo intercambio debido a los requisitos dietéticos a un trozo de tocino y dijeron que tendrían que cobrar más porque no harían un intercambio de ningún tipo?!? Por eso no volveremos

R good food (Translated by Google) buena comida

As we walked in, we were welcomed by a smiling member of staff, who directed us to a table and said she would be back in minutes with menus…which she was. Nice menu, well presented with sensible prices. Ordering was easy and asking for gluten...

Cute cafe/restaurant - lots of outdoor seating and vegan options (Translated by Google) Bonita cafetería/restaurante: muchos asientos al aire libre y opciones veganas

Vegan brunch lovley as usual (Translated by Google) Brunch vegano encantador como siempre

Really lovely food, staff were very friendly. Great selection of drinks too. A friend and I visited with our babies and I'd note its a fabulous place but not the most baby friendly. It has limited space and so there's little room to get the little ones out of the pushchair etc. I also felt terrible taking up so much space with two pushchairs. We were made to feel very welcome, I just don't think it's the ideal place to visit with babies. (Translated by Google) Comida realmente encantadora, el personal fue muy amable. Gran selección de bebidas también. Un amigo y yo visitamos a nuestros bebés y notaría que es un lugar fabuloso pero no el más amigable para los bebés. Tiene un espacio limitado y hay poco espacio para sacar a los más pequeños de la silla de paseo, etc. También me sentí fatal ocupando tanto espacio con dos sillas de paseo. Nos hicieron sentir muy bienvenidos, simplemente no creo que sea el lugar ideal para visitar con bebés.

Accueil très attentionné, déco très sympa avec joli extérieur si le temps le permet. Côté restauration english breakfast délicieux avec hashbrown maison, veggie breakfast également top et hashbrown poches eggs nickel ! Avec Mimosas....bon pain.

Having trekked around St Albans looking for somewhere for breakfast we were directed here by a local and what a lovely place it is. We sat outside and had Cathedral glimpses, as well as being surrounded by lots of well behaved dogs. The breakfast was lovely, including the signature homemade hash brown balls. Service was excellent, and it got busy by the time we finished. Would definitely go again if we're in the area. (Translated by Google) Después de haber caminado por St Albans buscando un lugar para desayunar, un local nos dirigió aquí y qué lugar tan encantador es. Nos sentamos afuera y vislumbramos la Catedral, además de estar rodeados de muchos perros bien educados. El desayuno era delicioso, incluidas las bolas caseras de hash brown de la firma. El servicio fue excelente y se llenó cuando terminamos. Sin duda volvería si estamos en la zona.

Had a Sunday brunch there. Went for a vegetarian option and enjoyed it. My friends enjoyed their hash browns too. (Translated by Google) Tenía un brunch dominical allí. Fui por una opción vegetariana y lo disfruté. Mis amigos también disfrutaron de sus croquetas de patata.

Lovely quaint coffee shop, I'll be back

Great experience sitting outside

Was supposed to review this place ages ago but forgot. I had an amazing time, the staff was so lovely and even though it was crazy busy they still took the time to be attentive servers. I couldn't tip though because I didn't have cash and only my phone as payment which apparently doesn't allow that so I just wish I could have given some extra to show my appreciation. The food was also so lovely. I really liked the attention to detail on the little things. The salad had a pesto dressing and the burger came with this delish mayo which looked homemade. Really well done.

Delicious veggie breakfast, good coffee, very friendly staff

Lovely place to stop by for a cuppa. Great welcome staff and clean facilities. Yhey even have beautiful outdoor seating.

Always very friendly staff with enjoyable outside seating

Having been oversees for work for a few months, I was delighted to revisit the wonderfully quirky George Street Canteen for Breakfast and Coffee a couple of days ago. I (and the other members of the public) were all seen to promptly with the most...

Great coffee and really friendly

We booked this place on the recommendation of another cafe in St Albans that was full - and were delighted with the referral. Very flexible dealing with a party of 10, excellent smoothies and range of cooked breakfasts, and unique home made has browns. Excellent!

Loved this place, great service & delicious food! The BLT was the best i've had for a while!

What a fantastic place this is! We just had a delicious Sunday brunch. Great coffee, very tasty white pudding and very friendly staff. Highly recommended!

Been many many times and it's consistently great for breakfast or lunch. Super coffee, very child friendly and brilliant service to match. Dog friendly too.

Great breakfasts and coffee! Locally sourced produce and fantastic service. A regular for me when in town, especially for coffee and breakfasts.

As always, great food and lovely service. Our go to for breakfast/brunch/tea. Great coffee, so clean

Delicious lunch, great coffee and lovely service and good value. Our go to place.

Lovely little cafe with indoor and outdoor seating next to St Albans cathedral. Friendly staff. Great choice of all day breakfast, lunch, hot drinks, snoothies pastries and even doggy biscuits. Good vegetarian selection. Worth the visit.

The food is alright - not terrible but by far not the best breakfast you can get in St Albans and a lot pricer than most. The outside area is a lot nicer and has a lot more atmosphere than the school dining room inspired interior - so better to visit in the summer months. The staff however were very kind and accommodating - slow service although. It’s fine just not the best.

Great coffee. Food particularly the home made hashbrowns need more cooking. We were out side in the tent and plates had not been heated.

Love this place. Staff are excellent. Food is excellent too. Overlooked by the cathedral so very beautiful setting.

Great lunch. Delicious Christmas specials. I'll go there again.

Really nice place and staff. The service is good and fast. In my opinion the food is average although it's not very expensive.