Jolly Fisherman in East Hertfordshire

Lovely little friendly pub, nice food and ale.

Such a lovely pub in a great location. McMullen hospitality at its best.

Maria this evening was absolutely fabulous tending to our table & dietary needs. Tolerating my mum's complementary comments.🥺 Not to mention my delicious butternut squash soup I had for desert! 😂 Will definitely be going there again.

The food was tasty and reasonably priced. The place is a good local pub but can be at times a bit rubbish with service but they were good this time.

So happy to say this is my local! Amazing food with amazing staff.

Food was good. The waitress was polite and helpful. There were four of us seated at a table for 4. My wife, her mum of 82 and a friend of 60 and her sister. We were not told when we arrived that there was a time limit on the table. The manageress was very rude. We had just finished our meal and dessert / coffee and we were going to order another drink, when we were approached by the manageress and told in a very abrupt tone that they needed the table in 5 minutes. The manageress was also overheard saying to other staff that we had been told to leave. There wasn't anyone waiting for a table and there were tables for four available. In addition the female toilets were in a disgusting state. The total spent was £90 for the experience. My wife, her mother and two friends will not be back. I suggest more training required for your manageress. I hope this post is of assistance to you going forward. Wendy Salmon

Popped in on a wet and windy October day... it was miserable outside but warm, cosy and friendly inside. Had the Oktoberfest menu- food came quickly and was perfect. I sat near the kitchen and could see great quality food coming out the kitchen at pace. On a nothing day, this was a delightful break and highly recommended.

Lovely pub with a river location. Food is very good and resonably priced. The sharing platters are a great choice for lunch. Good pub if you just want a drink and plenty of space outside.

Food was plentiful, although roasties were not that crisp and vegetables were a bit soggy. Pudding was nice though

Best roast ive had this year! Had the beef and it was fantastic. Attentive helpful staff who made us feel welcome. Nice family pub.

Had a lovely fish pie, my mum had a really nice salad with Halloumi fries and my partner enjoyed a mixed grill. Atmosphere always great. Good service from staff x

Fantastic old worlde charm and atmosphere. Right on the Water xxx

Had Sunday Lunch. Staff very friendly and good service. The food was ok but not enough vegetables and our Yorkshire puddings were overcooked and hard. The place has a good atmosphere and is worth a visit.

All-round good, local pub. Can be a little noisy at the weekend, due to now attracting a younger crowd than it used to. Has some good, live music. AND, of course on a Monday, when the pub restaurant is not open, there is the wonderful Nestaurant, veggie van outside, where delicious food is prepared and either taken away, or can be eaten in the pub with drinks. Perfect.

Stopped for lunch whikst on a walk. Wednesday lunchtime. Quite well frequented. 3 of us had nice salads and a drink. Sat in the courtyard. All good would go again.

This Popular River/canal side in provides a welcome resting place to enjoy good food and a drink for Boaters and locals alike. It has riverside outdoor seating and an outdoor covered area and very dog friendly. One of my favourite Hostels in the local area.

Worst pub food I've had for years! Had steak, tough and undercooked. Asked for medium - it was rare. Creamy peppercorn sauce - expected sauce that was creamy with visible peppercorns - looked and tasted like thick, dark brown Bisto gravy. Thankfully will not be coming again, just visiting friend for a couple of nights.

Very enjoyable. Great food and drinks

Beautiful pub set by the river ! The staff were very welcoming and pleasant , the food was amazing , would thoroughly recommend this place ! Really lovely afternoon , friendly team - keep up the great work ! 😄

I was here in winter, where I had amazing winter cocktails ( gingerbread martini) is delicious! And I was here in summer, where you can enjoy river views from the massive beer garden! The food is delicious ( Yorkshire pudding from Sunday Roast is superb!) And the stuff is really lovely! One of the nicest pubs on the river Lee :)

Staff very helpful , and cheerful . Recommend visit ,

Another great visit to the Jolly Fisherman! Great food and fantastic service from the brilliant Kiera, who couldn’t have been more helpful with her menu recommendations…especially the mini blonde dessert!

Nice choice of beers. Superb food. Lovely service. Great view over canal. Dog-friendly. ***** Very limited car parking is only spoiler.

I was served by one of your very polite staff members Archie, I was delighted with his approachability and manners. Will be visiting again.

Nice riverside pub. Staff are very friendly.

Kiera is always super friendly and helpful. Good management and food menu backed by a great team. Happy to go back anytime 👌💪

I have only recently started to stay in the area, as my girlfriend lives here. I live in Chelmsford and frequent many pubs and restaurants there, but since I am spending more time in St Margaret's, The Jolly Fisherman, is by far the best pub in The Village, the staff, the atmosphere and the food by far are miles ahead of the other 2 pubs. Big shout out to the staff and McMullen's Brewery, you have nailed it... Best wishes Adrian Martin

Excellent pub! Nice and polite staff notably Archie who served us, was attentive and very courteous and confident in selling the items on the menu. Food was nice and arrived promptly. Can’t wait to take the family here!

I loved it here, this is my idea of a nice day out. I was especially pleased by Archie because he made me feel very welcome and he was constantly tailoring to my needs, he let me try the Ivel and was constantly recommending me beverages to try. I would definitely go back here

Good service, a little expensive for quality of food

A friend and I went into the Jolly Fisherman on Monday evening at about 9:30pm for a drink (no food required) to be told by the barman that we will only served the one drink and it would have to be quick as they were about to close because it was not worth the electricity cost of keeping the pub open. With a pub closing in England every day it's hardly surprising if that's the welcome you receive. Hey ho!

Good place for something to eat, down by the river. Very popular place.

Always a great place to grab a drink & chill out.

Have lived in stanstead Abbott’s since I was 12 years old (now 37) myself and family have always been going to the jolly fisherman and have never had any problems what so ever, always had a lovely time however I think the new manager (a lady with dark brown bobbed hair cut) was shockingly rude and to us when we walked in it’s not a way to greet customers she was abrupt and just very miserable with an attitude. I will be making a complaint as it felt very sad that a pub Iv known all my life to be a lovely place has now got someone there running it the way she does. It’s not the first time she was rude either. I feel maybe she should get a different role as she clearly cannot take the pressure of the pub When busy.

Visited on Bank Holiday Monday with a group of friends,six of us on total,when we arrived the pub was extremely busy and we were worried as we hadn’t booked, we were warmly greeted by a manager who said they would be able to accommodate us in about 20 minutes,if we would like to get some drinks first they would come and find us when a table was ready, we ordered drinks at the bar and although the girls working the bar were busy, service wasn’t compromised and we exchanged friendly banter. At the table our order was taken swiftly and efficiently, food arrived in a good time and we were really impressed with presentation and quality of food for the price. Overall we were all really impressed with the service we received throughout our visit even though the pub was busy and you could see the team were working hard. A special mention to Maria who really took the time to speak to our children and make them feel welcome. We can’t wait until our next visit!

We came into the venue for my grandsons 18th birthday celebrations and tried to order some alcohol for him. We were told he would be unable to drink during the meal due to him not bringing his ID to prove his age. We order some shots for the table and included the birthday boy; we were then confronted by the manager and told “we had been caught in the act” which meant that “50% of our table were barred from being served for the rest of this meal” (which included three people in their 30s, well over 18). We were then served microwaved food and bland nachos so I decided to leave a review that read, “We received awful service and food, with not one positive thing, I hope this review will cause immediate change” We then received our mains (which were also microwaved) and were asked if we would like to order desert, we asked if we could order two for him and gave them some candles, they presented it well and sang happy birthday but the manager immediately confronted the birthday boy, who shared the same name as the person who reviewed, and said, “You’re ‘X’. Did you leave a bad review? I know you did, see how well we’ve just been for your birthday, don’t you think you should change the review? I know you’re young and I’ve been around a lot more than you, but this is my job so please change the review” So I have, Here is the amended review.

Lovely riverside pub with reasonable menu and good service. Lots of outdoor seating with views along the river and under the bridge. Smallish car park, but additional parking nearby.

Worst pub in the area. Average food poor facilities a truculent, joyless landlord and the worst staff and service I can remember in a pub anywhere. I think this might be a training pub for McMullens, so they should put in more effort as the staff are not being well trained nor supported and it feels like a struggle every time I go in. I would give it one star, but for the riverside garden and the Thursday quiz. They need to try the Oak and Lion to see what good customer service is Avoiding from now on.

me and my son and girlfriend whent a soon as we arrived we got greated by a very rude surver we sat down the food took more than 30 minutes to come when the food arrived the chicken was pink and blood was spitting out of the chicken don’t go here WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME (we’re going mcdonald’s because it’s more trust worthy and cheaper) don’t go here at all !

I’ve eaten 3 times in recent weeks in the Jolly Fisherman, I’ve had a Mac n cheese Burger An ultimate chilli con carne And a roast, I love the staff, the food is reasonably priced for the portions and generally very good. And it’s generally nice to be in a pub restaurant on the river. Well done staff. Ta

Great service, very professional

Good food and service and at a good price, can't ask for more

Popped in for light lunch after a walk. Excellent IPA. Scampi was tasty. We managed to get the last spot in the car park.

Love is little pub on the River especially as we can take a little dog in with us 💞 they even have a little treat for her 💞 couldn't wish for more would highly recommend 💞 I've never been disappointed 💞 the food is well prepared and well presented.

Excellent setting by the river. Staff super friendly and helpful. Good choice of food, and dog friendly as well.

Always had a good meal here. Standard menu but the staff are efficent and always friendly. Gets busy but never had to wait excessivly for service. The outside area and area by the river will be busy come summer but there are.loads of places to sit.

Went for a birthday lunch, and to be honest I was a complete pain when it came to the booking....made so many changes right up to the day of the booking! However, everyone at Jolly Fisherman was great and accommodated all the changes and were fabulous! Food was great and service was without fault...definitely recommend paying a visit!!

Very disappointing food. The people who rated the food highly in previous reviews must have zero taste. Broccoli was mush, the gravy was watery, and the stuffing balls were like rubber. Everything has been microwaved, and the Sunday roast is super bland. Won't be coming back.

Lovely meal great service 😋thanks

Come here periodically but always a warm welcome and a lovely atmosphere

Stepped in for Saturday lunch with wife. Very warm welcoming place with attentive friendly staff. Decent food too. Will visit again when in the area hopefully with some sun to enjoy the outside tables by the river. Hopefully they can keep up with the standard.

Nice place. Peaceful vibe for Sunday lunch. Good, attentive staff. Good location, as well.

Friendly and nice atmosphere. Food is good too. Dog friendly as well.

Went there yesterday afternoon it was freezing inside the two open fires were not in use I asked if they had any wood and was ignored. It took ages to get served even though the place was empty. Very tired soulless place needs updating and heating.

Resting point in-between canal roadies. Didn't visit as often as wanted to.

For those contemplating going to this pub/restaurant, I would highly recommend it on multiple levels. Booking a table was simple and efficient. We booked a table for 6 (2 adults, 4 kids). The tables were well paced and had plenty of room to eat and have your drinks on the table without compromise. Service was first class. Lovely staff. They couldn't do enough for us all. When I say all, that included our dog. One of their USPs is they are dog friendly. So even the dogs got room to lay down next to everyone that had one, while they ate their food. The food was a very good standard for what is essentially a pub. The food was eaten by everyone. Not a crumb left ( always a good sign.) We had burgers, curries, battered fish and chips. All were delicious. The deserts were first class's too. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening there and will definitely be back. It was packed, so a booking of a table would be advised to avoid disappointment.

Nice pub friendly and service ok but god the driest worst fish n chips ive ever had 🤢 …soon a i left i stuck my fingers down my throat…

We have just had a fantastic Boxing day meal here, great service, excellent food and super atmosphere .

Had xmas dinner there, it was lovely. Would go again next year.

Good quality food at reasonable prices. Very friendly staff

Great food and service as usual

Good food friendly staff. By the river so lovely in the summer x

Very nice meal friendly staff and nice they allow dogs in. Would recommend a visit

Food not bad. Reasonable price. Waitress a bit abrupt. Waiting too long for food and bill. Update: I've been back a few times since. Food and service improved.

We had lunch in this pub yesterday and it was excellent. Great service, great food, lovely place, thoroughly recommend it.

Dropped in for a coffee, guided in by WAZE! Only had coffee but the (young lady) waitress service was great, friendly, and cheerful.

A fantastic pub to end our hike day. Very friendly service, tasty and large lunch servings as well as a nice atmosphere. Can't ask for much more than that for a local pub. It was a good discovery.

Excellent, polite friendly service. Totally recommend this pub

Roast beef dinner was ordered, roast potatoes underdone and inedible, couple of slices of thinly sliced beef and absolutely the tiniest amount of veg, although I was excited to find the small floret of broccoli which was the size of a walnut. I did also see about a quarter of a carrot sliced but that was about it on the veg front. We did complain about the potatoes and 6 more small pieces were brought to the three of us which were still as bad. I liked the yorky and the gravy. Sad to say I thought it was a very disappointing roast for £12.95. The pudding was really nice though, i had a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream, it was a good portion.

Great atmosphere, nice service, very good food.

Nice pub lunch, but note the « small » vegetarian roast lunch option advertised doesn’t exist. They charge only the « large » price (which is relatively reasonably priced, and the portion they serve is normal portion not large, which is nice so you don’t leave with a food coma).

Lovely pub overlooking the River . Great place to sit out in the garden and watch the boats go by. Stopped off for a late lunch of fish and chips, which was very nice and would definitely recommend

Great locstion amd excellent service from the bar staff

Very good McMullen's Brewery pub a few yards from St Margarets (Hertfordshire) Station. Three cask beers on handpump when I visited including a mild. Lots of outdoor seating in the garden on the banks of the River Lee Navigation. Friendly and helpful staff.

Really lovely spot with very friendly staff that helped us out with a large booking when we sailed there from Broxbourne thanks to Lee Valley Boat Centre and had a lovely meal there. Huge portions and all bar 1 was very satisfied. The only reason I just had to hang back on 5 stars was my youngest who didn't enjoy his roast but it could have just been an unlucky one as all the rest of us had really great meals.

Everything was fab from food to service, thankyou all we will definitely be back!!

Great good and service, Chloe is a sweetie.

First time eating here and definitely would recommend. Food was quick, hot and tasty. Service was friendly and polite. Lovely place to eat and then have a walk down the canal.

Lovely pub by the river, nice atmosphere. Met a nice frierndly couple that live on a river boat. Had the roast beef dinner. The beef was very dry and seemed overdone and too much gravy for me. The meal of itself was very disappointing but did not enjoy it, but i would definitely patronise it again, but not for the food.

Although quite a large pub, it's cosy with friendly staff and consistently good food. The location is lovely next to a river with outdoor seating.

Aug23-Great spot in Stansted Abbot. Lovely history and sculpture and garden. Dogs allowed in front bar which is smaller than rest of site. Staff friendly and efficient. Food was tepid which was disappointing. We had breaded prawns, (thickly breaded) waffle cheesy chips (not enough cheese) and smoked haddock with spinach fish cakes (best if the bunch). With two soft drinks.

Very good service I had a Diet Pepsi max

Walked the dogs nothing on the menu with sausages. No breakfast. No bangers and chips. Nothing. Toilet door. No lock! Seriously bad and also a huge gap at the bottom of the door. What sort of pub does that. Won’t be back. Boring menu toilets with no lock. Terrible. Oh and where is the supposedly free Wi-Fi??

Lovely sitting by the river with pint!

Extremely mediocre roast. Defo don't get it if you're vegan. I'm not strict so went for a Yorkshire pudding (seems the vegan roast is just the vegy roast minus the Yorkshire), and it was the first time I've ever left one uneaten. Went before 5 but guess it had been precooked hours before. Poor potatoes, tiniest bit of boiled broccoli. The roast itself was actually good - weird texture but tasted great. Moan over. Pub has a beautiful garden on the river so worth a visit if you're just drinking.

Nice on a summers day. Other than that it's pretty average

Never had a bad meal here except their meat platter which I cannot recommend, the steak was over done when medium rare was requested. But the rest of their food including vegetarian options is solid and it's a nice stop next to the river.

Had a beautiful roast dinner here, recommended this place for anyone looking for a nice Sunday lunch.

Had lunch here today, booked a table for 5 and also had 3 dogs in tow. Sunday roast was really good value at £12.95 a portion. Could have done with a few extra roast potatoes however there was a decent amount of meat (in my case beef) that came with it. You can order extra sides (potatoes/ yorkshire's/ veg etc) which I would recommend you do if you are hungry/ a big eater - portion size was fine for me but if there are a group of you then might be worth getting the extra 4 sides for £15 and sharing them. Had dessert also which was again good value (£6.95 for all of them). I went for cheesecake which tasted great. They also have a dog menu with chews and the dog ice cream which went down well. Staff were very friendly and chatty. Would definitely visit again.

Always great food, and good allergy advice

Sit out by the river and enjoy a nice pint of beer, smashing.

Yup nice place for a beer and meet up with friends on a nice sunny day

Great food, good value, good live music, location good for walk by the canal.

Nice spot on the river. Inside is nothing special and drink selection not great but not terrible. Didn't try the food.

Been going to this pub 35 yrs, but last 10 the worst. You could literally be the only customer in the pub but still have to wait 10 mins to get served…. The only reason I don’t go there very often , it’s so frustrating, Bar persons need a lot more training …

Decent, well-priced scampi and chips. Friendly staff.

Great pub by the river Good food and good service.

Excellent staff - very friendly and attentive. Happy to recommend.

Great McMullans pub with outside benches by the river which is lovely on a sunny day!

Really lovely location. Food is just alright and the staff could be kinder.