Megan's at the old Bell (St Albans) in St Albans

I am reviewing Megan's to express how disappointed we were in the service we received at St Albans this morning. We have visited Megan’s in WGC and Battersea several times and have always been so impressed with the food and service so when myself, my daughter and my 2 grandchildren (2 & 10 months) were looking for somewhere to eat this morning we thought Megan’s would be a great choice. The poor experience started from the minute we walked in and were greeted by our server. My daughter had a double pram which is never easy to push around restaurants and she half heartedly pointed and said sit wherever, there was no offer of help or offering a table that had easy access etc. We found our own way to a table, moving furniture etc to get there and once we had sat down our server had moved on to serving someone else so didn’t bring us any menus for 5-10 minutes (please note the restaurant was by no means busy, I would say max 6/7 tables) . She didn’t offer or bring over a high chair so we had to get this ourselves. I am celiac so asked for the gluten free menu, which she didn’t seem to know much about and just waved her hand over the breakfast items saying we can do those with GF bread and asked me to scan the QR code (this led me to not actually ordering a meal as I didn’t have much faith in her knowledge / accuracy to get it right!) About 15 minutes in to our time the children’s menu still hadn’t been brought over so we asked for this which took another 5 minutes to arrive. We were then left for a considerable amount of time and had to ask for someone to come and take our order. All interactions with our server were rude and unhelpful. We weren’t particularly in a hurry but my toddler was hungry, during our time, 4 other tables arrived after us, were served before us and left before us. Half way through our meal my toddler wanted some more hash brown bites so I looked over at our server to try and get her attention and she signalled that she would come over. On the way over to the table she started talking to a colleague and didn’t end up coming to find out what I wanted. I looked over again and she turned her back on me. I then got up to walk over to another staff member to ask for the extra hash browns. We were sat very near to the kitchen so we could see when the hash browns were ready and heard the chef ring the bell. We waited 5-10 minutes watching the hash browns just sat on the side and our server was just wandering around chatting. In the end I got up and asked someone to bring them over. My toddler hadn’t finished her pizza (had left 3/4 of it) so we asked for a box so we could take it home. She brought over a box about a quarter of the size of a pizza and dumped it on the table. We then had to wait another 5/10 minutes for her to come back and I asked for a bigger box, she then brought over a box without a lid and told us if we wanted a lid we’d have to wait 5/6 minutes… During this time, I commented to my daughter in a private conversation, on how bad the service from our server had been. Another server was at the next table and gave us the most appalling look. She quite obviously without trying to hide what she was doing went over to our server to tell her what we had said while pointing back at our table ( she made no effort to do this discreetly) She then continued to give us horrible looks - in my opinion this is an absolutely unacceptable way to behave and treat paying customers. We then asked for the bill which took another 5/10 minutes, we asked the blonde lady and she snapped at us very rudely when replying to us asking for the bill. I did go and express all of our concerns to the manager- the manager was great, she was very apologetic, explained that this isn’t usual standard for Megan’s and even apologised for the slowness due to her being heavily pregnant (this had nothing to do with it - we couldn’t fault the manager at all). All in all, we left feeling extremely unhappy, disappointed, frustrated and wishing we hadn’t bothered coming to Megan’s. We are tolerant people and can always forgive mistakes and things not going quite right if we are at least treated with politeness and good customer service. I do hope these servers will be given some extensive training on how to serve customers and told how unacceptable it is to be so blatantly rude to customers.

Food is very average over priced for what it is when it’s just brunch menu without any drinks included service is ok as well but price being a put off for me The place has lovely atmosphere and nicely done

Had dinner there before Christmas, so was really looking forward to returning, it was a busy Saturday afternoon which is great but unfortunately the service and food was below average. They forgot to bring the water and when the food arrived it appeared dry. We will return again but maybe stick to dinner and hopefully not on a very busy day aswell.

Visited for lunch with my husband and son. Initially we thought the lunch prices were a bit high however our food was really tasty, and the portion size was good. The food was very fresh. It was my birthday and I was offered either a free glass of Prosecco or a free dessert; this was a lovely touch too. Staff were friendly and attentive, would definitely re visit.

my friend and I were really looking forward to your restaurant and I had to say we were super disappointed. She had a traditional breakfast and myself had a halloumi and mushroom pita. I had to send back the chips because they were really cold and the halloumi and mushroom pitter I didn't actually eat just wasn't very nice. my friend's breakfast just didn't look appetising, especially the bacon. on a positive note, we did try a breakfast cocktail and that was lovely. It's a real shame because we really wanted to enjoy it and we're so looking forward to it. I did take a couple of pictures which i have T P Johnson

Delicious food and good ambience however, service was a little too relaxed. Enjoyed the mezze bowl.amf the sharing platter was very good

From food to service, our visit was incredibly pleasant! Both my friend couple and us agreed that the food was excellent. The atmosphere is cute, very well looked after, staff is friendly, and very helpful. My dog also had a great time, she relaxed, and had some treats on the house. Overall an amazing experience, worth the visit!

Good if you like spicy food. Sharing platter was plentiful, well cooked. Good coffee Waiting staff very friendly & professional

Had a really wonderful brunch here at the weekend. The service was excellent from isa our waitress. The food, delicious. A lovely afternoon was had. It's definatly improved from my visit last year. Credit to marco the manager. Well done. Had a great time thank you so much 😊 highly recommend.

Leuk ingericht, heerlijk gegeten, aanrader is het toetje van cookiedough met vanille ijs!! Personeel is vriendelijke en attent

The staff is very friendly and Lucie was lovely! The food was also very good.

Lovely service. Great tasty food and a very nice atmosphere. And reasonably priced. Excellent Sunday lunch!!

Just had brunch - food was great as always and the place is lovely, and today we were helped by Isabella who’s brilliant! Incredibly kind and helpful with my Italian parents :) thank you so much!

Nice atmosphere, lovely food and excellent services from Emily & Daisy, will definitely go again :)

We had a calamari starter, lamb kofte and ‘open’ chicken on flatbread -All was extremely tasty, great flavours. Lovely attentive and professional service from Emily and Daisy. Thank you, really enjoyed our meal.

Isabella and the male waiter provided great service! Friendly disposition! Enjoyed dining in here for lunch today!

Wonderful food. Great customer service. But it take a lot of time for the food to be served.

Lovely brunch today at Megan’s, great food! Isabella served us and she was so friendly :) definitely recommend

Excellent lunch here today served by a wonderfully happy individual that was very accommodating. Isabella , thank you !

Lovely evening catching up with a friend. Emily served us and was brilliant! Thank you

A great evening, served by Emily who was friendly and menu knowledgable!

Isabella was a delightful and a credit to your establishment! The food and service was amazing. Thankyou

Had a great experience at Megan’s. The food arrived promptly and was delicious. The staff were very friendly and the decor looked lovely. It was a nice atmosphere and we enjoyed the Valentine’s Day set menu. Would definitely recommend.

Family Birthday Brunch, couldn’t fault anything & Isa was great as our server!

Ate lunch at Megan's. Very nice restaurant, great service & tasty food Kid and dog friendly too!

My friend and I dined yesterday(15.02.25)lunch time(13.00). We ordered Turkish brunch/assortment and a bottle of red Italian wine plus glass of red wine, gin and liquor. Unfortunately, both of us were violently sick later on that evening(around 11pm)vomiting, bringing back the food we ate( mainly eggs and tomatoes food, cheese fondue). We dined in Megan restaurants in the past at Welwyn garden and st.Albans and we never experienced this kind of incident. Apart from this incident above, we had a very good service from the serving staff( Italian lady).

Isabella looked after us today and she was fab. Turkish breakfast was super too

Emily was a great waitress for us today, all smiles and lovely atmosphere. The food was great as usual. Highly recommend this Megan’s for brunch!

Lovely lunch and Isabella was fantastic, very welcoming and great service!

Lovely food and Isabella our waitress was fabulous!

The food was amazing The atmosphere is very cosy and pleasant The service is great the staff is very friendly and patient 10/10 would recommend

Andrea was very accommodating and attentive whilst we studied at Megan’s

Lucie was brilliant. Great food and atmosphere.

Had a really lovely meal here recently, the food was tasty and the service was great, very attentive yet unobtrusive, thank you Emily

We had a lovely evening and the place was packed but great atmosphere. We had Emily serving us and she was really helpful and very friendly. Nothing was too much for her

Good food and great service from Emily. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Thank you Isabella, your sympathy added to the amazing food

Lovely restaurant and great food. We were well looked after by Zoe who answered all our questions and checked if we needed anything extra. Plus thank you for the dessert recommendation!!!

First visit , absolutely fabulous, Emily was brilliant

Great service wonderful food and a great atmosphere xx

A good meal. Isabella was an especially good host.

Amazing as always, and Isabella was a wonderful waitress. We went for my daughter’s birthday and had a lovely meal - and she even gave my daughter a birthday treat! Thank you

Great Sunday brunch here. Love the vibe here and the food is great.

Emily was great - very accommodating and friendly. Also great with our French bulldog.

Fabulous meal and very attentive and smiley service. Emily was very attentive. Thank you

Great friendly empathetic service by our server Emily on 342/1/25 even though she was clearly busy. Food as good as ever.

The food was great and Emily was very attentive and helpful :) Thank you

great food and excellent service from Isabella

Such a great restaurant, amazing atmosphere and Isabella was so lovely and gave us such an amazing service. We’ll definitely be coming back soon.

Wonderful lunch at Megans with the amazing Isabelle who looked after us! So friendly and helpful and she made our gorgeous lunch even better! Thank you Megans 😊

Seriously delicious food. The staff were so lovely. The decor is beautiful. I really enjoyed my visit

great portion sizes, delicious food and great service ! especially from emily who served us !

I had a great time at Megan's St Albans. Isabella was amazing, catering to all our needs, very helpfull and with tremendous patience. Thank you!

Incredible service from Emily. Her energy and smile made our experience memorable. Food was tasty, too. Well worth it!

A real surprise ! A little Gem in the center of St Albans.. food was really good and the service from Isabella was exceptional.. highly recommend

Tasty cosy lunch, with great staff, especially Isabelle

Isabella was very helpful and attentive. Our first time here and we will definitely be back soon! Great service !

Isabella was absolutely lovely. Remembered us from before and always with a smile! Thank you ladies - a lovely working from Megan’s day.

Sides weren’t delivered. Nobody checked how our meal was or came near our section of the restaurant. Had to go and find manager to get the bill. Asked for sides to be removed from the bill, no apology or acknowledgment made. When she brought the bill asked us how the meal was, mentioned missing sides again, still no acknowledgment or apology. Very sad as the food was good. Might like to consider cleaning the water marks off the water carafe and glasses too.

The service is incredibly friendly and efficient. We always feel welcomed by the staff and nothing is ever too much trouble. Food is great too!

We shared a Turkish breakfast platter. Plenty of food and very tasty. Service was pretty slow Saturday as did not seem to have enough staff. But staff are friendly. I also visited Tuesday in the private room and the food and service were excellent. (Pics attached)

First time eating at megan's and didn't get disappointed. Food choices and servings are good. We really enjoyed our dinner. Halloumi fries was delicious! Favourite!! Emily was fab!

Nice food, but the evening was spoilt by dogs. I appreciate it's a dog-friendly restaurant, but the dog next to us stank and when we asked to move to a different table we were made to feel uncomfortable and told there was only one table available when the restaurant looked half empty. The carrot cake did taste good though.

Always had a pleasant experience here however today we were not impressed. Food came before the drinks. When asked if we could cancel our coffees seeing as the food was on the table with no sign of the drinks, waitress was pretty rude about it. Zero apology and rudely told “there’s only 1 person making them so they can’t come out any quicker”. Had this been explained beforehand that there was a slightly longer wait on coffees then expectations could have been managed… Very bad service in my opinion. In no way should we have been met with the response we got from the waitress which made me send my coffee back purely based on her customer service and attitude!! The coffee was not taken off the bill either until I disputed it. Wouldn’t be rushing to go back there anytime soon, which is a shame as the food is great.

Emily was amazing and the food was lovely!

Lovely food, and Emily (our waitress) was also lovely

Fabulous waitress - attentive & kind. Delicious food & beautiful surroundings. We will be back!

Nice environment especially the quiet area

Great food and vibes as per usual and Emily our server was very lovely and attentive!! One of our fave spots for sure x

Friendly staff plus good food equals a very enjoyable time. Isabella was brilliant in making the meal enjoyable.

Really lovely place to have a evening out. Food was lovely and staff with very attentive. The decor really does make you feel like you're in a warm place

Both Emily and Aurelia were really lovely, thank you for a great evening :-)

Great food - Emily and Austeja provided great service

Lovely dinner and drink at Megan’s. Emily and Justina took great care of us, the food was delicious and the drinks arrived promptly. Will be back soon!

Massively over priced, breakfast was gross hard bacon watery eggs and barely any food and it's 16 pounds. Restaurant added service charge without asking so it was nearly 35 pounds for 2 breakfast. This place is for ponsess and stuck up middle class people. How can you charge so much for so little? I can get a weeks worth of shopping for that price. Also stop trying to be lardy da spicy taco beans and shitache mushrooms have no place on a breakfast

Food arrived cold We had to ask twice and wait 30 mins just for water The restaurant is very cold

Really lovely selection of food and drinks. It would he great to add smaller options too

Really nice and friendly stuff great place to spend evening.

Isa was lovely - thank you so much!

Wonderful service - Isabella was lovely.

Everything was excellent! We had eggs royale and they were delicious! And our waitress Isabella was very attentive! Definitely we’ll come back :)

Nice restaurant and dog friendly

Prices are ridiculous 100 quid for 2 kebabs and 2 drinks staff walk round like they don't want to be there. Need too address prices

Fantastic! Really good service from Nora! Friendly :-))

The tea was cold and I didn’t like the main dish also the service wasn’t that great. Unfortunately I won’t come back.

Took my daughter for pancakes at Megan at the Old Bell after some Christmas shopping. Lovely place pancakes were delicious and service was sweet. Will be back with the rest of my family! Thank you

Lovely meal at Megan’s. Our waitress Emily was nothing less than delightful and dealt with our awkward crowd incredibly well! Hope they know what a star they have there, will definitely be back

Emily was fantastic. Really lovely atmosphere and exceptional service

Went there for a family lunch. The place is very good. The staff were helpful and welcoming. Food was nice albeit a bit pricey.

food and the atmosphere was super and Jim is a positive guy and had a lovely smile, we will come back again😊

Been there in St Albans megan a few times now, last time being previous evening .service was great with a staff member so helpful with the menu and with the whole order . I assume you have passion Ed staff members so that the experience to be a pleasant one,and it was thanks to him. But what I have noticed that over the years Management needs to improve as is obvious you don't have enough staff to manage the busy days. All good otherwise

everything was super nice, me and my wife we liked the shakshouka something differen and jim present it to us in the best way of marketing, love that place and that guy

Food was lovely (i had the Chili Chicken -it was yummy), the service was great and it was a lovely relaxed atmosphere

Went to Megan’s for a work team Christmas lunch - the food, atmosphere and service was all very good and it made it a lovely experience. Emily was brilliant, very lovely and attentive. Definitely would visit again.

Excellent food, not the typical Mediterranean kind, delicious recipes and sauces. Very good cocktails. Lovely service from Emily

Amazing food and brilliant, polite and efficient service by Emily

Emily was very attentive and very efficient Made our lunch very enjoyable

Emily our server was efficient and very friendly. We enjoyed our visit to Megan’s in St Albans today.

Great atmosphere and delicious!

Managed to get seated despite not having a booking and it being really busy around Christmas. Service from Emily was excellent. She was so polite, friendly and efficient. The food was great.