Old Cock Inn in St Albans

Great atmosphere, genuinely welcoming whether coming in for a quick coffee, a pint, or food. Inside and outside facilities spotless!

Lovely pub with super friendly staff and serve great food!

Lovely pub with fantastic welcoming staff. Really friendly and helpful. Room a little noisy but nicely presented. I had to leave very early and they made me breakfast to go which was really good quality.

Amazing place! So British esthetic!! I will be back for sure!

Beautiful pub.. haven't tried the food there but just love it

Going for a late Sunday dinner is always a risk, run out of meat, only 2 roast potatoes etc. but not today. Everything was present and correct. Steaming hot. Lovely roast beef. Thank you

Great location as we booked to see Shaun Ryder at the emc we had wonderful stay & the breakfast was delicious thank you xxx

A dreadfully boring and limited menu, indifferent staff and a completly souless interior. Makes the whole town dull.

We regularly go about once a month, we decided to go Sunday and try out the roasts! And it did not disappoint! Was sooo yummy and soooo good! PS: The barman was cute too 😅

Earlier today me and my pisshead bestie visited The Old Cock inn and had the pleasure of indulging in their exquisite roast dinner. From the moment we stepped in, we were greeted with warmth and hospitality that set the tone for a truly chomping experience. The roast dinner itself was a culinary masterpiece, perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor. My ever fussy companion asked for more gravy and instead of the twonking eye roll that one would receive in more unsavoury establishments we were instead happily supplied with enough extra gravy to drown a small goat in. Additionally the ambiance of the pub was cozy and inviting, making it the ideal setting for a relaxing meal. The staff were exceptionally attentive and went above and beyond to ensure my satisfaction. I left feeling not just full but genuinely uplifted by the wonderful dining experience. I wholeheartedly recommend this pub to anyone seeking a taste of culinary perfection served with a complimentary side of exceptional service and warmth.

Good location. Staff were fabulous and breakfast was tasty with perfectly poached eggs! Stairs to rooms were dirty. Bedroom Net curtains shredded, hair in the corners of the bathroom and over all shabby accommodation.

I came for dinner with my partner Amazing food, great drinks and cocktails, amazing atmosphere. The staff is lovely and helpful.

We had a comfortable two night stay here. The room was very clean - a couple of minor housekeeping hiccups but they were sorted out straightaway. We dined one evening and breakfast on two mornings - the food was excellent. Nice clean pub in an excellent position. A lovely, friendly, welcoming manager and friendly staff.

The food was amazing friendly staff Rebecca was very polite

Fantastic Sunday roast and the service is outstanding. We reserved a table for 3 then our party grew suddenly, but no trouble reserving a larger table on a busy Bank Hol weekend. Such lovely hosts, we will be back! Thank you 😊

Visited here as a trip down memory Lane with some very dear friends. Ordered drinks at the bar and scanned the machine. The lady at the bar advised me the transaction hadn’t gone through so I did it again, she said it still hadn’t worked. I checked my bank app and there were two items for £3, she said it was their ‘tip’ machine. I said I didn’t want to tip £6 on a £20 round of drinks! She just shrugged and said there was nothing she could do and I still owed her for the round. I paid because I didn’t want to cause a scene but I thought it was an awful con. She brought the drinks over to our table and just dumped the tray down and walked off. Just to let you know beware! The tip machine is right next to the contactless machine and they won’t advise you which is which and won’t give you back your money if you make a mistake

Waited 1hr before being told they didn't put our order through, the restaurant was empty and numerous servers walked past us. Came down with my family, super disappointed. Will not be returning, they said we didn't have to pay for our drinks even though we only had water. Horrendous apolagie.

Didn't eat here, so I can't comment on food or service. Atmosphere and friendly bar staff.

My favourite pub in Harpenden for many reasons. Classy decor inside, lovely outside area, food is exceptional and the staff are incredible. Becca, Abi, Rosie, Leyla and Pablo are all excellent and go above and beyond to make it a welcoming atmosphere, they’re a credit to this pub. The music playlist is a delight too.

Stayed over for the night room was good service was ok duty manger on the 3 August told us breakfast would be served between 8 am and 11 am Sunday morning disappointed to find no one there and all the lights off although the chef was inside but ignored us knocking ! Disappointed with the service do not advertise if you cannot fulfil !!

Rib eye steak on menu very poor quality chewy possibly not even rib eye - when complaint made no replacement offered - No pre paid breakfast available due to staff not opening up on time for 8am on Sundays

I came across The Old Cock Inn after their garden was recommended to us by a friend. We were warmly welcomed and taken care of by many lovely staff members, we only intended to stay for a drink in the beer garden but we ended up staying for dinner, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was lovely. We will definitely be back!!!

Decent pub with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Wide variety of drink options.

Watched two big Euro games in the marquee out back, lovely atmosphere and good beer selection. Fairly pricey but very in-line with what you'd expect to pay in a town like Harpenden. Staff were friendly and up for a bit of banter as well.

Food sat out getting cold for ages, didn’t have the right ingredients after paying extra for it and chicken burger was awful! They refried it so it was dripping with fat and it was a chicken thigh with veins and fat which came out pink! I won’t ever eat there again!

Walked in and summarily ignored by a guy at the bar when waiting for a drink. Walked off without acknowledging us. So we walked out. To the black guy wearing the fancy orange pants, you need to learn customer service. We won't be back.

Fairly expensive drinks as you would expect these days but we'll managed, clean and a great setting.

Writing on behalf of my son and on here as this establishment has no other means to give feedback. Asked to do a trial shift on a Friday evening with the promise of a chat after. He spent the evening doing everything asked - clearing glasses, polishing cutlery, general bar duties only to have no chat and no call. Suspect it’s illegal not pay for these trial shifts and wonder that it’s not the first time it’s happened just get labour in - a disgraceful way to run an establishment!

Came here with my husband, son & daughter in law to celebrate her birthday on a Sunday evening. It didn’t start well when they couldn’t find our reservation, but a very helpful, friendly waitress sorted us out with a table. We then ordered our food. My husband ordered a burger & asked to swap his fries for the chunky ones. I ordered a Caesar salad, without chicken & asked them to remove the avocado & anchovies, all of which I saw the waitress write down. Our food arrived some time later only to find none of the changes had been made, there were no croutons & I had chicken in my salad (it’s an extra on the menu) Not wanting to make a fuss I picked out my anchovies & avocado & my husband got on with his fries. About 5 mouthfuls into my salad I found a black hair stuck to my lettuce. I immediately complained & the same waitress apologised & arranged for a new one, this time without anchovies & avocado, but still with chicken. Unfortunately I did try to eat it, but had been out off by the hair in the first one. At this point the waitress serving us must have gone off shift. No-one returned to check on us. We asked for dessert menus which took ages to arrive & then waited a further 15 minutes to order them, whilst we were one of only 3 tables in the restaurant, but the staff were very busy socialising & what appeared to be stocktaking. We had to go to the bar to pay the bill, on which was everything we had received, including the chicken which I hadn’t ordered. As it was my daughter in laws birthday I paid the bill without fuss, but there was no acknowledgment of the problem with my meal, apology or even interest in how it all was. The service was appalling from everyone except our first waitress & the fact that there was a hair in my dinner seemed to be dismissed as an everyday incident. Not impressed.

Always a good experience, especially if Rosie serves us... Ask her to make you margaritas 😅

Really been turned around by the new management team. Always a great atmosphere, food is always delicious and the team are always excellent at looking after us.

Always a smart place to eat nice garden setting.

Went for an after christening. Food was great, chaps behind the bar were fantastic.

Further to previous review: Booked for 5 and all attended on evening of 24/4. Waitress who was very good advised that a number of items were not available. No pies, no rib-eye……..no sour dough bread… Waitrose and Sainsburys were still open! The waiting staff handled it well and we respected that they were the staff who had to front up to the customer. They did offer me bangers, mash and peas which I had. Why is it not on the menu as it is popular? The guys I was with were not happy and suggested we remove your pub from our list. PREVIOUS Decent experience for a few pints and a pub meal. All food for 5 of us was good and three who had the pie were pleased that there was meat in it! Why charge £1.50 for each small scoop of ice cream???? When a restaurant "takes the micky" then it loses credibility and it raises the question - "do they want repeat business?"

Nice friendly staff, very busy.

Great place and Fantastic service

Bring back Guinness! Nobody wants a “cheaper” alternative with a copycat name.

How disappointing; we were a group of eleven and had as requested pre-ordered online via an excellent App. On arrival the staff started to take orders “again”, why on earth? The starters took a long time to arrive and I was sent to the kitchen to find out why – they arrived 5 minutes later. My starter was very poor; I’d chosen the ‘beef venison and beef shin terrine’, it wasn’t enjoyable, dry, stringy and see the photo of the bread that came with it – five ends of baguettes without butter – I took them back to the kitchen and two warm fresh rolls arrived, they were perfect but why weren’t they delivered initially? Sadly my main of ‘Garlic and herb pork belly bonbon’ was no better – 4 of our group ordered this and no one enjoyed it, the guest next to me left half of hers. It was dry, rather like eating a Scotch egg made of stuffing and without an egg. What we wanted was pork belly not a concoction that was so unappetising. I went to the bar and got the water jug refilled. The waitresses were pleasant but not good enough – I paid the “discretionary 12.5% service charge but should not have done - I chose not to cause a 'problem' as guests were already standing up and all they wanted to do was leave.

Nice restaurant and drinking hole great atmosphere.

Came here with a group of 11 people. Very poor meal, overcooked mussels staff polite but ineffective when poor food was pointed out. I suggest you avoid !

Had an early dinner there. Ordered bread board to start. Advertised with whipped garlic butter but just normal butter and no variety in bread all just sliced baguette. Had a nice crunch though and olive oil was a high quality. Main I had the bacon loins. Delicious marinade but the bacon itself was so salty it was borderline inedible. Only good sauce and very well cooked chips saved this plate. Would expect better for the price. Service was good although was never checked to see how food was

What on earth has happened to this place.!!! Empty of customers. Lots of drinks not available. Bright uninvting lighting. Fire not going. Felt like a school canteen. Only management permitted to take cash from customers which is inconvenient. A machine sitting on the bar inviting you to tap to tip... rude! Just lost all its appeal.

Busy Pub, doing food which was popular. Prices were standard.

great place, room was ideal for us big and spacious, bathroom fantastic with a free standing bath , comfortable stay , good price bar next door with a great menu , staff very friendly and welcoming

Disappointing experience. Best summarised in copy email below I sent to the Manager, who has not responded so far: I wanted to give you feedback on my latest experience at your Pub / Restaurant. We had a group of 6 adults and 3 children on Saturday 25/11/23 under order no 682321, with an invoice total of £290.70. We have used the Old Cock Inn on a number of occasions for family gatherings, Christenings etc and generally had a good experience, but unfortunately our visit on Saturday was a very different experience. We asked when we arrived about timings etc and were advised the kitchen did have a busy day but they had now caught up and there would be no delays. I would mention the following feedback in particular: - The staff dealing with our orders etc were clearly inexperienced or just having a very bad day, as service overall was very patchy, slow and haphazard. - We had to chase both drinks and food orders several times and while you appeared to have plenty of staff on duty, they seemed to spend more time chatting to each other than looking after your customers. - Someone really has to grasp the importance of delivering kids meals more efficiently, which is key to any family enjoying their visit. The kids menu is simple and this should not be an issue. - When you pay £17.50 for a Camembert starter to share or indeed the Mussels for example, it looks pretty miserly to only provide 2/3 small slices of bread and when we asked politely for additional bread we were told that would have to be charged as an extra. We did order the extra portion of sourdough and despite asking twice, it still did not arrive, but you did not forget to add it to the bill. - The feedback on your Beef Pies was very average, lacked flavour and filled with very stringy poor quality meat. Disappointing. I am a firm believer in tipping appropriately, but with hindsight, I must say the service charge added of £32.30 was not merited. I would be interested to hear any comments you may wish to make, but hope the next time we visit will be more enjoyable.

Bring back Joel and his team! Hospitality should be done for you not to you. We came for Christmas dinner and yes it’s not fun to be in hospitality on Christmas Day but if you’re not going to make an effort then don’t open. It was not the same as prior years by a long way. The food was disappointing - I had precisely one roast potato and no Yorkshire pudding. Distinct lack of turkey and was definitely not full. The service was non existent and it was functional. Management - you need to sort yourselves out asap or you won’t have a business.

First and last visit to this pub unfortunately. In a nutshell everything that could go wrong did go wrong. From waiting 30 mins for a drinks order, 45 for food orders and over an hour for starters, serving raw pasta, completely missing out the main course at one point, to name afew things. The pub was clearly busy for Christmas but it was one thing after another. The bar area drinkers also spilled out into where we were sitting eating and were standing around our table being very loud. The staff were very apologetic but we were constantly told that a bigger table was taking precedent over us which shouldn't really be stated. The turkey dinner was the only thing about this visit which was good.

I’m writing this review about the accommodation, not the pub. Before I arrived I rang to ask about nearby parking. Just told to park on the street outside. There was no space but the signs said max 2 hours stay… so not great advice! Check in was poor. Two staff didn’t know how to deal with check in. Just told me I’ll have to wait. No apologies… just a really awkward situation where they just moved on to serve others at the bar! Eventually a manager came along. She didn’t actually engage with me… just showed one of the staff what to do. It was only when they asked for full payment (which had already been made via the booking website) that the manager had to actually speak to me. Eventually shown to the room. As we climbed the stairs there were a load of bin bags full of Xmas decorations which I was told to ignore…! Got to room. Very loud from road outside. Cold as heating not on at the time. No iron/ironing board. Very basic. Bed comfortable enough. Shower ok. For £100 a night, this feels like very poor value. I stayed the night before in a pub for £75 that felt like a 5-star hotel so it can be done. I did pop into the pub during the evening to grab a drink. I stood at the bar for a few minutes (nobody else there waiting) but nobody acknowledged or served me, so I left again and therefore can’t comment on the pub really.

Absolute shambles of a meal! At times we felt like we were eating in Fawlty Towers! We booked a table at the beginning of November for three people for our annual Christmas meal after hearing great things about the pub. When we arrived, we were sat in a walkway to the toilets and outside/smoking area so every minute the door opened with a gust of freezing cold air and with people brushing past us constantly. We asked 4 different members of staff if we could move tables and were told the other available tables were for people who had booked in advance, as if we hadn’t booked 6 weeks before ourselves. Eventually we were moved to a different table by what we assumed is the manager. It took 30 minutes to order our drinks and another 15 to order our food. After 10 minutes the manager returned to our table and told us a big table had just ordered the last of the baked Brie and could we choose something else which was confusing to us as we had ordered 10 minutes before so why were they only just putting our order through?! He agreed to let us order a starter from the main menu as the other options on the Christmas menu were not suitable for my friend with an allergy. When our starters arrived my friends tortellini was raw and not fully cooked so she sent it back, 15 minutes later after we had finished our starters, she received another smaller portion of again undercooked tortellini but at this point she was so hungry she ate it. The manager then informed us he would remove the starter from the bill, which he did not. After clearing the table the waitress brought over dessert spoons, much to our confusion as we hadn’t had our mains yet, when we questioned her about it she asked had we not ordered desserts and we replied well we hadn’t had our mains yet. There was a lot of confusion at the kitchen pass area whilst the staff tried to work out what was happening. We then had to wait even longer for our main courses whilst the staff pandered to the large table, once again ignoring the other tables in the restaurant, even after we had repeatedly asked to order more drinks. Eventually we received our main courses, the turkey and stuffing were nice but the vegetables were somehow burnt and undercooked at the same time. The dessert took 30 minutes to arrive, we joked it was because we had already had them according to the staff. After we asked for the bill the deposit we had paid had not been removed, the starter we were told would be removed had not but they had removed the 3 cheapest drinks as a gesture of goodwill. All in all it was an atrocious evening and we will not be returning, the staff were more interested in the needs of a table of 12 than other paying guests and we were made to feel like we were an inconvenience all evening. All I can say is avoid this pub like the plague!

Teams take their head from the top, and the lack of customer focus from the top by the manager (Joel?), combined with his disappearing team meant that our Christmas Party was more of a Christmas Gripe. On arrival, there was no table set for us and as we took our seats we were given the wrong menu. We should have been asked to wait in the bar whilst the table was set. After confirming that we had booked for Christmas the menu was switched and half a dozen crackers were dumped on the table. We had to chase for drinks and bottles of wine were just plonked on the table - with no cooler for the chilled rose. Orders were taken for all 3 courses. Once taken, the waitress returned after a few minutes to tell us some options were unavailable. The food itself was perfectly tasty and as ordered. Sadly, a good hour after ordering it, we were told one of the dessert options was unavailable, and, to be fair, complementary alternatives were provided. Our booking was from 2045 - 2345 (as confirmed on the booking form sent by the Old Cock) and at about 2300 we were finishing desserts and ready for coffee/liquers and given the cocktail menu. So imagine our surprise when the serving staff all disappeared at 2300 and further orders were forbidden. How can you be in the position of having people still at their table and yet have no staff ? Our evening was cut short by a stingy management approach. As a group of over 50’s we were hardly a rowdy bunch. Times are hard, meaning it’s even more critical to have customers leaving happy. Bearing in mind the waiting staff are probably on minimum wage it is penny pinching in the extreme to expect the bar staff to cover everything - and they couldn’t. Our evening went downhill fast. No coffees, no liquers, just a feeling of being no longer welcome. When one of our party went to the bar to enquire about our coffees/drinks she was accused, by a stressed barman, of being a liar. Needless to say we didn’t pay a service charge, which - also be fair - wasn’t charged, presumably because the team themselves must have realised this wasn’t their finest hour. It wasn’t. How many chances do you give? Sadly unlikely to return.

Good pub, spacious and with a decent selection of ales and lagers.

The service was terrible, the toilets were flooded and the young lad serving at the bar was exceptionally rude. So many nice places in Harpenden, avoid this one - a shame, as it seems to have gone downhill.

Sunday roasts pretty disappointing. Chicken super dry and beef not enjoyable. Creme brulee had split - surprised it was served. Didn't finish either course :(

Beautiful meal with family this afternoon. Service was good. Staff very attentive and the food was delicious. My pie was to die for. Thank you so much.

Great beers. Friendly atmosphere. Great garden for Summer and real fire come Winter. Adds a different pub experience to others on town Sep20. Oh my. No single draught lager. Place empty. Slow service 15 minute wait for drink. Gotta change quickly. Staff need direction. Please. Avoid for me right now. Sorry

Really really disappointed, been coming for years and will not be back. Went on Sunday for Sunday roast, Waited over an hour for our meal, no compensation just told “don’t worry we won’t kick you off table”😡 Ran out of kids drinks and ice cream, no offer of alternative. Staff need training in manners. One staff tried to get argumentative when we asked for custard with out apple crumble, she told me it didn’t come with it when I asked for some she said it’d be £1.50….. although on the menu it said it came with it. When I asked to speak with Joel the manager I got told he has left the business! No wonder the service is shocking. I will not be back and It’s a shame as many good restaurants in Harpenden. They will lose a lot of business without Joel. It was Christmas lights day and they didn’t even have up a tree!

Such a shame. Used to be great. Arrived 2pm didn’t get any food for nearly two hours no explanation or apology. What’s happened? Has there been a change in management? Used to love the service here. The food was good and hot when we got it but it was too late by then, we ate our food and headed home, didn’t have any time left for anything else! They did take 20% off the bill when we came to pay.

Decent food and beer in this well-known pub...food can be hit or miss, but drink selection is always good, as is the service...the staff are great and very welcoming. Nice pub worth a visit

We have been coming to this place, regularly, for nearly two years. We found it very convenient for stopping over so we can visit family and friends in the area. We got to know the staff and Manager of this once excellent place extremely well over this time... However, due to this last visit we, and I'm sure many others, will not be returning..... It seems there has been a disastrous change of management. There is no atmosphere, the food is know where near as good and the once excellent service, apart from one member of staff, Rosie, has now all but gone..... Asked to meet up with the new manager to get to know him, Rosie said he would be ten minutes, after eating food and finishing, no manager appeared, and they were not busy, so wont bother in future..... What were upper management thinking?? The last straw was the room. We always book the same room, and its always been clean etc. Not this time.... To pay £130, for one night with no breakfast and poor service, a room with poor heating and no one to help, broken light fittings, windows that refused to close etc etc is simply, in this industry, suicide for the continuing success of this once great venue. So, find somewhere else to stay, as we, sadly, will have to from now on...

We have been coming to this place for nearly two years. We found it very convenient for stopping over so we can visit family and friends in the area. We got to know the staff and Manager of this once excellent place extremely well.... However, due to this last visit we, and I'm sure many others, will not be returning..... It seems there has been a disastrous change of management. There is no atmosphere, the food is know where near as good and the once excellent service, apart from one member of staff, Rosie, has now all but gone..... Asked to meet up with the new manager to get to know him, Rosie said he would be ten minutes, after eating food and finishing, no manager appeared, and they were not busy, so wont bother in future..... What were upper management thinking?? The last straw was the room. We always book the same room, and its always been clean etc. Not this time.... To pay £130, for one night with no breakfast and poor service, a room with poor heating and no one to help, broken light fittings, windows that refused to close etc etc is simply, in this industry, suicide for the continuing success of this once great venue. So, find somewhere else to stay, as we, sadly, will have to from now on...

Last stayed here 6 months ago & the rooms appear to have gone right down. Very shabby, cracked mirror. desk coming off wall, loads of wall scrapes, shower door not fixed, not enough towels ie 1 each. No attention to detail - on a plus the bed comfy & clean

Great place to meet up with mates and solve the world's problems

Great pub food service and facilities, definitely be back 10.10

Slow service - waiting at least 20 mins for each drink. Poor food - don’t buy the steak - full of fat. Side orders cold. Changes to menu terrible. Won’t go again - gone down hill. Much better restaurants in Harpenden - don’t waste your money

Change of landlord and unfortunately it's all gone wrong! We walked out after 20 minutes (booked table) - couldn't get service at the bar to order or get drinks, staff were not concentrating on priorities, and hot food was sat for minutes at the kitchen door to the frustration of kitchen staff. I'd give it a miss for a month or two until they've learnt the ropes.

Service was friendly and quick and the garden was busy (due to the weather). Stayed one night, the room was lovely, bed comfy and shower had a rainforest head. Would recommend this as a great place to stay

Good pub meal with a good pub grub menu. Recommended.

Good pub, friendly staff. Make sure you book in advance if you want to eat

Amazing, as ever! Perfect drinks, food and service. Thanks, Joel and Team.

Sat for an hour and a half and bought drinks and was then rudely told to “finish your drinks and leave” by an unwelcoming member of staff. We asked why and we’re told to speak to the manager, Joel, which we then did. He walked over and told us we were making the previous staff member uncomfortable and to get up and leave. Baring in mind we hadn’t even looked yet alone spoken to this person. Such a waste of our money to then be treated with immense disrespect by staff and Joel. Surrounding customers even heard the ordeal and were appalled, explaining how we’d done nothing wrong and were shocked at the way we’d been spoken to. Plenty of other pubs to go to in Harpenden that have a higher rating than a 3.5 for future reference.

Very nice place for family, friends or colleagues. Great spacious indoors and outdoors. Food is nice if they have the stock, usually half the menu is not available. Ordered seared salmon but it came out fully cooked. I’m not sure they understand what seared it but it was still tasty just a bit over cooked. Excellent selection of drinks and very clean place + toilets.

Amazing friendly staff! Great food and drinks, with a good selection. Outdoor seating area is a big selling point

I was enjoying some drinks with friends, when asked to leave for no reason because we were apparently making a member of staff 'uncomfortable' . Me and my friends were rudely spoken to by one member of staff in particular and the manger. Will not be returning as there are much better pubs in harpenden. Also drinks are very over priced!!!

Really enjoyed the brisket pie with buttery mash, just the ticket on a miserable day like today.

Our online booking was cancelled by this restaurant because “the kitchen will be closed all day”. In fairness, I received an email and a phone call to check I was aware of the cancellation, hence two stars not one. I appreciate that unforeseen circumstances can arise, but when I dined here a few weekends ago all but a couple of the dishes on the menu were unavailable. It would appear this restaurant is having problems, which is a shame because when they are functioning properly, the food is really outstanding, so I hope things improve soon.

The best polish girl in the kitchen, Gabi chef doing amazing job. 🙂 Very nice outside area for a daily pint 🍻 🍻 🍻

Excellent spot for a beer, outside or inside

We stayed at The Old Cock for 2 nights in order to attend a wedding. We had a lovely evening meal on the first night of our stay. The inside and outside areas of the bar and restaurant were pleasant and clean. The accommodation was also of a high standard and reasonably priced. Breakfast is not offered but there is a cafe next door which is also excellent. Overall a very enjoyable experience.

An enjoyable lunch - we booked in advance for three couples and had a 2 .5 hrs catch-up. Staff very attentive, Delicious Scotch Egg matched my beer beautifully whilst everyone else drank the Sauvignon Blanc with initially the focaccia bread, and shared platter of cured meats/olives/ hummus etc - then for mains - fish pie x 3, roast beef, chicken nicoise and the salmon. Everyone very happy. Ice creams and chocolate brownies for the diehards. Staff were just as quick with the carafes of iced tap water, as they were with beer and wine. Food well presented and piping hot. Beautiful afternoon with the glass doors fully open onto the back garden. Back home to watch an Oldie go down to a boy at Wimbledon - Ah well!

Excellent food in a lovely outdoor environment.

We came in Tues 4th, pretty much first in at 12pm - quite a lot missing from the menu. Food was okay, nothing amazing, food portion sizes could be bigger on some of the dishes, there was also quite a wait time for the mainz and the pub wasn't even that busy. Waitress was nice, but the bar was left unattended a few times, so we couldn't go up and order another drink easily. (Even though they should come and ask at the table) Would give another try, but it definitely needs up its game.

Lovely atmosphere and great food and good service. Perfect for a private function.

Lovely venue and position but staff attitude is appalling. They made no effort to make us feel welcome, sell a meal to us or make the experience a pleasure - instead they did the opposite and made us feel more like an inconvenience. Staff training in customer service is severely lacking / even non-existant and constructive feedback was just rebuffed. We witnessed a local business owner walk out in disgust, saying that if he treated his customers like that, he would not have a business. A dreadful experience - we too will now be walking with our feet and taking our custom elsewhere.

STAFF very rude and make bad drinks don’t waste ur time or money

Room was great. You can hear some pub noise but not very much. Drinks are good. Food was extremely good but ok. Service was BRILLIANT!

Really nice pub, wine selection is great. However there is a distinct lack of options for vegans and gluten free, unless you just want chips. A shame as the food looks great. Its a lovely place to spend a summers afternoon.

Really hard working owner, who seemed to be managing things on his own. Shame that the new barstaff were not quite up to speed yet, but hope they will learn. Excellent atmosphere on a very hot Friday evening. We stayed over as had attended a funeral of a close relative. Feel the price of rooms a tad expensive when it lacked some of the expected touches of boutique hotel. We had to share a hairdryer with my parents who also stayed. There was no water, biscuits in the room and another touch would be robes and slippers. In fact my parents had no coffee sachets at all. We did like the "communal' fridge on the landing but it only contained around a 1/4 pint of milk and a litre of coke. I don't want the owner to think we have come on here to complain as we would have enquired whilst there but was a little tricky toing and froing from the funeral and that the accommodation is not directly accessed via the pub. I wish you success with your business and hope that you can take our observations in the good way intended

Excellent location staff are very friendly polite and professional good choice of drinks very reasonably priced and plenty of places to sit inside and out, lovely garden especially on a sunny day. The rooms are lovely, very clean, large comfortable bed and lovely bathroom and plenty of clean towels. I would highly recommend this place and definitely going back.

Only had a drink so can't comment on food but a nice looking place and friendly staff.

A big thank you to Lexi for her five star service today! The food was great, the drinks were refreshing and the service was excellent. Thank you!

Absolutely NOT LGBTQIA+ Friendly, unless you're straight passing. Misgendered twice (with notice) and service was up there with the overall Tory aesthetic and vibe of Harpenden (awful).

Lovely food, lovely staff. Only thing keeping it from 5 stars is that they could've done with an extra bar tender.

Great pub with ample seating and a good selection of drinks to choose from.

My husband and I popped in for the first time for a Sunday lunch. Service was excellent, the staff were super efficient and friendly. The place was spotlessly clean and I was impressed with the food, the asparagus and artichoke risotto starter was delicious. I thought the food was great, sadly my husband didn’t..he thought his beef was tough and Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes were tasteless…which was a real shame! We had the same thing…two different experiences! He reasoned he would go back, but perhaps order something else from the menu. I highly recommend the place. Lovely atmosphere and decor.

Awful experience eating in the Old Cock Inn Harpenden at lunch time on Sunday 16th April. Having been school friends for over 40 years who hadn't seen each other for quite some, we had been given a recommendation to eat at the Old Cock Inn Harpenden. We were really looking forward to meeting up for a 2pm reservation - 3 of our party decided to push the boat out & treat ourselves to the Trio roast dinner (supposedly beef, chicken & gammon) & the other person ordered the tortellini. The waitress seemed very inexperienced & did not ask how we wanted the beef cooked so we had to step in & request this. When our food arrived the waitress did not announce or seem to know which was which, in actual fact I'm pretty sure it was all the same & overdone. The portion of tortellini was tiny & we wondered if it had been mistaken as a starter! Then, on further inspection, the 'Trio' only had 2 meats - no gammon. Unfortunately, things did not improve as the chicken was dry, vegetables were sparce, limp & unappealing, roast potatoes not great & there was not enough gravy, No spoon provided with the sauces. We didn't get the opportunity to address any of these issues as no one came to ask if our food was ok. When the young waitress arrived after we finished our dinners, we mentioned there had only been 2 meats she was vague "oh, I don't know, I'll check with the chef" - no one came back with a response. We spoke to a different waitress who said we must have been given the 'Duo' & said we would be charged at that price (even though we couldn't find any 'Duo' on the menu). We ordered coffees & 1 dessert & had to ask for sugar plus a spoon as not provided with one of the coffees - we were given a large dessert spoon! Sticky Toffee Pudding took ages to arrive. When the bill came we had been charged at the full 'Trio' price not the reduced rate advised earlier. I wouldn't usually complain but by this point I was really unimpressed & fed up with the sub standard food & indifferent attitude of staff. Spoke to the waitress again about being charged the full Trio price rather than the Duo - unapologetic & disinterested. Deducted a miserly 50p per roast dinner (apparently the difference in price for the mysterious 'Duo' & Trio!) I gave feedback on some other issues with our meal & eventually the dessert was taken off the bill with a comment of "well, there's no service charge". I said I didn't feel satisfied with how the situation had been dealt with & would like to have spoken to the manager but we were informed "he's gone out & we don't know when he will be back". Poor quality of both food & customer service, we expected better. I emailed the restaurant giving feedback & the opportunity to address issues raised - no one even had the courtesy to respond which speaks volumes about the way the place is run. Will not be making any return visit.

Lovely lunch today, great service and decent portion. Definitely recommend

Fantastic food and brilliant service. We were also very impressed by the decor.

Lovely surroundings, and pleasant staff.

Three real ales always available.

Excellent food couldn't fault it. Pleasant and friendly service but a bit slow.