The Alford Arms in Dacorum

A really nice Saturday lunch with the fam in the cosy Alford Arms . Firstly the staff were attentive and friendly. Our table ordered the beef stew with dumplings, sausages and mash, schnitzel and pasta, the salmon and the special of plaice in a buttery sauce. The fish dishes were exceptional, with the salmon crispy on the skin and the Plaice tender and complimented with capers and herbs. The roast potato and veg allowed for a right mopping of the remnants also. The sausages and mash I was a little indifferent to, as the gravy lacked flavour and the sausages were a little dry. The stew was well received and perfect for a mid autumn belly warmer. The fish justified the price paid, but the sausages and mash brought the average down. We will definitely visit again.

Lunch for 5 for my mother's 94th birthday. Staff extremely friendly and accommodating with impeccable service. Food tasty and good portions. The menu is changed every 10 days and I noticed that some of it local produce. I loved my roasted cauliflower on a puy lentil Dahl with a pomegranate and shallot dressing. Very happy and will return when next up from Devon.

We have enjoyed the Alford for more than 25 years. Dave and Becky, the proprietors, were welcoming even before we moved out from London to Berkhamsted. You will see every walk of life, generation and activity represented.

Best Sunday Roast anywhere for years. Actually freshly roasted potatoes and insanely good Yorkshire Puddings. Very much appreciated refuel after a decent walk!

I've visited this lovely pub several times over the past few years. Each time the hospitality and service has been great. The beers, wines and food are very good and I recommend it whole heartedly. The food is fulsome and a few lighter options on the menu would push the food mark to 5 stats, but that is a very minor criticism. I will be back, many times I suspect. UPDATE, October 2024. After a walk through Golden Valley, 13 of us had booked our Saturday lunch at the Alford Arms and along with two dogs we thoroughly enjoyed a selection of mains and desserts. All were highly rated. Full marks all round for hospitality and service in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Well done, again, Alford.

This pub may have been good once but now it is playing on it's dubious reputation. For what you pay the main course is a complete p*ss take. When you are paying £22+ for one dish in what is really just an ordinary pub you should not have to pay extra for vegetables to go with your meal, which would cost nothing for them to produce but would go a long way to making the meal more satisfying, just a few potatoes or greens is all it would take. I was left still hungry and with the prospect of having to buy an expensive and no doubt small desert in order to satisfy my hunger; I refused. The food is nice but not spectacular and the main dish being served in a tiny tin which should have been at least twice the size was very disappointing. The staff are very pleasant but you feel this is well rehearsed and the atmosphere of the pub is pleasant enough. It's a shame because these type of places seem to think they are fine dining but when you are sitting at a rustic wooden table with paper napkins' next to the men's bog then fine dining it most certainly isn't. I like pubs and I like eating out but this is the 2nd time I've been here because I gave it another chance, suffice to say I won't be returning and I would not recommend it, unless you don't mind being taken for a mug.

Had an amazing experience at The Alford Arms. We celebrated a birthday here and the whole team were so kind and made the day feel special. A huge shoutout to our amazing server Ian who went far and beyond to make our evening memorable. The food was outstanding. Lots of flavour and the menu was carefully put together. The value for the quality provided was not just for the phenomenal food but for the wonderful service. Totally worth every pound. We will be returning for another amazing meal. Thank you.

Lovely country pub. Very good roast dinner, really nice staff.

Gorgeous pub, fabulous service, delicious food. Would definitely return

Just perfect. First class team here, welcoming, professional and kind. Superb coffee and a cigar too. Loved it. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Had been looking forward to trying the Alford arms but sadly today it did disappoint. Forgotten starter and cold main after a 50minute wait. Kindly subpar food was taken off the bill but overall still a disappointing experience.

Delicious food, friendly young people.

*dog friendly* Situated along some great Ashridge walks, A very well presented pub with separate dining and bar area. Warm open fire and very comfortable seating. I felt very cozy and welcomed here. Staff friendly and chatty with a great personality - Lucy my server was attentive and pleasant. The lady manager was lovely too! Started off with a Venison croquette which was full of flavour, the onion ketchup really complimented it! Unfortunately they were out of ox cheek which I really wanted so will have to return for that one, I opted for the *specials* Pork belly with polenta, celeriac and parsnips. Overall a nice dish albeit I’d prefer some greens there as felt quite monotone with the root veggies but flavour was nice and the crackling was great! The caramelised banana panna cotta was not what I expected and it was pleasurable, although flavourful felt like it was missing something, maybe a more intense toffee sauce. Passionfruit sorbet complimented it very well Finished off with the cheeseboard! Overall I really enjoyed it here and shall be returning, thank you chefs and staff can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Food was excellent, but the people looking after us were exceptional. Welcoming, attentive and knowledgable. Would thoroughly recommend a visit.

very disappointing. calamari was not up to standard. thin and not many for the price and the sauce looked as if it had been thrown on the plate. my friends bubble and squeak was not good and she left most of it. the potato was not crispy and the bacon was thick and salty. I was told by the waitress that unfortunately a lot of the appliances were not working. so why open?

Excellent food and relaxed atmosphere. All staff were 5 star and so was the food! Thoroughly recommend thank you we will be back!

Lovely atmosphere! We paid for the 'fine dining'!

Tastiest meal ever! After many many years of enjoying the Alford Arms the latest meal was the best. With charming service and exquisite 'wild' table flowers in a pewter jug, the starter, main meal and dessert were all delicious.

Staff were attentive, but the food could have been better. The menu is limited, and one dish was not available

Cold outside but warm experience inside. Great food, staff and ambience. Will return.

We have been here numerous times and every time the food and service has been perfect. Today was a Sunday roast. Delicious! Highly recommended

Nice spot in the country but food misplaced. This self styled gastropub is a hit locally, but in truth has a very odd menu, is over complicated and generally not executed well. Some things were ok, some things were just tasteless and the menu tries too hard and tries to marry food that really doesn’t work. They would be better focusing on turning out classic french bistro food cooked with care. By any stretch it is nowhere near the standard of a good London gastro pub but prices are similar.

Love the location, staff are mostly friendly, food is a good standard but doesn't really reflect the price. I guess with these village locations they like to charge a high premium because they can, given the property prices and the snobbery of some locals.

Excellent service and the food was great too, the soft shelled crab starter was divine, the bollognaise was good if not spectacular, overall a lovely experience and we will definitley go back

Sat outside on a beautiful day, amazing service, comfortable seating and incredible food. Dog friendly 🐾

Beautiful pub with lovely attentive staff and amazing food! Definitely a new local favourite!

Amazing service. Friendly staff and very accommodating at the last minute. Food was excellent, wine was lovely and dessert hit the spot. Thank you for the excellent evening

Great pub and friendly staff, I love this place

Just visited this pub after a long local dog walk. Service was excellent and as for the food, one of the best Sunday roasts I've ever had. Would definitely recommend this to anyone. Top marks all round!

Recently paid a visit to this pub and had an excellent experience. Set in the countryside near to villages. Booking is essential and the car park is relatively small. The food was very good, lots of taste, well presented, and served with a smile. My only slight moan was my crab starter. I could find very little,if any, solid crab. If the crab was in the sauce that came with the dish, which was delicious, was the crab bit of this dish, then I apologise. Would definitely return, keep up the good work.

Always excellent. Came here again for dinner my wife’s birthday this week . The food was excellent. Salsarah is without doubt the best waiting staff ever. What an asset to the business.

Experience great. Food excellent , atmosphere very charming and comfortable , staff , attentive , professional and charming .food locally sourced , interesting Tasty and beautifully presented . Hard to Improve A gastronomic pleasure , food,. Staff the whole ambiance , country location and service at its best ……..don’t miss out .

Went there recently for lunch for our 55th wedding anniversary. The weather was glorious so we sat outside on sheepskin covered picnic bench. Had a lovely cider and beer. We had four starters between as they looked very exciting to try lots of different dishes. The staff were very attentive and we had a thoroughly wonderful meal.

Wonderful food and the pub always makes you feel 'cosy' and at home. Staff and atmosphere so friendly and just the perfect day/evening.

Visited for dinner on a very hot Sunday evening. We had booked a table by phoning a couple of weeks previously as although the website states the kitchen is open until 9pm it does not appear possible to book a table online after 4.45pm on Sundays - our booking was for 7pm and we were not asked if we wanted inside or outside seating. Unfortunately all the outside seating had been taken so we ended up eating inside where we were one of only 3 tables so there was no atmosphere. It was very hot inside with no air conditioning and as a result we did not stay for dessert. Having said all that the food we did have was excellent and the service, which could have been a bit prompter, was very friendly.

We had dinner at the Alford Arms and we can strongly recommend it. A lovely August early evening, and even at 6.15pm the place was pretty full and buzzing both inside and out. Despite that, and with at least one large party to manage, the service was attentive, friendly and light-hearted with no sense that the staff felt under pressure. The meal - from an imaginative and creative menu - was excellent and all three courses were well presented. It was clear that, although busy, the kitchen was well in control of demand. A very enjoyable evening and good value too.

Beautiful cosy and a very friendly pub. The food is delicious. The staff is always attentive and kind

Visited this pub for the first time on a weekday for lunch (2nd July 2024). Very friendly service and they quickly found us a table which we were very grateful for. But the food turned out to be very disappointing. Very limited choices on the menu to choose from so we did not brother with starters. I had to choose a pasta dish with chicken (orzo pasta with chicken thighs) which was nothing special with extremely salty breaded chicken. The Rib eye steak was fine. The Affogato for dessert was terrible - I don’t know how they could go so wrong with Affogato but it was the worst affogato I’ve had and I always choose affogato in any restaurant that offers it so I was not able to finish it. A very disappointing place to eat. And the food is seriously over priced for what you get. I was not impressed by the toilet facilities either and one of the toilets seemed to be blocked. Won’t be going back.

No fish listed on menu available, rest was average fare. While the outdoor eating area is nice this restaurant is now a shadow of what it was 10 years ago.

Nice variety of food, excellent service

This was my third time visiting the Alford Arms and it never disappoints. Great service, beautiful setting with some lovely walks nearby and absolutely delicious food with locally sourced ingredients. We love that the menu changes monthly with daily specials so you can try something different or stick with the classics!

Lovely roasts, lovely beer in a lovely location. What more could you want? The service, that was very good too. Will be back for more very soon

First time actually eating inside inthe restaurant. Excellent, we will be back again (we are local).

Always a good experience to eat at Alford Arms on a summer evening. Great food

Service - outstanding! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was super friendly and attentive. We felt at home, as soon as we walked through the door. Food - contemporary, with some lovely flavour combinations. We had the pea panna cotta for starters - slightly bland on its own, but beautifully balanced when eaten with the peppery rocket and asparagus salad. For mains we had pan fried salmon in a katsu sauce (delicious!) and beef ragu (also tasty) for mains. Since it was a celebration, we treated ourselves to rum baba too - served with coconut sorbet and mango and chilli salsa. A beautifully tantalising dance for your tastebuds. I loved the sorbet - my husband would have preferred creamier coconut ice cream. Truly delicious - and needless to say it wasn’t long before our plates were empty! We had a truly wonderful meal. Dropped one star, as my husband had a stomach upset that night - which he thinks (but can’t be sure) may have been the ragu. Despite this we would definitely go back to the Alford Arms again.

Beautiful country ‘luxury’ pub. Delicious seasonable cocktails plus absolutely mouth-wateringly good food and generous portions. Set in an idyllic little spot with a lovely outside/inside dining area with fluffy sheepskins to sit on at wooden benches (plus inside dining). The lovely fella who greeted us at the bar and took our orders could not have been more welcoming and immediately gave us that, ‘we’re definitely coming back here’ vibe. All the staff were lovely too.

Also excellent staff , particularly James who effortlessly manages very hectic restaurant dogs kids all in his stride , and certainly keeps us coming back for many years now .

Second visit and still very very impressed. First off fantastic hosts from the momeny you arrive to the moment you leave. First tme around I had the Sunday Roast beef which was amazing. Popped in their yesterday in the middle of a mammouth bike ride and ended up having 3 courses - with no reservation. First up the jerusalem artichoke sald which was simple but effective and very tasty. Next tried the crumbed sardines in a seafood broth with orzo - amazing. Rounded it off with the lemon posset. The bike ride home was slightly harder work. Off back next week with the kids.

We popped in on Saturday afternoon, we only stayed for a quick drink and a bite. We sat outside the service was exceptional! The gentleman running outside was so happy about his work, he's truly a credit to the the place! If we had more time we'd have stayed alot longer!

Our favourite pub for food and lovely local walks. Always a joy to come here, keep it up and we’ll be back shortly

We were a group of six. Food was not as expected or previously experienced. The bubble & squeak main was too salty and too greasy and when mentioned was not deducted from bill even though hardly eaten. We ordered several bottles of wine but were not offered to taste them before drinking. Plates were handed to us rather than placed on table meaning the plates were cold and the food became cold before finished.

We visited here many years ago and much water has passed under the bridge since then (and I hear a fire as well!). This has been really nicely redone. The staff are fabulous, especially one, whose name we didn’t get, but she wears a bow on her plait. She couldn’t have made our lunch more agreeable. Fabulous choice of dishes, wines, and two birthday candles for my and my friend’s birthdays. A wonderful lunch out.

A member of staff outside was exactly the kind of person you’d want representing your business. He went above and beyond and his recommendations of the menu and wines were perfect. The steak and the orzo were lovely!!

We've had the pleasure of eating at the Alford Arms several times over the last few months, with good results however ... Our two most recent visits have changed our opinion. Among the numerous minor issues that collectively marred the experience: - waited five minutes for menus before having to flag a waiter and ask for them - no drinks order taken - bucket of serviettes and cutlery hastily added to the table after order was taken ... with insufficient cutlery - main courses delivered while we were no more than halfway through our starters - no one checking on our meals - upon clearing the table, the waiter asked if we'd like anything else .... we request a menu to look at the desserts .... again five minutes pass before getting up and getting it ourself - staff not allowing guests to pass through the doorway from the patio before them - general lack of attention to customer service - waitress dropping the bill on our table while speaking to another server - no eye contact, no thank you etc. The food remains good, but that's only half of the equation. We'll stick with other options for the foreseeable future.

My husband and I come here regularly and really enjoy the food, drinks and general atmosphere of the restaurant. Also now that summer is on its way we will be spending plenty of time in their lovely garden. I just wish parking was better.

Lovely country pub . Great service - very friendly. Food was very good . Good range of beers ….

Not a bad place but quite small portions and London prices. Limited selection of beers. If you’re a fan of Camden beers stop over. Otherwise probably not worth it.

Hidden gem in a nice quiet location. Ideal stop on walk in county 🙂 very friendly team and fantastic food

Delicious locally sourced food and varied drinks menu as well as friendly staff and picturesque landscape.

Really great pub. Very popular and rightly so. Lovely mix of dishes on the menu catering for all tastes, very good and cheerful service. And the dog is welcome.. And they have treats for the dogs too!

Overall I had a good lunch there as it's a nice pub and the staff were great. However, I found the food a little disappointing. The quality of the produce was good but I found it lacking in flavour.

Brilliant menus full of interesting and well thought out dishes. The chefs cooked everything to perfection. Staff were welcoming and attentive giving excellent advise on wine pairings with meals.

I used to visit years ago when I lived in St Albans - had the opportunity to revisit twice over the last few months - what a great place - the wine list is interesting and diverse - the food is fabulous - and, the staff are just lovely - the location speaks for itself - so pleased to have the chance to revisit and that, if anything, it is even better than I remember it !

We are always blown away by the delicious food, wonderfully friendly staff and the beautiful setting of The Alford Arms. We had the rustic bread with the delicious baked garlic - super tasty! Followed by the bone marrow dish - absolutely delightful and the tasty beetroot salad. For pudding, we had the brownie with marmalade ice cream… so good! We would highly recommend a visit! We will be visiting again soon!

I went there with my colleague and the whole experience and environment was warm and welcoming. Definately a good shout for an outing.

Sunday Roast was very good, prompt service, good sized portion. Massive Yorkshire puddings, 3 options on the menu plus the usual lunch menu. Good beer selection.

Nice pub, we did not eat there. Drinks okay, just normal pub, nothing special

Delicious Sunday roast on a sunny day. Easy parking with spacious car park. Picturesque village setting with stunning architecture. Superb friendly service and reasonable prices. Highly recommend.

I really liked that they had space for my baby’s pram and we were comfortable enough to enjoy our lunch. The food was tasty. I want to thank our lovely waiter who was so kind and helpful and he was smiling as well! The serving was brilliant! I also loved the warm fireplace and the cozy atmosphere!

We had a wonderful meal , And the staff were very friendly and a great atmosphere too .

This is my absolute go to. Dog friendly pub. Amazing food with a proper nod to provenance and seasonality, and exceptional and friendly service.

Lovely place. Access road and parking a bit narrow but managed

We went for lunch to celebrate my husband’s birthday and it was a big disappointment! Don’t bother going as the food is way below par for its price. Food took 25mins to hit the table and the staff was not friendly.

5th March 2024 for lunch Staff were polite and friendly Food was bland and very overpriced We are experienced diners having ate in hundreds of pubs and restaurants in the last 40 years Would never go back.

The quintessential country dining pub. Refined pub food and great beer all in a beautiful country pub. Great for a stop on a walk or catching up with friends. The friendly staff will always be happy to assist.

We had a lovely lunch at the Alford Arms on Wednesday. The new menu had some really good choices and it was difficult to chose. In the end I, I had scallops to start, followed by Coq au Vin. Others had Porchetta and Hake fillet. All were very good and the service was excellent. There are also vegetarian options available. This is not a cheap place, but well worth it.

Nice pub but too much choice on the menu to do everything properly. Went there for lunch during the week and my husband ended up spending the night vomiting and the next day in bed after having eaten the velouté of goat cheese followed by porchetta.

A brilliant lunch at the Alford arms, service was super friendly and helpful and the food was delicious! Can't wait to go back!

Gorgeous pub, gorgeous food and service.

Amazing food, great wine and the best staff! Ellen was particularly good with us - thank you! All the food is locally sourced and is incredibly fresh.

A lovely pub we ate here and celebrated my cousin's birthday a little disappointed with my choice of dish but service good and everyone had a great time!

Crispy pork belly that was worth a 10 mile hike :) We will be back to try other things as all looked fantastic.

We visited with some friends after a very muddy dog walk, and we were greeted by Ian. He was so warm, welcoming and friendly. He immediately took our drinks order and got us food menus. He then offered to move us to a table with heaters, as soon as one was free. He continued to be friendly and attentive during our visit and he really enhanced our experience at the pub - it’s the best customer service I’ve had in the past 12 months. The food was also fresh, hot and delicious. Thanks for a great experience!

My review is based upon the last 4 visits both alone and with others. The food is superb and the staff are excellent. This is an impressive pub.

Looking for a nice sunday lunch for a family birthday and not disappointed. Staff were very friendly, service was excellent, and the food was absolutely delicious. Not very often a sunday lunch tastes like you would at home, but it was superb. Was very busy but not overwhelming and clearly popular. Will definitely go again.

Country pub with a lovely atmosphere. Interesting menu. We had a great meal at the Alford Arms. I had the flatbread with halloumi to start followed by the Bubble n Squeak as a main, which was served in the style of eggs benedict with the B&S acting as the bread. It was absolutely delicious. All the other meals we had were gorgeous too. I ended up having the spotted dick with custard for pudding. My only criticism was I would have loved a tad more custard. For me what the difference between the Alford and most other so called Gastropubs was the service. It was absolutely top notch. Alovely experience all round and we will definitely be coming back.

Took an hour for us to get our food the other day, people who ordered 20 mins after us were getting theirs. Waiter was obnoxious instead of helpful when asked about the delay.

Our favourite pub. Food, drink, and service are always excellent.

Very good food, service and atmosphere. A great place to stop off while on a walk. Now does coffee and cake for £6.00.

Great little pub set amongst a beautiful part of Hertfordshire countryside, nice selection of drinks as you’d expect, but asking customers to put on used boot covers is beyond pretentious.

Great allergy awareness and attentive staff. Wonderful food at reasonable prices.

Always a good meal with a lovely atmosphere but I am not sure I like their policy of adding 12.5% tips automatically

I dropped by today for the first time. The food and the beer were both first-rate, in a pretty room with an open fire and friendly staff. Fantastic.

My favourite destination pub. Can't beat the bubble and squeak.

Always dependable for good food and beer lovely pub

Busy , friendly pub that has good prompt polite service . Parking the car is a pain . Especially in the dark winter days .

Nice atmosphere with open fires and traditional British pub feel. Good service and high quality food. 4 stars because portion sizes were on the smaller side, and this place isn’t cheap! (Had the pheasant)

As always, great service and food.

I haven’t been to this pub for 10 years. I used to love coming here and this visit didn’t disappoint. Truly excellent food (the best shepherds pie I have ever tasted and that is a big ask), beautiful starters. The choice of food is impeccable and the staff are so friendly and attentive. I will come back in a heartbeat!

Great grub, as always - Delicious early supper