The Beech House in St Albans

The service was very slow and we had to keep grabbing them for attention. We gave up on coffee with our desert as we already eaten it and we had waited so long. The Sunday chicken was nice but was let down by frozen roast potatoes rather than fresh ones, that's a pet hate of mine.

Great place to eat with the family and very reasonable.

Food: never arrived Service: non existent Atmosphere: mehh Ps toilets smell like they haven’t been properly cleaned in months / years

Went to eat before an event at the arena. We had given ourselves 2& a half hours before the show . The service was soo bad we had to ask the waitress to clear the dirty plates from our table that had sat there for over 30 minutes. Then we were soo rushed to order dessert & pay ,we just about made it to the show .I appreciate that there were only 2 people serving but they shouldn't accept bookings if they can't cope .Food was very nice but would probably not return 😕

Very friendly service and the food was delicious 😋 we popped in for a quick breakfast and we were not disappointed. Thank you so much

Well laid out disabled toilet downstairs nice breakfast menu could due with putting bacon and plain sausage butties on their menu friendly staff always give good service love the smooth taste of the cappuccino

What a lovely lunch out! The atmosphere was spot on with just the right background music and light, making it incredibly relaxing. The service was excellent; the team was super friendly and had great knowledge of the menu, which made ordering easy. I really enjoyed the dish I customised, and it was delightful to see that my request wasn't an issue at all. Plus, the note about tips going to the staff shows they really care about their team – a nice touch! I can't wait to come back!

Last minute dinner for 2 on a business trip. Walked in not long before close and staff were more than happy to let us sit and order food. Service was fantastic and nothing could have been done any better. Ordered Calzone and Pizza which were fresh and tasty. Few pints with the meal too. Really sorry but I can’t remember the staff names who looked after us, even tho they did tell me. Thanks for the great experience 👍🏼 Chris 30/09/24 - Date visited (Evening Time)

Adam and Matthew served us. They were good-natured, efficient and helpful :) The atmosphere was also a vibe. No complaints!

Food, coffee, customer service experience, location, you name it, everything about The Beach House is excellent, from my point of view.

We ate in the restaurant on a Thursday night with next to no other customers. Table service was good but it took over 15 minutes to get our drinks, and only after I got up to ask where they were. I think the person working the bar (possibly the manager) who wasn’t at all busy, forgot our order and went off to clear tables. No apology from the bar person. Not a great experience.

Came to StAlbans for the theatre and found this place, looks very nice, went in, and was greeted politely and seated. Food and drink were quite quick. We enjoyed the food mostly, but I found the garlic bread a little chewy like it was warmed up in a microwave. This was the only downfall, and hopefully, it was a one-off. We will return next time we visit StAlbans.

The Beech House was perfect for a birthday gathering - we had booked in advance and had a big corner table at the far end of the restaurant - there must of been around 15 adults and 2 children in our party. We were greeted by Mark who was a fantastic host - checking in on our table frequently and making sure everything was as good as it could be. The food (Sunday roast in my case) tasted amazing, was definitely freshly cooked and was served promptly after we were seated. Splitting the group bill for payment was painless and obviously something they do a lot. Would go back here next time I'm in the area.

Food was good, staff were nice and atmosphere was pleasant.

I went to the beach house for dinner on friday and we had the best time. The atmosphere was very pleasant, food was delicious and service was amazing! A very big thank you to Alex our waiter who made sure our every need was seen too which made the evening perfect.

The worst breakfast Ive ever had. I had eggs Benedict the egg was snotty (undercooked white) the bacon was like cardboard and the muffin tasted stale. The orange juice was also undrinkable. I am disappointed for them because I know it’s a great venue and maybe it was a bad morning but I felt I had to write a review

The best perhaps, the children's menu. To be fair, the starters were acceptable. The rest is horrible. We had a wait of almost an hour between the starters and the main course. Bad and expensive food. One of the dishes Prawn Spaghetti, inedible. The pasta was soft, the whole plate was left and after complaining they did not propose any alternative. The burgers, without further ado, are similar to those at Burguer King or McDonalds but cost three times as much. In short, I do not recommend at all and I certainly will not return.

Been here a few times now and always quiet

Good food but dreadful service. I brought my coffee back to the Barista as it was not hot. She said she ‘couldn’t control the temperature’ but then reluctantly agreed to make a new one.

Happy people doing their best to please. Thanks 👍

Honestly, one of the best pizza's I have eaten. Not sure why bolognese pizza is not more of a thing. Unfortunately, service was incredibly short staffed and on returning to the location on other ocassions seems to be a recurring issue.

Had a glass of wine, nice place

The waiter was amazing the food, well a lot of amused bouches. Our meals were well portioned.

Great meal tonight at the Beach House. One of the best steaks I've had, as good as Prime! Service was impeccable! Good job!

Wonderful experience here. Really enjoyed our time. The staff seem really accommodating. The atmosphere is wonderful with a great food menu. Even though you looking for a drink or a meal, I highly recommend this place.

Service extremely slow, food was passable but expensive for what is was, overall fine but can’t say more than fine.

We just popped in for a couple of drinks and to share a portion of fries. Good selection of beers and Wow! Possibly the best fries I've EVER had. Perfect.

Went here for my mums birthday. Lovely staff. Good food& atmosphere.

Food was below acceptable and inedible. When complained a £10 discount was deducted from £120 bill which was half the cost of one meal which was inedible when all meals where of a poor standard. Also then had to pay a £11 service charge so didn't actually get any compensation after having the awkwardness of raising the issue. Would not visit again, very disappointing family visit.

Lovely little breakfast we had, nice and tasty

Pleasant bar not too busy when we went at 4pm . Service was OK, I wasn't sure if the barman wanted us there. Very little eye contact and very matter of fact. Definitely no smiles. Waitress on the other hand was very polite and welcoming and smily. Drinks seemed a bit pricey but good selection of drinks.

Staff were pleasant and efficient and the food hot and tasty. Visited mid week so seating was easy to obtain but I passed by at other times and it was heaving, so pre book if you can.

Great food, staff and service very slow, lack detail

Love it here! Such an amazing chilled atmosphere - it feels like a private members club. Lovely Aperol spritz and pizza, amazing waitress (brunette lady who moved all our things inside when the weather worsened!) and a great atmosphere.

I had a business lunch, and a waitress called Emma retrieved a very precious keepsake to me; a Concord final flight leather wallet. This was particularly helpful of her, and indeed, she was very professional and welcoming throughout the meal.

Booked for a group of 10 that became 11 and manager could not have been more helpful on a busy night. Good choice of food served by cheerful staff. The only disappointment was the lack of any real ale on the evening

Food itself was good as were portion size. Unfortunately we had to wait almost an hour to be served after ordering. Not good when there is also a young child present.

Dreadful service on Easter Sunday.

Great atmosphere, great service, great meal and time in family. Couldn't have asked for more (Loved the lobster entries)

Didn't eat as the state of the toilets were absolutely filthy 🤬the stairs also going up to toilets were black and shelf was full of dust?!! . This isn't down to your bar staff this is down to youse as a company to employ cleaners as your Amersham one is the same dirty and filthy toilets!!!?. You as a company as losing a lot more money than making it because of dirty premises so get your act together and get professional in to give your establishments a good deep clean then keep on top of the cleaning as youse as a company as losing customers and money.

Very slow service. food average and over priced.. 2 different areas of this place. front not sure. main restaurant waiter but have to be checked in . made the mistake of ordering from the just drinks. said we were having food . told you have to check in 1st. ordered a Latte 12mins later i go chasing it . told they are making it . ordered pizza it came within 7mins. has to stand up to get someone attention to pay . presented with bill. no one came back to take my card . had to stand up again . the place was not busy.

Came for lunch in bar area around 2 ish. Plenty of tables and people eating. I was told to order at the bar and then waited to be served. The lady behind bar then said she didn't know if they were serving food and had run out of cutlery. She asked the manager who was the rudest person on the planet and just grunted a no. Since moving nearby last May, we have been good customers of this restaurant. Bringing friends for lunch and dinner on many occasions. I can't express how bad I felt at the treatment and they don't deserve to have a business license.

We visited the beech house for dinner on mother's day and woe it did not disappoint. three of us had the lamb from the mother's day menu which was just incredibly delicious and satisfying. the others had burgers. the waiter who served us had great menu and allergen knowledge and was so helpful as we had two different dietary requirements at our table, which with other restaurants is sometimes a bother but the beech house handled this so excellently. we will be back! it's my fourth time eating here, third time having a Sunday roast and it's been exceptional each time!!

Go to this place every year for our anniversary as it was our first date venue. Love the food, staff are always really polite and helpful! The only thing this time around is that they ran out of roast potatoes for our roast dinner but was replaced with mash so no biggie.

Came 5mins late to a Mother’s Day reservation and they gave a family with 3 small kids a high top table where the kids could not reach the food even when other tables were clearly available. Once we sat down no one took our order or acknowledged our existence for 30mins. If we weren’t hungry and other places busy we would have walked out. Avoid this place.

Came 5mins late to a Mother’s Day reservation and they gave a family with 3 small kids a high top table where the kids could not reach the food even when other tables were clearly available. Once we sat down no one took our order or acknowledged our existence for 30mins. If we weren’t hungry and other places busy we would have walked out. Avoid this place.

We reserved a table in the bar area as we were bringing our dog. The table was set up for us with a water bowl for the dog. We had excellent sevice from James. Our food and drink arrived promptly. We can recommend the pizzas and Spaghetti Bolognese. The mini deserts are not too small - if you have space the (fresh) doughnuts and chocolate sauce are very nice. If there's any complaint it's that the bar area, being near the door, is not warm.

Went with my partner for brunch, lovely place, chilled atmosphere,food was very good and good menu selection,plus staff were very pleasant too.

Obviously don't expect a quality food or anything remotely resembling a professional customer service. Tired, spiteful and unprofessional team. A decent shift manager though I must add. They brought me a raw roast beef, and when I complained, they overcooked the beef and pudding just out of spite. I hope they'll get their act together as they used to be alright years ago.

Went with my wife and two daughters on Sunday 11 Feb. We ordered two pizzas, one fish & chips and a Porchetta Sunday Roast. Pizzas were rated very highly, fish and chips - the fish nice and crispy and chips plentiful. The Porchetta which I had was amazing. Delicious, flavourful and the size was more than satisfying. The veggies that came with it were very nice. Service was quick and friendly. We are going back again, soon. Thank you🙏 to all at Beech House !

The vibe of the restaurant was generally okay. The chicken gave me food poisoning - stomach pain and needed to get a day off work. It tasted like it was pre-frozen and the bone was black. I had a few bites before noticing and left the whole thing but the damage had been done. Not good.

Great bottomless brunch with friends. Food was lovely with a great choice. We had prosecco and mimosas. Really good value for money

Waited eons to be seated then 15 minutes later was asked for our drinks order. 40 minutes later our food arrived The chicken roast was moist and tasty the burger the same. It wasn't at all busy but the people working there seemed uninterested and non smiling. We won't be going back. The tipp was added to the bill which I do not like. Had to ask for it back.

Great place to grab a bite to eat, and have a drink! I went for a Napoli Forte wood-fired pizza that was freshly cooked, and was amazing! The service was fantastic and the staff were very friendly, so all-in-all, well worth a visit.

We had a nice family tea here this week, food and atmosphere were great!

Came here with some friends recently. It's quite nice on the inside, but the service was really slow and the food although really good quality was expensive and portions were small. I prefer The Peahen down the road for drinks.

The staff were amazing and friendly, the woman that served me had a smile every time she approached me the food was out of this world, I don't live in St Albans but will be back

Came for brunch with the family. The restaurant was fairly busy but we were left standing around until we found our own table. The service was slow and the food was a tad disappointing and cold. The portions were tiny. All in all a very poor experience which I will never repeat again.

Friendly polite lady served me and my friend today, the food was fresh and tasty and reasonably priced considering the current climate. Will definitely be going again. Highly recommended.

Great meeting place. The staff are very accommodating, friendly and welcoming.

Great ambience and selection of drinks, go to place for anything you want really!

A lovely cafe with delicious meals and cakes, coffees, etc, And it's dog friendly! Perfect place for a rest after a long walk on the beach.

Great food. Great service. We ordered spaghetti puttanesca mussels and sea bass with celeriac. (Starter bruschetta with mozzarella). A green salad as a side. All perfect, fresh and well-presented.

Always lovely, friendly service. Good hot drinks.

Waited way too long for food. Staff all walking around like zombies, know urgencie. Very disappointed.

Waited 1hour and 45mins for our breakfast and half of the order was cold ! … never again

POOR POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE Food was nice BUT it ruined our day as staff acts like the place is empty and it’s only themselves there. You tell them you are ready to order they ignore you, you ask for something they forget to bring, 45min no one checks if you need something and then they don’t even come for you to pay the bill but you need to go and chase them … ridiculous Staff only talks among themselves especially the woman behind the bar with the pizza man…. Oh and the restaurant was empty … I can only imagine when it’s full…. poor poor customer service

Muy familiar y buena comida a un precio razonable

Honestly amazing food, really lovely place and location right in the heart of St.Albans - one of the highest rated places to live in the Uk in Hertfordshire. 100% recommend. Great speedy service also.

Food absolutely incredible. Makes me miss living here. Atmosphere great, speed of service all spot on. 100% recommend

Worst scotch egg I’ve ever had !!! And for £10 ……I think the restaurant forgot the rest of it !!! Service slow ,,, didn’t know what mulled wine was ! Staff just not interested!!

It doesn't matter if you're eating in the restaurant or stopping for a snack / drink in the bar area you can rely on fantastic food, great service and lovely atmosphere. Although they do take 'walk-ins' it's best to book a table in the restaurant on market days, to avoid disappointment. Highly recommended.

Pop in for drinks only, after dinning out with friends, good atmosphere.

Love this place, 1st time was for a large family meal for a birthday and all food had by everyone was great! Staff are friendly, funny and knowledgeable about their drinks and menu. 2nd time was for drinks, just popped in for a cocktail and sat at the front watching the world go by Love the décor and the relaxed atmosphere

roast pork dinner was amazing, nice staff

Visited on a Sunday afternoon. Hosted greeted us like she was making us a favour and had just an unfriendly attitude. Table service was poor, menus left on the table during our meal, plates not removed, even after settling the bill, wrong vegan dish served. Food was average. We won’t be coming back.

This place has a lovely interior with nice warmth and colour and a nice chatty atmosphere. However the teas were not filled well, they arrived lukewarm at best and they did not even have any teaspoons. My hot chocolate also arrived as lukewarm. The staff also looked melancholy as they handed over the drinks. Overall, a nice place to sit but not for a beverage.

Rather cold pizza, tasted alright but saw it sat on the side for near 10 mins

There was a big group of us and the service was great. Food was reasonable and hot.

Brilliant night, food, great drinks selection, wonderful atmosphere expertly delivered service, subtle & knowledgeable. Definitely recommend.

Very nice staff food was nice and reasonable prices 👍

Service lacked a bit of common sense or hospitable spirit - acknowledging waiting customers is fundamental to hospitality. Nice atmosphere and the kitchen area looks inviting.

As a party of 6 we ate Lunch at 12:30 on a Thursday. The food was excellent and good value for money. The specials were creative and delicious. The service was very slow considering there were not many at the restaurant. An hour and 45 minutes for drinks and mains and no desert. We were not in a rush so it didn’t bother us.

Fives across the board. A great atmosphere, fast service, and a good selection of food and drink.

We arrived & were seated quickly. Drinks order taken immediately and food shortly after. 40 mins later, still no sign of food or even drinks, so we left. Don't even think anyone noticed is going!

Fantastic food, lovely atmosphere, good service, toilet needs a refresher 😉

Ate here twice with my father during a trip to St. Albans. We had such a nice meal during our first visit that we decided to go back for another the next day! The staff are really friendly and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed. It seems like a great place to go out for a meal and a few casual drinks with friends. The pork belly is especially good, in my opinion. Hopefully I'll be back in St. Albans soon, and when I am I'm definitely coming back here!

Shambles! Visited here with family- had pre booked a table clearly stating I’d need a dog friendly table. All I received was a confirmation of my booking and no query or question back. When we arrived the man looked puzzled at my booking and said dogs aren’t allowed in the area where the reserved tables are- but why accept my booking then? So we had to sit at a table in the front area. Only ordered some coffees and pastries- they took a good 20 plus minutes to arrive and had to ask where they were a couple of times. When the coffees arrived (all at separate times and well before the pastries finally turned up) they were very cold!! So then were offered some hot milk.. had to ask twice for this as no one bothered to come over with it. The woman who took our initial order seemed to disappear and not come over to our table again. Very rude staff (specifically a woman behind the bar- who I could hear telling who I assume was the manager that she wouldn’t allow us to sit at a table as we had a dog) there was a poor bloke (bald) who looked like he was run ragged whilst the other staff didn’t really do much to help. To top it off they had the cheek to add service charge- for what service?? It’s not difficult to get coffees and pastries right.

Initially we were invited to sit wherever we wanted for food and drinks. All started well but noone came to clear our plates. There was literally no service. We were then told the tables at the front did not offer service, was for drinks only and you had to go to the bar but then charged 10% service on the bill which we asked to be removed as we had not been looked after or received good service. I would not recommend or return. The staff were unhelpful and rude. Very poor experience.

Pretty mediocre for the pricing, it was my sisters birthday and they sat us right next to the really cold aircon, fun! The staff were nice but wait time were long, however it’s a big establishment so understandable and they lit my sisters birthday cake and didn’t charge us for that, i just think the food was overpriced for what we got but it wasn’t a terrible experience, we had a good time, just a little cold:)

Lovely staff decent cocktails but shocked we got half a slice of salami on each slice of pizza

Service was slow because due to being under staffed, food was okay but nothing special

Hung out with friends for drinks. Great atmosphere, can't comment on food as we didn't have any. The staff at the bar was friendly, polite, and helpful. I am rating it 4 stars only because I can't comment on the food

Lovely food, awesome staff, and very friend. Coming back with Family.

Great food and service. Will definitely be back. Something for everyone. The Italian mini doughnuts weren’t that mini and my husband can’t wait to come back and eat more!

I went to Beech House St.Alban many times. Love this restaurant. Steak is very good. Pizza is better. I will come back for sure. But many time that I went, its fully booked. Good for restaurant, but poor me. BTW I still love this.

I rarely leave reviews. I only feel compelled to when I have had either a great experience or dreadfull one, tonight at The Beach House was the latter. We thought we'd try The Beach House, having seen the picture outside of a perfect pizza and the offer of buy one get one free (BOGOF). We arrived about 5.15pm and the place was completely empty, apart from staff, never mind, surley this would mean that we would have great food and service. Right? We ordered two pizzas, one spaghetti vongole, two Mojito's and one Aperol spritz. The drinks arrived. The Mojito's (£9 each) were a glass of 1/3 mint and 2/3 ice, both friends described it as minty water without even the slightest hint of rum. The spritz (£9) hadn't been stirred so it was full of soda water at the top and aperol at the bottom, so I asked for a straw or something to stir it with and was given a toothpick!!! The food arrived. Two anemic looking pizzas and one spaghetti bolognese. My friend said, "this isn't what I ordered " Waitress "what did you order ?" ( don't forget that there are only three of us in the restaurant and two of us ordered pizza) "Vongole " " oh" said the waitress "We don't have any of that." So, what, you are going to swap clams for mincemeat and hope no one notices?? Pasta returned and more pizza ordered, but not before a few heated words between the 'chef' and waitress. Halfway through eating the first lot of pizza the second lot arrived. I say pizza but raw dough and solid lumps of cheese would be a more accurate description. I suspect that the 'chef ' was conscious that out of the three people in the restaurant only two had managed to be served food and so rushed through the order. My friend ate the edges, then cut up the rest of the pizza into little bits and spread it around his plate because he was embarrassed at leaving it all. I went to the loo and returned to the table now cleared of plates, and I was told we had asked for the bill. Ten minutes comes and goes and no bill, but to be fair the customers now totalled six, (though two were little toddlers with their dad so I'm not sure they actually counted) so I went in search of the waitress and found her chatting to the bar staff. I again asked for the bill "oh" she said "I didn't know you wanted it!" My advice... don't be seduced by the BOGOF offer, go somewhere and pay full price for something that is actually edible. But, if you have to go to the Beach House, I suggest the following.. a) point to the item on the menu that you want to order b) ask that it is cooked so that it looks like the one in the picture c) don't order cocktails, stick to wine or beer, they can't fill that with mint and ice. Good luck.

We went with some friends who visited us with their children. They received some crayons and activities to do it meanwhile the food was doing.Nice restaurant to have mealtimes with family and friends. Although they removed from the menu they favorite pizza I still recommend it. The staff really nice, very quick service.

Splendid Sunday roast including a vegan option. Flavorsome gravy, melt in the mouth meat and plenty of seasonal vegetables. Friendly helpful service thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Is this the last of the Summer wine! Let’s hope not!! Busy Sunday afternoon, with market and tables outside. A welcome stop.