The Boot Public House/Restaurant in St Albans

It’s a lovely building set right in the heart of the town centre. That being said you could literally go to this place for twenty years and the staff would still not interact with you; and or acknowledge you’d ever set foot in the place before. To say most of the staff are sullen and don’t appear to want to work there is an understatement. Tacos are very good and would recommend everything on the menu.

I was picking up an ebay item near St Albans with a friend and, after reading the reviews of this pub, decided to pop in for a bite and a drink. It was 8pm on a Thursday evening and when we walked in a table happened to become available. So we had a bit of luck... We ordered a bottle of the house red and the duck taco, the chicken taco and the padron peppers. The duck taco was excellent, the padron peppers about the best I've had and the chicken taco none too bad. When we asked our waitress about the peppered humous that came with the padron peppers she enthusiastically told us about it and that on a Saturday the chefs go to the local market, buy fresh fish and make sharing meals around what they have bought. This explained why they don't have a specific menu on their website. The staff here are efficient and friendly. If I ran a pub, Jessie who served our table, is exactly who I'd want to employ. The total bill was £54. A lot of pubs automatically add on 12.5% service charge nowadays, even when all the drinks and food have been ordered at the bar. That really puts people me, and my friends off. However, in this case no service charge was added on... but it was happily given.

Stopped for lunch after a walk. The ploughman’s was delicious. Three excellent cheeses, pickles and a pork pie! All washed down with a.pint of Ghost Ship. Who could want for more?

Arrived a Tuesday afternoon, only one other customer in but greeted with a smile and "what can I get for you" straight away. The lady who served us mentioned that she was the only member of staff working and things may be a bit slower than normal but this was not the case. Ordered 2 drinks and 2 baguettes and came to £13! Was given drinks straight away and shown where to sit (the conservatory) whist we waited for our food which didn't take long at all. The baguettes were simple but delicious, with generous filling. Lovely friendly local pub

Very busy as it was the Kimpton Fair but service was quick in spite of the numbers.

We came on a bank holiday with family… booked a table but mum and dad decided they were STARVING on arrival!! So bar staff said no problem and made a table up immediately !! .. We were a little disappointed as we all wanted a Sunday roast.. BUT we decided on burgers wings and tacos.. we were in no way disappointed!! Tater tots were a big hit !! The boys could probably have stayed all day trying the craft ales - which apparently were very popular.. but being the driver of the day I had to prise them out ( grudging) .. all food was fabulous .. beers very good.. staff were all very good . It did start getting busy as time went on but who wants to go to an empty pub!.. we would have liked a roast dinner BUT mum and dad are still phoning everyone in Portsmouth boring them of the best pub in St Albans so no doubt we will return ASAP.. Thanks everyone!!!

Not had a bad pint or bad service in here. Great location. Great range of beer on tap. Worth the wait for a seat on busy occasions.

Lovely little pub with quick service and friendly staff. We've been here before but keep coming back for the service and friendly staff. Recommend this to anyone anytime.

I like low ceiling atmosphere with Xmas lights on. Just like fairytale. Serving real cask n ales. Heard about their delicious food but didn’t try may b next time. Service was quick. Staff was ok. Right in the middle of town, just next to shopping mall. Good for quick pint. Indoor n outdoor seating. It seems like good for local people, sitting all around the bar but they never realise, it’s hard for customers to order or pick up their drinks from counter. It was soo full packed. Other than that all ok. Enjoyed my drink and time there.

We tried to find a seat in this popular pub the night before, but it was completely full. Luck was with us on the Friday night as we managed to arrive just as someone was vacating a table. We enjoyed a good bottle of red wine at a reasonable price in a lively atmosphere.

Service was fine and offer of beers on tap was extensive. Fairly priced for the area. Great ambience with the exposed beams, crooked walls and all the little quirks of an historic building that is one of the cornerstones of the St. Albans community. We enjoyed our time in here and got warm before bracing for the cold again.

Stopped here after shopping on Sunday. Amazing food the beef tacos are to die for and homemade. They are a reasonable price too. The roast dinner looked amazing so will definitely come back to try that 😋

Great atmos and cheap (for snorbans anyway) Whats not to like right??? 🤪 Need to write more characters 🤪

A great pub in a prime location, and sitting out on the street in the sun is the perfect spot to watch the busy world go by. It feels like there’s a lot of history to the building and the atmosphere inside is nice too, but I have to say it is an expensive pub for drinks. Otherwise, great place!

I was charged £16.40 for a pint of cask ale and a large glass of Sauvingnon Blanc (Chile). The same pair of drinks costs £9.81 at the Green King pub in my local town in the same county. Decided not to stay to eat.

Excellent breakfast, lovely people, very convenient for the village and those just passing through. Proper local pub and very welcoming.

Exemplar town pub, with excellent choice of beers. Good crowd, nice seating inside and outside. Convenient location in the centre of St Albans

Great rooms in a converted stables

Terrible pub so run down and dated the staff are miserable was not impressed definitely not spending my hard earned money here again.

Warm and welcoming with a lovely open fire but could do with some tlc. Needs updating.

A first for 2023! Visited for the first time on bank holiday Monday 2/1/23. Warm and cosy, friendly staff, excellent beer, much appreciated ❤️

One of my favorite pubs in the world. It’s size, and low level ceilings only create an immerse old English pub atmosphere, perfect for Christmas. Will be back again soon.

Craig the landlord is a disgrace. Witnessed his absolute disgusting behaviour towards paying customers today and was horrified by the way he spoke to people. Nice enough pub. Idiot landlord. I appreciate it was noisy with the kids running around but he could easily have gone about it in a calmer, more professional manner

Visited there at the weekend. After witnessing the barman with the red and white jumper on go absolutely nuts at a customer. Never again. It was the way he went about it. He threw a childish tantrum because some kids were playing. I understand the issue but it was the way he went about it. Really unprofessional

Great Sunday lunch - roast beef for me and pork for my friends after a quick visit to the Abbey too. Finished off with fab apple crumble. Staff team were friendly and attentive 😊

This was the closest pub to our Air BnB, so spent quite a few nights here for a quick pint. The 2nd night we walked in, the bartender remembered us AND remembered what we were drinking. Super nice group of staff. Good vibes both inside the pub and outside with live music(although, I don't believe supported by the pub), but I'm sure it helped their business.

Nice helpful staff and good food.

Fantastic pub in great location friendly staff

Very friendly, very nice bar atmosphere, would really recommend it.

A proper pub, with proper beer and staff that know how to serve it. What more do you want. Oh, ten more ch.

Great pub, great Sunday lunch. Friendly staff and good atmosphere

Nice Doom Bar, friendly pub and a pleasant outdoor area with sun and shade

Oh my god the tacos are amazing! After just about everyone I know recommended I check it out I can say it was well worth the visit. Seacider on cask was also a nice surprise.

Recently stayed at The Boot. Traditional pub serving typical pub grub. Nice selection of beers as well. Friendly staff and locals. Service was good. Rooms are clean and do the trick. Plenty of parking. £45 for a small double or £55 for a large double room. Would have been 5 start but the mattress and pillows are past there best and urgently need replacing.

HOur family had a very good lunch today, enjoyed the real genuine pub atmosphere and sunny back garden too. Staff very friendly and helpful. Give them a try if your near Kimpton 🙂

Stood at the bar for almost 10 minutes waiting to be served. Staff appeared nice enough but come on, hire enough serving people for a Saturday night.

We called in for a drink one evening while visiting the area and found ourselves drawn there again on our second and last evening-our group voted it our favourite pub on our visit- we loved the vibe of the place - lovely olde world pub,...

It has the appearance of being a drinkers' pub, so I was pleasantly surprised by the very enjoyable burger and chips I ordered for my lunch.

Great accommodation which was well kept, clean, tidy and welcoming. One thing that did warrant a mention was the mattress which was not particularly great. An upgrade to a higher quality mattress would be ideal. Service within the pub was excellent as well.

Went to the pub after a friendly game of cricket. Ordered a massive jug of pint. Good car parking space. It's a nice village area and people around it are nice and friendly. Quick and efficient service. Main thing is the drinks are very good

Stopped off when on a walk for a drink nice place outside decking and small conservatory, nice clean inside.

The Boot needs to update this profile. Great bar food: Tacos and Churros v. tasty. Order more than one plate if you are very hungry. The tortillas were obviously handmaid and not from a packet! Highly recommended.

Love this place.great food .great staff.lovely place to stay.craig and teens are the most amazing people. Seriously go and have a night there.you wont be disappointed

The boot should be given the boot! Night out with friends - ordered 2 beers, red wine and double gin and tonic. Over £30! Ask to see itemised bill - charged twice for a single gin £4.50 plus the tonic. Outrageous price for a small...

Great food and service while following 'covid' protocols. Guinness was at it should be too!

Proper country pub, open fire, staff 10/10

Last visited 2017, Fabulous old pub. Born in St.Albans and migrated to UK in 1977. When we do go home we always have this as our meeting place for catching up with Family and Friends. Great Food, Great Beer and Great customer service and always...

Its a small, quaint and cosy pub near the market place with a decent real ale selection on offer....

We were visiting St. Alban's and at the time of our meal it was 'Help out to Eat out'. Had it not been for this and had we paid the full price, we most certainly would have been extremely upset.Firstly we were kind of surprised to find this type of cuisine in such a traditional and lovely pub setting - nonetheless, that's OK. As long as the food is good, we needn't mind. The food was actually very nice but the value, I would question. Also something which was just not OK was the waiting time. We waited just under 50 minutes. We could understand (but still not excuse it) had the pub been busy but it actually was very quiet with only three other tables occupied and by small groups. The staff were extremely pleasant and that definitely helped the situation. The question begs;Would we return again for the food?Unfortunately No. This isn't due to the quality or even quantity but strictly down to the value/prices. Again, had it not been for the discount, we wouldn't have been pleased.Irrespective, looks like a lovely pub for a pint and staff are very accommodating. Image attached

Fantastic lunch today. We were a party of 5 and sat outside. Lovely selection of food all freshly cooked. My go to for lunch in St. Albans. Great service 10/10

Treena and Craig, The Boot Licencees, are providing an invaluable service to customers during the pandemic. Their takeaway menu is varied, delicious and suitable for carnivores and vegetarians alike. Their set up is very efficient and confidence inspiring in a worrying time. Just phone them to book a time for you to collect your meal. Their menu is on their Facebook page and (I think) on their website. I live nearly opposite the pub, so can read the menu in their window. Don't delay, order today!!!

Good food and a relaxed atmosphere,

Looked like a lovely pub aesthetically, but we had a disappointing experience when we were served two pints (of the same) beer from a hand pump, that had clearly gone off. After one small sip it was clear the beer was off, so we asked...

The beer was lovely best I've had in ages fresh and cold they also offered us food after the football game dog friendly pub

A fantastic Beamed 15th.Century Public House located in the Market Place of Historic St.Albans. Some of the fiercest fighting during the 1st Battle of St.Albans was fought around this Inn, and on up St.Peter’s Street in 1455.

Myself and a few friends attended the pub for a cosy lunch over the weekend and I was really impressed. The pub has a really good vibe and it is clearly adored by locals, it’s cosy and there’s a good atmosphere. I ordered the fish...

We popped in for a quick bite for lunch and both ordered a fairly standard offer of Welsh rarebit crumpet with onion sauce but we waited nearly half an hour before they arrived. The bar staff did apologise, twice, that the food was taking a...

The Boot is a lively pub very close to the clock tower. It's a single room arranged around a central bar. On nice days there are a few outside seats. It's always pretty busy, but not uncomfortable. We had a very well kept Citra &...

A good pub. Welcoming and warm inside. Great for watching the football games over the weekend.

This is a good lively pub one of the very few traditional pubs left. There was a good choice of beers from the local Tring Brewery it was a nice evening so we sat at one of the tables outside watching the world go by...

Called in for a quick pint on the way to a family party, and my wife and I both had a pint of JHB. It was truly awful. It's a pleasant enough pub, and the staff are very friendly but they really don't know how...

Food was great and family friendly and beer was served fresh the only problem was that I had to duck my head to get in so good other than that a must see place to go in St Albans If you are visiting

A truly fabulous village pub, run by two wonderful people, have never been anywhere more welcoming

A grand old pub with good ales and all sorts of other refreshments - regular music evenings and even in some weekend afternoons. Great spot.

Omg the breakfast was amazing with butcher shop bacon and sasages I got an given an extra sausage instead of mushrooms and tomatoes

This is a nice pub right in the centre of town.I enjoyed my Plowman's lunch and a pint here and an added bonus was that an Accordionist was playing outside in the street.It was not particularly crowded on a weekday lunchtime. I will return next time I visit St Albans.

Right in the heart of the historic sights and close to the cathedral, this is pub is in a great location. The food was excellent as well.

Friendly local.....nothing posh just a decent boozer

It is a few decades since I was last here but I decided to have a pint after a walk around Verulamium. One vast improvement, being over six foot, was that my head is no longer in a fug of smoke! Service was fast, polite and friendly. Although there appears to be a good selection of beers they also seem rather "samey". They are expensive too. I had a pint and a half of well kept beer. Some people were eating and the food looked good. Will probably come back and have a meal and a few pints at some stage.

Excellent pub in a tiny village with fantastic atmosphere and entertainment we will be back

Love this pub, has so much charm and character, staff are very friendly, has good choice of ales and wines, food menu is a little limited but for the size of the pub it’s quite understandable, me and my partner regularly share a evening in this pub with candle light and real fire blazing away.

Have often popped into this pub on a Sunday lunchtime and its usually busy and buzzy. If you can find a seat it would be a good place to enjoy a pint or two. Unfortunately, and as another reviewer mentions below, they seem to have a policy of serving only 'golden' ales - over-hopped and citrusy. We usually manage only one pint before repairing to the Lower red Lion or the Six Bells for a proper pint and a proper choice. A pity.

Had a couple of drinks here, but didn't eat. Its an old world pub in a great location and the staff are very friendly, but although the beer is well kept I didn't particularly like it there.

Great little pub packed so had a great atmosphere playing music friendly staff seating around really great atmosphere a real little find on our first visit to St Albans

Came here Saturday, was busy, had one pint and left. Service was decent, drinks are pricey, nearly a tenner for two guinesses. Wasn't much atmosphere or much going on in here. Ceilings are not ideal if you are six foot plus.

Lovely pub, very busy. Often has live music and a good selection of beers/lagers etc. Well worth a visit.

I have been to this pub so many times, and I really do not like it. On a Saturday night, it is always heaving, noisy, chaotic and full of really loud people. Not for me, but i guess great for people who love this type of vibe.

As ever good service and atmosphere and decent quality ale. However, the range, type and style of beer on offer continues to disappoint.

Calling ahead to book I asked if chicken was on the menu - let me check - yes!! Great, save me one in case you run out as I only eat poultry and fish. It’s at this point I wished they hadn’t taken my booking but that’s hindsight for you. See you Sunday; No chicken roast on the menu but the nut roast is fantastic (apparently) at a little under £15 I’m sure it would be. Well it wasn’t, way to salty and awfully dry. When you wished you complained but you haven’t. The whole thing was a disappointment, ordinarily the crowd pleasers can save the day (roasties) but these were the worst thing on the plate. I wish it was positive feedback for the pub but I don’t have the answers as neither my guests or I were happy. We finished the food, hungry people normally do but we didn’t stay for desserts. I’ve added the pictures so you can make up your own mind.

The team are really friendly and helpful and great atmosphere in the pub. Real shame the fish was dreadful with the consistency of soggy mash potato. Disappointing the plates were just cleared away without comment.

Just saved by a very helpful customer and bar staff from a dry Sunday. Cider to my mobility scooter. What more can I want?

Amazing service in a cute and wonderful pub!! Christian went all out for us to ensure our lunch was perfect. The waitresses work so hard and very very friendly!! Thank you all at The Boot

Family visit to St.Albans, with my Father who used to drink here in the 60’s and hadn’t been back since then. It was a special moment for him and made more so, given that the pub is still a delight. The food was also very tasty, I had the lamb shepherds pie and would choose again if I had the chance

Great pub. Brilliant friendly atmosphere with fabulous hosts. Definitely recommend for great food too x

Family visiting from Cornwall. Wandered around St Albans including Christmas market. Lunch not planned but cold day so went into the Boot. Fairly busy as always but perched at high table with other people. Luckily a table became available . Drinks ordered at bar; said they would send someone to take food order. Must have forgotten as had to return to bar. 2 ordered chilli plus 1 portion of cauliflower wings. 1 order of fish and chips. Really enjoyed the cauliflower.

We love Christian!! He made all my dreams come true and went above and beyond to satisfy my cravings.

I'm a regular visitor of this pub... It's got great beer and food, but not a great amount of space! The tropicana beer they sometimes have is the greatest gift ever bestowed upon humanity. Decent Guinness too!

Very busy afternoon..lovely lunch....a bit tight with seating...When it cleared they put the music on a bit too loud...not a good venue if you have hearing issues...

Even Though The Boot was packed and very vibrant we reserved our table and after a couple of drinks found our table with its reserved plate on, the meal was fabulous and we had a very good time .

Unfortunately we were left hungry after our visit today. We had booked in advance knowing the family were visiting and wanting to take them to a nice pub. We were told on the phone that our party of 6 would be on the table in the window so that there would be room to park the pram. We arrived on time for our booking to a busy pub with no free tables. We were assured that our table was being cleaned but that we could order a drink at the bar while we waited. Sadly we were then told that they had messed up our booking and that we couldn’t eat there after all. As this was late Sunday afternoon we struggled to get a table anywhere else so the Boot rather ruined a lovely Sunday and left our visitors with a bad view of St Albans.

Home from home, with the best landlord and landlady in the business.

Super Pub mit gemischten Publikum und toller Musik. Gute Drinks, nettes Personal, alles Top und sehr zu empfehlen !

I've heard it's owned by an American parent company that doesn't pay an Tax in the UK. AKA a leach

Every Tuesday they do a burrito / chicken wing night and it's epic!! I'd known it had been happening for a while and stupidly not gone... since I tried it I've been every Tuesday !!

Excellent service and a very good pint served

We had lunch there today. There were 5 of us. 2 ordered roast beef dinners, which were good portion sizes, with plenty of vegetables. 1 ordered fish which was a really big, good quality portion. There were 2 vegetarians , so we were really disappointed that the vegetarian option was 'sold out ', so had to settle for the vegetarian starter of new cauliflower and fries.

Nice little pub where we enjoyed a couple of drinks outside watching the world go by. Good service and reasonably priced drinks.

Very friendly pub with the option of food and real ales. Dogs, walkers, cyclists, children and groups all welcome, with the added benefit of rooms in the back to stay in. Very accommodating and friendly land Lord and land lady.

Nice old fashioned pub but with modern atmosphere inside. Friendly staff and a warm welcome. Lovely crisp pint of Peroni, chilled nicely. A favourite place to visit in St.Albans.

This has become our local pub in Baldock. Paula and her team really go beyond duty to make everyone welcome and make sure they enjoy your experience at The Boot.