The Fox at Willian in North Hertfordshire

We came for lunch with our granddaughter, her husband and our first great grand child, had a snack dinner and spent the night here. The food was good, our granddaughter is Vegan but didn’t have any problems with the menu. We had a garden room, quite large, there is a big walk in shower, the only problem for us is the lack of a safety rail or non slip mat in the shower.

The food at the fox is amazing.we had the Sunday roast and the service from Cormac was excellent,he was very friendly and good to my kids.

Lovely meal at the Fox, great staff and service. Had hake which was cooked perfectly

Really fast service and lovely staff. The Sunday Roast was delicious! Will definitely go again!

We eat here quite a lot. Mainly breakfast. We were greeted by a very happy, welcoming member of staff and served by an equally, friendly happy person. Our coffee and juice was delivered very quickly and we both ordered an English breakfast which was as perfect as it could be. It is rare to get perfectly scrambled eggs even in 5* hotels all over the world. Every ingredient served is a high quality ingredient especially the bacon and sausages. We were also reserved the window table for two with a nice view of the village. This is the best breakfast in the area and well worth the slightly more expensive price.

Easy to book. Occasion was celebrated with card awaiting us and complementary brownies and Happy Anniversary inscribed in icing on served plate. The best ribeye steak for two we have ever had. Great service and ambience. Really enjoyed our evening. Both waitresses who served us were really excellent - attentive but discreet. Thank you for a lovely evening

Kate greeted us incredibly kindly and warmly, being gracious about us being a bit late. We were shown to a very romantic table, away from the crowds. Charley who served us was so good. She gave us time to choose our drinks, brought table water immediately and accommodated my want for a double tomato juice in a large glass. She gave us more time to choose and was so kind when I chose more standard dishes, explained what the sauce was that I didn’t know, it was just super all round. The free focaccia to start was such a nice touch with oil and balsamic. The food came out quickly but pace well and was such good quality, everything was on point, my smoked salmon was beautifully cut with perfect trimmings of capers and the asparagus cooked to a T. My steak was to die for and cooked perfectly medium rare, the chips crisp and delicious. The Guinea fowl was delicious but the cavolo Nero heavenly with the mash!!! My sorbet desserts were lovely and the service, ambience, quality of the food beat their rivals in the area, we are coming back soon!!!!

Entrance : Carpaccio was very good but different from what I was expecting. The slices were slightly thicker that what I had in the past in some other place. Buratta was good but we had to put a bit of salt Main: Guinea fowl and the purée were very good. Nothing to say. Risotto definitely needed more salt. Desert: Brownie was good but I would have prefer it cold just my preferences The Parfait was disappointing even if it was well presented, I regretted taking it. Overall : The food is good in there for the meat menu but they need to improve the non meat dishes. I spent a good time but I may not go back, It was one of my favorite pub with the tilbury but I think it went down in quality and it s not what it used to be, the services seems to be a in a rush and did not present us the note soo we can check before paying. Still a good pu were you ll find good food.

A really excellent experience for a birthday meal. Great menu choices, reasonably priced and prepared to a high standard. Friendly and attentive service throughout. A celebratory birthday plate was presented at the end, which was a lovely touch.

Service and staff outstanding ( very polite and well spoken) Music slightly a bit too loud but speaker was above table Food lovely Roast potatoes a bit hard but offered for sweet which was a lovely offering Thanku

The food was excellent and the waitress, Charlie, was very professional and courteous. A very pleasant lunchtime experience. Thank you.

Great Evening, good service with a bit of humour on a busy Tuesday night, Excellent food and wine choice definitely will be back.

Very comfortable restaurant food is quite pricey and since my last visit ( regular every 4 months of so the nice bread to dip into olive oil and the small chocolates with coffee have ceased - this was something that added a nice difference and is now no longer done Food has always been a bit pricey and remains so but is is good. Service is friendly and I think the staff are overly familiar/ others may disagree.

A really lovely experience. The staff were courteous, efficient and very welcoming. I had the Hake - and it was sensational. Amazing flavours.

Wasn’t that impressed with our Sunday roast at The Fox yesterday, potatoes were under cooked and there wasn't many vegetables; those that we has were hard and burnt?

Was a nice meal, great service, what more could you want

Went for a Saturday night meal here. Nice decor and was busy. Service was fast and staff friendly. Food was pleasant but would say selection on the menu is limited. Prices here are on the high side and I have had food as good at other locations for less. Nothing wrong with this restaurant but just think it’s over priced. 3 out of 5

The steak was inedible, and despite telling the waitress, it wasn’t acknowledged. We were also disappointed at not being shown the bar menu as this is what we had seen on line and wanted to order from - this is why we booked the fox.

Brilliant Service great food Enjoyable evening all round

Highly recommend! Outstanding throughout, the food was exceptional we had starter main and dessert

Booked for dinner as we were staying near by, food and service were faultless. Crab and salmon to start and then shared the ribeye, cooked to perfection 👌 really well presented, served on wilted spinach and mushrooms with truffle chips and a side salad along with three sauces! Good wine list, we just opted for the house red and finished with some espresso martini's for desert. Would definitely recommend

It's a really lovely restaurant and I only did not put 'excellent' due to the price. Also, Willian is a lovely village and you are almost opposite the village pond in which some folk fish. Wide outdoor areas for sunny and dry days. The restaurant has one Michelin star which probably explains the higher prices and is often completely booked. The Fox is part of a small chain of local, high quality, eastern England restaurants that pride themselves on sourcing local ingredients and supporting high welfare farming.

Our food and drink were great, the service from Eli was fantastic. Our chefs - Johnny, Alex, Lewis and Simon - produced wonderful food, especially the parfait at the end.

As always a superb dining experience Thank You very much.

A wonderful atmosphere, the restaurant is bright & relaxing and the food was outstanding. My steak was cooked to perfection & served with one of the best peppercorn sauces I’ve ever had. The sausage roll starter was also unbelievable- amazing flavour & perfect pastry. The staff are so friendly & attentive without being overbearing. Can’t wait to go back.

We had the Sunday roast chicken. It came out of the kitchen to table far too quickly so we feared the worst and unfortunately were correct. The food had clearly been cooked for a while and kept hot and so wasn’t great. I don’t think we’ll be going back.

The staff are professional but friendly, nothing is too much trouble. The food is beautifully cooked and the service is quick but you are not rushed. A really great experience and one I am keen to repeat!

The food at the Fox is always of an excellent standard. We all had a great meal

A great venue with good parking, a comprehensive menu. The staff are welcoming and attentive This is as good as it gets !

Lovely ambiance- we celebrated a belated birthday with friends and enjoyed the lovely added touch of a Happy Birthday plate! Also the waitress was very helpful in enabling our friend to keep to her specific diet. Thank you

Thank you so much for your help with my dietary needs. Both gluten free and lactose free. Even going out to the shop to get special milk.

We have been visiting The Fox for many years and have noticed a steady deterioration. It is a convenient meeting point for us being half way between Cambridgeshire where we live and London. We are also very familiar with another pub in the same group - The White Horse at Bancaster Staithe on the North Norfolk coast which is excellent. Four of us met for Sunday lunch. The waiting staff were friendly and apart from charging us for drinks we did not consume they were efficient. We all had roast beef which was nice and pink but tough and tasteless. The vegetables were boring - 2x large pieces of barely cooked carrot, under roasted potatoes and boiled shredded cabbage. I had great difficulty cutting the Yorkshire pudding. I noticed that most of our fellow diners had left their’s. The £5 charged for cauliflower cheese was mostly stalk in a very slightly cheesy white sauce was a joke. There was a choice of 3 deserts, vegan trifle, parfait and a chocolate desert. Two of us had ice cream which was fine but served unadorned which at £2.50 per scoop seems quite expensive. The parfait was rubbery with minute pieces of tough undercooked rhubarb which was very disappointing. Coffee was OK apart from being lukewarm.

Great relaxing place to meet up with friends and family. The food, service and atmosphere were wonderful. We were there on a Sunday, so all had the sumptuous Sunday roast. It is easy to book through OpenTable too. We would highly recommend The Fox at Willian!!!!!

Great pub, well worth a visit, food drinks and staff all good.

Delicious food and swift service, although we felt in no way rushed. The menu may feel a little pricey at first glance, but the quality was outstanding so I have given it five stars for value. Our waitress was delightful and did everything with a friendly smile. It was a horribly hot day, (34oC) but the restaurant was deliciously cool with air-conditioning. A really lovely evening-I would thoroughly recommend this place.

Food was very mediocre and not as good as we expected. Beautiful setting though.

Excellent, as always. Returning customer who will always return. Thanks to all the staff for providing one of the BEST breakfast/dining experiences in Hertfordshire.

Friendly staff, great table, and fantastic food. Overall great experience for our family occasion.

Fish and chips v good, sea bream and chicken supreme likewise.

Lovely dinner with friends, excellent service. Would have liked more choice for vegetarians (it often seems to be risotto!) but food was great nonetheless. Chocolate mousse (as recommended by staff) was fantastic!

Disappointed to say it was really poor. The pluses - lovely setting, everything looks great, staff nice and friendly. Ordered dinner for 4, at 7.45pm - starters were ok, then waited 1hr 15mins for our dinners, and the standard of the food served was just so average - eaten better food in a motorway service station. A million miles from 'Michelin' star food. Tasteless fish pie with 3 tiny pieces of fish, and a shrivelled prawn, all swamped in masses of potato being probably the highlight. No complimentary drinks for having to wait an age, no 'had we had a nice meal, or was everything ok' questions at the end - just give us your credit card and £165 in the till. As a Hitchin resident I should be coming here again and again but never again. Honestly we could have got a better meal buying a take-home dinner from the M&S BP Garage in Hitchin for £50.

Had a lovely lunch with friends , great outdoor eating area. Great food didn’t disappoint and friends enjoyed their first visit

First time I visited food was great.. perfect outdoor seating. Very busy pub.

The coronation chicken sandwich contained at least 4 pieces of gristle - not something I would have expected for this price and at this sort of establishment - it put me off eating the whole sandwich.

Lovely food. Friendly staff. Excellent selection of wine

We opted for the Sunday roast. They were both fabulous. The beef was succulent and the pork had wonderful crackling. The waiting staff were helpful, welcoming and friendly. At no point did I feel rushed and the food was also prompt considering that they were busy. An excellent meal.

This was our first time at the restaurant. The atmosphere and food was fantastic. The service from Millie was also fantastic. We will be going back again.

Delicious first visit to The Fox - food, wine and service were excellent. We will be back

An excellent roast Sunday lunch in a friendly and relaxed environment. Good service and a welcome for the dog too.

A very enjoyable meal in very pleasant surroundings. Fully recommend The Fox at Willian

Lovely food, great service and good value. We grabbed a quick lunch after a morning out: the staff were great - efficient and friendly but not obtrusive. We had sandwiches which were lovely but the main courses looked fantastic. The chocolate mousse was divine!

Really lovely food. We had oysters to start. They were superb. Mother had steak and chips and I hand a pork loin. For desert we had sorbet’s. We were quite full from all the lovely tasty food. The service was excellent. Very attentive staff, great place with a great ambience. Will be back. Highly recommend.

Poached egg overdone. Should never have been served.

Although we arrived early, we were made welcome, shown to our table, and offered tap water to drink. We had to ask for G+T's as well as the water, which we felt was a little unusual, but they arrived promptly enough. However, we had to ask twice for some wine with our main course. The service was generally efficient and not intrusive. We enjoyed the food, though the main course could have been served at a higher temperature. Overall, a pleasant way to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

We booked for Sunday lunch as we had heard positive things about it. We were both pleased with our choices. The meat was beautifully cooked and the plate looked attractive, but I would have preferred more green vegetables. The wine was served at perfect temperature and was delicious.

Food & service was excellent. We were warmly welcomed. Service was very attentive. Food was extremely well presented and very tasty. Would certainly recommend to others.

Lovely pretty restaurant, amazing food, great service and friendly helpful staff - would 100 % recommend, one small thing is the parking is a bit limited.

Booked last minute for Sunday 7 July. Sunday Roast was delicious and satisfying, served hot with fantastic gravy. Chicken moist and tasty; Beef perfect. We wanted to lick the plate! Service very good. Trifle gorgeous and although my husband wasn’t going to have pud, he went for the cheese and biscuits. Thank you! Definitely book again.

Table for 6 people at 6pm booked but, due to travel issues, the reservation time was easily updated online to 19:45 Although I wasn't dining, I have been told that the gentlemen of the group enjoyed a huge amount of delicious, sliced steak and the lady thoroughly enjoyed her fish. Our management team have eaten at The Fox several times in the past, and will continue to do so.

We had a late-ish booking on what looked to have been a busy evening but we were not disappointed. We were ushered to a table, promptly. It was a little chilly, as the air con was on, but they were happy to move us to another table where it was a bit less draughty. Service was friendly and efficient. Everything was still available on the menu and the food appeared, promptly. We had two courses and they were both excellent. The new manager introduced herself to us. It seemed a happy, well run pub and we will definitely be back. Thank you for a lovely evening.

This is a cozy place deep in the village. The staff was very nice and helpful, plus the food was delicious with both indoor and outdoor dining.

Having booked a table for a special family lunch. We were greeted with a warm welcome on a very sunny day by our server Ren, who was the most enthusiastic and charming young lady ever, so happy in her work. Our service timely and at a really good pace allowing for chit chat and very relaxing atmosphere, while being very attentive We had 3 courses from the lunchtime menu, our stand out starter was tempura prawns cooked to perfection, nice and juicy. Standing out for mains was the Ham, Egg and fries. The ham wasn't the usual half inch grill ham, it was succulent inch cut ham simply fell to pieces. Yes we had pudding too all of which were delicious with exceptional home made ice cream. Very talented chef and Ren was amazing throughout our lunch.

Went with the family, we all had crab cakes for starters which were nice. 2 of us had steak for mains which was also nice it was slightly more medium, than medium rare but still tasted good. The other two had the Sea Bream which was over cooked and tasteless. Service was very slow and we waited ages for drinks, and for someone to take our order. We waited so long for them to take our desert order we gave up and went without. Overall it was just ok. I won't be returning though.

Visited for lunch . Menu is very underwhelming . 3 of us had the burrata salad . You had to hunt for the buratta !! 2 of us had the roast . Uninspiring . The dessert menu was very limited. No traditional puds . Service was good . Efficient and friendly.

Good food , helpful service and no delays. Wine by the glass was good. It was Sunday lunchtime and the noise level was too great for those of us with hearing problems . Maybe quiet tables could be identified.

Waitresses were cheerful and helpful and food was delicious. Everyone in our group enjoyed the food.

Nice food, reasonable service, one waitress/manager was absolutely lovely and excellent customer interest.

The welcome was great as was the service from all the staff who served us. The starters were very good, the chicken wings were fab. The roasts were good, but more vegetables please, portions were on the small side. We asked for more gravy as the yorkshire puddings were huge. The roast potatoes were OK, they were a bit dry and not crispy. The desserts were excellent with the choclate/peanut option a winner, and everyone enjoyed their choice. Overall we had a lovely time, great service and very nearly a five rating.

excellent luck, quality food, good service, Would return

Was a bit disappointed with the food. Had the roast and the potatoes were dry and not very flavourful. The hummus for starters was also disappointing, thought it tasted “shop bought” not fresh. The dessert menu was also a let down as there wasn’t much choice and no “traditional” options. I had been looking forward for a long time to enjoy a roast at the fox, so probably hyped it up too much in my head. We were seated in the conservatory part and it was very noisy. Sad to say my expectations weren’t satisfied.

Went for fathers day and it was very busy. however our table was ready on time and they had a very clear menu for the gluten free among us. They had a good wine list and a good choice of food generally. As we were quite a late table they had run our of one starter, but that was fine . Our waiter was i think quite new and a little nervous, but he did a good job overall.

Wanted to try The Fox for a while & understood it would be busy on a Saturday afternoon. Staff efficient and friendly. Kitchen also efficient - no long intervals for any courses or dishes. The table in the back extension, by the serving area & open door was not a spot which encourages pleasant dining. The food was fresh and plentiful but not outstanding. Pricing fair.

Great service, lovely food. Helpful with my allergy. Would go back.

Fabulous food & great value . Especially loved the absence of MUSIC & quiet ambience!! Couldn't be better !!

vert good food and service which was a surprsise being so busy as it was Monday Lunchtime

It would help if the Fox could update its website so that the menus are actually what is available when you get there. As a vegetarian I was looking forward to a wild mushroom ragu with celeriac. It wasn’t on and there was only one vegetarian option. I did not want risotto. Why do chefs think that we want a plate of rice or a plate of pasta? We want to be able to have a main with chips or potatoes and vegetables. The restaurant manager did ask the chef if there was anything else he could do and he offered gnocchi. Just potato pasta. If your carbs are a main course then you can’t order chips or potatoes, can you? The Fox is such a lovely place to go, and I would love to come here more often, but once again, I’ll have to give up that idea. And why have two menus? My friend said they she had looked at the MAIN menu online, seen fish and chips and thought, great. But then in the restaurant, you’re given the à la carte menu so she assumed there were none. She ordered something else and then saw other diners getting fish and chips! You’re just annoying people for the sake of being pretentious. Just have one menu! Keep the website up to date and make a decent veggie main that isn’t carbs.

The food was as usual extremely good with a good choice. My only complaint about the food was that my main course was not particularly hot although the chips were hot from the pan. I can only assumes serving to our table was delayed by chip availability. Service was not very swift, but we did not mind as we were in no rush having a leisurely celebratory family dinner

Restaurant full and very noisy - not least because conversation had to compete with piped music. Seems to have undergone a modernisation which has made it noisier and put some tables under uncomfortable direct sunlight from roof lanterns. Food and service were good and fortunately on leaving we thought to ask at bar if we could have been seated there - quiet and comfortable. Using the right tactics guests can request this and we will do that in the future.

Great food. Great service. Very good value. Definitely worth a visit

Beautiful food as always. The hake was cooked perfectly! Thank you

Good menu, good service, nicely cooked. Very happy with the choice

I am gluten, wheat & dairy intolerant which a new humane eating out. I had Oysters, venison, trifle that was adapted for me which was much appreciated. The service, staff & food was excellent. Well done to all the team. I would highly recommend The Fox.

Another very enjoyable meal here. As we have a dog, we ate in the pub garden which is well sheltered . Food and beer was very good as usual...

Lovely meal. Thoroughly enjoyed what we ate. The pork & risotto dishes were both delicious. Fabulous coffee as always & really great service

This used to be a pub we visited at least a couple of times a month. However it gradually got too expensive and we couldn’t justify it even just for a couple of drinks. We went down on May Bank Holiday Monday for drinks with family and I honestly thought I had been overcharged when 2 x Guniess and 2 x large Chardonnay’s came to £43.00!!! After checking with one of the barman I was in fact not mistaken, he then nonchalantly told me that a large Chardonnay is now £15.00 ….shocking! You can drink for cheaper than this in central London!! Sorry the The Fox, we won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Food was excellent but the service was very hap hazard. We had to chase for menus, chase again for drinks. We eventually complained after waiting an hour for food and the manager was very apologetic and gave us a bottle of wine. If the service was improved we would go again, but this was the second time we have had poor service so will find somewhere else to go next time.

The Good - excellent cauliflower cheese and duck pate starter. The bad - rock hard carrots and roast potatoes, olives didn't taste fresh. Average - everything else. Bit of a wait for food but otherwise service was okay. This appears to be a young-family friendly place, so perhaps not quite as quiet as you might expect.

Had a meal for four and had a great experience at the Fox, we had a Very nice meal coupled with great service and in a lovely location. It was a Sunday and we had the beef roast was cooked very nicely and sea bass, followed by a desert which went down really easily. Overall I would very much recommend the place and will certainly come back I bet it’s great in the summer.

It felt like the food was produced by a frustrated chef. The started were tasty and elegant and the main courses were pub grub. I don't believe that the 2 AA rosettes are deserved. The service was very good, however, I won't be returning for a while.

We enjoyed a relaxing birthday lunch. The food was very good and customer service excellent. Definitely recommend.

Amazing food and great service. Never disappointed

Very lovely food but also very limited selection. All starters seemed vegetarian or vegan and there were no traditional desserts like sticky toffee pudding. The mains were absolutely delicious though

Came for daughter’s 16th birthday meal. Not our first visit and won’t be our last. Excellent food along with excellent service as always ☺️

As always excellent service, they always do everything they can to make the ‘experience’ a good one. Food was really good. Mother had steak and I had venison - delicious. Always great to come here. Wasn’t that busy but there we go. Would always recommend this place. Thanks.

I’m a repeat customer at The Fox. The food is excellent, the service is knowledgeable and efficient and the atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable.

I go here a lot for lunch. We went as a family of 6 and all of us enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch. The food was excellent, the service friendly, helpful and efficient and the ambience was welcoming and comfortable ( as it is always).

Fabulous food , most of staff friendly . Wasn’t situated at a good table , side area, asked to be moved and was accommodated in main restaurant . Glad as better atmosphere and was celebrating my daughters birthday . Quality cooking and sauce with venison loin was out of this world.

Excellent food and brilliant service. Love eating here as it never disappoints

Four of us ate on a Sunday and all the dishes chosen were well cooked (chicken, pork and beef and fish&chips) and presented. The accompanying veg (cabbage and carrots and roast potatoes) were beautifully cooked. We arrived at 3 and there was a real buzz in the restaurant. A good experience.

Very accommodating for a family with a baby and a toddler. The food was excellent and s service was great.