The Fox at Willian in North Hertfordshire

Nowhere as good as previous visits. I have always been impressed previously but today was poor. Gammon was overcooked & burnt in places which meant it was incredibly dry, not all of it but enough to render a quarter of it inedible. What was really disappointing, however, was the complete lack of reaction to the feedback, I wasn't expecting money off, i expected to be treated with a bit more care and respect & why ask how things were with the meal, if you don't appear to be interested in hearing it. For balance, my colleagues enjoyed their meals, but this is my review.

Food was delicious as always! Sadly though, my niece had to make a makeshift veggie meal out of roast potatoes and veg as there were no vegetarian options on the kids menu. Service was ok, we ordered a side of cauliflower cheese that didn’t arrive but we weren’t too sad about that as the main was quite big. But we were brought 2 wrong puddings and had to wait a little bit for the correct order, which when it arrived was delicious!! Still a lovely pub and will be back of course!

Food was ok, large portions but lacked taste. The main complaint was the complete lack of atmosphere - bearing in mind this was the Christmas Menu/dinner. I don’t believe there was one Christmas light/effect in the restaurant other than little Christmas tree on the tables that looked like an after thought. I struggle with this ‘pub’ especially as it’s part of a very successful chain - it really is the poor relation, Suffice to say we won’t be eating in the restaurant again, there’s too many other excellent eating establishments in the area. …and they got the bill wrong !!

excellent service. warm welcome. lovely food and interesting variety

Just a simple business lunch. Fancied fish and chips which was really nice. Nice quiet booth the talk business and very good attentive service. Have previously been for a Christmas meal. Very nice place.

Really enjoyed our food. It was an interesting menu with some nice choices. Our only complaint is the cost where it all seemed quite expensive almost £200 for 3 x diners and no bottles of wine.

Fantastic meal and amazing service. Made our Anniversary feel very special so thank you.

Service was slow and they were not that busy Food was lovely although not much of it! The cheeseboard was disappointing again not much of it and the cheese was as if it had just come out of the fridge!

Great lunch with a friend. Excellent food and food service though slightly disappointed you had to pre book a festive lunch. Will know better next time!

Excellent menu. Food cooked to perfection and well presented. Service good and not over fussy.

We ate from the set lunch menu which was great value. Sadly unable to sample the desserts are we were all full.

Great meal, we were greeted with a smile and the staff were very friendly. Food was wonderful and the restaurant had a lovely atmosphere. It was our sons birthday so they bought out a happy birthday plate with dessert and also someone else was celebrating their birthday and the whole place sung happy birthday which was great.

As usual lovely food and wine. We both had steak and chips. And then ice cream and I had cheese and biscuits. Cooked perfectly. Only compliant, if I can call it a complaint, there were too many chips. Both of us couldn’t eat them all and we don’t like to waste food, but had to. Service was impeccable. Ambience was good too. Nice and busy with great atmosphere. Will be back. Thanks for a great dinner experience.

Food always good - we go there regularly! Nice service from friendly staff. No wonder it’s always full!!

Stayed overnight when visiting relatives and friends. Very comfortable room and excellent dinner. We both had the local Knebworth Estate Venison which was delicious and cooked to perfection. One of the best restaurant dishes I have enjoyed for some time. The parfait with rhubarb sauce was a delight. Accompanied with a very acceptable bottle of Rioja. The staff were friendly whilst being professional, a combination not always achieved by other restaurants.

Very good food and service. Will definitely go there again!

Great food and superb service, always good value and friendly reception

This was a bad night for us it went wrong straight away when my dipping sauce was taken away before I finished with it . My partner ordered medium done steak and when it was cut blood was seen. it was obviously under cooked . I ordered pork , when it arrived it was very fatty , The potatoes were so hard a hammer would have gone down better than a knife and fork . I really felt a mcdonalds would have been better , my partner complained and was offered a free coffee ,it was a freezing night and there was only ice cream and other cold desserts it was definitely not worth the visit or the rates they charge

We had dear friends visiting, knew it would be a beautiful sunny day for a walk in the country, and the Fox was nearby to provide them with a delicious lunch. It exceeded our already high expectations. They have an ala carte which was incredibly good value too. Delicious food! Excellent service. Thank you.

Booked The Fox in the hope of something elevated in terms of a local Sunday Roast but was badly disappointed. One measly slice of pork loin, three roast potatoes, some cabbage and a couple of carrots with some gravy was it. There was so much white space on my plate. The potatoes tasted like they’d been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour. The wine we ordered took an age to arrive. Very poor show. The cheeseboard and desserts were better, hence the two stars but the main event was an embarrassment to the establishment.

The beef was perfectly cooked, and the Yorkshire pudding was the best I’ve ever had here, ie not overdone, just right! Service was excellent too, and my espresso martini was expertly made!

Saturday night and we’re seated in the restaurant. Menu looks different to that advertised on the website but we go with it - until we see others being served burgers. Turns out there is a bar menu but unless you ask for it you’re only offered the (more expensive and quite restricted) a la carte. We mixed from both menus. Whipped Stilton starter was bland and didn’t taste of Stilton. Carpaccio was reported to be good. Bream main was bland but the pub choices of burgers and fish pie went down well, as did the pork loin. Service was good and we enjoyed the pre-dinner beers in the bar. All in all, would go back for the bar ambience and food, but probably not the restaurant experience.

Lovely meal at the Fox at Willian. Really nice food.service was great. Atmosphere friendly.

I received an email from the Fox informing me Pie night was 1st and 3rd Thursday each month. I booked a table for 4. When we arrived, there were no pies. It was beaujolais night. So we had fish pie. But please sort out your communications!

Couldn’t fault. Visited with my son and his 14 week puppy. Food was definitely high end restaurant standard. I’m vegetarian and both main course options were so tempting. Son had fish pie which he highly rated. I had blackened his pi cabbage ( so much more delicious than sounds) Lovely staff too. Opposite a great little walk - perfect for puppy and my 6 year old cockapoo.

Restaurant is lovely and food was good no issues there at all. Only problem I had was with the wait times between ordering, we was asked if we want deserts so we got the menus then was sat there 30 minutes with no one coming back over, especially with this being my partners birthday meal we felt let down as we did want a desert, but after that amount of time waiting we didn’t have time as we needed to be elsewhere. We were in the restaurant over 1 and a half hours and all we had was a main meal. Again the food is very good can’t complain, just won’t be back in a hurry and wouldn’t be going if I’m on a tight schedule.

Ordered from the bar menu as the restaurant menu didn't inspire us. Enjoyed a very tasty gammon steak and the Fox Burger. The yoghurt parfait dessert was disappointing as it was semi frozen and had some lumps of gelatin. My friend's ice cream was delicious though. Service was attentive but not obtrusive. An enjoyable evening.

Charming team. Nice ambiance and generally a happy experience. My risotto was more like a rice pudding than a risotto but to their absolute credit, they adjusted the bill without having to be asked.

We chose to come to the Fox because we know the food is amazing. Service today was first class, very very nice touch the staff noticing it was my son’s birthday and giving him a small chocolate plate to celebrate. We always recommend you. thanks again. Top notch all round

Food was lovely, tasted good and presented well. My partner felt the serving of roast beef was small..there was less than we had with other meats, but it tasted good. Staff were friendly and attentive.

Food is always good at the Fox. Just wish the chef would add some autumn staples to dessert menu - crumble/ apple pie etc. Sunday roast is excellent.

I was seated and served very quickly. Food was very nice. I had beef carpaccio which I'd recommend and the topside of beef roast. The beef and vegetables were very nice, yorkshire pudding was nice and big. Will come again maybe at next seasons menu.

Delicious Sunday roast. We had a lovely Time at the Fox.

Great pub, lovely Sunday Roast. Would recommend. Meet friends from work there, great atmosphere.

Another excellent Sunday lunch at The Fox. Good food, good wine, excellent service all contributed to a lovely family meal. I love this consistently reliable venue.

The Fox is great, food is always delicious and service warm and friendly

Great food and service. Not the cheapest option but overall definitely worth the money.

Good food. Desserts were only so so. Staff helpful

Greeted very well and got an early seat, had a roast , only thing was roast potatoes should have been better and the gravy could have been more flavoursome, but overall a nice place to dine.

I have dined at The Fox before and have always enjoyed it. The Sunday roasts are lovely however they are on the smaller side (one half of a carrot, 3 roast potatoes, some cabbage, well done yorkie, gravy and the meat). Don't order the chicken, its smaller than a childs portion! Beef and pork was lovely. Cauliflower cheese was nice. We did mention the chicken to the waitress who got us another piece as it was tiny (basically half a breast). Starters where lovely and good quality, as were the puddings. Due to small portions I would say you have to get a starter and maybe pudding which does push the price up. Drink prices are priced slightly above average. Good staff and friendly service. The quality of the food is reflected in the price but I would rather pay a little more for decent food, they just need to make the portions bigger.

Food was OK - the vegan roast very unimaginative. The sea bream with gnocchi was too rich for all who tasted. The pork roast was good as was the beef. Starters were fine and the vegan dessert really good. Service was excellent and everyone very kind and responsive.

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.

Very good service and friendly staff. Food was good but a little expensive.

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.

Nice roast with friends but wouldn't say it's value for money. Limited dessert menu.

Lovely food but very noisey. Have been before but never this loud, too load to talk.

Good service and food , limited menu but would go again .

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.

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.

As always a superb dining experience Thank You very much.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Lovely food. Friendly staff. Excellent selection of wine

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.