The Horn at the half moon inn in East Hertfordshire

Not sure where to begin, suffice to say we had a very SURREAL experience at this place. I will start by saying that my friend and I regularly work as Mystery Shoppers in restaurants (we weren't doing so today) but we do know exactly what to expect from both the food and the hospitality aspects. My friend ordered a chicken salad, and I ordered 10 of their wonder wings. Please bear in mind that we were ALONE in this pub for the duration of our meal. After 35 minutes, I am approached to be told that they only have six wings prepped, but that they could make up the rest with chicken chunks...(I agreed to this) Why does it take 35 minutes to work out you don't have the number of wings requested in the order, especially when it is their ONLY order? When my friend's salad arrives, it was lacking a fair few of the ingredients described in the menu. (Crunchy garlic onions replaced by raw onions that my friend could not have, no parmesan cheese, no dressing, etc. We had to order mayo on the side to make it palatable) But the worse was still to come!! After explaining our disappointment about the various issues and asking whether their would be some form of gesture of goodwill and being told 'no' as we 'really' hadn't any issues...we entered into the most surreal situation... Without going into huge detail because it would take far too long, the manager/landlord, after agreeing that they should have told us about the lack of wings available right at the start, proceeded to DENY saying so just 5 minutes later! IT WAS UNREAL. On top of that, he would not let me talk, saying he would keep talking over me for as long as it was necessary and doing so in the rudest manner imaginable. Even having the nerve of calling me arrogant! Needless to say, this gentleman is definitely in the wrong trade. At this point, and after trying to get some sense out of him and the evolving situation, I said that my next port of call would be social media. In a spooky set of circumstances, their card-machine stopped working and wouldn't take our payment... Suddenly, we were told to leave without paying for the food (right gesture, too late) and never to come back. The irony of that!! I would strongly recommend that you give your business to any of the many other food/drink venues in Bishops Stortford, rather than to this establishment. They certainly do not know what hospitality is or what it takes to run a successful pub.

Rude landlord. Sour beer. Won’t be coming again. There better pubs in Stortford this isn’t one of them.

Always great service, staff are super friendly, delicious food! And a great atmosphere!

Under new management. Very slow service at the bar even though not that busy.

Love this pub. Best pub feel and best outdoor seating in Stortford and the new kitchen is great. Highly recommend the chicken wings and Mac n cheese bites and the staff are friendly and attentive. Also dog friendly

Great pub. Best pub garden in stortford by far. Food is delicious and service is always spot on 👌 recommend this pub if you want a good atmosphere - always our go to!

Best pub in Stortford - amazing new food!

The quality of the food here has diminished, whilst prices have risen. Service was OK. Reasonable selection of beers, maybe not as many as in the past, but enough for choice.

This pub should be perfect, it has character, good staff, great live music yet it has a troubled past... don't know the details but it seems to create ongoing problems?

Luke the bartender has been stellar

Went here couple of weeks ago and I ordered a jD and coke and my friend had a beer , woman behind ramp gave me a jd and Diet Coke so I said I didn’t ask for Diet Coke and she said that she didn’t have normal coke out the pump ?? I told her that I didn’t want diet so she gave me a small bottle , 20 mins later they did same thing again . My friend said beer was awful and when he told the lady behind bar she said “oh well “ the jd thing got messed up about 4 times during night and they ran out of ice , won’t be going back

3 of us went along to the 'last Sunday of the month' Jammers session. Why are there not more people going? I guarantee anyone over 50 would love it. And my son of age 20 recommended this place. Good song choices, great musicians, and superb singers. Even the participating audience members were great. Give it a try. Support local talent and business. Big shout out to Tony the sound man !

Not very impressed. One guy serving was wearing a baseball cap behind the bar (really?) and the woman was stroppy and slamming bottles around. I wouldn't go back.

Bar staff were good, layout is congested and toilets need updating as there is not enough of them for a pub of this size. Good range of live music

Very very intoxicated customer (man with two dogs) general racial comments etc, talking about stabbing people and not being bothered if he went to jail for rest of life as he was old. Continued to be served. Quite a bad experience and a one star visit really but the server behind bar did seem uncomfortable about it and i will give benefit of the doubt that he didnt ask him to leave for fear of him kicking off. No hurry to return

We went to this pub to see what it was like. We enjoyed a drink there, then went on our way. The car park is free between between 6pm and 12am l believe.

Great venue with a good selection of beers, probably the best location for live music in stortford.

Always very welcoming here, clean, tidy and comfortable. Enough tellys to watch fussball but not enough to spoil the atmosphere for everyone else. Happy days. Reasonable selection of beers and good service.

This is a great little pub with live music Beer garden is a decent size Two sides of the bar With very friendly staff

Lovely pub wish we stayed longer to hear the band but had a table booked. Will defo make plans to stay next time.

Wonderful pub, charming, clean space, well located, easy access, top service, cold beer, great prices.

A small music venue that just works. It is intimate with a great atmosphere, perfect!

Lovely venue and music bar. Cracking atmosphere and management do a fab job on organising gig events. Hats off

Good little venue but definitely too many people in the room for it's size

Good pub with great bands. Remedy were particularly good 👍

Very nice pub with friendly manager.

I regularly DJ at this pub and love it. Friendly staff and great out door seating areas.

Good to visit somewhere they play live music thankyou

Great gig at The Horn! Mark Morriss was on Top form!

A nice pub and a huge improvement on its tired interior and exterior from when I last visited several years ago before the refurbishment. My friends ate and enjoyed the burgers. Several beers were off and although the pub was quiet the service was a little slow, although they were very friendly. Definitely worth a visit, particularly if you like live music.

Great venue, fast and friendly bar staff

Nice local pub. Good selection of beer. Usually has live music.

Came for the Jimi Hendrix tribute evening. Which was amazing! Sadly, the bar/drinks was poorly organised and we ended up leaving early because after a while being pushed and shoved is irritating

Great day out today and the other one was great thanks so much for the invite and whole thing bye for now and thanks for the birthday wishes and

Enjoyed a good pint of real ale with a friend here

Great place for a drink in the day and a really good place to go for a night out with live music and beer garden

Good selection of craft beers in a quirky setting. Check out the secret garden during the summer. Longstanding (I would even say iconic) music venue room that has hosted George Ezra, Sam Smith, Charli XCX and countless others over the years. A brilliant stage to nurture young talent. Since its 2017 renovation, the Half Moon has really gone up a few notches. Come in for a slice of Stortford history and a decent pint.

First time here and a quick drink turned into staying for the whole evening. Drinks are served by lovely staff. Our barman made us very welcome, did fabulous gins with an orange liqueur and went on to call out the quiz, which was great fun. We came third and won a bag of crisps - each!!!!!! A lovely night for our first pub in Bishop Stortford. Wish we could have stayed for the live music two nights later. We will be back when down again. Thank you!!!

Live music and drinks all good,

Best pub in Stortford, James is fantastic and the pub has a great team of staff, the decor is great and both the gardens are lovely. Great live music too.

Clean,friendly and well situated with an added bonus of parking. Small hotel (8 rooms I think. Great breakfast.

Live music. Great bar with fantastic staff.

Good atmosphere, great band, good selection of lagers. Friendly welcome.

Great pint, friendly atmosphere and nice bar staff

Welcomed by staff and customers alike. Good range of ales. Live music fabulous.

The place to go if you want to watch great bands

We wanted to get our family together to celebrate a milestone anniversary in July this year and we enquired at virtually every restaurant and suitable venue in the town. Everywhere seemed either too expensive or thoroughly unenthusiastic until we spoke to James at the Half Moon. His enthusiasm and 'can do' attitude was refreshingly infectious and we were very happy to leave it all in his capable hands. We had our own private, decorated room with its own bar, welcome drinks and delicious, beautifully presented food, served to us by very friendly, helpful staff. Nothing was too much trouble and, it seemed, everything was possible. I cannot recommend it highly enough, they definitely made our special day one that we shall always remember. The next time we have something to celebrate we will, without a doubt, be doing so at the Half Moon

Great, in town, pub and music venue.

Love the new back garden! Great atmosphere inside and out.

Very nice places. Nice bear garden.

You can tell the management have worked really hard to get this place rocking and it's just what Stortford needs. The patio area looks fantastic as does the secret garden and as a live music venue too it kinda has everything - well done chaps and chapesses.

Nice atmosphere but the beers are nowhere as good as they used to be

Only pub in stortford that plays real music

Great venue. Only a small room to see bands, but perfect, had air conditioning. Sound was great and as it's small you are up close to the band. Has a bar in the actual room and nearby toilets as well. Looking at the list of bookings it's mainly tribute band, but good quality ones.

I went specifically to see a band there. It was a good night. The staff were all friendly

Nice pub, nice atmosphere, friendly staff, love the bell to attract their attention ...

Called in again for a drink before a meal. The staff in here are all friendly, especially new girl in the bar Billie. Great smile and good conversation. I think she will fit in well. George is also a friendly and helpful guy making us feel most welcome. Great ales and great atmosphere. Been to my local where no one speaks unless you know them. Every time I go to this pub, people, whether it be the staff or customers, are friendly. Really like it here and will be back shortly.

Great little venue. Hope to visit again.

Loved the atmosphere and the band. Staff very friendly & helpful. A great gig venue

Great atmosphere and great bands playing.

Revamped pub with music venue out the back.

Great music. Nice decor. Drinks a bit expensive

Great little venue with lovely staff and a fantastic atmosphere

Went to see a party band but was none there

Went to a gig at the pub great night first class people staff

We bought tickets for a live music gig. It was a seated gig, but just because we’d bought tickets in advance did not mean there were seats for us. Many were perched on stools rather than chairs, too. There weren’t any coat hooks either - so we had an uncomfortable evening holding our coats, bags and drinks. In the room, there was a small bar with a sound guy supporting the band. There was a barman too. But, just because there’s a bar and a barman, it doesn’t mean he’ll serve you. We were ignored, and ended up going to the main bar for drinks. The music was excellent. It was the only redeeming feature. One question to the management: why sell tickets to a seated gig and not provide seats?

Nice pub with a great music venue out the back, great variety of bands and great sound

Music is not loud, there's loads of taps and an old school bell to get attention

Good range of beers. Friendly staff and good live entertainment

Nice pub and a good venue for bands.

Arrived for a pre dinner drink with friends. Happened to bump into someone else we both new and the drinks flowed. Really friendly public bar here with lots of locals. Sad to leave but table booked. Will be back though.

Excellent service and great selection of drinks from wine, whisky and craft beer

Historic pub with regular live music

What a wonderful pub with great staff. A nice friendly atmosphere. A must for music lovers and families in a Sunday. Check out the signed George Michael photo in the small bar. The pub is a TARDIS. Loved it.

Went to the half moon to the ‘Soul Time’ night. What a night! Fantastic music by some local dj’s. They played northern soul, funk, reggae and even a bit of disco at the end....Kept the place jumping till close - I believe there’s a New Year’s Eve soul time!!! Plus the food looks great there. The beer definitely is. The bar staff were lovely and welcoming. Would thoroughly recommend a visit

Lovely staff and atmosphere. Plus an amazing music venue!

My wife picked the Horn at Half Moon as somewhere to go for a bit of live music. Well she got it spot on as not only was the music great - from a real dyed in the wool local live band - but the food and service was top class. The venue has a couple of bars and the staff were very helpful in finding us a table, helping with food selection and generally just telling us all about the place. The music area is at the back and is a large room/hall with a bar and stage but no seating. The staff did tell us that they could bring chairs out there if needed by anyone. Everything was great and we will definitely be back. So why only a 4 out of 5 ?? I think the venue needs to have door staff in place at the music area in particular. It is not there fault as there is clearly a group of "regulars"( you know the ones... king pin with his henchmen around him) who did the "look at me" stuff climbing onto the stage and messing with equipment. No one there to stop them and whilst this may not the pubs fault, it is their responsibility to see that other guests are not affected by a few people who just need to grow up. Rant over. Loved the place and well worth visit !!

Nicely decked out, cozy and comfortable, with live bands playing live!

Rude staff, long wait for food. Quality mixed when it arrived. Avoid for food, fine as a pub, good choice of ales and bands.

Nice pub and recently decorated. Nice atmosphere and good selection of beers, would recommend a visit.

We had beers and dinner here and highly recommend this pub. It was a Friday night but easy to find a table and order two beers and two burgers. I had the veggie burger with spicy ketchup and Hubby had the meat burger, both were delicious and came with fries which were crispy and good. Lovely vibe and a great traditional pub.

Great venue for food, drinks and music.

Amazing bar staff who coped will wth how busy it was!

Great British pub , live music and dog friendly . friendly staff and very clean roof top garden ( great sun trap)

Hadn't popped in here, I realised, for about 47 years - just after Weeley. Had a pint of Tea by Hogs Back which went down a treat. Seems to be a music venue, The Horn, every Friday night. But this was a Thursday. Friendly enough but didn't try food.

Super cozy. Typical English pub.

Excellent venue, and they've got air conditioning!!

The recent refurb has transformed this place into a delightful place to eat and drink. Great staff, super food, I had a really juicy steak. They also do live music. Recommended.

Pleasant smallish pub with a beer garden. Limited menu but good enough choice. Staff were friendly & helpful. No loud background music thankfully. TV on in the background to cater for the World Cup buffs (June 2018). Lots of music nights scheduled.

Cool pub, great little venue. Was expecting hit and sweaty, sticky floor, but quite the opposite, even has a/c.

Was keen to try out the food since the refurbishment. Afraid to say it was very disappointing. Burgers were dry and lacked any real flavor. No sign of an egg glazed bun as advertised. Generally the food wouldn't look out of place in aisle 13 of Iceland. More enthusiasm and pride is needed for the food. I would recommend getting a chef and offering fewer dishes but at a higher standard. Lots of potential to flourish in Stortford if only more care and thought was taken. Worth mentioning that drinks & music are top notch tho.

Proper pub with live music in back room👍

Nice atmosphere. The staff are pleasant and helpful

Not great. Very small portion for chicken salad. Steak was ordered rare and served well done. Pricing seemed high too. The outside patio looks like it would be fun if there was live entertainment...otherwise I would pass on returning.

Nice atmosphere with nice live music, it's just a shame it closes so early

Very cheesy but nicely decorated and a must need for Saffron Walden

Recently refurbished but the beer is pricey

Superb small live music venue. Excellent sound man! Very pleasant roof terrace to and a nice selection of gins.

Great live music and drinks at a reasonable price...... Great night out

Good job all round. Great atmosphere, lovely staff and nice food. Great fish and chips and real nachos. Will be back for music too