The King Stag in Hertsmere

Tasty food with good portions for the price - would recommend going for a lunch or dinner

We had a very disappointing experience at The King Stag on Sunday. We had deliberately booked a late lunch (3pm) to avoid the normal lunchtime rush, but when we arrived our table was not ready so we waited at the bar. We were then shown to our table, drinks were ordered and delivered and after a wait, food orders were taken. Then we waited…….and we waited…….and we waited……..After we’d been sat at our table for an hour I asked a member of staff when they thought our food would be served, and it was explained to us that a large party of about 10 had caused some sort of hold up in the kitchen. Other tables in the pub were being served, one of which had arrived after us, so I’m still not entirely convinced I was given the whole truth of the situation, but the young staff members did seem very embarrassed that we’d been kept waiting so long. After another 15 minutes our food eventually arrived. My slowly roasted pork belly was ‘very’ well done and a little cool. The other roasts though were at least well liked. We then ordered 2 portions of sticky toffee puddings with a toffee sauce that tasted scorched. When I pointed this out to the staff they assured my that this was how it was intended to taste, but she was sorry we didn’t like it……..no offer to remove the £8.50 from our bill though. On leaving, the staff were very apologetic about the delay we had encountered, and they knocked 15% off our food bill, but with an £11 service charge added, which really was not deserved, I felt stung at parting with over £100 for our less than adequate experience. I wish I’d read a few reviews earlier, as long waits for food seem to be a common theme.

Good Sunday roast, although expensive. Nice place Service was a bit slack at times

Friday & Saturday evening’s are a bartenders’ worst idea of a shift. It’s not often you walk into a local yet busy Bushey pub on a Friday evening for work social drinks and you’re greeted with a smile. Daisy, who also manages the pub alongside pouring pints, did just that. She was friendly and welcoming amongst the carnage and quickly assisted. I’ll be happy to return for many Fridays moving forward.

A really family friendly establishment. Good good, excellent service.

A really family friendly establishment. Good good, excellent service.

Proper Great Pub Grub I was staying away on business solo and decided to take a trip out whilst the weather was good. I’d read the reviews so decided to give it a go and bit was I glad I did . I was served by Daisy, a very pleasant young lady who was very polite and attentive. I order the Buffalo wings with blue cheese, the Tuesday Burger special with an extra portion of their Lemonade onion rings. This was probably the BEST pub grub meal I’ve ever had. The wings were magnificent and so filling. The burger was so tasty and the chips sublime. I can eat but no way could I finish this lot. From a Northern Old Boy, Thank You King Stag. Brilliant food and atmosphere.

Splendid evening with good vibe service and food...lots of it. They've got the portion control sorted out and I couldn't fault the experience.

First visit, food and drink were great.

First visit to this pub, on recommendation of the friends we dined with. Checked online, menu looked good and we were looking forward to the evening. Arrived at 730 and seated immediately, drinks order taken, very nice first impressions. Background music a little loud for a pub focusing on good food, making table talk a little strained. Ordered from the menu, specials looked interesting, belly of pork a favourite. Some time after ordering server returned to say specials were all gone, noone had told him! Specials gone by 8? Not very impressive. Re ordered, always a disappointment. Starters arrived promptly, and very good they were, chicken wings with blue cheese dip were really tasty. Then the evening slowly changed. A live singer took over the background entertainment, and the volume went up accordingly. Conversation around the table became more strained, our mains were nowhere to be seen. At around 9 our mains arrived, really long wait, some mumbling from the server about the kitchen being overwhelmed. Chicken was good as was the duck, very tasty, if not, very late. The steak looked amazing, looked beautifully cooked, unfortunately couldn't even cut it properly with a steak knife, that we had to ask for separately. Volume increased, service level reduced as evening concluded. Staff seemed strained and rushed, getting multiple little things wrong. Maybe a bad evening for them, would definitely try again, as some of the food was very good, maybe it was an off night. We won't however be going on a live music night to eat, absolutely would if it was just a drinking evening, but we like to chat during meals, something we struggled to do.

Very nice pub with lovely food - at a reasonable price too. Staff were friendly and efficient. Will go there again. The only thing that reduced my atmosphere score was to have canned music playing in the outside area - completely unnecessary. People go to relax and chat - with music playing (of any style) means you have to talk up to be heard, so gradually levels rise until everyone had to shout! In fairness it didn't get there during our visit). it's time canned music was a thing of the past!

Have been going to the King Stag for many years and to be honest it is probably the best pub locally, food is brilliant and service excellent.Over the past few years it has been under Charlie who has been a marvelous host and managed the pub with true professionalism. It will be a great loss to see her leave and move to her home area with Gary and their daughter, we wish her all the very best wishes.

Arrived to a busy pub with seemingly happy patrons but cold, impolite and frank staff for a late Sunday lunch, I was immediately told tables would be an hour as they were fully booked. Okay, no problem. Put my name down for a table for 1 (just after a roast dinner) and returned an hour later. After 10 minutes stood at the bar I was sat at a table next to the utility closets for four people even though smaller tables were available considering that staff continually whizzed around murmuring how busy it was. Once sat down I was informed the kitchen staff were no longer preparing roast dinners despite booking my table for that reason. Annoyed but offering the benefit of the doubt I figured I’d order something else from the menu. After a couple minutes I was told by a bespectacled woman that there was a pause on food order for 5-10 minutes. Okay, not great but okay. Few minutes later another younger waitress informed me that the kitchen staff were in an “aggy” mood and had put a hold on food for 10-15 minutes. Guinness in hand I sat and waited as I witnessed food being served to numerous tables, some of which were the very roast dinners I was denied. Another gent came in and received the same treatment. Visibly flummoxed by the process of ordering drinks and food yet offered a table, he retrieved his own menus and when attempting to order ANOTHER waitress told him it would be a 10-15 minutes hold on food orders being sent to the kitchen, after the 15 minutes I was told about already elapsed. Realising it would be 40 minutes I would’ve sat there before I was even able to order, let alone know my food was being prepared and I able to eat, I finished my drink and left. For all the good reviews shown this place seemed disorganised, the staff looked ‘over it’ and were either curt or naive and I left to support another local business with my patronage.

Had a lovely 2 course lunch with great service - pea risotto in particular was fabulous. I was also impressed with the burger from the Dog Menu, it was great quality and well cooked - my dogs were super pleased!

We had a great night at the King Stag on Friday. Super food, a great duck salad followed by a Turbot dish (there aren't many places you can get a good fish dish at under £25 and this was a really good one. It was a lovely atmosphere. Cant wait to go back and spend a night in the beer garden.

As a steak snob I rarely order when in a pub - The King Stag challenged this for me and I have been back repeatedly since! I found this to be a rare pub that not only has a fantastic menu which is delivered to a high standard, but a welcoming environment for having a drink as a local or visitor in the right place at the right time!

An excellent evening with four friends. A really good selection of beers, our group enjoyed a selection including Cruzcampo, Hazy Day, Level Head,, SUMO, Pin Drop from Mad Squirrel…. Food also great with some interesting specials turbot, duck etc. Also good deal on cocktails (2 for £14) which was a bonus for a Friday night. Service also spot on.

Brilliant local pub with high end food at good prices. Dog friendly. Great staff and lovely outdoor area.

Great pub,fantastic staff very friendly we loved it thankyou

bar staff are rude! went with me& my mate and the bar staff were rude as soon as we walked in. stopped serving us after one drink each. ignored us when we tried to ask to order. wont be returning

Great evening. First time at King Stag, but definitely our new local. Food excellent and good value for money. Staff very friendly and attentive

Went again yesterday 27/2/24 and received great service as always. However, it was Burger night and you'd think the burgers would be superbly cooked, unfortunately mine was over cooked and dry as a bone. -------------------------------------- Great food and service as always.

Lovely pub, good selection of beers and cocktails, badly cooked food. Staff tried to actually tell us that we were wrong about our food being WELL over cooked. Steak was done to within an inch of it's life. Other food looked good to be fair but never order the steak. Very surprised they have a steak night.

Lovely burger and had a nice golden ale along side it highly recommend if your in the area to come here the burger is double but it's not too thick the meat the ale was called side pocket for a toad I have not got a picture of the burger but the beer once again service was great not too slow it is a little noisy here so bare that in mind if you come

Having found a ‘dog friendly’ pub for lunch, we booked. Together with my ‘friend, and our dog we visited for Sunday lunch at 13.30 on Sunday 7 January 2024 Thank you for the great meaL and wonderful service. From the moment we walked in we were greeted with smiles and immediately offered a bowl of water for the dog. Every member of the team who looked after us ( and there were quite a few) was warm, friendly, helpful and delightful to chat with. The roast beef was the most tender we’ve eaten in a long time. The vegetables were cooked to perfection; having a lovely ‘bite’ to them…and the roast potatoes were stunning. Thank you so much for giving us a multi-dimensional delicious Sunday afternoon.

The cooking and beer is very good, the menu seldom changes. The menu is still the same but the cooking is getting better. So pleased that the menu has changed and that they are doing specials. Sunday roast was very good. Busy and buzzing. Still a good pub. The kitchen has put some really great selections on the specials menu such a great idea, well done.

Amazing food. A little quiet but it was a wednesday lunch time so not surprising.

Service and food was superb and very reasonably priced!! Great atmosphere as always. Highly recommend for a casual place to eat or an evening out for a work Christmas gathering.

burger z kurczakiem był suchy, frytki smakowały jak posypane piaskiem, nie dało się ich zjeść. kolejną wadą jest to, że miejsce jest zbyt ciemne, ludzie zamawiając jedzenie używali świateł w swoich telefonach, aby znaleźć jedzenie z menu

Sunday Lunch Food, not great potatoes veg etc the beef was ok, not fabulous, but ok ShMe as the food used to be great but gone down in quality and the actual cooking the last 2 times I have been

We had our Team Christmas meal here today. What a wonderful place! The food was amazing and the staff were so helpful and friendly. Great atmosphere and wonderful service. I can highly recommend.

great food. nice people. even managed to squeeze us in on Saturday, despite us not booking.

The meal was very average for the price you pay. My partner received the wrong meal and by the time it turned up we had all finished. Poor service too which is a shame as the pub use to be good. Disappointing

I went here for a family gathering and was very disappointed. The service was appalling, took ages to order drinks and then our food. I had fish and chips and so did several others in our party, the batter on mine was under cooked whilst several others were burnt. My friend next to me had soup which although smelt great was inedible and had a burnt taste. Deserts took so long to arrive and we had to cancel some as some of us had a long journey home. I was not happy that the service was included (12.5%) as there wasn’t any. I wouldn’t eat here again.

A bit hit and miss on the food. The double stack cheeseburger was decent (certainly a tier below good pubs though as it was a bit dry and came with fresh onions and not grilled which overpowered the whole burger) but the chunky chips were a total mess. It's like I got the dregs of the deep fat fryer. Most of my chips were crispy slivers and no real surviving potato at all.

Quiet atmosphere with attentive but not intrusive service......

This is a reply to a response from the owner regarding a review, I can't find a way to reply on my app. The party was 12 people, there were eight adults and four children. The adult starters came out following a lengthy delay, the childrens were told the starters came with their main meals?? We were given extra pitta bread while we waited which sort of ruined the children's appetites. We waited well over an hour for the food to be served. We arrived at 14.30 and left around 17.30. Acc. no. 2421. £376.14 The roasts were not hot by the time they arrived. We repeatedly had to ask when food and drinks were coming by going to the bar. When the bill was presented it was wrong, extra items added which had to be discounted as you couldn't issue a refund?? The Estrella was still (and is still) on the bill. It was asked for however you had run out. I did express my opinion to the lady serving and was going to ask for the service charge to be removed however my Wife felt sorry for her as she said sorry about the terrible service which sort of ruined my position. It was meant to be a special occasion as my Brother was visiting from Australia, he has not been up for the last five years. We have eaten here before as a group however I would say this is the worst service I have received anywhere in recent years. Regards Nick.

Service was really poor. We waited far too long for the food to come out. Dishes were forgotten and others we didn't have were added to the bill. Drinks were missed off the order and we again were charged for a drink we didn't have. Auto 12.5 percent service charge which I should have taken off the bill. This is a reply to a response from the owner regarding a review, I can't find a way to reply on my app. The party was 12 people, there were eight adults and four children. The adult starters came out following a lengthy delay, the childrens were told the starters came with their main meals?? We were given extra pitta bread while we waited which sort of ruined the children's appetites. We waited well over an hour for the food to be served. We arrived at 14.30 and left around 17.30. Acc. no. 2421. £376.14 The roasts were not hot by the time they arrived. We repeatedly had to ask when food and drinks were coming by going to the bar. When the bill was presented it was wrong, extra items added which had to be discounted as you couldn't issue a refund?? The Estrella was still (and is still) on the bill. It was asked for however you had run out. I did express my opinion to the lady serving and was going to ask for the service charge to be removed however my Wife felt sorry for her as she said sorry about the terrible service which sort of ruined my position. It was meant to be a special occasion as my Brother was visiting from Australia, he has not been up for the last five years. We have eaten here before as a group however I would say this is the worst service I have received anywhere in recent years. Regards Nick.

Ok for food for brunch good selection. Drinks were a bit on the pricey side. What we would have appreciated is that before bringing us our bill they should have made us aware that there was a 12.5% service charge which was at the bottom of the bill. We were never asked if we wanted to contribute to the 12.5% service charge the bill was brought over and it was only after we paid it and left and upon checking later that we noticed this. Very poor practice doing this. I do not think £18..00 service charge tip is acceptable - I would never leave a £18..00 tip for dinner let alone brunch for a pub meal. I would suggest to the owners that the Service charge is placed somewhere noticeable on the menu so you have the opportunity to opt in or out of the charge before your bill is brought to you.If it is on the menu already then we certainly didn't see it. Effectively we are contributing to paying your staff in an overarching principle.

Friends took us for Sunday lunch but I didn't know it was pet friendly and didn't enjoy being surrounded by dogs

What a lovely place to spend an afternoon in. The portions are generous, food tasty and the service is friendly and personable.

A true gem of a pub! Haven't come across many staff better than the ones that I encountered on the 10/10/23. They were polite, attentive and professional whilst being friendly. The pub has a lovely atmosphere and the food all looked amazing. I was grateful that they served coffee late, unlike so many pubs that simply can't be bothered in the evenings. I would happily return to this pub!

Great pub. Friendly & welcoming. Steak night on Wednesday; had the sirloin, which was delicious & cooked to specification. Parking on site. Would recommend & would go again 😊.

Quiet on our visit, very hospitable. The beers were drinkable, very similar in style.

Food was absolutely gorgeous, staff very friendly and helpful great pub for Sunday roast

Had the pork belly yesterday was so tasty creamy mash n greens staff were great highly recommended 👌

The four of us had a great meal Saturday night. Our friends are local and recommended the place. The meze starter for 4 was amazing and generous. Individual mains were all good. The staff were polite, helpful, efficient and professional. They also looked after our manic dog! Lovely ambience. Friendly atmosphere.

Nice little place. Its on a one way system so be prepared to do the rounds if you don't find anything first time. Staff are lovely and very hospitable. Smells a bit doggy but then they do allow dogs so what do you expect??!! Food was good. I had the steak on a Wednesday which was reasonably priced £18. The chips are frickin awesome 👌.

Food was outstanding Service was beyond brilliant Atmosphere great Captured outstanding service for our dog too 100% will be back

Lovely bar friendly staff food was great

Today it's ok food. The Yorkshire pudding was bit burnt and potatoes were hard

The staff at the King Stag are great The manager Marci is so attentive and on the ball Nothing is an issue for her and she will do anything to help you She is a credit to the Pub , dont let her leave - ever !

Great atmosphere, good food, and drinks, great staff

The noise was unbearable!! A table which I think was clearly the owners family celebration!! After complaining about the shouting and screaming from the large group at their table the waitress ignored us and said it was the owners table …A couple left sitting next to us saying the same . …I spoke to him on leaving “Robert” is his name and he simply said Oh well !!!! I’ve eaten here a few times and am shocked with that response and think it was rude and appalling… What an attitude !! If you are going to host a family party close a section area for this !!! This ruined our evening, we couldn’t hear ourselves speak . Food was average . The lady behind the bar was run off her feet but very polite and accommodating I probably won’t return on a busy night ..

Went for lunch on Good Friday with some friends. The service was friendly and the food was very good; it was a great environment. I know it's very popular and it's easy to see why.

Lovely staff but over priced menu. No healthy options to chose from a meciocre menu. Disappointed.

Great food, great service, great atmosphere….highly recommended

Excelent pub. Very good food in general, the burguer a little well done but tasty and above average.

Excellent place for a night out - whether a group wanting meal/drinks/partaaay, or a solitary doggo owner (Me) looking to unwind, the King Stag has you sorted 👍

Great traditional local pub. Popular & with great outdoor facility for BBQ & Music in summer. Inside (in the winter) there is a roaring fireplace & a number of niches to sit together with friends with some privacy. The staff are very friendly & helpful. Their menu has daily specials & is broad enough to appeal to all. The food is Excellent - decent size portions, local ingredients & very tasty. Good value & worth going to specially

Lovely pub ordered a pint of Estrella top quality and the guy behind the bar was an absolute gentleman will definitely be going again I would have gave 6 stars if I could 👌

Love the menu, loads of Gluten free options. My husband likes to get the 3 sides for £11. Food is delicious 😋.

A family lunch with small boys between 2.5 and 6 years w a a delight. Excellently idea to bring our the food for children first. Staff are really warm and friendly so it feels like a community.

For me this small restaurant in Bushy is great as you can take your dogs in after or before a walk. Set relax and have a good meal. They even give the dog a bowl of water .;)

The Camembert cheese board with chutney was incredible, as were the wings! Got the burgers on Tuesday night and they were outstanding. Not a menu item I wouldn’t recommend!

Awesome vibe. Probably best food we had over the course of our 1.5 week stay in the UK. Hostess was super friendly. Wish we could go again!!!

Nice pub,great atmosphere and good service.

Staff were nice and accommodated our party well. It's a long trip for me so probably wouldn't go back but it was an enjoyable evening. Nice and clean and clearly loved by the locals.

Lovely staff and good service.. even though we were a large group they looked after us and didn't get irritated when few struggled with the menu Food is however average but very big portions One off putting thing was another client passing derogatory remarks .. being drunk is fine but comment on how other looks isn't fine

Amazing pub with an awesome atmosphere. Great food and service too!

The Best Pub...Food, Staff, Atmosphere, all 5 Star. Every year I go back for my Christmas friends meet up for drinks and food....and the crumble is simply the best.

Great little gem of a place we were recommended. The food was fantastic. The chicken wings were cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside, covered in sauce and tasted delicious we inhaled them so quick because they were so just so good. My son had the Stack burger with skinny fries and loved it. I had the chicken burger which was delicious and we both had peppercorn sauce on the side which was delicious. We love going out for pub food and this was the nicest pub grub we have ever had. The staff were so friendly and attentive. Amazing and we will be back.

A friendly , welcoming pub with good quality food and drinks. It's always busy without being hectic. Sunday Roast portions are very generous but the fish dishes are more modest. However the creamed spinach side dish is amazing!

Fab atmosphere and great bar team

We had a reservation for 4.30pm for an early dinner with friends for a pre-Christmas catch up. On arrival the pub had a large area reserved for a private party. The bar was 3 or 4 deep with people who had obviously been there all day. We were directed to our table, which only had 3 chairs, nearest the door, surrounded by casual drinkers standing up and talking loudly. We asked for another table and were told nothing else was available- clearly not true as other tables were empty. When we said that we couldn't sit and eat and talk to our friends with people practically leaning over us, holding really loud conversations, the staff were unsympathetic and we felt as if they really didn't care at all. If you are holding private parties and encouraging people to come for drinks, make sure your regular diners are separated and given appropriate tables and the same care and attention. We didn't stay and I doubt we'll come back.

Booked a surprise 30th here and it was absolutely brilliant. Charlie and Marci were so helpful and the evening was smooth, nothing was too much and the staff were all clued up and attentive. Definitely recommend and thank you all so much

Disappointing visit for lunch. Our drinks order had been forgotten & when lunch arrived, it included grated cheese that didn’t even cover the slice of bread. Upon asking for more cheese, still unable to give a decent coverage…..? Very quiet in the pub, but non-existent service. No- one came to ask if all was ok. Will go elsewhere next time..

My parents & I met here to have lunch, we did not know what to expect We were very happy with our choice, the pub is dog friendly which is always nice. They make your dog as welcome as they do you, the team are welcoming, professional and very friendly. The decor is a bit of a modern twist on traditional and it is homely and makes you feel comfortable, we really liked it. The food portions are big, we could not even think about ordering dessert as were too full, the presentation is good and the meals were cooked to perfection, what more could you ask for? We would definitely go back

Fine and dandy. No issues & great service served with a smile

Great bar Perfect pint of Guinness. Bar staff really friendly

Had a lovely steak. Best I have had in a long time. Staff lovely and friendly. Husband loved his cheese dessert too.

The team accommodated us for refreshments after a funeral - I had given them approx numbers of 50 people and on the day the numbers more than doubled!! Marcie and team were amazing and handled it all with a smile.

Lovely friendly pub with good drinks and great food options catering for all versions of fussy!

It was our first time at this pub. It took 20 minutes for us to get our drinks and the food arrived after an hour of waiting. The food itself was delicious, generous portions, nice and hot. The staff were generally quite pleasant - its a shame everything took so long.

Lovely food and decent portions

Lovely pub and friendly staff. The food was just so pricey for what it was, especially for the Sunday roast. Really loved the halloumi and humous starter though - that was something special.

Didn’t eat. Looked good though. 2 real ales. Beck vier and lots of good choices for non real ale drinkers. Fairly busy on a random Tuesday night.

Great local pub. The fact it is dog friendly is even better. Great food good selection of drinks. Glad it is our local Update. Just back from another very enjoyable afternoon in the pub. Very relaxing to sit with friends, have a couple of drinks and a few nibbles. Staff very friendly and efficient. Can recommend enough.

Great Sunday Roast, great service , real mix of people giving it a real buzz and lots of booze to choose from. Highly recommended

Always seens to smell of fish?? People friendly.

Being a foodie to say the least.. I was very impressed with the food and service at the King Stag.. Our party of 4 arrived at 3.00pm for Sunday lunch and stay there till 9.00pm.. A good choice of beers, lagers, wines & whiskies as well. Recommended.

I hired the front of the pub for my sons christening a few weeks ago. The staff were extremely attentive to all our party, Marci and the team were just great. As for the food, it was amazing, I would highly recommend the sausage rolls, everyone was wowed by them.

Great Pub. Excellent food in clean comfortable surroundings and to top it all wonderful staff.

Love this pub so decided to have my birthday party here for about 50 friends in the garden. Initially spoke to Charlie the manager to set up and she couldn't have been more helpful. I also dealt with the other manager too, Marti who was also lovely. I chose some food from their finger buffet section. The fish goujons and veggie spring rolls with dips were delicious 😋 and also had their mezze boards which were lovely too! Some of my friends ordered full meals and found it very tasty. The garden looks pretty with little lights and they played a playlist for me that I had organised. Everyone had a great time and even a little dance by the end of the evening. Would definitely come here again.

We had a good time drinking in the garden but eating inside was not good. It was so dark that two of our party of 5 had to use phone torches to read the menu. The starter was fine but then it was a wait of almost an hour for our mains. None of the meals were up to the standard we were expecting. All were overcooked, especially the burger buns (actually black in places). We were too hungry to send the meals back. The desserts were much better thankfully. We will return for a drink but not a meal. Disappointed.

Nice little pub, friendly staff. We have eaten here once and it was really good.

Lovely burger with a side of Mac'n'Cheese. Delicious

Best pub in the area. Food and service top notch. Not open Mondays.

Great food, the Sunday Roast was superb. Staff and landlady very friendly. I would recommend this pub to everybody.

First of all - it's a dog friendly pub! And dogs are not just welcome, they even have their own menu! Staff are very friendly, food is good and big portions! Came down on a Jubilee weekend and our two corgies were stars! Lovely!