The Plough in St Albans

I haven’t eaten here but it always looks and smells good. They seem to only have 1 ale on at a time but they're always well kept and reasonably priced. They have a wall of craft ale pumps if they floats your boat.

A very comfortable pub, great food and a great find.

Lovely local pub, friendly staff, cosy inside and great food.

One of our favourite places in and around St Albans - the food is really special. I would go so far as to say some of the dishes are Michelin star quality. Some of the starters, in particular, are divine. You can also go more gastro pub if you want a decent fish and chips. Wine and drinks didn’t quite meet the level of the food when they first opened a year or so ago but it’s improved a lot. Staff are always lovely too. My only teeny tiny gripe is the music - could do with a bit more love to match the food, drinks and atmosphere.

Amazing roast dinner, great service, I just wanted more 😋

Great staff, really friendly and helpful. Great venue, food was really top quality and clearly made freshly. No faults! Really good.

Incredible food, excellent service, staff were extremely attentive. Already booked to go again!

We have just had probably the best Sunday lunch at the plough. The staff were all so pleasant and helpful with a warm and inviting atmosphere. The quality of the food was exceptional and generous. We will be returning for dinner very soon.

We have eaten here a few times. The whole family loved it and I have picky eaters. They did amazing gluten free options for myself.

Really nice pub for food. Great for Sunday roast but also for the a la carte menu. Service always friendly and very welcoming of dogs and families . Well worth a visit 👍🏻

The food is divine. We had the 5 course tasting menu which outshone some of the best London has to offer. The a la carte menu looks more traditional pub but with amazing attention to detail and quality. The service was friendly, fast and efficient. One of the best gastro pub experiences we’ve had. Highly highly recommended.

It had very tasty food, that was nicely presented. The staff were very nice and kind. The pub felt very quaint and homely, making the atmosphere and experience quite enjoyable.

Delicious roast and friendly service We were 3 + a baby in pram Waitress was so friendly and accommodating Pub is small and cosy Outside space looks great for summer! Roast potatoes were excellent which is always a sign of a good roast! Fancy presentation and very tasty indeed Puds a bit too pricey but tasty too. Will definitely be back.

I went there with my partner and we got focaccia and a 'nduja scotch egg to start. Both were delicious. I went for the fish and chips for my main course, and it was among the best I've ever enjoyed. The place felt cozy, like a pub in the countryside.

I have been to this pub many times before and always recieved lovely food and service . The service today was terrible the.bar man was rude and arrogant. No.pleae or thank you terrible ... never will return - The fact they never replied ? is testament to lack of care

I haven’t eaten here, staff are great

Great food in a lovely welcoming pub on a Saturday evening. Good selection of beers and gins. Cheerful welcoming service . Thank you Update: excellent all round . Pre Christmas lunch and made to feel very welcome with some delicious food and fine wine.

Came with my son and his partner for lunch after a friend recommended us to try The Plough, we had a very nice day and enjoyed a delicious lunch. We were well looked after and have booked in for dinner before Christmas as after seeing the menu we decided we have to try it!

We had a very pleasant experience. The food was very good. The staff were pleasant and accommodating. Nice country pub. Would recommend it.

We regularly visit the plough & always enjoy our evenings,warm welcoming atmosphere,helpful friendly staff..but this week we got to enjoy the scrummy Christmas dinner with all the trimmings 🥂enjoyed by all! I certainly recommend a Christmas visit-it won’t disappoint!

Had a lovely dinner with my friends for our yearly festive get together, food was interesting and delicious. The staff were also very pleasant to us, there was a slight issue with one of our drinks which was handled really quickly and apologetically, the cocktail was worth the wait I must say. We will for sure be back soon.

We had a so called ploughman’s lunch today that cost £15! Each dish. I slice of sourdough bread cut in half. The 2 small slices of cheese and ham would have made half a sandwich for £15!!! 😂😂😂😂 sorry we did get a small bowl of pickle as well 😂

The Plough has a tiny bar. The local drinkers treat it like a living room, with a small child and baby still in the bar well after last orders. The locals’ belongings are spread across the entire bar, on tables and chairs they have no intention of using (and they don’t move them when someone is looking to sit). The swearing, farting (yes, farting) and general rudeness was awful and not what you’d expect in a gastro pub with a tasting menu at £60 per head/ £17+ for two ordinary drinks. The staff petted/hand fed the dogs in the bar and returned to serving food and drinks without washing their hands. The staff found the regulars hilarious - regularly chiming in with inappropriate comments. The food, service and ambience has always been good but standards have plummeted.

Before I write this review I would like to say that we have been to the plough 100’s of times and it has always been a pleasant experience with very good food and service. We pre booked a table at 6.30pm this evening and were seated at the bar area. There were four/five people at the seated bar (not unusual for such such a nice country pub) However, some 2 minutes into our visit we were consumed by a horrendous smell followed by lots of laughing. The customers at the bar (clearly locals) were jaunting about the men “farting” along with the bar staff joining in on the joke. We laughed it off as “merry men” but this continued throughout a 15 minute seating after ordering our food. Bar staff were all joining in with comments such as “ you stinky b*stard there’s something wrong with your guts” followed by lots of laughter from all. All fun and games! However, For £60pp for a taster menu we didn’t really want to sit in that smell! We were unable to converse or sit in comfort and had to ask to move tables. We were then placed in a back room (empty) apart from a family of 10 that we then felt we had to “join”. The whole experience was very below par! We cancelled our meal. Whilst waiting for an Uber (which we had already paid £25 to get to the pub) we were spoken to by a staff member. Again, this particular staff member has always been top tier with service prior to this visit. He seemed frustrated that I told him I would be writing a review ( understandable as him and Hannah always try their upmost to give the best service) and I informed him that although I understand it is difficult from his standing to be able to do anything about this, I feel an honest review on the very “minority” of customers this evening was very disappointing. He did give us a free glass of wine whilst waiting for our Uber to collect us. Such a shame about tonight. As per my previous reviews have always been 5 stars.

Bought my gf here after not visiting for over a month. Always been good (staff and food)before tonight’s visit. Got seated in bar area by loud male drinkers. Burping, farting and generally being rude AF. Ordered food, service good-waitress really friendly and nice. The five people at the bar were disgusting. Burping loudly and farting loudly. Laughing and joking about the smell, and staff playing along too! Put me and my gf off eating completely. Always had a good time at this pub until tonight. Just glad I didn’t bring my in-laws this evening. Thanks for the next week of torture from my gf!

Good food, nice vibe. Highly recommended. Burger was fantastic. Very dog friendly

Highly recommend the Chefs taster menu. 5 course meal of pure pleasure on the taste buds. Each course explained to you by the chef with passion and pleasure

I found the food expensive for what you received. I had a fish main. It was a small slither of fish and white sauce on a huge bowl and a small bowl of French fries. I had to send it back as it was luke warm when it was first served. The saving grace was the date pudding which was a bigger serving than the main and virtually half the price. I won't recommend or return.

What a bobby dazzler of a pub! I went whilst visiting family in St Albans and can say for certain, it's my new favourite pub down there. Beautiful outside and in with helpful, friendly and efficient staff. Our meals were delicious, the sea bream was served with a lovely, delicate sauce and roast beef cooked exactly how I like it, the right side of pink. On the side, some of the best chunky chips I've ever had (no exaggeration). And if you want to be wowed by a cocktail, try the thyme infused margarita...dreamy. I did think twice about writing a rave review in case it gets too busy and I can't book next time Im visiting!

Really poor, there’s one menu in the website and then a really limited one when you get there, which was really disappointing. the cod came out cold and looking like slop, sent it back and they brought it back out after being re-heated, nothing had changed to the look so assuming microwaved 🤢 the burger was undercooked and the sticky rib was like mush and smelt fishy was inedible. The staff were useless and did nothing, or coming over and interrupting us, when we gave them feedback they did nothing. Would absolutely not recommend.

The burger is to die for! And the beer is pretty good too :D

Amazing the food was lovely. Totally going back, think it might be our new favourite place. The burger I had was amazing and the triple fried chips were the best I have had! The burger was also amazing and it was unbelievable how tasty the mushrooms were in the mushroom parfait and sourdough bread! My 2 year old loved his pasta and some of my chips! Planning on going back for the Sunday roast! My wife is already planning on going with her friends next week, sadly without me.

It's a nice looking old traditional pub but I think the food does not deserve the price attached. The staff were pleasant if a bit vague. I started with the bream which while tasting fabulous, was such tiny pieces that made me think they were laughing at mugs like me who would pay £13 for that small a portion. The roast beef for the Sunday lunch tasted excellent for what there was. But for 'f28 it was 2 small slices of beef of which approx 30% was fat. Potatoes were dry and cooked twice so tough on the outside, red cabbage , other veg although tiny were tasty and because the potatoes were so dry it needed a load more gravy. Plus when 2 of our party wanted the beef medium they said it came rare and that was it but when one of us insisted as he doesn't eat rare meat, they cooked it a bit mire. This is a pub not a Michelin star restaurant. The date pudding was excellent and a decent size. One of our friends apparently confused the staff by asking for a filter coffee. He then came ack and said he was terribly sorry but they had no filter coffee. But I could see the coffee machine on the bar counter. Inexperienced staff. We suggested to the manager the few issues and she very kindly took off the service charge but then I felt bad because I don't want to deprive the staff of their wages. Awkward. Most of the eight of us stayed a long time and didn't feel under any pressure to leave so the atmosphere was nice.

This pub has two pound signs on website should be 3 or 4!!!. I cant believe its 4.5 stars. Its 28 pound for a roast. It's not london and what we see come out didnt look worth that price. We had a drink and left Sorry but almost 100 pound for three roasts it would have to be something special. That was not the case looked like any standard roast thats 15 pound. I am still thinking was it a miss print. One thing I noticed that not many people had a full table of meals they sharedd meals, not surprised at the cost. Lovely garden and seating area that's the only positive I see here. Just a country pub.

The Plough offers some of the best food in the area, but its prices are out of control. At a recent Sunday lunch, we paid £8 for bread (four modest slices) and a chicken roast at £22 arrived with only half a chicken breast (not half or a quarter of a chicken, but just one half of one breast). Paying for good food is one thing but The Plough has gone a bit silly!

We were looking forward to a ploughman’s lunch and checked the menu before we travelled half way across the county on a rare day off. We were disappointed, having chatted with the waitress about ploughman’s lunches with the waitress and how we were looking forward to having one to be served 2 mediocre toasties!!!The waitress tried to blame the whole misunderstanding on us and parted with a big tutt!! Disappointed. We won’t be returning here.

The prices are ridiculous and the food is mediocre at best Ruined my day I’m going home and fix myself a McDonald’s do not recommend

Highly recommend- the food was excellent Started with the sourdough and mushroom parfait, followed by the chateaubriand and then the chocolate delice. All washed down by a bottle of Malbec . Couldn’t fault a thing. Food was great, service friendly and attentive - a lovely...

Was absolutely orid Sirlion Steak 3 pieces don't think it was Sirlion! Chateaubriand small chips thick with mozzarella cheese on them yuk 5 of us spent over £300 😥

We went late afternoon (4.30) as we were on our way to a concert. This is usually a difficult time - too early for dinner, too late for lunch. We couldn’t have been more pleased - very friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff offered us a...

Lovely pub, amazing food and venue. Never heard of it before so was surprised such a well kept secret. Will definitely be returning. The best roast I've had in years!!

First visit and we loved it. Will come again soon.

Beautiful quiet and quirky pub in lovely setting, with ample parking and most importantly very dog friendly. This place has so much character - beams are beautiful, nice and clean and staff were most welcoming. We opted for some bread, Aranchini and ham croquettes as starter with a steak to follow and finished off with a Rum baba, panna cota and chocolate bar. All 5* cannot fault at all, beautifully presented food oozing with flavour and absolute thank you for making our night. Price wise it’s on the higher end but I can see why! Definitely worth the visit so if you can do! I have asked about visiting again in a few months and have been told that the menu is constantly changing due to season so probably best to call up with what they currently have. Will be back Thank you!i

Wonderful food in a pretty setting. We all had different dishes, each one was totally amazing! Will definitely revisit.

This is my fourth visit to this gastropub. On the last occasion, I chose a burger with Japanese Coleslow and chips, unfortunately, everything was so laced in salt from the chips to the burger meat, it was diffuclt to eat, we made it present to a couple of waitresses, they say it was the paprika mix but i can distinguish between salt and paprika. It looks as if the chef seasoned the meat and the chips three times! Unedible and very bad for yout health too. Despite the complaint and the top prices charged they didn't offer us a replacement or a free drink or dessert. We weren't impressed at all. It is such a pity as it is a lovely pub, dog friendly and well furished. I think the maitre should be more present during dinner service. if they can't ger a burger and chips right at £ 20 I see very little hope.

This is a hidden jem. Stunning outdoor area. Ate under the slatted pagoda area on a Saturday lunchtime. Sirloin was cooked to perfection and the peppercorn sauce was definitely the best yet.

Mid August on the outdoor area is very pleasant. Helpful staff even had a treat for our dogs. Can't wait to come back.

3rd time I've been here for dinner. Food is consistently excellent, nice outdoor seating area and the staff are very welcoming and friendly. If you're coming for dinner the "à la carte" menu is the way to go, usually from Tuesday to Friday. Worth calling...

3rd time I've been here for dinner. Food is consistently excellent, nice outdoor seating area and the staff are very welcoming and friendly. If you're coming for dinner the "à la carte" menu is the way to go, usually from Tuesday to Friday. Worth calling and checking with the staff what's available on the day. Will be back for sure.

Charming cosy pub with a lovely garden.

we had the roast the waiter dropped a few of our roast potato’s on the tray then picked them up with his hand and put them back in the bowl for us to eat. I complained they took away the potato’s as I asked for...

The Plough delivered last week yet another great collaboration at their July Supper Club: their joined forces with Adam Smith from Woven (Coworth Park) this time, and it was a lovely evening with an inspiring and rich menu with deep flavours and beautiful presentations. The...

Well ...not sure what has happened to this place but the food was just awful. Cheap ingredients and possibly chef or menu planner who has questionable choices of flavour. Red bream with chicken sauce and sweetcorn? Yuck. Friend had the pork which was a tiny...

Possibly the best pub meal we’ve ever had

Especially enjoyed the live music they have here on the weekends outdoors.

Visited with a friend. Wonderful, well managed, great food, delightful staff. Garden is beautiful. Local treasure.

Good range of craft beers and real ales on tap. Didn't eat here not my style.

Really nice pub to relax and have a beer after a walk, Found the bar food over priced. £40 for two average burgers a little pricey. Had the burgers delivered to the table then had to wait 5 mins for the fries, cutlery and sauces. Would have expected more then had to pay a 12.5% service fee.

Lovely place, just wish the food was better and not so highly priced.

Teresa and sue excellent customer service Made so welcome Atmosphere was so relaxed Will be re attending soon for a full meal with drinks

Ploughed the entire lot! Terezia was Phenomenal!!

Best incarnation of The Plough yet. Love it. Go there. Bring your dog. Bring a chilled mood. You'll love it too.

Exquisite - pork chop was especially fantastic and enjoyed speaking to the chefs about how they cooked it

Nestled in the country but very near to major roads the location is great. The pub is bright with old beams and spartan pub furniture. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and professional. It is definitely a pub and not a restaurant although some tables...

Amazing starters and BBQ. First time we have had the BBQ and they did a great job. The newly refurbished garden area is really well done. Great staff. Thanks to all.

Visited today with a reservation and sat waiting in the garden for nearly forty minutes before leaving in a bit of a huff. Can’t fault the food, although it is on the expensive side. The service just needs to be crisper.

Excellent in every sense. There were four of us. The service was friendly and helpful. It’s not cheap but the food quality and presentation is first class. Highly recommend.

The food was all exceptional. The beef roast was a sous vide fillet of beef which was nothing short of incredible. Pork chop was also amazing with perfect crackling. We’ve been on a few Sundays now and it gets better each time. Looking forward to...

The ambiance is really great It have a vintage look inside

The nicest Sunday roast I’ve ever had. Absolutely stunning outdoor gardens, cozy historic interior, friendly staff, great beer selection, but most of all the menu/food is unrivaled. Can’t wait to go back! The owner Rob is the best!

Incredibly delicious and refined gastro food with a fantastic beer and wine list to match. Some real gastronomic surprises in there’s Expensive (everything feels expensive at the moment!?) but definitely worth the money. In our opinion Michelin star standard. The best of the “gastro” pubs...

The best Sunday lunch we’ve ever had. Everything was beautiful. Makes such a change to the very mediocre food served at most restaurants. Waiting staff were excellent and knowledgeable about the menu. We sat in the garden for desert and coffee. Well done everyone at...

Hands down the best Sunday lunch I’ve had in many a year and all 6 of us in our party agreed. The food in my opinion was spectacular so fresh and every single item was cooked to perfection. Fortunate enough to have coffee and sweet...

Amazing pub and amazing food, good prices considering the elite menu! Absolutely love this place and the staff (especially Hannah) are so lovely!

We moved out of central London two years ago and last night's dinner at the Plough was definitely the best I've had since we moved. Great food, friendly and helpful staff and beautiful surroundings. We're going back next week!

A level above - food always delicious

So we’ve been here on quite a few occasions & enjoyed it every time but sometimes wish there was a little more choice as even when we’ve not been for a few weeks the menu seems to stay pretty much unchanged,have enjoyed Sunday lunches from...

What an amazing experience. Great setting, great staff and brilliant food. We started with mushroom arancini which were bombs of sticky cheesy rice genius! My wife and I went for both roasts, both beef and lamb were fantastic. Then we both had sticky toffee pudding and it was to die for! Only tiny annoying point is we arrive and there were no car parking spaces but it was Easter Sunday. We will be back!!!

Amazing food Amazing service friendly atmosphere, garden is dog friendly and it has a lovely walk right next door

One of the best roasts ive had! Great sunday roasts in a lovely setting. All starters were also excellent plus great drinks selection. Well worth the price!

Delicious food and lovely ambience.

An exceptional dining experience from start to finish. Cannot fault it. A lovely warm welcome on arrival, friendly/chatty staff at the bar and good drinks to start. Moved to our table at our leisure where we had some lovely wine before ordering, the lower priced Pinot is a lovely drop. Our waitress was so lovely and she made us feel at home whilst conveying a real passion for the food and the work the kitchen are doing. We ordered snacks and starters for the table but weren’t rushed to order a main which was a lovely touch. The food was next level - tuna ceviche with passion fruit, mushroom Arancini, beetroot salad, Japanese milk bread with beurre noisette butter and octopus tempura. We were blown away by the presentation but more so by the taste. In no way style over substance, each dish had depth of flavour, texture, freshness and flavour. This is the work of a very competent and passionate chef. Having enjoyed our starters we ordered our mains, confident that they would hit the mark and being expertly steered by our server. Steak for 2, a fish and chips and the fish of the day - each dish was expertly made, the steak was superbly cooked and the sauce rich and deep in flavour. The Caesar salad to accompany it was excellent too, full of anchovies and Parmesan and the CHIPS! Oh the chips, get me more of those chips…they did - we had another bowl. Dessert was equally impressive, picture below. This seems to be the chefs baby, it being his version 2.0. Loved it, polished off the wife’s too as she was so full. A truly, unashamedly chocolatey dessert. Another point, they’re super dog friendly, ours slept quietly next to us whilst we ate and he got dibs on the steak bone after we finished. I see a lot of reviews of places like this complaining about “London Prices”, I think this menu is priced appropriately and we happily paid our bill knowing it was worth every penny. You can’t expect high end quality dining to bleed out of London into Herts and carry a Hungry Horse price point, it’s unrealistic. If you want cheap food, do your research before you head out and find what you’re looking for. If you want fantastic food, wine and service, be prepared to pay for it. I can’t recommend The Plough enough, we will definitely be back! Thank you to the whole team, you’re doing a great job, keep up the great work.

Really nice country pub, food is really really good, particularly beef I’ve had twice. Service can be a bit slow and confusing where you order drinks from, either the bar or waiter. But overall do love it here. Well done.

Every time I come it’s better even though it’s amazing to begin with. Today I wanted to run into the kitchen and thank the chefs but refrained from acting like a mad woman! The food is out of this world. It’s Michelin food locally and...

Great lager/ales, great service. Quality of food was very good, though personally I would've preferred the Roast beef to have been hotter. Desserts were good quality, though rather expensive for the size. I would return, but on a Sunday lunch I think I would rather take a cheaper option. Big thank you to all serving and cooking.

Twas a great dining experience! The little things made a big difference like genuine staff, putting effort into bespoke decorations and presentation of food. Noticeable markup on normal pub prices, not necessarily matched by portion size :P Deliciously crunchy arancini, brilliantly tender steak, sweet pudding. Alterations to dishes and condiment requests weren't available, which would have been simple at any other pub - "no, you can't have salad with fish, instead of chips, even though salad comes with the steak" ... Then "No olive oil for salad, but the dressing does have olive oil in it". 9/10 would go again, if it wasn't booked up so far in advance.

Amazing place. Food worth every penny and probably more. Great wine selection. Everything we had was 11/10. Cocktails spot on. Lovely staff - in particular Sue that served us was amazing. Booked our next visit before we’d even paid our current bill… Recommend to everyone

3rd time visiting for Lunch, hoping they had improved sine the last time. Previous visits, food arrived luke warm and slightly under seasoned, very over priced, aiming at the higher end of the market for what is essentially a “good” country pub. Our last visit on Sunday was disappointing. You can no longer walk-in and sit in the bar area, you must book a table. Fine, we waited at the bar and eventually got a seat, by chance., but were told we wouldn’t be served any food of any description as they were simply too busy, so sat there hungry surrounded be people being served lunch whilst having an over priced Apperol Spritz…..! Very strange experience and response from the front of house, you can sit down at a table but we won’t serve you, not even bar snacks. It’s not a huge place so this seems ridiculous. So, would I return for a fourth time? Probably not for a while, may try again in the summer for a drink, but there are cheaper places with better service IMO for locals to visit.

Food is lovely and staff are fabulous. But it is very pricey e.g £6 for a small bowl of chips. Not much choice for veggies / vegan or small appetites. Also acoustics make for it to be noisy when it's busy. But friendly and welcoming....

Best roast in St Albans! This was our first visit since the new owners took over and wow it was fantastic! We both had the beef which was beautifully rare and there were generous portions of roast potatoes and a selection of veg. We shared the chocolate bar for pudding with the jaffa cake ice cream. Yum! We'll definitely be back soon!

My wife and I had dinner at The Plough again last night, it’s the perfect combination of amazing food, knowledgeable and friendly staff and lovely pub.

Lovely pub, warm welcome from friendly staff. Parking was an issue, but I guess that’s just because it’s very popular and quite off the beaten track. Sunday lunch was great, albeit expensive @ £24 but no doubting the quality of the beef or the accompanying...

Had a fantastic night on new years eve; magician was great, the veggie burger was beautifully presented and really delicious. The staff really looked after us and I definitely will come back soon.

Unreal fish & chips!!! We stubbled upon this pub and literally couldn’t recommend it more! Lovely place, excellent, friendly staff and stupendous food. The fish and chips was literally perfect (no photos because I ate it too quickly!) We’ll be back!!

Booked for 5pm on a Sunday- hadn't realised at the time I booked that this is when the kitchen closes!! But despite that we received excellent service, were able to order 3 courses of fabulous food and didn't feel rushed even when we were the...

Really lovely experience for Sunday lunch, portions are decent size and well made, on the more expensive side for a pub lunch but quality is high. Was £200 bill for 4 adults for lunch, dessert and soft drinks each and tip included. No wine & only 1 beer. Staff were lovely, pub itself is a decent size and there is a large outdoor seating space too. Parking can get busy.

Amazing ambiance, brilliant food and warm service. We unexpectedly found the place via Google and it was clearly the best meal of our trip to the UK.

Good roast but be prepared for the prices...

What eating out should be like. The menu was amazing, food delicious. Each plate could have been on Masterchef. Best food locally. No doubt. Will be back again and again for sure. Could even cycle there. Beautiful setting too. Staff friendly and attentive.

Great Sunday lunch, consistently good food!