The Portland Arms in St Albans

Wish Portland Arms was my local! Caz and her team are fantastic - brilliant friendly service byball team memebers and Caz is the landlady that'llensure everythingis right for you. Checking if more gravy is needed and letting us pre-order for a busy Easter Sunday so we had our choice roast and it arrived quickly after we sat down. The pub itself is wonderful and cozy inside with 3 seating/dining areas - lovely wall paper and pictures with a fun spin of historic times. The outside garden is covered and has many cute heated pods - suitable for all weather The food is generous and delicious. Was lovely to spend our afternoon at Portland Arms.

Amazing Sunday roast, excellent service and great value. What a find this place is. Glad to see it so busy on a Sunday but not surprising given the quality of what is on offer.

Outstanding, friendly local pub. Great wine, dogs welcome, open fire on a stormy evening....perfect.

This local pup friendly pub exceeded all expectations. The roast dinner was delicious and the cauliflour cheese is a must! The attentive service provided by the ladies behind the bar added to the overall delightful experience. Booking was straightforward and fast, our cozy table by the fire a perfect setting for our sunday lunch. We can't wait to come back! Thanks 😊

Very lively Christmas Market. Great atmosphere with families of all ages.

I love Tom, Tom is the best bar person. He is so attractive, he served my drink almost instantly although I might have gone into a daze just looking at him. His eyes are just mesmerising, I mean his pure sexual magnetism is almost impossible to withstand. Please get him more shifts, I will come here and spend all my money, donating it all to the tom charity. If he ever leaves I will kill myself. I love Tom.

Fantastic kids, disco for Halloween, thanks.

Had a very pleasant evening in here with Mrs C and her friend, Mrs C's grandad lived just round corner from here so odd we have never been in, but now we have and I'm glad we have. Firstly the staff are really friendly, helpful and pleasantly cheerful, the beer was good (Seafarer a nice crisp amber ale), none of us we massively hungry so we just shared two portions of nachos and some chips, wow they were good sized portions as well and tasty. enjoyed ourselves here and will be back again when in St A

Went Friday lunchtime 12:30. Closed. No sign of life. No sign?

Was really pleasantly surprised at the excellent quality and service for our Sunday lunch at this pub. Been on holiday in the area and this was by far our favorite Sunday meal out of the pubs we ate in.

Bloody brilliant 👏, the landlady is from my old patch from down sufff, and it's proper nice to hear another SE/London accent. Where I stay now, I keep getting mislabelled as an Aussie.🤷🏻. I got lot's of pics over a fare few years, but I'll post them as I find them. In the meantime, just F'in visit, and you'll get it.

We sat in the garden and had the Sunday bbq which was very tasty, just took a little while to appear. Staff were lovely & great pods to sit out in.

Great pub. Cosy atmosphere, friendly, efficient staff. The Sunday roast is particularly good, you won't be disappointed and really good value.

Good local pub. The nachos were fantastic, probably the best I have had in a very long time.

Nice, community pub. It was jam packed when I visited so couldn't dine as had been my intention.

Great place for Sunday lunch. Good food and you definitely won't go home hungry.

Dreadful,just visited and place was closed,how about updating your social media and website if opening times have changed.

Great roast dinner, polite staff, dog friendly, lots of drink choices, garden seating is decorated beautiful, perfect summer pub!

Have lways received friendly service here - it's such a small thing, but bar staff saying bye when you leave always makes a good impression. There's a nice cosy atmosphere and plenty of dogs (usually an indication of a good pub!). We've had some good food here, too. Personally, I think having a big screen for football on BOTH sides of the pub is a bit too much. I like to watch sport so I don't really mind, but when I was there last (when the football was on) there was at least half the customers entirely uninterested with their backs to the screen. Surely, one big screen in one room would be enough? Whatever, it shouldn't detract from this review - I really like this pub and look forward to popping in again soon.

Lovely roast and nice outdoor area. Would go back.

Friendly staff who pour a lovely Guinness and serve great food. Cosy atmosphere with an open fire in the winter and a sunny beer garden in the summer. What’s not to like? The pies are particularly good.

This was our second visit to the Portland Arms for a Sunday roast and certainly didn’t disappoint. Firstly, in my opinion is a traditional boozer, the decor is great and not trying to be anything but a decent pub. They have a decent selection of wine and beers…(more obviously but we had only wine and beer today). We were a group of 11. We preordered the roast we wanted and it was amazing, great big portions, I had the beef which was perfectly cooked, my partner had the chicken which was perfectly cooked and a friend had the lamb, said it was delicious and fell off the bone!! The children had the child’s roast and none of them could finish it, they were the size of some adults roasts at different venues. Portion size aside, the food was great, we ordered extra cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets. The gravy was the correct consistency and full of flavour……. The desserts were great too and not too large thankfully!! I had sticky toffee pudding, which was served with custard as it should be and was very nice, some friends had the crumble, also very nice!! I would definitely recommend and make sure you have a nice long walk afterwards to fell less full 😂…..

Great place to relax and friendly service

Lovely little pub tucked away in the back streets

Cute little pub. Feels like your own living room

Good basic back street boozer in St Albans. Good selection of ales, friendly.

Great pub, never get a bad pint

Friendly locals. Stonebaked pizza in the garden definitely helped warm up after the fireworks display.

Very nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

One of the best In St Albans. Great people.

Really great find while walking around the streets of St Albans as just outside the centre between the river and the cathedral. They had a large rear garden full of amazing little huts to shelter from the sun or rain! It looks so good and I can imagine it getting busy on a Sunny afternoon so recommend getting there early to get a good spot! Very friendly staff and good selection of drinks on offer, typical of a Fullers pub. If we visit St Albans again we will definitely be going there for a drink!

Really lovely garden space and a nice divided area for people with kids to use and a quiet space adjacent for those who want to avoid the kids. Good selection of drinks and food available. Really friendly staff and a lovely pub inside too

Prices of half pints of real ale are loaded. Although the pub advertised a Sunday roast, no food was available on a lunchtime visit.

First visit but will be back. Nice cosy pub, attentive, friendly staff and great beer.

Great Sunday roast, friendly staff and lovely garden pods to sit in. Thank you.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to you all for making the day a special one 14th May party booked by Emma D . The food & service was excellent & enjoyed by all. Thank you

Nice cosy pub, staff are friendly, not a great deal of parking. Lovely garden with individual pods so you can chill and isolate if you want to.

I love this pub and live thw beer. Always a warm welcome.

Food was alright for the price. Massive roasts. Decent potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. Carrots were uncooked and whole meal was under seasoned. Nice Guinness and service.

Great little pub. Wonderful choice of food. Friendly owner & staff.lovely atmosphere.

Great tasting Sunday roast and puddings at good value too

Well kept beers, great food, nice staff. Great place

Very friendly staff and enjoyable food, definitely a pub that I will return to.

Good atmosphere and a good selection of Beers nice staff. Recommend 👍

Called in for a pint and snack. Great oldy style pub ....good selection of beers. Food good. Friendly and good service.

We enjoyed a very good lunch at The Portland Arms yesterday. As it was a cold December day we were so glad to have a table in a cosy corner next to an open fire. I started with the excellent baked camenbert , followed up by a great game pie for my main course, washed down by the house Malbec wine. Having eaten here before, in one of the heated pods in the garden, I know that there will be a warm welcome even if the rules change and we have to eat outside in the future.

Comfortable pub in a residential area..

Loved it here. Very friendly land lady. Staff knowledge, good variety of wine and beer served well. We sat by an open fire. Very much a locals pub. I wish we lived near and could have this as our local. Its a very traditional English pub inside. Highly recommend visiting if you are in St Albans.

Delicious roasts, clean and airy pub. Super welcoming and friendly staff too. Definitely worth a visit

This pub is a great place to have a pint. I enjoy having a wonderful time after work. Leave everything behind and enjoy. Cheers🍺🍺🍺🍺.....and more.

Delightful back-street boozer, very friendly staff. Fuller's ales on cask, in good condition when we visited. Pleasant beer garden with heated booths for the colder months.

Absolutely the best Sunday roast served with genuine smiles by Caz's team. Highly recommend The Portland Arms

Great outdoor area, friendly staff and nice food. Our top choice of pub in St Albans

Amazing take away roast dinners! Yum!

Basic pub food, top quality people, nice selection of drinks.

Очень здорово. Сидим и смотрим финал Евродиги. Первый период закончен. Какое замечательное сумашествие)))

My favourite pub in St Albans great food and beer great location very friendly staff

Unfortunately although we have eaten here before the food has really deteriorated, the starters were all frozen and looked as though they were from Iceland. £6.25 for 4 small rounds of pre frozen garlic bread. £6,35 for 4 tiny duck spring rolls not good. She has the outside pods but once you can venture back in and eat dont think we shall be bothering. Shame as it used to be nice.

Had a great time at the Portland Arms. Despite challenging circumstances with Covid Compliance requirements and outside dining, the staff and management did a great job of keeping us fed and watered throughout. The current requirements pubs have to follow are complex and many customers either don’t understand them or choose not to follow them so the patience shown by the team throughout was great. Some of the previous negative reviews are unfair as many pubs continue to face various challenges being open in the current environment. Great job, lovely food, nicely priced, had a great time! Thanks!

Awesome garden, nice beer choice and friendly staff

Had the pleasure of eating here again last night with family and friends. As usual, the food drink and service was excellent. We’re always greeted by a friendly welcome from the landlady. This place never disappoints

A hidden gem of a pub and only a short walk out of the city centre. Caz and her team have developed an outside seating area to support COVID measures and it works really well. Option of booths (which you should book) and tables if you’re chancing it as a walk in. Fantastic food and a great selection of big named beers and local ales too. Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.

We booked for a birthday 4 weeks in advance. After ordering our first round we were told the pub was closing at 2030. The garden was busy and staff turned away customers despite having ample space. It’s hard to support local businesses if they won’t let you. Shame it seemed nice but would not recommend as bookings are not honoured.

Good food and service. Their booths are comfortable too.

We had a delicious 3 course meal in one of the new outdoor decorated pods. Very enjoyable. We even got offered a blanket when it got dark. I recommend it once we are able to go again.

The pub is really trying with the outdoor area and the restrictions. Had a great night, staff are really working hard and if i need to keep eating substantial meals ie baps and a dinner to carry on having a few drinks fine by me. Great pub well done.

We visited solely because we saw they were providing pods outside which was brilliant. However, the food was very standard/not great pub food; very limited allergy options didn't have a GF bread option with the camembert which these days is a very standard offering. They were quite busy and seeing as we had to book (aware of busyness) only had two waitresses manning the pub/inside the restaurant and garden. They were at times literally running from table to table so pretty uncomfortable having to try to grab them for things like cutlery once our starters had arrived. Pretty awful watching these young women literally run ragged. As a consequence, we waited 1hr 40 mins for our food with nothing cleared away. Our desserts arrived and we still had starters, mains and various drinks across the table, the waitress was aware of the plates but we suspected they had run out of room in the kitchen/ didn't have time to wash up, one of the waitresses mentioned there was just one person in the kitchen. It was all rather unpleasant and such a shame, the staff are clearly very hard workers but the structure provided by management/owner isn't giving the pub the best chance.

Traditional Georgian pub, down a side road, just out of the city centre. Fullers ales are well kept - I do love a pint of ESB. Had Sunday roast here on many occasions and the quality / portion size is excellent. Friendly staff and locals make it a good choice in the area - although it has stiff competition.

Today we popped into this lovely typical british pub for lunch. We sat outside to take advantage of the lovely weather and we had 2 very tasty steak pies. The staff was friendly and the food was delicious, will definitely go back!

Currently have outside open ended "pods" with heating and table service. Booking usually required though I was able to walk in for a few drinks.

Great sunday lunch, really nicely cooked and very tasty.be prepared large portions. On top of that a great landlady. Will be back when you reopen .

If you order the Sunday roast, be prepared for a kingly feast! Probably a good shout if you have a thundering hangover.

Booked an outside pod last minute. Staff very friendly and accommodation. When back in area we shall return.

Great little pub. Good food, great staff, nice surroundings. What's not to like!

Had a brilliant Sunday lunch here today. Very generous portions so make sure you're hungry! Great food, friendly staff and my husband's favourite beer - sorted!! Will definitely be going back.

Very friendly service, nice atmosphere

We have lived round the corner for a couple of years, but for some reason never been in. The staff were excellent as was the service. Beer was good and the food nice. Extra brownie points for making their own burger patties. Typical pub grub and not top end. Just good grub.

Great roast had by all hungry 6 of us and very good service .

Great pub with good food and the friendliest of bar stewards and delightful service. Also vegan friendly so I can bring all my boys for Sunday lunch

Great pub, food and beer, especially the landlady, she's the best bit..

Great pub. Nice atmosphere, staff and beer selection. Would definitely recommend!

Lovely little pub great bear and food nice atmosphere

Nice cosy pub with a lovely atmosphere. Enjoyed dining with a group of friends and having Sunday roast. Food there is highly recommended, and prices are acceptable also. Very good experience.

We had the most perfect wedding party at Portland Arms, everything was easy and as planned! Thank you Caz and team!!

loved it .They had a lovely Halloween party for children .Great staff and all round good night xxx

Good customer service, large range of drinks and food. Also very friendly people and nice layout of the place.

Lovely, hearty roast dinner! Delicious beef, large serving, quick service, cosy atmosphere. Will be back. :)

What a great find! A cosy pub in the back streets of St Albans serving a top notch Sunday lunch! Friendly staff. Large portions. Worked out about £25pp for Sunday lunch, puds, drinks, tea:coffee. Nice atmosphere.

Good local pin 👍 nice atmosphere and pleasant staff. Bonus being just two minutes from home!

amazing people, anazibg service ! great price

Lovely pub with great atmosphere

Lovely garden with good beer and on ocassion a jazz band to die for.

Something has to be done about animals in our pubs. In here with the family for a sunday roast and a man comes in called Beastly Joe. He's called that because he comes with his own bestiary - today a leopard, a baboon and a wild boar. Staff are nonplussed as if this is a regular occurance and he gets himself a pint. To start with seems like a regular thing and my klds are enjoying watching the animals. Then it all goes wrong; Beastly Joe pours a cider down the boar's throat and it skips about. The bar staff and myself are concerned and it gores my son with its tusks. Joe and the animals are thrown out and my son's face is bandaged up. I just don't think children are safe around some wild animals.

Very friendly atmosphere, landlady was bubbly and charming, did not have the food but understand it is very good. Well worth a visit to this backstreet pub, the real ale beer was well kept, give it a try.

The Portland Arms is my local and one of my go to places in St Albans. Caz the landlady is a lovely lady and a real character and has completely rejuvenated this pub over the last couple of years. Pub food is great with the Sunday roast as a highlight (you need to book) , locals are fun with lots of banter and a very knowledgeable football crowd.

What a cosy little pub! I came here with some friends, we was welcomed in in such a lovely manner by caz and her staff, they are all so friendly. We came in on a Sunday and had planned to just have some drinks, but the roasts they were serving just looked and smelt amazing so we decided to eat as well, none of us had any faults or complaints at all! And the desserts.. WOW, I could of had two as i enjoyed it that much. The drinks are decently priced too so we stayed for quite a while, and will definitely be going again soon! Definitely recommend this place, whether it's for some drinks or food as well

Found this beautiful pub , 3 years ago , Caz the lovely lady who is the landlady is very welcoming and I have now had this pub as my local since then , and need to take the half hour drive to get there and back , the food is absolutely fantastic and nothing is ever to much trouble, the locals are very friendly if your looking for pub with a nice country feel this is the one to come to .

I’ve just been in the Caz Portland Arms

A lovely homely pub. I asked for a cup of tea as I was driving and it was no problem at all.

First visit for a Sunday lunch. Cosy on this snowy day. Lovely fire inside. Good selection of roast meats. Food piping hot and plentiful. Thick slices of medium rare beef. Al dente vegetables. Tasty selection of desserts. Very reasonable prices. Cosy atmosphere. Very helpful and friendly staff. Will definitely return.