The Raven in North Hertfordshire

Over many years I have been eating and drinking at this pub with friends. Many times we have had to wait up to 45 minutes for our food. Admittedly food has been acceptable. Recently, I visited with my voucher for a complimentary bottle of wine for a special occasion. There was a problem trying to send the email I received through to the pub on my arrival, so that they could validate my voucher. A young waiter took my phone from me to try and send the email through himself. He informed me that he was successful, so I received my bottle of wine. My husband also had a drink which was added to our bill. We settled up when we left, after having waited fifteen minutes for someone to take our order followed by a thirty five minute wait for our food. To my dismay, about a week later, I received a text message from someone known as Paul, informing me that the bottle of wine and my husband’s drink were not paid for, please could I phone to settle the bill!!! I tried to phone without any joy, so very politely, replied to Paul’s text explaining about the voucher and the waiter who I believed was successful in forwarding my email to the pub. I also asked him when he would be available for me to speak with him. Unfortunately, to this day, my response has been read but completely ignored, not even an apology! After all the years of my custom I will not be returning, it completely spoiled what was a very special occasion for me.

Great down to earth local pub with informal and friendly staff. Will go again when driving through! The steak was well cooked, the beer well kept and the staff were pleasant. Thanks!

One of our favourites to eat. Literally done the whole menu and we wished the soup of the day was minestrone every time as it is the best.

Lunch with another couple ended with two of us being ill with food poisoning. The two of us who contracted food poisoning both chose Steak with stilton salad. Within 24 hours we were very ill with in my case repeated vomiting and violent stomach cramps for 8 hours and my wife's friends husband being ill for a further 12 hours. Will never go back to the Raven and only a cursory email apology from the manager when I complained. I'm not sure what form of food poisoning this was because neither of us sought medical assistance and managed to brave it out at home. It was very unpleasant and I hope no one else was similarly affected. The date of our meal was 2nd August 2024.

Lovely meal brilliant bar staff and waitress sorry the same can not be said for the manager.On arrival we ordered drinks and it was put on our table number and we went in to the garden for drinks. When we went into restaurant our table had been taken and we questioned why the manager said that it had been doubled booked and there was no apology dispite the staff agreeing that the table had been allocated to us on arrival. We found the manager very unhelpful and rude, such a shame as we will be considering weather to return in the future.

Difficult, staff under pressure, lacked the personnel touch staff techy and abrupt. Food Ok but nothing special at all. Food Just Warm plates cold. Not best quality ingrediants. Bit like a Wetherspoons but more expensive.

My family and I visited The Raven for a family gathering, on Saturday afternoon. The staff was attentive, obliging and helpful. The food and drinks were served promptly. Portions are large and absolutely delicious, very good value for money! There's a nice spacious beer garden, if the weather allows. Great place, I would highly recommend it. Great experience, will definitely be back :-)

The Raven is a lovely county pub, however, unfortunately the service is rather poor, we waited for over an hour for our food, and although it was really tasty the option from the specials board that I and another in our party selected was so tiny that I felt perhaps they had run out of that dish and had divided it into two portions ! If this isn't the case then perhaps they could review the portion size ? ( Risotto )

We come every week now for the last year , wonderful benefits Paul the owner very friendly, great staff, food great , very comfortable

Lovely food, excellent service, great location. Son's birthday lunch, he loved his fish and chips and my steak was cooked perfectly - very impressed. Thank you 😊

Better food than before! We have been to the raven many times in the past and had always been impressed by the portion size and the value but not necessarily the quality. Today we popped in for lunch and had delicious prawn cocktail followed by truly excellent wraps. The quality was a big improvement - and the portion sizes were quite adequate. Overall a big Covid thumbs up!

Had chips here with my parents and children late July 2020; the manager was not keen to take our order, and the portions were miserly.

I m not one for complaining , but on this occasion I feel there was just too many points that needed to be raised. Having worked in customer service for mor than 30 yrs I know I would want to know this . We went to the Raven, a go to pub for us to celebrate my mother in law s birthday . It was a special meal not only to celebrate a her birthday but to welcome her to the area, to say she was unimpressed understatement. We had to wait over an hour for our dinners we had only ordered mains, people in the next table arrived 1/2 hour after us and had nearly finished by the time we got ours , secondly we had cold meals Raven burger buns cold and wet , as if they had been defrosted and thrown on top , Burger over cooked and tough , onions rings that we had on all the meals that had them included were stone cold and inedible, we then ordered puddings that took a further 1/2 hour until they all came out , and they were not a success either once we received them , cold chocolate fudge cake with whipped cream when we ordered warm with ice cream . So disappointed to say the least . I hope this is a blip for the new owners but can’t say We were impressed . We did managed to get something off the bill, however I hope it’s something they can address. A little more customer care was definitely required.

Seems that the new managers have got The Raven back on track. It’s been our “go to” place for nearly 20 years for an ad-hoc meal weekday evenings and also with family and visiting friends. However, things went downhill badly in 2019 under the previous managers. Good food, promptly served and pleasant service tonight. Pretty sure my preferred dish has risen in price by about 12% since the last visit in November.....! Wish my salary had too ;-)

Food pretty good occasional problem, chicken not tender . You have to go off main road to find it Recent change in ownership so have to see if they keep the menu.

As most of you know The Raven is one of our favourite pubs in our area, having taken numerous family and friends there over many years.My wife decided to take me out for a Pre-Christmas meal and we found since our last visit that new management by the way of Kate and Matthew had taken over. We were given a very warm welcome by Kate and introduced to Matthew later on.I decided to go for the Roast Turkey and trimmings which arrived in a record time of around Five Minutes from the time the order was placed. This had to be one of the best roasts i had ever had outside of how i cook my own, and the Turkey was extremley moist the roast potatoes spot on in fact my whole meal was excellent.Just a slight dissapointment for my wife as she said to me that her rice on her Chicken Curry was a bit soggy and the Chicken could have been better than it was. but she ate it all the same. My Raspberry Pavlova was sublime a real sugar hit !!All in all a great visit with the pub looking very festive for Christmas.Anina & I wish Kate & Matthew and the team all success in their new venture.

The Raven remains a favourite pub when I visit my family in Barton. The main menu hasn't changed much over many years - but that isn't a problem. The specials are always good too. Today's Lamb and Mango curry, whilst not an authentic Indian dish, was absolutely delicious. Service was polite, prompt and very friendly and it was good to see a busy pub at lunch time. Very pleased.

The raven is a really friendly pub, lovely garden, with a play area for children. Sadly, if you are vegetarian or vegan, the menu is really limited. Could not have a hot drink after our meal, as no alternative milk available.

Having not been back to the The Raven for a few years the opportunity was there tonight so back I came. The welcome was warm and friendly and the beer was good. The food was nicely prepared and served politely and promptly It wasn’t the busiest of evenings in the pub and the staff were happily engaging with customers as they worked their shifts whilst looking for ways to stay busy. A very pleasant evening with good food and beer. Well done Sasha I will be back!

I don’t write this review lightly as The Raven has been one of our favourites for a very long time but after tonight we won’t be returning. As soon as we arrived the atmosphere was uncomfortable. A big group of drinkers - including the manager - made us feel unwelcome when we arrived. Staff didn’t seem to know what they were doing and weren’t the most friendly. We opened a tab as we wanted dinner, and proceeded to sit waiting to place our order for over half an hour, while the staff stood around, one even coming to remove the menus from our table without saying a word?! We were the only people in there aside from the group already mentioned so it wasn’t busy. By this time we felt so uncomfortable and like an inconvenience to the private party that was clearly taking place so decided to leave. I’m not sure what’s happened, reading recent reviews it seems both the service and the food has gone downhill. It felt nothing like the warm, welcoming and friendly Raven we have known and loved for so many years. An absolute shame. We won’t be returning.

We have visited The Raven a few times recently & each time has been excellent. There is always a warm welcome & they are always pleased to see you. We have tried various items on the vast menu & specials board, the food is excellent & they are good portions, always go away feeling full. The service is very good even when it is busy. Would highly recommend.

Frequently use this friendly and homely pub. The food is very reasonable and good menu a special board as well.

Came along to the Raven for the first time in a number of years.

Lovely pub in village nice place to relax. Plenty of seating in or out in garden .Great selection of food as well as the special board .We enjoyed food from the lighter size menu .It was well presented good flavours .We experience a warm welcome on arrival as well as leaving. Pub was very clean and tidy. I would when back in the area return as good value for money and very friendly made you feel your custom was important to the pub.

Went here for the first time a couple of weeks ago, It was a Friday night so was expecting it to be busy but it wasnt, Service was first class, Food was excellent and the choice of local beers/ciders was also good, All in all cannot wait to go back

Service excellent, ambiance excellent, good choice of food (excellent menu for children, with starters, mains and desserts). One of the best places to go for a family meal.

Popped in for lunch on a recommendation. Great food, great portions, great value and nice friendly staff. Highly recommended.

We call into the pub for a meal hadn’t booked before hand. Nice clean warm and very friendly. The meal and service were extremely good, so much so I’ve booked a table for 10 friends in 2 weeks time. Thank you Reece and team.

Popped in for a quick lunch. We hadn’t booked and they were busy but kindly fitted us in. Lovely friendly staff, good food and quick servive

Went with party of friends for xmas meal. Whilst food was ok service was dreadful, disorganised and slow! We left without coffee at the end as it was nearly 11. Management have not replied to a subsequent email sent a week ago. Shame as service normally spot on but clearly the manager does not care what his customers think!!

Meet here every year for lunch and Christmas presents swap. Staff always very attentive and good choice of food for carnivores through to vegetarians.

Visited for a birthday celebration dinner and was very satisfied. Good choice of dishes, service was fast, portion sizes very good and the pricing sensible. With the exception of £0.55 for a dash of lime, drinks were also sensibly priced.

We decided to lunch at the Raven as due to the rain it would be nic e to sample the inside charm this time, and charming it is. We had a lightish lunch, I opted for the Aberdeen Angus hamburger with all the trimmings and my guest went for a Mexican wrap with stuffed jalapeños and Cajun chicken. Excellent fare indeed and we could not clean our plates as the portions were more than sufficient. We engaged the owner in conversation and I was delighted to hear that she and her husband were from Brasil which really pleased me in view of the years I spent travelling in that country. It was pleasant indeed and it appeared that the majority of the diners there were regulars. We will certainly return.

We arrived and were seated instantly. The pub was crowded. We got our drinks almost at once and ordered our food, jacket potatoes. We waited quarter of hour and when they arrived, they were huge. We ordered chips aswell, but didn't have any room to...

Food is very poor. This restaurant used to be good but now its very much oven chips, freezer and microwaved food. I was disappointed last time so this time thought I couldn't go too far wrong with a steak - how wrong I was. Asked...

We have not visited recently but now under different management since we last ate there

La primera vez que hemos estado aquí (nuestros padres siempre dijo lo fantástico que era), bien nunca más. No voy a entrar en detalles, pero muchos la comida era horrible. Al salir me preguntó si eso era el típico chef, el chico detrás del mostrador dijo que sí, pero en 8 días. Gracias a Dios por pequeñas misericordias. Podría alguien de la Raven tienen la decencia de decirnos a dónde va, así nunca vamos a su nuevo lugar de trabajo. Quizás esto dará a los propietarios de este establecimiento una vez conocida la oportunidad de mirar a su negocio y volver a su antigua gloria! ! ! !

Bien hecho, el personal del Raven para servir hoy nuestra familia para una comida de cumpleaños. Había 14 de nosotros con casi todas las opciones diferentes que habíamos reservado. La comida fue servida a nosotros dentro de los 45 minutos, que es lo prometido y teniendo en cuenta que había otra gran fiesta al mismo tiempo que funcionaba de maravilla. Todo el mundo disfrutó mucho de la comida, excepto para los niños de comida y puré de salchichas que nuestro nieto dijo que no era genial. En general, pasamos un buen rato, que era ayudado por el personal amable que trajo la tarta de cumpleaños. Gracias Personal Raven.

La comida mediocre pub comida básica, más un personal atento, no de una agradable comida, fuimos hijas almuerzo de cumpleaños, no volveremos en cualquier momento pronto.

Hemos comido aquí tres veces, muy buen pub grub a un precio justo, con personal agradable. Pub dirigido por una pareja italiana, una buena casa, con una buena selección de cervezas.

5 of us visited the Raven for lunch the food was good and we had an excellent waitress who was very friendly 2 people had fish cakes which we were told had salmon and dill when we tasted them we weren't impressed as they contained mozzarella which ruined them for us we told the waitress who was very understanding but the manager was rude and did not care, it's a shame that such a nice pub with friendly staff is ruined by a bad manager, perhaps he should go on a customer care course.

Nos recomendaron este lugar cuando el original lugar visitamos estaba cerrado por reformas, así que a lo largo fuimos, Abuela, yo, niño y babe en los brazos.

Visitamos ayer con familiares de haber reservado una mesa de 9. La mesa estaba lista cuando llegamos. El servicio era bueno, amable y atento. Sin duda la comida mientras no es barato era de muy buena calidad. Puedo recomendar el whitebait de arranque y la Highland café era excelente. En general, nos quedamos impresionados con la comida, pero puede ser un poco caro, si vas por los tres platos.

Aparecimos para una rápida, almuerzo ligero en un día de semana. No había estado en el Raven por un tiempo muy largo y nos sorprendió gratamente. Cada cliente recibió un saludo muy cálido, amable y realmente sentí que apreciamos su negocio. Sólo tuvimos steak & Stilton ciabatta y una bebida, pero fueron muy bueno y el servicio era genial. Sin duda volveremos.

Visitamos a la hora del almuerzo en una comida lunes estaba bien, un poco caro para lo que era de £11. 00 plus para un bistec y ensalada de stilton con no mucho filete y mucho vestirse solo ahogado el sabor de la comida

He estado aquí varias veces personal bueno y amable servicio y no tengo ninguna queja sobre la comida, y siempre bienvenido

Went to The Raven for dinner with my boyfriend after lots of recommendations from people. It was very empty when we arrived and the guy behind the bar was very welcoming and friendly as were all of the staff but the food is a massive let down, nothing it seems is home made. I had the patè for starter and my boyfriend had the smoked mackerel, both of which were 100% from a packet. For mains we had the 'pie of the day' with roast potatoes and veg. The pie tasted very nice but to me it wasn't worth the £11.95 they were charging. It was basically a chicken hot pot with a puff pastry lid, the roast potatoes were frozen and very over cooked. My boyfriend had the meatball pasta which was very nice and the meat balls did look homemade but the 2 slices of garlic bread were straight from the freezer. For desert I had the 'profiterole tower' which was also a let down. It was just 6 profiteroles on a plate with some cream from a can. We will return to The Raven but only for a drink.

We use this pub quite alot as there is and extensive menu to choose food from which is very good and plentiful and they cater for gluten free and other dietry needs. Good selection of drinks from the bar and there is a play area for children in the garden when the weather is warmer. The staff are also friendly and helpful!

Warm and friendly, with good customer servers,with a wide selection food from foom the main menu and the specials board, the raven has a good play area,for the kids to play and enjoy themselves in spacers garden play area, grat to dine in the garden.

Went for dinner it was a tale of 2 experiences.... gammon was lovely looked freshly cooked same for the scampi. I had lasagne I hate to say I'm not convinced it was homemade if it was the cheese sauce was def not, much too packet likeThe other meal was lamb chops mash potatoes were very shiny and went quite 'solid' within minutes I'm guessing they had been microwavedNice pub won't put us off but wasn't 'wow'Also think you should invest in some gluten free gravy it's a common occurrence for diners these days and most restaurants cater for allergys

Have been going here for a number of years now. The quality of the food has always been good with very generous portions. The last few visits I have made the same comments to staff regarding the serving of food on a cold plate. This evening was no exception. It doesn't take much to make sure the plate is warm before sending it out of the kitchen. Over the last number of months the number of specials available has significantly reduced when I went this evening all apart from one had been sold out. This is disappointing at 7pm there should be specials available surely.

Had a lovely evening meal a week ago, portions fairly large staff friendly and accommodating.Only one negative not much time between starters and main course.

On our way to Hitchin stopped for a late lunch at 1630hrs, food is served all day. Very good menu, grills, burgers, fish, veg options, sandwiches/wraps etc so something for everyone. My wife had a burger which was huge and I chose the spicy chicken wrap and we had a good bottle of white total £41, not cheap but the wine accounted for half that!. Large open interior with many tables and a good bar service. For a Thursday afternoon it was very busy but service was excellent, the food was cooked well, no complaints. Ok it is not fine dining and is pub grub but it was good. A very clean and well maintained pub, will cater for large groups/family parties and plenty of parking at the rear. The beer garden on a sunny afternoon was very busy with families and friends, there are a large number of benches & tables in the garden. Hexton is a lovely old village just a few miles from Hitchin and well worth a visit or like us a stop off.

Each time I have eaten at The Raven with friends or family, we have been greeted by staff that are both welcoming and efficient. The menu is expansive and reasonably priced; food is served piping hot where expected and there are always a good selection of specials. The pub garden is well maintained and good for children. Highly recommended for a Sunday dinner!

Not been here for about 10 years. A friend had been recently which prompted us to go. Went on a Thursday evening, we did not have a table booked but were seated straight away. Bar staff and waitresses were very friendly and attentive.Large choice on the menu, more than enough to cater for even the fussiest of eaters. Portions are large. I had the fillet steak, it was cooked to perfection. After having a started and main there was no room for dessert. Next time will forego starter and have a dessert.Would advise booking if you want to go anytime after 18:00 as it gets very busy.

We have been going to the Raven for several years and when the previous, female, manager was there, the restaurant ran like clockwork with a wonderful, friendly, ambience. Now it is a huge disappointment. The new manager is surly, with no customer service and was sniffing whilst taking our order. The staffing is down to a level where they cant cope when it's busy and we waited 40mins between our starters and main meals. By which time, I had gone past the point of wanting to eat much.On this particular evening, the owner of the pub was there. He's just the loveliest person but clearly isn't keeping an eye on staffing and timing issues.The chef must have changed over the last few months because the Raven's Steaks were always just perfect. I ended up with two pieces of Rump on top of each other, making the steak look thicker than it actually was! Medium Rare it was - just about but not particularly tasty. As for the Lasagne, it had been re-heated to the point of burning the roof of your mouth, with a dark burnt coating over the top of it. Generally, the food has always been excellent value for money at The Raven but looking at some of the reviews on here, it seems many are coming to the same conclusion - please up your game - and replace the Manager and the Chef. Or you will lose your regular customers and others will not return.

There were 6 of us out for this evening meal, ages from 15 months to 88 years. All of us enjoyed the meal very much - we were greeted and shown to our seats, nothing was too much trouble for the attentive staff. There was a whole menu for small eaters (starters, main course and dessert) which was much appreciated by my 88 year old mother. The menu was extensive - good pub grub, with lots of choice - and well cooked. Staff checked if our drinks needed topping up and were very polite yet friendly. All in all this was a really good place for our family meal.

I've been the Raven many times and it generally offers reasonable food, with a wide range of choices and reasonable prices. It's far from corden bleu, but ideal for a quick lunch or evening meal and in most cases the food, ambience and service has been ok.What isn't ok is the facilities that are provided for anyone using a wheelchair. The entrance to the pub is difficult with a ramp that is at the wrong angle and spacing to the door threshold. There is also no disabled user toilet facility. Since 2004 the DDA has said that all service providers, including restaurants, should make changes to there premises so that disabled people are not discriminated against. Unfortunately at the Raven this is not the case. The Ladies toilet, because of it size and location, is almost impossible to use if you are in a wheelchair or assisting someone in a wheelchair. I appreciate that the in part of the building is old and maybe difficult to adapt, but I'm sure the more modern extension where the spacious gents toilet is located could easily be changed to provide a disabled user WC. The pub is always busy and I'm sure that this facility would be seen as a positive addition and demonstrate to all customers that The Raven is a modern, forward thinking, inclusive business.

As we strolled into The Raven, we were greeted with no one and were left deserted, having to find a table for ourselves. After waiting for ten minutes, a waitress finally came over and abruptly told us that the table was reserved and we had to move even though there was no sign of reservation.After being moved, and watched closely we finally ordered a starter which was quite delightful, yet my friend and I couldn't say the same about the staff. My burger looked like it had came from a cheap van down the road and was definitely not worth the £8.75, if I had seen this at a burger van I would pay a fiver max and no more! The menu illustrated false advertising by describing my desert as a 'Honeycomb sundae' when it was truly a scoop of ice cream with a broken up Cadbury's Crunchie bar. We found that the staff were blunt and unfriendly, I felt looked down upon and they judged us even though we ordered a three course meal. However, the timing was great and the food had arrived within a few minutes after ordering. But I would only come here again if I had a high budget but needed food quickly and if I was expecting low quality and rude staff.

Visited for lunch june with our dog,the garden was clean and tidy with fresh drinking water provided for our dog. The pub has an extensive menu, and was very busy with other diners inside,but our food came out quickly and was hot and attractively presented. Just the job after a long walk in the beautiful countryside.Many thanks

Visited the Raven at the weekend in a family party of 7 - 2 kids, 2 adults and 3 mature silver-surfers!Only one of us had the roast (which was very good) and the rest of us chose pasta, burgers, salad and scampi. All the food was very tasty and the kids finished off with yummy brownies and Sundaes for dessert.Generally the service was very good. The only downside was that it did take quite a while for main courses to come out from the kitchen. However, it was still a great experience and the friendly staff helped make it a great experience.Definitely book in advance - it was heaving! They also have good parking, a nice garden with a kids play area.

Foreign body in the disgusting Instant mash no apology given when returned to the chef just told it was because the instant mash had been reheated in the microwave and had been over cooked yet the foreign body was rock hard like wood surely mash should be soft how they could even dare to serve reheated instant mash goes beyond me the whole dinner was dry and over heated. Not once were we asked how our meal was we then waited half an hour for the waitress to return to see if we wanted dessert she never did ask by now we had had enough. When I went to complain about the poor service and food I also told the supervisor that it was my birthday dinner and they had ruined my evening still no apology. I left my name and number for the manager to phone me with an explanation and apology which of course he didn't. Will give this poor quality food poor staff and customer service a poor rating never to return AVOID this place.

My lovely mum-in-law was 80 on 19th March 2016. My sister in law and I arranged for 45 friends and family to share a birthday dinner at the Raven. As there was such a big group I had to put in food orders ahead of the night. This was fuss free and simple - requests for specials were all OK! During the day we had access to the dining room to decorate as we pleased. The atmosphere and food was brilliant. Everyone got the food they wanted with lots of fun and laughter along the way. We all paid separately at the end - I expected problems with so many people...there were none!! We all had a great time, lovely food and a chilled out friendly service. Thanks so much Raven xx

Enjoyed a perfect meal with friends. Meals were faultless - tasty, presented well, good portion sizes and served with a smile and great service too! Definitely be back to try more from the menu. Pub food at its best.

Had dinner at the Raven as a party of 6 on 12 February. We have been here a number of times before and the quality of the food can be a bit hit and miss. This was however a good location for the six of us to meet. The Raven is a nice village pub with a good atmosphere but you do take a bit of a gamble with the menu sometimes. Our food was ok but nothing special, no wow factor! Waitress service was fine and had a good Spanish Rioja with our meal.

Have eaten here before and it's always been ok. We decided to eat here early evening on a Thursday as it was local to where we had been for the day. The food was the worst we have experienced here. Minted lamb pie was very runny and bland - seriously lacking mint or much other flavour for that matter. Plus frozen roast potatoes - never as good as fresh and just lazy. The liver and bacon was poor too and the mash was bland. The worst point for me was the 'mini profiterole tower' which was described as profiteroles towered on a shortbread biscuit base with sticky caramel sauce and chocolate dipping sauce. What I was served was a plate of five or six profiteroles, covered in chocolate sauce with cream on the side. Our daughters meal was probably the best of all of ours - at least the chicken nuggets were decent quality one with proper chunks of chicken. The wafer was also missed from her ice cream though. All in all, not impressed and unlikely to return again.

Moving out of the area and the Raven was the best place to go to for our last dinner with great friends. Service excellent and the food was fantastic as usual.Will miss going to this lovely pub for great meals.

This was my first visit to this lovely pub, and after a very pleasant experience I would visit again. All the waiting staff were very pleasant, prompt attention when we all arrived asking for our drinks order. Most of us had a starter, I had Potato Skins, which I have to say were the best that I have had anywhere. The filling was delicious, a tasty strongly flavoured cheese was used with spring onions added, served hot and nicely presented. My main course was Crispy Chillie Chicken, served on a lovely fresh salad with a good chilli dressing. The only criticism, here, was, I felt the chicken was a little over cooked, because it came up dry and extremely crunchy. We all had coffee/tea to finish, so all in all a pleasant lunch.

We visited the Raven for a Friday lunchtime. There is ample parking in the rear car park. When we entered the bar we were greeted by friendly staff, who quickly had our drinks orders sorted. My wife had a coffee which could have been hotter and I had a Peroni which was fine. There is free wi-fi although it appeared "unsecure" so some sites/apps won't work - also very limited mobile signal on day we were there. The menu is extensive for a pub – plenty of mains and light bites to choose from. After we ordered, our food arrived fairly quickly and was nicely presented and decent sized portions. However, the fries were slightly undercooked and the burgers were not amazing for the price. So overall perception was of good service, nice setting but let down by average quality food. One tip, avoid tables by the door during cold winter days – can get a bit chilly every time the door opens.

Having family visit from abroad we thought we would go to our local country pub for a meal. Having booked in advance we were seated at our table by the manager. We were a party of 5 two of which ordered scampi which was nicely presented and enjoyed. I ordered from the specials menu board & went for 'chicken & prawn with spaghetti in a tomato sauce with garlic bread' I was very disappointed to find what I actually got was tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce with a sparse helping of prawn & chicken. When I brought this to the managers attention he called the chef out. I argued that spaghetti, when not out of a tin, should be in long lengths & not short pieces all in equal measurement, the chef insisted that the spaghetti may have broken down when the chicken & prawns were stirred through. My argument was that fresh spaghetti would never break down equally the 'tomato sauce' was basically tasteless exactly as the sauce from spaghetti in a can would come. The chef brought out a pre made meat & pasta dish to show me how they are prepared which confirmed the spaghetti was more than an inch long! My meal was taken from the bill which considering a can of spaghetti costs no more than 35p this meal was priced at £10.95! My son went for the 'Aberdeen Angus burger' which was presented with a lovely fresh salad and chips however the burger was served in a bun with no garnish or cheese, again bland and disappointing and far from an Aberdeen Angus burger. My husband opted for the roast beef dinner which wasn't far off a pre packed frozen beef meal. Needless to say we will not be returning or recommending this restaurant which is such a shame as its local and used to be a pleasure to visit.

We visited the Raven on a Thursday evening as a group of 8.Not a great deal needs to be said. We had a great evening, the service was excellent, the food very enjoyable and tasty (no-one had a bad word to say) and the prices were fair.The only comment we do have, where our visit could have been improved, was that some of the seats are on the small side and very uncomfortable. For the record, this comment was made by persons of various posterior sizes and levels of padding!!!Would we return - most definitely. Well done to them.

We visited The Raven for a family birthday meal on a busy Sunday lunch time. I'd definitely recommend booking in advance as the place was full.The staff were all very welcoming and greeted us within minutes of entering the pub and seated us to our reserved table straight away. We hadn't even sat down before we were asked what drinks we would like, it would be nice to get settled down before having to choose our drinks.It didn't take long for our food order to be taken from a friendly waiter and for the food to arrive. I had the two meat Sunday roast, I was rather disappointed with it. The vegetables had no flavour which wasn't helped with the gravy! The gravy did not taste of anything and was very watery. An overpriced roast which I could cook better at home.The sharing dessert is also definitely a sharing portion, we shared it, enjoyed it and struggled. However we did order the treacle sponge, it was actually just a golden syrup sponge that arrived.We will definitely visit again but probably just for drinks.

This place was recommended to us by a friend about a year ago. Gave it a visit last Thursday, and wish we hadn't bothered. Overpriced microwave food!

This is my 1st time at this resteraunt and I must say very Impressed, a warm welcome as soon as you enter we were shown our table one thing you must do is to book a table, my brother had a Rump Steak with all the trimmings and my friend had the Steak & Mushroom Ale Pudding , all the dishes came with 4 types of veg on my plate I had Mash , leeks,Brockerly & carrots served with gravy.Pictures are below the veg was hot and not overcooked my lamb was tender and tastey my brother enjoyed his steak which also came with a salad and my friends steak pie looked tempting. I can't say a bad word everything was great , my mistake is that due to my condition I should order smaller portions but I can't say any more but go and have a great meal but make sure you book a table first. plenty of parking and also seating at the rear outside but it was showery . a very busy resteraunt but just great.I will be back.

We were taken to this establishment whilst visiting family in Hitchin. although a normal village pub from the exterior, it has an unexpectedly large interior with tables in a number of "rooms", thus not destroying the ambiance. You can also eat al fresco in the extensive gardens. The menu is large enough for all tastes and for five of us choosing varying dishes, acclaim for each dish was forthcoming. The only shortcoming we could highlight was the failure of the waiting staff to offer sauces, mustards, dressings etc. until we were well through our main course. Definitely a "go again" on our next visit to Hitchin.

Food was average, been waiting for nearly 40 minutes for our plates to be cleared. I think we will pass on the desert now. Waitresses seem to get to the arch way, glance over and then walk off despite being waved down and stared out for the last 20 minutes... Placed next to loud bunch of people despite most of the restaurant being open. Maybe 10 other customers (6 of which were on the table next to us) Very unlikely to return Hardly an apologetic mood when someone eventually did get to usHappy big 60 dad!

18 (including 6 children) of us booked for a family birthday celebration on a very busy Sunday afternoon, and it was superb. Due to the number of people we had to pre-order from the extensive menu, which was far from a problem. As a result the very hot meal was served well, with us all being served together. Between us there was great variety of choice, and we all had an excellent meal. The childrens menu has to be one of the most extensive I have ever seen, with the usual kids meals but also smaller portions of steak & gammon steak etc. The play area is enclosed with plenty of equipment and a heated seating area. Altogether we had an excellent afternoon!

Having eaten here on several occasions I booked a table for my daughter's birthday and what a let down it was. The restaurant looked the same but that was the only resemblance to past visits. The service was diabolical, the young waitress tried taking our drnks order while we were trying to sit down and our food order 25 minutes later.This could have been acceptable if the restaurant was busy but it was not. My starter ( chicken goujons ) could have doubled for hammering nails into the wall but the piece de resistance was my fettucine with white crab meat. The pasta was presented in a bowl sitting on top of an unidentifable brown liquid interspersed with what could only be described as a dark brown sludge. I requested some parmesan to at least give the dish some sort of flavour and after a few minutes was infomed " we don't stock parmesan " I should have realised what we were in for when a lady at the next table sent back her main course and then waited at least 10-15 minutes for it to be returned.All in all not a memorable occasion and I cannot see me wanting to repeat the experience.

Went to the Raven on a busy Saturday night and as usual everything was fantastic - great food and service. I've been going to this restaurant for 15 years plus and have never been disappointed.

Despite being extremely busy last Sunday lunchtime, our party (including my disabled mother) were looked after very well. The food is good pub grub served in large portions by a keen and professional team. It is not the first time we have visited and it will not be the last.

I have been a regular visitor to this eatery for many years.Today I visited with friends after a gap of two months and was very disappointed. There seemed to be plenty of staff on duty but our group were not greeted or even acknowledged in any way. The staff were too busy chatting at the bar. After sitting for a while we got our own menus and then ordered at the bar. Throughout our meal we endured the loud conversations and banter of the staff. Usually we would have stayed for dessert and coffee but declined today as we felt ignored and unwelcome. The group on the table nearest us were making similar comments.

The food in this pub is always very good and they always have a good selection of real ales. Situated in a small hamlet with good parking.

Called in for lunch after attending a meeting with a colleague. It was already very busy when we arrived, but it was half term. We were soon seated and attended to. There was a good menu choice, but not feeling over hungry, I just ordered a jacket potato - it was huge! Absolutely delicious and certainly no complaints. My colleague had Fish Cakes which were delicious, but was unable to eat it all, huge portion. Very pleasant service, excellent food and good prices - a no brainer ! Make sure you visit

And the food's pretty good too. Having a wheelchair bound member of our party emphasised the positives of this pub. The surrounding countryside is very scenic so our route there via Hitchin, and route home via Lilly were both much appreciated. There are well positioned disabled parking bays and an easy wheelchair route into the reataurant. The lady who took our booking and assigned the table made things very easy. The other staff were quick, cheery and helpful too. The menu and specials board are extensive. We all enjoyed our starters and mains - most of which were well sized Sunday roasts. My wife had a superb lasagne. The rose wine and real ales were very well presented.

The choice of menu is great, covering most tastes of Great British cooking. Choice of real ales was a pleasant surprise and they were in good condition. Food portions and quality were very good. Have no hesitation in recommending The Raven.

Very extensive menu. Lots of veggie choices. Portions can be on the small side. Young waitress who seemed rather bemused Excellent beer though

5 friends went here for an evening meal. It took staff 15 minutes to come to the reserved table to take our order, When we pointed out we had not yet had a drinks order taken the waitress suggested she took our food order first and then she would ask another member of staff to take our drinks order. We said no, drinks order first. We ordered our drinks then our food. Drinks took a further 20 minutes to arrive by which time 2 of my friend were ready to walk out. Our food arrived 1 hour after sitting down at our pre reserved table. Food was average but good value. The pub was not busy and when we complained to the manager he said that as it was out of the way he had problems getting staff. I dread to think what it would be like if they ever get busy. Not recommended.

Have been coming here for years, including Christmas dinner. I have never been disappointed with either food nor service. Always left sufficiently full and happy. Will definitely keep going back

When we visit Pegsdon HIlls or Sharpenhoe Clappers we always look forward to lunch at The Raven. People of all ages use this pub - young mothers, older couples and people in business clothes making the journey from (presumably) Luton/Barton/Hitchin. Although it is always busy - has a garden for children and lots of outside seating, we have never had to wait long to be served with drinks and order food and then to receive it. Good choices on the menu for either a big lunch or a tasty light bite. Food is nicely presented and excellent. This time I had a brie, rocket salad wrap and the brie was meltingly soft and yummy - too often you can receive a cold lump of brie not really warmed up at all. Heartily recommend.

Came here on a balmy summer evening. The location is nice, interior a bit trad/cheesy but nice garden. The food menu I think suffers from too much choice. My friend had Butter Nut Squash curry and I had Crab Linguine. Both fine, but neither outstanding. Staff fine, if not outstanding - as an example they chap asked if we wanted to see deserts but we didn't see him again until we walked up to the bar to pay the bill and he didn't blink an eye-lid!

Seven of us went to this delightful pub restaurant last Sunday and were not disappointed. We all had different meals from the menu which were very generous and beautifully cooked. It was a most enjoyable experience and will definitely be going again in the not too distant future.

We had been given a loyalty voucher which prompted us to visit the Raven for lunch. The menu was good and the food OK. The staff, however were very friendly and helpful which made it a pleasant visit overall.

We went to this pub for sunday lunch with friends who had booked a week in advance luckily as the place was packed this was confirmed as the pub has a small car park and most patrons parked on the road we parked approx 100 yards away.When we entered we greeted straight away and shown to our table and given menus and the specials board and took our drink order about 5 minutes later she returned with our drinks and took our orders and the starters arrived quickly.The food was excellent and tasty and was served in a reasonable time,from our table we could see the outside childrens play area which was being enjoyed by many children.Would we return to this pub/restaurant ABSOLUTELY.

Last Saturday, 8 of us had a most enjoyable dinner at this pub/restaurant. With a very extensive menu, plus a number of specials "on the board", friendly staff & reasonable prices, it was a great night out. I had the fillet steak, which simply melted in the mouth which, with a dessert of mixed fruit pavlova, together with a fairly priced bottle of Australian Shiraz, made for a very memorable occasion. Now look forward to our next visit.

In general i love it here. its a great family pub and the food is always of a good standard and plentiful gets very busy so be prepared to wait. It has a great garden for the kids to play in.My son was desperate for chicken nuggets and chips its his favorite and had been asking for it all day, so i ordered it for him and did my usual check to see if they cooked the fish and shell fish in the same fryer as chips and nuggets to be advised they use the same fryers for everything and dont separate things. which is fine i understand that, So i asked if they could oven cook him some nuggets to be told they couldn't and suggested my son have nothing fried off the menu due to cross contamination. que upset three year old having a tantrum when he got a burger and mash. I know its not their fault my son has serious food allergies but most places are very helpful and can be flexible. Im sure they would rather cook a few chicken nuggets in an oven than have my son having anaphylactic shock in the middle of the restaurant. Im sure there are rules and regs in kitchen in regards to cross contamination an allergies so i will be looking in to it. this is just a warning to any other allergy sufferers so they are prepared.So based on my latest experience and the miserable staff member that served me i wont be in a rush to come back. It is also rather expensive for just a bit of lunch. three adults an three kids was £80

My mother and I visited the raven upon recommendation. Lovely setting and nice pub. However, we were ignored when we arrived. We finally managed to grab a waitress's attention who told us to 'sit anywhere we liked'. She didn't bother to come over to give us a menu or serve drinks so we had to flag her down again after a while. Food was great but the service was slow. It wasn't busy when we arrived but by the time we left every table nearby was occupied. Had to pay for our bill at the bar as the waitress never bothered to come back. We had a nice time but would've have expected more.

Love coming here when sunny weather as kids have great time playing outside while we can sit and enjoy a drink and a meal. Lovely variety of food. Look forward to going back again soon

Our first trip to this pub with family for dinner. Booked the table one week in advance and only just managed to get a table. Good service, good menu choice and specials board. A minor mix-up with how to cook a rare steak but on the whole really good pub grub.

Been to the raven many times for sunny days in the garden and it's rare I leave reviews. However after today's visit I will not be rushing back! Table was booked as a surprise for Mother's Day and it felt like we were just a number we may as well have been at mcdonalds! One in one out....food was terrible so left without eating. Aunt Bessie's Yorkshireman and frozen roast potatoes...when complained told you get what you pay for! £16 for two courses yes not the luton hoo but I have to say the place has gone down hill....

We booked in advance for a party of 12. The staff had arranged a nice long table for us all, were courteous and welcoming. The starters were very nice, the varied menu gave us all a lot of choices. The main courses were gorgeous - I had the "3 meats" Sunday Lunch which was delicious, and the desserts...be careful, some of them are large enough for 3 people !They had 3 guest ales of which we tried two, both very tasty and well kept, and the wine menu gave ample choice and the Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot we tried were very nice indeed. A very enjoyable birthday "party" , in no small measure due to the staff, venue and the enjoyable offerings.