The Spotted Dog in Dacorum

Always great food and service here

Service very slow and several menu items unavailable (7pm sitting!) only a choice of 2 mains. We were told it was the ‘chefs last day’ as a reason. The chef was female and therefore couldn’t be the people advertised on the website. We felt mislead and disappointed.

The positives are it’s a quint pub and the roast was well cooked. The negatives are that the service was poor very young staff seemed to enjoy chatting behind the bar rather than serving, consequently all our roasts took ages to arrive and were luke warm. Equally the desert rhubarb crumble was Luke warm and the rhubarb was not properly cooked. Could it have lived up to the earlier reviews? My answer is probably yes, but would I go go there again, that’s a hard one to answer, but probably not. Why because standards are normally ingrained and it shouldn’t be hit or miss. When I told the very young waitress our food was not hot she acknowledged my comment and ignored it! What might have been

A very cool and atmospheric place! I fell in love with your wonderful staff and delicious food!👍💕

Stopped by this wonderful pub for a bank holiday lunchtime treat - and it was fantastic! Great food, service and dog friendly too. Special mention to the most delicious potato salad - it was exquisite! Creamy yet light, perfectly seasoned and topped with a velvety smooth duck egg yolk. Will think about this potato salad often and definitely return when we’re next in town! (Special thanks for the recipe from the kind chef 😊) 5* service all round.

Beautifully cooked Sunday roast, excellent service. What a great local!

Wonderful pub! Amazing food and really unexpectedly good. The tastiest fish dish I have had in a restaurant in a long time. All seasonal and responsibly sourced. We can’t wait to come back!

Had the fish. Well cooked but not seaside fresh. All the accompaniments were well done.

We had a wonderful Mother’s Day meal at the Spotted Dog, the food was delicious and the Pub is atmospheric and cosy. We all really enjoyed our meal, would definitely recommend and look forward to going back.

Cosey and quaint traditional pub well kept local beers

We had lunch there. Nice pub. Good beer. Lunch menu was good price. The al la carte menu looked quite pricy however. £28 for breast of duck for example.

Popped in yesterday for a bite to eat at lunchtime. We just had a couple of sandwiches and chips - absolutely delicious. Beautifully presented and washed down with a couple of pints of delicious real ale. A very enjoyable experience and our well behaved Labrador was made to feel very welcome as well. Will definitely be back soon!

We had a lovely meal. The gin and beetroot cured stonebass starter was a particular standout, although every course was delicious. We'll be back!

Always enjoyed meal time here..

Absolutely gorgeous pub, brilliant staff, better beer and food is exceptional! Dog friendly and very cosy, clean and welcoming!

Booked a table for Sunday roast. They called & asked us to arrive earlier then we booked as they closed the kitchen soon after our reservation. We arrived at the earlier time, the table wasn’t ready and asked us to wait at the bar. The bar & restaurant were extremely noisy. They had no Guiness and no lemonade, so 2 out of the 4 of us couldn’t have desired drinks at the bar. We had to wait 45mins for our table to be ready and we had to prompt and ask the waitress if the table was ready for them to tell us it was. After starters, a waitress took our plates and asked if we wanted the bill, we hadn’t even been served our main course roast yet which we had ordered alongside starters…. Baffled! >_< Comparing food to table next to us, it was inconsistent (eg they had more yorkshires each compared to us - felt like we got remaining dregs) Wasn’t a great experience, no rush to go back sadly after hearing great things

Sehr gutes Abendessen, nichts alltägliches, Vorspeise, Hauptspeise und Desert! Freundliches Personal, rustikales Ambiente.

Lovely little country pub. Beautifully decorated, welcoming staff and great food. Picked it from Google maps because it sits directly between myself and my friend, but I'll definitely be back. A great find and so easy to get to from the M1, but you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. Highly recommend.

Very good food cooked beautifully in a very pleasant surrounding of this authentic pub

Had a working lunch meeting here in November and the food was excellent. I had Prawns, followed by Chicken for main and a chocolate ganache pudding. The chicken was so tender. I will be back when Im next in the area for sure.

Work catch-up with colleagues coinciding with watching the England game. Positive experience on both counts. Gastropub with a homely feel in a village location and both food and surroundings are excellent.

Lovely friendly gastro pub. Beautiful lighting and ambience, interesting and exciting menu, high quality food and reasonable prices. Oh and the coffee is superb.

I was really looking forward to this meal but found the place had been so overrated. I had ordered cod and vegetables; the cod was very small and it was one vegetable. Cost against quality was very poor. For dessert I had chocolate Ganache again very disappointed This was even more poor quality. I saw the chef who did not look well presented, when will chefs realise that if you walk about where the customers are you need to look presentable and clean. The general staff were friendly and welcoming when you arrived. I will not be recommending this place and will not be going back anytime soon. A shame really needs to up their game on quality of food.

Excellent food, lovely service, different menu choices. Delicious - soup, fig & goat cheese tart, butternut squash& Parma ham salad and coddled egg AND that was just the starters!! Service took a while but worth waiting for.

I visited this fine establishment with friends and family. I can’t express how great it is. A village pub which is very cozy and friendly with a fantastic selection of ale… I’ve ended up travelling to eat here several times due to the high quality of the food too. Well worth a visit!!

Really interesting menu and delicious food. The chicken is highly recommended. Duck confit and vegetable pie is super nice. Great pub in a very quiet village - rare find. Would definitely come back again here.

Food exceeds ambience. Because it is so good! Beer on tap was excellent, Service friendly. As said food quality was spot on.

We had such a lovely evening. Great food, perfect service and just a great atmosphere. And a special mention to our waitress, who was smiling all evening and very friendly - that does make a difference!

We live in St Albans and visited Flamstead for a lovely circular walk around the countryside, and lunch at The Spotted Dog. Everything was great... the friendly service, the guest ale and all our food, which was full of flavour and lovingly presented without being pretentious. We don't write many reviews, but we are very happy to make the effort in this case, as it was special.

I had a wonderful evening here with 3 others last Saturday. The quality of the food was exceptional over all our courses and the service was great. We were well looked after in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Hope to return soon. Great for a drink too, with some lovely ales and a great pint of Guinness. Thank you all at The Spotted Dog

Had an absolutely wonderful meal here last night, the food was fantastic and the staff were really welcoming and professional. It's a beautiful place with a great atmosphere, we loved it!

Went for dinner with friends to celebrate significant birthdays, two of us had the Seasonal Tasting Menu and accompanying wine flight, both excellent food and wine pairing the other two ordered from the main menu, again excellent. High quality tasty food served by lovely people in a pleasant place, definitely recommend.

Good food, carefully looked after ales and a splendid selection of gins. A great pub for a stopover on the Chiltern Way or for an evening meal. The pub has recently been updated and the food is excellent but definitely more 'gastro pub' in terms of what is offered, the quality of the food and inevitably how much it costs. The front room of the Spotted Dog is still very much a pub with good price local beers as well as a range of premium European lagers and ciders as well as spirits and wines.

Wonderful service. Quite expensive food but very very good. Lovely location also

Spotted Dog is a lovely pub! The decor oozes with warmth, staff are friendly, service is quick and the food is delicious. We had the Sunday lunch set menu and would highly recommend trying out this little gem.

It's a lovely village pub restaurant, in a lovely residential area. A week day Wednesday visit, with a handful of friends. It was very quiet and not much people there on the day. But, in general nice place and good staff courtesy.

We went to The Spotted Dog for our anniversary. The seasonal menu was exceptional! The food was delicious and beautifully presented and the recommended wine pairings complimented it very well. The staff were welcoming and attentive throughout. We will definitely be going back and would be happy to recommend to others!

Wow what a fabulous place to eat. The food was top notch, and the service matched it perfectly. The turbot main was fantastic, melt in the mouth and I loved all the wine that came with the set menu: Great that your party can choose set menu or Al La cart. Seriously can’t recommend this place enough! Go visit you won’t regret it.

Very nice caracter pub in a very nice location 👌

Service very slow and main course roast disappointing

Thank you for a lovely Sunday lunch the food was excellent and the service great. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

We visited the Spotted Dog for the first time last night. Delicious food, friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. We will definitely go back and highly recommend.

Very nice pint,lovely cosy pub,enjoy having a pint on a weekend there :)friendly people and great staff

Very nice pint,lovely cosy pub,enjoy having a pint on a weekend there :)friendly people and great staff

Whilst visiting on business, I found this wonderful little gem hiding in flamstead. I’m lost for words but it was amazing. From the moment I walked through the door, the gent at the bar greeting me as i walked in & also catered to my every need. I come from a back ground of 2 x AA rosette & mitchein star restaurants.& this by far is up there. Well done, I was so impressed with the presentation, service, & fresh quality and flavours of the food served. Two choices of menus, both Amazing, where one offers wine matching to each course, brilliant. I was dining alone on this occasion for work , however I would love to make a trip on a leisure trip, to share with my partner & friends. The decor is tasteful fresh light & airy. Also would love to see the log burners on in winter time , nice touch. One last thing if you don’t have AA rosette or Michelin star, you should go for it, please pass my comments on to the kitchen team as the produced fantastic food. Thanks again Shaun.

We came here as a group of family and friends on a recommendation from other friends that live nearby… we were staying in St Albans and the Spotted Dog was a short (£12) taxi ride away. That short taxi ensured we had one of the best pub food experiences any of us have ever had. As we were a group, we emailed ahead and were allocated a private dining room to the side of the building. The excellent chef and team had put on a 5 course tasting menu with a couple of options for each dish, I went for lamb neck ravioli, scollops, rump steak, and dessert plus cheese. The ravioli was delicious, fresh pasta clearly made on site and fabulous tastes of the meat and sauce. My favourite dish was the rump though, I believe it had been cooked sous vide then finished on a grill, the result being an almost fillet-like tenderness with the flavour of rump. Excellent. This pub is going places! and it would not surprise me to see rosettes in the near future… we will be back!

Went for our 10th wedding anniversary. So gutted, plates looked amazing but were so disappointing. My wife had a lamb dish and the lamb came with thick unrendered and uncuttable fat/sinew. I had a fish dish which was so salty and the plate was waterlogged from the vegetables, which made it all pretty unappetising. Really had high hopes for this independent place but sad it was all cheffy style and no substance (for us anyway). After the mains we didn't want to risk the dessert so these may well be better. 😥

Fantastic meal. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent. The flavours and presentation were superb. We will be back!

Wonderful. Used to go there before the pandemic and it was lovely and quirky. Their menu wasn't extensive but what I had was always tasty. It's now under new management and has been very tastefully refurbished. Great to see it up and running once more. Have been quite a few times now and it's a lovely place in a pretty village if you're wanting a cosy, classy ambience lending itself to a feeling of welcome and warmth.

Our initial welcome was warm, friendly and efficient but service throughout the meal was confused (double charged on some items and one of the waiters took a break forgetting to bring our drinks) The roast lunch was very good (chicken was cooked exceptionally well) but the deserts were a little disappointing. Would return but hope for more consistent service. The pricing is comparatively high so would expect improved service.

Food excellent with friendly and helpful staff

Astonishing food Pure class The kitchen is overseen by a Michelin star chef The food has a real wow factor As the menu is limited I think it’s probably a special occasion restaurant The service is on a par with the food It is certainly very good value for money too Highly recommended

We chose the Spotted Dog for a birthday celebration. We were a big group of around 20 and the evening was perfect. The staff were so friendly and helpful, from planning the evening to the service on the night. Food was delicious and great value for the 5 star quality with a good number of options to choose from. Highly recommend, definitely worth getting in a taxi to Flamstead to visit the Spotted Dog!

We held a 40th birthday party at The Spotted Dog. We could not have asked for a better night. The organisation of the party beforehand was excellent. The venue is beautiful. There were lots of food options and offered such good value. On the night the waiters and bar staff were great and the food and wine was exceptional. A week later, and I am still telling people about the best beef starter we have ever had. We can not wait to go back.

Excellent food. The menu is not extensive, but everything on it is quality. Well prepared. Well presented. And incredibly tasty. Very friendly and professional service from our waitress also. Not cheap eats, but not mega pricey either. And you pay more for quality and this...

Gary really made me feel welcome. The food is great. He also let me charge my motorbike after others said no in the local area. He is a champion !

My wife and I visited the Spotted Dog today. It was a present surprise how lovely the food was and the choice on the Sunday lunch fixed menu was brilliant. The food exceeded our expectations and my wife and I were very happy with how...

Went there today and was very impressed with the whole experience, the food was absolutely delicious hat's off to the chef and the service was fantastic! I was expecting the usual village pub grub but was pleasantly surprised. They are also very reasonabley priced, i was expecting to pay more. Will be booking again soon!

Really enjoyed our two visits to the newly revamped Spotted Dog. Excellent food, great atmosphere and very friendly service. Highly recommended.

Excellent food, great atmosphere, and very friendly service. Highly recommended.

Valentine's Evening I am delighted to write this review as we would absolutely recommend the Spotted Dog and will be definitely going back. The set menu was delicious with excellent flavours, prepared with first class ingredients and beautifully presented. My favourite was the Salmon Wellington...

Really liked the setting and service was great. Only thing is it seemed extremely pricey for what we had: two small sausage rolls (measuring a couple of inches long), half a lager shandy and a lime and soda came to more than £16 (service included). I want to support small businesses but this seemed rather steep.

On our way to look for kitchens and needed lunch. Drove through Flamstead and saw The Spotted Dog. Menu looked good. Really quiet but lovely decor and setting. Food was excellent for lunch and the evening menu looked great too.

We had a wonderful Sunday lunch here. One of the best we’ve ever had! Beef was amazing and the sticky date pud heavenly . Friendly and welcoming service too. Will definitely come back!

9 of us had a really nice lunch yesterday which was excellent and good value. Service and surroundings could not have been better. I will certainly be back.

Friendly welcome and good coffee and cake. A good stopping off place for cyclists.

Excellent service and the food was fantastic! The best roast dinner we have had in a long time. What a joy to be able to consume your delicious food. Everything was cooked to perfection and you could tell there was a lot of attention to detail put in. We have already booked our return to this delicious, cosy country pub.

Fantastic service and food then cocktails after lunch around a log burner. What more could anyone want? Nice and busy with great atmosphere in a lovely building, will return asap

Perfect food, perfect service, we will definitely be going back, a lovely village pub!

We visited The Spotted Dog recently for a Sunday Roast. Upon arrival, we were shown to our table. We had asked for a "nice table" as we were celebrating something, but the attendant was unable to get the table changed. Nonetheless, she offered us our...

Lovely food and atmosphere. Food is of a great "up market " quality

The Spotted Dog offres good quality food in a lovely, newly refurbished setting. Thanks to the ownership team for being responsive and for listening to their customers!

We have had a most lovely lunch with you today. It's a delightfully cosy and warm place. We were greeted and treated very well by the two lovely young ladies. All of the food we had was beautifully cooked and simply presented. No gimmicks but...

We arrived early for noon booking. The waitress couldn't have been more helpful. Offered coffee whilst we waited for the table to be made ready. Led us to a table for two - she must have picked up on our slight hesitancy because without us...

I was in the pub game for 12 years, I’m not any more but I’m still a huge fan. I popped in this place randomly whilst working in the area. It was an absolutely beautifully run pub with lovely friendly staff. Well done 👍🏻

Went last night, drinks service were on point Gary is a diamond Cheese board was delicious can’t wait to return and eat from the full menu Would defo recommend.

Excellent experience, superb service, drinks and food. A table for 6 and no one had any issues. Tables are well spaced out and the whole place was spic and span, nothing was too much trouble. No wonder it’s so hard to get a table.

Fantastic meal at The Spotted Dog last night, all the dishes were well executed. The venison was a highlight. Great wine list. Staff were lovely too.

Beautiful food, restaurant looks great and staff where really friendly. Will definitely be visiting again!!

Sunday lunch for extended family in run up to Christmas - driven past the pub many times but never been inside - nice looking from outside and inside has been recently refurbished and looks smart and comfortable. Managed to fit the big group on 2...

Fantastic food, excellent service. Love what they’ve done with the place 5 stars, cant wait to go again

One of the best pub meals I’ve ever had! I really can’t fault anything about the place. Staff were great with real personality & perfect service. Food was SO GOOD! I had the pie of the day which was salmon & leek & it was...

Everything was spot on, we're definitely coming back!

From the moment we walked into The Spotted Dog we knew it was going to be a good experience. The pub decor is tastefully done, staff friendly and professional and as for the food it was fantastic. We had 3 courses every one was a...

Updated review 2/11/21 Since they reopened after covid they have pulled out all the stops in terms of food. I have enjoyed the best chips I have ever eaten, beautifully presented, perfectly crisp and smattered with parmesan dust. Battered cod cheeks were delicious as are most of the bat snacks. Last night I had one of the best presented and most interesting meals I have eaten for years. Perfectly cooked duck with a beetroot puree. I have probably eaten here 5 times since it re opened and have not been disappointed so far. It's not cheap but it is the best gastropub anywhere in the area. *** Previous review. Under new ownership as of 11/14. The place has had a makeover and re opened with new management and a new chef. Sunday lunch was excellent and good value for money. We will doubtless go back.

We had a lovely meal with friends. Gary and all the staff were really attentive. The food was very tasty we thoroughly enjoyed. Would definitely go back again.

Fantastic place. Super friendly staff, great beers and the food is excellent. Best food in the Harpenden area. Well worth booking in, similar to the Alford arms.

Excellent. Food, ambience and service. Gary was just brilliant.

The food and the staff were amazing I would strongly recommend to anyone

Excellent food will definately be back!

It's is my first time at The Spotted dog and I will be going back some time soon The food was excellent, the staff were so friendly and I hope this Restaurant keeps going from strength to strength.

Superb food and excellent service.

What an absolute delight. Had booked a table for lunch after a long walk. Our welcome was a lovely warm welcome making you feel so comfortable. Although the staff were not massively experienced they were attentive, helpful and really thoughtful. We were impressed before we...

Revamped pub with gastro menu (see website) continental breakfast ... all well done with nice service ...and 3 real ales.

I've eaten here twice now, once the evening menu and once for Sunday lunch in the private room. First worth noting what a great job they've done on the refurb here, retaining the warmth of high end village pub feel with an element of stripped...

I've eaten here twice now, once the evening menu and once for Sunday lunch in the private room. First worth noting what a great job they've done on the refurb here, retaining the warmth of high end village pub feel with an element of stripped back class. From the evening menu I had the chicken liver moussse with brioche which was deliciously light and well balanced. For mains I went for lamb which was well seasoned followed by a luxurious textures of chocolate/Choc 3 ways, (can't recall the name). Was impressed with all courses and had a great time. Upon retunring the experience was even better. The charred slamon had a fantastinc smokey flavour which complemented the smooth creamy almond sauce really well. The rib of beef melted like butter and was cooked perfectly and the Eton Mess was a great way to end the meal. The kids also really enjoyed their meals - always a mixed bag when ordering from a kids menu but the quality was just as high. Thank you The Spotted Dog!

Fantastic pub...food was really, really good, as was the service. Recently refurb'd and under new chef/owners..Potted Confit Chicken & Rabbit, Shallot & Apricot Chutney, Warm Sour Dough, followed by Roasted Cauliflower Curry, Tea-soaked raisin, toasted Hazelnuts, Kale and finished of with a Selection of English Cheeses, Sourdough crisps, Red Wine Poached Date and Figs.... Can't wait to do Sunday lunch there! 'Spot' on!!

Ate here with friends for dinner on Saturday evening and Sunday lunch. Faultless food and service headed up by Garry. Really cozy bar area popular with locals for before and after dinner. Private dining room experience for Sunday lunch was excellent - loved the decor...

Ate here on Wednesday evening with some friends. Really smart decor, exposed beams and brickwork, relaxed atmosphere. Set menu in private dining room. Food was superb and catered at short notice for my gluten free requirements. Gluten free lager option also much appreciated . Highly...

I spent a wonderful couple of hours at the ‘Spotted Pig this afternoon, eating a superb lunch in the in the rustic dining room. The food was excellent and the service and attention to detail by Garry Lewis and his staff-was first class. A delightful...