The Waggoners in Welwyn Hatfield

My friend and I were in the area to go for a walk in the surrounding countryside. We parked here and decided to eat first (12 noon) as the food stopped at 2pm. The restaurant was fully booked, so we ordered from the bar menu and ate in the other bar in front of the open log fire. The food was very good, the staff were very attentive and the place had a real cosy, relaxed ambience. The toilets were clean and well maintained. It also had a dog friendly policy. Along with our walk we had a very enjoyable day. Well worth a visit for anyone in the area.

A family favorite for the bar menu, the restaurant and Sunday lunch. Delicious food (goats cheese soufflés!) Amazing cheeses selection. Thanks to all at The Waggoners.

Great Sunday lunch. Good food, prompt and friendly team

Lovely pub with lots of local walks, dog friendly bar and more formal restaurant. Food is excellent what you want for snacks with a glass or warmer plates to recover from a long stroll. It is next to the A1 which can be noisy outside. Quiet relief inside with a warm fire at this time of year

Really nice country pub. Very good food, good beer selection and nice atmosphere (like a local). Favourite pub in the area

Went on Sunday had a lovely roast dinner For dessert I had Creme brûlée and it were the best iv ever had looking forward to going back there soon 🤩

Lovely food. Would definitely go back.

A wonderful Sunday lunch - beautiful food (spoilt for choice!) Great service - Thank you

I never knew the Waggoners existed until my friend suggested we visit for a celebration event. Driving along the B197 from Welwyn you go up the hill and there is a turning on your right to Ayot Green. This takes you over the A1(M) and immediately you are in the idyllic village of Ayot Green. There is a turning to your left and the Waggoners Pub is signposted. The area is quite tranquil but I could not get the constant drone of the motorway out of my head. For that reason I would suggest eating inside. There is a lunchtime menu where you can have two or three courses and the prices were fairly competitive for what you get. I did not realise that it was a french restaurant and was keen to try what was on offer. We had three courses and the food was excellent and we did not have long to wait between courses. For dessert I had the chocolate mousse which was GLORIOUS! I would definitely recommend it! The young lady who served us was very friendly, helpful and professional. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

A wonderful steak and brilliant service as always- love this place!

Nice pub in lovely hamlet, hot dog and chips bit pricey at £13.50, beers average price, nice experience though. Would visit again

If you’re ever in the area pop into this hidden gem of a local pub. I’ve never been disappointed they have a great selection of beers, the food is delicious and all the staff especially Laurent & Hannah always make us very welcome!

A good pub. Good beers and very good food. Just popped in for a beer and to book our Christmas dinner (you have to be early otherwise they get booked up!)

Stopped in for lunch after a walk around the greenway. Bar staff seemed quite uninterested in actually serving us but the service was quick, and the food was really nice especially for what we paid. My main gripe is that we were charged £13.20 for two shandies, and when we queried it, they said they charge the same as a pint, which does feel like a bit of a rip off. I don't even pay that in London.

Can be a lot better. Food was below average. Location great.

For a family time, I offer a delicious burger and pancakes that are prepared in front of you.

We have not ordered food here yet, but we are thinking to try out their fish and chips with bubbly sometime. 🙂

We had a nice family meal at The Waggoners on Friday. The food was good, but unfortunately, at least for me, too salty, i also found it very expensive for what we ate. However, the staff were friendly and attentive. The cosy atmosphere of the 17th-century inn added to the charm. In all honesty, I am not sure that I will be rushing back here for a meal.

Groupon customer - Had the striploin of beef with sides & glass of wine. The service was spot on but sadly the meal was not! There was more fat than meat on the cuts we had, the ‘sides’ consisted of a packet of ready to eat rocket & lettuce along with standard chips. Therefore nothing like the promotional photo & as such would not recommend at all. Really not impressed!

A non-chain country pub/restaurant. An interesting selection of well kept cask beers. We had the fish and chips to eat, which was excellent, but the bar food menu also included lots of interesting French dishes.

Went here for a party . So dint actually have a meal but a buffet was put on and was very nice . Clean friendly and efficient staff . I will be back to try the main food / menu

Wow I am still talking about the taster menu a week later. Every dish was amazing what a talent. Fantastic evening we will be back to sample a new menu and enjoy the great service and food. Thank you!

Great pub. Weird food hours tho

This is one of my favourite eating places. An old English pub setting with a French twist. The three course lunch menu was excellent value and delicious! Both the maitre d and the chef were very friendly and welcoming. The food, wine and service was wonderful and the ambience so pleasant. It’s a hidden gem! We will be back for sure.

Dining out at The Waggoners one Friday night, with a reservation made the day prior, we made our intentions know with a small note on the booking and without fail this is the most any restaurant has gone above and beyond. Initial deflation was quickly turned to elation as the gentleman serving us gave us some fantastic news and when the food arrived it was absolutely delicious. A fantastic and tentative experience! Thank you so much, absolutely 5 stars.

When we arrived we ordered a drink at the bar we were served with a smile and courtesy! We then said we booked a table, ‘oh with groupon ’ was the answer. We weee shown to our table and asked what drink we would like and how we wanted the steaks cooked, we didn’t even get a chance to warm our seats. The food came out 15 minutes later, a small potion of chips I counted 7 whereas other customers got theirs served in a nice silver bowl, this is totally undermining the Groupon customer!! We have eaten here previously as a normal paying customer and experienced the difference in the way we were treated, we had left the pub after 40 minutes not the evening I was expecting My advice to you the owner if you don’t want the likes of groupon customers then do not offer it!

A special occasion for us and we had a fabulous evening. The restaurant was busy with a great ambiance, but the service was still top drawer. Our steaks were beautifully cooked and the wine recommended by Laurent matched them perfectly. All in all, a great experience. We will be back.

Lovely little country pub. Great for walkers. Only enjoyed liquid refreshment so far - but will try the food soon.

My first visit here, wonderful food, absolutely 😊 great friendly service, lovely setting. My second visit, absolutely wonderful evening, amazing food, I would be back every week if I lived here! Felt very spoilt when we left. Great atmosphere and very enjoyable, chatted with everyone who was there!

Great little pub tucked out the way. Plenty of space, and seating options. Had a bowl of chips and a couple beers and wines. Friendly staff service was good.

Visited the Waggoners on Saturday evening (27/4) and was truly disappointed......☹️ Having enjoyed the food on my previous first visit in February (although recalling then that the portions weren't too generous but definite flavour was there....). My chicken actually was delicious. Crispy with a delightful gravy) but sooo very small, with a little 'wilted' broccoli 'hidden' underneath! It was more like a starter in size. NO accompanying veg to at least pad out the dish a little?? New potatoes or mash would have absorbed that delicious gravy? I asked the waitress if that was all there was when my dish came up, and was surprised when she nodded so settled on an added portion of chips. Not great for absorbing sauce though! My friends said they couldn't taste the wine in the sauce that accompanied their mussels and weren't sure that the onions were particularly an enhancement but did admit that this was purely down to personal taste..... They asked if they could perhaps have some French bread to mop up an abundance of sauce. I really do think bread SHOULD have been on the table anyway?! We weren't even politely asked if the food was to our liking on Saturday which would have provided us with an opportunity to express how we felt! Just to add, when I came in February, my crepe suzette dessert was flambéd at the table but not on Saturday?? The bill was a whopping £330 Expensive, even when you remove the wine and we didn't each have 2 courses! My husband and friends had not been before and I felt quite embarrassed.....and hungry on my return home.

Came for the first time for my birthday with my partner. Lovely atmosphere, service was prompt. The food was delicious and portions just right- the set menu was great value. Make room for dessert! Worth the drive out of St Albans. We will be back next time for a walk along the adjacent paths to work off our meals!

Excellent service and room to eat birthday meal. But the food was not good, steaks with lots of gristle and overcooked, soft cheese for dessert was straight from fridge and hard, pancakes cold and not flambé, (realised by waiter and not charged for). Shame it's been much better on previous visits.

Good food. Reasonable lunch menu. All you need is good company. Enjoy coming back

Cosy bar. Great range of beers. French cuisine. Didn't use the restaurant. Good walk stop. Recommend.

Popped into the pub after a walk as Brocket Hall Golf Estate, it was Sunday but didn't feel like a roast so the menu was a pleasant surprise with have smaller plates , we had the french onion soup and a hot dog and chips , both delicious. Sat in the bar area, service was excellent and atmosphere was cosy. We will be back for a Sunday roast which looked delicious 😋

Another fabulous meal at our favourite venue. Thank you 😊

Had Sunday lunch here last weekend (4 of us) and the food was very bland and tasteless. None of us enjoyed our meals. Did not bother staying for dessert as the starter and main courses has been so disappointing. We received an invitation online to leave a review where we made our opinion quite obvious. Clearly the management don't care as they didn't bother following up

Went to the Waggoners this lunchtime, paid for our drinks then were told we couldn't sit down anywhere in the pub as all the spare tables were booked! We then had to sit outside in the cold! If we had been told this before hand We could have choosen whether to stay or not!

Lunch with the grandchildren today!! Lovely attentive service even in the bar area. Delicious desserts to finish all in an intimate atmosphere - you know you’re in the country! Highly recommended!

A delightful Sunday lunch in the restaurant section of the pub, which is like a decent French bistro. Fantastic seafood pancake starter and beautiful rare sirloin beef finished with Creme brûlée. Accompanied by an excellent Fleurie at the right temperature. Great staff. Very clean toilets.

Celebrated Christmas Eve with my dad at our annual go-to spot for special occasions. While the food was delightful, the service left a bit to be desired. I was served piping hot onion soup without being informed, resulting in an unfortunate burnt finger incident. The bill initially was not ours, but after a mix-up, they managed to provide the correct one. Despite the hiccup, the food remains consistently tasty. I'd recommend dining there, but perhaps some additional training for the younger staff could enhance the overall experience.

Service was very good. We tried the Christmas menu. Salmon gravadlax was delicious, turkey was average. Loved the hot chocolate fondant. All in all, it was alright. The only problem was the fish smell which was a mood killer.

It's still one of my favourite places to eat in Europe. First class service and food.

Popped in for drink as on a country walk. Sunday roast looked good. Looking forward to going back and trying!

We had the tasting menu for lunch. It was delicious. The staff were friendly and helpful, as always. The French onion soup was thick and tasty. The lemon curd ice cream with vodka as a palate cleanser was fantastic. We always know we will get a great meal here, in fact our friends had eaten here just a few days before but were very happy to make a return visit.

I'd somehow always neglected at this authentic French restaurant, set in a beautiful 17th century coaching house tucked away in a cul-de-sac behind the A1M. Fastidiously run by Laurent Brydniak and his team, I soon found out what I had been missing. From the extensive menu - ranging from haute cuisine to more basic bistro fare - my friend and I shared a chateaubriand which was cooked, carved and served to perfection. The wine list was extensive and well priced and the pièce de résistance was the professional, attentive and engaging manner of our server, Helena, who was a joy throughout. Definitely a hidden gem, and strongly recommended for lovers of French cuisine.

We have been dining at The Wagoners for years now, and whilst I always enjoy the experience, on this occasion I felt that the menu was very limited. The service was slow, we waited for quite some time before anyone took our order, and when they did, initially we were not able to complete our drinks because we were not given a wine menu. Other customers seemed to be known to the staff and given the menus first and water for the table! Once we managed to order and received our meal, it was lovely and we all cleared our plates, but the experience was not as good as it used to be

Watch out for owner Laurant, preys on female staff and gives them drinks behind the bar

A old fashion outlook restaurant. We had a dinner here using Groupon... A warm service and have delicious foods

Terrific food - had a selection of starters - loved the garlic bread and calamari. Ravioli with mushrooms main was superb as were the juicy mussels. Female server was excellent - great recommendations and very attentive.

Good food, good service, good atmosphere, very happy.

Stopped here after a walk. Lovely pub, very welcoming. Good menu. We ordered Gammon (very generous wedge) egg and chips and a Roast Beef (perfectly cooked) baguette with horseradish. followed by the chocolate tart as pictured. Would definitely recommend and visit again.

Excellent French cuisine in a beautiful pub setting. Fully recommended!!

We have been here several times and generally have a good meal. This was our first anniversary so we decided to come here to celebrate. That was our first mistake! The waitress (must of been new) was on her own and managing 5 tables (fairly reasonable to me). She gave us the food menu, i had to ask for a wine list, she delivered my gin (whilst i was looking at the wine list) in a high ball glass, i asked for it to be in a gin glass. We ordered crispy squid for starters (we had this last year and the batter was beautiful) when it arrived the coating was dark and clearly not fresh. My husband ordered fillet steak and i ordered sirloin. I asked if the chef (remember this is a French eatery) for Béarnaise sauce instead of peppercorn - apparently couldn't do this! i also asked for fries rather than chunky chips, i was presented with chunky chips (admittedly this was rectified pretty quick) the steak had no seasoning - on either steak - the side order of summer vegetables were soggy. The tastiest thing on the plate was the tomato! Not once were we asked if everything was ok, i asked for the bill and asked for the service charge to be removed - i told her i was not happy - didn't ask me why just took off the service charge. When paying £130 (for 2 starters, 2 mains, bottle of red and 2 drinks) the owner asked me if everything was ok. I told him everything and instead of knocking off some of the bill he asked if we would come back and he would make it a lovely meal - not a free meal - just show us good service and food. We are gutted we wasted our first anniversary here and was not offered anything when we expressed our disappointment. He did apologise but to be honest it has gone downhill and we will never go again. If you want steak go to Prime as this place has no idea how to season or cook it on a Saturday night! Also the atmosphere is flat, no music, no ambience nothing!

A real gem of restraunt, good for a swift drink on your travels. Landlords one in a million. A true gent.

Fantastic food, attentive staff. Worth a visit

Nice glass of cider and a packet of crisps

So sad ... what's happened to this restaurant? We went for lunch on the 17th May. We were the only customers there for lunch. The waitress was friendly but food was very disappointing.

Really nice pub. We had a girls U14 rugby team event in the Marquee. It was brilliant. Good food and great choice of draft and keg beers. Will be back again soon.

Great traditional pub with a Gallic twist. Laurent and team always give a warm welcome and the food is high quality whether you are in the bar all the restaurant. Dog friendly in the bar area as well.

Excellent food in a beautiful country pub. French style dining. 😎

Simply the best food locally and reasonably priced - 5+ stars!

Had a fantastic lunch there today . The food and service were excellent ..this restaurant would put many central London restaurants in the shade

The best French restaurant in Hertfordshire

A really good roast beef lunch here with all the trimmings, although a green vegetable was missing perhaps. Terrific sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Excellent and efficient service, too. I have been several times now and shall return.

It's OK, had a nice meal, but wouldn't rush back

Went to the waggoners for dinner last night and the food was superb and very tasty.Staff where kind and friendly. Definitely coming again.

Fantastic food as always. Lovely atmosphere. Friendly staff and great drinks. 6 nations rugby 🏉 on in the bar

Four of us for lunch, including two visiting from France. Every course was deemed to be fantastic by ALL four. And Laurent offered us excellent service throughout. Indeed, it was probably the finest restaurant meal that we have experienced in quite a while, including our visitors from France. Well done Laurent.

Great place to visit. Food really good value

Food and service as lovely as ever, made my girlfriend a dish from off the menu as a special birthday request. Thank you as always to Laurent and the team for a lovely meal.

Went here on Thursday with a rambling group. The staff were friendly and did serve us quickly and efficiently. BUT the food was very disappointing and overpriced for what it was. Some of us had Turkey & Cranberry Baguettes. For £9.50, we would have expected fresh turkey but it was just 3 thin slices of pre-packed "plastic" stuff with very little flavour and a tiny scrape of cranberry. In addition, there was a very small salad garnish on the plate, nothing else. What we got was worth no more than £5. Some of the group had Fish & Chips which they said was very nice but at £17 each, they needed to be.

Christmas dinner beautifully cooked everything just right, great staff and a good wine list.

We had a delicious lunch on Boxing Day with friends. The owner was really charming, offered us a glass of champagne and looked after us. The service was friendly and professional. We had sea bass cooked beautifully followed by an individual Christmas pudding. We will certainly come back.

Haven't been in awhile, still the same the pub side quite busy and great atmosphere...Sat in resturant out back, felt like being sent to the naughty room ...service fine menu bit limited ( from what I remember) menu but could be time of the year BUT had one of my favourites "posh" mac and cheese had crab and fish pancake as shared starter

Had a fabulous Christmas Day family lunch at this lovely pub. Food was good, service was great and all in a lovely welcoming surrounding. Thank you.

Very well cooked Anglo french fare

Lovely as always. My favourite pub in Welwyn Garden City. Fish and chips was outstanding.

We went for a meal on a Friday night. The food was excellent (fresh fish and burgers) followed by great desserts. The owner helped us by recommending glasses of wine for each of us, and they weren’t the most expensive, but were great tasting. This is a lovely place to eat, with great service and food.

I love this place. Great staff dog friendly.

Fantastic food and wine along with great service.

Great had a lovely time. Great old pub to visit.

Went out for dinner tonight with my dad and Uncle and Aunty to The Waggoners in the Ayots tonight My brother and dad have been there numerous times with great reviews. So I was really looking forward to the experience and treating my family to a great experience. But I was so disappointed, the food was completely substandard for the price. The service was terrible with the waitresses not knowing the menu, drinks and water not being topped up and upon requesting a bottle of wine which they did not have in stock the owner had to say well we have another 150 bottle that you can choose from. When the mains turned up it looked and tasted like it was either out of a bottle or tin. Completely not would you expect from a good quality expensive restaurant. I am sorry but you don’t expect that level of service and quality of food when spending that sort of money.

Brilliant! Very accessible car park. Very accommodating staff. Splendid, tasty and very French food - followed by some very nice coffee. One tip: if/ when you go there, try to ensure someone else pays the realistic but somewhat pricey bill.

Unusual, freshly prepared rolls, baguettes etc at modest price, particularly given location deep in commuter land. Beer was good.

Don’t usually write a review but feel need to share this.disappointing experience. Considering the restaurant was empty (no blame for no atmosphere ) the service was not good… No blame for the waitress being inexperienced but having to ask for a wine list twice & after waiting for some time had to actually ask for the glass of wine ! In my opinion is not due to inexperience. As for the wine … £8.20 for a 175 ml glass ! … brought to the table served in a very small glass to give the appearance of getting a lot ! I would have liked to have to seen the bottle to know what wine I was given for this price ! Our starters .. tomato soup just like you can buy in a carton from any supermarket £6.50 & the crepes soggy with the fish dry & skin on the sauce so it seemed like it was reheated in a microwave! £12 .. Disappointing Mains .. both had the pollock my partner liked the taste of the dish I didn’t so can’t complain about that but the fish was dry & it was just a brown / beige heap in a dish .. a green vegetable would have made it look a bit more appealing & it also seemed like it was microwave reheated due to the dry fish £26 each!! Both had desserts which were ok but certainly not worth the price.£7.50 each All in all a very disappointing experience as we had been so looking forward to dining there. We have certainly eaten in more expensive restaurants & not been disappointed On top of the price of the meal there was a 10% service charge! The total bill was £106 with only one alcoholic drink! We won’t be returning or recommending!

Excellent food with a French menu and good beer and wine. Lovely staff and environment. Only four star because I am comparing with Michelin starred restaurants as well.

Went to the Waggoners for a wedding lunch. The choice of food was limited, but that said what we had was very good. The game stew was delicious. The young lady serving us was very pleasant.

A big thank you to all at Waggoner's for a superb buffet for my friends Pat and Clive's 50th Wedding anniversary party.

Pat and Clive 50th wedding anniversary buffet evening was a sensational success thanks to everyone at the Waggoners. A memorable evening throughly enjoyed. Pat Godsave

Totally weird experience. Faux French. Sauces all wrong and horribly overpriced. No atmosphere at all

Fantastic food and friendly staff.

Lovely food and a lovely place really a good place to go to.

Had lunch. Menu has a French influence. The food was excellent. Service very good. Hidden gem just outside Welwyn Garden.

Lovely food and very friendly staff. Well done, Waggoners

Disappointing lunch. I went with a friend for the Ladies Lunch and it was sadly underwhelming. The champagne cocktail was flat, no fizz, and the bottle had clearly been open for a long while, with a dash of orange juice it was hardly a cocktail. We both had the prawns with chilli sauce and were disappointed to see it was shop bought sauce. I had the chicken kebabs which were so dry and chewy I left most of them, my friend had the seafood linguine, there were 4 minute prawns and the sauce was inedible, it wasn't a sauce but tomato puree, so strong you could not eat it, she also left her meal. The waiter did notice this when he picked up our plates but did not comment or ask. We had 2 scoops of lemon sorbet for dessert, shop bought again and we didn't bother with tea or coffee as we decided it would be better at home. Such a shame as in the past we have had very good meals there. We are unsure if it is because the Ladies menu is cheap food, shop bought to keep the price down or whether the standards have generally dropped. I was asked directly from the Waggoners to review, which I did, and I notice they did not publish my review. We will not return.

It was a Sunday and service was very slow. Shame we had to go before we could have a dessert.

First time we’ve visited Waggoners and we’ll be back for sure. Laurent looked after us very well and we can recommend the smoked haddock starter (on the menu for 14yrs!!). Enjoy

Very poor, lost it's way. Single waiting staff could not speak English ( could not understand simple requests). Insufficient stock of a starter ( whitebait) sent unordered item. Main courses showed old meat. Puddings rather strange - no questions answered. Cannot recommend.