Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans

There’s nothing to say that hasn’t been said, but cracking pub, great (very cool) staff and a lovely beer garden!

Lovely place with some good selection of ales, beers and ciders. The roast was great and the roasted veggies were cooked to perfection. A tiny note, if serving boiled cabage, pls strain the water as it diluted my food at the end

I was with my toddler and went to the waiter at the bar to ask him if they had baby changing room. He said that the baby changing area was inside of the women's bathroom. I asked him what I could do then and he just said "sorry, not my problem, can't help you". He was very rude, insensitive, barely looked at me, didn't try to be helpful. It's sad that the baby changing are is still in the women's bathroom instead of a neutral area but even sadder his attitude and tone towards me. I had to change her nappy outside on a bench as fast as I could so she wouldn't get cold.

This is a lovely pub, they claim to be the oldest pub in England. Situated right by Verulamium Park, the garden has pleasant views, you can even see remains of the old Roman Wall across the lake. A decent variety of beers and Lagers and a nice menu, including very yummy pizzas. We haven't stayed so have left a rating for the rooms.

very cozy place with friendly staff, very nice experience (even though cockfighting wasn’t allowed 😂)

Amazing place friendly staff and good beer! What more do you want?!

What a find this was for quality beer, amazing service and a great meal at affordable prices. Cannot recommend this pub in central St Albans enough and it is given without reservation!

Great pub, quick service and good food

Super friendly, always with a smile & laughter. Great food. Clean rooms. & the view!!! Will defo be coming again 😁

We visited the pub after our tour around St Albans Abbey on a Monday lunchtime. It is a short walk down the hill from the abbey. It is allegedly one of the oldest pubs in England and it has a pleasant ambience. We were able to get a table for seven without prior booking but I’d imagine you’d need to book in advance at busier times. There was a good choice of drinks and I had a couple of pints of Purity UBU. To eat, I had haddock chowder with crusty bread. This was very tasty and cost £8. I was tempted by the baked Camembert but thought it a little pricy at £16. The service was good and we all enjoyed our lunch.

TASTY,fresh food,amazing helpful staff, life music last Saturday(02.03.24) amazing,!

Always a go-to after a walk around St Albans. Nice compact 17th Century pub with loads of character. The hot chicken wings for a filling bar snack have to be ordered.

Great pub. Very cozy and friendly.

It was ok, nothing special. The food took quite a while to arrive considering is was just bangers and mash. The portions were generous but there was something missing for me. Always nice to sit in an historic pub though.

We decided to take a walk through verulamium park and visit the fighting cocks for a drink and some food . Somewhat surprised to find it nearly empty but when we purchased two small glasses of questionable quality red wine and were charged £9.40 we understood why it was empty. Needless to say we didn’t have any refills or bother with lunch .

After going to the pub for their amazing roast dinners and a few drinks we decided to bite it for our daughters 21st birthday party and it was fabulous. The staff that evening were amazing and the food they provided was a real hit. Their home made veggie and meat sausage rolls are out of this world. I thoroughly recommend it for your next event.

Beautiful historical place. Great choice of beers, beautiful atmosphere and great music.

I’d been to Camden, hells and back, came to this pub feeling Stella, saw a girl who was car-ling 👌, we couldn’t have kids so had to fosters one. It died sadly as she got corona 😔. Me and the Mrs broke up after she tripped and fractured her pero’ni’ so went out to find another girl, luckily stumbled across a beaver town, loads of girls, sadly ended up with an old speckled hen. My mate pulled her sister who (no offence) was an orchard pig, she showed me her hobgoblin and it wasn’t pleasant so I just had a lemonade and went home

The atmosphere was great it was full of families and people of all ages it was really buzzing. My friend and I had a lovely hot chocolate after a walk around St Alban's it was well worth it. The staff are lovely and very helpful. It is so good to see the pub lively and rejuvenated again following the pandemic. I love this Pub. Well worth a visit 😀

Fantastic pub, full of history and character. Very attentive and helpful staff, roast dinner one of the best I’ve ever had. Here’s to the next millennium! 😁🍻

Went to see the Beatin' Hearts band. Very good indeed. Parking pretty much non-existant.

Have a lovely family lunch on a Friday afternoon, not very busy and great food and drinks. Fish and chips and the sausages and mash went down a treat while listening to a great playlist. Great pub.

It's an hidden jem we bumped into on our walk in St Albans along the lake. It was raining and we were thrilled to see the oldest pub in Briton to stop for lunch. The pub has a very long history. Originally a pigeon house and In the 17th and 18th centuries a venue for Fighting Cocks events. Now a very busy pub serving good food! I was very happy to spot a poster in the Ladies' explaining how to spot a spiked drink! I'll attach a photo in here as it'll help some more people.

Mint, polite. Good food. Can't ask for more

Sjarmerende pub. Kom etter at matservering var slutt, men fikk litt å spise fordet. 😊

Well the oldest pub in England, so I’m glad we went here. This place is quite popular so make sure you call before you go and book a table . Cathedral nearby is also very pretty. Make sure to visit!

Great place, what an English pub should be.

Dropped by on a whim. Lovely busy pub. Great vibe and staff really up for quality service. Short stay became a long stay.

Gorgeous place. Always stop there for a pint or mulled wine if it's Christmas. It's homely. It's welcoming. Is just a perfect pub. Worth the 11 mile drive just to get there. But it means the missus gets sozzled and I have to stay sober. Don't wanna spend beer money on cab fare so its put up or shut up. But the place is wonderful so worth it

Fantastic Christmas lunch for party of 10, great food and service!

Great mulled wine, really nice and helpful staff on NYE while the band was setting up!

What a great pub in the heart of St. Albans. The service was great and the food was delicious with plenty of choice. We sat outside, where it had a large and welcoming seating area, which was lovely on a hot summer day.

Realy cosi place, we satisfied a lot here :-)

Great bar with tonnes of character and a really great atmosphere. Reasonably priced drinks with friendly staff make this a great choice for any night out

Claimed to be the oldest public house in England. Beautiful location. The service was very friendly and efficient and the atmosphere was good. Entertainers scheduled regularly

Nice open fire and attentive service

Had a fantastic Sunday Roast at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks. The place is full of history and has a great ambiance. Ordered the Beef (Dry Aged Saddle of Dedham Vale Beef) and everything was delicious - just check the photo! The service was great right from the start when I made the reservation by phone. As I left I asked a question about next door’s Verulamium Park to one of the servers and he helped with directions and tips about the Park and its Roman walls. Will definitely come back!

Christmas meal very mediocre. Pub overcrowded. Wrote to complain and got a sarcastic reply back not signed..Would not go.bsck.

The service over here was quite good. A friend of mine recommended me to have a go at this historic pub. The ambience and the atmosphere was quite friendly as its good to see people have a good time with their loved ones.

Old pub with beautiful sitting room

Great food and ambiance with a big fireplace.

Stopped for a glass of mulled wine to warm up. Very cosy and beautiful old pub. Great service

What an amazing place full of character and atmosphere 👌

Overpriced, mediocre Sunday Roast 🤔 I've had better, for a more competitive price.

I rented part of the pub a few weeks ago to organise a private party. Dealing with Ronan could not have been any easier. He's laid back yet very professional and customer-minded. Everything on the day was great. The staff was really friendly and the food was delicious. I would give more than 5 stars if it was possible.

Great place, fabulous old pub with lots of atmosphere. The food was superb, wild boar sausages and mash and the delightful slow cooked sheen, just fantastic.

Polecam ten pub restauracja 😄🍺🍺

Amazing pub. Food was outstanding & every single member of staff was kind, cute & couldn’t be better. I like pubs & I’ve been to a lot in my time but this has beaten everything that came before hands down

Stopped here for a lovely roast dinner on Sunday. The atmosphere was warm and cosy and the pub very friendly and welcoming. I had a really delicious roast dinner and my wife had a salad and my daughter a pizza. All were content. Really excellent waiting staff who were attentive without being incessant. I hope to come back again soon

Really nice old pub, very cozy and with a lot of flavour. The staff should be more friendly, more empathic.

Don't even bother coming here on Saturday nights. 5 out of 4 times it is rented out for private groups, very disappointing to come here and find your way out without any luck.

Went for a late lunch , Food was great , service afraid was horrendous- no waiter approached us to take our order ended up going to the bar to order our own food and drinks 3 pints Wings 2 steak and chips 88 £ Overall good food , nice location but went paying that sort of price you expect table service at minimum !

Amazing pub. Cozy and atmospheric place teeming with oldschool vibes. Great beer and service. Good seasonal food. A must to visit!

Such a superb pub ... Inside or outside. A wonderful location on the edge of the park, great selection of drinks on tap, and really lovely friendly staff. It doesn't get much better than this place. The perfect pub!

Great location, decent beer and food. Don't believe the claim to be the oldest pub in England - the building includes the remains it is thought of the old pigeon loft that came from a nearby site. So the timber is old. The cellar may include the remains of the old water gate for the Abbey. But the pub is more recent - and many of the older pubs in St Alban's are recorded in existence before the fighting cocks - but it's certainly a good place to take visitors and groups. Note I didn't stay here, nor am I certain they offer rooms ?

Loved it paid £21 for lamb chop roast dinner, it's a beautiful cosy place. I can't wait to come back. The pub feels very aged which adds to it's charm.

Stopped off here busy Sunday but great choice of ales had a broadside and a gin great staff really on the ball looking forward to coming back and trying the food

The oldest pub in the world (well top 3 anyway) manages to be a tourist attraction while also being a great normal pub with a good atmosphere for a night out and serves excellent food too. Nice beer garden as well and couldn't ask for a better location.

We had a nice day out In St Albans yesterday have not been here for years the food Haddock and chips and salad was amazing!! We were served by a nice young man who helped tell the history a credit to his team highly recommend this fab pub! And will return soon .Neil and Rachel

Love this pub! It's great and so is the food! A real pub!

What a wonderful place, staff very nice and polite, food fantastic hot and delicious, would definitely recommended it.

Oldest pub in the UK. Quaint indoor seating across multiple rooms, great outdoor beer garden set in verulamium park below the cathedral. Large beer selection 👌

Самый старый паб в городе. Работают только по безналичному расчету. Еда местных рецептов и пиво. Есть мороженое. Столики внутри и на улице.

Apparently it's the oldest pub in England. The ambience truly plays a role here. You can imagine back then at the foot of St Albans people "park" their donkeys and horses and head on to the pub for a drink before heading into the town area. Truly an experience. If you're a tourist, this place is a must. Try the beer batter haddock and pair with a pint.

Interesting old building near the verulamium park. In good location. only had drink during walk to park

Disgusting roast but nice pub. I had the roast chicken which was the worst I've had in my life. Tasted watery and undercooked. Nice staff though.

Very cozy pub next to the river and Park, full of character, some say it's amongst Britain's oldest pubs. Plenty of outdoor space for sunny days and also cozy space inside, can't wait to visit during winter!

Lovely venue, great staff, Nice beer collection and many drinks options. Delicious food and great value.

In a really stunning area and they have beautiful outdoor arrangements on a sunny day. They have multiple screens so great for watching sport. Claims to be one of the oldest pubs in England. +1 for the name too

Hidden place in St Albans, with beer garden and live music.

Best and oldest pub in the world! A gem at the bottom of Holywell Hill...don't read any further...just go for a pint!!!

Very old pub on the corner of a park.

First time back since this place reopened under new management (we had stopped coming after the previous landlord was so rude!). The staff seemed much happier and the place definitely has a better atmosphere. Only reason it’s not 5/5 is that the two pizzas we ordered took quite a while-it was peak time but waiting gets noticeable with hungry children! Other than that, it’s great to see a historic venue open and thriving in good hands (especially after the negative service we experienced under the previous landlord and eventually it ended up closing). Family friendly garden, would come back (might ask if there’s a wait on food next time but wouldn’t stop me recommending or coming back as, when I asked where our food was, the staff were friendly and promptly sorted it).

Lovely pub, garden tables in lines, not great, food very underwhelming, menu was limited, how about a specials board.

We stopped for a pint but they were out of cider. Cold beer on tap though and an interesting location.

Originally a pigeon coup used by Monks, the original structure has been dated as far as 793AD. The Real Ale was tasty and I'm good condition. There was a great selection of local cask & keg beers. The staff were great, helpful and keen to elaborate on the extensive history of this ancient pub. Spend a bit of time here reading the literature on the walls whilst enjoying a pint of Ale.

Very nice location and atmosphere along with friendly staff

This pub has a great retro atmosphere. I visited at 3:30 p.m. Unfortunately, no food was served. But it's still worth drinking. and soak up the atmosphere

Only ate there. Very good grub.

Really unfriendly avoid this place

Very good experience. Excellent service.

The pub is very nice. Roast is also very good, although on the pricey side. They seem to have an administration problem, as roles don't seem clearly defined. Cutlery missing, no napkins, they don't know what is still available in the menu.

This is a must visit venue, the food is really good and the beer garden is really nice on sunny days

Decent real ale, excellent service. Looking forward to my next visit.

Just called in for a drink or 2 - lovely old pub with nice atmosphere and friendly service - well worth a visit if you are in the area

Came here for the vibes but was very pleasantly surprised by the food. My veggie curry was really delicious. We all enjoyed our food.

Excellent pub in a peaceful and scenic location. Also has history dating back millenia.

Great old pub! Food is nice, has a decently sized beer garden.

Awesome being in the oldest pub in the UK. Good prices Great location.

Went to a wedding reception there and it was amazing, lovely staff, great atmosphere!

Had a lovely weekend stay with my wife. Food and service was excellent. Would definitely stay again.Little advice, bar toilets do need a revamp.

Visited for the first time & was very impressed with the service and thewarm welcome. Pete & Claudia we especially nice & the food was excellent. Will definitely be back

The beers are very nice and same with the waiters. I love the buffalo chicken wings and I would strongly recommend then.

Great food and great beer garden. Really well run events with excellent service.

Love the history of this place!! Feels awesome to have a pint in a place that's been around for more than a thousand years!

Beautiful old English pub! Full of character, just what we wanted, coming from Western Canada! Glad it managed to stay open, would love to come back again!

Good selection of beer. Plenty of tables outside

Cute pub, had life music on Friday evening when i visited. There are a few tables outside to sit at.

We enjoyed our visit at this pub, particularly in the outdoor seating area with its delightful surroundings. However, I have given it a 3-star rating due to my disappointment with the haddock and chips. The batter lacked crispness and the fish itself was too soft and mushy, indicating that it may have been a low-quality frozen product rather than fresh. Service was a bit too slow too. We had to ask the staff 2 times before they served us.

Well worth a visit... Food as good as drinks