The Queen's Head — Restaurant in St Albans

Had a disappointing mother's day Sunday lunch here. In terms of service, the waiter asked for our drinks order before we'd even sat down at the table which was a bit too keen for my liking, but was otherwise attentive and helpful. The staff didn't seem to communicate well with each other, as another member of staff kept appearing almost immediately after we'd already been served to ask if we wanted anything.

I was expecting more for going out on mothers day food wise, and I wasn't a fan of the roast at all unfortunately. All the veg including potatoes tasted bland and unseasoned and I think it's the first time in my life I've never finished a Yorkshire pudding (the best bit of a roast in my opinion!), which had a burnt and smokey taste to it. The lamb looked like thin sandwich meat which was disappointing. I also didn't like the mint gravy. I didn't feel it was worth £16.95. There were no gluten free or appealing dairy free dessert options which generally are easy to come by these days. There were also no dairy milk alternatives for hot drinks post meal, so our meal ended earlier than planned as we ventured elsewhere to seek cups of tea and pudding. There was no dessert menu online that I could see before arriving to judge better ahead of making the booking. Attaching it for future customers!...

Semi-regular since 2013ish.

Update Jul2025: the "Asian corner" of the menu has expanded, being half the menu alongside traditional pub grub. On this visit, the evening meal was sweet & sour prawns with jasmine rice. This dish is superlatively superior to any other sweet & sour dish you have even eaten, largely because the intensity of both the sweet and sour flavours are far higher than found in other outlets. It is fantastic. The sauce is heavily spiced, with large chunks of root ginger used as a vegetable in the sauce (rather than a few scrapings used as seasoning, typically found elsewhere). A cracking meal.

Bonus: optional available condiments include crispy chilli in oil.

The pub has also started a breakfast service between 1000-1200.

Update Feb2025 & Apr2025: well kept beer, good quality food in good sized portions, friendly staff, small and cozy, nice beer patio, right next to church (bell ringing practice Wed evenings!).

A recent change in management has resulted in a change in menu. Now, pub classics sit alongside a menu's "Asian corner", a small selection of home-cooked Asian dishes with a genuinely authentic home-cooked knowledge about how to prepare the meal. Whether British or Asian, all of the food here is packed with flavour, well-presented...

I liked this place from the very early moment I opened the door. It's the classic village's pub with the chimney on the side and all the intimate atmosphere typical of an English place.

We came down because we got a voucher, which believe it or not it is always a good way to find out new places. It turned up that they completely forget about us (not about the reservation) and so they didn't prepare what's on the deal. However, the manager promptly offered us to pick up whatever we would love the most from the menu.

We ended up for two steaks, medium cooked to perfection tasty and tender with chips on the side. Our daughter got a portion of cottage pie that turned up to be enormous.

Our wait was cut short with a nice home made pork liver pate, and considering the nice outcome of the dinner we decided to go also for a dessert. A delicious carrot cake and a banana and almond cheesecake (which was a bit too frosty frankly - and that's the only disappointing bit).

Price-wise, I would say the pub is in line with the surrounding area, and I will come back again because I'd love playing with the darts that sits just walked past...