I hired the Barn at the Horn for my 50th birthday party. Unfortunately very strict on noise from…read more11pm onwards so the music could not be played loud enough to dance to. This was disappointing as this was the time when people wanted to start dancing! Fine for a quiet gathering but if you are hoping for music and dancing I would look elsewhere.

Stuck in St Albans after a work meeting, looking for some food and drink. There were a few places…read morearound to eat but I didn't want to stray too far from the train station. The Italian deli across the road didn't open until 6pm, so I came in here for a couple of drinks and a bite. As a pub, it was absolutely fine - they played good music and it felt a bit like a rock pub with live music advertised and photos all over the wall showing acts that have played there over the years (apparently going back to the 1970's so it clearly has a bit of history). It's quite small, slightly battered, clearly seen better days, but I like pubs like that. It was under £5 for a large glass of wine - pretty reasonable prices - and the barmaid and the other punters who were in all seemed chatty and friendly enough. It was fairly quiet when I went in at 4pm and they didn't serve food until 5pm, so I sat with a book and had a couple of drinks. All very nice. The reason I'm not scoring it higher is the food experience. They have a quite an extensive menu for a small pub and in retrospect, I think this is one of those cases when it indicates that most of it comes out the freezer and into the microwave. I ordered a "Homemade" club sandwich - the menu said it had chicken, bacon and egg mayo and I thought the egg mayo was a strange touch, but I quite like egg mayo so decided to stick with it. After 10 minutes, the waitress came back to say they couldn't do my sandwich because the kitchen had run out of egg mayo. Now, I don't expect a chef in a small pub to knock up their own mayonnaise, but I do expect a chef anywhere to be able to boil an egg and chop it up in some Hellman's mayonnaise. The fact that you can "run out" of egg mayo suggests that they buy in those pre-made catering packs of sandwich fillings. It might not contravene their definition of "homemade" sandwiches, but it suggests they don't cook food so much as assemble food and I do wonder how much of the "homemade" food is really homemade. So anyway, I opted for a pizza instead. It was a 9" pizza and it took 30 minutes from the order to getting the pizza. (Thirty minutes from the second order, on top of the 10 minutes I'd already waited after ordering the sandwich). The pub wasn't busy and when I ordered, nobody else was eating so it should have been relatively quick to knock up a pizza and stick it in the oven. Four people came in about 10 minutes after I'd ordered my pizza, got drinks, sat for another 5 minutes then ordered food, and their food came out at the same time as mine - I was a wee bit annoyed. The pizza itself was perfectly okay, but I don't think I'd really recommend this place for food. If you just want a drink and some good tunes though, it's a good enough place to go.

This is a really nice local pub, although it is somewhat out of the town centre, but only by about…read more10 minutes driving. The food is really good in there, and really reasonably priced (think you can normally have a big meal for under a tenner). there is a conservatory which is really nice to sit in in the winter, and some tables outside for the summer. The staff are really friendly in there, and there is a pool table and some fruit machines for entertainment. They usually hold a pub quiz once a week as well. Definitely worth a visit.

The jacks is a very good open house. It's very cheap. They serve lots of different dishes and also…read morehave a different drinks to choose from plus they also have a pool table what's goes down good with the regulars

The Jolly Sailor is found along Stone Cross, at the end of Sandpit Lane. There is no car park, only…read moreon street parking in residential roads close by. It is a traditional looking, Georgian style building. It retains both its public and saloon bars. The public bar has a pool table with sky sports and it gets very busy when matches are on. The saloon bar is in the more attractive, older part of the building but this has very limited sitting. I have also noted that it is quite difficult to get served in this part. There is also a small sitting area directly outside the public bar. It is part of the Charles Wells brewery, therefore serving real ales. It serves traditional pub grub at competitive prices.

Good honest pub to watch football, play pool and enjoy a beer. No nonsense landlord keeps the…read moreidiots and kids out.

Sign on the door said no under 21's after 7:00. So we went in with our 14 year old at 5:25 to order…read morefood and a pint. Had a pint, want to order another pint and some food at 6:05, and they told us to leave. We would have eaten and left by 7:00.

Got my order wrong. Ordered chicken got fish When the second order arrived it had the wrong…read morevegetables. Talked to the manager. She proceeded to argue about the vegetable. I have been traveling the UK for the past three weeks and eating out every day. This is the worst dining experience so far

A very historic building just outside the center of the city this pub has a few real ales and a…read moregreat food menu. In the evening it is quite a bustling, friendly bar, large and always pretty good for finding somewhere to sit. It has a small garden for smokers and they have a variety of board games to play when things are queit. This is a good place to meet up with a group of friends and is handy for the restaurants in the center of town.

I went to this pub for New Years last year, and I was really pleasantly surprised. It was chosen by…read morea friend, and I had my reservations, but we had a wonderful time. It is a typical old style pub, and you'll always find an older man sipping his pint in the corner, but its very relaxed and cosy. The prices are pretty reasonable, and they serve a good selection of beers and spirits. They have a selection of board games in the corner for those quiet Sunday afternoons and the food they serve there is really tasty.

Seen better days ... No idea how to look after ale ... Part of town crying out for a decent local…read moreboozer ... As this once was many years ago

I have been there quite a few times. It is a very locals pub. The residents that the Rats Castle…read moreare supposed to be friendly I've been told? That is a matter of opinion. In terms of layout and furniture it will transport you thinking that you are back in the mid 70s. In terms of food. I would definitely recommend the pigs ears (pork scratchings) I will give this public house a solid 2.5 out of 5.

Went here on a sunny Sunday for a roast with the boyff. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable…read moreexperience. I am conflicted about giving 4 not 5 stars, and have deliberated over it for a bit, so I will re-assess once I have been back there. This is a typical old school English pub, with all the character and quirkiness that you would expect. On entering you are met with a very chirpy smiling waitress at the bar, and I felt my eyes shifting around to take in the character of the place. There is a TV up in the corner that was showing cricket / golf, but turned down to a level that meant that it wasn't affecting anyone, but loud enough if you wanted to see if England were getting tonked in the Ashes or doing okay! There is the original beam work and brickwork throughout and you can't help but imagine what it was like back in ye olde day. The toilets were lovely, fresh and clean. They had a toilet that flushed properly - can you believe it?! - and actual real toilet paper, not the industrial coil of doom that lets you tear one sheet at a time and leaves you utterly frustrated! Smelt lovely, and not in that over bearing sanitiser spray that can make you choke, but in the way you have at home once you have given the bathroom a good clean :) It is quite obvious that this place has undergone an extensive re-decoration, but under a careful and tasteful eye, keeping all the charm about the place and replacing the old with new contemporary toot! Now onto the food, we went and sat in the garden and didn't have to wait long for our food to be bought out to us. We both ordered a Sunday roast, (which they actually offer in 3 different sizes, much to my delight!). I ordered a medium chicken roast and the boyff ordered a large beef roast. The roasts were bought to us by the chef which I thought was a lovely touch. The food itself was top draw!! Like seriously, the standard you get when someone actually invites you round to theirs for Sunday dinner and puts a lot of effort in. I can't remember the last time I had this standard of a roast in a commercial place and not from some older relative that has made her Sunday roasts things to talk about! It was utterly delish! The roast potatoes were scrummy, meat cooked perfectly, the veg was spot on too. I could not find 1% of fault with the food. Lovely garden area, a snooker and darts area and a snug. I am sure on my next visit I am going to be persuaded to notch this up to the 5 star mark (maybe finding a post dinner chair to slump in will be it!)! I love this place and me and my friends are already getting dates in the diary to go back here!