Address: 17 Heritage Close, St Albans, AL3 4EB Tel: 01727…read more811222 http://www.localbakehouse.co.uk Monday - Saturday: 8.30am - 5pm Sunday: 9am - 5pm An artisan bakery, coffee shop & restaurant open 7 days a week, a place where we grabbed a quick breakfast.... well sort of! Carrot Cake - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bakehouse-st-albans-st-albans#0OMVFAn55KL-RfViHV3v0g Very moist and not overly sweet Chocolate Croissant - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bakehouse-st-albans-st-albans#P6ERePMSwZFNSp6Pnbclrw Still nice and warm, flaky must not have been long out of the oven. Hot Chocolate - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bakehouse-st-albans-st-albans#djwRTP-GHMeC87zlBPPN1w Very good not too sweet!

A nice surprise. Popped in for lunch whilst in the area. Food was excellent, great lunch time…read moreselections soup, salad, sandwiches all fresh and very tasty. The chorizo jam was spicy and a great addition to a sandwich. Good service and friendly staff.

Good enough for a quick bite or pick-me-up. I sure do love me a meatball marinara every now and…read moreagain! Food always up to quality and often made quite fastly in front of your eyes. The place can be a bit dirty though. Unfortunately also, they added digital touch screens compared to traditional ordering, which is a shame, but oh well. Still fine as a fiddle though.

I was angry enough after my last visit to contact the manager of this store and complain. He…read moreemailed me back and let me know that this was unacceptable behaviour and implied that he didn't know it was happening. He said he would take action in the store and would let me know what he decided to do. Sure enough, a few weeks later he emailed again and told me exactly what disciplinary action he had taken with his employees. I was so pleased that he took the complaints seriously and actually did something about it, most people don't! I went into the store last week right before closing time and was pleased to find that nothing was shut down early. So glad it's sorted out! I'm happy to go back now.

This was my favorite lunch place when I was working in the area. It's a small space, almost…read moreexclusively takeaway, so it often looks like there's a long queue, but don't let that discourage you, as the staff are quick and efficient. They're also really nice and polite. Over the course of several visits, I tried the sirloin special, the coronation chicken, the chicken escalope, and the chicken/bacon/sweet corn sandwiches. I also tried the scotch eggs. My favorite was the coronation chicken, which I'd never had before (I don't think we have it in the States), but everything I tried was tasty and I'd be happy to have all of them again. The sandwiches are pretty reasonably priced at under £6, which is nice for an area where it's easy to spend the same amount on a cup of coffee and a muffin. I've always been in and out of the shop in just a few minutes, even when it's busy. Their prime lunch traffic seems to come around 12:30 and later; it was pretty empty the 1 time I went at 12. I've always been able to pay with my American bank card without any issues. Definitely recommend this place if you need lunch in the area! They also have breakfast, although I've never tried it.

Best sandwich place around here. Their chicken escalope on granary bap is my personal favourite…read more Worth the walk if you are further away but lucky for me it's on my doorstep.

The second we walked by Dirty Bagels we knew we had to stop, it smelled SO GOOD! We decided to…read moreshare one and the staff were really friendly as they took our order. They also if we wanted to add some cracklings to our sandwich, which was unique and we happily accepted to try it out. We opted for the brioche bun and it was soft and fluffy with the super flavorful slow roasted pulled pork. The cracklings were a nice addition and we enjoyed every bite of the sandwich and were even tempted to get a second, but we knew we didn't want to be too full as we continued our adventuring in the area. This Dirty Bagels is located in Smithfield Market and it was surrounded by a lot of other food and shopping options. They also have communal seating available right by the stand which makes it easy to stop and eat or take your sandwich on the go. This would be a must stop for me anytime I'm in the area.

I was only in London for a day this time around and I wanted to explore new places so I checked out…read morethe Seven Dials Market. Walking around, Dirty Bagels caught my eye because of the pulled pork. Living in Texas, I've eaten a lot of pulled pork and I gotta say this was pretty darn good! It was moist and tender, the sauce added the perfect amount of kick and flavor, the cheese and the bit of crackling was the perfect addition. For only $10, this was a solid deal for this meal. Definitely worth a try!

I discovered this lovely place by accident when I was going for a swim at the nearby public…read moreswimming pool. After an hour swimming, their sandwich was the best reward. So tasty! Also, the staff was super friendly. A real neighborhood gem.

For any of you foddies out there, this is the place to go. They have a great selection of meats,…read morecheeses, pickles, and all the usual deli items. But the best bit about this place is their cafe. It is quite small, and very popular so there is often a queue for a seat. However, it is well worth the wait. Their hot meat sandwiches are to die for, and at around £3.50 won't break the bank. They are served with a side salad and homestyle crisps, so it is like a proper meal. I also love their posh ceese on toast, which is melted Brie, on thick slices of breadyummy. Even their coffees are great. The inside is decorated in a retro style, ice cream colours and there is even a cute bunting around the doors. The best cafe in Hitchin by far.

A very different kind of shop and it's the pride of Hitchin town centre. It's situated just off the…read moremarket place and at first glance it seems to be a very fine delicatessen (which indeed it is). But what makes it unique is that it specialies in local produce and will actually buy stock from locals (grown in allottments or gardens) for sale in the shop - what a fantastic concept and very much in line with the spirit of the age. The window displays are particularly mouth-watering and truly enticing, the staff very friendly and the produce always of the highest quality. It's not cheap but what it sells is well worth paying the extra for.

Excellent little sandwich shop. Was on a work trip and took the tube specifically to try this…read moreplace. No dining area to eat there but the gentleman behind the counter working was super friendly and very quick to multitask and get people in and out. Had the chicken and cheese sandwich toasted which he recommended along with something else , but the other looked too big for my appetite.

I turned up and instantly the workers told me i wasnt welcome,after that I went to purchase a…read moresandwich when they told me I could only have certain things. the manager came out and agreed with his workers not caring for how I felt at all and then once again told me I wasn't welcome.me and my wife went to sit down when they told us to get up and that we couldnt sit there so we moved to a smaller table as we didn't want to cause anymore fuss after that they took 20 mins to deleiver 2 sandwiches! I won't be coming again and don't waste ur money unless u want treating badly ABSALOUTLEY DISGUSTING sorry for my spelling yours sincerely jonathon pugliese

This shop on Brick Lane was a great find for a light breakfast. Located in the midst of the street…read moremarket and the specialty shops that give Brick Lane its character, this establishment has a more work-a-day simplicity by comparison, yet is still extremely popular. It is strictly takeaway as there is really no place to sit and eat. The small shop is very straightforward with just a deli-like counter from which to see the goods and order. We were there on a very busy Saturday morning. We queued up in a line of people that extended out the door. They were pretty good about keeping the line moving, however, and we placed our order within 6 or 7 minutes of joining the queue. My wife had a Peanut Butter-Filled Plain Bagel, which she liked quite a lot. I had Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese on an Everything Bagel. It was very good. The service was very efficient and reasonably pleasant and the prices were quite fair. We will go back if we ever have the chance to do so in the future.

Saw this place on many You tube videos as a must try when in London..sooooo, we had to check out…read morethe hype. This place was run like a fast machine. They are best known for their salt beef bagels. At the front, in their store window, premade salt beef bagels are ready to be fixed with either or both mustard and pickles. Various pastries/desserts are displayed in their counter ready to go. Note: no table seating inside, just counter tops. Ordered : Salt beef bagel- bagel warm, generous amounts of salt beef, mustard, and sliced pickles. The bagel was over slathered with a horseradish mustard, so much, that it overpowered the taste of the beef. Smoked salmon bagel without cream cheese- underwhelming. Bagel was cold and hard. I did not eat the top half of the bagel. Minimal amount of smoked salmon. The girl behind the counter looked like she could care less to be there and wasn't super friendly or helpful. All in all, happy to have tried it, not sure I'd come back again for more ...

O'Briens offer a lot more than your average coffee shop. They have a wide range of toasted sandwich…read morestyles and combinations, jacket potatos, home-made cakes, coffees, iced-coffee, hot chocolate, milkshake etc. The have approx 10 small tables and offer a takeaway service also. Prices are very reasonable and the team there are really cheerful all the time!

Mmmmmmm the smells that waft out the door when I'm heading to work mean that I'll be thinking about…read morelunch before I've turned my computer on. The sanwich prices rival the delis in the area and provide a much better quality lunch (err, the bread doesn't come with those printed grill marks...) Definitely try the ciabatta, their pastas and other goodies are all take & heat so if you've got a microwave in the office, it's a perfect place for a quick easy takeaway.

Going to this place for lunch is what I miss the most from working in Hampstead Heath. It was here…read morethat I discovered sun-blushed tomatoes. Throw in some ciabatta, oils, fresh mozzarella and pesto and I was in 'Best Sandwich Ever' territory. They also sell a variety of fresh pastas, deli meats and desserts. Well worth a visit.