The White Lion in Saint Albans

A mixed bag here. Before I get to the food, the venue is pleasant. A cute old building full of character on a lovely street . The atmosphere was ok… but could’ve been better- there was a small but loud group of people at the bar of which at least some were off duty staff (I could tell by what was said) the conversation was too loud and too crude- I now even know the “vital statistics”of one gent. There was also quite a lot of swearing. I also think I’d loose the dog water bowl that was clearly from a previous customers pet, but sat next to our table for the full meal. Food. Well it wasn’t a great start being greeted by a list of things they didn’t have (and typically was most of the stuff we’d chosen after looking online) We changed our choices but we’re already disappointed. Starters. Calamari was very good if slightly too salty. Pate was good but maybe you could stretch to a full slice of toast each? Mains. Pie was decent with a lot of mash and nice gravy. Steak- tasted good but poorly presented. Spread out on a plate the whole dish looked lost. A silly little pile of four button mushrooms would be far better replaced with one whole large mushroom for example. Korean chicken burger. While the chicken was nicely done I’m struggling to understand what was Korean about it? It was served with Asian slaw in the bun- this would be better on the side, but otherwise what was Korean about it? It was nice fried chicken but that’s it. Overall, disappointing. It has potential to be good but as it is now I wouldn’t return, sorry.

As always, we had a superb meal with the new manager & his team in charge. The staff are a delight & are so attentive & Menu is so good (& I’m so fussy!!), there’s something for everyone - great English food & so well done. Nice to see meat pies & Shepherds pie on the menu. I could eat so many things on this menu & I’m a notoriously fussy eater! This time I had the crispy duck salad which was lovely BUT there was hardly any duck in mine & my friend who had the dish too, said the same, shame as it was great, hence a star dropped. We go there quite a bit so obviously it hasn’t put us off! Maybe the lovely manager & his partner could mention the minimal duck to the chef so he can put more in next time?! So rare to find a good independent restaurant in St Albans with lovely staff. It is fabulous here & the garden a delight! See you on Father’s Day with our whole family!!

Nice pub Friendly chap served me, great red wine. Can’t lie… I did come along for the scotch egg. Unfortunately unavailable before dinner service had even started. Not the best look. Nice vibe, table and chairs could do with an update - sounds silly but you’ll see what I mean. Great pub overall, but went elsewhere for the scotch egg and following meal .

Wonderful evening out. Delicious food (recommend duo of lamb and steak & ale pie) and good choice of drinks. Terrific service. First time we've been since it's reinvention, but won't be our last. Highly recommended.

I've been coming to this pub for more than 10 years and have never been disappointed. I've seen it change hands multiple times and even then the quality of service, the food and drinks hadn't dropped in it's standards. Having mostly come for drinks with mates, I can confidently say this is a great local pub to socialise come rain or shine with plenty of room both indoor and outdoors. Whilst it still has that traditional pub look and feel, it's not dark and dingy like a lot of other pubs in the local vicinity. It retains a classy look and feel while maintaining the authenticity of a traditional British pub. They have also invested heavily into their beer garden which is the best thing they did as it's much more inviting than it used to be and great even when raining due to having plenty of covered space. The selection of drinks never disappoints and the staff are always friendly and have excellent banter. The food really takes it up a notch for pub grub as they have all the classics, fish and chips, burgers, pies, and a few other unique dishes too all made to an exceptional standard. I honestly couldn't recommend this pub enough and I'm hoping this review will support The White Lion in what is a turbulent time for the hospitality sector where many businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Even with all the other choices of pub in St Albans, I find myself gravitating towards White Lion for the reasons above. You can't go wrong! 2024 Roast Dinner Update: Whilst my review score won't change because the overall experience is still great, what I will say is that the Sunday Roasts are HUGE, but it is more quantity over quality if I'm being brutally honest.