please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Busy pub showing sports but had a decent range of ale when I visited. The staff were quick to serve and knowledgeable in terms of the ale they offered.
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Beer always excellent especially the Red Squirrel London Porter.
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Had another good curry night here on Wednesday. Excellent beer(best in St Albans) with a Halloween/Autumn theme. Shame about the annoying TVs.
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Best head over the road to The Cock...
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Have not visited this pub for nearly a year and was dissapointed with the so called live band advertised.What they lacked in talent they certainly made up for in decibels and would much rather have watched the widescreen but this proved impossible as the racket was so bad.We did not stay long.Ruined my Thursday night out but the beer was ok.
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Excellent pub.
Good service, really good choice of ales which were on form. Friendly locals.
Will definitely be back, probably to have a go at the good priced menu.
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excellent days drinking here today,beer fest at end of month. comments amuse me;if beer is great and service is great how can a pub be just ok ,those are the 2 main factors for a good pub(lack of salad in a pub is a plus point surely)
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Okay for what it is - a town centre circuit pub with a chain feel to it. If it wasn't for the quality of the ale - Salopian Twister a very nice pint (and the offerings of live musical entertainment in the evenings) one would think one was in a Wetherspoons.
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Pub No.6
Ok pub
Excellent beer
Good service.
Recommended: 8/10
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Excellent beer - best in Snorbans. So-so pub, but friendly.
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Disappointed that they have changed their menu again & have got rid of the nice salads they had - the ones on their now don't appeal. It was one of the few pubs in st Albans where you could go for lunch & get decent beer and a good salad. The decent beer is still there but not the salads. Oh well, will just have to eat somewhere else & just go for the beer.
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As one of the fortysomethings “murdering” an Elvis Costello song back in February 2011 in the opinion of an earlier poster, I just thought it was my humanitarian duty to defend the pub’s fortnightly Thursday “bandaoke” night from the perspective of those who do and those who might enjoy it!
Tuning might well have been a bit off for ‘Oliver’s Army’, but I think it’s a little unfortunate to have based an entire review of a pub around it. I constantly play paid gigs with numerous bands, and problems with monitoring & other momentary factors (mechanical and human) often prevent things from sounding exactly ‘spot on’.
That’s part of the ‘danger’ of live music (as opposed to listening to an MP3 or CD) and of course, potentially its downside.
I’ve learnt that you can never be all things to all men (& women), and that there’s no point in trying to convert everybody, but the evening has proved to be very popular with many customers since beginning in November 2010.
For those that don’t know what bandaoke is, think along the lines of a sensible karaoke, but backed by a live band. It gives keen amateur singers (NOT “stag” or “hen” night guests!) a chance to have a go at a song of their choice in front of a live audience, sometimes with pre-arranged live backings, but very often with spur-of-the-moment suggestions that the musicians do their very best to back (often with great success).
Most of the members of the house band (myself included) play with other acts with more pre-planned and consistent arrangements (that have less to go ‘wrong’ as such), but we’ve discovered some truly entertaining vocal performers in our 8 months so far and many of our growing regular audiences enjoy the slightly unpredictable nature of the evening. For me too, it’s a highly enjoyable contrast from the more predictable musical gig evenings I involve myself in too.
Whether or not the original poster has been reassured by my points above, I hope it’s explained what the evening is all about. I hope it also urges some people (the original poster included naturally!) to reassess more positively the impression they have about this, either first-hand or from what they’ve previously read here.
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Still providing the best beer in St Albans. Not the most atmospheric of pubs and they should get rid of the TVs. Nonetheless, highly recommended.
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Continues to be excellent for both beer & food. Staff extremely friendly & helpful. Still the best real ale pub in St Albans (at the moment).
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hi,more beers than i can drink today and big plates of food passing by, highly recommended
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in early today 10 beers on mainly light but tasty oakham/brewsters/bombadier/dr.mortons . £5.95 pie and pint deal. continually great beer and service;still 7th pint free.
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Oh dear, oh dear. Haven’t been out this way for a bit so dropped in on Thursday night. Football on the TV, and a decent pint of Bauhaus (wherever that is from) and then an absolutely awful band start playing – forty somethings who are incapable of tuning guitars (you can get a little gadget that does this if your ears are not up to it), and then they start murdering Costello’s ‘Oliver’s Army’, with the most atrocious out of tune singing. That along with a very ropey pint of Taylor Landlord meant that a swift exit was in order. Why put on a crappy band like that in a place like this; why not allow people to sup their pints, watch the footie and hold a conversation? Odd.
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hi, great selection of beers again this week from brewdog 3.2% to oakham 5.5% light/ dark/nutty/malty/bitter/fruity they have al sorts. beer fest at the end of the month.
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HI,SEASONS GREETINGS, fantastic selection of ales on christmas eve both light and dark ,weak and strong. had the turkey roast for 7 quid very nice. good atmosphere plenty of laughter ,friendly landlord and staff.
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Still good - came in here after having lunch at The Portland Arms - no comparison, The Blacksmiths wins hands down. Far better choice of beer, food far superior & infinitely cheaper, far more atmosphere & much better all round experience. Will definitely be coming back here, won't return to the Portland Arms.
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Now easily the best choice of beer in St Albans. 8 or 9 beers on, 5 of them porters!!! Despite Lookmother's comment below, the food, although not award-winning, is pretty good for the money(£8.95 for two meals). The TVs are annoying though.
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It's more like drinking in Comet than a pub in here. TV screens all over the walls, generally with Sky Sports News on a loop.
I understand putting sports on, but only when there's actually sports on. How's about keeping the TVs off when there's no reason for them to be on? Ruins atmosphere and conversations.
Also, the food is uniformally shocking. Microwaved at best.
Shame as they've got a really really good beer selection.
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This pub has improved so much recently - excellent beer, good food, friendly staff. Don't go anywhere else in St Albans now. Worth a try if you haven't visited recently - you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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impressive selection of ever changing real ales,loyalty card scheme(buy six get one free)sky sports,live bands friday&sat and great crisps!..best pub in stalebuns
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Excellent selection of real ales plus a real cider. My only doubt here is with the decor. It is a little too modern for my liking, with its gaudy wallpaper. It was fairly quiet during our early Friday afternoon visit, with a few couples and a family tucking into late lunches. The curry smelt particularly good. Sky Sports News was showing on the TV. Beers available were Darkstar American Pale Ale, Wells Bombardier, Crouch Vale Brewers Gold, Cairngorm Sheepshaggers Gold, Rebellion Double Dip, Fraoch Heather Ale, Greenroom IPA, Oakham JHB and Buntingford Porter. The cider was Thatchers Cheddar Valley. Altogether, a fairly nice pub that despite the decor is recommended.
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Now laying claim to be a must visit when in St. Albans pub. Serving a selection of real ales usually including a draught cider it is a haven for the real ale drinker. Microbreweries are well represented here and are continually changing due to demand. I had a pint of Brewdog 5 AM Saint here....what a hop bomb that was!
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Popped in for the Wednesday night curry - excellent value and a pretty impressive beef vindaloo. Beer choice was superb and now easily the best pub in town for real ale. The Red Squirrel London Porter and Thornbridge Jaipur IPA were paticularly tasty.
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Visited towards the end of the Beer Festival on Saturday. Crowded, noisy, lively, superb beer and good, reasonably priced food. Staff were very friendly and helpful.
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They just understand the needs of the customers and realise who the customers are (unlike so many other pubs). Generally lots of real beer available, very helpful polite staff and even offer 7th pint free of charge. They just do everything right, have recommended this pub to lots of people and they all say the same thing, which is mostly how impressed they are with the customer service and choice of beers. It's such a simple formula which so many pubs get so wrong but I’m pleased to say not this one…
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Popped in with my mate Bob prior to the St Albans Beer Festival. Very Impressed. Excellent selection of beers and a what looked a good menu all reasonably priced. Well worth a visit.
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yet again great food and large choice of ales with polite staff.
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This pub is much improved. They have bands playing Friday/saturday nights.
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Have dropped in 3 times in last week or so. Each time the ale was in top condition. Best choice of well kept beer in St Albans at the moment.
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Hehehehe My mum and dad had this pub also but not for long in the 80's.
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hi,i drink regularly in the blacksmiths and some of the comments here are confusing 1-the landlord is not a very young man ;but is a very experienced landlord. 2-beer choice of at least 8 ales usually from 3.6 to 5.7 percent ,sometimes upto 7.5 . 3-light beers only ;often a dark beer available but sales of these in summer will not be that high so who would overly stock them;on a similar note their beer is always the right temperature . 4- if you want to suggest a beer or beer style then just write a note or use a "pump action ticket" and they will see what they can do. 5- the 7th pint free card to use anytime is great making the average abv about £2.45 which is great. the food is always good and hot and served all day ,draught real ciders are now being introduced. i think this pub fills a great need in st.albans between the historic overpriced/under quality pubs and the cheap but unreliable wetherspoon waterend barn.
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The Blackies is still a bit of a standard pubco dump, but somehow they do manage to keep hitting the spot with the beer. I agree that they seem to offer a majority of light, brisk ales, but I see that as no bad thing in the summer. Plus, the ales on offer rotate with amazing frequency.
The current manager seems one of the better ones in recent years, despite being barely out of short trousers (as is generally the way with pubcos). He's polite and knowledgeable. We even overheard him give honest and accurate advice to a pair of chavettes who enquired how much of that ghastly bottled cider muck they could drink while still being legal to drive. Not his fault that the airheads ignored his advice and left rattling their car keys several bottles later.
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This is without doubt the champion of Real Ale pubs in the whole St Albans area. Since the refurb a year ago, the quality of the ale here has been consistently high. It is true that you are often more likely to find lighter coloured, very hoppy ales here, usually around the 4 - 4.5% mark. The loyalty scheme is a stroke of genius (buy 6 Ales and get the 7th free, no time limits) and regular beer festivals ensure that all tastes are catered for over a period of time. Food here is exceptionally good for the price and you get a free drink (from a range) with several of the meals, making the Blacksmiths a good choice for a weekend lunch or evening meal. In addition, there is now regular live music here at the weekends, mainly rock covers bands of high quality, plus the occasional original act.
The staff are extremely helpful and friendly, which is a breath of fresh air with so many other pubs offering little more than a blank stare - shame on them!
As this pub/restaurant's reputation continues to blossom, you need to be fast off the mark to enjoy your favourite beers, as popular ones run out fast! 10/10.
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This pub is so much improved that it seems almost unfair to criticise. But in one area - the mix of real ales - I don't think it's got the balace right at all. Generally there is a lack of darker beers and a surplus of light, hoppy ones. The programme for the current "Best of the best" beer festival has 15 pale/golden ales and only 4 darker ones (which have already sold out).
At the moment the only way for customers to complain is to stay away altogether. It would be more constructive if the management actively sought our feedback.
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As the recent reviews state - this is a much changed place
Great selection of real ales, interior re-furbished and a nice garden. Food is basic but Ok
Fine if you are looking for a pint in the city centre - shows sport as well
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Agree - the 5.2 rating is far out and relates to before this place changed. Shame ratings can't be reset when places change hands.
They're really trying hard with the real ale and always an interesting mix.
As a football fan is hard to find somwhere to watch a game that also serves decent beer and this place does that.
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Oh wow, so much better than it used to be! The marking of 5.2 is way out of date.
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A place i always walked past until a few weeks back.
I don't any more because the staff and the beer choice is spot on. The foods good to in the pub-grub sort of way.
One gripe - they never have a decent cider on even though they claim to.
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I had to visit the UK on several occasions during 2008 and stayed with a relative who had recently taken up residency in St. Albans.
I had driven straight from Dover and had not drawn any funds so only had Euros.
We decided to look for somewhere to eat. We walked St Catherine’s street and espied the Blacksmith Arms.
It looked inviting, so we ventured in. I went to the bar and explained I had only Euros to one of the Bar staff, who turned out to be Spanish. He immediately put us at ease and suggested I open a tab for our food and drink using my debit card. This done he then showed us to a table, took our order and brought us our pints.
We devoured our great mixed grills and were visited by another member of staff who asked if every thing was OK and did we require any other service.
‘Just another two Becks please’. Another smiling member of staff served us and told us a live band would be performing soon.
We watched and listened to ‘Bridge Street’, a talented band.
Downed a few more pints and made our way home after a most enjoyable evening.
Since that time I have visited the Blacksmith Arms, several times, for breakfast, lunch and evening meals, drinks and entertainment.
Please note: all the staff are wonderful, attentive, cheerful and caring. A credit to the Blacksmith arms.
Even the Security door staff, in fact the lady steward is so attractive, I contemplated causing an affray, so that I would be chucked out by her!
My luck I would have got the fellow.
Seriously though, the Blacksmith Arms is a pleasure to visit.
The staff are amazing.
‘Probably the Best Pub in the UK.
Kind regards.
Gordon E Stewart.
Plancoet.
France.
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Went to the Blacksmiths a few times over Christmas and New Year, the beer was consistently good & reasonably priced. Service was both efficient and friendly. Had lunch in there on one occasion, food was excellent (a great pie & pint deal - with a proper home baked pie !). No hesitation in recommending this pub to any of my friends & colleagues.
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Tried the food this time - was pretty good and ver good value at £7.95 for two meals.Beer still good. TVs still annoying.
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Recently refurb, decent beer selection, more than one beer festival held on site recently. The beer choices were good, worth another visit.
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Payed a second visit on Saturday. Beer still good (Dark Star Hophead). Main complaint is still the TVs, although I think there may be one less now.
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On a point of detail, the staff check the pub's toilets on the hour, every hour. Do other pubs check theirs once a week?! The new people at this place are working very hard and it has improved almost beyond recognition.
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Haven't been in here for many years & only really went in to escape the rain but was pleasantly surprised. My partner reckons the beer choice was good & although we didn't eat, the food looked good & was reasonably priced. Only drawback really was the TV screens which were huge & seemed to be on every wall. Agree with previous coments that the staff were friendly & would suggest that the current 4.7 rating should be higher. Would definitely go back.
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Dropped in on a wet and windy evening. Haven't been in this pub for many years as it has never been the place to come for a decent pint. I agree with recent comments below about the welcoming staff and the quality of the beer, although on the night I visited the range was rather unexciting - still very well kept though. Can't comment on the food, but don't see the point of going to a pub for food anyway. The decor/ ambience is a bit off-putting - a mishmash of styles, seemingly trying to cater for the sports fan (with unsubtle bit screens), the pub heritage fans (old photos and the like), the lager lads and those who want to eat in a pub that looks like a generic hotel restaurant. Maybe it's trying to be too many things. Doesn't feel like a place to linger.
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Popped in over the weekend for the first time and was pretty impressed. A little too Wetherspoons..ish for my liking, but the beer range and quality was excellent(especially liked the Oakham Atila) and the staff were welcoming.On the down side the several TVs were a bit distracting.Noted the comments about the food below, but didn't try.However, what others were eating looked pretty good so may have a go next time. Beer and food is all reasonably priced. Understand it used to be a bit rough, but doesn't seem that way now and certainly deserves more than it's current score of 4.4 The landlord is clearly trying hard so give it a go.
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The staffs were quite welcoming and the premises appeared to be clean and presentable. However, the food was of a low standard. It took what seemed an eternity for the burger/lasagne to arrive and when it did it the burger was served very undercooked (almost raw!!). They managed to get the order wrong twice for the lasagne and when it came out after 30 mins it tasted like rubber!!
Overall we do not rate this Pub highly and unless it improves, we would recommend that you go elsewhere.
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I would agree with all the recent comments - the landlord deserves top marks for all the efforts with real ale and has put on some very good ales. A festival a month is incredible and deserves full support. My only reservation is the internal side of the pub where the abundance of screens make it noisier than I would like, and the misfortune one night of having to witness a drunken slag performing a virtual lap dance with a lager drinker made an uncomfortable half hour- but otherwise I have nothing but praise and the pub is the 1st on my list for a n evening in St A
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Well, it seems that you can make a silk purse out of a sows ear. On my previous visit in June this pub was on it’s last legs but it’s clearly been taken over by someone else and what a transformation there’s been. The layout is essentially the same but the décor and furnishings are much improved. Whoever owns/runs it now has clearly understood St Albans’ link to real ale and got some in. Not just some but 7 hand pumps, 6 of which were in operation. Although they were mostly at the top end, 4.6% plus, there was enough variety to make force a decision. Great idea about the loyalty scheme, they also have tasting notes for the current month’s beers and you can sign up to get an e-mail about upcoming beers. There’s a large beer garden with 20 plus tables with pleasant views of the church. At present they have a small marquee with 8 ales on stillage, including the excellent Exmoor Beast, all at £2.40 a pint (which played havoc with my performance on the quiz machine!). There are at least three plasma TV’s showing live sport or Sky Sports News. Opens at 10am for breakfast with food served up until 10pm. You’ve got to be a bit special to be considered a great real ale pub in St Albans but I reckon if this one keeps up it’s standards it’ll be in next years GBG.
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Always had one of the best pub gardens in Snorbans, shame the pub WAS one of the worst. Big improvement recently. Been a few times including going to their beer festival. Nice range of real ales. had one dodgy pint but was happily exchanged for a fresh one. LOVING the real ale loyalty card. KEEP IT UP!
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Have popped in here a couple of times since the reviews started to show an improvement, including twice this weekend for their beer festival! The beer choice and quality was excellent with all beers in the festival priced at £2.40. With the free beer from the loyality card it made for an unusually cheap Snorbens night out!!
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Yes - a very welcome improvement here. Keep it up!
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The new management are really making an effort. Five real ales, generally well kept, at reasonable prices, and the loyalty cards (1 pint = 1 stamp, 6 stamps = next pint free) bring the effective price down to £2.15-£2.35 per pint. Drinking in the garden is lovely, and the toilets are clean.
jandl - 20 Jul 2009 13:19 |
STOP PRESS:
New effort being made in this pub - went in yesterday Monday about 4pm and is now offering 5 handpumps (Landlord and Bombardier regular with the guests on - Whitstable, Morrisey Fox? and Tripple fff. seems very clean and tidy with lovely big beer garden where the car park used to be. Loyalty card now offered for Ale drinkers.
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This really is a pub that serves little purpose and looks to be struggling to survive. Cheap food deals, and no doubt cheap food, Fosters and John Smiths Smooth was on offer at £2.35, no cask beer and the Guinness I had was pretty poor. All rather depressing really.
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Judging by the reviews this pub seem to have got worse!
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Worst dropout pub of St Albans - really letting the town down.
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I had a wonderful experience here when I was halfway through my meal of simple bangers and mash.I discovered one of the sausages was not cooked and pink inside,so I complained.The female chef stormed from the kitchen not even to acknowlede me.she could have given me bad food poisoning.So she slapped the refund into the barmans hands and stormed back into the kitchen.I would steer well clear of this pub if you value your health,as the chef doesnt care.
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It's just a bit sh*t really.
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Depends what you are in to, good place for watching sports I’ve found but that would probably be my only reason to go there. I would say the service was ok although they seem to finish serving food at random times even after you ask when they are serving until…
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Turd hole.
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Chav pub that is souless and stinks of puke.
Awful decor, not a nice atmosphere. Avoid.
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This is a terrible pub. I went here recently and the female bar staff were to busy watching sport on ther screen behind the bar to notice I was waiting to be served.
Good points: beer garden, cheap beer
bad points: Poor service, Frequented by Chavs
Best to avoid really.
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the first hog'shead that i have ever seen with it's own name, decent pint of deuchars ipa and cute barmaids and reasonable too, 7/10
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i agree with the comments but for the age group it attratcs its the meeting point in the town due to other pubs refubing and closing down, the staff there are rude espically the girls, if you are a girl try showing your nipples you might get served quicker!!!!also they give you attitude as sson as you walk in...bouncer are friendly. alot of chavs do come here but then where else can they go??mc dondalds not there any more...
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My God!
This place is only going to appeal to you if you have the mental capacity of a goldfish.
Avoid like the plague!
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My God!
This place is only going to appeal to you if you have the mental capacity of a goldfish.
Avoid like the plague!
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As recently as 18 months ago, this place was actually pretty cool, not that you'd guess as much if you went in there now.
These days the place is full of pissed up chavs drinking vodka red-bull mixers. The staff look like they have better things to do than actually serve you a drink, which they do badly. The beer is cheap, for a good reason - it's shite.
Yeah it has a beer garden, but so does the White Hart Tap. And the Goat.
AVOID!
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I agree with previous comments, this is an awful pub. the only reddeming feature is a sizeable beer garden.
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No ale ! Say no more...
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Was there tonight. Terrible pub. There is an air of menace hanging over the place, seems to be full of people from London Colney, Park Street and Hemel.
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Awful. Staff obviously hate the place too.
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Great reasons to drink here:
Karaoke Thursdays, early start for market on wed & Sats, Bombardier, john smiths, Deauchars IPA, massive beer garden, great selection of spirits, and Alfie the barman, Nick the Karaoke Man very sexy people!!!
Poor aspects of the pub:
other staff are lazy and not that great! managers are clueless as to what the pub needs, clientèle occasionally shakey!
overall great place to have a meal with your better half, or a few quiet drinks with the lads more of a meeting place then a venue!
anonymous - 27 Apr 2007 10:56 |
If you are a working class male who wears a baseball hat, drinks Stella and reads the Sun you will like this place (not that you will ever read this). Nice beer garden (where you can hide from the clientele).
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Not the place it used to be. Empty and no atmosphere. Used to be a top place but whilst beer is ok its now a place to have one to start off from and then move on quickly. Put it back as it was.
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Is the nightmare manangeress still there? the one who kicked out all the quality trade and replaced it with the chavs from the Bell, et al???
anonymous - 15 Aug 2006 14:07 |
Karaoke very good on a thursday GORGEOUS host!! Quite quiet on the weekends though.
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Finally this pub is starting to take off again. A much needed decor change gives this pub a fresh modern feel. A lively atmosphere with a large beer garden makes for an enjoyable visit. A very enjoyable weekly Karaoke on Thursday nights too!! Check it out.
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Yes it's changed and the barstaff have improved. But for beer there's only John Smiths now, whereas a month ago there was Bombardier and Youngs Special. Harumph - I'm not impressed!
Better news: the Blacksmiths has started opening at 8am on Saturday and Wednesday (market days) to serve breakfast, either a full English or vegetarian. Prices at around £2.95/£3.95 seem reasonable.
So it could be worth a few visits for breakfast, but for a drinker's pub I still give the Blacksmiths a thumbs-down.
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Out with the old and in with the new, new boss trying to intice theyounger scene, once u get past the regulars its sexy barstaff and a great atmosphere
anonymous - 22 Mar 2006 03:09 |
Going downhill. Chavs predominate, slurping lager and gawping at the sport on TV. Hogshead pubs tend to be either very good or lamentable. I'm afraid this one is now one of the latter. Its only attractions are the food and, to an extent, the bright and spacious decor.
anonymous - 2 Feb 2006 12:18 |
The Blacksmiths used to be an excellent pub but sadly it is now deafening music, poor beer and tacky neon signs and lights everywhere. Tragic loss of the nicest town centre pub.
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The Cock is always worth a visit for a meal, or just a quick drinky. The beers are nothing special, currently IPA and Abbots, but there are over 80 wines available, service is good and the pub is clean and well laid-out. Given its central location and proximity to the railway station, it seems to attract more 'passing trade' than regulars, so the atmosphere is businesslike rather than welcoming. Never mind. Chavs tend to keep away, preferring the pub over the road and all points north.
anonymous - 28 Dec 2005 09:41 |
'Functional' is the word, I feel. Several lagers, only one beer (currently Bombardier), and lunches served from 11-2. Good central location.
anonymous - 23 Aug 2005 21:35 |
When I was last in here the Stella on tap was a reasonable price (by English standards. The cellar is well kept. Good lively pub. ALthough I have been told that since I emigrated it been taken over by Chavs....haven't been home to confrim the rumours yet though.....
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