please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Horse & Groom was the best pub I tried in Hertfordshire on Sunday. It's situated in an older area of the town, near to a viaduct. Whilst it was quiet, there was a good selection of ales and a couple of ciders. Greene King Abbot & Mighty Moose IPA, Butcombe Heathcliff, Woodfordes Reedlighter, Oakham JHB & Black Sheep Best Bitter were all on. The ciders were Lilleys Crazy Goat & Abrahalls Slack Alice. The only pub I've ever visited in Hatfield and I'm told by others who have that it is the best.
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Revisited this pub on Dec 30th. Business was good and five real ales were again on offer. My pints of Trelawney and Punter were in excellent condition. This is the best pub in Hatfield by a distance if you like your real ale and don't want a load of lager-drinking youths spoiling your evening. Value's not bad either with the ales priced at £3.40 a pint which is pretty good locally.
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Very friendly pub with good selection of well-cellared real ales. Had a couple of pints of Jaipur 5.9%, which did the trick. A marked absence of yobs, and definitely worth a visit.
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Not so sure about the CAMRA type clientele was more lager drinking builder type boring the bolls of everyone on my visit. Reasonable enough pub though and probably your only bet for a reasonable pint of ale in Hatfield.
anonymous - 5 Apr 2015 20:05 |
Lovely old pub in the Old Town, with a nice CAMRA type clientele. 5 real ales. Best pub in Hatfield by a distance, although the refurbed Great Northern isn't too bad.
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Absolutely marvellous place. Very friendly staff and clientele, excellent selection of ales, and a very good kitchen. As an added bonus, the place is dog-friendly, so I got to meet a few very nice dogs in there too. I was in during the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the barman recognized my Canadian accent and so very kindly put the gold medal hockey game on the TV, which Canada ended up winning. To my surprise and enjoyment, the entire population of the bar began cheering for Canada! This is a proper neighbourhood pub, and they sure do make one feel like a neighbour. Top marks.
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Good locals pub with a friendly atmosphere and pleasant Landlord/Lady/staff/clientèle.
Very busy when I visited Saturday evening - might have something to do with free chilli and rice when purchasing a drink costing £3 or more. There is plenty of seating and tables.
Excellent choice of real ales; Marsham Ale, Frederic's, Lighthouse, Black Sheep and Abbot.
I hope to return one Saturday lunchtime for a meal.
A good proper pub - just like they used to be!
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Would agree with the previous poster, smashing little rather old fashioned pub with a friendly atmosphere and good real ales. Well worth a visit, especially for the bangers and mash!
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Nice, friendly, good ale and ideal for proximity to Hatfield train station.
I went in this pub while waiting for a train, having spotted it just behind the (much worse looking and with no ale) Hatfield Arms. This pub is indeed a lovely place and within a stone's throw of Hatfield rail station, but not obvious unless you know where to look.
Local "Hopfest" from Red Squirrel brewery, Caledonian Flying Scotsman, Black Sheep, London Pride and Doom Bar all available. I tried the Hopfest and Flying Scotsman - both in good condition. This pub seems much better than any other pubs in Hatfield, though I must admit this is the only one I've been in, though have walked past the windows of many others, and they didn't look a patch on this one.
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A pub that shines like a shaft of light when all around is darkness - to paraphrase a favourite Monty Python sketch. It's true, this is the best pub not just in Hatfield but for miles in most directions. Sadly the Horse and Groom has been a well-kept secret for decades frequented mainly by diehard locals. That's because its location down a quiet side street in Old Hatfield near Hatfield House, makes it almost invisible to out-of-towners.
But since being taken over in July by Ben Gill who managed the Fairway in WGC for years I have a feeling that this ancient pub's limited popularity is about to widen. The cozy oak-beamed single bar Horse and Groom has been a pub since the 17th century although the building is much older.
What now separates it from any other pub in the area is not just the impeccably kept cask-conditioned beers, but the revamped menu of freshly made classic British soul food courtesy of Gill Wood, who has masterfully managed the kitchen for 14 years.
Ben lovingly tends five hand pumps (soon to be six) currently pouring Greene King Abbot Ale, Fullers London Pride, Sharp's Doom Bar, Caledonian Flying Scotsman and Black Sheep Bitter. Watch out for Fuller's ESB in the next few weeks.
In the five moths that Ben has managed the pub I have not had a hint of a bad pint - and I visit the pub almost every day. I marvel at the way that these carefully kept living beers can subtlely change flavour over the course of a few days as the barrel swiftly empties.
And so to the food: the lunch time menu is classic pub fare made almost exclusively from scratch. How many pubs in Hertfordshire can claim that they make their own steak and kidney, steak and Stilton or steak and Abbot Ale pies on the premises ? I can't think of one. Other favourites are scampi, liver and bacon just like mother never used to make, jacket potatoes and enormous sandwiches on baguettes. My favourite is stuffed with two locally sourced sausages and fried onions. Creamy cole slaw completes this most satisfying lunch. Portions are all very generous and prices most reasonable.
Just when you though it couldn't get any better, from Tuesday November 1 the pub is offering free sausages and mash from 6-10pm when you buy a drink costing 3 pounds or more. Who said there's no such thing as free dinner.
The atmosphere is friendly and inclusive. Even if you've never been in the pub before you are not made to feel like an intruding outsider. And if you want to get swept up in conversations as varied as the best way to cook alligator or the current price of silver, the bar is the best place to be. Worth driving quite a few miles to visit. There's usually parking outside or in the car park behind the pub.
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in here the other night with Mrs, had nice drop of real ale. And sat by the fire, this pub has loads of charm.Will be back next week. Thanks to barstaff for a right old chuckle!!! good on you...
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I dropped by during a football match which was showing on a screen in the corner. This didn't cause any problem though because the patrons were a very mixed bunch and not all watching football. A couple of ladies dart's teams trooped in and were in good form . I sat by a blazing fire with a nice pint of Abbots and stayed for a couple more. I liked this pub a lot mainly because of the mix of people and the easy atmosphere. I'd definately go again if I was in Old Hatfield.
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This is a good little local�s boozer with a very nice barmaid who was serving up a standard draught selection along with Abbot, Directors, Greene King IPA and Ruddles.
This is an old pub with a certain charm without being over the top and I loved the inglenook set up to the right of the bar.
I walked in during the break of a dart league match so the fried food and sandwiches were being devoured in the opposite corner to me and the memories of my darting days came flooding back. I was awoken from my reminisce by a couple of old boys shuffling their dominos so a decided to pop into the back garden for a cigarette.
From what I have seen of the Hatfield pubs this place would be my local if I lived in the area.
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Great little pub! feels like a bit of a locals pub to begin with but everyone's friendly and the beer is excellent - always a good range of real ales. very cosy on a cold winters night with a pint of old peculiar and a wood burning stove!!
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Situated on the right side of the tracks, this old-fashioned pub is small but nicely laid out. A slight "local pub for local people" air pervades at first but wears off very quickly. Above average.
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Terrible cliquey pub!
anonymous - 5 Nov 2007 09:25 |
This is a lovely local. friendl,cosy though a little smokey. great landlord and EXCELLENT beer.
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Nice little local pub. Does fantastic pub food, I recommend the Steak and Ale Pie with chips and peas. Is very cosy and has open fires in winters. Only serves food during lunch I think, which is only until 2pm. It shows sport on the television. Has a beer garden. Does Guinness, although it's not terribly well kept. Nice friendly staff.
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