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Waterend Barn, St Albans

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user reviews of Waterend Barn, St Albans

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Hi, been a regular here again for the last year, beer standard good (try before you buy offered ) prices £2.50 guest ales upto 7.2% good range reliable food, a big "dont queue walk upto the bar" sign installed. dedicated eating area helps corral children & their unruly parents hehe so overall very good pub.
THUNFAN007 - 11 Apr 2018 12:25
This has been a pretty good pub for beer over the last year or two. There is usually an interesting range and because they get through loads of it, its usually pretty good to.
BUT - of late they have taken to use sparklers (see my comment later) so your beer will look fine when its poured but will be flat 10 minutes (if you're lucky) later and taste a bit sour i.e rubbish. They hope you'll assume its some other problem and wont take it back. I noticed the uniformity of the bubbles and slightly creamy looking head (give aways of the sparkler) so I asked the staff why they have started doing that and they said "because we've had trouble with flat beer". Didn't exactly fill me with confidence.
They will take it off if you ask. The staff in here are nice and its so busy they do a pretty good job generally, just such a shame about the poor cellarmanship resulting in the unwelcome arrival of the sparkler. I my experience its just not been necessary the beer here is usually good and the price is right.
I cant recommend this business whilst the sparkler persists and, of course, they cannot qualify for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. They deserve to be there, they do a great job selling decent ale at good prices, but they have shot them selves in the foot.

For those who might not know.
SPARKLER - a small plastic cap perforated with tiny holes which screws onto the end of the swan neck of the pump. The pump forces the beer through the holes, effectively pressurising it a little. The effect is short-lived and after a few minutes the beer is COMPLETELY flat and virtually undrinkable.
The tell-tale signs are an over uniformity of the bubbles forming a creamy looking head and swirling of these tiny bubbles beneath the head as its poured. It looks a bit like Guiness.
Unscrupulous landlords use this device to make old or substandard beer appear to OK. A little cellermanship would remove the need to con the public with these devices
Triathlete - 26 Nov 2016 10:34
After a long walk and a stop-off for a drink at the Six Bells, my wife and I decided to head into the middle of town for another drink and something to eat. This is a rather unusual Wetherspoon's occupying a couple of historic timber-framed barns that originally stood in completely different places. One was at Water End, not far from Brocket Hall, and it was dismantled in 1938 and rebuilt here in St Albans. The other barn was originally at Little Hormead, near Buntingford, before being brought here and added to the one from Water End. The main room in the pub is an impressive showcase of the large timber-framed structure as well as a pleasant place to drink/eat.

Arriving on the late side on a Sunday night, we found that many of our preferred meal choices were not available. Nevertheless we found something we could eat, and the barman was very apologetic. The beers we had (Bateman's Dark Lord and Nethergate Ruby Mild) were both very good.
beermann - 5 Apr 2016 14:56
Visited on Easter Sunday mid-afternoon. Very busy but not chaotic.
More upmarket than your usual 'Spoons - brighter, cleaner and quieter (noise wise).
I do not agree with Stevens review (five below). He should visit Wetherspoons Full House, Hemel Hempstead - even Mr Martin would cringe!
Back to Waterend. Slightly disappointed with the choice of ale. Last day of the beer festival and only one ale available from the list. The usual three uninspiring regulars, plus one guest and about five with "available soon" labels on them.
Worth another visit, hopefully with better stocked beer.
fugglehops - 2 Apr 2016 21:27
I was surprised to see that my previous review of this place was 4 years ago! In the interim I have used The Waterend Barn on a number of occasions including my stag do! Overall the place has improved, they seem to have got rid of the smelliest and most repulsive old men and dole queue scroungers and overall the presence of this type of person is now less noticeable. Food quality generally seems good but is not so good at busy times - Saturday afternoons are still a bun fight with tables getting dirty and queueing at the bar. Beer is still of reasonable quality and well priced. My tip to avoid the crowds is to go in the Blenheim Room (right at the far end of the bar) where there are a few Chesterfield chairs and tables for two if you want a more intimate atmosphere. The toilets also seem to have had a makeover which adds to the improvements made here.
manx_888 - 10 Jun 2015 18:48
My God. At 3 in the afternoon they must have had several dozen coachloads of pensioners shipped in. There were even a few tables with pensioners down from the north. It was heaving. It's also the only pub where I've had to queue in line to get served. Weird! Otherwise it's a fairly typical Wetherspoons. 2x steak & kidney puddings at £7.69 were great value. However my pint wasn't up to the usual Wetherspoons standard, and there were chips scattered on the floor and our table top hadn't been cleaned for a few hours. Should do better!
Number11 - 9 Apr 2015 21:22
One of the best Wetherspoons I've been in. Large but cosy, busy yet relaxing. I've tried the breakfasts and they are top notch. Beer wise they have the usual but the changing pumps occasionally provide a welcome addition. Usually a good balance between IPA and dark ale.
CityAlbion - 24 Jul 2014 16:46
had an excellent curry with a cracking guest ale for £6. 3 more handpumps fitted so currently 12 ales on, much improved.
THUNFAN007 - 25 Oct 2013 22:32
I have spent my life enjoying pubs, they are my hobby I suppose. Always loved it . Lived in St A for many years. I keep giving this place a second, third , fourth chance etc etc etc. It is just dismal, one of the worst pubs ever to get a license , surely if Mr Martin attended he would be ashamed. I don't say this over any recent issues or any issues indeed, just a terribly run place that gives British pubs a bad name. Shame.

stevenr - 15 Jul 2013 01:00
Just when you think you have found every pub in st albans, theres a massive one lurking behind the main high street shop fronts. Superb building.... Worth a visit for this alone. Standard wetherspoons... Just on a bigger scale.
Mappiman - 18 Apr 2013 20:48
hi, in the barn today; from the festival list liberation rouge springhead leveller avery 3.5 wadworth blunderbuss browererij blonde and bruin banks howling hook norton lion and off normal list vale special growler dapper orkney raven brains sa adnams southwold batemans xxxb old bear goldilocks adnams broadside 6 percent beers still only 2.30 , cheers .
THUNFAN007 - 24 Oct 2012 08:19
now does a sunday and wednesday carvery 3 meats and help yourself to veg and gravy etc for �6.50 including a drink which on the ales was abbott reserve, old empire, old thumper, batemans xxxb, ringwood fortynine , adnams 2 beers, abbott and ruddles, both beer and food were excellent . also air conditioned. cider and beer fest coming up end of september to coincide with st.albans fest.
THUNFAN007 - 19 Aug 2012 13:51
excellent burger deal today came with abbott reserve ;also on an oldershaws beer,pale rider,2 adnams,2 others all 1.49 .good level of staff and a sunday carvery now introduced.
THUNFAN007 - 9 Aug 2012 00:01
Apparently it's no longer a Lloyds Bar, now a Whetherspoons.
IMG1975 - 29 Jul 2012 20:27
Much impoved - now that the chavs have gone. Well done!
hertsboy - 21 Jul 2012 20:58
in the barn today , they have now enhanced the lighting so even the the small print on the menus can be read. essex beast ,old growler ,old thumper, broadside,old empire all �1.99 also 2 rebellions,2 adnams plus usuals. also a projector type tv for sports has appeared. clearer flat 1 sheet menus now replace the plethora of stand up menus that cluttered the tables. more staff now used and roy the manager always to be seen working the floor area keeping an eye on the place. i hope the standard will stay high as this is currently the best quality for price in st.albans.
THUNFAN007 - 21 Jun 2012 19:06
beers on good form today all at �1.75 ,more staff in here now and tables cleared quickly , took just 7 minutes for steaks and gammons to arrive at the table cooked just right, polite staff and new manager keeps out some of the rougher element. lighting is to be improved shortly in the main area although the smaller barn is an ideal place for a quiet meal and has seperate till and table service for drinks and is better lit. a good mix of locals ,family,young and old.
THUNFAN007 - 17 Apr 2012 17:01
Busy at lunchtimes. Nice for a burger and beer for a fiver. Need more staff. Dregs of society in here Mondays as pints are only �2.
hertsboy - 28 Feb 2012 13:37
Beautiful old building in the heart of St Albans - convenient for shopping, Council offices, Law Courts, the Alban Arena (theatre) etc. Sadly though, bog standard Lloyds / Wetherspoons pub otherwise, beer quality ok, standard food, opens early so occasional undesirable customers / unemployed / smelly old men drinking Guinness at 10am. I was approached by a weirdo in there asking to take a photograph of my beard (I kid you not!). Ok if you want a cheap meal or you have kids with you, but otherwise plenty of better pubs within easy walking distance in this real ale city (the birthplace of CAMRA).
manx_888 - 9 Dec 2011 15:09
We were in here yesterday as one of First pubs on our pub Crawl I Had a Pint of Abbot as thats all I could see as it was so packed solid and we could not even get near the bar. No it weren't a Saturday night It was Thursday afternoon. I was told there was some sort of special college do on thats why it was packed never mind. Nice old style building very large barn type of place serving the usual Wetherspoons food menu good selection of Ales on Tap about 9 but could not see which ones were on tap. I would pop in again when I'm passing as its a nice place well worth going if your with Friends for a Meal during the day time which was our intention. We went too the other Wetherspoons The Cross Keys instead
Alesonly - 18 Nov 2011 11:13
Pub no 18

Ok pub
Good beer
Bad service

4/10 (not recommended)
whimbreltits - 22 Oct 2011 11:41
Historic pub in barn moved from Waterend. Good beer, good service and cheap food served promptly. Free parking in adjacent Council car park nearby on Sundays.
Robin_from_Swanage - 9 Aug 2011 14:09
well this pub was going quite well ;beer at �2.40 and food pretty good, but the shift manager has a policy of suddenly taking beer/s off sale to sell next day rather than sell that one out and have to put on a fresh one ;so yesterday with 9 handpumps only ruddles/abbott and 1 guest were left on for the after work customers.
THUNFAN007 - 4 Jun 2011 09:23
beer fest going strong quality good, place has been cleaned up,fewer wonky chairs etc. hope they can keep up the good work.
THUNFAN007 - 8 Apr 2011 14:13
First day of the wetherspoons beer fest so the staff were in costume with a band playing outside a much better atmosphere than usual. good range of beers ;light / dark / hoppy / ginger and normal bitter all �2.05
THUNFAN007 - 24 Mar 2011 12:26
so sad they made it over 21s used to be a good place to drink
marinetank0 - 15 Mar 2011 22:11
beer range looked good today but on trying to purchase beer it turned out 3 handpumps had nothing connected, also the hsb was tires so that just left pride and abbot so off to the blacksmiths for a choice of 10 beers all on form.
THUNFAN007 - 11 Mar 2011 22:46
Another good visit tonight and whilst it is quieter than before, the clientele is massively improved. No hint of trouble and the staff were all smart and attentive. Bring on more over 21 pubs!
Hertsman1 - 29 Jan 2011 03:21
Hertsboy do you have a life??
I think the staff are great and tonight engaged well with 2 lovely girls behind the bar.
I would still rather drink here than most of the other city centre pubs and judging by your comments Hertsboy, so would you or you would give it a wide berth!
Hertsman1 - 4 Dec 2010 01:58
No problem getting served here now as its so quiet now its over 21s only. Bar staff desperate to serve/chat to customers.
hertsboy - 28 Nov 2010 13:23
R.I.P
hertsboy - 20 Nov 2010 11:04
I was here on Friday night. Sevice much improved.
hertsboy - 5 Sep 2010 13:37
Barmnan Chris - phoar!
boozychickUK - 4 Sep 2010 10:13
memo to management: get better staff!

I was here last night (saturday) I was waiting at the bar when an old guy further along leaned over the bar and asked the barmaid to serve him next. I had been waiting longer than him. The barmaid didn't look to see if others were waiting and served him. He ordered about 10 drinks. he was with other older guys, so that generation don't always know about manners and queuing!
That's the problem here the staff just serve the first person they see.
hertsboy - 8 Aug 2010 13:11
Not a place to go for a beer in the evening unless you like loud music! Too many 'Available Soon' signs on the pumps but what they do have on is usually pretty well kept. The regular beer festivals are worth seeking out with a good choice.
LuckyEric - 23 Jul 2010 16:11
the last 7 times i walked out again because they used to have 6 pumps with 2-3 true guest ales then they installed 3 more pumps and now can barely manage 1 at a time ;plenty of coming soon and abbott and unnamed. sticky carpets and tables,rickety chairs and long queues . on the bright side the toilets are spotless. the big beer fest here is always worth visiting but only on the 1st 3 days.
THUNFAN007 - 14 Jul 2010 13:44
I gave this a go on Saturday afternon. Nice pub. Problem is bar staff will serve people in the centre of the long bar first, even if others have been waiting longer first. They also had a new guy who was a bit clueless.
hertsboy - 2 Feb 2010 15:51
I think it depends what you are looking for with regard to this pub.
During the daytime it is a good example of a Wetherspoon pub. Reasonable ales and food at a good price in a beautiful setting.
At weekends it becomes a Lloyds bar with DJs, music and dancing.
Two very different animals but you know what you are getting before you enter.
The earlier comment about googling assault seems unfair. If you google any nightclub/late night bar with the word assault, you will get hits. It seems the majority of St Albans goes to this pub on a weekend night so it can't be too bad and feel sure the police would intervene if there was a serious problem.
You get what you pay for and if you want an expensive pint then go to any of the other pubs in St Albans but if you want a value pint in a beautiful old building with maybe a dance later, give it a go.
Hertsman1 - 29 Jan 2010 08:31
How long has this pub been a Lloyds bar?
Nice building shame about the weekend revellers!

If you google/yahoo '"waterend barn" assault' you'll find stories of trouble. Incidently, one of the managers, Ian, claimed to have looked at CCTV coverage of an assault. He reckons he pinpointed , the night and where an assult took place and looked through 90 mins of CCTV coverage...but this was done in just 5 minutes!! A guy who was attacked had Aspergers.
hertsboy - 2 Jan 2010 10:49
Great building, I thought a shame it had turned to a wetherspoons but the selections of beer, and quality, was good when I last visited. Jury still out on this one for me. Judging by other comments I've been lucky not to visit at the weekend.
RedHarvest - 18 Dec 2009 16:14
This pub may be okay during the day. But weekends night it is frequnted by Chavs. The female Chavs are more aggressive than the males and will punch you in ther face if they deem you 'looked at them in a funny way'.

Avoid this pub at night. Bouncers will take the side of chavvy females everytime.
hertsboy - 30 Nov 2009 14:12
Splendidly Devine..Are the first words that came out of mouth when entering this fine establishment. T'was greeted in the friendliest of manners with a lovely lady holding the door open for my dear husband and I (I'm in a wheelchair) We absolutley fell in love with the "Waterend Barn" and only wish we had one closer to Cambridgeshire. The staff were marvelous & exceedingly helpful - "Iain" who served us our food was delightful full of beans and very greatful for our custom and not only that gave my husband a good old football chat, he was over the moon!
Food was exceptionally good value for the quality and the lovely atmospheric restaurant was great to have an adorable romantic dinner.
The Waterend Barn was getting increasingly busier due to it being a Friday evening at 19:30 and the younger generation were getting ready for the night. Unfortunatley we're a little past that! So we decided to leave after sharing a beautiful portion of profiteroles!

Overall an absolutley glorious place to drink and dine - will deffinatley be returning to Saint Albans to see you again The Wonderful Waterend Barn!!

Patricia and Herbert
MrsPertunia - 10 Nov 2009 21:17
Went their the other night with family, great food at good value, friendly staff and good service, also site has an ale festival at the moment with lots of great ales to try, keep up the good work wetherspoons ;-)
doldy - 5 Nov 2009 13:24
I recently returned to St Albans and was amazed to see the waterend barn had been taken over by wetherspoons, They have got an ale festival on at the moment which looks fantastic and at �1.69 a pint which made my visit even better. I was shown all the ales by a freindly member of staff who had a good knowledge of the ales. The place was very warm and welcoming and very clean. I cant wait to return again.
aledale35 - 4 Nov 2009 17:22
One of the management team, Danny, was serving behind the bar on sat night. He allowed a guy to queue jump and order his drinks while Danny was giving change to another customer.
Danny needs to be more assertive and fairer. He's lucky a fight didn't start. Send him on assertiveness training!!!
hertsboy - 3 Nov 2009 12:45
I was here on saturday night. it was buzzing. loads of people in halloween outfits.
hertsboy - 2 Nov 2009 11:51
the best jd i have been in. good pint of abbot and being sunday afternoon was easy to get served was very impressed by the barn. would go again
forestwood - 5 Sep 2009 23:23
A lovely conversion of two old barns. Almost upmarket as far as Wetherspoons (Lloyds No 1 in this case) go - even the toilets were top-notch! There was a 'local' beer festival on when I popped a couple of months back (which were basically 6 beers all from Rebellion and Vale breweries) so good to see a proactive management looking to promote local produce. The girl who served us was a classic Wetherspoons stereotype - 'pleasantly bumbling� - I think she'd struggle to tie her own shoelaces bless her. I can see Millay�s issue with a number of the beers being marooned away from the till area. I just stood by the till, smiled, and placed my order and sent them scurrying off into the wilderness - it keeps them fit so I don�t feel bad about it. Overall, in a town with so many top-notch ale pubs I�d say that this was still worth a brief visit to see what�s on outside of being charged to get in. However if they told me to change my shoes on a Saturday evening I�d never go back and this review would look quite different�
Quinno - 30 Jul 2009 23:08
I can't believe they are still charging people to get in on Fri/sat nights. �3 before 9pm and �5 before 10. rip off. Full of kids too nowadays.
hertsboy - 11 Jul 2009 14:21
The main bar is a barn of a place, as the name would suggest. I've been here a couple of times in Winter when they've been trying to heat the place up with real fires only to fill the room with smoke. Away from the main bar there are a couple of smaller areas with comfortable seating and I believe, thankfully, where the screaming brats are confined to. There are a couple of plasma screens on mute and no piped music. By some Wetherspoons standards they don't have a big range of beers, today it's three plus Pedigree. A rather annoying occurence today is that although the three real ale pumps are located at one end of the bar the only real chance you have of getting served is to go to the other end where the bar person's 'personal till' is and order there. Not only that but they demand you pay up front, before deigning to saunter down the other end to get the beer. I've had to do this for my last last four pints of Rebellion Credit Crunch and am seriously thinking of going somewhere else now !!! On the plus side this place does have free WiFi that works fairly well so I can vent my spleen whilst having a pint....I may try just one more.

Millay - 12 Apr 2009 14:07
When this place first opened I really fell in love with it - it was perfect. I remember going into the restaurant for the first time and having cod in batter, and chips. The cod was so big it overlapped the (hot) plate by inches each side and it was beautifully cooked. The waiting staff polished the silver service cutlery, were cheerful and the whole meal was worth treble the price I paid. The manager I guess was Italian and obviously wanted to run a very attractive ship. Everything perfection 10/10.
Next time, looking forward to the same meal experience, I was served a nouveau cuisine / sardine size piece of cod. Oh dear, but still 8/10 bearing in mind the reasonable price!
After a number of further visits, the dining room was halved in size, had become bar service only and no sign of the 'Italian' manager.
My visits to The Waterend Barn have now virtully stopped but, based upon my last visit, I would sadly give it no more than an average Weatherspoon 5/10.
PS: I used to rate the average Wetherspoon at about 8+/10 but the phenomenen of hot food on cold plates, cold beer in warm glasses and general scruffiness and dinginess of the surroundings has changed all that. Please Wetherspoons management, retrace your steps and get back to the reliably high standards you started with.

lemur - 10 Jan 2009 18:56
.I would NOT recommend anybody to go to this pub. I went there for a dinner with my colleagues. We ordered 3 rib eye stakes. We were told that we could not have tab open so we had to pay at the counter. After half and hour manager/ supervisor came to us and said that they had only 2 rib eyes available. We changed our order and ordered something else which was actually much cheaper than rib eye. No refunds were offered for the difference.When they eventually brought the meals it was already cold and overcooked. There was only one rib eye out of 2 premised at the second time. We asked for the clarifications . Same manager told us angrily : "SO WHAT WE MADE A MISTAKE!". This was not followed by an apology or anything of that sort. This pub overcharges its customers, has very rude staff and awful food.
tinaiverieli - 28 Nov 2008 21:37
There is nothing good to say about this place, the staff aren't helpful or polite, its not friendly or welcoming and has no atmosphere. The drinks may be cheap, but i'd rather pay 3 times over to have friendly staff and a decent atmosphere.
beerwench27 - 13 Nov 2008 13:45
Perhaps I went there at a good time (early Tuesday evening), but it seemed OK to me. Nice old building, and enough staff behind the bar. However, just three of the Real Ale festival beers were on (plus three other real ales).
rpadam - 4 Nov 2008 23:19
Ok pub, but that's the point. It's a pub. Not a night club, a pub. We were sitting there at about 7pm one Saturday when 2 of the guys in our group were asked to change there shoes. Seems you can only wear smart shoes after 7pm on a Saturday. Are you serious? What a load of rubbish. We'd been there a few hours so it seems our money was ok for them then, but not after the magical show hour. As someone else said, a criminal waste of a potentially great pub. Saying that, if they dropped the attitude it may be ok...
anonymous - 24 Jun 2008 18:30
Spent a saturday afternoon here drinking and munching with friends and family, really had a good time, ok it's a wetherspoons....at least you know what you're getting, food came quickly too, for six quid a meal and a drink can you really moan?
weezel - 21 Jun 2008 21:46
They sell chips here. I like chips.
snorbens - 21 May 2008 18:32
A sad waste of a beautiful building.

Although some nice guest ales on occasionally.
matt_k - 21 May 2008 15:52
I had a good dump here once. It was really soft and runny.
mustaine - 24 Apr 2008 12:16
It's still shite, full of chavs, worst DJ ever.
dirtyarab - 22 Apr 2008 13:26
Slow service to say the least. First JDW pub I have been in that has seperate tills for Hot Drinks and
Alcohol...When I went all the staff were in one corner making tea & coffee. Bit too dark in there too
bjbrummiejohn - 15 Apr 2008 13:15
Good value beer and food, but totally chaotic service -very slow and confused and they run out of such essentials as water and change?
baxterfish - 13 Apr 2008 15:36
amazing building but slow service.........
fat_beer_badger - 27 Mar 2008 20:00
i hate it here to busy,overcrowded too many chavs a girls with attitude the bouncers not friendly niether is the staff
natacus - 17 Mar 2008 11:08
One of the reasons we look out for this chain's venues is the buildings used. Worth a look just for that reason. Good range of ales for a Lloyds bar.
Leicesterbeer - 10 Mar 2008 09:30
I have been here quite a lot. Probably the place i go to most in St Albans. I have to admit the waiting time for food is dreadful, however when you do get the food it is alright for the money.

Been here on a friday and saturday on numerous occasions best to savour your drink because of the long queues. The staff there is alright get Id'ed alot as just 18 and lots of under aged guys going in. A good pub to go to in my opinion.
craigy_boy - 13 Jan 2008 21:23
I have eaten at this pub several times and never had to wait more than about 20 minutes, even on a busy lunchtime. While the staff could be a bit friendlier, in general I think it is a lovely pub with well priced food and drinks.
Nomio - 6 Dec 2007 17:18
The service in this pub is terrible. Very slow creating long queues at the bar.To top it all, they ran out of small change, so rounded all the prices up to the next 5p !!!!!
anonymous - 11 Nov 2007 13:47
Not very good food service..over an hour for basic sarnies etc.. lovely setting, shame about the kitchen staff
blueliberty - 10 Nov 2007 20:43
I like this place. This large pub has got character.There's a separate dining room, although many people eat in the main bar. It's got fireplaces with comfy chairs.

A choice of beers and friendly staff. Weekday lunchtimes frequented by office workers and the retired. Sunday lunch time by families. Friday and Saturday night by the 18-40 age group. You have to pay �5 if you arrive after 10pm on a thursday or 9pm at weekends...I would never pay to go into a pub. Late opening until 2 Thurs/Fri/sat
hertsboy - 9 Nov 2007 11:49
The food here is ok, provided you are actually not very hungry and possess the patience of a saint.

Went a couple of weeks ago and ordered food at just before 6pm. Was told it would be about 15 -20 mins. It took over an hour!

So nice venue, but as folks have said, poor service.
Norealaleinorpington - 21 Oct 2007 09:20
This place is okay but suffers from dodgy bouncers who have ego problems.

Haven't eaten here so can't comment on the food.

Good selection of drinks.

5/10
RichGordonUK - 3 Oct 2007 12:37
If it didn't take so long to get served, I'd go to this pub more often. Spent ten minutes queuing at the weekend for a round of drinks � shocking.

Brewery management: please get someone to visit the Waterend Barn to see how slow the service is and review. Suggestion: one member of the bar staff responsible for making coffee, not all the bar staff hovvering around the machine, chatting and waiting five minutes for it to throw out a bloomin� latte whilst the queue out front grows!
anonymous - 29 Aug 2007 14:04
We went here for lunch today and it was really good. I was pleasantly surprised as I really don't like chain pubs. Not sure what it would be like on a Fri/Sat night - I hear it's full of youngsters. However for a weekday lunchtime to sit in the garden in the sun it's a winner. Quite cheap too.
Sarah1976 - 13 Aug 2007 22:37
The bar staff Gestapo dont like the promotional vouchers that were sent out. Proberbly the only reason to go there!
stub - 26 Jul 2007 09:51
I wouldnt have had a problem with this place until my best mate treads on a glass left on the floor on friday nite and has a jobsworth midget bruce willis lookalike bouncer telling him to pick the glass up, wen he says its not his the bouncer has none of it and gets in his face until he dus, not wantin to get thrown out by the nothing better to do sad act, he picks it up...... dont go here unless u wanna be pestered for petty stuff like this im sure health and safety would have something to say oubout it
pezco3 - 12 Apr 2007 16:36
is this place over 21's on fridays?
anonymous - 8 Feb 2007 10:59
I've been in this pub a hand full of times, and yes the toilets are clean, the people freindly and best of all it's non smoking!
The down side if you stay till the late evening the taps don't work in the toilets ... yuck!
I asked the staff and they told me they turn the water off! Don't know if that true or why?? but certainly put me off drinking there after the 3rd time I'd visited and the same thing happened.
MatterofFact - 12 Nov 2006 13:50
"Barn" is the word, I'm afraid. I remember just two things from this place: 1) The real ale was chilled, and therefore probably not real ale; 2) There were plenty of children running around, crying. I guess there was no link between (1) and (2) but you never know.
In case this sounds like a distant memory, I actually departed from this pub 3 hours ago.
Admittedly the beer was relatively cheap (�2.25 for a pint of London Pride) and there plenty of wines, "global beers" and cider + perry. But this pub was so '21st century' in its soullessness and heartlessness that I fear for the future of mankind. History has not come to an end.
historyloony - 2 Sep 2006 19:26
Agree totally with previous comments. Not to sound like a women hater, but all the guys in this place are friendly and talkative, but as mentioned already - if a women thinks she is in the slightest attractive then its a chance for them to be rude and pretentious. Shame really, but this seems to be the general trend in St Albans, so if you are coming for the women you can look but probably wont be able to touch!

With the Bar itself, good non smoking pub and the bar staff cope as well as then can considering how busy the place gets. Get there too late and you will have to queue and dont even think about wearing trainers! No one has mentioned also that there is a restaurant attached to this place which actually does very good and reasonably priced food.
Vavavoom1 - 25 Dec 2005 17:06
Great place for an early Friday night meet up with friends. Free entry before 9pm. Trainer wearers be warned...the door staff come round with a torch to check your footwear and give you 30 mins to drink up and leave...which is a pain. Plenty of trendies but not as pretentious as Casa. Great toilets too...very clean!
dirtyarab - 13 Dec 2005 19:43
The newest drinkerie in Town. This place has only been since around March 05. At first it had the atmosphere of a library at the weekends, now its rammed. Pay �3 or �5 after 9PM at weekends. Its non smoking which is great. Theres a DJ Fri/Sats who sits in a booth overlooking the dancefloor so the DJ/Crowd interaction doesnt happen which is a major oversight. The prices are Weatherspoon issue i.e. low. Anyway, in terms of atmosphere / crowd, its not as relaxed as O'Neills and it can still suffer from pretentious St.Albans disease with upthemselves tartlets thinking they are too cool to be civilised.The geezers dont seem to have an attitude its the women as usual. There isnt enough room on the dancefloor when its really packed. However come here off peak and then open fires and leather seats are very conducive.
hjr2000 - 30 Oct 2005 17:24

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