Blacksmiths Arms Reviews Summary

Customer Service

Pros:

• "Customer Service is impeccable, I cannot fault it."
• "The staff were extremely helpful and did not allow the new restrictions to hinder our enjoyment of the afternoon."
• "Very friendly, very organised with making sure not too many people came in on the wknd with the food n drink festival."
• "The staff worked hard, but the place probably could do with a few extra hands."
• "The staff knew who each meal was for and were very efficient and friendly."
• "Our waitress, Lucy, made sure our glasses were never empty and what's more, she did it with a smile and ease."
• "Staff are extremely friendly and helpful."

Cons:

• "Management not very helpful or interested either."
• "One of the male bar staff is particularly grumpy and comes across as quite rude."
• "The bloke who was serving us (who looked like the manager!!) started to get a bit shirty with us."
• "Was in the pub with my child, there was a rude man behind the bar, made us feel uncomfortable with having children in there for lunch."
• "Awful service, the bartender was very rude and unprofessional."
• "The bar staff are not only useless but they’re rude to boot."
• "Very poor service today..most disappointed with the long wait for the breakfast, which when it arrived was cold and burned."

Atmosphere & Venue

Pros:

• "The garden has such a good atmosphere and they are doing all they can to make it a good experience at the moment."
• "Garden is so lovely in the summer and I know they've got lovely blankets to make it cosy in the winter."
• "It gets four stars purely for the garden. If you need a garden with space, TVs and little beach huts this is the place."
• "This is a good summer venue."
• "The outside area is quite nice, including the beach huts, and they're getting geared up for the Euros with extra TVs everywhere."
• "This is ALWAYS my 'go to' destination if I fancy a fruity cider and a chill in a beer garden."
• "Fantastic pub with one of the best garden areas I’ve been to in a while."

Cons:

• "Was a great music venue at one time, things have changed, sadly not for the better in this respect."
• "It was pretty hard to enjoy our experience here as we couldn't hear ourselves speak over the noise from the bar staff discussing their shoes and new clothes."
• "This place used to be very busy. I went there last night (Saturday) and it was dead. Maybe £5.15 for a pint of lager and an old punk 'singing' had something to do with it."
• "Left, without eating, feeling that it was more of a creche than a pub with food!"
• "There was a live band but they weren't very good in my opinion."
• "Oh dear. If you're planning a St Albans pub crawl, leave this one out."
• "However, it was very loud could not enjoy a group conversation as it was too loud for me."

Food & Drink

Pros:

• "2 pints and platter to share under £30."
• "The Bollywood burger was out this world."
• "Great pub with excellent food at very reasonable prices."
• "Food and drink reasonably priced (recommend the bbq ranch chicken)."
• "Food was great as well as the service from the bartenders."
• "Food came out quick and was delicious, especially the chicken wings!"
• "The burgers were absolutely gorgeous."

Cons:

• "Venison pie was not on the offered menu, other options would have worked!"
• "Twice here now they have not honoured the advertised lunch deal."
• "The food was disappointing the macaroni cheese was cold on arrival."
• "The chicken in my club sandwich was raw."
• "Food average."
• "The food wasn’t the best quality, wouldn’t order again."
• "The pastry was soggy and thick and it was drowned in red sauce and was very acidic in flavour and not well cooked."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "A great place! Food was great for the price, better than a lot of pub food and staff were friendly and attentive."
• "For dessert I recommend the nutella and waffle stack, so filling, yum yum and value for money."
• "Food can be ordered through their app and is served quickly with the prices being good for the portion sizes."
• "And for the price of the brunch was worth every penny."

Cons:

• "Was charged £7.40. The barmaid should have worn a mask. Robbing the customer."
• "Imagine the shock when she said £54."
• "Isn’t cheap either £14 for a basic burger!"
• "The only killer is the price of a standard lager over £5/£5:40 not quite sure still in shock."
• "However, they smothered my BBQ jackfruit pizza with mayonnaise which was pretty appalling!"
• "Nice beer garden but hey drinks are so expensive. No wonder pubs are closing all the time."
• "However, trying to palm off 5 vodkas for £65 maybe they should rename the pub to 'The Highwayman'."