St Albans' best restaurants: where to eat and drink

olive's best places to eat and drink in St Albans

• Best for Italian: Per Tutti
• Best for a special occasion: Hazéls
• Best for pizza: Gracey's Pizza
• Best for takeaway Vietnamese: Taste of Vietnam
• Best for sharing plates: Boot Cantina at The Boot
• Best for cocktails: No Nuisance
• Best for puddings: The Pudding Stop
• Best for afternoon tea: Sopwell House
• Best for ice cream: Darlish
• Best for a sustainable dinner: Lussmanns
• Best for waffles: The Waffle House
• Best for lunch: The Potting Shed
• Best for a country pub: The Prae Wood Arms
• Best for cheese: Bishop's Cave

Best restaurants in St Albans

Gracey’s Pizza

Best for pizza

Who would have thought that Chiswell Green, a quiet conurbation halfway between St Albans city centre and the M25, would be home to 2024’s most talked-about St Albans eatery? Gracey’s Pizza, next to the village store, is so popular that townsfolk like me have been waking up early to guarantee a slot on its online click-and-collect system.

It's a tiny joint, with one or two tables inside, a few places to perch outside and an open kitchen where the family-run team transform smooth balls of 36-hour fermented dough into American-style pizzas with crunchy crusts, charred air bubbles and a San Marzano tomato sauce. It's a sauce so flavoursome and fresh that one pizza, the marinara, doesn’t even need cheese on top to be a success – just a few shavings of sweet garlic and fresh oregano (no dried herbs here).

Whether it’s the pizza sauce, hand-cut slices of spicy Calabrian salami, 36-month aged parmesan, or dough made from flour milled at nearby Redbournbury Mill (a beautiful working mill – visit for bags of flour and fat eccles cakes), it’s the quality of ingredients that really makes these pizzas shine. If you can only choose one, get The New Haven – baked extra-long for optimal charring, with a base thick with sauce, two types of mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and garlic. graceyspizza.com

Hazéls

Best for a special occasion

Hazéls, a pocket-sized, candle-lit restaurant with linen café curtains and warm, wooden interiors, only opened in July 2024 and is already the most fashionable place to eat in St Albans.

It’s the passion project of chef (and St Albans local) Drew Knight, whose love for ‘jazz kissa’ (niche Japanese jazz cafés with high-end audio systems) inspired the venture. A custom-built oak bar at the back showcases Drew’s vinyl jazz collection, which is played throughout the evening by guest DJs on twin vintage turntables. The sound system is on its own circuit to avoid interference, and even audio ingénues will notice how crisp the acoustics are. It’s more than just background music – but still unobtrusive, and not loud enough to drown conversation out.

You’re welcome at Hazéls for just a glass of wine, craft local beer or short cocktail (we liked the rhubarb negroni for its aroma and rhubarb-infused vermouth), but Drew’s French-style menu shouldn’t be missed. We loved the panisse, a trio of cylindrical cheesy chickpea chips with the lightness of a gougère and a velvety comté middle. Also from the small plate menu is the juiciest fillet of flaky Cornish mackerel, balanced on top of pommes Anna and finished with sauce vierge and tiny basil leaves; and a towering wedge of airy focaccia sprinkled with sea salt chunks and spread with whipped cultured butter.

Larger plates (double in price and size) might include grilled onglet steak with courgette two ways (buttery chunks and mouth-puckering pickles); and Cornish sole on the bone, the star of which was the accompanying flavour-packed moules marinière. It’s worth noting that Hazéls is probably best enjoyed by omnivores – and adults, for that matter (over 12s only).

Finish with lemon tart for dessert, with its crème brûlée-style topping and wobbly, lemon curd filling, or a signature Snickers old fashioned (peanut butter, cacao nib, salted chocolate and bourbon). hazels-stalbans.co.uk

Per Tutti

Best for Italian

“For everyone” indeed, family-run Per Tutti manages to keep us all happy: bustling groups of friends, young families hoping for a kids’ menu (two courses and a drink for under £8), and quiet couples in search of romance will all find sanctuary here.

From the outside, with its pretty red bricks and curved bay window, Per Tutti looks like a tiny trattoria, but it’s a rabbit warren inside, with tables tucked into all sorts of corners and an expansive dining room upstairs (the place to be for big groups).

Our preference is the cosy, softly lit space on the ground floor, where olive-green panelled walls and low-hanging pendant lights set the scene for intimacy. Risotto gamberetti, with its fat prawns and flecks of chilli, is excellent, but we suggest picking from the pasta menu: homemade, paper-thin ravioli stuffed with velvety butternut squash, or long strips of fettuccine in a rich Italian sausage, red wine and rosemary sauce are our current favourites. pertutti.co.uk

Taste of Vietnam

Best for takeaway Vietnamese

Taste of Vietnam is the passion project of local Anne Nguyen, who was born and raised in Hue (the “cuisine capital” of Vietnam). Sniff the air outside her house and you’ll detect lemongrass, roasted peanuts and slow-cooked pork – Anne cooks in her own kitchen, and orders are picked up from the front door.

Try comforting pho (flat noodles, pink beef slices, crinkled veg and a fragrant pour-over broth), transparent summer rolls stuffed with rainbow veg and king prawns and served with ruby red nuoc cham dipping sauce, and authentic mi quang, if only for the delicate shard of sesame seed-studded Vietnamese poppadum that it comes with. Dairy doesn’t feature heavily (“we rely more on the light, fresh flavour of herbs and vegetables,” says Anne), so vegans are well catered for – try gingery wonton noodle soup, or sunshine yellow tofu curry).

As well as her dinner menu, Anne offers takeaway bánh mì – huge baguettes spread with Anne’s own chilli and lemongrass paste, packed with everything from Vietnamese chicken, to shiitake mushroom sausages. Best eaten in Clarence Park (close to Anne’s home) with a cup of chilled Vietnamese coffee – dark coffee made wickedly sweet with a thick layer of condensed milk.

Check out @TasteofVietnam to see Anne’s menu (order via DM) and for news about cooking classes and pop-up St Albans restaurants.

Boot Cantina at The Boot

Best for sharing plates

Built in 1420 right next to the city’s Clock Tower (the pub walls would have witnessed the very first Wars of the Roses battle), The Boot and its gnarled wooden beams has always been worth visiting. But, now that Boot Cantina is here, it’s an absolute must.

The team launched its sharing fusion menu in 2021. Hand-sized tacos are piled high with vibrant and eclectic toppings, including rich confit duck leg with oi muchim (a kind of spicy cucumber salad), gochujang mayo and chipotle black cherry jam; and slow-cooked pork with jalapeño coleslaw, chipotle barbecue sauce and pickled pink onions.

It's all very relaxed – go with your pals and order as many different taco types as you can (but leave room for the chocolate-stuffed churros). Want to keep the party going? Head to The Boot’s sophisticated sister pub, Dylans at The Kings Arms on George Street (a 45-second walk away), for craft beer and specialist cocktails in a 15th-century tudor building. It serves an excellent espresso martini made with 58 and Co British vodka, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur and The Gentlemen Barsita’s espresso. @bootcantina

No Nuisance

Best for cocktails

Also on George Street (probably the prettiest shopping street in the city) is No Nuisance, a new cocktail bar from mixologist maestro Alastair Burgess, owner of the London speakeasy bar Happiness Forgets.

Head here to sip exceptional cocktails in a trendy, low-lit, moody bar decorated with splashes of crimson and mustard-yellow bar stools. There are at least 10 cocktails to choose from, including classics (we love the spicy margs for their chilli oil kick) and innovative concoctions. Brighter Later is an irresistible, fragrant blend of mezcal, umeshu Japanese liqueur, amontillado sherry and genmaicha tea – sweet and slightly sour, with a buttery, toasty aroma. @nonuisancebar

The Pudding Stop

Best for puddings

Albanians jumped for joy when Johnny Shepherd, an original The Great British Bake Off contestant, decided to sell homemade puddings from a little van (the “pudmobile”) outside the train station. The locals wanted more, so in 2013, Johnny opened The Pudding Stop, a glass-fronted bakery and café on Verulam Road. His empire has now extended to shops in nearby Harpenden and Redbourn, too.

Grab breakfast on the way to work (Johnny’s helter-skelter cinnamon buns are squidgy, with epic amounts of sugary cinnamon butter), pop in for a chai latte and a square of salty-sweet peanut butter brownie, or drop in for late-night rhubarb and vanilla custard donuts. If you’re eating in, try the sticky toffee pudding: a fat wedge of dark, treacly sponge drizzled in a gooey sauce that tastes of muscovado. Or, go for fudgy banana loaf with warm butterscotch sauce and milk ice cream. thepuddingstop.com

Sopwell House

Best for afternoon tea

Sopwell House Hotel is a grand affair, with more than 100 rooms, two restaurants, a spa and 12 acres of grounds to its name. Among all of that, the best place to relax is in the cocktail lounge, where afternoon tea is served. It’s a long, breezy room that starts at a marble-topped bar and stretches all the way to a library, with little alcoves and giant sash windows along the way.

Waiters make the rounds with silver trays of sandwich refills, and scones are well-risen and shiny on top, with fluffy interiors and a good bite. But, by far the best tier of Sopwell House’s afternoon tea stand is the homemade cake selection. Bright-yellow lemon macarons burst with zest, their shiny shells sandwiched together with a thin layer of sharp raspberry jam. Little pastry cases come filled with soft crème patisserie and topped with blackberries, and deliciously moist squares of carrot cake are decorated with chocolate feathers. sopwellhouse.co.uk

Try more of our favourite afternoon teas in London.

Darlish

Best for ice cream

Darlish, the Persian ice cream specialists, set up shop here in spring 2018, bursting onto the scene with a clever seasonal special – hot cross bun ice cream sandwiches. All the ice cream is made by hand in St Albans, and it sits in creamy mounds under silver domes on the countertop. Blackboards spell out the day’s flavours: floral orange blossom studded with pistachios and apricot, aromatic coconut and cardamom, or sweet cream and sour cherry.

There are sorbets, too (vegan coconut and raspberry rhubarb, with an intensely sweet and sharp berry flavour, is our favourite) and you can garnish your chosen flavour with a sprinkle of homemade halva or sesame brittle. Turkish coffee, deep-red Persian tea and mini cones for children are also available. A couple of tables line the walls, but you’re best off moseying around the weekend market (which dates back to the ninth century) or nearby St Albans cathedral while you lick – this is a very pretty part of town. darlish.com

Lussmanns

Best for a sustainable dinner

Lussmanns is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that you can always rely on. The bright, modern space is a reflection of what to expect from the menu: clean, colourful plates of food, smartly presented without pretension. Menu highlights include a pretty tangle of seasonal salad leaves, lovage pesto, roast beetroot and local Wobbly Bottom goat’s cheese to start, and plaice with North Sea brown shrimps and a coin of melting paprika butter for main.

Ninety five per cent of the ingredients used at Lussmanns are grown or produced in the UK, all the fish is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) approved, the beef and mutton is organic (try the latter in an aromatic kofta with a brioche bun and cucumber mint raita), and the British Saddleback pork is woodland-reared.

Order a pint of Farrs Brew bitter, Mad Squirrel pilsner, Zealous pilsner or Three Brewers classic English ale with your dinner – all of them are brewed in Hertfordshire. lussmanns.com

The Waffle House

Best for waffles

Opposite a quaint ford and over the brow of an 18th-century brick bridge, The Waffle House is well worth the 10-minute walk from St Albans city centre. It sits in the middle of St Michael’s village (a winding road lined with red-brick cottages and ancient pubs) and is housed in a 16th-century watermill.

Choose from a menu devoted to Belgian waffles made from organic flour milled just three miles away, including a breakfast special of smoked back bacon, fried banana and grilled vine tomatoes. Make a feast of it by ordering a savoury waffle to start (topping highlights include slow-cooked barbecue pulled pork with homemade slaw) and a sweet waffle to finish. The latter are piled high with everything from banana and crumbled flapjack, to pecans and butterscotch sauce – there’s always a seasonal special, too, such as blueberry-studded waffles with wild blueberry sauce.

Help yourself to as much maple syrup as you like, and don’t forget to marvel at the original water wheel and millstones before you leave. Once only a breakfast and lunchtime spot, The Waffle House is now open for dinner, too. wafflehouse.co.uk

The Potting Shed

Best for lunch

Carpenters Nursery, with its position just off the main road to Sandridge village, is easy to miss. But, locals know better than to pass by this treasure-trove of home-grown produce. It’s been both a garden centre and farm shop since 1923, selling vegetables grown in the fields right next to the building. A tiny team of three plant seeds in early spring, eventually filling the farm shop with everything from chard and marrows, to red lettuce, beetroot and Brussels sprout tops. Optimal freshness is the aim: carrots pulled and bunched in the morning are on the shop shelves an hour later. You can also pick up cereals, soaps, beers, chocolate, eggs, oil, honey and even vodka, all from Hertfordshire producers, and there’s always a hefty selection of organic breads made by Redbournbury Mill (the same folk who mill flour for The Waffle House).

Even better, a barn at the back of the farm shop has been converted into a sleek café, which transforms all that home-grown produce into breakfast, brunch and lunch. The Potting Shed is a modern, L-shaped space flanked by bifold doors that beautifully frame a rockery with open fields beyond. It’s a bucolic view, given how close you are to St Albans city centre. Mushrooms on toast for brunch may sound modest, but you’ll be served a powerful plate of punchy pickled mushrooms on sourdough with a poached egg, truffle oil and a little puff of superbly rich goat’s cheese mousse. For something bigger, try harissa-roasted sweet potato with hummus, chill and garlic kale, fried capers and tahini yogurt. There’s a separate kids' menu and an afternoon tea option with homemade scones and local jam. pottingshedcafe.com, carpentersnursery.co.uk/farm-shop

The Prae Wood Arms

Best for a country pub

Once a standard carvery joint, this “little cottage” (as described by its original owner, Lady Frances Cooke Grimston, in 1838) has been transformed by Brunning & Price into The Prae Wood Arms, a destination pub and restaurant. You can walk to it via The Gorhambury Estate, which encompasses a roman theatre, the 16th-century ruins of a house built by Sir Nicholas Bacon, a neo-palladian mansion, babbling River Ver brooks, and dense woodland that's home to everything from muntjacs to woodruff (a sweet-fragranced plant with tiny white flowers that taste like vanilla).

Downstairs is a warren of dining rooms, each with its own ambience from family-friendly to romantic, and most tables have views of the pub’s expansive lawn and the Gorhambury Estate beyond. There’s even a rickety wooden gate that leads from The Prae to the banks of the River Ver, which shines with wild trout. A rusty old tractor, piles of gnarled tree trunks and a gentle hill to roll down keeps kids entertained for hours, while parents watch from a terrace sheltered by an elegant iron awning.

It’s posh pub grub to eat, including braised shoulder of lamb with dauphinoise and rosemary gravy, baked whole plaice with butter sauce and, for dessert, a teeth-tingling sticky toffee pudding with matching sauce that rivals (but doesn’t quite beat) that from The Pudding Stop. To drink, order from a mighty gin menu, which is split into flavour profiles (there are 23 options in “smooth and fruity” alone), or go for a pint of Side Pocket for a Toad, a citrussy, floral golden ale that’s brewed in nearby Tring. brunningandprice.co.uk/praewoodarms

Bishop’s Cave

Best for cheese

Holywell Hill, said to be the site where Saint Alban was executed (his head apparently rolled all the way to the bottom), never used to be fashionable, but over the past decade several independent restaurants – including the aforementioned Per Tutti – have chosen it as their home. Bishop’s Cave, sister to the original Cave in Bishop’s Stortford, is the city’s first cheese, wine and craft beer emporium, and it’s housed in one of the Hill’s most historic spaces. Sloping beamed roofs, geometric tiled floors and crumbly red-brick walls ooze history, while a St Albans coat of arms, soft lighting and vintage wine crates add to the atmosphere.

Create your own cheeseboard from a fridge crammed with around 45 options (try Baron Bigod, Britain’s first unpasteurised brie; gruyère-style Red Wine Farmer, which is washed in Swiss red wine; or Darling Blue for its mellow butteriness) and eat it alongside a glass of Tuffon Hall English pinot noir. There are also more than 100 modern and craft beers to sip, including Millionaire – a decadent salted caramel milk stout made by Wild Beer. Prefer spirits? The team behind Bishop’s Cave has recently opened The Gin Cave in the shop next door, where you can pick from a menu of more than 70 small-batch gins – try a spicy, citrus-tinged Silverback Old Tom gin with lemongrass tonic. thebishopscavestalbans.co.uk, thegincave.co.uk

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