The Best Restaurants in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (2025)

This is one of the best places I have ever been and I’ve been travelling around the world for years, eating and spending time in lots of restaurants. Food is absolutely fantastic and service? Wow. Just wow. SUPERB!!! If I was living closer I would be here everyday. Well done guys. Sending all the love ❤️

A very nice place to spend some time with great food and great company. Very accommodating with allergies by letting us go off the set valentines menu. The Mezzaluna Croccante is soooo good, and the fillet steak melts in your mouth !!! Will be back soon for sure.

We went with family as we had two birthday celebrations. The service was very good. Very attentive staff. Gave us complimentary prosecco and cake, which was very thoughtful. 5* Ratings.

Great place that you can always rely on for a fabulous menu, great service and delicious food. We made a relatively last minute online booking and were seated two hours later! Lovely evening with well cooked food; complements to the chef!

What a beautiful garden. The main course was not my favorite but the starter (gazpacho) was delicious and the desert simply amazing! Super thin slices of pineapple with almonds and liquid ginger magic. You absolutely have to try it! Congrats to the cook. :)

Nice place, cosy with friendly staff. The sole was delicious, very well cooked, and reasonably priced. The side sprout tops were tasty but chewy, slightly too raw I must say. Nothing extraordinary, but I will definitely be back.

Visited yesterday (Sunday) for lunch. The ambience inside was vibrant, and the food was unquestionably delicious and very impressive, in particular the Caesar salad was the best I’ve had, and the pineapple carpaccio dessert was lovely. Our server was well below par however. She was attentive enough once we had her attention, but that was difficult to gain. She was far too quick to ‘drop off’ our food and then move on to her next task, which made it difficult for us to ask for more drinks and items. Her colleague, a young gentleman server was very attentive and made good eye contact however, and helped us with our needs. The garden terrace area would benefit from better upkeep. Overall the food and drink were absolutely fantastic, and great value, but room for improvement regarding the experience.

Our group chose this place for our Christmas dinner and we had nothing but a very positive experience. Booking and pre-ordering were hassle-free and we received a reminder the day before we were due to arrive. The gentleman who had confirmed our booking happened to be at The Harpenden Arms when we arrived so he knew exactly what was on our agenda and directed us to our reserved seats. Drinks were put on to our tab for the meal and we admittedly threw a little spanner in the works as there was an additional member of our group joining but the staff worked brilliantly to accommodate her. The food was lovely with good portion sizes and none of the dishes meant to be served hot came out lukewarm so it looked like the kitchen had co-ordinated everything perfectly. We weren't waiting for long between starters, mains and desserts so the staff were observant from a distance of how we were getting on but not peering over us in an intrusive way. When it came to payment, we weren't hanging about for them to come over and the card machine has the flexibility for you to pay your fee for the meal and the tip in a single transaction while the staff receives the full tip. The toilets were clean and gave no cause for concern and the venue is dog-friendly. Our group all enjoyed the atmosphere and the food & drink without any reservations or caveats. We'd happily come back and would certainly recommend it to either locals or anyone happening to stop in Harpenden.

Returned 17th Oct 21 - Same excellent roast (£16 - choice of beef, pork or chicken). Absolutely lovely. What makes it even better is this has become a proper craft beer pub with lots of changing taps including 2 Tiny Rebels & Siren. 1st Review - 2020 - Take a bow! Sunday Roast was an absolute winner. Best in years... coupled with pints of Neck Oil. Very Covid conscious & lovely staff. Can't rate highly enough.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Had an exceptional experience at the Harpenden Arms during our Christmas party with the Solar Centre team. The accommodating staff ensured a seamless evening where not a moment was wasted waiting. The food was a culinary delight, leaving our taste buds enchanted. The pub's vibrant atmosphere mirrors its thriving spirit, and it's heartening to witness the venue looking refreshed and new. Special thanks to Vic for impeccable service, Bex for flawless organization, and the head chef whose culinary prowess elevated our dining experience. The Harpenden Arms is a gem, and our night was truly magical. Kudos to the entire team! 🌟🥂

Absolutely lovely location for a nice quiet drink during the day. Great prices. Great social events weekly and a lovely service from staff. Staff member called Kieran is on point. Great going guys. You've made a repeat customer here.

Lovely meal, lovely atmosphere for the christmas time. 🎄 good service by lots of staff all very friendly. Thank you Ben

I ordered from the festive menu. Got the scallops, sea bass and brownie form the 3 course menu. Food a delicious but the service time in between was long.

Had my birthday meal at The Fox. Pretty setting and the food was so good, I had the lamb rump and all my guests loved their food. Fiona made the service personable and is lovely, bringing me a desert with a candle and a card. Thank you x

Had a great lunch to celebrate a special birthday with friends and as a first time customer, I had a lovely time. Service was great, enjoyed the food and this restaurant is in a good location as accessible from Harpenden train station.

We came for the familly lunch and really enjoyed it. The food was delicious and great selections. My husband eats plant based food and was offered a lovely dish that he really enjoyed. Staff were professional, polite and friendly. The restaurant atmophere also very nice amd warm. Great restaurant to come back!

Very nice place to eat. Food was really nice and great flavours. Would recommend this place all day long.

We had a birthday lunch there and, although we waited a fair while for the food, it was absolutely delicious when it arrived. The staff were lovely & apologetic for the delay. The atmosphere was a little lacking but that was probably because we had a late lunch & were the only people in there. We’d definitely go back again, maybe on M, T or W evening when they have 2 mains for £25.

Fantastic meal last night to celebrate my Son-in-Law's birthday. Food was excellent and our waiter was superb. Brilliant service. Nothing was too much and he certainly kept my young Dad entertained! Beautiful evening, so we sat outside. Highly recommend.

Very nice pub and restaurant. Food is pretty good all round. Some dishes I find to be quite small and probably a little overpriced. Loads of seating both inside and out, with little pockets everywhere. Service is very good - overly friendly maybe. Overall, a great place. Recommend for a nice meal and a place to drink at.

A really beautiful place to eat with a lively bar and a peaceful restaurant area. I have been here for brunch and dinner, there is a lot of variety on the menu. Each dish was wonderful and our server Abi was so thoughtful and attentive. The restaurant had a great atmosphere making the entire experience lovely. Step free access was available throughout the main ground floor. There is no parking lot available as it is on the high street but there is lots of parking around.

Friends and I had dinner at The George of Harpenden. We met in the bar for pre-dinner drinks. It was quite noisy, and we were glad when we went through into the dining room as it was quieter than in the bar, so we could hear ourselves talking. Our waitress Jessica was friendly and attentive. Many drink and menu options were unavailable as they are apparently changing the options. I chose the Pepperoni Pizza, which was nice. I followed it with Rhubarb and Apple Crumble dessert, which was delicious and a good portion size.

I went here with my family and got served by the wonderful Imogen she was so lovely and looked after me and my family. We had a laugh and a joke and made everyone feel very welcomed as it was our first visit to The George. It’s a great atmosphere and the selections are amazing and suited for everyone. Would definitely recommend!!!

What a lovely spot with amazingly polite and caring staff! Came for a quick fish and chips with the family the prices reasonable, parking at rear and food delicious! Drinks also not a bad price and again staff ready to help you with there deals and wide selection of beers/ales. High recommend this place as it’s not always that you get to go to a secret garden with lovely pods that protect you from the rain, sun and have a little speaker to cheer you up!

A very pretty pub with a beautifully maintained garden. We enjoyed a delicious Sunday roast, made even better by the excellent service from Martin. Well done to the whole team for making our day special. We can't wait for our next visit!

Loved this place! I didn’t know it existed. Food was great, no complaints but the atmosphere is fantastic. They have little huts in the garden with heating and decorated with fairy lights, an outdoor tent thing with a TV, ping pong table etc underneath and it’s also dog friendly. A nice place to chill and highly recommended. I will visit again. It does have a car park at the rear BUT be warned that it’s not suitable for sports cars or lowered cars. You will end up scrapping/damaging your bumpers entering and leaving due to the very steep slope. I would advise you to park on the street if you don’t want to damage your car. Apologies for the poor quality pics.

Another great visit to The Engineer recently. Such a well thought out and welcoming space with excellent food and service from top to bottom! I'm a pretty regular visitor and I'm always extremely happy with the whole experience. 5 stars!

The Old Bell in Harpenden is a reel gem.Excellent service. Excellent food. It makes a refreshing change to find old fashioned service has not died. The young lady who served us was friendly and very helpful. The meals all arrived together and were piping hot unlike most establishments. Two of us ordered steaks which were done exactly as we liked.My wife ordered the cod and my friend order the gammon and egg. He commented it was a nice change to get a runny egg. As I have already said excellent food.We will be going again.

On our last full day visiting England, my husband and I popped into The Old Bell for a late lunch. I ordered the Mushroom & Ale Pie, while my husband went for the Cumberland Sausage & Mash. After ordering sausages and potatoes over the course of our entire week trip, he declared these the best of them all! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and hope we'll be able to go back some day.

Lovely pub with great staff and a good atmosphere. We ordered the steak and ale pie and sirloin, amongst other things - the pie was great. However, the steak was a little bland. Overall, it was a really different experience for a South African visiting the UK 👏😄