The Peahen, St Albans Central, St. Albans

This is a large modern pub on a prominent crossroads in the centre of St Albans. The pub has a rather fancy interior but looked a bit like it might once have been a chain drinking barn-style venue thanks to the large open-plan interior. Following the current one-way system, you find yourself entering to the main bar area, with the servery along the rear wall. The bar zig-zags along an unconventional line with a modern counter and bar back in front of a smart floorboarded area mainly filled with high tables and stools. Additional seating can be found in two sizable spaces either side of the bar, with plentiful partitioning helping to break up the room and create a few spots that are a lot cosier than you might expect from this sort of venue. There are plenty of basic tables and chairs ideal for diners, of which there seemed to be many on my Thursday evening visit, but there are also some comfy lounge furnishings here and there. Décor includes lots of plain painted walls, fancy floral wallpaper and lots and lots of possibly fake flowers and plants. Despite a number of empty tables and at least one couple leaving when I arrived, the greeter insisted that all tables inside were accounted for and advised that I would have to sit out in the garden. He let slip a little though, when a lady who was clearly a regular came in behind me and asked him if he had any free tables, to which he told her he would “see what [he] could do”! I didn’t have the energy to argue my case to sit in such an impersonal room, so traipsed out to the garden which is set across two distinct spaces – a scruffy front patio section with uncomfortable high stool seating under a flimsy looking canvas covering which what looked like a closed bar cabin to one side, an a nicer rear space with bench seating and proper smoking shelters. I had a bit of a wait for someone to come out and take my order, the greeter having long since ditched me to try and find a table for his friends, but the waitress who finally came out was friendly and apologetic. It appears that this place normally serves cask ale, but perhaps as a result of the pandemic, there was nothing but a row of unclipped pumps to greet me, so I turned to the craft keg selection, which included four Rivertown brews, from which I opted to try their SIPA, which was a fairly standard session beer served at an uncharitably cold temperature considering I was sat outside in the cold night air. I’m not really that big a fan of this type of modern, pack-them-in, open-plan bar but I thought they’d done a decent enough job here to make this place feel a bit different, despite the lack of atmosphere. The service from the greeter was pretty shoddy, the beer too cold and the lack of cask ale disappointing, but some of these can directly be attributed to the side effects of the pandemic and I suspect this would make a reasonable enough place to come and have a pint, perhaps with a bite to eat and in the company of friends who don’t usually ‘do’ pubs.

I didn't like the look of this pub at all,more focused on dining than anything else. I too do not like Mc Mullens beers ,so I didn't stop for one.