Robin Hood, St Albans Central, St. Albans

Handily placed on the main road between the station and the City centre, I had always overlooked the Robin Hood in my eagerness to reach the more heavyweight hostelries in town but having now broken my duck I found the pl;ace to be a quite respectable pub in its own right. The mock Tudor frontage contains a large bay fronted paneled window and the fully carpeted interior is a lot more spacious than is initially obvious. The front section has banquette seating around the bay whilst the central bar runs down the left hand side. The rear section is quite spacious and beyond is a pleasant garden. The décor is typical brewery tudor with a few pots and kettles dangling from the beams and, above the open fire, a face-on painting of the pub that catches the eye. The 3 ales won’t trouble some of the more illustrious pubs in town for interest but the options on my visit (Black Sheep Best (£3.20), Landlord and Hobgoblin) are better than the average pub. It was fairly quiet when we called on a Saturday afternoon but it seemed respectable and friendly enough. They do have occasional live music so I would expect things to be a bit more thriving some evenings. Whilst I wouldn’t rate the place a necessary visit, if there is time to squeeze it in before the train leaves then it certainly wouldn’t be time or money wasted.