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Detail Pages
White Hart Tap, St. Albans
St. Albans
AL1 1QJ
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about White Hart Tap
Visited in May 2010
Nice back street pub on a street corner close to The White Lion and The Goat.
The single bar interior is pleasant enough and comfortably furnished in a rather unremarkable style.
On my recent early Saturday evening visit, the pub was noticeably busier than The Farmers Boy, from where I had just come, with what appeared to be mainly a youngish professional crowd.
It's another real ale orientated pub - beers on being Deuchars IPA, Pride, Butcombe Gold, Hobsons and Titanic Anchor. The latter - £ 3.00p was reasonable. It's in the 2010 CAMRA Good Beer Guide
This is a decent enough pub, but, in a well pubbed city like St Albans, it doesn't really stand out from the crowd and wouldn't be one of my first choices for a visit.
Finally, do note that, in a city where car parking appears a challenge, there is a largish public car park opposite
On 21st October 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about White Hart Tap
A long and narrow main area with the light wood bar ahead as you enter. A recessed area returns behind the bar to provide further seating. Mainly carpeted, seating consists of benches and standard chairs at stripped wooden tables. Walls have light wood lower panelling. A mirror declares that the pub is twinned with the No Limit Cafe Bar in Belgrade. There is a fireplace on an end wall and a few pots and jugs hang from the low beamed ceiling but I tend to agree with Roger below that the pub is a little lacking in character, perhaps due to the use of lighter wood and the white/cream coloured walls. I found the occasional colour photographs of aquatic life dotted around the place a little incongruous too.
Home made pork pies and scotch eggs are sold, and the Monday curry night has a regional emphasis. The local CAMRA publication "Pints of View" is distributed here, the current issue containing an advertisement for the pub's forthcoming beer festival (27th-30th August)to be held in conjunction with The White Lion.
The beer selection yesterday was Wold Top Mars Magic, Wyre Piddle Piddle Through the Leaves, Hobson's Best Bitter, Brakspears Bitter, Taylor's Landlord and London Pride.
On 15th August 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about White Hart Tap
This is apparently one of the oldest pubs in St Albans although it isn’t particularly obvious from initial observations. The interior in particularly is a bit disappointing; low beamed ceilings and a few old adverts but for the most part quite plain and featureless with newish furnishings and not really much in the way of character. The landlord was welcoming enough and steered us through the 6 hand pumps that included Landlord, Brakspear, Pride, Adnams, Daleside Old Leg Over and Brains Rev James. With no TV’s or background music, the pub came over as a bit hollow, especially as there were barely half a dozen people inside on an early Saturday evening. Even Miss Jones, the docile pub cat, managed to curl up on a prime bar stool without fear of being disturbed. Certainly a pleasant enough place with some decent enough beers but in general, I found it a bit too sedate and faceless to pass away great length of time, especially given the numerous pubs nearby. They do have an annual beer festival in the spacious garden but on a more regular basis, the pub is probably at its best for one of the themed food nights, weekly quiz or occasional live music sessions when there presumably is a bit more spark to the place.
On 27th April 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about White Hart Tap
Good place to stop off if you are on a crawl of St Albans' real ale pubs as it is on the route from the Farmers Boy to the Garibaldi/White Lion. They have a good selection of real ales that is changed regularly, but I have always found the pub a bit sterile and the clientele a bit insular for my liking. Has a large beer garden out the back and a few tables out front.
On 19th February 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
train man left this review about White Hart Tap
Adnams Explorer, Durham White Gem, Youngs Best, Acorn Cascade IPA, Tring Side Pocket for a Toad, Hooky Dark, & the admirable Marble 1280. Pretty much a public/saloon layout with the long front bar housing pool table nr entrance, a dartboard with its own space & oche to the right, pub darts available. A plasma was showing the tennis but unfortunately was not switched off when the schedule led into Weakest Link. The rear bar was hop adorned and had comfortable seating & a couple of booths with upholstered settles, a victorian style fireplace, cabinet displaying ceramic steins, this area carpetted with walls semi-panelled in wood. Check out the superb picture ‘The Stranger' next to the Dickens display box on rear wall; I bet we've all been able to identify with ‘the author' in one pub or another!
On 6th July 2008
- rating: 8
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]