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Detail Pages
The White Swan, St Albans Central, St. Albans
St. Albans
AL3 5EA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The White Swan
Attractive from the outside but why fly the tricolour outside when there is little Irish vibe inside ? The interior has a low ceiling but has been modernised with awful slatted blinds in the windows reducing natural sunlight.The front section at least has a real fire ,while two further sections back into the pub have a mix of high tables and comfy bench seating.The pub dogs ran around freely and it did appear a pub where lot of locals know the extended family who run the pub ,with a gaggle of infants and parents gathered at the far end.The muzak was a little too loud and the three flatscreens do dominate the surroundings offering both BT Sport and Sky.
Three handpumps with on my trip GK IPA,London Pride and Adnams Ghost Ship (NBSS 3.5) ,a standard real ale offer and not quite enough to place this pub on an ale crawl route,but a decent place to catch televised sport.
On 8th January 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The White Swan
A revisit whilst in the area, and between craft pubs. Still a good community local. Three handpumps, Ghost Ship, Pride and Abbot - the last one off. Took the precaution of asking a real ale punter what he was drinking before deciding between the other two. I've had worse experiences at this pub
On 26th January 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The White Swan
A decent traditional pub, with its regulars I suspect. Doesn't seem to be a big real ale pub. There are three pumps with Bombardier, Ghost Ship and a Christmas beer. Only the last one was on, and it was awful. Returned it and it was replaced without question and with an apology.
On 11th January 2020
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The White Swan
The White Swan is a decent looking pub that is set on a side street close to the middle of St Albans.
Once inside the bar faces in an L shaped room,there is a stone floor,there is bench seating and normal tables and chairs to the front,the room extends to the rear right where there is more bench seating in bays,there are tall tables and chairs down the right side.
There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Caledonian XPA,which was a decent drink,the other real ales were Deuchars IPA,Adnam Ghost Ship and one called Mucky Duck.
I thought this was a decent pub to have a drink in.
Pub visited 24/6/2017
On 30th September 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alesonly . left this review about Oscar's
We were in here yesterday as one of the last pubs on our pub Crawl so My memory of which Ales were on are a bit vague I Had a few pints the Hobgoblin which was in good condition so good I had two Pints and there were a few others on tap. It appears too have gone back to the original name of The White Swan from the signage on the outside sign. As already said its a bit bare inside but its OK for a few pints and we found the other customers and Staff friendly and welcoming enough. I would pop in if I'm passing again.
P/s This Pub is now called The White Swan Back too its original Name
On 18th November 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 132 recommendations about 105 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Oscar's
Oscar’s is an L shaped pub that at some point has had the guts ripped out of it leaving a rather bland affair. Three hand pumps can be found on the bar, but one of these was unused and the Abbot was off leaving only Courage Best. There is a standard draught selection and the Guinness was well poured by an affable young barman during my recent Saturday night visit. The other pubs in the area were fairly busy, but there were only a handful of people in here and some of them seemed to have turned up with the guy that was being paid to play guitar. There is a dartboard to the left of the entrance but it looked out of action as there were some tables and a cigarette machine on the oche. Food is advertised for lunchtimes, but I didn’t see any menus for pricing due to my late visit.
This isn’t a pub that I will purposely seek out again.
On 17th May 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5228 recommendations about 5196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Oscar's
Until recently, this city centre pub was known as the more traditional White Swan although it was locally known as the Mucky Duck. Dating from 1820, it was bought by top Savile Row tailor Craig Featherston, a man noted for dressing the rich and famous but apparently not too much savvy in the preservation of pub heritage.
Since my previous visit in its White Swan days the pub has lost at least 2 ales, a bar billiards table, dartboard and the jukebox (replaced by the insipid strains of Herts FM). The newly acquired name of Oscars is in tribute to Oscar Wilde whosse cheap photo (the same photo) pops up on the walls half a dozen times through the pub. I am unaware of any connections between Oscar Wilde and St Albans and will assume that this is little more than some marketing or image gimmick which to be honest doesn’t wash with me (or several others from reading reports elsewhere).
Internally it is pleasant enough with bare floors, white paneled walls and still a relatively pubby feel but any lacking any real character or atmosphere (there were bareky half a dozen people on a Saturday afternoon with the High Street 20 yards away). There is a standard range of drinks with Courage Directors being the only ale (£3), hardly sufficient to tempt the ale trail hordes that flock to the pubs of St Albans on a regular basis. There are still 4 hand pumps and in the past there have been some decent guest ales found here so why they now choose to limit such a product in a city that is an ale stronghold seems commercially naive.
Whilst the White Swan has obviously had its ups and downs in recent years, it had many assets, not least its location in the centre of the city, and I can’t help feel that the new image won’t do the place any real favours in the long run.
On 8th April 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
train man left this review about The White Swan
Castle Eden Ale & Everards Sunchaser in very good nick, also GKipa (why?). Tiled floor at entrance, carpetted dining area beyond & to rt of L-shaped bar, wood floor to left where a plasma quietly shows sky sports & the opposite corner houses a bar billiards table. Decent tunes playing on jukebox. Glad it was ‘on map', although ridding itself of greedyK beer would improve matters further.
On 13th July 2008
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The White Swan
Pleasant pub just off the market place. Large single bar with a seperate eating/drinking area at the back. GK IPA plus two guest beers on tap
On 14th March 2007
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]