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Great Northern, St Albans Central, St. Albans

Pub added by Clive Thompson
172 London Road
St. Albans
AL1 1PQ
Phone: 01727859801

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bucking Fastard left this review about Great Northern

A traditional pub with a carpeted dining area to the right and the tap room left,which was a bit scruffy and worn.There are some high tables in the windows,bench seating opposite the bar but no flatscreens or fruit machines but a decent atmosphere and a friendly welcome.
The handpumps were offering Oakham Citra,Marston's Pedigree,Harvey's Sussex Best and Vocation Naughty & Nice (good milk stout,NBSS 4) with another brew being pulled through but not ready for dispense.
Food is offering Tuesday to Saturdays at meal times and features a lot of Veggie options at reasonable prices .There is quite a large beer garden with an awning to the side of the pub.
Worth including on any real ale tour of the city ,the best option near the station.

On 8th January 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about Great Northern

I’d not originally intended to visit this pub, but finding myself with a good amount of time to spend before my train home, I decided to pop in for one final pint and was surprised to find, given it was very late on a midweek evening, that the place was absolutely packed. So much so in fact, that I was forced to take my drink outside where even more punters could be found enjoying their drinks in the dying light. The need to head outside is partly a result of the pub’s quite small, two room layout, which can only handle a fairly modest amount of people at the best of times, and even fewer under the Covid restrictions in place at the time. You enter into the left-hand room, which has the bar down the left-hand wall and some limited seating around the perimeter. The bar has a decent timber counter front, similar to several others seen around town, with a stripped out, mirrored bar back. The room is bare boarded and offers a mix of chair and bench seating that, perhaps due to the small size of the room, helps the space feel a lot cosier than you might expect from a typical main bar in a pub of this sort. Meanwhile, the room to the right is carpeted and has some classic pub seating under brightly coloured walls with a selection of eye-catching art on the walls. Having no choice but to pass through these pleasant spaces, I emerged into the garden which occupies the land to the right and rear of the pub and has some roadside tables served by padded keg stools and benches made from old pallets. The driveway slopes down to a second seating area with similar seating, much under various shelters across a sprawling patio area.
There are usually four ales available here, but the reduced capacity had clearly resulted in a reduced ale selection, with just Big Smoke Solaris available alongside a cider from Seacider. The Solaris was in good shape and the staff were really lovely, offering a warm welcome, apologising for the lack of indoor seating and popping out to make sure all was well with my beer.
This wildcard ended up being a real turn up for the books and I left feeling this was close to being a top tier St Albans pub. Of course, my experience here would’ve been better had I been able to stay inside the pub and choose from a full range of ales, but I thought there was much to recommend about this place and will look to return once all has returned to normal again.

On 19th August 2021 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about Great Northern

A fairly basic pub simply furnished and rather understated with plain white walls and ceiling in an opened out single room but there are a couple of distinct areas. Its giving it a go in the beer stakes with six handpumps, my Mad Squirrel Resolution was nice enough,a decent enough pub without getting too excited about it, and not too far from the station.

On 11th November 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Alan Winfield left this review about The Great Northern

The Great Northern is a decent looking pub that is on the busy London Road.
Once inside there is a square shaped room to the front left,which is bare boarded,the bar is on the front left side,there are normal tables and chairs for seating,there is a separate room to the right which is oblong shaped and runs to the rear,this room is carpeted and has normal tables and chairs,this seemed more like a dining room.
There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Farr Brew Pale,which was a decent drink,the other real ales were Otter Ale,Black Sheep Bitter and Tring Fanny Ebbs.
Background music was playing.
I thought this was a decent enough 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.


Will Larter left this review about The Great Northern

I called in just after opening time, on my way from the station to the city centre. I was surprised to find as many as six hand pumps on the bar, and as John mentions below, there seems to have been a fairly expensive makeover here. I had Kite Bluestone Bitter, the others available at the time of my visit being Portobello Star, Dark Star American Pale Ale and Black Sheep Bitter. It came as a shock to be charged £2.10 for my half of Bluestone.

Date of visit: 17th July 2015

On 7th September 2015 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3700 recommendations about 3439 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


john gray left this review about The Great Northern

This pub has had a makeover.Seems to be two rooms but was very busy so just got a drink and stood by the door.Four handpumps with Tring-sunshine and moongazing,black sheep and my Seven Brothers -session beer which was good.Dont walk by.

On 20th June 2015 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Clive Thompson left this review about The Great Northern

Happy to report that this place is still open. Little has changed since my last review, and those of others, although the GK IPA is now £2.50 (I have drunk far too much of that on my travels today!). Oh, and the old cinema building has still not been redeveloped.

On 25th May 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Great Northern

This could be quite an attractive building with some modest Brewers Tudor elements, but the exterior could do with being brightened up a bit. Small 'L'-shaped bar, with a pool room beyond. Basic furniture and decor, but a good-natured 'local' atmosphere. Several TVs showing sport. Three-level beer garden to side and rear. Abbot and Greene King IPA (£2.40, and served in the right glass) available from the handpumps (two traditional and one modern contraption).

On 11th February 2012 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about The Great Northern

The Great Northern is an L-shaped local’s boozer with a pool table. Sky Sports is shown on the three plasma screens that can be seen from any position in the pub. These were off, as was the jukebox, during my early evening visit on Saturday but some background noise was being provided by a radio station complete with adverts. Standard draught products were available from the bar and I spotted two hand pumps, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were dispensing. The Guinness was on good form and I found the service to be friendly. There was a boisterous forty/fifty something crowd in situ during my visit and the air was very blue, but I wasn’t made to feel unwelcome. Out the back there is a split level paved garden with plenty of picnic tables and four more tables can be found on an unkempt lawn area down a slope to the right of the garden.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here again, but I’d have no problem returning for a pint if passing.

On 12th May 2011 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Clive Thompson left this review about The Great Northern

A fine example of an old traditional locals boozer. Very welcoming, good prices, one or two real ales and good conversation. Although it's on the main London Road it hasn't got the best location being opposite a petrol station and right next door to a large old cinema building that has been boarded up for years and looks ripe for development. Hopefully the Great Northern will be around for a good few years yet.

On 22nd December 2007 - rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]