#Spotlight on The Great Northern Pub and Kitchen 1 Nov 2021
It’s no surprise that The Great Northern Pub and Kitchen was selected to officially open the St Albans Beer & Pubs Festival this year. St Albans MP Daisy Cooper was present to cut the ribbon at their beer festival along with South Herts CAMRA to see the return of a very missed event over the last couple of years.
This community pub known for its fundraising and charity support, especially over the pandemic, is run by Landlords Emma and Sheri and has a team of very welcoming staff always going that extra mile often resulting in customers staying for ‘Just one more’! Kids and dogs are also very welcome.
Local resident said, “An ideal location for summer BBQ’s and with winter around the corner, their fire pits, fabulous lighting and blankets will keep you cosy as you enjoy one of your favourite drinks under the stars”.
With so many pubs in St Albans, what sets you apart from other pubs?
Plato! Our pub tortoise lives outside in our lovely beer garden during the summer months when it’s warm enough. We serve a wide selection of real ales and craft beers, great wines and spirits, coupled with our collaborations to keep things interesting! The Odyssey cinema, (discounted dining with valid tickets), local ‘pop ups’, such as, Taste of Vietnam, AJ’s rustic Pizza Co., and Bittersweet Bartenders to name a few. There are so many great pubs in St. Albans, we’re constantly thinking of ways to stand out and retain our fabulous customers.
Where do you go in St Albans on a night off?
We always try to support local independent businesses on a rare night off – our favourites are the Odyssey Cinema, Lower Red Lion and Taste of Nawab.
What are the staffs favourite drinks?
Most of the staff are partial to a tequila or three at the end of a busy shift! I also enjoy cider, or a glass of red wine.
What sort of food do you offer?
At the Great Northern, we are well known for our Sunday Roasts, but also offer a wide selection of burgers, steaks, salads and other delicious homemade pub food. We do offer seasonal options: in the summer months, you can often grab something from our barbeque and in the winter, perhaps a hearty beer-battered fish and chips or pie and mash.
What do you enjoy about running a pub?
I love feeling part of the local community – I’m so grateful for our really strong business network in St Albans, which was more evident than ever during the pandemic. We really came together to help each other out during such a difficult time, with businesses offering their time and resources to one another to help us all survive, as well as customers keeping us busy purchasing our takeaways.
It is amazing to have a career where your main job is to make people have fun! Making people smile, even just by remembering their name and drink order from a previous visit, is a wonderfully rewarding feeling.
I am passionate about food and drink and feel very lucky to have fallen into the career path that I did by accident.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Thursday 4pm – 12am, Fri – Sat 12pm – 1am. Sundays 12pm-10pm
172 London Rd, St Albans AL1 1PQ
For bookings call 01727 730867 or email