Hermitage Rd Bar and Restaurant

Featured reviews

• G

  Google user

  ·1 month ago

  “Really nice and tasty food with great presentation. I’d definitely recommend getting the chicken roast on a Sunday, it was super tasty. The restaurant itself is decorated beautifully, with a rustic look and feel inside a restored old ballroom. The actual building is also really historic and has hosted some iconic 1960s acts, including Eric Clapton, Cream, Acker Bilk, The Searchers, Des O’Connor and Bob Monkhouse. You can see this history throughout the restaurant with pictures of the acts hanging on the walls. The staff were super kind and attentive throughout the meal, which made the experience even better. It is a bit more on the expensive side, but it does seem worth it for the food, setting and overall experience. The toilets were also nice and rustic looking, while still being clean and well kept. Overall, a really lovely restaurant with great food, a beautiful setting and lots of interesting history.”

• G

  Google user

  ·4 months ago

  “The Hermitage is an absolute local favourite of mine. Gorgeous restaurant right in the heart of Hitchin town. A really great place for any kind of celebration or catch up with friends and family. To start, we had the steak tartare. It was beautifully presented and just divine! I wish this was a starter over a snack, I wanted more! I had the pork ribs this time round and compliments to the chef and kitchen team. Amazing flavours and textures that work beautifully. Presentation was gorgeous too! I’d come back again and order this in a heartbeat. My friend had the flat iron steak and it looked great too! The fact that he inhaled it, I think shows how delicious it was! We got dessert and oh wow! Coconut crème brûlée was 100/100! I’ve never been able to try the traditional one due to an intolerance so thank you for creating an absolutely flavoursome vegan dish! Coconut is my favourite flavour and then you’ve got the pineapple, candied lime peel and nutty crumbs on top! Ooofff flavour bomb after flavour bomb - I didn’t want the dish to finish! My friend had the Chocolate Mousse and ooofff that was also 100/100! I had a bite and loved the smooth texture and rich flavour of the mousse. The dark chocolate crumbs also added to it and was loving that!”

• G

  Google user

  ·4 months ago

  “We had a brilliant time in The Room at the Top for a family birthday meal. There's a set menu and between us all I think we had every item on it. Everyone loved their food. Our waitress (Dana I think) was lovely and made sure we had everything we needed. It was so nice to be able to hear everyone at the table since it was private. Well worth the booking fee for a special occasion.”

• G

  Google user

  ·5 months ago

  “This is such a hard one to review. It should have been a 4* (already one star down for the “optional” 12.5% service charge - let diners decide what to tip in the current economic environment). The second star loss is due to the incredibly direct service. There is no real interaction with diners and a “tick box” exercise was experienced. At one stage another waitress was so direct with us, it was bordering on rude (no, it was rude!). Food is of the high standard (refer to photos) and expensive (refer to receipt photo!). For the price paid, the quality is certainly there in parts. The steak tartare could/should have been a much larger portion. Mains were expensive and just about acceptable. The chocolate mousse dessert was a definite highlight, the petit fours were meh. Rather than responding with a focus on the positives in this review, I suggest you also comment and correct the negatives.”

• G

  Google user

  ·7 months ago

  “I have been a regular customer here for about two years and it remains one of my favourite places. The products are consistently excellent and the atmosphere is warm, cosy and inviting. It is somewhere I keep returning to even when I try not to. However, I would like to offer some constructive feedback. On many visits several staff members appear unhappy or disengaged. Service is still polite, but the overall energy often feels tense and uncomfortable. As a customer it is noticeable, and it does affect the experience. I even remember a few genuinely cheerful employees from earlier visits, but I no longer see them, which made me wonder if there may be issues behind the scenes that management might want to look into. I noticed similar comments from other customers as well, so it does not seem to be an isolated impression. I am sharing this because I genuinely like this place and want it to succeed. The quality of the products and the environment are excellent, and with a happier team the experience would be truly outstanding”

• G

  Google user

  ·8 months ago

  “I’d heard great things about this place from a local, and it didn’t disappoint! The food was really tasty, and the drinks were spot on—plus, the atmosphere was so welcoming. Everything was spotlessly clean, and the service was top-notch. The only hiccup was finding it on Google Maps, as I ended up a bit too far away! Overall, I had a fantastic experience and can’t wait to come back.”

• G

  Google user

  ·8 months ago

  “If you are heading to Hitchin, this is the place. Converted meeting rooms. Church like. The staff are really welcoming, efficient and helpful. We didn’t eat in the restaurant but took a table in the main bar area. Alcohol choices are great. Bar food was very good. Atmosphere got even better from 7pm. Open to 1am. If I lived here, this would be a regular haunt.”

• G

  Google user

  ·8 months ago

  “Visited Dec2023, 2024 & 2025 for office Xmas bash using the Xmas menu. Restaurants do a roaring trade at Xmas and part of the deal for diners is that the kitchen needs to bang out huge quantities of food at speed, for which the comprise is generally quality and/or care. This restaurant delivers the deal; over the years, the menu planning has bended a little towards standardisation (presumably for speed, with fewer staff). Similarly, the bar needed more staff on duty for the peak hours. It would be nice to try this venue outside of the crazy Christmas period to get a more fair impression of it. That said, the Xmas offering was generally good, with the best offering being the traditional choices of prawn cocktail, turkey et al and Chrimbo pud. In all cases, the presentation and preparation was fair, albeit a bit rushed (see paragraph above). The bar - and, in particular, its cocktail menu - is a key attraction. There are a lot of cocktails to consume, more than one liver can handle in one night, with a full range of flavours from bitters to sweeties. The venue itself is quite magnificent. Private dining is available; opting to sit in the cavernous main dining area is a superior experience for the atmosphere. The acoustics of the area reverberate, so hearing can be a little challenging. Ceiling baffles would help, without impeding the vibe. The one key disappointment over two of the three years visits has been the cheeseboard. A cheeseboard is supposed to have a variety of cheeses. But in 2024 and 2025, the cheeseboard was three portions of one type of cheese only. And in 2025, it was cheddar. No kitchen likes preparing a cheeseboard at the end of the shift at any time of the year, but to provide only one cheese on a slate looked like too many corners had been cut from the planning. For the prices charged, more time and care needed to be exercised in both planning and execution of the service delivery, even in the crazy Christmas period.”

• G

  Google user

  ·1 year ago

  “I couldn't fault this place in all honesty. We had an incredible meal that was fresh and tasty. The servers were very helpful. We were moved on request to another table due to the sun being in our eyes. It also has a lovely atmosphere in an old ballroom. Food tolerance was dealt with accordingly. We will be visiting again.”

• G

  Google user

  ·1 year ago

  “No change of menu from a year ago. Portion size down, prices up. Starters were good, mixed main course quality and small dessert portions. Seems expensive for the whole experience. The restaurant had a good atmosphere. Some noisy children around. Can get cold near windows. Might need to ask them to increase heating. Booked online for 1215 but refused to take food orders until 1230. Service was good and attentive.”