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Eating Out in and around Stevenage

This is a guide to where to eat out in and around Stevenage.
Unless stated to the contrary, I have eaten in each of the following restaurants - often many times.


Where?

Stevenage
Aroma ASK Bengal Diner
Cinnabar Destinations Dew Drop Inn
Hitchin
Bella Vita Bridge Street Bistro
Just 32 Strada
Hertford
Baan Thitiya Brasserie Gérard
Lussmanns
Welwyn
Aqua Stable Door
Willian
The Fox

What?

Italian
Aqua ASK
Bella Vita Strada
Bistro/Restaurant
Bridge Street Bistro Cinnabar
Destinations The Fox
Just 32 Lussmanns
Indian
Bengal Diner
Thai
Baan Thitiya
French
Brasserie Gérard
Spanish
Stable Door
Chinese
Aroma Dew Drop Inn

Latest Bill

Dinner - Just 32
1 x bottle Le Midour (cheap French red), free water
1 x chicke liver and fois gras terrine
1 x goats's cheese tartlet
-
2 x belly of pork with fennel and wilted spinach, truffle-scented mash
1 x selection of vegetables

1 x white chocolate and raspberry brioche and butter pudding
1 x lemon tart with blacjkcurrant sauce
2 x espresso
£85.00 (plus tip)

Restaurants

Aqua

28 High Street, Welwyn - 01438 716322 www.aquaristorante.co.uk

This is a modern Italian restaurant in Welwyn village.
The food and cooks are authentic Italian, and most of the food is good.
It can be noisy inside, and you are sometimes rushed so they can have two sittings in an evening.
We don't go often now, since they stopped opening for Sunday lunch.

Aroma

Stevenage Leisure Park - 01438 352183 www.thearoma.co.uk
This is a large, self-service, eat-as-much-as-you-like Chinese restaurant convenient for the multiplex cinema etc.
There is a large selection of food, most of it reasonable.
The staff are very efficient at whisking away dirty plates etc., and supplying more drinks (we always have Tiger beer).

ASK

15 High Street, Stevenage - 01438 356636 www.askcentral.co.uk

This is one of a large chain of pizza/pasta restaurants, but is surprisingly good. It is at the far north of the High Street.
The pizzas are proper Italian-style ones and the pasta is fresh and tasty.
A reasonable selection of starters and mains (and specials) is also available.
A second ASK restaurant is situated in the Stevenage Leisure Park.

Latest Bill (Sunday lunch)

2 x glass house white
2 x chevre grill
-
1 x ravioli burro e pesce
1 x polpette al forno
1 x side salad
£36.65 (plus tip)

Baan Thitiya

34 St. Andrew Street, Hertford - 01992 587706 www.baan-thitiya.com/hertford/

This is an excellent Thai restaurant on the edge of Hertford town centre.
The food here is always good and the staff are friendly.
It is one of our regular Sunday lunch restaurants - they have a small, fixed-price, three-course menu on Sundays (but you miss out of the pad thai!

Latest Bill (Sunday lunch)

2 x glass Singha beer
1 x chicken sateh
1 x dim sum
-
1 x sizzling pork
1 x yellow Thai curry
2 x egg fried rice
-
1 x deep-fried banana
1 x banana in cocunut milk
£32.40 (plus tip)

Bella Vita

9 Sun Street, Hitchin www.bellavitahotel.com (seems to be down)

This is a traditional Italian restaurant that also happens to be a small hotel.
We have been coming here for decades and the food is almost always good, and made from fresh ingredients - sometimes cooked by Giorio, the boss, himself.
I don't think that the printed menu has changed in all those years, but Giorgio will recite the day's specials at you.
There is a set-price menu for Sunday lunch that is much cheaper than the normal one, and just as good.
We have no experience of the rooms but online reviews are incredibly mixed.

Latest Bill (Sunday lunch)

1 x glass each of house red & white
2 x cozze alla marinara
-
1 x piccata di vitello alla Venezia (with prawns!)
1 x anatra with piselli
2 x side veg
-
1 x fruit-of-the-forest cheesecake
1 x strawberry pavlova
2 x espresso
£49.50 (including 10% service charge)

Bengal Diner

123 High Street, Stevenage - 01438 318811 www.bengaldiner.co.uk

This is a better than average Indian restaurant at the south end of the High Street in Stevenage old town.
All your favourite Indian meals are on offer.

Latest Bill

2 x small glass of Cobra beer
1 x reshmi kebab
1 x chicken chat
-
1 x Sharisha chicken
1 x Bengal chicken masala
1 x dahl samba
1 x pilau rice
1 x plain naan
£33.10 (plus small tip as service not included)

Brasserie Gérard

21 Fore Street, Hertford - 01992 504674 www.brasseriegerard.co.uk

This is one of a chain of authentic French brasserie-style restaurants.
The food is excellent, and includes a range of tajines. There is a plat-du-jour (in a daily rotation), but it may not be available if there are few customers expected.
The house wine is drinkable, and is available in a half-litre carafe.

Latest Bill

2 x glass of house white
2 x salade nicoise
-
2 x salade de petits calamars a la marrocaine
-
2 x tarte au citron

£35.90 (prix fixe plus small tip as service not included)

Previous Bill

2 x glass of house white
2 x petite friture (squid and whitebait)
-
1 x tajine d'agneau
1 x demi poulet (grilled half chicken with lemon and thyme sauce)
1 x seasonal vegetables
-
1 x tarte au citron
1 x tarte amandine aux griottes (cherry & almond tart)

£56.54 (plus small tip as service not included)

Bridge Street Bistro

26 Bridge Street, Hitchin - 01462 440072

This is a French/European restaurant on the edge of Hitchin town centre.
The food here is always good, if somewhat expensive for a "bistro".
Sunday lunch is more economical - but you will normally need to book.

Latest Bill (Sunday lunch)

1/2 bottle Argentinian Malbec red
1 x carrot and coriander soup
1 x Cornish mackerel fillets
-
1 x bistro chicken
1 x halibut on roasted vegetables
1 x side vegetables (included in price)
-
2 x toffee pudding

£48.50 (plus small tip as service not included)

Cinnabar

54-56 High Street, Stevenage - 01438 340202 www.cinnabarcafe.co.uk

This is a new bistro-style restaurant at the north end of the High Street in Stevenage old town.
It is open in the morning for breakfast (full English and eggs benedict look good), all day for coffee etc. and at lunchtime and in the evening for dining.
There is a small selection of starters, and a reasonable selection of English and European mains. Wine is available by the glass or bottle, and a house red and white are available in 500ml carafes.
We found the smoked haddock fish balls quite tasty, but both tuna steak and the calves liver a bit overcooked, but perfectly acceptable.

Latest Bill

Glass of house red, glass of house white
2 x smoked haddock fish balls
-
1 x calves liver
1 x tuna nicoise
1 x broccoli

£41.10 (plus small tip as service not included)

Destinations

St George's Way, Stevenage - 01438 722727 www.histevenage.com

The is the restaurant attached to the new Holiday Inn hotel in what used to be the Manulife building.
A banner on the building advertised a 1-2-3 offer (one bottle of wine, two people, three courses) so we went along on Thursday evening.
We were told that it was only available at the weekend (It WAS on the banner - in very small print) so, after looking at the expensive a la carte menu, we booked a table for the following evening.
We turned up at the time booked to be told that the dining room was full and we had to eat in the bar.
The staff were very friendly, and the food was reasonable - we might go back one day.

Latest Bill

1 x bottle of house white.
2 x chicken and chorizi terrine (rather bland)
-
2 x Scottish salmon with roasted vegetables (OK)
-
1 x strawberry pavlova with raspberry sauce
1 x cheese selection

£35.00 (plus no tip!)

Dew Drop Inn

122 High Street, Stevenage - 01438 313600

This is just an ordinary, average-quality Chinese restaurant (but it's better than the Jade Palace).
We hardly ever eat there, but sometimes get a takeaway.

Just 32

32 Sun Street, Hitchin - 01462 455666 www.just32.com

This is an elegant modern restaurant in the middle of Hitchin.
This is one of our favourite places to eat on special occasions, or just for the hell of it, as it it not cheap.
The food is consistently good and the service always friendly.

Latest Bill

1 x bottle Le Midour (cheap French red), free water
1 x chicke liver and fois gras terrine
1 x goats's cheese tartlet
-
2 x belly of pork with fennel and wilted spinach, truffle-scented mash
1 x selection of vegetables

1 x white chocolate and raspberry brioche and butter pudding
1 x lemon tart with blacjkcurrant sauce
2 x espresso
£85.00 (plus tip)

Lussmanns

42 Fore Street, Hertford - 01992 505329 http://www.lussmanns.com/hertford

This is a modern restaurant in the centre of Hertford.
The food here is very good, and seems to be made from fresh ingredients; the specials menu changes seasonally.
We always have the Lussmanns special starter for two - very good.

Latest Bill

2 x glass white wine, free tap water
1 x Lussmann's special starter
-
2 x linguini with rabbit and wild mushroom sauce (very tasty)
1 x house salad

£42.80 (plus small tip)

Stable Door

12 High Street, Welwyn - 01438 715200 http://www.thestabledoor-welwyn.co.uk

This is a Spanish restaurant and tapas bar in Welwyn village.
It is open in the morning for breakfast, all day for coffee and cakes etc., and at lunchtime and the evening for tapas and meals.
There is a good selection of hot and cold tapas; mostly very good but they often come in a strange order.

Latest Bill (Dinner)

1 x bottle "Poco Mas" Chilean merlot, free tap water
1 x grilled figs, goats cheese and pancetta, toasted walnut bread (to share)

1 x pan-fried venison steak, braised red cabbage, port jus
1 x slow-cooked pork-belly, creamed potato, cider cream sauce
1 v veg of the day

2 x lemon cheesecake, bluueberry sauce
£36.50 (plus tip)

Latest Bill (Sunday lunch)

2 x glass white wine, free tap water
1 x lamb kofta with mint yoghurt
1 x pan-fried chicken livers with Pedro Ximenez shery
1 x crispy fried squid and aioli
1 x tortilla paisana (with choriso and peppers)

1 x sticky toffee pudding
1 x pera, almond and chocolate bread-and-butter pudding
£58.50 (plus tip)

Strada

26 Sun Street, Hitchin - 01462 457746 www.strada.co.uk

This is one of a small chain of modern pizzerias in the middle of Hitchin.
They have a good range of reasonably authentic Italian starters, pasta and main courses, but their speciality is good authentic pizzas.
We have often enjoyed the polenta con funghi starter and our favourite pizza is probably the caprese or the rustica.

Latest Bill

2 x glass each of house white (free with voucher from website), free tap water
1 x insalata caprese
1 x polenta con funghi
-
2 x risotto zucca

£32.23 (including "optional" service charge)

The Fox

Willian - 01462 480233 www.foxatwillian.co.uk

This is an old village pub mostly converted into a modern restaurant.
The food is mostly modern English and European, and is quite pricey.
You get "free" olives and crisps, then bread with oil/balsamic vinegar after your order has been taken.
The food is always pretty good, but we think that Just 32 is better.

Latest Bill

1 x bottle rosé de Provence, free tap water
1 x asparagus with lemon artichoke puree and goats cheese salad
1 x breast of wood pigeon with black pudding and pancetta cabbage
-
2 x supreme of guinea fowl wrapped in Parma ham with boudin blanc, roasted red onion (strange) and pesto
1 x carrots and mangetout with garlic and herb butter
-
2 x cherry bakewell with apple crumble icecream
-
2 x espresso
£86.50 (including "optional" service charge)

Locations

Stevenage

The Old Town lies to the north of the town centre, the High Street being the old Great North Road.
There is parking along most of the High Street and there are two free car parks (one shared by lorries) behind Waitrose.
There are several car parks in the town centre, but only the one at Tesco is free (customers only).
The Stevenage Leisure Park (between the railway station and the industrial area) is one big car park.

Hitchin

This market town is just a few miles north-west of Stevenage and it is served by plenty of buses.
There is limited parking in many streets, and there is a large car park behind the church.
Bella Vita has its own small car park behind the restaurant

Hertford

The county town of Hertfordshire has limited bus access from Stevenage, but it is not too far to drive.
There is limited parking on a few streets, but there is a free car park oppisite Baan Thitiya.

Welwyn

Welwyn village (not Welwyn Garden City) is easily reached by bus from Stevenage, but it is only about six miles down the motorway by car.
There is some on-street parking and there are two small car parks, one at each end of the village.

Willian

To get to Willian village, drive up the motorway and leave at Letchworth. Take the first turning on the left as you go towards Letchworth.
The Fox is the second pub that you come to. There is reasonable parking around the pub.