News And Press

To everyone at Darcys

I visited your restaurant recently with 3 others. I wanted to thank you for such delicious food and a great evening.

It was the first time we had been and all four of us enjoyed every single course and found the service and surroundings perfect. I have paid double the price in a couple of restaurants in London and thought your food was just as good and probably better.

I’ve never felt compelled to write a tripadvisor review or anything like this before – but it was that good I wanted to thank you.

Thank you and we will all be looking forward to our next visit.

Hayley

Hip vibes and racy food

Ladies that lunch and their smart set make a beeline for this former blacksmith’s just off St  Albans main drag, drawn by its hip vibes and racily electric food.  Since co founder Kate D’Arcy’s sad death in 2010, long serving Aussie chef Ruth Hurren has taken sole charge of the place and shored up its reputation as the top ticket in town.

Which?Good Food Guide 2012

Here’s a review in the recent Good food guide on Darcys…

“The ‘coolest‘ restaurant in St Albans occupies a weatherboarded one-time smithy just off the town’s main drag. Inside, it’s a suave combination of moody cocktail bar and dining rooms spread over two floors. Aussie chef Ruth Hurren is at home with sun-baked global flavours, serving sexy salads dramatically in black pottery bowls, partnering smoked kangaroo with ‘native‘ pepper jus and steaming miso cod in banana leaves. She also dreams up some clear, bright Euro-accented ideas (seared mackerel with beetroot pesto) and gives local ingredients a fusion spin – Wobbly Bottom goat’s cheese on a disc of sourdough and hazelnut dukkah with preserved quince, say. Amazing-value set menus feed the local ladies who lunch, and the wine list has some quaffable stuff from £13.90.”

Which?Good Food Guide 2011

TUCKED out of the way from the busy high street in St Albans is Darcys restaurant, a place that offers a very individual menu.

You can view the full article here

We recently received a lovely review on Trip Advisor about our Sunday lunches that we wanted to share with you…

We had table of 6 for Sunday lunch and had one of the best Sunday lunches ever. The food was fresh, very tasty and the vegetables served with it were perfectly cooked and not over done which you find in many restaurants. We were not rushed or neglected and staff were pleasant at all times. This is not the first time we have eaten here and cant wait to eat there again. Would recommend Darcys to anyone.

Dear Ruth,

Alison, Elizabeth and I would like to thank you and your staff for making Brenda Chant’s 100th birthday celebration so special. It really was splendid. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the delicious meal. The service and ‘customer care’ was first class. The venue – perfect…you all made us so welcome.

Thank you. Please pass on our thanks to everyone concerned.

Roland Chant

Darcys is an innovative, award-winning restaurant in the historic cathedral and market town of St Albans. Australian chef and owner Ruth Hurren and head chef David Christie specialise in modern European cuisine, but draw culinary inspiration from various regions around the Pacific Rim.

You can view the full article here: http://www.foodanddrinkguides.co.uk/st-albans/darcys/restaurant/6954

Hello Ruth,

Just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your colleagues for a brilliant evening on Friday – everything was just perfect!

Clearly no compromise was made on service and presentation given the numbers you were dealing with and the quality of the food was as ever the best.  I had the lamb and I would love to know who your butcher is?

All the good food and wine definitely closed the generation gap – and a fab time was had by one and all.

Anna is an absolute credit to you – a real professional as were the young men who served us.

Thanks to you all.

Theresa Norton

Situated in an old smithy behind original wrought iron gates, Darcys delights for its welcoming ambiance.

The Good Food Guide 2010 reviewed by Which?

“Visitors love the ‘relaxed and intimate’ atmosphere at this smart contemporary restaurant close to the  centre of St Albans.”

The Good Food Guide 2009 reviewed by Which?