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Hours
Sun
11:45 - 22:00
Mon
12:00 - 23:00
Tue
12:00 - 23:00
Wed
12:00 - 23:00
Thu
12:00 - 23:00
Fri
12:00 - 23:00
Sat
12:00 - 23:00
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, British, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Location and contact
Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?
Details
About
Situated in leafy Flaunden in Hertfordshire, this award-winning gastro pub certainly looks the part. From the ivy-covered exterior to the cosy dining room with its beamed ceilings and open fires, the Bricklayers Arms is a charming eatery serving fine wine and Anglo French fare. Over the years the Bricklayers Arms has won critical acclaim from the Michelin Guide, the AA Pub Guide and the Good Pub Guide. It continues to impress local foodies and travelling gourmets with a passion for locally sourced food and warm, friendly atmosphere. Signature dishes include a selection of home-smoked fish with lemon and coriander butter; the home-smoked duck breast with duck liver mis-cuit; and the fillet of 21-day aged Bedfordshire beef served with green peppercorn flavoured brandy cream sauce.
PRICE RANGE
£16.00 – £35.00
CUISINES
British
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Dog Friendly, Gift Cards Available
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4.0
978 reviews
Excellent
565
Very good
205
Average
103
Poor
71
Terrible
34
AndyPandy38
Pinner95 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Took our son for his birthday. We phoned ahead to let them know we were running late and they were very accommodating. Considering we arrived at 2pm though I did expect the service be a little swifter. My husband had ordered an elderflower presse - it took the bar staff 10 minutes to let us know they had run out. Was offered elderflower cordial which was still water with the smallest hint of elderflower - expensive glorified tap water. The food, when it arrived, was good. My egg was poached to perfection. I'm not sure that £110 for 3 people for a quick lunch when only one person was drinking alcohol is the best value for money but would definitely give this place another chance.
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrs_Teacake
Watford53 contributions
Oct 2020 • none
Came here for the first time and had an excellent meal. Shared the “charcuterie board for two” among two adults and two hungry kids which was still plenty, and very tasty. The wild boar sausages were possibly the best sausages I have ever eaten, other mains were great too. All items were available in half size for children, no separate kids’ menu, which was a relief as so often in pubs the kids’ menu is limited to various fried food plus chips. Portions were generously sized and most come with potatoes, but you have to order veg or other sides separately, so overall total price is quite £££.
Puddings were absolutely delicious too and perfectly prepared and presented.
Polite and friendly staff, service seemed paced exactly right (not too fast, not too slow).
Covid measures apparent throughout, so felt as safe as it could be: signs encouraging face coverings unless you were seated, hand sanitiser available at the entrance, Covid app QR code prominently displayed, staff wearing visors, disposable menus.
Hopefully will be back to try all the tempting things on the menu we didn’t have a chance to try!
Written 18 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
medicman81
Chalfont St. Giles39 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
Gazpacho was nice. I had fish n chips and the fish was really fresh. But had a mandatory service charge slapped on (the “optional” part was scrubbed out on the receipt).The whole meal including 4 pints was £100. Guys, it’s fish n chips....
Unfortunately I won’t be visiting again even if I thought the food was great quality for a pub!
Written 8 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ODonnell-tribe
14 contributions
Jul 2020 • family
Recently we decided to have a family walk to a local pub restaurant with a garden and chose the Bricklayers Arms. We used to come under the previous ownership but have not been for many years. The new owners have taken it upmarket and been recognised with several awards and an AA rosette. It’s pricey but we decided to have a good meal in a nice setting to celebrate the lifting of lockdown restrictions. The staff were really friendly and we got a good table out in the garden with both sun and shade. I tried to order cold soup, which was on the menu, but was told that the soup had all been made hot, a bit of a disappointment. I ordered Halloumi salad instead. The salad was actually a bit ordinary. My wife had also ordered it and agreed it was nothing special. For mains, I ordered the vegetarian risotto, my sons ordered the burger, my daughter had the fish and my wife ordered the chicken. The risotto was nice, not a big portion but surprisingly filling. The rice was just right and the flavours were good. My daughter really enjoyed her fish, she is a bit of an a-fish-ionado so the quality of fish used must be good. She had ordered dauphinoise potatoes, a passion of hers, but she did not like the flavour. I tried them and enjoyed them, but agree that the flavour was somehow different to normal dauphinoise. My wife’s chicken came stuffed with carrots of different colours, an unusual serving but she said the chicken itself was not very tasty. One of my sons had ordered the burger without cheese, which is what the waitress said as she brought it to the table. We had to send it back as it did actually have cheese, in fact it was identical to the burger my other son had ordered. No worries, these things happen. What happened next though was astonishing. The same burger was delivered back to the table with the cheese mainly, but not completely, washed off. You could still see the traces of cheese round the edges. I might expect that in a chain restaurant charging half as much for the food, but not an award-winning country pub. It really spoiled our meal. On another day we would have sent it back, but we felt that the trust relationship with the kitchen had been broken and we just wanted to finish our food and go. My son bravely ate the burger. He said that it was not even that good. I am not sure if they have problems with some of their regular suppliers at the moment.
Written 29 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RalphW38
Hong Kong26 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
Friendly staff and some excellent food, in this case roast beef, made this one of the best places I’ve been to for a traditional Sunday lunch.
Many people clearly feel the same since the place was busy, mostly families, which made for a warm and inviting atmosphere.
There was two choices of roast beef and both were cooked well, with a very decent accompaniment of vegetables, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.
Good selection of beers and wines as well.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stuart M
1 contribution
Oct 2020 • family
Dined here last night, we have been coming to the Bricklayers for years and is usually very good but, as we understand it, the chef has been replaced and the food has really gone down hill. Manager also rather arrogant despite working in the service industry on near to minimum wage without a clue to each client’s background.
A number of locals have mentioned how they have been very disappointed lately with the food and sadly we have to agree.
Whilst the service is excellent and the atmosphere quant, the food is not what it used to be. One main, the beef burger was so horrendous and ‘fish’ smelling, most of it have to be left. Waiter very apologetic but no follow up by the manager, no remediation, no gesture. A second main, sausage and mash was also disappointing - sausages chewy and fatty.
£100 for 3 people. Not unreasonable in the slightest but for what we were served one has to object.
To sum: The Bricklayers is now riding on the coattails of what truly was an excellent eatery. For those used to eating at Wetherspoons this place is absolutely fine. For anyone else, be aware the food might not live up to expectations or indeed reputations.
Written 22 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CLGCLG
Bushey424 contributions
Sept 2021 • family
I had the home cured pancetta and brisket for starter.
The pancetta was inedible, so chewy , impossible to eat.
Told the waitress and she said she would tell the chef.
When the bill was delivered, we asked if the chef had tried the pancetta, the waitress responded “yes, he tried it and agreed it was a bit chewy, sorry”.
I was still charged full price for an inedible starter, which the chef agreed was “chewy and apologised for it”.
The rest of the meal was very nice.
Seriously unimpressed that I was charged nearly £11 for a starter that the chef agreed was not up to par.
Written 23 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nathalie B
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • family
Had a very disappointing Sunday roast and pudding at the Bricklayers Arms with pre-prepared roast potatoes and poor choice of overcooked vegetables. The Yorkshire puddings didn’t seem fresh either.
The puddings had pretentious names and weren’t great. Not that tasty and not worth the price.
I also asked for either tomatoes as a salad or a raw carrot/ something similar for my 6 year old who didn’t like the soggy green beans and I was told they didn’t have anything like that available.
Written 4 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mumsybee
Berkhamsted32 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
It was well worth struggling along narrow flooded country lanes to get to the Bricklayers Arms. We were greeted warmly and shown to our table.
Two of us chose the same dishes - scallops to start and sea bream for our main - both dishes were delicious.
Lovely friendly atmosphere with a large family birthday party next to us. We will be going again.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bethanyrc
London11 contributions
Jul 2022 • none
We're local to this pub, we haven't been in a little while (about 8/9 months) and the meal was so disappointing. My husband ordered the beef medallions (he was hoping for the steak that you used to do which he always loved with all the sauces !) but this was a real let down - chewy and small. My main (chicken ballentine was actually nice no issues there) but the carrot cake was really tough and hard. I can only assume it was baked the day before but we both left it. I am hoping this is just a one off as we were wanting to book a big family dinner here but wont be now returning for a while. The prices do not reflect the dinner quality. It was average and we went away feeling disappointed having paid £100 + for something we were hoping would be outstanding
Written 23 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RedCat
Hi BethanyRC, sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience when visiting us. Unfortunately, the steak we serve with the multiple sauces is only available on select Steak Nights throughout the year. As for the carrot cake, we would of happily changed this dish for you had you let us know during desserts. We hope we do see you again in the future and you have a much more pleasant experience next time.
Written 25 July 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Maureen S
London7 contributions
Aug 2022 • none
Been here many times in the past which had always been a good experience and didn't know about new ownership when booking. 6 people attended on 15 August for my husband's birthday. 2 guests ordered the scallop starter and were shocked at its meagreness on a large plate at an exorbitant price. There were two small scallops and 3 prawns daintily arranged and I was embarrassed for my guests as I had told them what good fare to expect. Our waitress was also embarrassed, went away to contact the manager and offered a reduction on the dish but not a larger portion. Main courses were ok but certainly not up to the previous restaurant standards and the mixed vegetables were very ordinary, straight out of the freezer bag. In conclusion it was very disappointing, expensive and poor value and we won't be returning any time soon.
Written 22 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RedCat
I am sorry to hear that you encountered some issues on your visit with us, and would love the chance to discuss with you. Please give me a call on 01296 399979, and we will try to resolve your issues.
Written 24 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Barnie Boy
5 contributions
Nov 2021 • family
Unfortunately we didn't have a very good time at the Bricklayers Arms.
The service was very poor which was unattentive and impolite.Some of the waitresses were charming and very good others were dreadful . There were too many of them serving our table so it was disjointed and nobody really took control of our table. Poor communications.Empty glasses left on table throughout our meal, plates left far too long. Salt pepper and butter left on table for dessert ! Long gaps inbetween courses. Nobody had asked us if everything was alright or whether we wanted a little break before ordering dessert. No wiping down of the table of spilt food,drink etc which was needed.
My meal was good apart from under cooked brocoli and green beans. My friends roast beef was tough and the veg was poor including disgusting roast potatoes which looked deep fried (school dinner style). The gravy tasted bland and was most probably bisto.
Gents toilet needs a privacy board so the urinals are not exposed everytime the door is opened. On the whole poor service food was good in parts .I had a great dessert . Lovely bit of halibut and a nice crab starter. Mixed review but very dissapointed with the bad attitude of a couple of the waitresses which made it a bad experience.
Written 14 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Syd M
London460 contributions
Jul 2021 • none
Difficult to find the first time but really worth the effort. Ample parking off road a few paces away
A quaint restaurant, converted from 3 cottages. A wonderful ambiance.
Maitre D and all the staff were very well coming friendly and attentive
Now to the food ... WOW! Delicious, beautifully presented food. The presentation of the deserts was worthy of the 'bake off professionals'
Reasonably priced for the amazing quality
I shall definitely add this to my favourites
Cannesdid ...surfingsyd
Written 12 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FoodieQueen
London503 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Had a chaotic Sunday lunch here. Had really high hopes for it as the location is one in a mill.
Might give it another go but they’ve got to understand how to provide a simple lunch for vegetarian/vegans. We don’t want the earth just one solid choice or option would be nice. Nut Roast will suffice! Also staff are like headless chickens. Regarding the meat, £18 for a roast we expected better. Hardly any meat. Rare when asked for well done.
I will never understand why a massive Yorkshire pudding dominates the whole plate? Surely for what they cost they could be served separately in a bowl. Oh well another overpriced lunch to swallow.
Written 26 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard M
London24 contributions
Nov 2022 • none
We are very sad, having been eating here for years, that this beautiful place is now part of the Red Cat chain. This is a Private Equity backed group run by an ex-Greene King boss who are charging around the country buying independent pubs and hotels. The aim is purely to boost profit rather than quality, prior to an inevitable future sale. The Bricklayers times of service have already been cut, as part of cost cutting. The webite still says all day food on Saturday, in fact they finish at 2.30 and don't restart til 6. And as for CCTV!
Spend your money elsewhere and support independent local businesses as this once was, rather than boosting the already huge coffers of the US-owned giant Oaktree Capital.
Written 29 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RedCat
Thank you for your review, all of the management and chef teams have been retained since RedCat assumed ownership, meaning we have been able to keep the individuality of the restaurant, including our own individual menu. The ownership has not had any bearing on the quality or consistency on offer and remain 100% committed to the business. The opening hours have not changed since RedCat took over but had happened post Covid, the website is in the process of being updated.
Written 5 December 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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