About Us

THOMPSON St Albans restaurant opened its doors for the first time in November 2013, led by Phil Thompson, Head Chef and Owner, alongside his fiancée, Marianne.  This independent, family run, award-winning restaurant offers fine dining in a relaxed and friendly environment.

  • Michelin plate in 2017 in recognition of consistency, standard of food and quality ingredients
  • 3rd AA Rosette awarded in September 2017; proud to be one of only 200 restaurants in the UK with 3 AA Rosettes
  • An impressive score in the Good Food Guide
  • Herts Food & Drink awards – Best Restaurant for a Special Occasion
  • Hertfordshire Life Food & Drink awards – Best Restaurant and Best Chef
  • St Albans Chamber of Commerce – Best Restaurant and Corporate and Social Responsibility awards, the latter in recognition of money raised for various charities; to name a few – OLLIE Foundation, Rennie Grove Hospice, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, local schools and sports clubs, OA Rugby and the St Albans Under 10’s Football Club.

While we look forward to achieving many more prestigious awards in the future,  our priority is for our guests to enjoy a wonderful dining experience, leaving them looking forward to their next visit.  We strive to remain firmly in the hearts of our diners as one of the top restaurants in St Albans.

Our food

When you sample our food, you will see that Phil Thompson’s modern style of cooking owes much to the fine quality of the ingredients, with the dishes on offer dictated by the ever-changing seasons. It means that there’s always something new and delicious for you to try, with the fresh, flavoursome ingredients taking centre stage.

Our fine dining menus are created from locally sourced ingredients. Phil has proudly compiled the Chiltern Guide foreword for a number of years to promote his wonderful and much relied-on suppliers, including Mrs Middleton’s rapeseed oil from Luton, Bridget B’s farm near Ware for meat and game, our local veg man at Sparshotts in St Albans, and Carpenters Nursery in Sandridge. For a nice drop of ale, Phil looks to The 3 Brewers of St Albans.

We offer 5 , 7 and 9-course tasting menus. All allergies can be catered for, swapping out a few components of each dish, as well as offering full vegetarian and vegan menus.  Please be sure to mention any dietary requirements at the point of booking.

Relaxed fine dining

At THOMPSON St Albans, we’re passionate about making fine dining accessible to all. Our front of house team strives to offer a service that is attentive but not invasive. Whether you are on a romantic date night, dining with friends, entertaining clients, looking for private dining or out for a family meal, we have something for everyone.

As an independent restaurant, our success is measured by your satisfaction. Knowing you have enjoyed a wonderful experience is what we strive for in all we do. If you would like to provide us with some feedback, please contact us – we’d love to hear what you think!

Indoor and outdoor space

Our restaurant has a number of different dining spaces: our cosy front room, light and airy conservatory and main upstairs restaurant area – something for every occasion. Relax with a pre-dinner drink in our lounge bar area – perhaps a chilled glass of champagne or try one or our seasonal cocktails, before making your way to your table.

Our 28-person capacity conservatory with French doors opening out onto our quaint Victorian-style courtyard can be booked for functions, parties and private dining. This includes exclusive use of our terrace, which seats a further 20 guests offering al fresco dining amid trailing ivy, honeysuckle, jasmine, shrubs and flowers.

Did you know our restaurant was formerly a row of four cottages predating the Second World War?  The gates that flank the outside of the restaurant were produced by the iron workshop here in 1979. The plot was finally converted into restaurant premises in 1983.

Practical information

All you need to know about our 3 AA rosette, relaxed fine dining restaurant, including how to book and to where to park.

Opening hours

Monday: Closed all day
Tuesday to Saturday evening: 6pm – 8.30pm
Friday & Saturday lunchtime: 12pm – 1.30pm
Sunday: Closed all day

Should you wish to have a a chilled glass of champagne or one of our seasonal cocktails in our lounge bar before being seated at the time of your table, we ask that you arrive half an hour before the time of your booking. Please let us know at the point of booking if you would like to use our lounge bar area.

Guest wifi: THOMPSON ST ALBANS GUEST
Password: thompsonstalbansguest

Deposits & cancellation policy

We require a £50 deposit per person for all reservations.  For tables of 5 or less, our cancellation policy is 24 hours.  For larger parties of 6 or more, we ask for a minimum of 72 hours cancellation notice.  For special events, we ask for full payment up front due to popular demand. Refunds are applicable if tables are re-sold.  A discretionary 12.5% service charge will be added to your bill.

Allergies & dietary requirements

Allergies can be catered for, swapping out a few components of each dish, as well as offering full vegetarian and vegan menus. (v) denotes vegetarian, although may contain dairy; (ve) denotes vegan.  Please advise us of any special dietary requirements at the point of booking. If you suffer from ANY allergies or have any special dietary requirements, please also inform your waiter.

Accessibility

We have a completely wheelchair-accessible ground floor area including comfortable toilet facilities. Please mention any special requirements when making your reservation.

Credit cards

All major cards are accepted.

Smoking policy

All our public areas including our courtyard are non-smoking and non-vaping by law.

Parking

There are 11 well-signposted car parks within a 6-minute walking distance of the restaurant, 4 of which are within a 4-minute walking distance. The car parks at Drovers Way and Russell Avenue allow pre-booking and pre-payment. Street parking is available outside the restaurant on the single yellow line after 6.30pm and all day Sunday.

Find out more on the St Albans City & District Council car park information page.