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The Sword Inn Hand, Buntingford, Hertfordshire

The Sword Inn Hand

4.8
4.8
810 Reviews
£25 and under
Gastro Pub
A photo of The Sword Inn Hand restaurant

The Sword Inn Hand

4.8
£25 and under
Gastro Pub
Buntingford

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 9 times today
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
The Sword Inn Hand is a 14th Century Free House with guest rooms nestled in the beautiful rural Hertfordshire village of Westmill, a mile south of the market town of Buntingford. With bar, dining room, mature landscaped gardens and charming country inspired guest rooms, it is the perfect countryside retreat for drinking, dining and relaxing. Seasonal produce is delivered to us daily by our fantastic local suppliers, and we pride ourselves on serving delicious fine food and traditional ales. Our friendly yet professional customer service and warm, relaxing atmosphere inspires our lovely customers to return week after week, and welcomes new visitors from far and wide. Owner, Jeremy Lee and his fantastic team look forward to making your visit a special one to remember.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    £25 and under
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, English, Modern European
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 12:00–15:30 Mon–Thu 17:00–23:00 Fri, Sat 12:00–23:00 Sun 12:00–18:00
  • Phone number
    01763 271356
  • Payment Options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 810 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.6Value

NoiseEnergetic

Loved For

  • Hertfordshire

    Best Overall

  • Hertfordshire

    Best Food

  • Hertfordshire

    Best Service

  • Hertfordshire

    Best Ambience

  • Hertfordshire

    Best Value

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Sword Inn Hand is a charming country pub that blends "excellent food" with a warm atmosphere and attentive service. Known for its seasonal menu and "fresh ingredients," it offers a delightful dining experience in beautiful surroundings. Guests appreciate the "friendly staff" and thoughtful touches like handwritten cards for special occasions. Despite occasional slow service, most visitors leave with high praise and intend to return.

810 Reviews
  1. Malcolm

    Hertfordshire

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The Sword Inn Hand is a favourite of ours. Top quality food and service. They never fail!

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  2. laura

    Liverpool

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We love this place. The food, service and ambience are amazing. It’s even dog and child friendly. Best pub in the area by far.

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  3. Annette

    New York City

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Fabulous cozy village pub with great food. Warm and welcoming environment

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  4. Geoffrey

    Hertfordshire

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 3 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great place for lunch . Have been many times and never disappointed.

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  5. Vaughan

    London

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on 2 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Last minute booking for an impromptu lunch. Menu gave us lots of choice between pub classics and seasonal main courses. Our choice of Guinea Fowl was spot on. Charming village pub/restaurant which I would recommend

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  6. Tony

    Dubai

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 2 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Friendly personal service in a lovely village pub setting. Complimented by a regularly updated menu made from locally sourced ingredients that reflect seasonal availability. An inspired twist on standard 'pub grub'. On the current menu 'The Piggy' is highly recommended! As always, an amazing job by Jeremy and team.

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  7. Lisa

    Hertfordshire

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic food quality and amount of food you get Waitress service high standard and very welcoming Will defo be returning as a large party again

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  8. Lucy

    Hertfordshire

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely superb food attention to detail spot on x

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  9. Amber

    London

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a lovely Sunday roast! One of my favourite pubs

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  10. Julie

    Devon

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 30 November 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The Sword in Hand is usually reliably very good but last night the food was a bit disappointing. Specifically two of our 4 starters, tandoori monkfish were considerably over cooked with the tempura batter hard and frankly inedible. The other starters were good. At least two of the main options were not available. For our mains one of our group ordered fish pie which consisted mainly of potato. Another had the chicken schnitzel which was just average at best. The other mains were ok especially the quail. In addition one of our drinks, vodka and soda, was a strange brown colour because it was served with coke also in the glass apparently because of a mix up with the pump dispenser. We gave some feedback on the starter and without us asking the staff did knock the price of two drinks off the bill. It was a small but probably slightly inadequate gesture given the price of the two inedible monkfish was in excess of £25. I will return to the Sword in Hand because I have had many very good meals there. Hopefully last night was just a bad one.

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FAQs

The Sword Inn Hand is rated 4.8 stars by 810 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

A photo of The Sword Inn Hand restaurant

The Sword Inn Hand

4.8
£25 and under
Gastro Pub
Buntingford

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 9 times today
Google Map for The Sword Inn Hand

Pilgrims Row, Buntingford, Hertfordshire SG9 9LQ

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    Buntingford
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 12:00–15:30 Mon–Thu 17:00–23:00 Fri, Sat 12:00–23:00 Sun 12:00–18:00
  • Price
    £25 and under
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, English, Modern European
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Payment Options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Vegan, Wine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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