The Fox at Willian

A wonderful & relaxing atmosphere in a beautiful setting. The food was outstanding. My steak was cooked to perfection & served with one of the best peppercorn sauces I’ve ever had. The sausage roll starter was also unbelievable- amazing flavour & perfect pastry. The staff are so friendly & attentive without being overbearing. Can’t wait to go back.

We were visiting one of our sons who lives nearby. We stayed in room 7 which, although it faced the road, was very quiet. Bed was very comfortable and the linen kept us warm. Breakfast was excellent as was the evening meal. Staff were excellent, cheerful, helpful and there when you wanted them but not hovering so close as to be intrusive. If you have reason to be in the Stevenage/Hitchen/Letchworth area, STAY HERE! You won't regret it!

Ate outside when the weather was nice. I'm not sure if it was because we visited mid week but no one comes outside to take your order. We had asked to sit outside so they knew we had just arrived. Once you receive your food, no one comes back to ask if everything is ok or if we need any other drinks so it means someone needs to go inside to order or ask for sauces. This level of service doesn't reflect the prices.

We came for a Sunday Roast and were utterly underwhelmed by the food. The roast was lacking in flavour and appeared on an absurdly large plate making the meagre Yorkshire pudding seem even smaller. The non-roast mains we had were creative concoctions on menu, that sadly didn't work, and were again very bland. However, whilst the food was a huge disappointment and not reflective of price, we found the staff and servers great; friendly, efficient and attentive. And the location and building itself is lovely. If they can sort out the food then I'd return again, but as it is, I'll have to be looking elsewhere.

The Fox is a wonderful place for a special occasion celebration or just for a good meal out. The meals we had were beautifully made, the staff was welcoming and warm. As we were celebrating a special occasion, we also received a complementary cake, which was a very nice touch!

Went to the Fox as I heard it used to have a good reputation. The staff are lovely although not well trained . Saturday night and about 30/40% full restaurant they tried to sit us at the worst table infront of the kitchen doors but they did move us when asked. The music system sounded muffled . Other than that everything was fine until the food came which looked good . My wife’s pork was really good but there was too much grit on my fish dish with leeks and hard potatoes which tasted horrible This place is no where near as good as their sister place the Hermitage. Maybe they have spread themselves too thin .

We had a birthday lunch on a Wednesday lunchtime. The restaurant wasnt overly busy so the service was very good. It was a surprise that we got the last parking spot in the pub carpark given the place wasn't packed. Overall a lovely place to dine. The food was good and we'll be visiting again.

I was expecting a more exciting menu but found it pretty basic. Nothing on the menu was enticing. However, the service was friendly and efficient. The food was just okay, nothing special.

Great pub to drink and socialize - we had a blast there and made two new friends! The whole little village there (Willian) and the church next door, is quaint and beautiful. It fancies itself as a gastro-pub but like a couple of others that experienced on this trip we were somewhat disappointed with the food, the menu etc somewhat pretentious, they try too hard and end up with no stellar result to validate the term gastropub in my opinion. That said - I will be back for drinks on my next visit to the UK

The Fox is an up market restaurant/pub set in the beautiful village of Willian, near Hitchin. Their food is absolutely amazing, and the service is great to. This is my favourite place to eat! It's quite pricey, but very worth it for a special occasion. They specialise in fish dishes, but their non-fish dishes are fab too. The only down side to their menu is the fact that they tend to only have one vegetarian option, so I don't think it's the best place to eat at for vegetarians.

Just on the edge of Letchworth, Willian is a pretty little village. The Fox combines a pub and restaurant next to the village pond, specialising in seafood brought in fresh from Norfolk, and meat from the farm next door. This is a restaurant that takes full advantage of the freshest, seasonal ingredients, and the service is good too. I haven't tried their fish and chips yet, but they won the award for the best fish and chips in the country at the Great British Pub Food Awards 2010. I'll be trying it soon! As a bonus, in a little building at the back, you will find a farm shop, containing fresh fruit and vegetables, wine and an excellent fishmonger. I'm a regular visitor, picking up Cromer crab, sacks full of mussels, plaice, monkfish, mackerel, or whatever else came in fresh that morning.

This is a top class restaurant and gastro pub in the lovely little village of Willian. It's run by the same people who own the White Horse restaurant in North Norfolk which some people may know. It's a regular entrant in the 'Good Food Guide' and other restaurant review books and rightly so. The food is lovely, beautifully cooked and presented. The wine and beer list are extensive too. The atmosphere is congenial, not at all snooty and the staff are attentive and friendly. But cheap it is not - in fact it's quite pricey. I wish I had the cash to eat here more often but for me it's definitely a special occasion type of place I go to maybe twice a year. Maybe when I win the lottery I'll go more often ...

Love this pub!!! Every time I visit my sister we will always come here. The food and atmosphere is great, the pub is clean, the staff is amazing !!! Just love it .

Excellent country pub with a restaurant. Food is to a high standard and bar area is also great.

Amazing food and a great choice of drinks. So many wines by the glass. You can choose between the restaurant bit or the more laid back bar. They also do great one off events and the menu is always seasonal. A great place to reward yourself after a walk around the arboretum! Or just a walk from the car!

Lovely mealinteresting menu and the food was well prepared and quality high. The service was good, but a bit confused at the bar. We ate in the lovely garden, a good setting for lunch. Food was £20-25 per person for lunch, two courses.

Been there for lunch a couple of times, it is a lovely gastro pub, that serves wonderful food... im sure ill be back again!

In over twenty visits, we've encountered close to 100% consistent delivery of professionally cooked and presented food. Service has been variable, but has been OK to excellent, never poor. And we come for the food, mainly. The menu changes often enough to give an idea of the kitchen's range. It is, at times, staid, but this may sadly!! reflect clientele's taste. Quality of produce (meat, fish, vegetables) is pretty consistently first-rate. In the past year we've tasted excellent, and excellently cooked and presented, pork, venison, oysters, beef, and lamb here. It is probably worth noting that it is fairly unusual for a good restaurant, even a 'gastropub', to offer such generous portions. There are also, as a 'starter' rather interesting slices of bread. These are all well and good, but our only (extremely slight) complaint would stem from the (apparently recent) drive to use 'British' rapeseed oil where good old olive oil (or British butter!) would have done better.