Billy’s Bar & Restaurant

Excellent food! Started with the scallops wrapped in bacon, followed by a rack of baby-​back ribs — delicious! The meat fell off the bone and I loved the sauce. Good beer selection and deserts. My friend had a steak and thought it was the best they’d had in a long time — maybe ever.

My coworker and I live in the South, so we know BBQ pig. My coworker is from Georgia, and admitted that these were some if the best baby backs he’s ever had. So, after we checked into our hotel, we headed off to Billy’s. The ribs here completely fall off the bone like they should. Normally, I like a smoky sauce, but this one was AWESOME! It was a perfect harmony of sweet and tangy… and smothered all over the ribs! We ordered the half-​racks, but craved more.
The staff was also great. They offered some very good drink selections to accompany the ribs. Definitely hitting up Billy’s again.

I’ve been here a few times at the weekend and its a bit hit and miss. Sometimes the atmosphere is great, sometimes its not. Although described as a wine bar, I’d say its just a pub. I think its probably the liveliest place you will come across in Harpenden at the weekend.

I gave this place two chances after some friends said they had good American dishes. They are still friends, I just don’t take their dining advice anymore.
The first visit was to try a couple of their Mexican dishes. OK, I wasn’t expecting Texas quality, but it really was a laughable attempt. The nachos were made with cheap, out of the bag tortilla chips and the cheese was similarly low quality, and the whole dish was soggy like it have just been microwaved. The main dish was fajitas, chicken and beef, that I swear was made with an Old El Paso kit from Sainsbury’s.
The second visit was to try the simplest of all dishes, a burger. I cannot stress how average this burger was. It was at least edible, but that is the best I can say about it.
I live very close to this place, and the other thing I can say based on my passing observations is that it at least a great place for meeting the local binge drinking class.

Billy’s is a thriving bar and restaurant in the heart of town. It always struck me as a bit of a rugger bugger’s type of place, but it is lively and good fun for the occasional visit.
The restaurant has a predominantly American theme to the menu, and the food is reasonable without being anything sensational, not that you would really expect that. Portions are generous so you certainly won’t be going home hungry anyway.