If you want a real sit-down meal near Elstree Studios, the strongest option is Script Restaurant and Bar at The Hertsmere, a Modern British restaurant open seven days a week from 7:30am, with a balcony looking out over the golf course and more than 250 free parking spaces. It is a few minutes from the studios, it welcomes dogs, and you do not need to play golf, or even like golf, to eat here. That said, the area has more going for it than most visitors expect, so here is an honest local's guide to eating well around Elstree and Borehamwood.
By The Hertsmere team4 min read
What the area actually offers
Elstree and Borehamwood sit just inside the M25, around 20 minutes from London, which means the dining scene is a mix of two worlds. Borehamwood high street covers the everyday bases, with the usual run of cafés, takeaways, and familiar chain names that do a decent job when you need something quick between commitments at the studios. It is convenient, but it is not somewhere you would take a client, a visiting producer, or your parents.
For that, locals tend to head slightly out of the town centre, and this is where The Hertsmere comes in. The club sits in Elstree (WD6 3AA), a short drive from the studios, and its restaurant is open to everyone. No membership, no dress-code theatre, no gatekeeping. You park in one of the 250-plus free spaces, walk in, and eat.
Script Restaurant and Bar: the local pick
Script is a Modern British restaurant and bar inside the clubhouse at The Hertsmere, and the name is a nod to the film heritage on its doorstep. It opens seven days a week from 7:30am, which makes it one of the few places nearby where you can have a full cooked breakfast before an early call time, a working lunch mid-afternoon, or a drink at the bar once the day wraps.
The setting is the real difference. The balcony looks out over 18 holes of Donald Steel parkland, so instead of a car park or a high street, you are eating with a view of fairways and mature trees. On a warm evening it is hard to believe you are 20 minutes from London. Script is also dog friendly, which matters more than restaurants tend to admit, and the Sunday roast has become a fixture for local families.
- Breakfast from 7:30am, seven days a week, ideal before an early start at the studios
- Lunch and afternoon tea from a Modern British menu, plus a full bar until 10pm
- Sunday roast, popular with families and worth planning around
- A balcony overlooking the course for warmer months
- Dog friendly, with over 250 free parking spaces outside the door
Feeding a group or a production crew
If you are organising food for a larger group, whether that is a crew celebration, a corporate day, or a society of golfers, The Hertsmere handles groups well. Society and group days start from £58 per person for groups of 12 or more, combining golf with food at Script, and the team is used to building days around what a group actually wants rather than forcing a set format. For a work outing near the studios, a morning on the 26-bay floodlit Toptracer range followed by lunch is an easy win, because nobody needs to know how to play golf to enjoy Toptracer.
Book a table at Script
Script Restaurant and Bar is open to everyone, seven days a week from 7:30am. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, Sunday roast, and a balcony over the course, all 20 minutes from London with free parking.
The honest local verdict
The high street will always be there for a quick bite, and it does that job perfectly well. But when the meal matters, when you want a view, a balcony, a roast done right, or somewhere to bring the dog, Script at The Hertsmere is the local answer. And if you eat here often, it is worth knowing that Flexi membership at the club starts from £300 a year with no joining fee, and it includes 10 per cent off at Script, which quietly pays for itself if Sunday roast becomes a habit.
