please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Sadly gone dark during this year. No signs of refurbishment. I wonder if this is the end of the Ken Arms?
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An update from 'in situ' at the ken arms, via the miracle of wifi phn.
Still the screens and all bar one ish interior, aleviated by Sharps beer. Certainly serving the young n funky clientele hereabouts. Could do without music videos however.
Well run and has it's moments for the older drinker.
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Still in and out of the 'Ken Arms', and mostly for the Doom Bar and other Sharps beer. Certainly not a trad pub anymore, but a well run, mostly antipoedean staffed modern bar with a local feel. Back of the place mostly for eating - and the many customers doing so and quaffing vino show it must be good. Great for sport at the front of the bar with US style set-up of screens, usually turned to quiet. Miss the old pub, but at least the place has kept open & flourishing.
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Great fish and chips. Good beers on tap and a great place to hang out in Kensington. There on business 5-10 times a year and I always make it down there for a night or two, watch a good game and have a couple of pints.
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Been associated with the Ken Arms for 40 years - knew John & Peggy - not so much regularly though but still pass through so have seen the refit... hmmm. Pleased it is mostly positive comments on here; support your local - not that many left!!
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Ace - Alex is back!
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The small but bright frontage gives the impression you are walking into a typical back street boozer but this just belies what you find inside. The high ceilings, abundance of light wood and regimented furniture layout meant my first impression was a bit like that of an Ikea showroom. However on closer inspection I found this was a really nice pub to bar conversion. There are a number of mirrors on one wall and the rest of the wall space is given over to sports photos or old railway advertisements. There�s a couple of comfy sofas and a number pf plasma screens that show all the main sporting events. A number of skylights have been added to give the bar some natural light. Didn�t try the food but the bar was well stocked. They had two hand pumps in operation, one with Sharps Doom Bar, continental lagers on draught, and some Belgian bottled beers. The bottle of Duvel I had was rather pricey at �3.90 but did come in a branded glass which I always feel is the sign of a good pub.
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alex the landlord is a shambolic piece of joy.
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the best pub in the area by far! alex, the manager, is a top guy with great humour and charm. the staff are very friendly and food is fantastic! the chunky chips have become a permanent part of my life! the atmosphere is perfect and the decore, unlike the other locals in the area, clean and modern. i dont know what i did before i found the ken arms! alex your doing a great job.
anonymous - 13 Jul 2007 13:00 |
The Kensington arms is fast becoming one of my favourite places to drink. The modern decor took a while to get used to,(photos of Martin Keown grimacing don't help), but I have certainly grown to love it. Although the Arms has the look of a classy bar and concentrates quite heavily on sit down meals it manages to retain the aire of a traditional pub. The beer selection is top; at least two British ales are always on tap and they are well looked after, as is that superb selection of not-your-bog-standard lager. The Doom Bar (in a beer mug)is a firm favourite as are the huge portions of chunky chips. The fact that the pub has 5 or six big screens showing sport almost all the time only further encourages drinkers to stay for long periods of time in what is a cosy yet classy drinking establishment. The staff are fantastic and friendly and the whole ship is steered rather succesfully by Alex. Get there early on a match day, take your seat (at the bar preferably), get in some chips and a beer and sit and relax as your afternoon or evening disapeers.
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I happened across this pub whilst seeking safe haven from the rain this past Sunday. Alex was a gem of a host and what was to be just a quick pint and some lunch turned into an all-night affair as two friends came to join me there later on in the evening as well.
The food was gorgeous and the atmosphere is more gastro-pub than a traditional carpeted and wall-papered environment. TVs throughout made watching the Arsenal/Reading match with the rest of the lot a absolute gas.
Alex and I had some great banter about beer, food and Roman history. What impresses me most about this place is that all food items they prepare are made from scratch, even the vanilla ice cream! Very yummy.
We stayed right until close on Sunday and if we didn't have to board a plane the next day I'm sure we'd have gone back for more.
Thanks to Alex for making us feel at home!! I'll be back the next time I'm in London.
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Oh and the bar staff were also very attentive and friendly!
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I have very recently discovered this pub and am quite impressed. Not a place to go if you want a traditional boozer as it is quite bright and airy inside. Looks like it is certainly geared up for food which I have not tried yet. Pretty good beers on tap I had a very nice pint of Becks 'Vier' there. Will certainly go back to watch sports and as the food has been well received below will certainly try the menu.
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A right little upstart this one, giving the Builders Arms (even if they are a fair walk from each other) a run for its money as the neighborhood's best bar right from the get go. I emphasise bar as it is very modern inside (the toliets are a joy to behold) and quite American/sporty in that there's an orgy of TV screens and the bar is massively inviting to prop up (kudos for that near-miracle goes to the staff). The burgers are gorgeous, the Cornish ales and farmhouse cider equally lush, and the girls who work there even more so. They've also got arguably the best and most entertaining gaffer in London in Alex. Just don't cheer for Chelsea too loudly, he's been known to switch to the golf. In the land of identi-kit pubs that is Kensington, more of these little wonders would be more than welcome. Complaints? Molest the council to allow a couple of tables on the pavement and bring back the 2-for-1 food deals (and my 10% discount).
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Great place for something light to eat and watching sport. Good friendly service.
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Good beer and nice food menu, friendly staff and generally it�s quite hard to fault the place. The only thing that shocked me is the fact that it looks like a normal everyday pub from the outside and very modern and bright (very bright) inside. I can't see people spending all evening in there as it doesn't have that comfy feel some pubs do, but for drinking, eating and watching the football on good modern screens it ticks every box.
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Chips! Chips! Chips! Chips! Been there to watch the football a couple of times, you would have to close your eyes to not be able to see the screens. Friendly staff, excellent service, you will have a drink in your hand before find a seat. Food looks great, on the bar snack front i can definately recomend the Chips. All in all a great place to go for a Drink, chat, the football and the best bowl of chips in town!
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This pub to look at is a bit modern for my liking with scrubbed floorboards and restaurant style seating. However I can't fault the beer - a great pint of Sharp's Doombar (Eden Ale also on offer). the usual lagers available if that's your bag. I went here for a late lunch this week and it was very quiet, but the barmaid was friendly and the food excellent. I had posh bangers and mash (pork and apricot sausages on a bed of mashed potatoes with jus de something or other) for �8. Very tasty and not bad value for this part of town.
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Sad to leave Kensington and such an awesome pub!
Great cornish beer and food.
Lovely comfy couches perfect for a slow-Sunday - reading the papers, drinking a beer and munching on a 2pm roast!
Goodbye Alex - hope you do well.
Goodbye Soooozie - maybe we'll meet again in Sydney or something - hope you enjoy your return home!
cheers and beers,
Dan
OzDan - 23 Feb 2006 05:57 |
A truly excellent Pub.
I am a local resident living on a flat on the Abingdon Road. The area is spoilt for fine pubs however the revamped Kensington Arms shades them all.
The food is excellent (the bubble and squeak soup a particularly brilliantly dish).
The manager, Alex is, chatty, friendly and seriously knowledgeable on his booze. He has also assembled a helpful and welcoming staff.
The atmosphere is great and with the recent addition of leather couches next to the fire - it is a great pub in which to chill.
The fact it also has separate areas for fine dining and sport watching (five flat screen TV�s) means I feel like I have won the lottery and spent it all on an extension to my front room - albeit a front room a few minutes walk away and called the Kensington Arms.
Brilliant.
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Excellent, good to see Spitfire on draught, comfy leather sofas by the fire, nice to see a selection of papers every day. Not too bright, even good music, excellent pork terrine on my ploughmans, will definitely go back. More ladies would be a bonus
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I have been to this newly refurbished pub and I have to say I was really disappointed. There are not enough chairs to go with tables. It is too white and half cut. It is neither one thing nor the other. There is no atmosphere good or bad. I am sad to say I actually think it was better as it was before, seedy but at least it had character
anonymous - 28 Jan 2006 22:48 |
What can I say? Well kept beer (the Sharp's Doombar is excellent), great food, above all the pork terrine and fresh pasties. The plasma screens make it a sound venue to watch the footy and cricket, without the inconvenience of any Man Utd fans. Great to see somewhere which is totally quality led, the lack of J2Os, alcopops, Fosters, Budweiser and Magners show whoever chooses the drinks list really cares, a pleasant change in this age of chain pubs and advertising.
Keep up the good work, and be warned I may want to celebrate my birthday in there....
anonymous - 15 Jan 2006 00:46 |
I went here as a friend had told me that it had just re-opened and I'm glad I took his advice. Great pub and brilliant food. I had a delicious pasty and a glass of very tasty wine. There was a footy match on the plasma screens which created a great atmosphere. The new decor is very suitable for Kensington and the bar staff are incredibly friendly. Certainly a place to stay a while when in Kensington!
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What a fabulous place! This is one of the few pubs I've been in that has pulled off the clean, modern look successfully..... without having ropey "art" from local egotists plastered around the walls. Anyway, back to the important stuff. As the previous commentor noted, not your usual range for a west London joint, but everything I tried was kept beautifully - and I, for the record, preferred the Doom Bar, a very suppable pint. But in keeping with the area, I tried the London Pride too, and it was as good a pint of it as I've had in any Fuller's pub.
Food - the Sunday roast I had was excellent. Gorgeous beef, and enough veggies with it for about 3 people. However, the sausage and mash I had during the week was a bit of a let-down; OK, very tasty, but �11? Come off it!
The staff, however, I found to be excellent. Alex is, as the previous poster noted, as knowledgable a manager as you're likely to find, and seems to be on a mission to deliver a drinking nirvana (except for if he disagrees with your choice of drink - then he will let you know in no uncertain terms what he thinks is wrong and what you should have instead). Everyone else was very friendly and helpful, so what more could you want?
Oh yeah, lots of screens for the football too :)
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An awesome pub with great location. Recently renovated (and renovated well) the Kensington Arms is light and airy with a clean, funky look to it (a variety of unique and antique looking mirrors adorn the wall oppsite the bar). Movable plasma screens allow the punter to watch their favourite games while enjoying a pint but as they sit above the bar they are in no way dominating. Of the four real ales on tap two are a little different to your average west London pub - Sharpe's IPA and Sharpe's Doom Bar - both from Rock, Cornwall. The IPA (my fav) has a very fresh, crisp, citrusy/grassy hop aroma and a pretty balanced finish. Doom Bar is a (i think an Ordinary Bitter) little maltier and more subtle but no less complex. The staff are friendly and very approachable - Alex is especially helpful and knows his way around a bar and its stock as any good manager worth his salt should be... cheers!
OzDan - 28 Dec 2005 17:57 |
Great spot to watch football. Friendly staff. Good pool table.
anonymous - 24 Aug 2004 20:36 |
