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King's Arms, Blakeney

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user reviews of the King's Arms, Blakeney

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

I like this pub, but it doesn't quite do itself justice beer-wise. The Speckled Hen & Adnams tend to be flat & a little cloudy, & I'm not a convert to Wherry in particular or Woodforde's in general. My brother takes me there as he likes the food, but that too is nothing special, plus expensive in my book.
renzarov - 3 Sep 2015 17:44
I had a pint of Green King IPA, £ 3-50. It was ok .

The lady behind the bar did not exactly welcome me with open arms, but then again she never ask me to leave either. Perhaps the takings were a bit down.

The pub is just along from the harbour on the way to the bus stops so perhaps lots of passing trade . Anyway next time I am passing I shall pop in.


Leftinthepub44 - 3 Sep 2015 15:29
Thought this might suit us best as we were in walking boots and the other pubs in Blakeney looked rather smart. Sadly the Belhaven St Andrews Ale poured straight from the cask proved to be cloudy and disappointing and I left about a third whereas the chap sitting on the neighbouring outside table poured his into the bushes. Hopefully the Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen and Woodfordes Wherry were in better condition but the GBG listing seemed questionable. Cider was Aspalls Harry Sparrow.
paul_d102 - 24 Jul 2015 16:59
Great old English pub with decent beer selection and really lovely staff. Good pub food with the mussels definitely worth trying.
vinster345 - 28 Feb 2015 15:55
Can only agree with previous reviews. Service was slow and staff seemed more interested in serving locals rather than serving the next in cue.

Food was average at best. Had ploughmans but were told that we had to get pickles from the bar - which was busy so it took an age to get these.

Only saving grace was the condition of the beer which was excellent.

Certainly not one of the better pubs along the north Norfolk coast.
nmckenn - 22 Aug 2014 15:33
A very disappointing experience at the end of a holiday. My duaghters dinner was practically yanked from her by the "waiter cum chef" - when I remarked that she had not finished he simply sneered and sighed and huffed off.

Bar staff were unhelpful, curt and certianly not welcoming. Food was transport cafe average. Our evening was only made pleasant by the company we made on the next table.

Finally, the yokels seemed to delight in swearing as much as possible and preventing me getting to the bar, well they are welcome to their dismal little pub with dismal staff. Avoid please.
shottendenaveling - 6 Nov 2012 22:10
A nice original pub with taproom to left, a further warren of rooms beyond that, and a bar to the right. The pub has not been messed about with and is probably one of the last few not to have been given the Gastropub/hoorah Henry restaraunt treatment with pastel shades and food served on slate or other building material. Beer served to locals is a priority, so as a holiday maker be prepared to wait, fair enough. The locals were friendly and it was nice to hear pub banter, which is a rarity these days. Unfortunately the Wherry from the stillage was far too warm, I'd guess 16oC. Next tried the Adnams off the handpump which was still far too warm to the point of cloying to the glass. Otherwise the beer was good quality, had it been served at the correct temperature of 11oC. More embarrassing for Camra the pub is in the GBG but the beer in other pubs locally not in the GBG were as good quality and served at the right temperature, cool. I'm sure this was reflected by the fact I was the only person drinking cask and the rest of the people at the pub had lager!!
brisk - 14 Sep 2012 12:52
A very bland pub with reluctant service and a poor selection of Greene King ales and Wherry thrown in, such a nice area deserves a thriving vibrant top hole pub, this isn't it though. 3/10.
slerpy - 10 Sep 2012 20:58
It's a old-fashioned pub that does beer (and food) rather than the usual gastro pub now typical of the North Norfolk coast and that's no bad thing in my view. The beers were excellent including the Once Bittern straight from the barrel. Re-previous comments the locals were chatty but it's clear that there's a tourists bar and a locals' bar. I'd say don't go in the locals' bar if you don't want to engage in the friendly banter.
thewickingman - 27 Nov 2011 20:17
Visited this pub twice during our short stay in the area, and can only agree with alexw - 6-3-2011.
The food is plain Pub Grub � Nothing fancy. You get a fair portion, at a reasonable price, and it is very good.
As to the beers. Not a very inspiring selection on the hand pumps, Adnams bitter, Old Speckled Hen and Marstons Pedigree. However, the Adnams was absolutely, spot on.
On our second visit, I had the Woodforde�s Once Bittern, straight from the cask. The best pint(s) I had all week.
When we are back in the area, we will make a definite point of re-visiting the Kings Arms.

Phantom_Pigeon - 15 Nov 2011 11:24
have to agree with the previous post,spoilt our day as well,shame,we visit norfolk twice a year(my wife comes from stiffkey)we have always used this pub for food and drink,often with family and friends,but the owners must realise we are not there too put up with the foul langauge from his regulars,i in fact own three pub/resturants and if any of my staff/managers allowed that sort of carry on they would be looking for another job...will not return.
laughingduck - 19 Jun 2011 16:07
nice pub, nice location. Enjoyed my meal there. However the experience was ruined by 3 very drunken middle aged people - one woman and two men. The lady in particular was constantly swearing aloud and tried to embarrass us deliberately. I asked them to tone it down but they just laughed and it made them worse. The barman couldnt do much as they were probably regulars and were his trade for the winter months. We were just tourists. I visit the area regularly but sadly I wont visit the Kings Arms again. Shame - nice pub.
jjlambert - 19 Jun 2011 14:33
I'm going to start with the positives - the beer is pretty good. As a CAMRA member I've learnt to appreciate how ale is kept and served and I have no doubt that the landlord knows what he's doing in that regard. The food is also superb with generous servings if a little on the expensive side.

But... that's where it ends. The black and white minstrels album covers on show says that this isn't the most progressive place ever, but I can appreciate that this pub is a long way from the liberal beating heart of London. However, the landlord's attitude to his patrons leaves a lot to be desired, with cheap jokes made at the expense of customers, and a brusque manner that even appears to rub his staff up the wrong way. The way a straw was thrown at me when I requested one, you would have thought I'd asked for the content of his wallet. This is a good pub, but these issues stop it from being great. The lack of competition for this place is telling as I'm sure a rival would make the landlord buck his ideas up a bit.
Dartola - 14 Jun 2011 21:41
Busy pub catering for the tourist trade, London prices though, �6.60 for 2 pints of Wherry from the cask. Food looked good especially the specials board
BeeryRog - 8 Jun 2011 15:24
Highly recommended both for food and ales.
Sadly most pubs in the area seem to serve expensive, pretentious, restaurant style food - not here! Traditional pub food of good quality with decent portions. The best pub in the area. Cask ales available, some on handpump, the others by gravity straight from the cask.
alexw - 6 Mar 2011 13:37
This is a smashing pub. Interesting linked rooms, gravity dispense, Pedigree, An Adnams beer and Bishops Finger were on. Don't be put off by the menu outside the pub, that's the all-day stuff, go in and look at the many specials. We chose the battered plaice fillets and they were excellent, good thick fillets in a thin tasty batter. Dog friendly and a great relaxed locals atmosphere.
StephenE - 8 Nov 2010 22:25
Have to totally agree with Edchambers. I cannot comment on the range of beers as I was on Grandchildren duty in the garden, but as we left I could certainly see kegs set up for gravity dispense. Food both good quality and value. My crab baguette was excellent which was most fortunate, as two hours later we still hadn't caught any of the little blighters.
philanders - 6 Aug 2010 20:02
We visited this pub on an unseasonably warm day in late October and were delighted to find it ticked all the right boxes. Good real ales including excellent Nelson's Revenge on gravity. Food served all day with a varied menu including much local produce, but also including reasonably priced sandwiches and baguettes for those of us who wanted to keep it simple. Nice chips. Pleasant multi-roomed interior, plus a spacious beer garden. Row of swings which kept the children occupied until their food arrived. Friendly staff and relaxed, informal atmosphere. Everything you could possibly want from a country pub.
edchambers - 30 Oct 2009 21:23

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