Kings Arms, Ealingback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Not as good as when last visited and expensive - £5.25 for a bog standard pint of Kronenbourg. Like most of Ealing it's over priced and up it's own arse.
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Pleasant backstreet pub not too far from the Broadway in Ealing, but far enough away to keep the riff raff away. It was reasonably quiet on my Saturday afternoon visit with bar staff practically falling over themselves. Taylor Landlord, Sharps Doom Bar & Black Sheep Best Bitter were the 3 ales on offer and I quickly spotted Westons Old Rosie Cider in a box at the back of the bar. It may be quite strong at 7.3%, but paying �2.70 for a half makes for quite a sobering experience. I had to enquire whether or not I was paying for a half or a pint. Nice enough pub. But you can get the same drinks in even better pubs and in better locations for far less money.
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To be honest I usually just stop by here because it's my brother's local. EXPENSIVE place. The roast dinners look good although the pub itself maybe lacks character. Not bad place to while away a Sunday if your football team only drew their match and you have recently been paid so don't mind forking out a little more than usual.
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Sunday Roasts are amazing and pritty good beer selection, love the fact its out of the way
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Hidden in the backstreets of Ealing. One word comes to mind, Expensive.
Its got sports, the staff are quite fast.
Not a great pub, they do good food ive only been told, just make sure you are loaded with notes before you get there.
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Quite expensive pub (for drink and food). Food is average, beer selection is ok. However, the staff are arrogant and unfriendly. Won't be going back until there is a change of staff
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The Kings Arms was always a quiet back street oasis and even with the refurb it still retains some of that 'escape from the Broadway' solitude one sometimes needs. Three ales on - Taylor's Landlord, Pride and Twickenham Summer Gold. Went for the Twickenham brew which was quite a drinkable beer. Has three sections - one for watching sport in. If you ask for nuts you get them in a bowl rather than a packet. It's nothing special and I am always a bit dubious of pubs that have candles on the tables but this is probably the only place I'd drop in for a pint when next in downtown Ealing.
anonymous - 30 Aug 2010 10:08 |
Very good pub this, particularly for a weekend night out where it strikes a decent balance between being chilled out and lively. Definately one for the beer drinker. i think there's something like 5 or 6 different types of lager on tap including the rarely seen and very nice Sagres plus up to 4 real ales, Tim Taylor and the ever excellent Doom Bar are the ever presents, with usually two guest ales. Generally I've found the ale to be well kept.
Quite a good pub for sport, it has screens in all 3 rooms but it doesn't feel dominated by them like some pubs can.
The food is ok but can be a bit hit and miss, though the Onion Rings are excellent and amazing value, and the Carvery on a Sunday is good too.
Probably the only major critiscm I'd have of this place is the decor of the back two rooms. The front bar is great, light and airy with big windows, but the middle room is wood panelled and looks both weirdly old fashioned and oppresive. The third room is even worse and looks like a lounge in a second rate hotel! Still bizarre decor aside this is a great pub, and one I find myself frequenting with increasing regularity.
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We were looking for a Sunday lunch, preferably a carvery, in Ealing and the Kings Arms seemed to fit the bill.
We weren't disappointed. The three meats for a tenner (just less, actually) with huge piles of veg was excellent value and both the Taylor's Landlord and the Pride were exactly as they should be. A harsh critic might think the beef was just a touch dry and chewy but what do you expect? it's a carvery; it's kept warm under glass. I've paid rather more for much worse. I can see that the place might seem a bit impersonal and lacking in character for an evening's drinking, (not so much that I won't give it a try, though) but it was fine for lunch. We'll definitely be going again the next time I don't feel like cooking on Sunday
Royed - 31 Jan 2010 14:58 |
I had been to the pub prior to it being done up and would never have gone out of my way for it but now this is the best pub in Ealing.
Hidden away from the main drag, mainly a student free zone, good food, well laid out and reasonable selection of lager and beer. Its worth the effort to search it out.
The staff are friendly, the pub clean and bright and compared to some other pubs in Ealing its well priced.
The perfect place for a quiet drink, to watch the sport or spend the evening with friends.
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Have visited this pub a few times now, always early weekday afternoons and tend to stay until approximately 4 PM. At this time the pub is quiet and you can appreciate the spaciousness and nice decor. Have tried a London Pride which was OK but nothing special and a friend has had the Portugese lager (Sagres) and a Staropramen and preferred the latter. For nibbles we had cheesy garlic bread and spicy wedges, these were great and the bowl of wedges was huge. All in all a nice quiet pub at the time of day I have visited and a relief after being in the centre of Ealing Broadway and the shopping centre. Hard to believe that Starbucks is about two or three hundred yards away as this is hidden and seems a world away.
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having abandoned the previous version of the kings arms some years ago as antideluvian (curly sandwiches, sticky carpets & proprietorial locals) we wandered into the new version on friday to see what the fuss was about.
the main bar is still a very big room but the decor has been refreshed, there was a decent crowd in and a young musician warbling away in the corner.
the atmosphere was pleasant. those propping the bar up made space for new comers and the grumpy local and new barmaid added much to the entertainment.
wierdly, the dining room (with only 1 couple eating) had a telly showing live football.
the food came in large, tastey portions that represented unusually good value for money for london.
unfortunately what lets the pub down is the beer. the timothy taylor's landlord was more bitter than normal, the london pride was iffy and the guinness has the slightly nutty taste that you get when drinking it abroad.
if the landlord(s) can up the quality of the beer the kings arms will become another landmark on our ealing beer wanderings.
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This is a nice looking pub (nice floors), so nice looking that it is slightly uninviting/unhomely. I still like this pub but would like it more if it wasnt overpriced. btw this pub is a bit overpriced.
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this pub used to be an exceptional boozer when Gerry and Steve were running it, yes, it was shabby but a proper pub should be. i'd rather have a good pint in comfortable surroundings than a glass of poison surrounded by yahoos and amateur drunks. imo it has gone from a comfortable 9 to maybe a 3. this is a real disappointment.
now it is just like any other chrome-filled city-centre bar with no character. the staff are friendly enough but the quality of the beer has gone way downhill, nobody seems to much care about that which i find bewildering. i have only had a hangover twice in the last six months, each time was after two or three (reluctant) drinks in here.
for a "pub" to get the beer so fundamentally wrong is unforgivable. you might expect it of a wine bar...
i haven't tried the food: i go to restaurants to eat, nor have i used the accomodation (only one M, the huge letters outside tell you that) but i have tried the beer and it was off, twice. so i have found another pub to drink in when i'm nearby. and it is a proper pub which can keep and pull a pint (English of course) properly.
if you like ithe new kings arms, keep going but you have risibly low expectations if you think it is a "good pub".
this screed isn't a direct attack on the management (the publican seems very personable); there are dozens of foul pubs nearby which i also avoid for the same reason of undrinkable beer.it is however, a true pity that what had previously been the best local pub was developed so insensitively into yet another identikit, poncey, joyless bar.
in isolation it is one example of an outstanding traditional pub whoring itself to consumerism with little regard for quality. but it is part of a disheartening trend towards dumbing down what should be, has always been and should be cherished as an important part of our culture.
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Very very good. Relaxing and calm. Nice nibbles. Very friendly service. Hard to fault anything really.
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Good beer, good food, good service, good sport. After the refurbishment in February 2009 this has become a great pub. I scored it 8/10 - it could get to 9/10 if the drinks were cheaper and 10/10 by including more real ale.
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Visited The Kings Arms last Sunday, had the best Sunday Carvery for years, my Partner had a daily Special, and its was fantastic, the real Ales was Pride, Landlord, Old Peculier, and Bombardier.
Haven�t been to the Kings for years, but since the refurb it�s taken a massive step forward. The Staff was efficient and helpful,. The front area had a mixed crowd, eating talking and some watching the football, the middle bar had mostly dinners, the far rear area had a private function going on.
I will be going back to The Kings, and well done to the new owners.
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Truly a sensational pub! Since it's very recent revamp, the decor has new furniture, candlelit tables, bright new windows. Vibrant, friendly bar-staff and a mouth watering daily lunch menu. Sunday has choice of FIVE meat carvery menu for under a tenner! Recommended!!
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These types of pubs remind me of my youth when I had to sit quietly in the corner sipping my lemonade and eating a packet of salt and vinegar whilst my parents and their friends got drunk at the bar. I used to love those family days out and every time I walk into a local back street boozer like this one my heart skips a beat and I feel at home straight away.
The review on 11th June 2007 mentions that they only have Courage Best and Pride, no change there then. There is also a limited selection of standard draught that you�d expect to find in a pub that time forgot. A lot of these pubs are grubby and in need of some TLC, but this one is well looked after.
There is a small TV in the front bar and a plasma screen on the rear wall in the smaller back bar. Also, the barmaid seemed friendly and my Pride was good, if not great.
My only gripe is that a radio station was being played over the sound system, complete with adverts. I still rate this pub highly and wish there were more of them.
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I second all the previous comments. Went the other night and found a decent 'old man's' pub, the kind which seem to be dying out. Had a sleepy local feel to it, ideal for a quiet pint.
swizz - 27 Feb 2008 15:57 |
This is an old man's pub, but in a nice way. I wouldn't come here to party, but it's a great place for a quiet pint, with outdoor seating for any (let's hope) sunny days
blink - 24 Jul 2007 11:41 |
First ever visit from yours truly yesterday ( Sunday ) afternoon. This is a fine old fashioned back street local which has a certain nostalgic charm that people of a certain age, such as me, fondly reminisce about. It is close to Ealing shopping centre, quite close to the large multi-storey car park.
There are 2 interconnecting rooms - the saloon bar is very cosy, with much wood pannelling. There was a plasma TV showing the tennis, thankfully not too loud.The public bar is larger, but retains a traditional feel also. The pub is carpeted throughout, always a plus point in my book. The pub retains a real community feel to it - which is a pleasant reminder that Ealing has not yet completely turned into a mini - Poland
The beer range is unexciting - Courage Best and the ubiquitous London Pride. There didn't appear to be much beer trade - my London Pride was evidently the first pulled from the pump that day and needed pulling through three pints before it came up non-cloudy.
The visit was also noteworthy for a rare sighting of an old Isleworth Brewery mirror - can't remember when I last saw one of those.
Surprisingly, for a back street pub, accommodation is offered.
In conclusion, this pub should be included in any crawl of the area - its not too far away from the 65 Bus Route and the Red Lion and the Castle ( both Fullers )
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Like this pub. kronenbourg is sensational
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This used to be my local back in the mid 90`s when I lived in Ealing and i visited on Sunday for the first time this century. Am happy to report that it is exactly the same as I remember, same carpets, same faded decor, same barman, same smokey atmosphere. Had Courage and London Pride on, ok. Though still retains that lovely half asleep `local` atmosphere that I presume is vanishing elsewhere in W5.
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i might well go to pubs that people don't normally like, because they are quiet all the time, are the same as they were in 1962, or are just different to run of the mill pubs you might find on AN other high street in the country, but the kings, my local, is the best pub i have found in ealing, purely because it is never busy (i recall being in there on new year's eve once, just me, the missus and the barman - not sure he was too happy though), is never full of the noisy brigade you get round the broadway of an evening, and genuinely just has that 'local' feel to it.
The only downsides i can think of are that, bizzarrely, they always have the radio no quite loud, and that if you come into it 'cold', as it were, you might get some funny looks. Also, some of the younger barmaids can seem quite snooty. But they change staff quite fast, save for the ever reliable steve.
I'm continually baffled as to how this pub keeps going - it is a freehouse - and i can only assume the B+B part makes them enough money.
God bless the kings. A haven in ealing. The day it is renovated is the day i leave ealing.
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The King's Arms is a good, traditional pub. It is in a quiet back-street in Ealing, but right behind the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre.
It has two bars, the one in the rear being wood-pannelled and rather cosy.
The beer is generally well kept and offers a choice of real ales.
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