Kings Head, Shrewsbury

First port of call in my short recent short visit to Shrewsbury. From the outside it looked really enticing, as the old tudor style paneling promised a old worldy feel. Sadly once inside that's where it went wrong. It looks like they've modernised it to a fashion. In doing so they have taken all of its potential charm away. As regards the beer offerings they lacked any imagination. A paltry three handpumps; two of them being Bombardier and the other a Spitfire. Although I didn't try the food the menu looked very reasonable.

The pub dates back to the 14th Century and is stunning from the outside. The inside was quite dark and I thought it gave it more of a medieval feel to it. The staff were very friendly and chatty. The only criticism I have was the beer choice was slighty boring for me. If it had a couple of interesting ales on the go the place would be a bit more vibrant.

Only ale available was Bombardier, not in very good condition. Very dark and uninspiring pub

The fantastic exterior of this pub hides a fairly bland interior , what was once a multi roomed pub is now one large room , there are plenty of old beams but all the character has gone , even the medieval wall painting is so faded you can hardly see it . 2 real ales on Bombadier and Green King IPA , i had the IPA which was OK for IPA but £3 a pint is pushing it when the upmarket Armoury down the road is doing intresting local real ales for less . The barmaid was chatty as was the only other drinker in there , this should be a great pub but is in truth a great disapointment

The impressive medieval exterior with its multiple eaves towering at gravity defying angles over the pavement is probably one of Shrewsbuery’s most enticing pub sights. Unfortunately the interior doesn’t live up to the initial expectations and whilst there are some interesting features, notably the exposed chimney breast and medieval wall painting discovered during a 1987 refurbishment, the pub is a huge let down. There are murals on the bar and some pictures of the pub in flood (the Severn is a few yards down the road, and often over it) with a few coppers, brasses and antique weapns dotted about but the lighting is hardly sympathetic to the building’s character (or what’s left of it) and there are so many frustrating negatives that detract from all the positives. A small recess at the front of the pub initially had a dart board (you can tell form the holes in the wall!) but this has now been moved to the main body of the pub where it is far more intrusive. A corridor leads to a beer garden. The biggest disappointment is reserved for the beers. There are no Real Ales (just 1 redundant pump) and in a town with so many good ale pubs, this has to be a major drawback. This is definitely a pub to be admired from the outside but prepare to be disappointment once through the front door.