Kings Arms, York

The Kings Arms is a nice looking riverside pub that is best appreciated when quiet so you have to go in here very early or when its cold and raining. This pub is a Samuel Smiths tied house and the only one that i know of in York that does'nt have any real ales on,once inside the pub has different drinking areas and stone floors as the carpets would get wet when this pub gets flooded which is quite regular. I had a drink of keg Old Brewery bitter and this was ok but not as good as the real thing. Not one of my favourite York pubs.

The Kings Arms is a smallish Sam Smith's pub situated on the northern banks of the River Ouse between the Lendal and Ouse bridges. It's a typical Sam's pub - unbadged as such of course - with flagstoned flooring, exposed brickwork and lowish beams. The interior is largely unremarkable, although do note the markers indicating how high the floods have been over the years - the highest being approx 6 feet which was in November 2000. There's a large outside area on the river front, which is a mixture of bench seating and a standing area on the cobblestones. Given its location, this is a pub that probably doesn't have to make too much effort to attract the punters on a sunny day . My recent visit appeared to bear this out - longish queues for service, no one collecting empties, sticky tables - in summary, a not very impressive show, I'm afraid. The Sam Smiths OBB - £ 1.61p - is not real ale. We all like drinking outside when the sun comes out to play, but there's not much else to get enthusiastic about here.

A very touristy Samuel Smith’s, water front pub, with a great patio area. It is a medieval town design, with a stone lower story and a white plastered overhanging upper story. The interior is an L-shaped room around the serving bar. The decor is simple; brick and stone, with wooden ceiling and support beams, stone flag floor and a brick fireplace. It has to be simple, as the place has been flooded out on a number of occasions – there is, as the other commentators have said, a marker on the wall, as well as some photographs, of the height the water has reached. There is no TV, there was also no background music. Service was fine. The clientele varies here, depending on the weather. A massive queue can form leading outside on nice days and the pub and patio can get rammed. I of course simply walk past, being miserable, however, at other times it is as quiet as a church mouse. Beer; all keg Samuel Smiths beers, but without a MILD. The stout was as cold as ever, but fine enough, apart from the fact that it is served in plastic glasses. It is worth a visit for its location, but the fact that there is no real ale, or keg Sam Smiths MILD and one is subjected to plastic glasses means that I would rather go elsewhere after one (if i get in)

I dropped into this pub because it was raining outside and we needed to get a bite to eat. I would normally avoid this sort of pub – i.e a Sam Smith’s pub that only has keg beer on. With nothing on handpump, it was the scene of the embarrassing sight of the King Rat in a pub drinking orange juice. Luckily there were no witnesses who knew me (Mrs R doesn’t count in this context!). It has an attractive riverside setting, with several picnic benches outside on the jetty – sadly unused during my visit due to the pouring rain. Inside it’s a fairly decent pub with banquette seating in booths at the front, a bit more seating on the left of the bar counter, and some stools at ledges on the right. The walls are all exposed brickwork, and ancient posts and beams give it a genuinely ancient look. The floor is solid flagstones. There’s an interesting feature near the door, with high flood levels over the years displayed on a board; the highest was in 2000, when it nearly reached the ceiling. This is a decent pub – shame about the beer. Without a decent ale I doubt whether I shall be back.