The White Horse, King's Lynn

Steve of N21 left this review about The White Horse

There has been a White Horse in the village of Brancaster Staithe since the 1800’s, but originally not this one. This current White Horse was built in 1934 and the licence transferred here, with the original pub becoming a private house that was later demolished in the 1960’s.
What that 1934 build pub may have looked like is hard to tell as, after a period of time being known as The Lobster Pot in the 1990’s, it was taken over in 1997 by the current owners ( who reverted it back to its original name) and has been much extended and modernised in recent years, a lot of it to take advantage of its elevated location overlooking the tidal marshland. Today its reputation is more for being a plush four star hotel and a renowned sea food restaurant and it regularly appears in the Good pub guides annual list of top 100 food pubs in the country. That does mean that you will be lucky to stay here, as it’s 13 boutique rooms are booked out months in advance and booking for the restaurant is recommended at any time of year but pretty much essential in the high season.
No booking needed for just a drink though and the pubs available bars can be accessed from the main A149 at the front or from the North Norfolk path at the back.
When entering from the front it all looks a bit ordinary, with two entrances one marked bar and the other restaurant and there is no indication what lies beyond, although the plush sunken patio section to the front mentioned below does give you a bit of a clue.
The single room bar area is very modern and clean and all a bit corporate and more has the feel of a hotel bar than a traditional pub. It does support three hand pumps providing a decent selection of Norfolk beers and alongside the ubiquitous Woodforde Wherry were Lacons Encore and the local Brancaster Brewery Oyster Catcher, a rather good Golden Bitter.
However for many the main reason to visit are the two posh dining areas accessed to the right, and especially the all glass conservatory that provides absolutely stunning views across the salt marshes towards the Scolt Head Island National Nature Reserve.
Then the pub continues out the back as it drops down to a large partially covered outside area with its own bar known as the Marshside Bar. From here the views are equally spectacular and a great spot to watch the sunsets over the Brancaster Harbour.
As a pub for a pint then I agree with others that the Jolly Sailor up the road is the better option, but with the exception of the views from the Marshside bar this is not what this place is about. It’s all about the food and in that respect I believe things have changed from Mr Phat’s experience. Yes, you will be paying London level pricing, but the quality of the seafood we enjoyed and the service levels were on a par with our experience of seafood restaurants we have tried in London and you don’t get this vista in Randal and Aubin for example.
As a pub for just a beer then I’ll give it a 6, but as a place to stay or eat that’s a different story. If you are in the area with your significant other and want to treat them, then my advice would be not to use the on line booking system but phone The White Horse and request a window table if possible. Trust me they will thank you for it

On 16^th May 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2197 pubs]